A Quantitative Study of Mitosis in Eudorina elegans in Culture

A list of the determinations in this work is given below:

1. Under standard conditions with a photoperiod, the generationtime is five days. The generation time is shorter in continuouslight.
2. There are temperature-dependent cleavage and mitoticgradientswithin a colony.
3. A diurnal peak of mitosis occurstwo hours before the onsetof darkness.
4. Under standard conditions(a) the mitotic index rises to a maximumof 10 per cent, twodays after inoculation; (b) the mitotictime is ten minutes;and (c) the mitotic rate is 71 cells per10³cells per hour atthe mitotic peak.

     

The Time Factor in Studies of Growth Inhibition in Excised Organ Sections

1. Apprehension over the adequncy of current techniques stimulateda detailed study of the time factor in the arsenate inhibitionof growth and respiration in excised stem and root sectionsof Pisum sativum.
2. Growth inhibition by arsenate sets in veryslowly, its rateof onset being related to the molar concentration(C) of arsenateate by the relation where T₅₀ is the time taken in hours to reduce the growthrateto 50 per cent of the control and K is a constant. An explanationof the physiological basis of this relationship is attempted.
3. Estimates were made of the final steady growth rate (relativeto control) in various arsenate concentrations. The inhibitionscalculated from this rate are held to approximate to the truearsenate effect and are shown to be very different from thosecalculated from ‘total growth’ measures.
4. Respirationof growing stem sections is not inhibited by thelow arsenateconcentrations that inhibit growth. Some inhibitionis indicatedat high concentrations (3 ? 10^–4M. and over)but onlyafter 15-20 hours of exposure.
5. Two per cent sucrose has noeffect on the arsenate inhibiitionof stem growth. Sucrose,however, markedly stimulates respirationin stem sections, butthis stimulation is prevented by arsenate.
6. The misinterpretationswhich may arise as a result of ignoringthe time factor in inhibitionstudies in excised organ sectionsare discussed and the desirabilityof constructing completegrowth curves in all such studies isstressed.

     

Studies in the Nitrogen Metabolism of Apple Fruits: THE CLIMACTERIC RISE IN RESPIRATION IN RELATION TO CHANGES IN THE EQUILIBRIUM BETWEEN PROTEIN SYNTHESIS AND BREAKDOWN

1. A close parallelism in the drift of the rate of respirationand the protein-N/ non-protein-N ratio is shown to occur bothin apple fruits attached to the tree and when detached fromthe tree at various stages of development and stored for severalmonths at 12 C.
2. In detached fruits the fall in respirationwhich occurs immediately(during the first 48 hours) after pickingis only accompaniedby a concomitant fall in net protein invery young fruits inwhich active cell division is taking place.Subsequently, infruit of all ages when a climacteric rise inrespiration occursit is accompanied by a net increase in protein.
3. It is argued that the climacteric rise in respiration is aresultof increase in the level of protein which will be expectedtoreduce the ATP/ADP ratio.
4. Over the climacteric period,although rate of respiration andnet protein content both rise,R rises more rapidly than proteinand, subsequently, falls ata faster rate than P. It is suggestedthat this may be due tothe ‘new’ protein containinga higher proportionof enzyme(s) directly involved in respirationand leading, forexample, to a reduction in the ATP/ADP ratio.

     

Studies on Plant-Growth Hormones: VI. THE NATURE OF INHIBITOR-{beta} IN POTATO

1. The chemical nature of a plant growth inhibitor in potato tuberpeel, the ‘Inhibitor-ß’ which commonlyoccurs on chromatograms of many plant extracts, has been examined.
2. The inhibition, as indicated by bioassays using wheat coleoptilesections, could not be associated with any particular compound,but was partly or entirely due to a complex mixture of aliphaticacids.
3. . Azelaic acid and the coumarin, acopoletin, were isolatedtogetherwith a new substance, Acid A; degradative evidenceis not sufficientto enable a complete structure to be proposedfor this acid,but it appears to be an unsaturated polyhydroxyfatty acid.
4. The growth of coleoptile sections in solutionsof ßat several concentrations was examined over thefirst 7 hoursof growth. Inhibition did not occur until 4 hours;visible damageto the cells of the tissues appeared after thisperiod. Whenß was examined in a mixture with 3-indolylaceticacid,inhibition was evident after 1 hour. These results areinterpretedand the chemical system in which ß mayoperate ingrowth is briefly considered.

