In vitro cultivation of Diplostomum spathaceum and Diplostomum phoxini metacercariae

Using a new egg macerate medium Diplostomum spathaceum metacercariae were cultured to the stage of egg production for the first time, and an improved vitelline and growth response was obtained in Diplostomum phoxini. The importance of physical factors in the cultivation of strigeoid trematodes was demonstrated. Methods involving a continuous circulating system, diphasic media, a double culture tube technique or the chorio-allantoic membrane proved to be of no value in the cultivation of Diplostomum spp. The addition of selected hormones with known growth promoting properties did not have an appreciable effect on D. phoxini cultures. Supplementation of egg macerate cultures with various nutrients had only slight or no beneficial effect. The ability to use stored metacercariae for cultures was demonstrated.     

Biotin carboxyl carrier protein in barley chloroplast membranes.

Biotin localized in barley chloroplast lamellae is covalently bound to a single protein with an approximate molecular weight of 21 000. It contains one mole of biotin per mole of protein and functions as a carboxyl carrier in the acetyl-CoA carboxylase reaction. The protein was obtained by solubilization of the lamellae in phenol/acetic acid/8 M urea. Feeding barley seedlings with [14C]-biotin revealed that the vitamin is not degraded into respiratory substrates by the plant, but is specifically incorporated into biotin carboxyl carrier protein.