On the localization of organic acids in Acid-induced ATP synthesis

This study of the penetration and localization in isolated chloroplasts of some selected organic acids under inducing and non-inducing conditions has shown that there are 4 distinct relationships of acid penetration to ATP synthesis. Succinic acid which is effective as an inducer penetrates quite rapidly at pH 4.0 with the time course coinciding with that of acid-poise as determined by ATP synthesis. As the pH of stage I is raised (acid more dissociated) the penetration is slower, and the internal concentration at equilibrium is less. At pH 6.5 where succinic acid is fully dissociated there is little or no penetration of the dianion. A portion of the succinic acid (presumably the dianion) is retained in the chloroplasts on pH transition. This internal acid can be removed by placing plastids back in solution whose pH is less than 5.

A relatively ineffective dicarboxylic acid, e.g. malonic, penetrates quite slowly at pH 4.0. The acid-poise is maximized and declines (possibly due to acid denaturation of phosphorylating enzymes) much before the internal malonate is maximal. This dicarboxylic acid also shows little penetration as the dianion and some of it is effectively retained on pH transition from 4.0 to 8.4.

Acetic, an ineffective acid, penetrates quite well both as the acid and the anion and is not retained as the anion on transition from pH 4.0 to 8.4.

Glutamic acid which produces ATP yields comparable to those obtained with HCl was found to penetrate very slowly and did not reveal a measurable amount of retained acid on transition from pH 4.0 to 8.4.

     

Prototropic equilibria, tautomerization and electronic absorption properties of dibenzofluorescein in aqueous solution related to its capability as a fluorescence probe

The protolytic equilibria of 1,2,7,8-dibenzofluorescein in aqueous solution have been characterized by visible absorption and fluorescence spectra. The species involved are identified as dianion, monoanion, neutral form and cation. The neutral form includes both the quinoid and lactone structures. The pK(a)s were calculated by an improved procedure to be 3.14, 4.04 and 6.28, respectively. The absorption spectra for each protolytic form were resolved. The absorption maxima (molar absorption coefficient, x10(5), M(-1) cm(-1)) are 532 nm (0.87) for the dianion, 510 nm (0.39) for the monoanion, 500 nm (0.16) for the neutral form, and 494 nm (0.19) for the cation, respectively. Contrary to the assumption in the literature, we found that the monoanion is highly fluorescent (Phi(f) = 0.66, compared to Phi(f) = 0.25 for dianion) and its molar ratio can reach 50% at neutral pH. It is therefore concluded that under physiological pH conditions the monoanion plays a major role when it is used as a fluorescence probe.     

Uptake of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic Acid by Pseudomonas fluorescens

Factors influencing the uptake of the sodium salt of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D), under conditions in which no net metabolism occurred, were investigated in an effort to determine both the significance of "non-metabolic" uptake as a potential agent in reducing pesticide levels and the mechanisms involved. Uptake of 2,4-D was affected by pH, temperature, and the presence of other organic and inorganic compounds. Uptake was more pronounced at pH values less than 6, which implies that there may be some interaction between charged groups on the cell and the ionized carboxyl group of 2,4-D. Active transport, carrier-mediated diffusion, passive diffusion, and adsorption were considered as possible mechanisms. Though uptake was inhibited by glucose, sodium azide, and fluorodinitrobenzene (but not by uranyl ion), 2,4-D was not accumulated against a concentration gradient, a necessary consequence of an active transport system, nor was isotope counterflow found to occur. Thus, carrier-mediated diffusion was finally precluded, implying that uptake probably occurs by a two-step process: sorption onto the cell wall followed by passive diffusion into the cytoplasm.     

Comparison of Growth and Primary Shunt Product Formation by Claviceps purpurea Cultured on Succinic Acid and Glucose as Carbon Sources

Growth on a medium containing succinic acid as the sole carbon source produced 1 g (dry weight) of mycelium per liter of medium by 50 days of incubation, whereas 25 g of mycelium was produced in 10 days when glucose was also present in the medium. Primary shunt metabolism took place during growth on succinic acid in spite of the extremely slow growth. Mycelia grown on succinic acid contained a higher percentage of residual mycelium and phosphate, but a lower percentage of mannitol, carbohydrate, lipid, and water-soluble nitrogen, than mycelia grown on a mixture of glucose and succinic acid. Thus, although primary shunt metabolism is favored by rapid growth on a rich, balanced sugar medium, it can also take place during extremely restricted growth in a medium containing succinic acid as the sole carbon source.     

