It is well established that both salt and reactive oxygen species (ROS) stresses are able to increase the concentration of cytosolic free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i), which is caused by the flux of calcium (Ca(2+)). However, the differences between these two processes are largely unknown. Here, we introduced recombinant aequorin into rice (Oryza sativa) and examined the change in [Ca(2+)]i in response t...

The solubilization of nucleosomes and histone H1 with increasing concentrations of NaCl has been investigated in rat liver nuclei that had been digested with micrococcal nuclease under conditions that did not substantially alter morphological properties with respect to differences in the extent of chromatin condensation. The pattern of nucleosome and H1 solubilization was gradual and noncoordin...

The food- and airborne fungal genus Wallemia comprises seven xerophilic and halophilic species: W. sebi, W. mellicola, W. canadensis, W. tropicalis, W. muriae, W. hederae and W. ichthyophaga. All listed species are adapted to low water activity and can contaminate food preserved with high amounts of salt or sugar. In relation to food safety, the effect of high salt and sugar concentrations on t...

Present study deals with the hampering of the growth of histamine producing bacteria (HPB), by using NaCl and spices which are easily available and cheaper cost wise. For this experiment, four strains of HPB viz. Vibrio parahaemolyticus, Bacillus cereus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Proteus mirabilis were tested against 1 to 10% concentrations of NaCl and 1 to 5% concentrations of natural preserv...

In fourth instar larvae of Camptochironomus tentans, net sodium uptake from 2 mM-NaCl has an electrogenic component. During net uptake the transepithelial potential (TEP) alters from a value of approximately - 40 mV (sign refers to haemolymph), in depleted animals, to approximately o mV. The TEP in depleted larvae is dependent upon external sodium concentration above about I mM-Na+, becoming in...

The present study was conducted to find the effect of three heavy metals, Ag, Hg and Pb on the expression level of a gene encoding plasma membrane H+-ATPase in Aeluropus littoralis. The experiment was laid out in a completely random design with three replications. The expression of the main gene was normalized to the expression of the housekeeping gene actin. Two 259 and 187 bp fragments were a...

The identity and concentrations of intracellular organic solutes were determined by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy for two strains of aerobic, gram-negative bacteria isolated from Mono Lake, Calif., an alkaline, moderately hypersaline lake. Ectoine (1,4,5,6-tetrahydro-2-methyl-4-pyrimidinecarboxylic acid) was the major endogenous solute in both organisms. Concentrations of ectoine vari...

Experiments conducted in vitro suggest that high osmolality stimulates endothelin production and release by renal tubular epithelial cells. Whether hyperosmotic solutions exert similar effects in vivo is unknown. Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that increasing renal medullary osmolality enhances urinary excretion of endothelin in anesthetized rats. Isosmotic NaCl (284 mosmol/kgH(2)O) was in...