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The goal of the article was to compare the effects of two different cooperative learning programmes on prospective teachers. A total of 332 students enrolled in a Teacher Training Programme agreed to participate. At the beginning of the semester, they all experienced low-structured cooperative learning (LSCL) for 10 sessions. At the end of this phase (T1), research variables were assessed and the groups were randomly divided into two different conditions for 10 new sessions: high-structured cooperative learning (HSCL) and LSCL. At the end of this period, research variables were assessed again (T2). Results at T2 showed that only participants in the HSCL group significantly increased their motivation, content knowledge, responsibility and the five elements that mediate Cooperative Learning effectiveness: positive interdependence, individual accountability, promotive interaction, group processing, and social skills. There was also a significant increase in shared-regulation dominance. In conclusion, cooperative learning can have a positive impact on prospective teachers' academic performance, but it needs to be highly structured.

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1. Uniformly labelled rRNA of sycamore cells has been annealed with homologous DNA. The fractions of DNA complementary to the 17S, or 26S, or 17S + 26S rRNAs are found to be 0.19%, 0.15% and 0.23%. They are not in the ratio of the molecular weight values (0.8, 1.2 and 2 - 10(6), respectively for the 17S, 26S and 17S + 26S rRNAs). This result is compatible with the large hybridization competition observed between the two rRNAs (53 and 72%) and with the shift-down of saturation curves when DNA is presaturated with unlabelled rRNA before the incubation with the other labelled rRNA. 2. Under the selected experimental procedure, the DNA - rRNA hybrids formed appear to be specific. Since there is an equal number of structural genes for the 17S and 26S rRNAs, these results mean the occurrence of a great sequence homology, strictly restricted to the two rRNAs. Homologous and specific sequences have been estimated to 0.1 and 0.7, or 0.85 and 0.35 million daltons, respectively in the 17S or 26S structural genes. 3. From the calculated lengths of homologous sequences, an intracistronic reiteration of some ribosomal sequences can be deduced. This internal reiteration is directly evidenced by the complex pattern of DNA - rRNA annealing curves. As demonstrated by base-composition analysis, the internal reiteration is heterogeneous and concerns both the homologous and specific sequences. In addition, the DNA saturation values allow the calculation of 4000 copies for the ribosomal cistron in the whole sycamore genome.

Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) cytoplasmic rRNA was investigated in rapidly dividing cells, cells starting mitosis after the lag phase of growth (4 days) induced by deconditioning of the culture medium and also in growth-arrested cells from 10 day-old cultures deprived of exogenous auxin (i.e. exponential, early exponential and 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D)-deprived cultures). rRNA was extracted and purified from mixed 14C-labelled exponential cultures and 3H-labelled early exponential cultures. A 14C-labelled exponential culture and a 3H-labelled 2,4-D-deprived culture were analyzed in the same way. The 17 S rRNA molecules from both early exponential and 2,4-D-deprived cultures displayed a lower electrophoretic mobility on polyacrylamide gels than those from exponential cultures. Alkaline and acid hydrolysates of purified 17 S rRNA labelled on the phosphate groups or the methyl groups were analyzed on ion-exchange resins. There was no change in the extent of ribose methylation of the molecule from the three different cultures. However, the base methylation of the 17 S rRNA was decreased in early exponential cultures and in 2,4-D-deprived cultures. Part of the molecules synthesized in early exponential cultures specifically lacked 7-methylguanine, N6-methyladenine and N6,N6-dimethyladenine. The possible significance of these changes in the 17 S rRNA were discussed.

1. Four precursor ribosomal RNAs have been previously characterized in cultured sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus L.). The present paper reports a study of the two smallest ones. 2. (Me-3H)-labelling of the precursor and mature rRNAs has been submitted to kinetic analysis. From pulse-chase experiments it is concluded that the 27S and 20S precursor rRNAs behave like intermediate molecules in the maturation of the 42S and 36S precursor rRNAs into the 26S and 17S components. They are direct precursors to the cytoplasmic and mature rRNAs. 3. Base-composition analyses have been performed on carefully purified molecules. They show that the 27S and 20S precursor rRNAs arise from a single cleavage of the 36S precursor rRNA. In addition, they strongly suggest that the 27S and 20S precursor rRNAs can be taken as specific precursors to the 26S and 17S rRNAs, respectively. These results are reinforced by DNA - RNA hybridization experiments, the measured values being in good agreement with the theoretical ones expected from a specific relationship between the four smallest molecules. Base-compositions of the conserved and non-conserved nucleotide sequences of the primary transcriptional product have been estimated or calculated. 4. On the basis of the present results and those previously reported, a scheme for the biosynthesis of ribosomal RNA in sycamore cells is proposed.

