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Biomedical subjects

M Calvin

Publications and source records attributed to M Calvin.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

Molecular characteristics of some carcinogenic hydrocarbons.

The chemical reactivity and presumably the carcinogenic activity induced in aromatic hydrocarbons by hydroxylating enzymes may be due to the generation of electrophilic centers in some (benzo[a]pyrene) or nucleophilic centers in others (7,12-dimethylbenz[a]anthracene or 3-methylcholanthrene). These centers, which are at positions complementary to the points of activation by acid-derived protons (models of the positive oxygen of the hydroxylating enzymes), may react simultaneously with corresponding cellular components.

Benz(a)Anthracenes

Effect of rifampicin and two of its derivatives on cells infected with Moloney sarcoma virus.

It is shown that rifampicin, and especially the related antibiotic 2',6'-dimethyl-N(4')-benzyl-N(4')- [desmethyl]rifampicin (DMB-rifampicin) can inhibit focus formation by Moloney sarcoma virus on BALB/3T3 tissue cultures. At 10 mug/ml DMB-rifampicin totally inhibits focus formation while reducing virus replication by at least a factor of fifty and cell proliferation by only a factor of three. These observations, taken together with those of others, suggest a role for an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase and the gene for its synthesis both in normal cell processes and in the transformation process.

Animals

Biradical spin labeling for nerve membranes.

We have explored the behavior of pair interaction in a suitable biradical when it is bound by van der Waals' forces in a nerve membrane. We have concomitantly examined a set of model solvents to represent this situation. It appears that the biradical suffers a restriction of internal motion with a minimal restraint on its external motion in the nerve medium. The biradical is so situated as not to respond to the passage of the action potential.

Electron Spin Resonance Spectroscopy

Chemical evolution.

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Biological Evolution

Thermodynamics of light emission and free-energy storage in photosynthesis.

A Planck law relationship between absorption and emission spectra is used to compute the fluorescence spectra of some photosynthetic systems from their absorption spectra. Calculated luminescence spectra of purple bacteria agree well but not perfectly with published experimental spectra. Application of the Planck law relation to published activation spectra for Systems I and II of spinach chloroplasts permits independent calculation of the luminescence spectra of the two systems; if the luminescence yield of System I is taken to be one-third the yield of System II, then the combined luminescence spectrum closely fits published experimental measurement.Consideration of the entropy associated with the excited state of the absorbing molecules is used to compute the oxidation-reduction potentials and maximum free-energy storage resulting from light absorption. Spinach chloroplasts under an illumination of 1 klux of white light can produce at most a potential difference of 1.32 ev for System I, and 1.36 ev for System II. In the absence of nonradiative losses, the maximum amount of free energy stored is 1.19 ev and 1.23 ev per photon absorbed for Systems I and II, respectively. The bacterium Chromatium under an illumination of 1 mw/cm(2) of Na D radiation can produce at most a potential difference of 0.90 ev; the maximum amount of free energy stored is 0.79 ev per photon absorbed.The combined effect of partial thermodynamic reversibility and a finite trapping rate on the amount of luminescence is considered briefly.

Chloroplasts