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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 73 records · Page 4
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1982

Alterations in mitochondria and sarcoplasmic reticulum from heart and skeletal muscle of horizontally casted primates

Horizontally body-casted rhesus monkeys are used as an animal model in order to study the physiological changes known as cardiovascular deconditioning which occur during weightless conditions. No difference was found between the experimental and control animals in heart mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation which indicates that no apparent changes occurred in the primary energy-producing system of the heart. A marked increase in cytochrome oxidase activity was observed in the casted primate heart mitochondria compared to controls, while a 25% decrease in respiratory substrate-supported calcium uptake was found in casted primate heart mitochondria compared to controls. Sacroplasmic reticulum isolated from the primate hearts revealed marked changes in calcium transport activities. It is concluded that the marked depression in cardiac sarcoplasmic reticulum functions indicates altered calcium homeostasis in the casted-primate heart which could be a factor in cardiovascular deconditioning.

Sordahl, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

The spatial distribution of fixed mutations within genes coding for proteins

An examination has been conducted of the extensive amino acid sequence data now available for five protein families - the alpha crystallin A chain, myoglobin, alpha and beta hemoglobin, and the cytochromes c - with the goal of estimating the true spatial distribution of base substitutions within genes that code for proteins. In every case the commonly used Poisson density failed to even approximate the experimental pattern of base substitution. For the 87 species of beta hemoglobin examined, for example, the probability that the observed results were from a Poisson process was the minuscule 10 to the -44th. Analogous results were obtained for the other functional families. All the data were reasonably, but not perfectly, described by the negative binomial density. In particular, most of the data were described by one of the very simple limiting forms of this density, the geometric density. The implications of this for evolutionary inference are discussed. It is evident that most estimates of total base substitutions between genes are badly in need of revision.

Holmquist, R.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Evolution of prokaryote and eukaryote lines inferred from sequence evidence

This paper describes the evolution of prokaryotes and early eukaryotes, including their symbiotic relationships, as inferred from phylogenetic trees of bacterial ferredoxin, 5S ribosomal RNA, ribulose-1,5-biphosphate carboxylase large chain, and mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase polypeptide II.

Hunt, L. T.↗
NASA NTRS1984

A dissimilatory nitrite reductase in Paracoccus halodenitrificans

Paracoccus halodenitrificans produced a membrane-associated nitrite reductase. Spectrophotometric analysis showed it to be associated with a cd-cytochrome and located on the inner side of the cytoplasmic membrane. When supplied with nitrite, membrane preparations produced nitrous oxide and nitric oxide in different ratios depending on the electron donor employed. The nitrite reductase was maximally active at relatively low concentrations of sodium chloride and remained attached to the membranes at 100 mM sodium chloride.

Grant, M. A.↗
NASA NTRS1983

Sequence evidence for the symbiotic origins of chloroplasts and mitochondria

The origin of mitochondria and chloroplasts is investigated on the basis of prokaryotic and early-eukaryotic evolutionary trees derived from protein and nucleic-acid sequences by the method of Dayhoff (1979). Trees for bacterial ferrodoxins, 5S ribosomal RNA, c-type cytochromes, the lipid-binding subunit of ATPase, and dihydrofolate reductase are presented and discussed. Good agreement among the trees is found, and it is argued that the mitochondria and chloroplasts evolved by multiple symbiotic events.

George, D. G.↗
NASA NTRS1984

Development of a new class of chemical and biological ultrasensors: Ribonuclease contamination and control

In order to define ribonuclease contamination, an assay for ribonuclease having picogram level sensitivity was established. In this assay, polycytidylic acid is digested by ribonuclease leading to smaller fragments of poly C that remain soluble after treatment of the sample with perchloric acid and lanthanum acetate. An absorbance measurement at 260 nm of the supernatant from the centrifuged sample measures the ribonuclease. A standard curve is shown. Using this assay procedure, ribonuclease contamination was found to be significant in routine laboratory proteins, in particular, bovine serum albumin, lysozyme, catalase, and cytochrome C. This was confirmed by demonstrating a considerable reduction in this activity in the presence of phosphate buffer since phosphate inhibits ribonuclease. Ribonuclease contamination was not significantly encountered in routine laboratory glassware, plasticware, column surfaces, chromatographic particles, and buffer reagents, including airborne contamination. Some contamination could be introduced by fingerprints, however.

