Joseph D. Jollick

Antioxidants and the mutagenicity of benzo(a) pyrene and some derivatives

Summary The mutagenicity of benzo(a)pyrene and some derivatives towards Salmonella typhimurium strain TA 98 is in the order 6-methylbenzo(a)pyrene > 10-methyl-benzo(a) pyrene > benzo(a)pyrene > 7,10-dimethylbenzo(a)pyrene. Certain anti-oxidants inhibit the mutagenicity of these compounds towards strain TA 98 when added to the assay mixture. These results raise some interesting questions concerning the species responsible for the mutagenicity and the effect of antioxidants on them.

Bacterial contents of the anal and castor glands of beaver (Castor canadensis)

Bacterial contents of both the anal gland and castor gland of the beaver (Castor canadensis) were determined. Using our culture methods, no bacteria were isolated from the castor glands, but the anal gland contained high numbers of the aerobeEscherichia coli and the anaerobeBacteroides fragilis. The latter may be represented by several variants but facilities were not available for advanced anaerobic analysis. The relative numbers of each bacterial group and the group present were constant regardless of sex, age class, or colony of beaver. The bacterial fermentation hypothesis is rejected for castor gland section but remains possible for anal gland secretions based on variations seen inB. fragilis. The role of the products of both the castor gland and anal gland are discussed in relationship to scent communication in beaver.

Functional Modification of the Plasmid RP1-specified Pilus by Caulobacter vibrioides

SUMMARY: Caulobacter strains which contain plasmid RP1 are resistant to carbenicillin, kanamycin and tetracycline and can serve as donors of the plasmid, but such R+ strains are not susceptible to the RP1-specific phage PRR1. Since both conjugation and phage PRR1 infection are mediated by the plasmid-specified pilus, the lack of phage binding suggests some functional alteration of the pilus. In this report we demonstrate that RP1 pili are produced by Caulobacter R+ cells, but unlike the RP1 pili produced by PRR1-susceptible strains, the Caulobacter R+ pili do not inactivate phage PRR1. Antibody produced against Caulobacter R+ pili prevents phage PRR1 binding to RP1 pili from PRR1-susceptible strains of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, and also inhibits plasmid transfer by those strains. Antibody produced against RP1 pili from P. aeruginosa and E. coli inhibits plasmid transfer both by those strains and by Caulobacter R+ donors. Phage PRR1 rendered non-infectious by RNAase treatment prevents plasmid transfer by P. aeruginosa and E. coli but not by Caulobacter.

Modification of EcoRI restriction sites by Caulobacter vibrioides: Plasmid RP1; endonuclease susceptibility; stalked bacteria

Abstract A comparison of Eco RI digestion profiles of plasmid RP1 isolated from Caulobacter vibrioides WS48 and Escherichia coli CSH29 demonstrated that Eco RI sites were modified by WS48.