The fluorescence of some biphenyl derivatives

1. The variation with pH of the excitation and fluorescence wavelengths and fluorescence intensity of several hydroxy- and amino-biphenyls has been investigated with a view to using the data for the determination of hydroxybiphenyls in biological material. 2. 2- and 3-Hydroxy-, 2,2'-dihydroxy-, and 2-, 3- and 4-amino-biphenyl exhibited excited-state ionization. 4-Hydroxy- and 4,4'-dihydroxybiphenyl did not, and showed normal fluorescence changes with pH. 3. Biphenyl and 2- and 4-methoxybiphenyl showed no changes in fluorescence in the range pH0-14. 4. 4,4'-Dihydroxybiphenyl showed fluorescent peaks corresponding to the un-ionized form, the monoanion and dianion at the appropriate pH values, but 2,2'-dihydroxybiphenyl showed fluorescent peaks corresponding to the un-ionized form and the monoanion only, suggesting that it did not form a dianion. 5. 3- and 4-Nitrobiphenyl were non-fluorescent. 6. These results are discussed.     

Photophysical properties of dibenzofluorescein and the presence of its tautomers or prototropic forms in organic solvents.

The UV/Vis absorption and fluorescence properties of dibenzofluorescein (DBFL) in organic solvents were measured and used to shed light on the possible presence of its tautomers or various prototropic forms. DBFL in aprotic solvents mainly exists in two tautomeric forms, viz. quinoid and lactone, but neither are efficiently fluorescent. In protic solvents, such as methanol and ethanol, both the monoanion and neutral quinoid are present and showed the highest fluorescence quantum yield. In contrast, DBFL is fully dissociated to the monoanion and dianion in deionized water.     

Dynamic light scattering investigation of sodium caseinate and xanthan mixtures

Aqueous solutions of sodium caseinate and xanthan at pH 7 and containing 0.1 M NaCl, and their mixtures were investigated using dynamic light scattering. Sodium caseinate solutions showed a bimodal distribution of relaxation rates; with the aggregate peak distribution predominating. Xanthan solutions showed a single distribution at low concentrations (≤0.06 wt.%) and a bimodal distribution at higher concentrations. The sodium caseinate–xanthan mixture modes were independent of the total biopolymer concentration, and behaved as a superposition of sodium caseinate solution alone and xanthan solution alone. This indicates that there is no interaction between xanthan and sodium caseinate in the range of concentrations considered in this study.     

Transport of malic acid and other dicarboxylic acids in the yeast Hansenula anomala

DL-Malic acid-grown cells of the yeast Hansenula anomala formed a saturable transport system that mediated accumulative transport of L-malic acid with the following kinetic parameters at pH 5.0: Vmax, 0.20 nmol.s-1.mg (dry weight)-1; Km, 0.076 mM L-malate. Uptake of malic acid was accompanied by proton disappearance from the external medium with rates that followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics as a function of malic acid concentration. Fumaric acid, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, oxaloacetic acid, D-malic acid, and L-malic acid were competitive inhibitors of succinic acid transport, and all induced proton movements that followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, suggesting that all of these dicarboxylates used the same transport system. Maleic acid, malonic acid, oxalic acid, and L-(+)-tartaric acid, as well as other Krebs cycle acids such as citric and isocitric acids, were not accepted by the malate transport system. Km measurements as a function of pH suggested that the anionic forms of the acids were transported by an accumulative dicarboxylate proton symporter. The accumulation ratio at pH 5.0 was about 40. The malate system was inducible and was subject to glucose repression. Undissociated succinic acid entered the cells slowly by simple diffusion. The permeability of the cells by undissociated acid increased with pH, with the diffusion constant increasing 100-fold between pH 3.0 and 6.0.     

