Gas Vacuoles and Flotation in the Testate Amoeba Arcella discoides

The natural formation of gas vacuoles as a method of movement is described for the testate amoeba Arcella discoides. These vacuoles are used to float the organism from the substrate to the surface in an inverted position.     

The Fine Structure of Colpoda maupasi with Special Emphasis on Food Vacuoles*

SYNOPSIS. An electron microscope study of Colpoda maupasi Enriques, isolated from the intestine of the blue-tongued skink Tiliqua nigrolutea, showed that the fine structure of this ciliate is similar in all respects to that of free-living ciliates. The correspondence applies particularly to the structure, distribution and number of mitochondria. This organelle has a rich intramitochondrial structure in the form of microvilli; it is found close to the periphery, near the nuclear apparatus and in other parts of the cytoplasm. It was concluded that the association between Colpoda maupasi and Tiliqua nigrolutea was probably accidental and limited to the cyst stage. Thus electron microscopy confirmed a conclusion arrived at by light microscopy. The presence of numerous food vacuoles made it possible to study stages of digestion within this organelle. Four major types of food vacuole were distinguished. Type 1 food vacuoles are characterized by their large size, the presence of intact bacteria and abundance of water. In type 2 the food vacuole is deprived of water, the bacteria are pressed together and the nuclei have lost their structure. Type 3 food vacuoles contain only bacterial ghosts, cytoplasmic and nuclear material having been digested. Food vacuoles of this type are found only occasionally, suggesting their short duration. It is of interest that during this transient stage the bulk of digestion takes place. In type 4 nothing reminiscent of bacteria is found; there are only myelin figures and vesicles of different sizes. Evaginations and invagnations of the vacuolar membrane and vesicles of different size and structure inside and outside the food vacuoles of types 1, 3 and 4 suggest that extensive communication exists between the cytoplasm and the food vacuole. It seems likely that enzymes are delivered to the food vacuole and digested materials are released from the food vacuole to the cytoplasm.     

An Electron Microscope Study of Food Vacuoles in Paramecium aurelia

The foed vacuoles of Paramecium aurelia , when examined in the electron microscope, are seen to be surrounded by small secondary vacuoles 0.05 - 0.2 μ. in diameter. Similar small vacuoles also surround the deepest part of the buccal cavity. Young focd vacuoles, i.e. those containing well preserved bacteria, are encircled by a smooth. vacuolar membrane. In older food vacuoles the vacuolar membrane in a transverse section often appears more wavy with small gulfs and protuberances. It is suggested that the small surrounding vacuoles are formed by the vacuolar membrane of older vacuoles by means of a process similar to pinocytosis. There is no evidence, however, that formation of small surrounding vacuoles takes place by pinocytosis in young food vacuoles. Examination of the cytoplasmic membrane of the deepest parts of the buccal cavity shows a similar prccess of vacuole formation by pinocytosis.     

Interactions Between Light and Gas Vacuoles in Halobacterium salinarium Strain 5: Effect of Ultraviolet Light

The potential light shielding by intracellular gas vacuoles in Halobacterium salinarium strain 5 was examined by looking at the ultraviolet light inactivation curves of both wild-type cells and mutants which are defective in the production of gas vacuoles. Whereas strains defective in gas vacuole production were slightly more sensitive to ultraviolet inactivation, no significant differences in ultraviolet sensitivity were seen, indicating that these subcellular inclusion bodies are not effective as light-shielding organelles. In addition, it was shown that ultraviolet light acts as a plasmid-curing agent in Halobacterium.     

鱼腥藻7120三类液泡三种内含物的比较分析

分别从培养4d,24d和KCl诱导的材料分离液泡,对这3种液泡进行了蛋白质、还原糖和藻青蛋白测定,结果表明,3种物质含量呈现规律性变化。培养4d的材料液泡中各物质含量低,培养24d的材料液泡中物质含量升高,KCl诱导的液泡中含量下降,液泡中各种物质的相对含量在3种液泡中依次升高。这一结果说明,培养4d,液泡处于初期阶段,培养24d,液泡处于充分发育阶段,KCl诱导液泡为衰老阶段。随着细胞发育,液泡的生理作用提高。     

