Transient state characteristics of adaptation to changes in light conditions for the cyanobacterium Oscillatoria agardhii

Transitions in growth irradiance level from 92 to 7 Em^-2 s^-1 and vice versa caused changes in the pigment contents and photosynthesis of Oscillatoria agardhii. The changes in chlorophyll a and C-phycocyanin contents during the transition from high to low irradiance (HL) were reflected in photosynthetic parameters. In the LH transition light utilization efficiencies of the cells changed faster than pigment contents. This appeared to be related to the lowering of light utilization efficiencies of photosynthesis. As a possible explanation it was hypothesized that excess photosynthate production led to feed back inhibition of photosynthesis. Time-scales of changes in the maximal rate of O₂ evolution were discussed as changes in the number of reaction centers of photosystem II in relation to photosynthetic electron transport. Parameters that were subject to change during irradiance transitions obeyed first order kinetics, but hysteresis occurred when comparing HL with LH transients. Interpretation of first order kinetic analysis was discussed in terms of adaptive response vs changes in growth rate.Non-standard abbreviations Chla chlorophyll a - CPC C-phycocyanin - PS II photosystem II - PS I photosystem I - RC II reaction center of photosystem II - P photosynthetic O₂-evolution - I irradiance, Em^-2 s^-1 - light utilization efficiency of cells, mmol O₂·mg dry wt^-1·h^-1/Em^-2 s^-1 - light utilization efficiency of photosynthetic apparatus, mol O₂·mol Chla ^-1·h^-1/Em^-2 s^-1 - P_max maximal rate of O₂ evolution by cells, mol O₂·mg dry wt^-1·h^-1 - P_max maximal rate of O₂ evolution by photosynthetic apparatus, mol O₂·mol·Chla ^-1·h^-1 - LL low light, E m^-2 s^-1 - HL high light, E m^-2 s^-1 - LH low to high light transition - HL high to low light transition - k specific rate of adaptation, h^-1 - specific growth rate, h^-1 - Q pool size of cell constituent, mol·mg dry wt^-1 - q net synthesis rate of cell constituent, mol·mg dry wt^-1·h^-1     

Calculation of leaf photosynthetic parameters from light-response curves for ecophysiological applications

Measurement of the light response of photosynthetic CO₂ uptake is often used as an implement in ecophysiological studies. A method is described to calculate photosynthetic parameters, such as the maximum rate of whole electron transport and dissimilative respiration in the light, from the light response of CO₂ uptake. Examples of the light-response curves of flag leaves and ears of wheat (Triticum aestivum cv. ARKAS) are shown.Abbreviations and symbols A net photosynthesis rate - D ¹ rate of dissimilative respiration occurring in the light - f loss factor - I incident PPFD - I effective absorbed PPFD - J rate of whole electron transport - J _m maximum rate of whole electron transport - p ^c intercellular CO₂ partial pressure - PPFD photosynthetic photon flux density - q effectivity factor for the use of light (electrons/quanta) - absorption coefficient - I ^* CO₂ compensation point in the absence of dissimilative respiration (bar) - II conversion factor for calculation of CO₂ uptake from the rate of whole electron transport - convexity factor Gas-exchange rates relate to the projective area and are given in mol·m^-2·s^-1. Electron-transport rates are given in mol electrons·m^-2·s^-1; PPFD is given in mol quanta·m^-2·s^-1.     

Somatic embryogenesis in callus cultures of Rosa hybrida L. cv. Landora

Callus was initiated from immature leaf and stem segments of rose (Rosa hybrida cv. Landora) and subcultured every four weeks on a basal medium of half-strength Murashige & Skoog (1962) salts plus 30 g l^-1 sucrose (1/2 MS) and supplemented with 2.2 M BA, 5.4 M NAA and 2.2–9.0 M 2,4-D. Embryogenic callus and subsequently somatic embryos were obtained from 8-week-old callus culture on 1/2 MS+2.2 M BA+0.05 M NAA+0.3 M GA₃+200–800 mg l^-1 L-proline. Long-term cultures were established and maintained for up to 16 months by repeated subculture of embryogenic callus on L-proline deficient medium. About 12% of cotyledonary stage embryos taken from cultures cold-stored at 8±1°C for 4 days germinated on 1/2 MS+2.2 M BA+0.3 M GA₃+24.7 M adenine sulphate.Abbreviations BA benzyladenine - NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid     

