Transient heat and mass transfer from a leaf undergoing stomatal closure in a low pressure environment

Stomatal control of water loss was studied in a low pressure environment by using detached leaves of Crassula argentea Thunb., Peperomia obtusifolia (L.) A. Dietr., and Setcreasea pallida Rose cv. `Purple Heart.' The transient behavior of temperature and rate of mass loss were determined. A model based on free molecule gas flow was developed and used to predict mass loss to within the same order of magnitude of experimentally obtained results. By utilizing this model, the transient behavior of stomatal aperture was determined. The “nonphysiological” experimental conditions do not inhibit the closing process; therefore, this new experimental technique is a valid method of studying stomatal closure.     

Further studies on the maize and rice leaf galls induced by Cicadulina bipunctella

In the Philippines, plant galls were induced by the feeding of Cicadulina bipunctella (Mats.). Every insect collected in nature, as well as all insects raised on healthy maize, were able to produce leaf galls. Approximately 10 days after exposure to the insects, galls appeared on the next developing young leaf, but not on the leaf that was exposed to the insects. No difference was observed between the effect of feeding by single insects and groups of 10 insects. C. bipunctella-induced galls were compared to similar galls induced by the feeding of C. zeae in Africa, C. pastusae in South America, C. bimaculata in Australia, Dalbulus elimatus in America and Euscelis plebejus in Europe. In addition to experimental findings, worldwide association of leaf galls with feeding of leafhoppers belonging to several related species, favours the view that the galls of maize and rice plants are caused by insect toxins, rather than by plant viruses.

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Zusammenfassung Auf den Philippinen wurden Pflanzengallen durch das Saugen von Cicadulina bipunctella (Mats.) hervorgerufen. Jede dieser im Freien gesammelten Zwergzikaden sowie alle an gesundem Mais gezüchteten Individuen waren fähig, Blattgallen zu erzeugen. Ungefähr 10 Tage nach dem Ansetzen der Zikaden erschienen die Gallen auf dem nächsten sich entwickelnden jungen Blatt, jedoch nicht auf dem Blatt, das den Zikaden ausgesetzt worden war. Es wurde kein Unterschied zwischen der Wirkung des Saugens von einzelnen und Gruppen von 10 Zikaden beobachtet. Die von C. bipunctella hervorgerufenen Gallen wurden mit ähnlichen Gallen verglichen, die durch das Saugen von C. zeae in Afrika, C. pastusae in Südamerika, C. bimaculata in Australien, Dalbulus elimatus in Amerika und Euscelis plebejus in Europa erzeugt werden. In Ergänzung zu den experimentellen Befunden begünstigt die weltweite Verknüpfung von Blattgallen mit dem Saugen von Zwergzikaden, die zu einigen verwandten Arten gehören, die Ansicht, daß die Gallen an Mais-und Reispflanzen eher von Insektentoxinen als von Pflanzenviren hervorgerufen werden.

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An abstract of this paper has been presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Branch, Entomological Society of America, New York City, Nov., 1960.     

Further studies on a glycolipid formed from dolichyl-D-glucosyl monophosphate

Incubation of liver microsomes with dolichyl-d-glucosyl-¹⁴C monophosphate led to the labelling of an endogenous acceptor. This compound seems to be also a dolichol derivative. It contains a high-molecular weight oligosaccharide bound to dolichol through a phosphate or pyrophosphate bond. Various treatments of the labelled oligosaccharide afforded further information on its structure: Reduction with sodium borohydride, followed by acid hydrolysis gave only radioactive d-glucose indicating that the labelled d-glucose is not incorporated at the reducing end of the oligosaccharide. The percentage of radioactivity, liberated as formic acid after periodate oxidation, indicates that more than one molecule of d-glucose is incorporated and that at least one of them is inside the oligosaccharide chain. Alkaline treatment of the otherwise neutral oligosaccharide gave two positively charged derivatives which could be neutralized by N-acetylation, indicating the presence of two hexosamine residues. The oligosaccharides isolated from different tissues by the same method as that used for rat liver, were similar as judged by their migration in paper chromatography and by the pattern of products liberated by acetolysis.     

