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The role of calcium in developing cells is illustrated. The Fucus egg, a brown algae is used to describe this phenomenom. Results of local calcium entry and forced calcium entry into the eggs are given.
Three aspect of cellular calcium metabolism in animal cells was discussed including the importance of the plasma membrane in calcium homeostasis, experiments dealing with the actual mechanism of the calcium pump, and the function of the pump in relationship to the mitochondria and to the function of calmodulin in the intact cell.
Some cellular event necessary for gravitropism is inhibited by EGTA without interferring with the overall growth. Calcium relieves this inhibition and demonstrates both that inhibition is reversible and was probably due to a reduction in the ability to free calcium required for one or more at the transduction steps of gravitropism. At the near neutral pH used, EGTA is charged and would not be expected to readily cross the membrane. One of its primary effects, then, is probably the bringing of free calcium in the apoplastic space exterior to the cell membranes.
Data from the high energy cosmic ray experiment on the international sun earth explorer 3 (ISEE-3) spacecraft have been used to study the isotopic composition of cosmic ray calcium at an energy of approx. 260 MeV/amu. The arriving calcium is found to consist of (32 + or - 6)%. A propagation model consistent with both the light and the subiron secondary element abundances was used for the interpretation of the observed calcium composition. The measured 42Ca+43Ca+44Ca abundance is consistent with the calculated secondary production, while the 40Ca abundance implies a source ratio of 40Ca/Fe = (7.0 + or - 1.7)%.
Calcium depletions toward five moderately reddened (E/B - V/ greater than 0.35 and less than 0.45) stars and toward HD 147889, a heavily reddened (E/B - V/ = 1.08) member of the Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex is reported. A developmental Multi-Anode Microchannel Array Detector was used to collect the data; its performance is characterized. Comparing the results for calcium from one line of sight to another and to those for other species, it is found that calcium exhibits a depletion pattern remarkably similar to that of silicon. The depletion of iron, on the other hand, has smaller variations and therefore does not correlate as well. Also, the depletion results for manganese and sulfur, both normally undepleted in diffuse clouds, have been included for comparison.
A calcium related injury in lettuce termed tipburn was the focus of this study. It affects the young developing leaves as they become enclosed during head formation. It is a good model system to study because the injury can be induced with good predictability and lettuce is one of the crops chosen by the CELSS program for concentrated study. Investigations were undertaken to study a number of different procedures, that would have the potential for encouraging movement of calcium into the young developing leaves and to study the time course and pattern of calcium accumulation in developing leaves to provide a basis for developing effective control procedures for this injury.
Calcium metabolism data from spaceflight have been obtained primarily from Skylab astronauts, from Soviet Salyut-6 cosmonauts, and from growing rats flown either on the Soviet Cosmos series or Spacelab 3. In this report, the results from Skylab astronauts will be compared to data from bed rested subjects, and the results from Cosmos rats will be compared to data from a ground-based rat model, to help explain (1) how spaceflight or gravitational unloading alters calcium metabolism in adult humans and growing rats, (2) the relevance of the observations of bone dynamics in growing rats to the changes in adult man, and (3) the sequence of events leading to changes in calcium metabolism during spaceflight. A hypothetical scheme of the mechanisms causing altered bone mass during spaceflight will be proposed.
Alkaline phosphatase is an enzyme found in bone forming cells which decreases in certain bones as a result of hypogravity or non-weight bearing. This enzyme can also hydrolyze adenosine triphosphate. Therefore, an effort was made to localize calcium-stimulated ATPase by cytochemistry to determine whether altered bone cell activity might be related to changing calcium levels which occur during hypogravity. The results indicate that Ca(++)-ATPase is largely found along the endothelium and basal lamina of blood vessels, and not found in bone forming cells. This suggests that calcium regulation in the vicinity of bone formation may be modulated by the vasculature of the area.
Calcium was introduced into the TEXT tokamak, and its spectral emission was recorded in the 50-360 A range by an absolutely calibrated grazing incidence spectrometer. These observations of highly ionized species of calcium at known conditions of plasma electron temperature and density allow testing of line brightness ratio predictions based on theoretical values of temperature-dependent electron excitation rates. The confirmation of the expected ratios in Be I-like to O I-like calcium allows more confident use of these ratios as a density diagnostic of remote astrophysical sources such as solar flares.
Electrophoretic mobilities were measured for calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) in solutions containing macromolecules. Two mucopolysaccharides (sodium heparin and chrondroitin sulfate) and two proteins (positively charged lysozyme and negatively charged bovine serum albumin) were studied as adsorbates. The effects of pH, calcium oxalate surface charge (varied by calcium or oxalate ion activity), and citrate concentration were investigated. All four macromolecules showed evidence for chemical adsorption. The macromolecule concentrations needed for reversing the surface charge indicated that the mucopopolysacchrides have greater affinity for the COM surface than the proteins. The amount of proteins that can chemically adsorb appears to be limited to approximately one monomolecular layer. When the surface charge is high, an insufficient number of proteins can chemically adsorb to neutralize or reverse the surface charge. The remaining surface charge is balanced by proteins held near the surface by longer range electrostatic forces only. Citrate ions at high concentrations appear to compete effectively with the negative protein for surface sites but show no evidence for competing with the positively charged protein.
