Relation Between Cell Union and Nuclear Reorganization in Triplet Conjugants of Paramecium caudatum and Paramecium multimicronucleatum

SYNOPSIS Triplet conjugants of Paramecium caudatum which appeared naturally in mating mixtures and those of Paramecium multimicronucleatum which were produced by conjugation-inducing chemicals were isolated. Triplet conjugants lasting for more than 3 h were stained to examine macronuclear events. In P. caudatum , only 2 triplets among 182 (1%) contained macronuclear fragmentation in all 3 members. The most frequently occurring triplets (79%) were those producing 1 cell without and 2 cells with macronuclear fragments. There were also triplets (17%) producing 1 cell with, and 2 without macronuclear fragments, and some (3%) with 3 cells that contained no fragments. The length of persistence of the triplet was not responsible for the occurrence of macronuclear fragmentation in the 3rd cell of the triplet. In P. multimicronucleatum , the same 4 classes of triplets occurred, but the most frequently occurring class was that consisting of 3 cells (91%) with macronuclear fragments. Induction of nearly 100% of triplets with 3 such cells was possible by isolating the triplets' from a culture which was treated chemically at about 24 h after the last feeding. Treatment with chemicals in starved cultures resulted in triplets with incompletely fragmented or nonfragmented macronuclei. Further, in P. multimicronucleatum , chemicallyinduced triplets involving only holdfast pairs to which the 3rd cells were uniting often produced 3 cells with fragmented macronuclei.     

COMPARISON OF NEURONAL AND LENS PHENOTYPE EXPRESSION IN THE TRANSDIFFERENTIATING CULTURES OF NUERAL RETINA WITH DIFFERENT CULTURE MEDIA*

The effects of three different culture media (Eagle's MEM, F-12 and L-15) on the transdifferentiation of 8-day chick embryonic neural retina into lens cells, were examined with respect to the expression of two phenotypes. One type referred to neuronal specificity (as represented by the level of cholineacetyl-transferase, CAT, activity) and the other to lens specificity (as represented by content of α-and δ-crystallin). In 7-day cell cultures before the visible differentiation of lentoid bodies, CAT activity was detected in all media. But, its level was about 9 times higher in cultures with L-15 than in those with MEM and 3 times higher than in F-12. In 26-day cultures, CAT activity was practically undetectable. The production of α-and δ-crystallin was detected in cultures at 26 days. There were quantitative differences in the crystallin content with different media, and it was highest in cultures with L-15. The results indicate that conditions most favourable to the maintenance of the neuronal specificity in cell cultures of neural retina, can also support the most extensive transdifferentiation. The possibility of direct transdifferentiation of once neuronally specified cells into lens cells in cultures with L-15 has been suggested to explain the present results.     

Change in CO2 balance under a series of forestry activities in a cool-temperate mixed forest with dense undergrowth

To evaluate the effects on CO₂ exchange of clearcutting a mixed forest and replacing it with a plantation, 4.5 years of continuous eddy covariance measurements of CO₂ fluxes and soil respiration measurements were conducted in a conifer-broadleaf mixed forest in Hokkaido, Japan. The mixed forest was a weak carbon sink (net ecosystem exchange, −44 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹), and it became a large carbon source (569 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹) after clearcutting. However, the large emission in the harvest year rapidly decreased in the following 2 years (495 and 153 g C m⁻² yr⁻¹, respectively) as the gross primary production (GPP) increased, while the total ecosystem respiration (RE) remained relatively stable. The rapid increase in GPP was attributed to an increase in biomass and photosynthetic activity of Sasa dwarf bamboo, an understory species. Soil respiration increased in the 3 years following clearcutting, in the first year mainly owing to the change in the gap ratio of the forest, and in the following years because of increased root respiration by the bamboo. The ratio of soil respiration to RE increased from 44% in the forest to nearly 100% after clearcutting, and aboveground parts of the vegetation contributed little to the RE although the respiration chamber measurements showed heterogeneous soil condition after clearcutting.     

Presence of an Allocyclic Early Replicating X Chromosome in Female Embryos of the Rat, Chinese Hamster and Rabbit

Previous studies on early female mouse embryos revealed the presence of two kinds of inactive X chromosomes, one replicating late and the other early in the DNA synthetic period. The X chromosome that replicates early is of special interest because of its paternal origin, preferential occurrence in trophectoderm and primitive endoderm derivatives, and programmed shift to the late replicator. This study by BrdU labeling and acridine orange fluorescence staining was undertaken to examine whether the inactive X chromosome behaves in a similar manner in other laboratory mammals. In rat embryos the paternal X chromosome was found to show the same behavior in extraembryonic tissues. Early replicating chromosomes were also found in the extraembryonic regions of Chinese hamster and rabbit embryos, although their parental origin could not be determined due to the absent of X chromosome polymorphism in these species. Probably the early replicating X chromosome occurs commonly in mammals. Its functional significance is unknown.     

Effect of lidocaine on phospholipid and fatty acid composition of bacterial membranes

The effects of lidocaine on chemical composition of membrane phospholipids and membrane fluidity of Streptococcus mutans have been studied. Increasing concentra-tions of lidocaine induced both an increase in cardiolipin and a decrease in the degree of unsaturation of its fatty acid composition. A lidocaine-dependent decrease of membrane fluidity was observed from an electron spin resonance spectroscopic study. It was considered thal bacteria grown with lidocaine below its minimum inhibitory concentration resisted the effect of the drug by modifying phospholipid and fatty acid composition resulting in a decreased membrane fluidity.     

The Prosencephalon Has the Capacity to Differentiate into the Optic Tectum: Analysis by Chick-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies in Quail-Chick-Chimeric Brains

The alar plate of the prosencephalon of the quail embryo was heterotopically transplanted into the alar plate of the mesencephalon of the chick embryo at the 7–10 somite stage. Chick and quail cells in chimeric brains were distinguished after Feulgen-Rossenbeck staining and/or immunohistochemical staining with a species specific monoclonal antibody MAb-37F5 which recognized cytoplasmic components of chick brain cells. Neural connections between the transplant and the host were studied by monoclonal antibodies, MAb39-B11, which recognizes a species specific antigen on chick nerve fibers, and MAb-29B8, which reacts to 160 kD neurofilaments of both chick and quail.
When the transplant was completely integrated into the host mesencephalon, the transplant developed a laminar morphology closely resembling that of the optic tectum. Immunohistochemical staining with MAb-39B11 showed that the host optic nerve fibers innervated both the host tectum and the tectum-like transplant. However, optic nerve fibers did not invade transplants that failed to develope a laminar structure characteristic of the tectum. These findings suggest that the prosencephalon has a capacity to differentiate into the optic tectum at the 7–10 somite stage.