Transport of malic acid and other dicarboxylic acids in the yeast Hansenula anomala.

DL-Malic acid-grown cells of the yeast Hansenula anomala formed a saturable transport system that mediated accumulative transport of L-malic acid with the following kinetic parameters at pH 5.0: Vmax, 0.20 nmol.s-1.mg (dry weight)-1; Km, 0.076 mM L-malate. Uptake of malic acid was accompanied by proton disappearance from the external medium with rates that followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics as a function of malic acid concentration. Fumaric acid, alpha-ketoglutaric acid, oxaloacetic acid, D-malic acid, and L-malic acid were competitive inhibitors of succinic acid transport, and all induced proton movements that followed Michaelis-Menten kinetics, suggesting that all of these dicarboxylates used the same transport system. Maleic acid, malonic acid, oxalic acid, and L-(+)-tartaric acid, as well as other Krebs cycle acids such as citric and isocitric acids, were not accepted by the malate transport system. Km measurements as a function of pH suggested that the anionic forms of the acids were transported by an accumulative dicarboxylate proton symporter. The accumulation ratio at pH 5.0 was about 40. The malate system was inducible and was subject to glucose repression. Undissociated succinic acid entered the cells slowly by simple diffusion. The permeability of the cells by undissociated acid increased with pH, with the diffusion constant increasing 100-fold between pH 3.0 and 6.0.     

马铃薯干腐病菌硫色镰孢的生物学特性

从碳源、氮源、酸碱度及生长温度等方面对引起马铃薯干腐病的硫色镰孢Fusarium sulphureum的生物学特性进行了研究。结果表明,该病原菌在不同发育阶段对营养和环境条件的要求存在差异。在固体培养基上,菌落生长最佳碳源为葡萄糖、麦芽糖,最佳氮源为蛋白胨,pH8?为最佳;在液体培养基中,菌丝体生长以麦芽糖为最佳碳源,以硝酸钠为最佳氮源,pH6?为最佳;在分生孢子萌发阶段,在以羧甲基纤维素钠、蛋白胨和谷氨酸为碳、氮源的营养液中,分生孢子萌发率最高,最适pH 6–8。该病菌最适生长温度为25℃,分生孢子致死     

Elucidation of Growth Inhibition and Acetic Acid Production by Clostridium thermoaceticum

The production of acetic acid by Clostridium thermoaceticum was studied by using batch fermentations. In a pH-controlled fermentation with sodium hydroxide (pH 6.9), this organism was able to produce 56 g of acetic acid per liter. On the other hand, when the pH was not controlled and was decreased during fermentation to 5.4, the maximum attainable acetic acid concentration was only 15.3 g/liter. To obtain a better understanding of the end product inhibition, various salts were tested to determine their effect on the growth rate of C. thermoaceticum. An inverse linear relationship between the growth rate and the final cell concentration to the sodium acetate concentration was found. By using different concentrations of externally added sodium salts, the relative growth inhibition caused by the anion was found to be in the order of acetate > chloride > sulfate. Various externally added cations of acetate were also examined with respect to their inhibitory effects on growth. The relative magnitude of inhibition on the growth rate was found to be ammonium > potassium > sodium. The combined results have shown that the undissociated acetic acid was much more inhibitory than the ionized acetate ion. Complete growth inhibition resulted when the undissociated acetic acid concentration was between 0.04 and 0.05 M and when the ionized acetate concentration was 0.8 M. Therefore, at low pH (below 6.0), undissociated acetic acid is responsible for growth inhibition, and at high pH (above 6.0), ionized acetate ion is responsible for growth inhibition.     