Source record↗
NASA NTRS1985

Sulfate-reducing bacteria: Microbiology and physiology

The sulfate reducing bacteria, the first nonphotosynthetic anaerobic bacteria demonstrated to contain c type cytochromes, perform electron transfer coupled to phosphorylation. A new bioenergetic scheme for the formation of a proton gradient for growth of Desulfovibrio on organic substrates and sulfate involving vectors electron transfer and consistent with the cellular localization of enzymes and electron transfer components was proposed. Hydrogen is produced in the cytoplasm from organic substrates and, as a permease molecule diffuses rapidly across the cytoplasmic membrane, it is oxidized to protons and electrons by the periplasmic hydrogenase. The electrons only are transferred across the cytoplasmic membrane to the cytoplasm where they are used to reduce sulfate to sulfide. The protons are used for transport or to drive a reversible ATPOSE. The net effect is the transfer of protons across the cytoplasmic membrane with the intervention of a proton pump. This type of H2 cycling is relevant to the bioenergetics of other types of anaerobic microorganisms.

Peck, H. D.↗
NASA NTRS1986

The rRNA evolution and procaryotic phylogeny

Studies of ribosomal RNA primary structure allow reconstruction of phylogenetic trees for prokaryotic organisms. Such studies reveal major dichotomy among the bacteria that separates them into eubacteria and archaebacteria. Both groupings are further segmented into several major divisions. The results obtained from 5S rRNA sequences are essentially the same as those obtained with the 16S rRNA data. In the case of Gram negative bacteria the ribosomal RNA sequencing results can also be directly compared with hybridization studies and cytochrome c sequencing studies. There is again excellent agreement among the several methods. It seems likely then that the overall picture of microbial phylogeny that is emerging from the RNA sequence studies is a good approximation of the true history of these organisms. The RNA data allow examination of the evolutionary process in a semi-quantitative way. The secondary structures of these RNAs are largely established. As a result it is possible to recognize examples of local structural evolution. Evolutionary pathways accounting for these events can be proposed and their probability can be assessed.

Fox, G. E.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Changes in functional metabolism in the rat central nervous system following spaceflight

The neuronal metabolism and soma size of neurons within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and the supraoptic nucleus of rats are analyzed. Five male Sprague-Dawley rats were flown on Spacelab 3 for 7 days under a 12:12 light/dark cycle and unlimited food and water, and a control group was kept on the ground under similar conditions. The preparation of the hypothalamus of the rats for microscopic examination using thionin or the cytochrome oxidase (CYOX) technique is described. CYOX activity and soma size within the PVN are evaluated. The effects of water drinking pattern and space flight on CYOX activity and soma size are investigated. The data reveal that the flight rats with normal drinking patterns display a decrease in neuronal metabolism within the vasopressin-containing neurons of the hypothalamus and this metabolic change may reflect fluid shifts caused by microgravity.

Murakami, D. M.↗
NASA NTRS1989

Origins of etioporphyrins in sediments - Evidence from stable carbon isotopes

In samples of the Julia Creek and Condor oil shales (Australia, Albian, and early Tertiary, respectively) etioporphyrin III is significantly depleted in C-13 (4 per mil) relative to porphyrins derived from chlorophylls. This isotopic difference suggests a large contribution from some independent source. The haem group found in cytochromes derived from microbial sources is the most likely candidate.

Boreham, Christopher J.↗
NASA NTRS1990

The effect of hyperdynamic fields on the oxidative metabolism of the paraventricular nucleus

An important issue in space biology and medicine is understanding the effect of gravitational changes on the mechanisms that regulate fluid homeostasis. The results of this study show that, following 7-d exposure to a 2 G or 3 G hyperdynamic field, rats exhibited a linear increase in the cytochrome oxidase staining of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). The elevated oxidative metabolism in the PVN suggests that there was an increase in the manufacturing and release of vasopressin into the plasma in response to a perceived hypovolemic condition caused by increased hydrostatic pressure and redistribution of fluid to the periphery. Since vasopressin also has widespread cardiovascular effects, it will be important to understand the relationship between vasopressin and altered gravitational fields.

