Biomechanical and Morphometric Differences in Triticum aestivum Seedlings Differing in Rht Gene-Dosage

Biomechanical and morphometric comparisons among coleoptilesfrom wheat seedlings differing in Rht gene-dosage (Rht = 0,2, 4 doses) are presented in an effort to evaluate the influenceof Rht on the mechanics of soil penetration by this organ. Rhtis known to reduce seedling establishment compared to the wildtype. Data from 3–7-day-old seedlings indicate that Rhtreduces tissue elastic modulus E, increases the second momentof area I, and decreases the slenderness ratio (l/r) of coleoptiles.Rht-relatedchanges in E and I are such that the flexural stiffness of coleoptilesfrom Rht plants does not differ significantly from the wildtype-hence the growing coleoptiles of all three genotypes haveequivalent biomechanical capacity to penetrate the soil. Rhtreduction of coleoptile slenderness ratios confers a capacityto safely sustain higher axial compressive loads compared tocoleoptiles with equivalent flexural stiffness but higher ratios.However, wild type seedlings produce longer coleoptiles andlonger subcrown internodes than Rht seedlings. Longer coleoptilesdeliver the crown node closer to the top of the soil beforethe crown node extends beyond the lateral confinement of thecoleoptile. This reduces the potential for buckling of the subcrowninternode and leaves due to the compressive loading of soil.Rht affects a variety of mechanical features whose influenceis dependent upon the stage of seedling growth and the degreeof soil compaction. However, at equivalent depths of burialwhich exceed the maximum length of coleoptiles and moderatesoil compaction, Rht is biomechanically disadvantageous to seedlingestablishment. Wheat, germination, biomechanics, Rht-gene     

Relationship between multidrug resistance,hypersensitivity to resistance modifiers and cell volume in Chinese hamster ovary cells.

We have previously shown that very high levels of hypersensitivity to several resistance modifiers are correlated with increasing multidrug resistance in a series of Chinese hamster ovary cell lines. We have now selected a new member of the series which is an exception to this correlation in that although it is almost twice as multidrug resistant as the cell line from which it was derived, it shows much less hypersensitivity to resistance modifiers. Level of resistance modifier hypersensitivity correlated with the level of reduction of verapamil accumulation in these cells, and with the density of P-glycoprotein, but since the selection of this cell line has involved a doubling of cell volume, it was not correlated with total amount of P-glycoprotein.     

Respiratory components in acidophilic bacteria that respire on iron

Abstract

Microorganisms capable of aerobic respiration on ferrous ions are spread throughout eubacterial and archaebacterial phyla. Phylogenetically distinct organisms were shown to express spectrally distinct redox‐active biomolecules during autotrophic growth on soluble iron. A new iron‐oxidizing eubacterium, designated as strain Funis, was investigated. Strain Funis was judged to be different from other known iron‐oxidizing bacteria on the bases of comparative lipid analyses, 16S rRNA sequence analyses, and cytochrome composition studies. When grown autotrophically on ferrous ions, Funis produced conspicuous levels of a novel acid‐stable, acid‐soluble yellow cytochrome with a distinctive absorbance peak at 579 nm in the reduced state.

Stopped‐flow spectrophotometric kinetic studies were conducted on respiratory chain components isolated from cell‐free extracts of Thiobacillus ferrooxidans. Experimental results were consistent with a model where the primary oxidant of ferrous ions is a highly aggregated c‐type cytochrome that then reduces the periplasmic rusticyanin. The Fe(II)‐dependent, cytochrome c‐catalyzed reduction of the rusticyanin possessed three kinetic properties in common with corresponding intact cells that respire on iron: the same anion specificity, a similar dependence of the rate on the concentration of ferrous ions, and similar rates at saturating concentrations of ferrous ions     

Fluorometric, Chromatographic, and Spectronic Evidence for the Non-indolic Nature of Citrus Auxin

Evidence for the non-indolic nature of the new citrus auxinis presented on the basis of fluorometric properties, thin-layerchromatography, Ehrlich's colour reaction, paper electrophoresis,and the infra-red spectra determinations. Citrus auxin had alower Rf in TLC than IAA, did not give the typical indole reactionwith Ehrlich's reagent, and behaved differently in electrophoresis.The infra-red spectra also provided preliminary informationconcerning chemical structure. The hypothesis that indolic compoundsconstitute the only natural auxins in higher plants should berevised in view of this evidence that a non-indole auxin existsin higher plants.