烟草叶片液泡内氨基酸成份研究

液泡是植物细胞中特有的大型细胞器,具有重要的生理功能。本文报导了用双酶直接酶解法从烟草叶肉细胞中分离原生质体和完整液泡。在最适保存条件下,原生质体和液泡分别在３６和１２小时后,尚有一半保持活力。液泡内含有大量游离氨基酸,液泡膜ＡＴＰａｓｅ的最适ｐＨ为７．０,受Ｃｌ－激活,受ＮＯ３－抑制。     

Comparative Study on Redox State of Ascorbic Acid and Ascorbate Oxidase Activity in Vacuoles and Leucoplasts of Red Beet Taproots during Physiological Dormancy

Russian Journal of Plant Physiology - Vacuoles and leucoplasts were isolated from red beet (Beta vulgaris L.) taproots and compared in terms of ascorbic acid concentration and ascorbate oxidase...     

Comparative Study on the Ability of Different Oleogelators to Structure Sunflower Oil

Food Biophysics - In this research, the capability of different oleogelators (beeswax, rice bran wax and sunflower wax, stearic acid, octadecanol, γ-oryzanol+β-sitosterol mixture and...     

Observations on Stellate Vacuoles in the Meristem of Anthoceros

Various manifestations of tentacular growth of stellate vacuoleprimordia have been studied in the epidermis and subepidermisof Anthoceros meristems of various ages by means of a differentialstaining produced by an unforeseen reaction between potassiumpermanganate and an unknown solute (possibly soluble carbohydrate)within young vacuole primordia to form a densely opaque precipitate.No cotinuity is present between any part of young vacuoles andother cell components near them, notably the endoplasmic reticulum,at any of the stages studied, but two misleading conditionsare described and illustrated which might have been so interpretedif encountered in isolation. It is suggested that active growthof the tonoplast membrane is a necessary hypothesis in any causalexplanation of the observed phenomena which is likely to beput forward.     

不同盐度下互花米草根结构的比较研究

以不同盐度下生长的互花米草(Spartina alterniflora)为材料,采用常规石蜡切片法对其根的横切结构进行显微观察,比较不同盐度下互花米草根结构的特点及变化规律,研究互花米草根对盐浸环境的适应性。观察结果显示:(1)互花米草根只有初生结构;(2)成熟根的表皮细胞基本毁坏、脱落;(3)互花米草根具有发达的外皮层和皮层通气组织,内皮层细胞壁五面加厚明显,且随盐度的升高呈先增大后减小的趋势;(4)维管柱中央被机械组织所填充,中柱鞘细胞壁也出现加厚现象。互花米草根的结构体现了其对盐浸环境的适应性特征。     

A Comparative Laboratory Study of Liquid Nitrogen and Argon Gas Cryosurgery Systems

Cryotherapy can now be applied using a variety of delivery systems and cryogens. We compared the Cryotech LCS 3000 liquid nitrogen system (Spembly, Andover, UK) with the CRYOcare argon gas-based system (Irvine, CA, U.S.A.) using three different 3-mm cryoprobes: anoldliquid nitrogen probe (N-probe), anewN-probe featuring gas bypass and an argon gas probe. Each probe was tested in two models: (i) fresh sheep liver at 20°C—the probe was inserted to a depth of 1.5 cm; the rate of ice ball formation was monitored by recording radial temperatures every 15 s at 5, 10, 15, and 20 mm from the cryoprobe, and the ice-ball diameter was measured every 2.5 min. After 10 min, the probe was warmed and the time taken until it could be extracted from the liver was recorded. (ii) Warm water bath—the probe was immersed in warm water (42°C) for 15 min and the ice-ball diameter was measured at 5-min intervals. Radial temperatures in liver declined more rapidly (P< 0.001) and time to probe extraction was less (P< 0.01) when the argon gas system was used. ThenewN-probe performed better than its older counterpart, but was still slower than the argon gas system. In liver (20°C), ice-ball diameters were similar after 10 min, but in warm water, they were larger when thenewN-probe was used (P< 0.02). It would appear that the argon gas system is initially faster, but it does not achieve as large an ice ball in a warm environment as the liquid nitrogen system.     

