EFFECT OF LIGHT ON THE CHLOROPHYLL FORMATION IN THE "GLUCOSE-BLEACHED" CELLS OF CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES

1. Previous studies have shown that when Chlorella protothecoidesis grown in a medium rich in glucose and poor in nitrogen source(urea), apparently chlorophyll-less cells with profoundly degeneratedplastids—referred to as "glucose-bleached cells—areproduced either in the light or in darkness. When the glucose-bleachedcells are incubated in a medium enriched with the nitrogen sourcebut without added glucose, an active formation of chlorophylloccurs after a certain lag period under illumination, whilein darkness a very small amount of chlorophyll is formed atabout the same time as in the light. The stimulating effectof light on the chlorophyll formation is not appreciably affectedwhen the photosynthetic CO₂-fixation of greening algal cellsis blocked by the addition of CMU. In the present study, itwas further found that the light-enhanced chlorophyll formationproceeds, although at a somewhat lower rate, under aerationof CO₂-free air. All the experiments in this work were doneunder these non-photosynthetic conditions to exclude any influenceof photosynthates.
2. The effect of light (from daylight fluorescentlamps) on thechlorophyll formation in the glucose-bleachedalgal cells wassaturating at about 1,000 lux. Blue light wasfound to be mosteffective; yellow, green and red light followingin the orderof decreasing effectiveness.
3. When the bleachedalgal cells were illuminated for a short periodin the lag phaseof chlorophyll formation and subsequently incubatedin darkness,there occurred an appreciable enhancement of chlorophyllformationin the dark. When the short illumination was appliedat differenttimes of the lag phase, the enhancement was inducedto almostthe same extent. But the longer the duration of theilluminationduring the lag phase, the greater was the enhancementof chlorophyllformation in the subsequent dark incubation.In such experimentsblue light was most effective and red lightleast, as it wasthe case in the experiments of continuous illumination.An intervenientillumination of the bleached cells at lowertemperatures orunder the atmosphere of N2 produced little orno enhancementof the chlorophyll formation in the subsequentdark incubation.
4. Based on these results, it was concluded that the light enhancementof chlorophyll formation in the glucose-bleached algal cellsis mediated by a non-chlorophyllous photoreceptor(s), absorbingmaximally blue and yellow light, and that a light-induced changeof the photoreceptor is immediately followed by a certain dark(temperaturedependent and aerobic) process(es) which is connected,directly or indirectly, to the chlorophyll synthesis.

(Received August 10, 1967; )     

EFFECTS OF LIGHT ON THE DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID FORMATION AND CELLULAR DIVISION IN CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES

1. It has been demonstrated previously that when Chlorella protothecoidesis grown in a medium rich in glucose and poor in nitrogen source(urea), chlorophyll-less cells with markedly degenerated plastids—called "glucose-bleached" cells—are produced eitherin the light or in darkness. When the glucose-bleached cellsare incubated in a medium enriched with the nitrogen sourcebut without added glucose, normal green cells with fully organizedchloroplasts are obtained in the light, and pale green cellswith partially organized chloroplasts in darkness. During theseprocesses of chloroplast development in the glucose-bleachedcells, there occurs, after a certain lag period, an active DNAformation followed by a more or less synchronous cellular division.In the present study the effects of light on the DNA formationand cellular division were investigated in the presence of CMUor under aeration of CO²-free air to exclude the interveninginfluence of photosynthetic process.
2. It was revealed thatlight severely suppresses the DNA formationand cellular divisionof the glucose-bleached cells while enhancingremarkably theirgreening. The suppression was saturated atthe light intensityof about 1,000 lux. Blue light was mosteffective, being followedby green, yellow and red light inthe order of decreasing effectiveness.
3. Further experiments unveiled that light exerts two apparentlyopposing effects on the DNA formation depending upon the timeof application during the incubation of algal cells. When thealgal cells were illuminated only during the lag period beforethe active DNA synthesis, there occurred an enhancement of theDNA synthesis occurring during the subsequent dark incubation.When, on the other hand, the cells were transferred to the lightfrom darkness at or after the start of the DNA synthesis, itcaused an almost complete abolition of the subsequent synthesisof DNA in the algal cells. No such effects of light were observedwith RNA and protein (total)
4. These findings were discussedin relation to the process ofchlorophyll formation occurringconcurrently in the algal cells.