Light response of D1 turnover and photosystem II efficiency in the seagrassZostera capricorni

Biochemical and biophysical parameters, including D1-protein turnover, chlorophyll fluorescence, oxygen evolution activity and zeaxanthin formation were measured in the marine seagrassZostera capricorni (Aschers) in response to limiting (100 mol·m^–2·^–1), saturating (350 mol·m^–2·s^–1) or photoinhibitory (1100 mol·m^–2·s^–1) irradiances. Synthesis of D1 was maximal at 350 mol·m^–2·s^–1 which was also the irradiance at which the rate of photosynthetic O₂ evolution was maximal. Degradation of D1 was saturated at 350 mol·m^–2·s^–1. The rate of D1 synthesis at 1100 mol·m^–2·s^–1 was very similar to that at 350 mol·m^–2·s^–1 for the first 90 min but then declined. At limiting or saturating irradiance little change was observed in the ratio of variable to maximal fluorescence (Fv/Fm) measured after dark adaptation of the leaves, while significant photoinhibition occurred at 1100 mol·m^–2·s^–1. The proportion of zeaxanthin in the total xanthophyll pool increased with increasing irradiance, indicative of the presence of a photoprotective xanthophyll cycle in this seagrass. These results are consistent with a high level of regulatory D1 turnover inZostera under non-photoinhibitory irradiance conditions, as has been found previously for terrestrial plants.We would like to thank Professor Peter Böger (Department of Plant Biochemistry, University of Konstanz, Germany) for the kind gift of D1 antibodies. This work was partly supported by a University of Queensland Enabling Grant to CC.     

Noncyclic electron transport in chromatophores from photolithotrophically grown Rhodobacter sulfidophilus

Chromatophores isolated from the marine phototrophic bacterium Rhodobacter sulfidophilus were found to photoreduce NAD with sulfide as the electron donor. The apparent K _m for sulfide was 370 M and the optimal pH was 7.0. The rate of NAD photoreduction in chromatophore suspensions with sulfide as the electron donor (about 7–12 M/h·mol Bchl) was approximately onetenth the rate of sulfide oxidation in whole cell suspensions. NAD photoreduction was inhibited by rotenone, carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone, and antimycin A. Sulfide reduced ubiquinone in the dark when added to anaerobic chromatophore suspensions. These results suggest that electron transport from sulfide to NAD involves an initial dark reduction of ubiquinone followed by reverse electron transport from ubiquinol to NAD mediated by NADH dehydrogenase.Abbreviations Bchl bacteriochlorophyll - CCCP carbonyl cyanide-m-chlorophenylhydrazone - MOPS 3(N-morpholino)-propane sulfonate - Uq ubiquinone     