Further comparative studies of pectin esterase in relation to leaf and flower abscission

The possible role of pectin esterase in abscission of bean and coleus leaves was re-examined using improved methods for its extraction. Its possible role in abscission of flowers of tobacco and leaves of soybean. cotton, mulberry, magnolia, and euonymus was also examined. In seven of the eight species, no detectable changes in abscission zone pectin esterase activities immediately preceded abscission. Therefore, pectin esterase probably plays no causal role in abscission in these species.     

Further studies on a spiroplasma isolated from coconut palms in Jamaica

The pathogenicity of a spiroplasma isolated from coconut palms was tested by (1) transmission experiments to palms and other plants susceptible to infection by mycoplasmas, using the suspected vector of lethal yellowing, Myndus crudus, and vectors of the agents of other yellows diseases and (2) enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) to detect spiroplasma antigens in diseased palm tissues. Results of both these tests were negative and, as earlier attempts to repeat the isolations from lethal yellowing diseased palms had also been unsucessful, it was concluded that this organism was not the causal agent of lethal yellowing disease. Further analysis by serological tests and by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of spiroplasma proteins confirmed that the coconut isolates were related to members of the Spiroplasma citri serogroup but were distinct from other strains tested.     

Further studies on the activation of glucocerebrosidase by a heat-stable factor from Gaucher spleen

Using Sephadex G-75 and DEAE-cellulose column chromatography, an 8270-Da glycopeptide (designated Fragment II) has been isolated from a cyanogen bromide-formic acid digest of a heat-stable factor from Gaucher spleen which activates a lipid-depleted preparation of lysosomal glucocerebrosidase from human liver. Fragment II contains all of the activity present in the native heat-stable factor. Compared with the parent factor, Fragment II contains four fewer cysteine and methionine residues and one less of each of the following: aspartic acid, threonine, serine, valine, isoleucine, and leucine. Nearly all of the monosaccharides present in the parent heat-stable factor can be accounted for in Fragment II, including three glucosamine, three mannose, one sialic acid, and one fucose. By itself, Fragment II has little or no stimulatory activity; its major effect is to markedly increase the sensitivity of glucocerebrosidase to activation by phosphatidylserine. A mixture of 1 microgram phosphatidylserine and 2 micrograms of the cyanogen bromide fragment activates the lipid-depleted preparation of glucocerebrosidase 50% more than 30 micrograms phosphatidylserine alone. Analysis of the Km and Vmax of glucocerebrosidase at various hydrogen ion concentrations revealed that the heat-stable factor and phosphatidylserine together dramatically increase the catalytic efficiency (Vmax/Km) of glucocerebrosidase while making apparent three ionizable groups that participate in the catalysis. Phosphatidylserine alone recruits two ionizable groups, but catalytic efficiency is lower than when heat-stable factor is also present. Heat-stable factor alone has no discernable effect on the ionization of functional groups on the enzyme or on catalytic efficiency. By sucrose density gradient ultracentrifugation, it was shown that preincubation of rat liver glucocerebrosidase with phosphatidylserine and heat-stable factor shifted the enzyme completely from a 56,600-Da form to a 188,100-Da form. The activity of the slower sedimenting form of glucocerebrosidase was totally dependent upon exogenous bile salt activator, whereas the faster sedimenting form exhibited the same activity in the presence or absence of sodium taurocholate. It appears that the heat-stable factor promotes the transfer of phosphatidylserine to glucocerebrosidase, which, in turn, results in an increase in both the catalytic efficiency and size of the enzyme.     

Organ shape and size: a lesson from studies of leaf morphogenesis

Control of the shape and size of indeterminate organs, such as roots and stems, is directly related to the control of the shape and size of the cells in these organs, as predicted by orthodox cell theory. For example, the polarity-dependent growth of leaf cells directly affects the polar expansion of leaves. Thus, the control of leaf shape is related to the control of the shape of cells within the leaf, as suggested by cell theory. By contrast, in determinate organs, such as leaves, the number of cells does not necessarily reflect organ shape or size. Genetic evidence shows that a compensatory system(s) is involved in leaf morphogenesis, and that an increase in cell volume can be triggered by a decrease in cell number and vice versa. Studies of chimeric leaves also suggest interaction between leaf cells that coordinates the behaviour of these cells at the organ level. Moreover, leaf size also appears to be coordinated at the whole-plant level. The recently hypothesised neo cell theory describes how leaf shape- and size-control mechanisms control leaf shape at the organ-level via cell-cell interaction.     