不同pH调节剂对产琥珀酸放线杆菌NJ113发酵产丁二酸的影响

在3L发酵罐中分别采用不同的碱性物质作为pH调节剂,考察其对产琥珀酸放线杆菌Actinobacillus succinogenes NJ113厌氧发酵制备丁二酸的影响。结果表明:Ca2+、NH4+调节剂对菌体生长代谢有较大阻碍作用,丁二酸产量较低;采用含Na+调节剂,在发酵中后期菌体出现絮凝现象严重,且产丁二酸能力骤降;采用含Mg2+调节剂,整个发酵过程菌体代谢旺盛,发酵效果较佳。根据各碱性物质的调节能力以及对菌体生长代谢的影响,选择NaOH、Mg(OH)2和Na2CO3、Mg(OH)2分别作为混合碱组分调节pH,并对两组混合碱中各物质的质量比例进行优化。结果表明,以NaOH、Mg(OH)2混合,两者质量比为1:1时,发酵效果最好,丁二酸质量浓度高达到69.8g/L,质量收率74.5%。该种混合碱配比可有效替代碱式MgCO3调节pH,既达到高产丁二酸的目的,又可降低生物制备丁二酸的成本。     

An NMR investigation of the conformational equilibria of 2-(2'-pyridyl)ethylphosphonic acid in several solvents

Vicinal proton-proton NMR couplings have been used to investigate whether the position of conformational equilibria is determined by intramolecular N-H hydrogen bonding for 2-(2'-pyridyl)ethylphosphonic acid 1 in its various possible ionization states in water, methanol, ethanol, and dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO). With 1 in the form of its monoanion and dianion, the trans is favored, with the dianion being more trans than the monoanion for a given solvent, probably as the result of steric effects, possibly enhanced by repulsive electrostatic effects between the negatively charged phosphonic group and the lone pair on the pyridine nitrogen. For 1 and its conjugate acid, the gauche amounts, respectively, to 43% and 45% in water, 66% and 51% in methanol, 66% and 64% in ethanol, and 29% and 49% in DMSO. For these latter two species, electrostatic, steric, and hydrogen bonding-effects are all likely to play a role in determining the conformational equilibria.     

Electrophysiological studies of salty taste modification by organic acids in the labellar taste cell of the blowfly.

Using the labellar salt receptor cells of the blowfly, Phormia regina, we electrophysiologically showed that the response to NaCl and KCl aqueous solutions was enhanced and depressed by acetic, succinic and citric acids. The organic acid concentrations at which the most enhanced salt response (MESR) was obtained were found to be different: 0.05-1 mM citric acid, 0.5-2 mM succinic acid and 5-50 mM acetic acid. Moreover, the degree of the salt response was not always dependent on the pH values of the stimulating solutions. The salt response was also enhanced by HCl (pH 3.5-3.0) only when the NaCl concentration was greater than the threshold, indicating that the salty taste would be enhanced by the comparatively lower concentrations of hydrogen ions. Another explanation for the enhancement is that the salty taste may also be enhanced by undissociated molecules of the organic acids, because the MESRs were obtained at the pH values lower than the pKa(1) or pKa(2) values of these organic acids. On the other hand, the salty taste could be depressed by both the lower pH range (pH 2.5-2.0) and the dissociated organic anions from organic acid molecules with at least two carboxyl groups.     

Uptake and Release of Abscisic Acid by Isolated Photoautotrophic Mesophyll Cells, Depending on pH Gradients

Uptake and release of abscisic acid (AbA) by isolated mesophyll cells of Papaver somniferum is characterized by the following observations: (a) Uptake rate is a linear function of the external AbA concentration in the range from 10⁻⁶ to 5 × 10⁻⁵ molar, and decreases with increasing pH. At any pH, uptake rate is linearly related to the concentration of undissociated abscisic acid, calculated from the pK = 4.7 according to the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation. At low external pH (5.0), AbA accumulation in the cells is about 10-fold. (b) Uptake of AbA is completely inhibited by salts such as KNO₂ or sodium acetate, which decrease the pH gradient between medium and cells. KCN or m-chlorocarbonylcyanide phenylhydrazone inhibits AbA uptake only after longer incubation periods (20-40 minutes). (c) Uptake rate as well as equilibrium concentration is significantly higher in light than in darkness. (d) At low external pH, release of AbA from preloaded cells is strongly stimulated by KNO₂. It is concluded that AbA is distributed between leaf cells and free space according to pH gradients, with the undissociated abscisic acid being the main penetrating species. Uptake and release occur via diffusion, without participation of a carrier.     