We have examined directly the expression of one collagen gene (DCg1) during Drosophila melanogaster embryogenesis by means of in situ hybridization. Transcripts of this gene, which were demonstrated to encode a basement membrane type IV collagen chain, began to accumulate specifically in mesodermal derivatives at stages 12-13 of embryogenesis, and not before. Cells expressing this gene overlap, or are closely intermingled with, somatic and visceral mesoderm in stages 12-14. In stages 15-17, in addition to the strongly positive fat bodies, highly labelled cell spots are found scattered around all the parts of the gut and symmetrically on each side of the ventral nerve cord. They correspond to circulating mesodermal cells which we consider to be haemocytes or mesoblasts.

We have used a cloned chicken collagen cDNA sequence to help identify hypothetic members of the collagen gene family from Drosophila melanogaster. Several experimental evidences have been obtained which indicate that the Drosophila genome contains numerous collagen-like sequences. We have characterized in more detail ten distinct DNA sequences that hybridized strongly to the heterologous collagen probe. By in situ hybridization we have shown that these sequences are dispersed throughout the Drosophila genome. Two of them are shown to originate from the previously described DCg 1 and DCg 2 collagen genes. In other respects, we show that in addition to DCg 1 and DCg 2, at least five putative collagen genes are expressed during the Drosophila lifetime. These genes are unique, and some of them are seen to be transcribed into different size classes of mRNAs. Additionally, the data presented so far demonstrate that the expression of these genes is regulated temporally and/or quantitatively during the Drosophila life cycle.

The methylation of cytoplasmic ribosomal RNA of cultured sycamore cells (Acer pseudoplatanus L.) was investigated. Labelled 17-S and 26-S rRNA were prepared from cells that had been incubated with either [32P]phosphate, [Me-3H]methionine or [Me-14C]methionine. Ion-exchange resin chromatography of 0.3 M KOH or 1 M HCl hydrolysates and two-dimensional chromatographic analyses of phosphodiesterase plus phosphatase digests of 17-S and 26-S rRNA were performed. 17-S and 26-S rRNA contain 49 and 91 methyl groups per molecule, respectively. These values were verified in sevemral ways. The high degree of methylation of sycamore rRNA, particularly for the 26-S rRNA, contrasts with the situation in all other investigated organisms. Several methylated bases were identified. 7-Methylguanine and 5-methylcytosine both occur in 17-S and 26-S rRNA. N6-Methyladenine and N6,N6-dimethyladenine are restricted to the 17-S rRNA while 3-methyluracil and 1-methyladenine occur in the 26-S rRNA. One hypermodified uridine was also tentatively identified in the small rRNA. In 17-S rRNA, there is one copy of 7-methylguanine, N6-methyladenine and hypermodified uridine and two copies of N6,N6-dimethyladenine. 3-Methyluracil, 1-methyladenine and 5-methylcytosine occur twice, twice and three times, respectively, in 26-S rRNA. 7-Methylguanine and 5-methylcytosine are only in submolar amounts in the 26-S and 17-S rRNA, respectively. There are 40 +/- 2 and 83 +/- 3 2'-O-methylriboses per 17-S and 26-S rRNA molecule, respectively. In addition to the four 2'-O-methylnucleosides, one 2'-O-methylpseudouridine is present in the 17-S rRNA. Several lines of evidence argues for a non-random distribution of the methylriboses. In particular, one and seven Nm-Nm-Np structures occur in the 17-S and 26-S rRNA, respectively. The data are discussed comparatively with the methylation pattern of Escherichia coli, yeast and HeLa cell rRNA.

Based on data from developmental RNA profiles and in situ hybridization, we report a direct examination of the expression of one collagen gene (Dcg1) during drosophila melanogaster life cycle. These studies show, for the first time, that the expression of a collagen gene is both differential and tissue-specific during the course of development. Moreover, they demonstrate that the connective tissues in Drosophila do contain a collagen type synthesized by mesodermal tissues. Indeed the accumulation of Dcg1 transcripts was located mainly within the second instar fat bodies, the third instar lymph glands, and over adepithelial cells associated with third instar imaginal discs. In addition, these results seem to confirm the interpretation that wandering hemocytes released by the lymph glands could contribute in extracellular matrix composition in some tissues in the larva.

Type IV collagen, a major structural component of basement membrane, has been characterized only in vertebrates. It is unique among the collagenous proteins in that it forms specific lattice networks by end-to-end interactions. In particular, in mammals the C-terminal noncollagenous domain (NCl) of collagen IV was shown to be one of the major cross-linking sites in the network assembly. Here, we give the first direct evidence of type-IV-related collagen in invertebrates by sequence analysis of cDNA and genomic DNA clones for the 3'-end of a previously characterized Drosophila collagen gene. The data describe the C-terminal 190 amino acid residues of the triple helix and the entire noncollagenous domain (231 amino acids) of the chain encoded for by this gene. Comparison with data reported for human and mouse alpha 1(IV) chains reveals that triple-helix regions are quite different, while NC1 structures are very similar. This suggests different constraints on triple-helix and NC1 domains during evolution. Present data support the assumption that the NC1 structure originated from duplication of an ancestral sequence; the extent of both interspecies and intramolecular homologies suggests the maintenance in vertebrates and invertebrates of an ancestral specific function.