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L J Magrum

Publications and source records attributed to L J Magrum.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Effect of culture in vitro with eicosatetraenoic (20:4(n-6) ) and eicosapentaenoic (20:5(n-3) ) acids on fatty acid composition, prostaglandin synthesis and chemiluminescence of rat peritoneal macrophages.

Rat peritoneal macrophages were cultured in either eicosatetraenoic acid (20:4(n-6) ) or eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5(n-3) ) and the effects on phospholipid fatty acids, prostaglandin synthesizing capacity and the ability of the macrophages to show chemiluminescence were examined. Chemiluminescence is an activity resulting from the synthesis of reactive oxygen species. It has been reported that prostaglandins inhibit this activity. The fatty acid profile of the four major phospholipids reflected the fatty acid component of the medium. Macrophages cultured in 20:4(n-6) synthesized twice the prostaglandin produced by controls and those cultured in 20:5(n-3) synthesized 10% that of controls and 5% that of 20:4(n-6)-cultured cells. Macrophages cultured with 20:4(n-6) for 12 h showed half the chemiluminescence of those cultured with 20:5(n-3), while those cultured with 20:4(n-6) for 24 h showed 10% the chemiluminescence of 20:5(n-3)-cultured cells. Addition of the prostaglandin synthase inhibitor, indomethacin, had no effect on chemiluminescence.

5,8,11,14-Eicosatetraynoic Acid

Archaebacteria.

Experimental work published elsewhere has shown that the Archaebacteria encompass several distinct subgroups including methanogens, extreme halophiles, and various thermoacidophiles. The common characteristics of Archaebacteria known to date are these: (1) the presence of characteristic tRNAs and ribosomal RNAs; (2) the absence of peptidoglycan cell walls, with in many cases, replacement by a largely proteinaceous coat; (3) the occurrence of ether linked lipids built from phytanyl chains and (4) in all cases known so far, their occurrence only in unusual habitats. These organisms contain a number of 'eucaryotic features' in addition to their many bacterial attributes. This is interpreted as a strong indication that the Archaebacteria, while not actually eucaryotic, do indeed represents a third separate, line of descent as originally proposed.

Bacteria

Are extreme halophiles actually "bacteria"?

Comparative cataloging of the 16SrRNA of Halobacterium halobium indicates that the organism did not arise, as a halophilic adaptation, from some typical bacterium. Rather, H. halobium is a member of the Archaebacteria, an ancient group of organisms that are no more related to typical bacteria than they are to eucaryotes.

Base Sequence

An ancient divergence among the bacteria.

The 16S ribosomal RNAs from two species of methanogenic bacteria, the mesophile Methanobacterium ruminantium and the thermophile Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum, have been characterized in terms of the oligonucleotides produced by digestion with T1 ribonuclease. These two organisms are found to be sufficiently related that they can be considered members of the same genus or family. However, they bear only slight resemblance to "typical" Procaryotic genera; such as Escherichia, Bacillus and Anacystis. The divergence of the methanogenic bacteria from other bacteria may be the most ancient phylogenetic event yet detected--antedating considerably the divergence of the blue green algal line for example, from the main bacterial line.

Bacillus