Accumulation and Spatial Distribution of Poly(A)+RNA in Oocytes and Early Embryos of Drosophila melanogaster

We describe the accumulation and distribution of poly (A)⁺RNA during oogenesis and early embryogenesis as revealed by in situ hybridization with a radio-labeled poly (U) probe. The amount of poly (A)⁺RNA in nurse cell cytoplasm continuously increased untill mid-vitellogenic stage (st. 10), then decreased with the rapid increase of poly (A)⁺RNA in the oocyte (st. 11). The localization of poly (A)⁺RNA at stage 10 was in the anterior region of the oocyte, where it is connected by cytoplasmic bridge to the nurse cells. These observations indicate that most of the poly (A)⁺RNA synthesized in the nurse cells is transferred to the oocyte through the cytoplasmic bridges at stage 10–11. During the remainder of oogenesis (st. 11–14) and during preblastodermal embryogenesis, poly (A)⁺RNA was evenly distributed over the cytoplasm of oocytes and embryos. At blastoderm stage, poly(A)⁺RNA became concentrated in the peripheral region of embryos. Though the somatic nuclei of the blastoderm contained a detectable amount of poly (A)⁺ RNA, the pole cell nuclei did not. The cytoplasmic RNA visualised by acridine orange staining and the poly (A)⁺RNA detected by hybridization with [³H]poly (U) exhibited identical distributions during oogenesis and early embryogenesis. These observations provide a basis to assess the unique distributions of specific RNA sequences involved in early development.     

The Effect of Hydrocortisone on the Epidermal Proliferation in an Organ Culture of Chick Embryonic Skin

Hydrocortisone is regarded as an initiator of keratinization in embryonic skin. The present investigation dealt with the effect of hydrocortisone on the proliferation of epidermal cells during early development: Cell kinetic analyses using ³H-thymidine autoradiography were applied to a skin organ culture prepared from a 13-day chick embryo.
Hydrocortisone at a concentration between 0.01 and 1.0 μg/ml was effective in initiating a morphological change leading to the epidermal keratinization in vitro and caused a marked decrease in the mitotic and labeling indices of epidermal basal cells, the decrease being maximum at 2 days of culture previous to the morphological change.
During continuous labeling with ³H-thymidine, the number of labeled basal cells reached 100% within 2 days in the control and 4 days in the culture treated with hydrocortisone. This confirmed that the growth fraction of epidermal basal cells was 1.0 even after the administration of hydrocortisone.
The duration of each cell cycle phase at 2 days of culture was determined by percent labeled mitoses and double-labeling analyses. It was concluded that hydrocortisone extended the generation time of epidermal basal cells at this time point about three fold over the control. This extension was mainly due to the elongation of the G ₁ phase.     

The role of electrogenic xylem pumps in K+ absorption from the zylem of Vigna unguiculata: the effects of auxin and fusicoccin

Abstract We tested the hypothesis that electrogenic ion pumps, working at the parenchyma symplast/xylem interface of pea hypocotyls, provide the driving force for K⁺ uptake from the xylem. Solutions of known composition were perfused through a hypocotyl segment. The K⁺ activity of the solution flowing out of the xylem (K⁺_out) increased (i.e. K⁺ uptake decreased) when aerobic respiration was inhibited by lack of O₂, and this was preceded by a decrease in V_px (electrical potential difference between parenchyma symplast and xylem). Perfusion with auxin (1AA) and fusicoccin (FC) stimulated the electrogenic activity of the ‘xylem pumps’ (111 and 205% respectively) and stimulated uptake of K ⁺ from the xylem (with 71% and 29% respectively). The close correlation between xylem pump activity and K⁺ uptake corroborated the aforementioned hypothesis. Interestingly, inhibition of pump activity by anoxia was incomplete in the presence of FC. It is thought that FC increases the affinity of the ATP-requiring xylem pump for ATP, thus ensuring that ATP production during fermentation is sufficient to fuel the pump in the absence of O₂.     

A new method in growth-electrophysiology: Pressurized intra-organ perfusion

Abstract A new experimental system was devised for the simultaneous measurement of elongation rate and the activity of the spatially separate electrogenic ion pumps of a hypocotyl segment excised from a seedling of Vigna unguiculata L. Walp. under enforced intra-organ perfusion by artificial solutions. The pathway of the perfusion medium was apoplastic space, including xylem vessels as main routes. The elongation rate of the segment was highly dependent on the perfusion pressure applied. It was possible to increase the growth rate under pressurized perfusion by 10-30 times as much as that without perfusion. Elongation rate was also dependent on respiration under perfusion, being retarded reversibly by anoxia a few minutes after the activities of the electrogenic ion pumps were stopped. Perfusion pressure had a little influence on the membrane potential (V_px) below a breakdown level (c. 130 kPa). Perfusion of mannitol or sorbitol solution of appropriate concentration reduced the elongation rate reversibly.     

Changes in Total Nitrogen and Free Amino Acids in Stem Cuttings of Mulberry (Morus alba L.)

Changes in total nitrogen and free amino acid contents in stemcuttings of Morus alba have been studied. The fresh and dryweights and total nitrogen amounts of the parent stems of cuttingsdecreased initially after cutting. Their increase follows theformation of main roots in cuttings, suggesting that, like carbohydrates,sugars and starch, stored nitrogenous substances are used forsprouting and rooting of cuttings. Amino acids found in stems,roots and shoots are those common in other higher plants withthe exception of pipecolic acid and 5-hydroxypipecolic acid.Significant changes in the levels of asparagine, proline, arginine,-aminobutyric acid and alanine in roots, bark and wood of parentstems were observed during cutting growth, whereas those ofother amino acids remained comparatively constant; the mostpredominant amino acid in the starting materials was proline.while that in the cuttings during growth was asparagine. Theresults suggest that, among free amino acids, asparagine, prolineand arginine play the major part in storage of nitrogen in mulberry.The importance of glut-amine and asparagine in nitrogen metabolismin mulberry has been discussed.     

Preliminary hydrobiological survey of some Southeast Asian inland waters*

The preliminary research in some tropical inland waters of Asia is described and suggestions made concerning Phase II of this project undertaken by the International Biological Programme/ Section PF (Freshwater Productivity). Environmental factors were measured in some of the main lakes and rivers and samples taken of the plant and animal life. The stomach contents of over 80 species of fish were examined and the remains of plants and animals present compared with the numbers present in the environment as obtained by the usual hydrobiological netting techniques. Some of the important problems associated with the biological productivity of these waters is discussed in the light of the results obtained from this preliminary survey.