Carbon Metabolism in Seagrasses: I. THE UTILIZATION OF EXOGENOUS INORGANIC CARBON SPECIES IN PHOTOSYNTHESIS

Four species of seagrasses, Halophila stipulacea, Thalassodendronciliatum, Halodule uninervis, and Syringodium isoetifolium,were investigated for their ability to utilize and CO₂ as exogenous carbon sources for photosynthesis. Ratesof photosynthesis were measured as rates of O₂ evolution ina closed system in which the pH was continuously controlled.A computer program was written to calculate the concentrationsof different carbon species as a function of pH and other specifiedexperimental conditions. Bicarbonate as well as CO₂ were readily assimilated by all fourseagrass species. Saturating concentrations of , at saturating light intensities, were 0.5–1.8 mM dependingon the species. Rates of photosynthesis under such conditionswere 0.1–0.55 µmol O₂ min^–1 mg^–1 chlorophyll.At saturating CO₂ concentrations, i.e. 0.5–1.3 mM, ratesof photosynthesis were 0.22–1.4 µmol CO₂ min^–1mg^–1 chlorophyll. Photosynthetic rates in each specieswere considerably higher when CO₂ rather than was supplied at saturating concentrations. The concentration of in natural seawater was found to be saturating, and that of CO₂ insufficient forconsiderable photosynthetic rates in these plants under thegiven conditions It was thus concluded that is the major carbon source for photosynthesis in seagrasses.     

Carbon Metabolism in Seagrasses: II. PATTERNS OF PHOTOS YNTHETIC CO2 INCORPORATION

Patterns of initial photosynthetic CO₂ incorporation were determinedfor some seagrasses and were related to activities of primarycarbon fixing enzymes, carbonic anhydrase activities, and ¹³Cvalues. According to the incorporation patterns, Cymodocea nodosa wasa C4 species while Thalassia hemprichli and Thalassodendronciliatum were C₃ plants. Halophila stipulacea showed an unusualincorporation pattern which could be viewed as intermediatebetween typical C₃ and C₄ pathways. The activity ratios of ribulose-l,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RUBPcase) to phosphoenolpyruvatecarboxylase (PEPcase) were about 3 for Thalassodendron ciliatumand 1 for Cymodocea nodosa and Halophila stipulacea. The lattervalue, which is intermediate to ratios found in terrestrialC₃ and C₄ plants, may correlate with the incorporation patternsfound for Halophila stipulacea. Since the C₄ seagrass lackedthe Kranz anatomy, it may, in addition, point to a flexibleincorporation potential for these plants. The high ¹³C values found in these and other seagrasses didnot correlate with their photosynthetic pathways as in terrestrialplants. This discrepancy is probably due to a ‘closedsystem’ type of photosynthesis in which CO₂ is efficientlyutilized. The C₃ species which utilize CO₂ enzymatically must convertexogenous HCO-₃ to CO₂ internally. Even though carbonic anhydraseactivities were very low, conversion rates seemed to be sufficientfor high rates of photosynthesis. Since enzymatic fixation ratesapproached photosynthetic rates even at CO₂ saturation, thelimitation for these seagrasses to express their high photosyntheticpotential is most probably the HCO^–₃ uptake system.     

PHENOL METABOLISM IN RELATION TO DISEASE RESISTANCE OF POTATO TUBER: I. ACTIVITIES OF PHENOL OXIDASE AND SOME ENZYMES RELATED TO GLYCOLYSIS AS AFFECTED BY CHLOROGENIC ACID TREATMENT

Disks of potato tubers, 0.5 mm in thickness, were treated witha mixture of chlorogenic and ascorbic acids. When they werenot washed with water after the treatment, they became brown.Activities of phenol oxidase and glutathione reductase and o-diphenolcontent increased more rapidly in these disks than in untreatedcontrol. Activity of the pentose phosphate pathway was increasedby the treatment, while that of EMDEN-MEYERHOF-PARNAS pathwaywas greatly inhibited. In washed unbrowned disks, the changesin those activities were negligible or smaller than those inthe browned disks, although chlorogenic acid which had permeatedremained in the tissue after washing. Oxidized products of chlorogenicacid and possibly of ascorbic acid may be a trigger in thisalteration in metabolism. Malonate and streptomycin also induced similar effects on thephenol metabolism in the tuber disks. Increases in o-diphenolcontents and in phenol oxidase activity were caused probablyby preferential inhibition of EMDEN-MEYERHOF-PARNAS pathwayand tricarboxylic acid cycle. These results are discussed inrelation to the mechanism of disease resistance of potato tuber. (Received May 6, 1966; )     

CHANGED ACTIVITIES OF BRAIN ENZYMES INVOLVED IN NEUROTRANSMITTER METABOLISM IN RATS EXPOSED TO DIFFERENT QUALITIES OF IONIZING RADIATION

—The effect of different qualities of ionizing radiation on the activity of brain enzymes involved in the metabolism of neurotransmitters in specific regions of the brain of rats was investigated. Groups of Sprague-Dawley adult male rats were exposed to approx. 18,000 rads of radiation either rich in neutrons or rich in gamma rays. It was found that, when the animals were exposed to radiation rich in neutrons, monoamine oxidase (MAO) activity was markedly decreased in all brain areas studied. In contrast, a very marked increase in the activity of this enzyme was observed when the animals received the same dose of radiation rich in gamma rays. Relatively minor changes were observed in the activity of choline acetyl transferase (ChAc). Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity did not change appreciably.     