Ion transport across leech integument

The dorsal skin of the leech Hirudo medicinalis was used for electrophysiological measurements performed in Ussing chambers. The leech skin is a tight epithelium (transepithelial resistance = 10.5±0.5 k· cm^-2) with an initial short-circuit current of 29.0±2.9 A·cm^-2. Removal of Na⁺ from the apical bath medium reduced short-circuit current about 55%. Ouabain (50mol·l^-1) added to the basolateral solution, depressed the short-circuit current completely. The Na⁺ current saturated at a concentration of 90 mmol Na⁺·l^-1 in the apical solution (K _M=11.2±1.8 mmol·l^-1). Amiloride (100 mol·l^-1) on the apical side inhibited ca. 40% of the Na⁺ current and indicated the presence of Na⁺ channels. The dependence of Na⁺ current on the amiloride concentration followed Michaclis-Menten kinetics (K _i=2.9±0.4 mol·l^-1). The amiloride analogue benzamil had a higher affinity to the Na⁺ channel (K _i=0.7±0.2 mol·l^-1). Thus, Na⁺ channels in leech integument are less sensitive to amiloride than channels known from vertebrate epithelia. With 20 mmol Na⁺·l^-1 in the mucosal solution the tissue showed an optimum amiloride-inhibitable current, and the amiloride-sensitive current under this condition was 86.8±2.3% of total short-circuit current. Higher Na⁺ concentrations lead to a decrease in amiloride-blockade short-circuit current. Sitmulation of the tissue with cyclic adenosine monophosphate (100 mol·l^-1) and isobutylmethylxanthine (1 mmol·l^-1) nearly doubled short-circuit current and increased amiloride-sensitive Na⁺ currents by 50%. By current fluctuation analysis we estimated single Na⁺ channel current (2.7±0.9 pA) and Na⁺ channel density (3.6±0.6 channels·m^-2) under control conditions. After cyclic adenosine monophosphate stimulation Na⁺ channel density increased to 5.4±1.1 channels·m^-2, whereas single Na⁺ channel current showed no significant change (1.9±0.2 pA). These data present a detailed investigation of an invertebrate epithelial Na⁺ channel, and show the similarities and differences to vertebrate Na⁺ channels. Whereas the channel properties are different from the classical vertebrate Na⁺ channel, the regulation by cyclic adenosine monophosphate seems similar. Stimulation of Na⁺ uptake by cyclic adenosine monophosphate is mediated by an increasing number of Na⁺ channels.Abbreviations slope of the background noise component - ADH antidiuretic hormone - cAMP cyclic adenosine monophosphate - f frequency - f _c coner frequency of the Lorentzian noise component - Hepes N-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-ethanesulphonic acid - BMX isobutyl-methylxanthine - i _Na single Na⁺ channel current - I _Na max, maximal inhibitable Na⁺ current - I _SC short circuit current - K _i half maximal blocker concentration - K _M Michaelis constandard error of the mean - S _(f) power density of the Lorentzian noise component - S ₀ plateau value of the Lorentzian noise component - TMA tetramethylammonium - Trizma TRIS-hydroxymethyl-amino-methane - V _max maximal reaction velocity - V _T transepithelial potential - K half maximal blocker concentration     

Inhibition of aggregation by light in the cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum

Aggregation of Dictyostelium amoebae is inhibited by light. White light intensities 10² W · cm^-2 cause an inhibition which reaches a saturation at 2 · 10³ W · cm^-2. The action spectrum, based on photon fluence-response curves, shows a major peak around 405 nm and extends through most of the visible spectrum with a secondary maximum at about 530 nm. The action spectrum of the inhibition of aggregation resembles the action spectrum of accumulations of amoebae in light traps and the action spectrum of photodispersal from light traps; it does not resemble the action spectrum of phototaxis in pseudoplasmodia.     

Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of hybrid poplar suspension cultures and regeneration of transformed plants

A method for Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of hybrid poplar (Populus alba x P. grandidentata cv. Crandon) suspension cultures and regeneration of transformed plants is described. Transformants were recovered when suspension cultures were inoculated with Agrobacterium tumefaciens at a density of 10⁷ colony-forming units ml^-1, cocultivated for 48 h, and plated to cellulose acetate filters on Woody Plant Medium containing 4.5 M 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 250 mg l^-1 cefotaxime. Levels of cefotaxime greater than 250 mg l^-1 were unnecessary for control of residual bacteria and inhibited callus growth. Transgenic plants were regenerated by culturing the transformed callus on media containing 0.11 to 27 M thidiazuron. In contrast to thidiazuron, N⁶-benzyladenine had a negative effect on shoot regeneration; the callus became necrotic when we attempted to induce shoots with concentrations of 1.1 to 8.9 M, and growth was inhibited when concentrations of 0.11 or 0.22 M were used to regenerate callus from suspension cultures. Following cocultivation of poplar suspension cultures, we recovered transgenic plants containing the maize transposon Ac, and callus containing an insect toxin gene from Bacillus thuringiensis.Abbreviations BA N⁶-benzyladenine - CIM callus initiation medium - CaMV cauliflower mosaic virus - cfu's colony-forming units - HPT hygromycin phosphotransferase - MS Murashige and Skoog medium (Murashige & Skoog 1962) - NPT-II neomycin phosphotransferase-II - PAR photosynthetically active radiation - PCR polymerase-chain-reaction - TDZ thidiazuron - WPM Woody Plant Medium (Lloyd & McCown 1980) - 2,4-d 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid     

