DIURNAL ACID METABOLISM IN ISOETES HOWELLII FROM A TEMPORARY POOL AND A PERMANENT LAKE

Water chemistry and titratable acidity and malic acid levels in Isoetes howellii leaves were sampled every 6 hr from plants in a seasonal pool and an oligotrophic lake. Plants in the seasonal pool showed a diurnal fluctuation of ~ 300 μequivalents titratable acidity g⁻¹ fresh wt; daytime deacidification was 75% complete by noon and nighttime acidification was 45% complete by midnight. Late in the season after the pool had dried, emergent leaves showed only a very weak tendency to accumulate acid at night. Plants from the oligotrophic lake had a diurnal change of ~100 μeq g⁻¹ fresh wt, daytime deacidification was only 45% complete by noon but nighttime acidification was 80% complete by midnight. Water characteristics were distinctly different between these two systems. In the seasonal pool there were marked diurnal changes in temperature, pH, oxygen and carbon dioxide. Free-CO₂ levels were an order of magnitude greater in the early morning than in the late afternoon. In contrast, the conditions in the oligotrophic lake showed no marked diurnal fluctuation, though total inorganic carbon levels were extremely low relative to other aquatic systems.     

不同碱度条件下中华水韭昼夜CO_2气体交换的特征

运用pH-drift的方法研究了在不同碱度条件下中华水韭(Isoetes sinensis)的沉水叶片昼夜CO_2吸收的特征.结果表明中华水非的沉水叶片具有昼夜吸收水中CO_2的能力,而不具备利用水中的HCCO3的能力,进一步证明了水生植物中华水韭的光合碳同化途径具有景天酸代谢(CAM)的特征.中华水韭沉水叶片光照条件下对水中CO_2的吸收速率在一定的浓度范围内正相关于水中的CO_2浓度.光照条件下,中华水韭的pH-drift实验的pH补偿点分别为(8.1±0.3)和(7.9±0.1)mmol·L~(-1),最终[C_T]/Alk值为(1.009±0.01)和(1.022±0. 004).碱度对中华水韭夜晚CO_2的吸收速率有显著的影响(F=38.73,P<0.0001).总碱度1.70mmol·L~(-1)溶液中的中华水韭沉水叶片在相对较低的CO_2浓度(0.04±0.001mmol·L~(-1))水平下即表现出对CO_2的净吸收.调查了野外一处中华水韭沉水种群的生境pH值及CO_2浓度的昼夜变化,发现水体碱度约为1.59mmol·L~(-1),一昼夜的pH值波动不大,平均为(6.1±0.04),昼夜CO_2浓度存在波动,午夜水中的CO_2浓度是午后的近3倍.     

不同碱度条件下中华水韭昼夜CO2气体交换的特征

 运用pH-drift的方法研究了在不同碱度条件下中华水韭(Isoetes sinensis)的沉水叶片昼夜CO₂吸收的特征。结果表明中华水韭的沉水叶片具有昼夜吸收水中CO₂的能力, 而不具备利用水中的HCO ₃^–的能力, 进一步证明了水生植物中华水韭的光合碳同化途径具有景天酸代谢(CAM)的特征。中华水韭沉水叶片光照条件下对水中CO₂的吸收速率在一定的浓度范围内正相关于水中的CO₂浓度。光照条件下, 中华水韭的pH-drift实验的pH补偿点分别为(8.1±0.3)和(7.9±0.1) mmol·L^–1, 最终[CT]/Alk值为(1.009±0.01)和(1.022±0.004)。碱度对中华水韭夜晚CO2的吸收速率有显著的影响(F = 38.73, p < 0.000 1)。总碱度1.70 mmol·L^–1溶液中的中华水韭沉水叶片在相对较低的CO₂浓度(0.04±0.001 mmol·L^–1)水平下即表现出对CO₂的净吸收。调查了野外一处中华水韭沉水种群的生境pH值及CO₂浓度的昼夜变化, 发现水体碱度约为1.59 mmol·L^–1, 一昼夜的pH值波动不大, 平均为(6.1±0.04), 昼夜CO₂浓度存在波动, 午夜水中的CO₂浓度是午后的近3倍。     

DISTRIBUTION OF TARTARIC ACID IN THE GERANIACEAE

Stafford , Helen A. (Reed Coll., Portland, Oregon.) Distribution of tartaric acid in the Geraniaceae. Amer. Jour. Bot. 48(8): 699–701. 1961.—The leaves of 52 species in the family Geraniaceae have been analyzed quantitatively for (+) — tartaric acid. All 11 species studied in the genus Geranium and 9 in Erodium are low or non-accumulators (less than 0.1 μmole tartaric acid per mg dry wt of tissue). In the genus Pelargonium, 9 species are low or non-accumulators, while 23 are high accumulators (greater than 0.1 μmole tartaric acid per mg dry wt of tissue). There is no sharp line separating accumulators from non-accumulators, but rather a continuous gradation in the amount of tartaric acid accumulated, ranging from amounts loo low to be detected up to 1 μmole of tartaric acid per mg dry wt of tissue. The degree of accumulation in leaves cannot yet be correlated with any morphological or physiological differences, nor is it always consistent with the taxonomic sections of Knuth or the groups of Moore.     

