We have isolated a starch mutant that was deficient in starch-branching enzyme I (BEI) from the endosperm mutant stocks of rice (Oryza sativa) induced by the treatment of fertilized egg cells with N-methyl-N-nitrosourea. The deficiency of BEI in this mutant was controlled by a single recessive gene, tentatively designated as starch-branching enzyme mutant 1 (sbe1). The mutant endosperm exhibited the normal phenotype and contained the same amount of starch as the wild type. However, the mutation apparently altered the fine structure of amylopectin. The mutant amylopectin was characterized by significant decrease in both long chains with degree of polymerization (DP) Ն 37 and short chains with DP 12 to 21, marked increase in short chains with DP Յ 10 (A chains), and slight increase in intermediate chains with DP 24 to 34, suggesting that BEI specifically synthesizes B 1 and B 2-3 chains. The endosperm starch from the sbe1 mutant had a lower onset concentration for urea gelatinization and a lower onset temperature for thermo-gelatinization compared with the wild type, indicating that the genetic modification of amylopectin fine structure is responsible for changes in physicochemical properties of sbe1 starch.
The nucleus of the tractus solitarius (NTS) is a primary termination zone for laryngeal, gustatory, cardiovascular, respiratory, gastrointestinal, and other visceral afferents. Although considerable information is available on the neurochemical aspects of the NTS in general, very little is known about glutamate receptors that may underlie many of the different functions mediated by the NTS. In addition, most previous glutamate receptor distribution studies were performed in the rat, whereas the cat, the subject of many physiological experiments involving the NTS, has received little attention. In the present study, the immunohistochemical distribution of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionate (AMPA)-selective glutamate receptor subunits (GluR1, GluR2/3, GluR4) and the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor subunit NR1 in the cat caudal brainstem was investigated by using subunit-specific antibodies. In the NTS, statistically significant differences were seen in the distribution of each antibody. Highest labeling was seen for GluR2/3 in most subnuclei, whereas GluR1-immunoreactive neurons were found more frequently than were NR1- or GluR4-immunoreactive neurons. GluR1 immunolabeling was particularly high in the interstitial subnucleus, whereas GluR2/3 immunolabeling was particularly high in the intermediate subnucleus. Qualitatively, labeling for GluR4 was most common in glia. The present results indicate that glutamate receptors show different subunit distributions in the subnuclei of the NTS and in other adjacent structures. This finding suggests that neurons in these structures are designed to respond differently to excitatory input.
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