The relation of proton motive force,adenylate energy charge and phosphorylation potential to the specific growth rate and efficiency of energy transduction inBacillus licheniformis under aerobic growth conditions

The magnitude of the proton motive force (p) and its constituents, the electrical () and chemical potential (-ZpH), were established for chemostat cultures of a protease-producing, relaxed (rel ^–) variant and a not protease-producing, stringent (rel ⁺) variant of an industrial strain ofBacillus licheniformis (respectively referred to as the A- and the B-type). For both types, an inverse relation of p with the specific growth rate was found. The calculated intracellular pH (pH_in) was not constant but inversely related to . This change in pH_in might be related to regulatory functions of metabolism but a regulatory role for pH_in itself could not be envisaged. Measurement of the adenylate energy charge (EC) showed a direct relation with for glucose-limited chemostat cultures; in nitrogen-limited chemostat cultures, the EC showed an approximately constant value at low and an increased value at higher . For both limitations, the ATP/ADP ratio was directly related to .The phosphorylation potential (G'p) was invariant with . From the values for G'p and p, a variable H⁺/ATP-stoichiometry was inferred: H⁺/ATP=1.83+0.52µ, so that at a given H⁺/O-ratio of four (4), the apparent P/O-ratio (inferred from regression analysis) showed a decline of 2.16 to 1.87 for =0 to _max (we discuss how more than half of this decline will be independent of any change in internal cell-volume). We propose that the constancy of G'p and the decrease in the efficiency of energy-conservation (P/O-value) with increasing are a way in which the cells try to cope with an apparent less than perfect coordination between anabolism and catabolism to keep up the highest possible with a minimum loss of growth-efficiency. Protease production in nitrogen-limited cultures as compared to glucose-limited cultures, and the difference between the A- and B-type, could not be explained by a different energy-status of the cells.Abbreviations CCCP carbonylcyanide-p-trichloromethoxyphenylhydrazone - DW dry weight of biomass - F Faraday's constant, 96.6 J/(mV × mol) - Fo chemostat outflow-rate (ml/h) - FCCP carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoromethoxyphenylhydrazone - G'p phosphorylation potential, the Gibbs energy change for ATP-synthesis from ADP and P_i - G'⁰p standard Gibbs energy change at specified conditions - H⁺/ATP number of protons translocated through - ATP synthase in synthesis of one ATP - H⁺/O protons translocated during transfer of 2 electrons from substrate to oxygen - specific growth rate (1/h) - _H+ transmembrane electrochemical proton potential, J/mol - M_b molar weight (147.6 g/mol) of bacteria with general cell formula C_6.0H_10.8O_3.0N_1.2 - pH_out,in extracellular, intracellular pH - P_i (intracellular) inorganic phosphate - p proton motive force, mV - pH transmembrane pH-difference - transmembrane electrical potential, mV - P/O number of ADP phosphorylated to ATP upon reduction of one O^2– to H₂O by two electrons transferred through the electron transfer chain - P/O (H⁺/O) × (H⁺/ATP)^–1 - P/O_F, P/O_N P/O with the two electrons donated by resp. (NADH + H⁺) and FADH - q specific rate of consumption or production (mol/g DW × h) - rel ⁺,rel ^– stringent, relaxed genotype - R universal gas constant, 8.36 J/(mol × degree) - T absolute temperature - TPMP⁺ triphenylmethylphosphonium ion - TPP⁺ tetraphenyl phosphonium ion - Y growth yield, g DW/mol - Z conversion constant=61.8 mV for 310 K (37 °C) - ZpH transmembrane proton potential or chemical potential, mV     

Respiration rates of two species of Gnathostomulids

Summary Respiration rates for two species of Gnathostomulida from poorly oxygenated subtidal sands of Bermuda were measured using Cartesian diver respirometers.ForHaplognathia cf.ruberrima a respiration-body weight regression gaveR=0.790·W ^0,649 (in l·10^-3O₂/h and g wet weight). Respiration rates for adult animals ofGnathostomula sp. of a mean weight of 1.3 g ranged between 0.25 and 0.63 l·10^-3 O₂/h. These rates are low when compared with literature data on meiobenthic species from a wider habitat range but similar to respiration rates of marine and limnic nematodes living in sediments with strongly reducing capacity.     