The effect of acetate on the production of citric acid by Aspergillus niger in submerged fermentation

Summary Two strains of Aspergillus niger showed a 57% and 40% reduction in growth in a shaken mineral medium with 5% glucose, at the initial pH 6.5–6.0 where ammonium acetate (0.25% and 0.2%) was a source of nitrogen. Uptake of glucose was not inhibited and mycelium kept its acid-forming activity. Growth inhibition was abolished in the presence of 12% glucose or increased content of ammonium and sodium acetate up to 765 mg acetate anion per 100 cm³.This work was a part of Project MR II, 17, topic no. 2.3.2.     

Enzyme activity in partly dissociated fragments of rat intestinal maltase/glucoamylase.

Pure rat intestinal maltase/glucoamylase was partially inactivated in 1% sodium dodecyl sulphage by heating at 40--70 degree C for 5 min at pH 7.5, or by lowering the pH to 5.4--6.6 at 24 degree C. When partially active preparations were electrophoresed in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulphate, a complicated protein band pattern of incompletely dissociated fragments of the enzyme was observed. Complete dissociation of the enzyme in sodium dodecyl sulphate, induced by boiling or by pH values below 5.4, was accompanied by total loss of enzyme activity and simplification of the protein pattern to five major species. Although the original enzyme band was absent from some partially dissociated preparations, enzyme activity was present and was associated with several transient protein bands on the gels. Maltase and alpha-glucosidase activities were detected in these bands, but glucoamylase activity was absent.     

Alkaloid production in the fungus Penicillium sizovae

The dynamics of production of agroclavine-I and epoxyagroclavine-I, the basic components of the Penicillium sizovae alkaloid fraction, was being studied. The biosynthesis of alkaloids occurs in two stages coinciding in time with the growth phases. The culture studied is shown to have a considerably higher content of extracellular alkaloids than that of the mycelium. When the culture is grown on a medium with mannitol and succinic acid, separate consumption of carbon sources is observed. The alkaloid production in P. sizovae occurs in the presence of high residual concentrations of phosphorus in the medium.     

Stability constant of the 1:1 complex of sodium with guanosine 5'-monophosphate

The stability of the 1:1 complex of sodium ion with the dianion of guanosine 5'-monophosphate has been determined by means of a potentiometric titration employing a specific ion electrode. The stability constant for the reaction Na(+) + 5'-GMP(2-) Na(5'-GMP)(-) was found to be 2.85 +/- 0.36 M(-1) at 5 degrees C and an ionic strength of 1.1 +/- 0.1 M. Although 5'-GMP forms ordered self-structures at high concentration in the presence of sodium ions, in dilute solution and at low sodium ion concentrations the Na(+) binding is weak and typical of that for other nucleotides.     

Uptake capacity of amino acids by ten grasses and forbs in relation to soil acidity and nitrogen availability

Uptake capacity of organic nitrogen was studied in solution experiments on eight grasses and two forbs growing in acid soils with relatively high nitrogen mineralisation in southern Sweden. Uptake of a mixture of amino acids (alanine, glutamine, glycine), that varied between 1.6 and 6.3 μmol g(-1) dw root h(-1), could not be explained by soil data from the species' field distributions (pH, total carbon and nitrogen, potential net mineralisation of ammonium and nitrate). The ratio between organic and inorganic nitrogen (methylamine) uptake was <0.05 for the forbs, higher for the grasses with a maximum of 1.42 for Deschampsia flexuosa. The ratio was negatively correlated with measures related to soil acidity (Ellenberg's R-value, soil nitrate and total carbon) but not, as hypothesised, with the total amount of mineralised nitrogen. The total demand on nitrogen by all components of the ecosystem would probably have described the extent to which competition among and between plants and microbes induced nitrogen limitation. In a methodological study two grasses were exposed to pH 3.8, 4.5 and 6.0 and to 50, 100 and 250 μmol l(-1) of three amino acids. Uptake was also compared between intact plants and excised roots. The treatment response varied considerably between the species which stresses the importance of studying intact plants at field-relevant pH and concentrations.