METABOLISM OF THE ASPARTYL MOIETY OF N-ACETYL-l-ASPARTIC ACID IN THE RAT BRAIN

The metabolism of N-acetyl-l -aspartic acid (NAA) was studied in rat brain. [Aspartyl-U-¹⁴C]NAA was metabolized predominantly by deacylation. Studies of NAA biosynthesis from l -[U-¹⁴C]aspartic acid have confirmed previous reports that NAA turns over slowly in rat brain. However, intracerebrally-injected N-acetyl-l -[U-¹⁴C]asparticacid was rapidly metabolized. Exogenous NAA appears to be taken up rapidly into a small, metabolically-active pool. This pool serves as substrate for a tricarboxylic acid cycle associated with the production of glutamate for the biosynthesis of glutamine. The bulk of the NAA content in brain appears to be relatively inactive metabolically.     

CRASSULACEAN ACID METABOLISM IN THE GESNERIACEAE

The occurrence of the Crassulacean acid metabolism (CAM) was studied in four epiphytic species of the Gesneriaceae: two neotropical species, Codonanthe crassifolia and Columnea linearis, and two paleotropical species, Aeschynanthus pulcher and Saintpaulia ionantha. Gas exchange parameters, enzymology, and leaf anatomy, including mesophyll succulence and relative percent of the mesophyll volume occupied by airspace, were studied for each species. Codonanthe crassifolia was the only species to show nocturnal CO₂ uptake and a diurnal organic acid fluctuation. According to these results, Codonanthe crassifolia shows CAM-cycling under well-watered conditions and when subjected to drought, it switches to CAM-idling. Other characteristics, such as leaf anatomy, mesophyll succulence, and PEP carboxylase and NADP malic enzyme activity, indicate attributes of the CAM pathway. All other species tested showed C₃ photosynthesis. The most C₃-like species is Columnea linearis, according to the criteria tested in this investigation. The other two species show mesophyll succulence and relative percent of the leaf volume occupied by airspace within the CAM range, but no other characters of the CAM pathway. The leaf structure of certain genera of the Gesneriaceae and of the genus Peperomia in the Piperaceae are similar, both having an upper succulent, multiple epidermis, a medium palisade of one or a few cell layers, and a lower, succulent spongy parenchyma not too unlike CAM photosynthetic tissue. We report ecophysiological similarities between these two distantly related families. Thus, the occurrence of CAM-cycling may be more common among epiphytic species than is currently known.     

中国麻黄属的地理分布与演化

中国现有麻黄属植物１５种,２变种和１变型,这些种属于膜果麻黄组和麻黄组中的麻黄亚组,没有原始类型藤麻黄亚组的代表。我国除长江中下游及珠江流域的省区处,其他省区都有分布。麻黄花粉的化石－麻分在地层中的分布说明,麻黄在过去曾遍布我国各地,发现的最早时期是在侏罗纪,到白垩纪－早第三纪时,种类较现在丰富,将近５０种,根据麻黄粉在世界各地地层中的分布和时期,结合大陆飘移和海底扩张板块构造学说推断,原麻黄在各     

中国腐霉属的生态和分布

腐霉属PytMum真菌全世界已报道约100种。本文记载我国的腐霉45种,以及它们的生态及地理分布。腐霉喜栖息于富含有机质的潮湿土壤里,以菜园土中为最多,其次是大田土、水畔土和陵园土,干旱的沙质土、森林土和含盐碱的沼泽土一般均较少,最贫乏的是草丘土,如草原、牧场、山坡、荒丘及道旁等土壤。在我国的土壤中,以绚丽腐霉P．Pulchrum和瓜果腐霉P. aphanidermatum最为常见,其次是刺腐霉Spinosum、中国腐霉P．Sinense和卡地腐霉P. carolinianum,而顶生腐霉P．Acrogenum、色孢腐霉P．Coloratum、壁台腐霉P connatura等10个种却较罕见,仅出现过一次。腐霉在土壤中的垂直分布以5—10㈨深处为最多。腐霉在土壤中的活动有着明显的季节性变化：春季最多,秋季次之,夏季最少。在我国的30个省市自治区中,北京发现的腐霉最多,已报道22种;河北、广东、云南省次之,各有13种;台湾省已记录12个种;山西省、甘肃省和新疆维吾尔自治区均仅发现一个种;而青海省、宁夏回族自治区和西藏自治区迄今尚未见有腐霉报道。     

COMPARTMENTATION OF AMINO ACID METABOLISM IN THE RAT POSTERIOR PITUITARY

—Isolated rat posterior pituitary glands were incubated with [¹⁴C]glucose or [¹⁴C]acetate and the incorporation of radioactivity into several amino acids was followed. The results indicated that radioactivity was incorporated from [¹⁴C]glucose into a large pool of glutamate which appeared to be responsible for a large proportion of GABA synthesis in the gland. The specific activity of glutamine was always less than that of glutamate when [¹⁴C]glucose was the precursor employed, whereas [¹⁴C]acetate labelled a glutamate pool which had approximately the same specific activity as that of glutamine. The results are discussed with reference to the compartmentation of amino acid metabolism in the nervous system.     

