Xylem and Phloem Import of Na+, K+, Rb+, Cs+ and Sb(SO4)2- in Tomato Fruits: Differential Contributions from Stem and Leaf

Wolterbeek, H. Th. and De Bruin, M. 1986. Xylem and phloem importof Na⁺, K⁺ , Rb⁺, Cs⁺ and in tomato fruits: differential contributions from stem and leaf.—J.exp. Bot. 37: 928–939. The transport of Na⁺, K⁺, Rb⁺, Cs⁺ and into developing fruits of tomato (an inbred lineof Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cv. Tiny Tim) was measured.Element solutions were introduced into the transpiration streamthrough the cut stem bases of plant parts consisting of a stempart with single green fruit, both with and without attachedfully expanded leaf. Measurements were carried out of the accumulationin the fruit of the gamma-ray emitting radiotracers ²⁴Na⁺, ⁴²K⁺,⁸⁶Rb⁺, ¹³⁴Cs⁺ and The transport into the fruit was expressed by a single parameter taking intoaccount volume flows varying with time and experiments. Xylemto phloem transfer in the stem as a source of fruit elementsupply was shown to be inversely related with the velocity offlow of the stem xylem. The results also indicated that thetransfer system in the stem was more rapidly equilibrated thanit was in the leaf. Stem loading of the phloem is suggested as a possible mechanismregulating the solute influx in fruits under varying flow velocitiesof the stem xylem, while fruit influx of phloem solutes, whichwere loaded in the leaf, may play a major role in influx regulationunder conditions of varying solute concentrations. Key words: Alkali ions, tomato fruits, stem and leaf phloem loading     

Changes in Abscisic Acid Content in Axis and Cotyledons of Developing Phaseolus vulgaris Embryos and their Physiological Consequences

Prevost, I. and Le Page–Degivry, M. Th. 1985. Changesin absicisic acid content in axis and cotyledons of developingPhaseolus vulgaris embryos and their physiological consequences.—J.exp. Bot. 36: 1900–1905.Changes in abscisic acid (ABA)content with time were measured in embryonic axes and in cotyledonsof Phaseolus vulgaris embryos using a radio–immunoassay.During embryogenesis, a similar pattern was observed in bothtissues: ABA increased to a maximum 29 d after an thesis, followedby a decrease as the seed matured. The level of ABA in the cotyledonswas always much higher than that in the axes. In in vitro cultures,the duration of the lag phase before germination of isolatedembryonic axes increased with ABA content. The presence of cotyledonsalways lengthened the lag phase; longer lag phases were associatedwith greater concentrations of ABA in the cotyledons. Moreoverthe presence of cotyledons stimulated the growth of seedlings. Key words: ABA distribution, embryo maturation, axis and embryo germinability     

On the relationship between food, reproduction and survival of two carabid beetles: Calathus melanocephalus and Pterostichus versicolor

Abstract.

• 1 The relative influences of temperature and availability of food on reproduction, survival and growth of all developmental stages of two carabid beetle species are discussed with special reference to the suggested relationship between availability of food, size of egg production and survival of adults from one breeding season to the next.
• 2 Temperature as well as food supply influence the length of larval growth and adult body size. Beetles grown at low temperatures and low amounts of food are smaller than those grown at higher temperature and with more food.
• 3 The number of eggs laid per female was correlated with the amount of food gathered. There was no inverse relationship (trade-off) between reproductive output and survival in the field until the next breeding season.
• 4 In 1980 no significant relationship was found between winter mortality and the amounts of food gathered by beetles in the period after reproduction and before winter diapause. However, in 1981 in C. melanocephalus a lower number of starved beetles survived the winter than the fed ones and‘field’beetles.
• 5 Only in the first part of the feeding activity period in autumn can enough food be gathered by C.melunocephalus for successful hibernation. In the second part of this period there is not enough food to build up the fat reserves needed to survive the winter.
• 6 Difference in population fluctuations of both species are discussed in relation to their life histories.

     

Genetic and biochemical analysis of an endonuclease encoded by the IncN plasmid pKM101.

The IncN plasmid pKM101 nuc gene encodes a periplasmically localized endonuclease. DNA sequence analysis indicates that this gene encodes a hydrophilic protein of about 19.5 kDa containing a hydrophobic signal sequence. nuc is homologous to a partially sequenced open reading frame adjacent to the sog gene of the plasmid CollB-P9, a plasmid known to encode an endonuclease similar to that of pKM101. A partially sequenced tra gene directly upstream of nuc is homologous to the virB11 gene of Agrobacterium tumefaciens. We have partially purified the pKM101 nuclease by osmotic shock and cation exchange chromatography, and used this enzyme preparation to sequence the protein's amino terminus. The first 13 amino acids of the mature protein match amino acids 23 to 35 of the predicted sequence, indicating that the protein is proteolytically processed to a molecular mass of approximately 17 kDa, probably during export to the periplasmic space. The enzyme was able to attack many sites along an end labelled duplex DNA substrate, but showed clearly preferred cleavage sites, and may cleave preferentially at purine-rich regions.     

Fine structure of aphid stylet routes in plant tissues in correlation with EPG signals

Abstract. Plant penetration by Aphis fabae (Scopoli) was recorded by the electrical penetration graph (EPG) technique and followed by stylectomy during wave-forms that were suspected of indicating sieve element punctures. The severed stylets in the plant tissue were subsequently processed for transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and sectioned either transverse or longitudinal to the stylets. Two completely serially sectioned probes from the epidermis to the phloem were reconstructed.
In one probe the stylet pathway went to a sieve element and showed many empty branches of salivary sheath material. Breaks in cell walls filled with sheath material demonstrated that the majority of cells bordering the track had been punctured, which supports earlier evidence from EPGs. All types of cells showed punctures and the highest number was found inside the vascular bundle. Very few cells died, which would appear to be important for virus transmission, and in others cellular reactions remained limited to some callose formation. The route of the stylets was intercellular and passed through the secondary wall material. The role of pectinase in intercellular penetration, and previous evidence for intracellular tracks are discussed. Most sieve elements had been punctured but only one was eventually accepted. Thus, reaching a sieve element in a host plant does not automatically imply its acceptance though the reason remains unclear. Gelation of phloem proteins was shown in the stylet canal.
In a second probe, plant cytological and morphological correlations with the EPG were emphasized. Probes by other aphid-plant combinations showed great similarity.     

The cytologic diagnosis of Mycobacterium kansasi tuberculosis by fluorescence microscopy of Papanicolaou-stained specimens

The cytologic diagnosis of Mycobacterium kansasi tuberculosis by fluorescence microscopy of Papanicolaou-stained specimens
The sensitivities of (i) Papanicolaou fluorescence, (ii) auramine rhodamine fluorescence, and (iii) Ziehl-Neelsen staining were compared for their ability to detect the atypical mycobacterium Myco. kansasi in cytological samples. Ninety-two cases were investigated, and the sensitivities of the three methods of detection were found to be 36.9%, 12.0%, and 20.7%, respectively. The control groups consisted of 30 specimens from cases of bronchial carcinoma and 30 of pneumonia. All cases were proved by microbiology. No false-positive results were recorded using Papanicolaou fluorescence. An important but coincidental finding arising from this study was that infection by the atypical mycobacterium Myco. kansasi causes cytological patterns corresponding to those normally associated with acute pneumonia and not to tuberculosis.