The genes for several bacterial histone-like pro- 
teins have been identified in Salmonella typhimur- 
ium and are under study in the laboratory of Assis- 
tant Investigator David R. Hillyard, M.D. (University 
of Utah). Mutations in hupK and hup^ confer de- 
fects in bacteriophage Mu transposition, flagellar 
phase variation, and F plasmid stability. Mutant 
strains that make none of the major histone-like 
protein HU, show alterations in plasmid supercoil- 
ing and compensatory increases in other nucleoid 
proteins. Work has begun on a novel conotoxin 
from venomous sea snails that binds specifically to 
glutamate receptors of the NMDA variety in the cen- 
tral nervous system of vertebrates. 
152 
