Effect of penicillin on the morphology and reproduction ofAzotobacter chroococcum

The effect of penicillin on the morphology and reproduction of some strains ofA. chroococcum was studied on a number of solid media. When the growth was not entirely suppressed by the penicillin, filamentous cells and spheroplasts were formed. The formation of spheroplasts was stimulated by peptone. Gonidia were sometimes formed inside the spheroplasts and also inside giant cells. They were released from the cell after disruption or after lysis of the cell wall. In some cases they produced dwarf cells. Under certain conditions groups of gonidia present in a cell fused and formed one or more normal-looking cells inside the mother cell. Sometimes one or moreAzotobacter cells developed inside a spheroplast or at the site of a spheroplast with a lysed cell wall. Microcolonies consisting of small cocci representing gonidia and dwarf cells were also observed occasionally at the sites of spheroplasts with lysed cell walls. Occasionally tiny groups of small elements with a less marked structure were found at such sites, probably representing debris of lysed cells. The production of normal-looking cells inside filamentous cells was greatly stimulated on a medium containing 10 percent horse serum, with a drop of sterile water containing 200 or 250 I.U. penicillin added in the centre of the plate. The growth ofA. chroococcum was greatly retarded when the medium contained 10 U/ml penicillin and seemed to be checked entirely at concentrations of 20 U/ml penicillin or higher. Occasionally, however, even at concentrations of 100 and 300 U/ml penicillin, a few filamentous cells were found and also a few microcolonies, visible only through the microscope, consisting of gonidia or regenerative rods. By repeated exposure ofAzotobacter to penicillin populations could be obtained that were adapted to high concentrations of this antibiotic.     

The inheritance of some characters in the mung bean,Phaseolus aureus roxb

Four allelic pairs were found to segregate from the cross between two mung bean varieties:rrGGSSdd×RRggssDD. R.rr stands for red versus green cotyledons, hypocotyl and top of leaflet stalk, and for beige yellow versus bright yellow flowers. Seed coat differences areG.-gg for green versus yellow (or brownish) basic colour,S.-ss for spotted (mottled) versus non-spotted (self colour), andD.-dd for dull versus shiny surface.In the spotted class (S.), R.-rr conditions spot covered (SS) and dark spotted (Ss) versus light spotted (SS andSs). Consequently, the F₁ is dark spotted.The recombination value betweenR-r andD-d was 15%.The findings are compared with data from litterature onPhaseolus aureus and its close relatives.     

n-alkane oxidation by apseudomonas formation and β-oxidation of intermediate fatty acids

Summary From a culture broth ofPseudomonas aeruginosa (KSLA strain 473) grown on heptane as the sole source of carbon, fatty acids could be isolated after a period of decreased oxygen supply. The corresponding methyl esters—obtained by treatment with diazomethane—were separated by gas-liquid chromatography and identified by mass spectrometry. Heptylic, valeric and propionic acids were shown to be present in the original culture broth. Using the same techniques the formation of caproic acid from hexane was shown to occur, whereas the amount of butyric acid formed was extremely small and inconsistent. These results show conclusively that this microbiological oxidation of heptane and hexane proceeds by way of the corresponding fatty acids, which are further degraded by β-oxidation. The absence of caproic and valeric acids in heptane and hexane oxidation, respectively, shows that decarboxylation of fatty acids does not occur.     

The detoxication enzymes causing organophosphate resistance in the housefly; Properties, inhibition, and the action of inhibitors as synergists

A comparison of the breakdown enzymes in OP-resistant houseflies and the ali-esterase of susceptible flies shows differences as well as similarities. In general both are rapidly phosphorylated by the OP-compounds, but only in the case of the breakdown enzymes dephosphorylation can take place. The rate of phosphorylation of the breakdown enzymes by the toxicants is sometimes higher, sometimes lower than that of the ali-esterase with the same compound. Studies of the breakdown reaction showed the Km to be in the order of 10^–6–10^–8 M, the turnover numbers to range from 0.05–0.7 per minute. Whether dephosphorylation takes place depends on the type of breakdown enzyme and the nature of the phosphoryl group. For instance, in the malathion-resistant strains only the dimethyl phosphorylated enzymes are dephosphorylated, but the dimethyl and dipropyl phosphorylated enzymes are not. Dephosphorylation of the enzymes of diazinon-resistant strains occurs with both dimethyl and diethyl, but not with dipropyl compounds. Consequently hydrolysis of some OP-compounds can be blocked by the addition of others that irreversibly phosphorylate the enzymes. Substances that can block the reaction have a marked synergistic action when sublethal doses are applied simultaneously with the OP-compound to which a strain is resistant. There is evidence that the breakdown enzymes can still hydrolyse methyl butyrate and some other esters although at a rate which is only a few percents of that of the aliesterase. The problem as to how enzymes with a rather low breakdown capacity could confer high resistance is discussed.