(Received August 10, 1967; )     

DEVELOPMENT OF PHOTOSYNTHETIC ACTIVITIES DURING THE PROCESS OF CHLOROPLAST FORMATION IN CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES

1. By growing Chlorella protothecoides in a medium rich in glucoseand poor in nitrogen source (urea), entirely chlorophyll-lesscells, called "glucose-bleached’ cells, were obtained.These cells were found to have neither discernible plastid structuresnor photosynthetic activities. When these cells were incubatedin a nitrogenenriched mineral medium without added glucose,a remarkable formation of fully organized chloroplasts occurredin the light and only partially organized chloroplasts weredeveloped in darkness.
2. In the dark-incubated algal cells asmall but appreciable amountof chlorophyll was formed, beingaccompanied by developmentof significant activities for thePMS- and FMN-catalyzed photophosphorylationsand the HILL reaction.The development of the capacity for performingphotosyntheticCO₂-fixation, however, was negligible.
3. During the processof "re-generation" of chloroplasts in thelight, there occurredactive formation of chlorophyll followedby development of allthe photic activities mentioned above.Chlorophyll formationas well as development of the photic activitiesproceeded firstin a manner of autocatalytic reaction and laterin the formof the first-order reaction. It was inferred thatthe light-absorbingagent which mediates the chlorophyll synthesisis chlorophyllitself.
4. The activities for the PMS- and FMN-photophosphorylations,theHILL reaction and photosynthetic CO₂-fixation were recognizedalready in the algal cells at an early stage of greening inthe light, in which the "discs" were developed but no completelamellar structure was observed. Further processes of increaseof these photosynthetic and related activities—as measuredat a high and a lower light intensities—were studied inrelation to the chlorophyll formation under continuous illuminationand under light-dark conditions. It was found that the PMS-photophosphorylationactivity was developed always in parallel with the chlorophyllformation under these different light conditions. Developmentof the activities for the other photic reactions, however, lagged,to different extents, behind the formation of chlorophyll inthe later phase of greening of algal cells under these conditions.
5. Based on these results the modes of formation of the componentsinvolved in these photic reactions were surmised.

(Received September 15, 1965; )     

DEGRADATION AND FORMATION OF SULFOLIPID OCCURRING CONCURRENTLY WITH DE- AND RE-GENERATION OF CHLOROPLASTS IN THE CELLS OF CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES

1. It has been demonstrated that when the cells of Chlorella protothecoidesare grown mixotrophically under illumination in a medium richin nitrogen source (urea) and poor in glucose, the normal greencells are obtained, while in a medium rich in glucose and poorin the nitrogen source, entirely chlorophyll-less cells withprofoundly degenerated plastids ("glucose-bleached" cells) areproduced, irrespective of whether in the light or in darkness.The "glucose-bleached" cells turn green with regeneration offully organized chloroplasts when incubated in a nitrogen-enrichedmedium in the light ("light-greening"), while in the dark theybecome pale green with formation of only partially organizedchloroplasts ("dark-greening"). When, on the other hand, thegreen cells are transferred into a medium enriched with glucose,they are bleached fairly rapidly with degeneration of chloro-plastsin the light as well as in darkness ("bleaching"). Using ³⁵Sas a tracer, investigations were made on the changes of contentsof the algal cells in sulfolipid and other sulfur compoundsduring the processes of the greening and bleaching.
2. By determiningthe radioactivities of chromatographically separatedsulfur-containingcompounds of the uniformly ³⁵S-labeled green("G") and "glucose-bleached"("W") cells, it was found thatthe concentration of a speciesof sulfolipid (discovered byBENSON et al.) as well as thoseof glutathione, sulfotriosesand most of the other sulfur-containingcompounds were at least5 times higher in the "G" cells thanin the "W" cells, whilesulfoquinovosyl glycerol was presentin approximately equalamounts in the two types of cells.
3. Phospholipidcontents and compositions in the two types of algalcells werefound to be practically identical.
4. The sulfolipid contentof algal cells increased and decreasedalmost in parallel withthe processes of greening and bleaching,respectively.
5. Studyingthe mode of incorporation of radiosulfate into varioussulfurcompounds of algal cells during the processes of "light-anddark-greening" and "bleaching" (lasting about 70 hr), itwasfound that active ³⁵S-incorporation into sulfolipid occurredthroughout the process of "light-greening," while in the "dark-greening"and "bleaching" the active incorporation abruptly ceased afterthe initial 24 hr period of experiments. It was suggested thatthe biosynthesis of the sulfolipid is closely related to theformation of photosynthetic apparatus in chloroplast.
6. Whenthe ³⁵S-labeled green cells were bleached in a medium containingno radiosulfate, the ³⁵S-sulfolipid and most of other ³⁵S-sulfurcompounds decreased markedly but the ³⁵S-sulfoquinovosyl glycerolincreased considerably. It was inferred that the deacylationof the sulfolipid, a surfactant lipid, with formation of watersoluble sulfoquinovosyl glycerol may be a cardinal event ofbleaching process, causing a disintegration of the intact architechtureof photosynthetic apparatus.
7. Based on these observations itwas concluded that the sulfolipidis an integral component ofphotosynthetic structure.