Murakami, Dean M.↗
NASA NTRS1992

Presence of methyl sterol and bacteriohopanepolyol in an outer-membrane preparation from Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath)

Cytoplasmic/intracytoplasmic and outer membrane preparations of Methylococcus capsulatus (Bath) were isolated by sucrose density gradient centrifugation of a total membrane fraction prepared by disruption using a French pressure cell. The cytoplasmic and/or intracytoplasmic membrane fraction consisted of two distinct bands, Ia and Ib (buoyant densities 1.16 and 1.18 g ml (exp -1), respectively) that together contained 57% of the protein, 68% of the phospholipid, 73% of the ubiquinone and 89% of the CN-sensitive NADH oxidase activity. The only apparent difference between these two cytoplasmic bands was a much higher phospholipid content for Ia. The outer membrane fraction (buoyant density 1.23-1.24 g ml (exp -1)) contained 60% of the lipopolysaccharide-associated, beta-hydroxypalmitic acid, 74% of the methylsterol, and 66% of the bacteriohopanepolyol (BHP); phospholipid to methyl sterol or BHP ratios were 6:1. Methanol dehydrogenase activity and a c-type cytochrome were also present in this outer membrane fraction. Phospholipase A activity was present in borh the cytoplasmic membrane and outer membrane fractions. The unique distribution of cyclic triterpenes may reflect a specific role in conferring outer membrane stability in this methanotrophic bacterium.

Jahnke, Linda L.↗
NASA NTRS1976

Stability Characteristics of "Aerobic" Acetyl-CoA Synthetase of Yeast

During the purification of the "aerobic" acetyl-CoA synthetase (ACS) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, strain LK2Gl2, it was noted that stronge at 4 C resulted in the loss of enzyme activity within 24 hr. Similar losses were observed during column chromatography. Addition of boiled extracts from either aerobic or anerobic cells completely prevents this. The stabilizing factor (SF) in these extracts is non-dialyzable and organic in nature. SF is excluded on G-25 and G-50 Sephadex columns and is slightly retarded on G-75 columns. On G-100 columns, SF elutes as a peak exactly coincident with that of cytochrome c, indicating a molecular weight of 13,000. SF activity was not destroyed by Pronase treatment, was adsorbed onto Norite, and absorbed in the UV with a single maximum at 260 nm. The action of SF could be replaced by a number of nucleotides. At 0.01 M, the order of effectiveness was: ATP>ADP>AMP>GTP>CTP>/=UTP>XTP. Even at 2 x 10(exp -4) M, ATP and ADP, but not AMP, cyclic AMP, adenosine or adenine, were effective in stabilizing this ACS. The mechanism of stabilization by ATP and AMP appears to be the same, since AMP competitively inhibited the ACS with respect to ATP in in vitro assays, while ADP gave a mixed type of inhibition, thus indicating a different mechanism. ACS from nonaerobic cells is also unstable in the absence of SF but, unlike aerobic ACS, is not affected by ATP or other nucleotides.

Satyanarayana, T.↗
NASA NTRS2002

The Use of NASA Light-Emitting Diode Near-Infrared Technology for Biostimulation

Studies on cells exposed to microgravity and hypergravity indicate that human cells need gravity to stimulate growth. As the gravitational force increases or decreases, the cell function responds in a linear fashion. This poses significant health risks for astronauts in long-term spaceflight. The application of light therapy with the use of NASA LEDs will significantly improve the medical care that is available to astronauts on long-term space missions. NASA LEDs stimulate the basic energy processes in the mitochondria (energy compartments) of each cell, particularly when near-infrared light is used to activate the color sensitive chemicals (chromophores, cytochrome systems) inside. Optimal LED wavelengths include 680, 730 and 880 nm and our laboratory has improved the healing of wounds in laboratory animals by using both NASA LED light and hyperbaric oxygen. Furthermore, DNA synthesis in fibroblasts and muscle cells has been quintupled using NASA LED light alone, in a single application combining 680, 730 and 880 nm each at 4 Joules per centimeter squared. Muscle and bone atrophy are well documented in astronauts, and various minor injuries occurring in space have been reported not to heal until landing on Earth. An LED blanket device may be used for the prevention of bone and muscle atrophy in astronauts. The depth of near-infrared light penetration into human tissue has been measured spectroscopically.