Further studies on the smooth-surfaced membranes isolated from rat brain

The light and heavy smooth-surfaced membranes (LSM and HSM), which had densities corresponding to 1.08 M and 1.28 M sucrose, respectively, were isolated from rat brain and some of their biochemical properties were investigated. Both LSM and HSM showed high Na+,K+-ATPase activity and, in particular, in HSM the activity was four times (21.55 mumol/mg protein/h) higher than that of the brain homogenate. High 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase activity (293.4 mumol/mg protein/h) was characteristic of LSM. 5'-Nucleotidase and acetylcholinesterase activities were also higher in LSM than in HSM. SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis showed that LSM and HSM had many protein component and that low molecular weight proteins such as proteolipid protein and basic protein were almost absent, in contrast with myelin and myelin-like membrane. GM1 ganglioside constituted the major class of total ganglioside in both LSM and HSM. These biochemical findings suggested that LSM is a membrane that has not previously been described, or a membrane fraction related to the oligodendroglial plasma membrane.     

A mathematical model of the dynamic heat transfer from the respiratory tract of a chicken

A mathematical model of the dynamic (periodic) heat exchange from the respiratory tract of a chicken is postulated and solved analytically. The model expresses the periodic respiratory heat loss as a function of respiration rate, respiratory air velocity, ambient temperature and humidity ratio, and body (trachea) temperature. It is unique in that previous models have been formulated for steady state heat transfer. The processes of sensible and latent heat exchange are considered as uncoupled processes.     

Further evidence of a cybridization requirement for plant regeneration from citrus leaf protoplasts following somatic fusion

Summary Somatic hybridization experiments in Citrus that involve the fusion of protoplasts of one parent isolated from either nucellus-derived embryogenic callus or suspension cultures with leaf-derived protoplasts of a second parent, often result in the regeneration of diploid plants that phenotypically resemble the leaf parent. In this study, plants of this type regenerated following somatic fusions of the following three parental combinations were analyzed to determine their genetic origin (nuclear and organelle): (embryogenic parent listed first, leaf parent second) (1) calamondin (C. microcarpa Bunge) + Keen sour orange (C. aurantium L.), (2) Cleopatra mandarin (C. reticulata Blanco) + sour orange, and (3) Valencia sweet orange (C. sinensis (L.) Osbeck) + Femminello lemon (C. limon (L.) Burm. f.). Isozyme analyses of PGI, PGM, GOT, and IDH zymograms of putative cybrid plants, along with RFLP analyses using a nuclear genome-specific probe showed that these plants contained the nucleus of the leaf parent. RFLP analyses using mtDNA-specific probes showed that these plants contained the mitochondrial genome of the embryogenic callus donor, thereby confirming cybridization. RFLP analyses using cpDNA-specific probes revealed that the cybrid plants contained the chloroplast genome of either one or the other parent. These results support previous reports indicating that acquisition of the mitochondria of embryogenic protoplasts by leaf protoplasts is a prerequisite for recovering plants with the leaf parent phenotype via somatic embryogenesis following somatic fusion.Abbreviations cp chloroplast - GOT glutamateoxaloacetate transaminase - IDH isocitrate dehydrogenase - mt mitochondria - PEG polyethylene glycol - PGI phosphoglucose isomerase - PGM phosphoglucomutase - RFLP restriction fragment length polymorphism Florida Agricultural Experiment Station Journal Series No. R-04631.     

Further studies on a chemoattractant derived from Aleurites Fordii Hemsl. seed

1. Activities stimulatory to PMN superoxide generation and chemotactic function were present in two separate gel chromatographic fractions of AFH-S and were designated AFH-S1 (500 kD) and AFH-S2 (38 kD). 2. Characterization studies of these activities revealed physiologic and pharmacologic characteristics dissimilar to those of other previously studied chemoattractants such as bacterial peptide FMLP.