¹This work was partly reported at the Symposium on Biochemistryof Lipids, sponsored by the Agricultural Chemical Society ofJapan, Sapporo, July, 1964.     

EFFECTS OF GLUCOSE ON THE PROCESS OF CHLOROPLAST DEVELOPMENT IN CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES

By growing Chlorella protothecoides in a medium rich in glucoseand poor in nitrogen source (urea), the entirely chlorophyll-lesscells showing no discernible plastid structure and containingonly little RNA and protein were obtained. These cells, whichwere called "glucosebleached" cells, turned green after a certainlag period, when they were incubated, in the light, in a mediumcontaining the nitrogen source and basal mineral nutrients butwithout glucose. As has been shown in previous studies, thisgreening process involves two consecutive steps : a light-independentphase, in which RNA plays an essential role, and a light-requiringphase, in which the chlorophyll formation and full organizationof chloroplast take place accompanied by the formation of acertain species of protein ("alkali-stable" protein). The wholeprocess of greening was found to be profoundly suppressed byaddition of glucose, the degree of suppression being determinedby the relative concentrations of glucose and the nitrogen source.The primary act of glucose was manifest in the repression ofsyntheses of RNA, and of the species of protein mentioned above,which participate in, or causally related to, the first andsecond phases, respectively, in the greening process. ¹ This paper was read at the Symposium on Extranuclear Self-reproducingSystems held by the Botanical Society of Japan in October, 1964     

EFFECTS OF ACETATE ON THE GROWTH AND CHLOROPHYLL CONTENT OF GOLENKINIA1

Growth and chlorophyll synthesis by the green alga Golenkinia cease after approximately 60-hr incubation in 0.01 M sodium acetate. These effects are immediately preceded by a rapid rise of the pH of the medium to 8.6–8.8 due to acetate uptake. The pH kinetics are due to a gradual loss of the phosphate buffer, not to the induction or activation of acetate assimilatory enzymes. However, neither high pH nor sodium acetate alone is sufficient to inhibit cell division and bleach the algae; both must be present. Additional experiments support the hypothesis that acetate alters the cells so that they become sensitive to high concentrations of OH^? ions.     

不同营养方式对小球藻FACHB 484生长的影响及其非自养生长机理研究

系统研究了小球藻FACHB 484在含有葡萄糖的不同营养方式下的生长情况,并通过抑制试验探讨葡萄糖在小球藻FACHB 484光异养和兼养生长条件下所起的作用以及小球藻FACHB 484是否存在氧化呼吸系统的关键酶类。结果表明:小球藻FACHB 484可利用葡萄糖进行化能异养、光激活异养、光异养及兼养生长,其生长速率大小为:兼养光异养光激活异养化能异养光合自养。兼养培养的最大生物量和比生长速率分别是自养培养的8.6和3.4倍,其比生长速率接近于光合自养和光异养培养下的比生长速率之和。葡萄糖主要作为小球藻FACHB 484兼养和光异养培养的碳源,而能量主要源自光。小球藻FACHB 484存在氧化呼吸链代谢途径,其细胞中有琥珀酸脱氢酶和细胞色素氧化酶。       

