Acentral unifying principle in the field of signal transduction has been the covalent modification of proteins by phosphorylation. A wide range of protein kinases are known, and the process is regulated by a more limited although important number of protein phosphatases. Recently, there has been a remarkable increase in the numbers of examples of another reversible covalent modification in prot...

Diclofop methyl, a commercial herbicide, was used as the sole carbon source to cultivate diclofop-degrading biofilms in continuous-flow slide culture. The biofilms were analyzed by using scanning confocal laser microscopy and image analysis. Spatial relationships among members of the community were distinctive to diclofop-grown biofilms. These relationships did not develop when the biofilms wer...

The signaling capacity of endogenous cannabinoids ("endocannabinoids") is tightly regulated by degradative enzymes. This Perspective highlights a research article in this issue (p. 996) in which the authors show that genetic disruption of monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL), the principal degradative enzyme for the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), causes marked elevations in 2-AG level...

SYMPOSIUM PROCEEDINGS I963 Finally it might be mentioned that the relatively weak flavour which is usually obtained when so-called instant mashed potato products are made according to the manufacturers’ instructions (e.g. by adding hot water or hot milk) is probably due to the fact that the degradative reactions leading to the volatile constituents of flavour only occur weakly, if at all. This ...

We performed an assay to assess the polychlorinated biphenyl (PCB) degradative capability and congener specificity of aerobic microorganisms. Microbial strains were isolated and separated from different types of soils in the Czech Republic, and their PCB-degrading abilities were compared. An industrial mixture of PCB congeners ranging from dichloro- to hexachlorobiphenyl and representing variou...