Tissue culture ofKarwinskia humboldtiana—a plant producing toxins with antitumoural effects

Isolated embryos ofKarwinskia humboldtiana were cultured in vitro. The growth of embryos and development to plantlets on woody plant medium supplemented with indole-3-acetic acid 6.10^-2 mol l^–1, gibberellic acid (GA₃) 3.10^-2 mol l^–1, and 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) 2 mol l^–1 was obtained. Multiplication of shoots and rooting of excised shoots has been achieved. Callus formation on modified Murashige-Skoog medium supplemented with 1-naphthaleneacetic acid 10 mol l^–1, GA₃ 14 mol l^–1, and kinetin 5 mol l^–1 on hypocotyls, or on root cultures on medium supplemented with 2.4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid 10 mol l^–1 and BA 10 mol l^–1 was induced.Abbreviations BA 6-benzylaminopurine - 2,4-d 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - GA₃ gibberellic acid - IAA indole-3-acetic acid - NAA 1-naphthaleneacetic acid - TEM transmission electron microscopy     

Mechanisms of Na and Cl absorption across the distal colon epithelium of the pig

Summary Porcine distal colon epithelium was mounted in Ussing chambers and bathed in plasma-like Ringer solution. Tissue conductances ranged from 10 to 15 mS and the short-circuit current (I_sc) ranged from-15 to 220 A·cm^-2. Variations in basal I_sc resulted from differences in the amount of amiloride (10M mucosal addition)-sensitive Na⁺ absorption. Ion substitution and transepithelial flux experiments showed that 10 M amiloride produced a decrease in the mucosal-to-serosal (M-S) and net Na flux, and that this effect on I_sc was independent of Cl^- and HCO ₃ ^- replacement. When the concentration of mucosal amiloride was increased from 10 to 100 M, little change in I_sc was observed. However, increasing the concentration to 1 mM produced a further inhibition, which often reversed the polarity of the I_sc. The decrease in I_sc due to 1 mM amiloride was dependent on both Cl^- and HCO ₃ ^- , and was attributed to reductions in the M-S and net Na⁺ fluxes as well as the M-S unidirectional Cl^- flux. Ion replacement experiments demonstrated that Cl^- substitution reduced the M-S and net Na fluxes, while replacement of HCO ₃ ^- with HEPES abolished net Cl^- absorption by reducing the M-S unidirectional Cl^- flux. From these data it can be concluded that: (1) Na⁺ absorption is mediated by two distinct amiloride-sensitive transport pathways, and (2) Cl^- absorption is completely HCO ₃ ^- -dependent (presumably mediated by Cl^-/HCO ₃ ^- exchange) and occurs independently of Na⁺ absorption.Abbreviations G_t tissue conductance - HEPES tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane - (tris) N-2-hydroxyethylpiperazine-N-2-ethanesulfonic acid - I_sc short-circuit current - J_r residual flux - M-S mucosal-to-scrosal - S-M serosal-to-mucosal - TTX tetrodotoxin     

The induction and repression of benzene and catechol oxidizing capacity of Pseudomonas putida ML2 studied in perturbed chemostat culture

The oxidation of catechol, an intermediate in benzene catabolism, was studied using transient variations in dissolved oxygen tension (DOT) when a succinate limited steady state culture of Pseudomonas putida ML2 was perturbed with a pulse of another substrate. A model was developed and tested for the effect of fluctuations in oxidizing enzyme activity on DOT. It was found that the rate of induction of catechol oxidizing enzymes was independent of dilution rate up to a relative growth rate /_max of 0.75. Only at higher dilution rates was catabolite repression observed.Abbreviations DOT dissolved oxygen tension - K _L a gas transfer coefficient - specific growth rate - _max maximum specific growth rate - K_s substrate saturation constant     

Role of mitochondria in ethanol tolerance of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