温度、盐度和pH对小球藻生长率的联合效应

采用中心复合设计（CCD）研究了温度（1634℃）、盐度（1545）和pH（6.09.0）对小球藻（Chlorella sp. CHX-1）生长的联合效应。结果表明,温度、盐度与pH的一次、二次效应都对小球藻比生长速率有极显著影响（P0.01）;温度与盐度间、温度与pH间的互作效应对小球藻比生长速率影响显著（P0.05）,而盐度与pH间的互作效应影响不显著（P0.05）;三因子影响度大小依次为:温度pH盐度。采用响应曲面法建立了温度、盐度和pH对小球藻比生长速率影响的模型方程,该模型的决定系数0.9759,矫正决定系数0.9542,说明模型的拟合度极高;模型的预测决定系数0.8367,表明可用于预测小球藻比生长速率的变化。通过模型优化和验证试验,得出在温度、盐度和pH组合为26.7℃/25.5/7.3时,小球藻比生长速率达到最大值0.69,满意度为0.999。本试验结果可为小球藻生产提供理论指导。       

厌氧条件下小球藻细胞的异养转化和乳酸发酵(简报)

某些藻类植物,如小球藻——一种单细胞绿藻,不但能利用无机碳源通过光合作用进行自养生长,还能利用有机碳源转化为异养生长,这种转化又是可逆的。迄今为止,对于人工控制下藻细胞向异养转化的代谢和调控机理尚不清楚。本文通过分析小球藻细胞异养转化过程对氧气的依赖性,进一步研究它们在厌氧条件下的生长和乳酸发酵特征,探讨可异养转化的单细胞藻类(作为特殊的实验生物系统)在发酵工程和细胞工程领域里应用的可能性。     

CHANGES IN CONTENTS OF CARBOHYDRATE AND FATTY ACID IN THE CELLS OF CHLORELLA PROTOTHECOIDES DURING THE PROCESSES OF DE- AND RE-GENERATION OF CHLOROPLASTS

1. Previous work has demonstrated that when cells of Chlorellaprotothecoides are grown mixotrophically under illuminationin a medium rich in nitrogen source (urea) and poor in glucose,normal green cells are obtained, while in a medium rich in glucoseand poor in the nitrogen source, strongly bleached cells containingapparently no discernible chloroplast structures — called"glucose-bleached" cells — are produced either in thelight or in darkness. When the green cells are incubated ina glucose-enriched mineral medium without added nitrogen source,they are fairly rapidly bleached with concomitant degenerationof chloroplast structures (" bleaching "). When, on the otherhand, the "glucose-bleached" cells are transferred in a nitrogen-enrichedmedium without added glucose under illumination, they turn greenwith regeneration of chloroplasts (" greening "). In the presentstudy changes in contents of carbohydrate and fatty acid inalgal cells were followed during these processes of "bleaching"and "greening.".
2. During the process of "bleaching", the quantityof glucose existingin the insoluble carbohydrate fraction ofalgal cells increasedrapidly and markedly. A considerable increasewas also observedin the contents of cells in oleic, linoleicand palmitic acids.It was noted, however, that linolenic aciddecreased in quantityduring the most active phase of cell bleaching.
3. During the process of "greening", the glucose in the insolublecarbohydrate fraction rapidly decreased, suggesting that itis utilized, as carbon and energy sources, for the chloroplastregeneration. Linolenic acid was found to be synthesized inparallel with formation of chlorophyll. A peculiar pattern ofchange in contents was observed with oleic and palmitic acids,which was interpreted as being related with the process of cellulardivision occurring incidentally during the process of greening.

(Received September 24, 1966; )     

FURTHER NOTES ON PAIRING AND SUBMISSIVE BEHAVIOUR OF THE RED-LEGGED PARTRIDGE ALECTORIS RUFA

1. The submissive display is described. It is sometimes given when the bird appears to be simultaneously frightened and attracted by a fellow member of the species.
2. The pairing behaviour of some individual captive birds is described. Some degree of mutual fear and hostility seems to be a necessary correlate of sexual attraction in this species. Birds that know and are at ease with one another do not pair.
3. A young male showed (in autumn) behaviour similar to that of a female ready to pair when introduced to an old and aggressive male. A possible biological function of such behaviour is suggested.