Subunit Structure of Gas Vesicles: A MALDI-TOF Mass Spectrometry Study

Many aquatic microorganisms use gas vesicles to regulate their depth in the water column. The molecular basis for the novel physical properties of these floatation organelles remains mysterious due to the inapplicability of either solution or single crystal structural methods. In the present study, some folding constraints for the ~7-kDa GvpA building blocks of the vesicles are established via matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry studies of intact and proteolyzed vesicles from the cyanobacterium Anabaena flos-aquae and the archaea Halobacterium salinarum. The spectra of undigested vesicles show no evidence of posttranslational modification of the GvpA. The extent of carboxypeptidase digestion shows that the alanine rich C-terminal pentapeptide of GvpA is exposed to the surface in both organisms. The bonds that are cleaved by Trypsin and GluC are exclusively in the extended N-terminus of the Anabaena flos-aquae protein and in the extended C-terminus of the Halobacterium salinarum protein. All the potentially cleavable peptide bonds in the central, highly conserved portion of the protein appear to be shielded from protease attack in spite of the fact that some of the corresponding side chains are almost certainly exposed to the aqueous medium.     

蛤蚧与中国石龙子顶盖组织结构的比较

通过对蛤蚧与中国石龙子顶盖细胞形态及细胞在顶盖不同层次间的比较,研究两种不同习性动物视觉结构之间的差异.用尼氏(Nissl)染色法进行顶盖组织染色,辣根过氧化物酶(horseradish peroxidase,HRP)进行顶盖注射,测量和记录顶盖细胞的面积、形态及树突走向并作统计分析.结果显示两种动物顶盖层次间的投射方式及细胞在各层次的比较存在相似之处,而中国石龙子顶盖C层细胞面积显著大于蛤蚧,其S层细胞树突分枝比蛤蚧的要广泛,而且这两种动物不同大小和不同形态顶盖细胞所占比例在顶盖内部三层间也存在差别.这些结果表明夜行性蛤蚧和昼行性中国石龙子的视觉系统中,其顶盖结构存在差异.     

玉米根尖细胞中液泡发生过程的电镜观察

关于液泡的起源与发育目前存在多种看法,Mesquita(1969)认为是由粗糙型内质网膨大形成液泡前体,然后发育成液泡,Bowes(1965)则认为根的分生区细胞液泡来源于内质网,而非分生区细胞的液泡则来源于线粒体或质体的降解;Sitte(1961)认为液泡由部分细胞质溶解后形成液泡膜     

Acid Phosphatase in the Digestive Vacuoles and Lysosomes of Paramecium caudatum: A Timed Study1

Enzyme cytochemistry was used to determine when acid phosphatase (AcPase) becomes associated with the digestive vacuoles (DVs) of axenically grown Paramecium caudatum that were pulsed with latex beads for 2–3 min. When cells were incubated in the Gomori medium, AcPase was not observed in the discoidal vesicles, the acidosomes, and the newly released DVs up to 3 min old or in most DVs 3–6 min old. The number of AcPase-positive DVs increased to 56% when DVs were 12–18 min old. Similar results were obtained using the napthol AS-TR phosphate-hexaotized rosanilin method at the light microscopic level where hundreds of DVs were scored though the maximal level of positive DVs obtained by this method was lower. In addition to DVs of specific ages, AcPase was found in ER, in some Golgi vesicles, and small vesicles similar in diameter to Golgi vesicles which may represent primary lysosomes in this ciliate. Larger vesicles abundant near the DV-II were only partially filled with reaction product. These vesicles, which could be identified by their paracrystalline sheets and a prominent glycocalyx lining the luminal surface of their membranes, fit the definition for secondary lysosomes. These results, which indicate that lysosomes fuse with DVs only after they have attained a certain age, suggest the existence of specific recognition factors on the membranes of secondary lysosomes as well as DV-II.     

The Isolation of Vacuoles from Candida Utilis

Vacuoles containing S-adenosylmethionine have been isolated from the yeast, Candida utilis, by the osmotic lysis of its spheroplasts and differential centrifugation. Culture in the presence of L-methionine and harvest in the stationary phase contributed to the ease of isolation and stability of the vacuoles. The vacuoles showed retentiveness for the sulfonium compound and responded to the vital-staining reaction with Neutral Red. Ultraviolet micrography indicated the homogeneity of the vacuolar preparation.