Lipid Saturation Induced Microviscosity Increase Has No Effect on the Reducibility of Flash-Oxidized Cytochrome f in Pea Thylakoids

Homogeneous catalytic hydrogenation was used to modify the level of fatty acid unsaturation of thylakoid membranes in the pea chloroplast. Fluidity alteration has been monitored simultaneously using the spin-label probe, 16-doxyl stearate. Even in the case of 30% hydrogenation, no change in the reduction rate of flash-oxidized cytochrome f was observed, in contrast to the fact that the same decrease in the double-bond content of the thylakoid membrane resulted in a pronounced inhibition in the full-chain electron transport. We conclude that the rate of lateral diffusion of reduced plastoquinone is unaffected by the lowering of the fluidity of the thylakoid lipid matrix.     

Molecular cloning of complementary DNA encoding maize nitrite reductase: molecular analysis and nitrate induction

Complementary DNA has been isolated that codes for maize nitrite reductase (NiR) by using the corresponding spinach gene (E Back et al. 1988 Mol Gen Genet 212:20-26) as a heterologous probe. The sequences of the complementary DNAs from the two species are 66% homologous while the deduced amino acid sequences are 86% similar when analogous amino acids are included. A high percentage of the differences in the DNA sequences is due to the extremely strong bias in the corn gene to have a G/C base in the third codon position with 559/569 codons ending in a G or C. Using a hydroponic system, maize seedlings grown in the absence of an exogenous nitrogen source were induced with nitrate or nitrite. Nitrate stimulated a rapid induction of the NiR mRNA in both roots and leaves. There is also a considerable induction of this gene in roots upon the addition of nitrite, although under the conditions used the final mRNA level was not as high as when nitrate was the inducer. There is a small but detectable level of NiR mRNA in leaves prior to induction, but no constitutive NiR mRNA can be seen in the roots. Analysis of genomic DNA supports the notion that there are at least two NiR genes in maize.     

Evidence for precursor forms of the low isoelectric point alpha-amylase isozymes secreted by barley aleurone cells

Gibberellin-treated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) aleurone cell protoplasts have been shown previously to contain two α-amylase isozymes which are not secreted (JV Jacobsen, JA Zwar, PM Chandler 1985 Planta 13: 430-438). This report shows that these intracellular forms are immunochemically related to the low isoelectric point but not the high isoelectric point group of α-amylase isozymes and that they arise by new synthesis like the secreted forms. Pulse-chase studies show that the intracellular isozymes are precursors to the secreted isozymes. Conversion of the intra- to the extracellular forms involves decreases in isoelectric points with no change in size detectable by SDS-PAGE. The precursor isozymes were also detected in aleurone layer homogenates but they were unstable. They could be stabilized by various treatments including heating the homogenate to 70°C for 10 minutes indicating that the instability was enzymically mediated. Using purified radioactive precursor isozymes, it was shown that instability did not involve inactivation but the conversion to secreted forms. The nature of the covalent modification associated with conversion was not determined but available data indicate that it does not involve glycosylation.     

用改良的杆状病毒载体在家蚕中进行人α-干扰素基因的高水平表达

基因工程的目的之一是增加在细胞中所需的基因产物的表达量。首先用大量生产的宿主有大肠杆菌和一些其他的细菌。但是当细菌作为宿主时存在着几个问题,例如多肽糖基化缺陷、寄主蛋白酶造成的产物降解及缺乏分泌等。采用哺乳类动物细胞可排除上述问题,但要大量生产,仍然存在着许多与培养系统的复杂性及效率有关的问题。     

菜豆属次级联会的细胞学和统计学分析

在花粉母细胞减数第一分裂时期,对多花菜豆（Phaseolus coccineus L.)4个品种,菜豆（P.vulgaris L.)5个品种和菜豆变种[P.vulgaris var,baorigineus(Burk.)baudet]的一个收集样品的二价体次级联会（次级配对）进行了细胞学检查,同时也提供了一种评价观测到的联会程度和预期的随机联会程度之间的偏差统计学方法,发现次级配对的程序是高度显著的,对透射电子显微技术加以改进,并使之能够观察压片完整的花粉母细胞,显示出在次级联会的双价体之间发生有形的联结。     

飞蝗复眼生理和结构上的节律变化

采用细胞内记录和光镜方法研究了飞蝗(Locusta migratoria)夜间和日间在暗适应和明适应状态下小网膜细胞角敏感度以及晶锥和小网膜细胞之间区域结构上的变化.结果表明小网膜细胞角敏感度的变化不仅仅由于晶锥周围主色素细胞色素颗粒的移动,而且也由于小眼感杆束结构上的节律变化.     

豌豆根瘤侵染细胞衰老过程的电镜观察

用透射电镜观察了豌豆根瘤侵染细胞在衰老过程中的超微结构变化,结果表明,侵染细胞和拟菌体的衰老有一定的规律和特征,首先是一些包裹拟菌体的包囊变得疏松,包囊和拟菌体之间出现较大间隙,间隙中常有一些纤维状和泡状物质。然后,细胞质失去正常结构,逐渐凝聚为染色很深的团块,进而完全泡状化,伴随着拟菌体的衰老,寄主细胞质染色由深变浅,细胞器逐渐减少,最后,液泡和质膜相继破裂,细胞完全瓦解,有时在衰老细胞的胞间隙,或在衰老的细胞质中有一定年轻的细菌,甚至在一片崩溃的拟菌体中还有侵染丝,有的还正在向寄主细胞质释放细菌。     

籼稻体细胞胚胎发生的组织学及细胞学研究

以成熟种子为外植体,在离体培养中研究了体细胞胚胎发生,组织学研究表明,愈伤组织是由成熟种子盾片的表皮吸收细胞首先发生的,随后从愈伤组织分化出胚状体。象水稻合子胚的结构一样,体细胞胚状体主要由盾片,胚芽稍及胚根组成,在胚状体内可以观察到不同发育时期的原胚,包括大量的单一的胚性细胞、二细胞、四细胞及分化程度不同的原胚以及一些畸形胚状体,从本实验可以初步认为由籼稻体细胞培养而获得的胚状体在结构上也有象合子胚一样的基本结构,并且是单细胞起源的。