Whelan, Harry T.↗
NASA NTRS1994

Characterization of a new thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacterium Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii, gen. nov. and sp. nov.: its phylogenetic relationship to Thermodesulfobacterium commune and their origins deep within the bacterial domain

A thermophilic sulfate-reducing vibrio isolated from thermal vent water in Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming, USA is described. The gram-negative, curved rod-shaped cells averaged 0.3 micrometer wide and 1.5 micrometers long. They were motile by means of a single polar flagellum. Growth was observed between 40 degrees and 70 degrees C with optimal growth at 65 degrees C. Cultures remained viable for one year at 27 degrees C although spore-formation was not observed. Sulfate, thiosulfate and sulfite were used as electron acceptors. Sulfur, fumarate and nitrate were not reduced. In the presence of sulfate, growth was observed only with lactate, pyruvate, hydrogen plus acetate, or formate plus acetate. Pyruvate was the only compound observed to support fermentative growth. Pyruvate and lactate were oxidized to acetate. Desulfofuscidin and c-type cytochromes were present. The G + C content was 29.5 mol%. The divergence in the 16 S ribosomal RNA sequences between the new isolate and Thermodesulfobacterium commune suggests that these two thermophilic sulfate-reducing bacteria represent different genera. These two bacteria depict a lineage that branches deeply within the Bacteria domain and which is clearly distinct from previously defined phylogenetic lines of sulfate-reducing bacteria. Strain YP87 is described as the type strain of the new genus and species Thermodesulfovibrio yellowstonii.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS1988

Cytoplasmic membrane changes during adaptation of the fresh water cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6311 to salinity

In this investigation, changes were characterized in cell structure and cytoplasmic membrane organization that occur when the freshwater cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6311 is transferred from 'low salt' (0.03 molar NaCl) to 'high salt' (0.5 molar NaCl) media (i.e. sea water concentration). Cells were examined at several time points after the imposition of the salt stress and compared to control cells, in thin sections and freeze fracture electron microscopy, and by flow cytometry. One minute after exposure to high salt, i.e. 'salt shock', virtually all intracellular granules disappeared, the density of the cytoplasm decreased, and the appearance of DNA material was changed. Glycogen and other granules, however, reappeared by 4 hours after salt exposure. The organization of the cytoplasmic membrane undergoes major reorganization following salt shock. Freeze-fracture electron microscopy showed that small intramembrane particles (diameter 7.5 and 8.5 nanometers) are reduced in number by two- to fivefold, whereas large particles, (diameters 14.5 and 17.5 nanometers) increase two- to fourfold in frequency, compared to control cells grown in low salt medium. The changes in particle size distribution suggest synthesis of new membrane proteins, in agreement with the known increases in respiration, cytochrome oxidase, and sodium proton exchange activity of the cytoplasmic membrane.

NASA Discipline Number 61-10↗
NASA NTRS1989

Synthesis and degradation of nitrate reductase during the cell cycle of Chlorella sorokiniana

Studies on the diurnal variations of nitrate reductase (NR) activity during the life cycle of synchronized Chlorella sorokiniana cells grown with a 7:5 light-dark cycle showed that the NADH:NR activity, as well as the NR partial activities NADH:cytochrome c reductase and reduced methyl viologen:NR, closely paralleled the appearance and disappearance of NR protein as shown by sodium dodecyl sulfate gel electrophoresis and immunoblots. Results of pulse-labeling experiments with [35S]methionine further confirmed that diurnal variations of the enzyme activities can be entirely accounted for by the concomitant synthesis and degradation of the NR protein.

Non-NASA Center↗
NASA NTRS2001

Mechanisms of cell signaling by nitric oxide and peroxynitrite: from mitochondria to MAP kinases

Many of the biological and pathological effects of nitric oxide (NO) are mediated through cell signaling pathways that are initiated by NO reacting with metalloproteins. More recently, it has been recognized that the reaction of NO with free radicals such as superoxide and the lipid peroxyl radical also has the potential to modulate redox signaling. Although it is clear that NO can exert both cytotoxic and cytoprotective actions, the focus of this overview are those reactions that could lead to protection of the cell against oxidative stress in the vasculature. This will include the induction of antioxidant defenses such as glutathione, activation of mitogen-activated protein kinases in response to blood flow, and modulation of mitochondrial function and its impact on apoptosis. Models are presented that show the increased synthesis of glutathione in response to shear stress and inhibition of cytochrome c release from mitochondria. It appears that in the vasculature NO-dependent signaling pathways are of three types: (i) those involving NO itself, leading to modulation of mitochondrial respiration and soluble guanylate cyclase; (ii) those that involve S-nitrosation, including inhibition of caspases; and (iii) autocrine signaling that involves the intracellular formation of peroxynitrite and the activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases. Taken together, NO plays a major role in the modulation of redox cell signaling through a number of distinct pathways in a cellular setting.

Non-NASA Center↗