Biomedical subjects

F J Bruggeman

Publications and source records attributed to F J Bruggeman.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2001

The diffusive transport of gibberellins and abscisic acid through the aleurone layer of germinating barley grain: a mathematical model.

A mathematical model of the diffusive transport of abscisic acid (ABA) and gibberellins (GAs) through the aleurone layer of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) grain is presented. The model consists of two partial differential equations describing the accumulation of phytohormone in the apoplastic and symplasmic compartments of the aleurone layer, both spatially and temporally. The mathematical model contains the morphology of the barley grain and the physicochemical properties of the two phytohormones. A mathematical derivation of the accumulation ratios for the two phytohormones between the symplast and apoplast under equilibrium conditions resulted in different distribution mechanisms for GAs and ABA. A sensitivity analysis of the accumulation ratio for GAs indicated high sensitivity to the apoplastic pH and the membrane potential, whereas the accumulation ratio for ABA proved to be most sensitive to the pH difference between the apoplast and symplast. The diffusive transport time for GAs to the basal site of the aleurone layer as calculated with the mathematical model is within a physiologically plausible timescale according to experimental data from the literature. Abscisic acid cannot be transported by diffusion to the end of the aleurone layer as quickly as GAs, according to model simulations. Therefore, the functional role of ABA in germination is likely to be in the vicinity of the embryo.

Abscisic Acid↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Macromolecular intelligence in microorganisms.

Biochemistry and molecular biology have been focusing on the structural, catalytic, and regulatory properties of individual macromolecules from the perspective of clarifying the mechanisms of metabolism and gene expression. Complete genomes of 'primitive' living organisms seem to be substantially larger than necessary for metabolism and gene expression alone. This is in line with the findings of silent phenotypes for supposedly important genes, apparent redundancy of functions, and variegated networks of signal transduction and transcription factors. Here we propose that evolutionary optimization has been much more intensive than to lead to the bare minima necessary for autonomous life. Much more complex organisms prevail. Much of this complexity arises in the nonlinear interactions between cellular macromolecules and in subtle differences between paralogs (isoenzymes). The complexity can only be understood when analyzed quantitatively, for which quantitative experimentation is needed in living systems that are as simple and manipulatable as possible, yet complex in the above sense. We illustrate this for the glutamine synthetase cascade in Escherichia coli. By reviewing recent molecular findings, we show that this cascade is much more complex than necessary for simple regulation of ammonia assimilation. Simulations suggest that the function of this complexity may lie in quasi-intelligent behavior, including conditioning and learning.

Cell Physiological Phenomena↗