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Zusammenfassung In phosphorsäureester-resistenten Stubenfliegen sind Abbaufermente vorhanden, die die Fähigkeit zur Hydrolyse von Sauerstoffderivaten derjenigen Verbindungen besitzen, gegen die Resistenz aufgetreten ist. Diese Enzyme entstehen an Stelle einer in anfälligen Fliegen vorkommenden Ali-Esterase. Das Auftreten der Ali-Esterase und der Abbaufermente unterliegt dem Einfluß verschiedener Allele eines Gens. Durch eine Kombination biochemischer, genetischer und toxikologischer Arbeitsmethoden wurden Bedeutung und Eigenschaften dieser Enzyme untersucht.Die Hemmung der Ali-Esterase durch organische Phosphorverbindungen wird durch eine irreversible Reaktion hervorgerufen, bei der eine Dialkylphosphorylierung des Enzyms stattfindet. Die modifizierten Ali-Esterasen oder Abbaufermente unterscheiden sich von der Ali-Esterase dadurch, daß der Reaktion mit den Produkten, gegen die Resistenz besteht, eine langsam fortschreitende Dephosphorylierung folgt. Diese Fähigkeit zur Hydrolyse bestimmter Verbindungen muß die Selektion der Allele hervorgerufen haben, die für die Bildung dieser Enzyme verantwortlich sind. Darüber hinaus wurden aber noch andere Veränderungen herbeigeführt: ein Verlust der Ali-Esterase-Aktivität, eine Änderung in der Affinität einer Azahl Phosphorverbindungen gegenüber und eine Verminderung der Stabilität.Vier verschiedene Abbaufermente sind in verschiedenen resistenten Stämmen vorhanden. Zwei von ihnen können Diäthylverbindungen mit einer Umsatzzahl von 0.05 und 0.25 pro Minute hydrolysieren. Das Enzym mit der höheren Umsatzzahl spaltet auch Dimethyl-Derivate; die Affinität für diese Verbindungen erscheint aber zur Ausbildung eines hohen Resistenzgrades zu niedrig. Zwei andere Fermente finden sich in Malathion-resistenten Stämmen, von denen eines wegen seiner wahrscheinlichen Instabilität in vitro nicht untersucht werden konnte. Das andere Enzym spaltet Malaoxon und einige weitere Methylverbindungen, wobei die Affinität Malaoxon gegenüber höher ist, was möglicherweise die Ursache der ziemlich hohen Spezifizität bildet.Obwohl die Umsatzzahlen sehr niedrig sind und die Enzyme wohl nur einen geringen Teil des in vivo applizierten Giftes zu hydrolysieren vermögen, gestattet aber anscheinend ihre hohe Affinität für Phosphorverbindungen die für die Cholinesterasehemmung notwendige Inhibitormenge zu reduzieren und verursacht so die Resistenz.Die Abbaufermente können bestimmte Typen von Phosphorsäureestern hydrolysieren; sie werden aber noch durch andere Verbindungen dieser Stoffklasse irreversibel gehemmt. Solche Präparate sind zur Blockierung der in vitro stattfindenden Hydrolyse befähigt und besitzen einen stark synergistischen Effekt, wenn sie mit den Thioverbindungen, gegen die Resistenz besteht, gleichzeitig appliziert werden. So werden die Abbaufermente der Malathion- und Parathion-resistenten Stämme durch Propylparaoxon irreversibel phosphoryliert. Sublethale Mengen dieser Substanz reduzieren die Resistenz beträchtlich.

     

Die Ausdifferenzierung des Vakuolensystems in Blüten- und Laubblattepidermen vonPrimula kewensis

Ohne Zusammenfassung