THE DISTRIBUTION OF HETEROCHROMATIN IN THE GENUS NICOTIANA (SOLANACEAE)

A survey of the species of the genus Nicotiana was carried out to determine the distribution and the cytological characteristics of heterochromatin in this genus. All examined species of the genus possess knob-type heterochromatin, which is defined as spherical, densely staining regions of the pachytene chromosomes. These knobs are most frequently located near the centromere, the nucleolar organizer, and the ends of the chromosomes. Block-type heterochromatin, defined as any longer-than-broad heterochromatic segment seen at pachytene, was found in three species of the section Paniculatae, three species of the section Tomentosae, and two species of the section Noctiflorae. Three categories of the block-type heterochromatin, corresponding to the three subgenera, were found to differ with respect to overall size, staining properties, and location of the blocks. The distribution of these three types of block heterochromatin is discussed in the light of the latest taxonomic treatments of the genus.     

DISTRIBUTION OF TARTARIC ACID IN THE LEAVES OF CERTAIN ANGIOSPERMS

Stafford , Helen A. (Reed Coll., Portland, Oregon.) Distribution of tartaric acid in the leaves of certain angiosperms. Amer. Jour. Bot. 46(5): 347–352. 1959.—An optically active isomer of tartaric acid has been definitely identified and quantitatively analyzed in the leaves of 9 species of angiosperms, and trace amounts have been tentatively identified in about 22 others out of 49 species examined. In species where identification was positive, the quantity of tartrate varied from 5 to 200 μmoles/g. fresh wt. of leaf tissue; identification was based on paper chromatography and on the metavanadate colorimetric test. The 9 species include Vitis vinifera, V. labruscana, V. californica, Parthenocissus tricuspidata, P. quinquefolio, Pelargonium hortorum, Bauhinia malabarica, Phaseolus vulgaris, and Coleus blumei. Optical rotation data of the isolated acid indicate that the tartrate in Pelargonium and Parthenocissus quinquefolio is the (+) -isomer similar to that reported for Vitis vinifera, but the opposite to that reported for Bauhinia reticulata. The relationship of tartrate to other organic acids is discussed.     

DIGESTION AND THE DISTRIBUTION OF ACID PHOSPHATASE IN BLEPHARISMA

Suspensions of Blepharisma intermedium were fed latex particles for 5 min and then were separated from the particles by filtration. Samples were fixed at intervals after separation and incubated to demonstrate acid phosphatase activity. They were subsequently embedded and sectioned for electron microscopy. During formation of the food vacuole, the vacuolar membrane is acid phosphatase-negative. Within 5 min, dumbbell-shaped acid phosphatase-positive bodies, possibly derived from the the acid phosphatase-positive Golgi apparatus, apparently fuse with the food vacuole and render it acid phosphatase-positive. A larger type of acid phosphatase-positive, vacuolated body may also fuse with the food vacuole at later stages. At about 20 min after formation, acid phosphatase-positive secondary pinocytotic vesicles pinch off from the food vacuoles and approach a separate system of membrane-bounded spaces. By 1 hr after formation, the food vacuole becomes acid phosphatase-negative, and the undigested latex particles are voided into the membrane-bounded spaces. The membrane-bounded spaces are closely associated with the food vacuole at all stages of digestion and are generally acid phosphatase-negative. Within the membrane-bounded spaces, dense, pleomorphic, granular bodies are found, in which are embedded mitochondria, paraglycogen granules, membrane-limited acid phosphatase-containing structures, and Golgi apparatuses. The granular bodies may serve as vehicles for the transport of organelles through the extensive, ramifying membrane-bounded spaces.     

THE ROLE OF GABA METABOLISM IN THE CONVULSANT AND ANTICONVULSANT ACTIONS OF AMINOOXYACETIC ACID

Abstract— At high dosage levels AOAA acted as a convulsant agent in mice and rats but in lower amounts it was an effective anticonvulsant agent against INH-induced seizures, by tripling the time to the onset of the convulsions. AOAA elevated brain GABA levels as a result of a preferential inhibition of the GABA-T enzyme system but, contrary to previous reports, the activity of the GAD enzyme system was also inhibited, even by relatively low dosage levels of AOAA. The state of excitability of the brain following the administration of AOAA was related, within the limits of the present study, to changes in GAD activity and GABA levels, but additional data are required before the relationship can be properly evaluated.