The presence of active mitochondria and oxidative metabolism is shown to be essential to maintain low inhibition levels by ethanol of the growth rate (), fermentation rate (v) or respiration rate () of Saccharomyces cerevisiae wild type strain S288C. Cells which have respiratory metabolism show K _i (ethanol inhibition constant) values for , v and , higher (K _i>1 M) than those of petite mutants or grande strains grown in anaerobiosis (K _i=0.7 M). In addition, the relationship between or v and ethanol concentration is linear in cells with respiratory metabolism and exponential in cells lacking respiration. When functional mitochondria are transferred to petite mutants, the resulting strain shows K _i values similar to those of the grande strain and the inhibition of and v by increasing ethanol concentrations becomes linear.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In vitro</Emphasis> propagation of the genus <Emphasis Type="Italic">Clivia</Emphasis>

We have developed a protocol for the in vitro propagation of the genus Clivia. Shoots were regenerated when fragments of the peduncle-pedicel junction (PP junction) from young inflorescences were used as explants. The optimal media for PP junction were Murashige and Skoog (MS)-based medium containing 10 M of 6-benzyladenine (BA) and 10 M of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) or MS supplemented with 5 M BA, 10 M -naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA), 250 mg l^-1 glutamine and 500 mg l^–1 casein hydrolysate and their usage depended on the breeding lines. Multiplication from initiations and in vitro seedlings was the best when the explants were cut longitudinally through the meristem and placed on MS plus 44 M BA. Plantlets were transferred on to hormone -free MS medium with charcoal for rooting.     

Micropropagation of mature Chinese tallow tree (Sapium sebiferum Roxb.)

An in vitro propagation technique based on axillary bud proliferation has been developed for matureSapium sebiferum trees. Nodal segments cultured on Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with benzyl adenine (1–10 m and -naphthaleneacetic acid (0–0.5 m showed axillary bud proliferation. Shoots proliferated in vitro were multiplied on Murashige and Skoog medium containing 2.5 m benzyl adenine and 0.25 m -naphthaleneacetic acid. Seasonal changes affected the shoot proliferation potential of the initial explant. Shoots were rooted on a half-strength, growth-regulator-free, agar-gelled, MS medium after a 48-h treatment on half-strength MS liquid medium with 10 m indole-3-butyric acid. Rooted plantlets were potted and acclimatized in a growth chamber and then moved to the greenhouse. Four-month-old plants were transplanted to the field.Abbreviations BA Benzyl adenine - IBA Indole-3-butyric acid - 2-ip N⁶-(-dimethylallylamino)purine - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962) medium - NAA -Naphthaleneacetic acid     

Basal oxygen consumption,ventilatory frequency,and heart rate during the protracted spawning run of the Southern Hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis

Summary Basal oxygen consumption, ventilatory frequency, and heart rate were recorded at four different times during the unusually protracted 15–16-month spawning run of the Southern Hemisphere lamprey Geotria australis. At 15°C, the mean basal oxygen consumption of G. australis caught immediately after they had left the sea and embarked on the spawning run (45 l · g^-1 · h^-1) was less than in young adults about to commence their marine feeding phase (64 l · g^-1 · h^-1), but greater than in large ammocoetes (26.5 l · g^-1 · h^-1). Basal oxygen consumption fell progressively during the spawning-run of to 33 l · g^-1 · h^-1 after 5 months and 25 l · g^-1 · h^-1 after 10 months, before rising to 35 l · g^-1 · h^-1 after 15 months when the animals were approaching sexual maturity. The downwards trend in basal oxygen consumption contrasts with that recorded during the spawning run of Lampetra fluviatilis. Furthermore, these values for spawning-run of G. australis are far lower than those measured at any time during the upstream migration of L. fluviatilis or during the parasitic phase of landlocked Petromyzon marinus. A low and declining metabolic rate during much of the spawning run of G. australis would facilitate the conservation of energy reserves during this very long non-feeding period. Trends shown by ventilatory frequency and heart rate essentially parallel those of basal oxygen consumption. The Q₁₀s for basal oxygen consumption, ventilatory frequency and heart rate over the temperature range 5–25°C were 1.6, 1.6, and 1.7, respectively. The trends shown by basal oxygen consumption during metamorphosis and the upstream migration did not parallel those exhibited by circulating thyroid hormones.     