花生种子劣变过程中一些酶活性的变化

应用20%聚乙二醇处理花生种子8小时,种子活力提高。表现在过氧化氢酶活性较高,过氧化物含量较低,外渗液电导率下降。萌发3天幼苗的超氧物歧化酶和过氧化氢酶活性均高于对照。萌发3天种子的活力指数和21天幼苗生长量均有明显提高。由萌发3天种子子叶分离出线粒体,在悬浮液中的酸性磷酸酯酶活性和 DNA 酶活性均明显降低。     

EFFECT OF QUANTITY CONSUMED ON MEASURES OF LIKING FOR SALT CONCENTRATIONS IN SOUP

Two studies are reported on the effect ofingestion on the relative-to-ideal ratings of salt in soup. In the first study there was a reduction in the measure of ideal concentration from pre- to post-ingestion, with subjects consuming the soups ad libitum. However, a measure of ideal concentration derived from several small samples presented in each session agreed well with the final post-ingestion ideal. A measure of most preferred concentration of salt based on total soup consumption was unrelated to the other measures. In the second experiment, the post-ingestion decrease in most preferred salt concentration was replicated when subjects consumed a fixed quantity of soup. The post-ingestion ideal was similar to that derived from rating either several small samples in one session or one single small sample per session.     

Cytokinin Metabolism in Phaseolus vulgaris L.: I: VARIATIONS IN CYTOKININ LEVELS IN LEAVES OF DECAPITATED PLANTS IN RELATION TO LATERAL BUD OUTGROWTH

A stable isotope dilution method employing a deuterium-labelledinternal standard and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometryhas been used to quantify the accumulation of di-hydrozeatin-O-ß-D-glucosidein the primary leaves of decapitated, disbudded bean plants.This cytokinin accumulated at a rate of 11 ng g^–1 fr.wt. d^–1 (eq. to an increase of 50 ng d^–1 per leaf),reaching a maximum of c. 500 ng g^–1 after 40 d from decapitation.This accumulation appeared to parallel the gradual increasein leaf fresh weight, and did not occur in detached leaves,in leaves of intact plants, or in leaves of plants that weredecapitated but not disbudded. When secondary lateral buds wereallowed to grow out from decapitated and initially disbuddedplants, the levels of dihydrozeatin-O-ß-D-glucosidein the primary leaves rapidly declined to a value similar toor lower than that found in leaves of intact plants. A similardecline in dihydrozeatin-O-ß-D-glucoside levels wasseen over 5 d in detached leaves of plants which had been decapitatedand disbudded for 15 d; this effect was reduced but not preventedwhen the leaves were supplied with inorganic nutrients. Theseresults are discussed in relation to the metabolism and distributionof cytokinins in the whole plant.     

A Biochemical and Cytochemical Study of Peroxidase Activity in Roots of Pisum sativum: II. DISTRIBUTION OF ENZYMES IN RELATION TO ROOT DEVELOPMENT

Changes in the specific activity and multiple forms of peroxidasealong the differentiating root of Pisum sativum have been examined.The specific activity of the total homogenate increased steadilyalong the root, although that of the low speed supernatant fractionshowed a fall in the first 20 mm. This finding supports previouscytochemical studies which showed low activity in the meristemand increased cell wall activity in the older regions. Acidphosphatase also increased gradually along the root, althoughphenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) showed a peak in the 20–40mm region which corresponded with the first positive stainingfor lignin. When stelar and cortical tissues were compared,peroxidase specific activity was highest in a cortical supernatantfraction while PAL was highest in the stelar tissues. The separationof peroxidase by gel electrophoresis showed the presence ofa number of bands'which varied both along the root and betweenstele and cortex. The results are discussed in relation to thepossible functions of peroxidase and, in particular, to itsproposed role in lignification.     

尾核内注入GABA、Picrotoxin对大脑皮层电活动的影响及其与食物性运动条件反射的关系

前文曾报道了于尾核头部注入 GABA 3mg,GABA 转氨酶的抑制剂 AOAA(7—10μg)和 GABA 的拮抗剂 picrotoxin(0.3—0.5μg)均可暂时抑制兔的食物性条件反射,本文继而观察了在这些药物的作用过程中脑电的变化。结果表明,这些药物抑制条件反射活动的效果虽然相同,但它们对皮层电活动的影响不一样:在 GABA 和 AOAA 的作用下,脑电主要呈现同步化的高幅慢波;而在 picrotoxin 的作用下,脑电图则仍呈现去同步化的快波。若以未经条件反射训练的兔皮层视区光诱发的平均慢负电位为指标,于尾核头部注射 GABA 使诱发的慢负电位于5—10min 内受到抑制,持续1小时左右,但注射 picrotoxin 后30min,诱发的慢负电位才受到抑制,也只需要1小时恢复正常。