Electrophoretic mobilities were measured for calcium oxalate monohydrate (COM) in solutions containing macromolecules. Two mucopolysaccharides (sodium heparin and chondroitin sulfate) and two proteins (positively charged lysozyme and negatively charged bovine serum albumin) were studied as adsorbates. The effects of pH, calcium oxalate surface charge (varied by calcium or oxalate ion activity), and citrate concentration were investigated. All four macromolecules showed evidence for adsorption. The macromolecule concentrations needed for reversing the surface charge indicated that the mucopolysaccharides have greater affinity for the COM surface than the proteins. Citrate ions at high concentrations appear to compete effectively with the negative protein for surface sites but show no evidence for competing with the positively charged protein.
The effects of calcium on the synthesis and the degradation of individual myofibrillar proteins were investigated using primary chick-leg skeletal muscle cultures labeled with S-35-methionine (for protein accumulation experiments) or Ca(2+)-45 (for calcium efflux experiments). It was found that the turnover of individual contractile proteins is regulated nonuniformly by a calcium-dependent mechanism involving lysosomes. The results also indicate that contractile proteins are released from the myofibril before their breakdown to amino acids.
Relatively inexpensive process proposed for impregnating coal with calcium carbonate to increase rates of gasification and combustion of coal and to reduce emission of sulfur by trapping sulfur in calcium sulfide. Process involves aqueous-phase reactions between carbon dioxide (contained within pore network of coal) and calcium acetate. Coal impregnated with CO2 by exposing it to CO2 at high pressure.
Experiment AO139A on the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) carried four large containers into orbit for five years with crystal growth solutions for lead sulfide, calcium carbonate, and tetra thiafulvalene- tetra cyanoquino methane (TTF-TCNQ). The LDEF was in excellent condition after the long orbital stay, and although the temperature data was lost, the experiment program had been working since the valves in all containers were opened. All four experiments produced crystals; however, they were of varying quality. The calcium carbonate crystals had the best appearance. The TTF-TCNQ crystals were packed together near the valve openings of the container. When taken apart, the single crystals showed some unusual morphological properties. X-ray investigations as well as conductivity measurements on the long duration space grown TTF-TCNQ crystals are presented, and pictures of the calcium carbonate are shown. Comparisons are made with previous space solution growth experiments on the European Spacelab Mission and the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.
Recent results obtained on skeletal adaptation, calcium metabolism, and bone browth during short-term flights and ground simulated-microgravity experiments are presented. Results demonstrate that two principal components of calcium metabolism respond within days to changes in body position and to weightlessness: the calcium endocrine system and bone characteristics. Furthermore, results of recent studies imply that bone biomechanics are more severely affected by spaceflight exposures than is the bone mass.
Report reviews short-term flight and ground-based experiments on effects of 1 g and 0 g on skeletal adaptation, calcium metabolism, and growth processes. Results indicate two principal components of calcium metabolism-calcium endocrine system and bone - respond within days to changes in orientation of body in gravitation and to weightlessness. Effects of spaceflight or bed rest on biomechanics of bones more severe than on total body bone mass.
Recently, attention has been focused on the disorders of bone and calcium metabolism during space flight. The skeletal system has evolved on the Earth under 1-g. Space flights under low gravity appear to cause substantial changes in bone and calcium homeostasis of the animals adapted to 1-g. A space experiment for the First Materials Processing Test (FMPT) was proposed to examine the effects of low gravity on calcium metabolism and bone formation using chick embryos loaded in a space shuttle. This space experiment was proposed based on the following two experimental findings. First, it has been reported that bone density decreases significantly during prolonged space flight. The data obtained from the US Skylab and the U.S.S.R. Salyut-6 cosmonauts have also documented that the degree of bone loss is related to the duration of space flight. Second, the US-Soviet joints space experiment demonstrated that the decrease in bone density under low gravity appears to be due to the decrease in bone formation rather than the increase in bone resorption. The purpose of our space experiment is, therefore, to investigate further the mechanisms of bone growth under low gravity using fertilized chick embryos.
Differing hypothesis about the function of calcification are based on an interesting dilemma. Is the purpose of calcification mainly a structural and protective one or does calcification serve other functions? Does photosynthesis increase carbonate ion activity and cause calcification or does calcification increase CO2 levels and stimulate photsynthesis? It is proposed that calcification in corals is not dependent upon photosynthesis but upon calcium levels in the water. Under normal ocean conditions, corals convert a certain percentage of energy to photosynthesis and respiration and another percentage to calcification. As corals become nutrient stressed, particularly calcium limited, the ratio of photosynthesis to calcification shifts towards calcification in order to generate protons. The protons generated during calcification may stimulate photosynthesis and aid in the uptake of nutrients and biocarbonates. The results of the calcification experiment show a trend towards increased calcification and decreased photosynthesis when the coral Acropora cervicornis is calcium limited, but the data are inconclusive and further research is needed.