Photosynthesis and apparent affinity for dissolved inorganic carbon by cells and chloroplasts of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii grown at high and low CO2 concentrations

Chloroplasts with high rates of photosynthetic O₂ evolution (up to 120 mol O₂· (mg Chl)^-1·h^-1 compared with 130 mol O₂· (mg Chl)^-1·h^-1 of whole cells) were isolated from Chlamydomonas reinhardtii cells grown in high and low CO₂ concentrations using autolysine-digitonin treatment. At 25° C and pH=7.8, no O₂ uptake could be observed in the dark by high- and low-CO₂ adapted chloroplasts. Light saturation of photosynthetic net oxygen evolution was reached at 800 mol photons·m^-2·s^-1 for high- and low-CO₂ adapted chloroplasts, a value which was almost identical to that observed for whole cells. Dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) saturation of photosynthesis was reached between 200–300 M for low-CO₂ adapted chloroplasts, whereas high-CO₂ adapted chloroplasts were not saturated even at 700 M DIC. The concentrations of DIC required to reach half-saturated rates of net O₂ evolution (K_m(DIC)) was 31.1 and 156 M DIC for low- and high-CO₂ adapted chloroplasts, respectively. These results demonstrate that the CO₂ concentration provided during growth influenced the photosynthetic characteristics at the whole cell as well as at the chloroplast level.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - DIC dissolved inorganic carbon - K_m(DIC) coneentration of dissolved inorganic carbon required for the rate of half maximal net O₂ evolution - PFR photon fluence rate - SPGM silicasol-PVP-gradient medium     

Opioid and Cannabinoid Receptors Share a Common Pool of GTP-Binding Proteins in Cotransfected Cells, But Not in Cells Which Endogenously Coexpress the Receptors

1. Opioid (, , ) and cannabinoid (CB1, CB2) receptors are coupled mainly toG_i/G_o GTP-binding proteins. The goal of the present study was to determine whether different subtypes of opioid and cannabinoid receptors, when coexpressed in the same cell, share a common reservoir, or utilize different pools, of G proteins.2. The stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPS binding by selective opioid and cannabinoid agonists was tested in transiently transfected COS-7 cells, as well as in neuroblastoma cell lines. In COS-7 cells, cotransfection of - and -opioid receptors led to stimulation of [³⁵S]GTPS binding by either -selective (DAMGO) or -selective (DPDPE) agonists. The combined effect of the two agonists was similar to the effect of either DAMGO or DPDPE alone, suggesting the activation of a common G-protein reservoir by the two receptor subtypes.3. The same phenomenon was observed when COS-7 cells were cotransfected with CB1 cannabinoid receptors and either - or -opioid receptors.4. On the other hand, in N18TG2 neuroblastoma cells, which endogenously coexpress CB1 and -opioid receptors, as well as in SK-N-SH neuroblastoma cells, which coexpress - and -opioid receptors, the combined effects of the various agonists (the selective cannabinoid DALN and the selective opioids DPDPE and DAMGO) were additive, implying the activation of different pools of G proteins by each receptorsubtype.5. These results suggest a fundamental difference between native and artificially transfected cells regarding the compartmentalization of receptors and GTP-binding proteins.     

Respiration rates of Chiloplacus sp. and other arctic nematodes at low and high temperatures

Summary Respiration of an undescribed species of soil nematode of the genus Chiloplacus from the Canadian High Arctic was measured at 2°, 5°, 10°, 15°, 20° and 25°C. The corresponding metabolic rates were 0.2697×10^-3 l, 0.3406×10^-3 l, 0.8408×10^-3 l, 0.8539×10^-3 l, 1.8420×10^-3 l and 2.9360×10^-3 l O₂ ind^-1 h^-1, respectively, for a nematode of 1.0 g dry weight. The relationship between respiration and dry weight for Chiloplacus sp. at 10°C is described by the function log R=-3.0693+0.8844 log W. Q₁₀ values for the 2°–5°, 5°–10°, 10°–15°, 15°–20° and 20°–25°C temperature intervals were 2.18, 6.09, 1.03, 4.65 and 2.54, respectively. Chiloplacus sp. showed raised metabolic rates at low tempetatures compared with species from warmer environments. Metabolic rates of representative samples of the soil, nematode fauna (dominated by individuals of the genus Plectus) from the same location were 0.1593×10^-3 l, 0.3603×10^-3 l and 0.5332×10^-3 l O₂ ind^-1 h^-1 at 5°, 10° and 15°C for an average nematode of 0.4297 g dry weight.