     

FORMATION OF PHYCOERYTHRIN IN PRE-ILLUMINATED CELLS OF TOLYPOTHRIX TENUIS WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO NITROGEN METABOLISM

1. The formation, in the dark, of phycoerythrin in the preilluminatedcells of a blue-green alga, Tolypothrix tenuis, was investigatedwith special reference to its nitrogen metabolism.
2. On incubatingthe pre-illuminated algal cells under a darkaerobiccondition,and with nitrate as N-source, the formation of phycoerythrinoccurs after an induction period of about 5 hours. No time-lagis observed in the nitrate-uptake by the organism. Similar resultsare obtained with nitrite, ammonia, urea and arginine as N-sources.
3. The above stated formation of phycoerythrin is suppressedbysubstances such as chloramphenicol and p-fluorophenylalanine,substances known to be potent inhibitors of protein-synthesis.
4. On the basis of these findings, it was inferred that therearetwo consecutive processes involved in the dark-formationofphycoerythrin in the pre-illuminated cells: (i) uptake andconversionof exogenous nitrogen sources into some intermediarynitrogenouscell substances, and (ii) synthesis of the pigment-proteinfromthese substances.

(Received June 27, 1960; )     

Biological activity of phyllosinol, a phytotoxic compound isolated from a culture filtrate of Phyllosticta sp.

1. Phyllosinol is a phytotoxic metabolite of Phyllosticta sp. Thissubstance at 100 µg/ml produced dark grey necrotic lesionson the leaf of red clover. Sensitivities of various plant speciesto phyllosinol differed both quantitatively and qualitatively.
2. Phyllosinol reduced root growth in rice seedlings by 60% at10^–4 M, whereas stimulation of root elongation occurredat a concentration range from 10^–9 to 10^–5 M.
3. Phyllosinolat 2.5x10^–4M promoted adventitious root formationin epicotylsof Azukia cuttings by about 100%. Promotion waspartly reducedby simultaneous application of cysteine.
4. IAA-induced elongationof isolated Avena coleoptile sectionswas inhibited by phyllosinolat a concentration range from 10^–5to 10^–3M.
5. Sulfhydrylcompounds, i.e. cysteine and glutathione relievedinhibitioncaused by phyllosinol in IAA-induced elongation ofAvena coleoptilesections.
6. GA₃-induced elongation of wheat leaf sections wasslightly inhibitedby phyllosinol at 10^–4M.
7. Phyllosinolalso has antibiotic activity. Among the organismstested, Phycomycetesand Gram-negative bacteria appeared mostsusceptible to phyllosinol.

(Received April 21, 1970; )     

Studies in the Physiology of Parasitism: XX. The Pathogenicity of Botrytis cinerea, Sclerotinia fructigena, and Sclerotinia laxa, with special reference to the part played by pectolytic enzymes

1. Though Sclerotinia fructigena, S. laxa, and Botrytis cinereacause rotting of apple tissue and death of the protoplasts,little or no pectolytic activity was detectable in extractsof the rotted tissue. 2. Pectic materials were extracted from normal and parasitizedapple tissue in three fractions and precipitated as calciumpectate. There was a loss of total, total insoluble, and solublepectic substances in the invaded tissues. This was most markedwith B. cinerea and S. laxa and least with S. fructigena. 3. Pectolytic activity was measured by methods involving (a)maceration of plant tissues, (b) viscosity and reducing groupdeterminations in pectic substrates, (c) increase in acidityof pectin. By these methods it was shown that pectolytic enzymeswere produced by all three fungi in synthetic media. With S.fructigena, which was the only fungus studied in detail, replacementof glucose by pectin increased the formation of pectolytic enzymes. 4. When various apple extracts were used as culture media, littleor no pectolytic activity was detectable. With all three fungithe presence of apple juice in a culture medium, which by itselfwas suitable for enzyme formation, resulted in the suppressionof pectolytic activity. 5. Oxidized apple juice had a pronounced effect in deactivatingcertain pectolytic enzymes, an effect which was especially markedwith B. cinerea. This points to an interaction between the pectolyticand oxidizing systems and introduces a new line of approachto the study of the biochemical interaction between host andparasite.     

NUTRITIONAL STUDIES OF A YEAST

The present work deals with essential growth factor requirementsof a haploid strain of Saccharamyces sp., strain 19861, whichexhibits requirements for lysine, arginine and histidine.

1. The strain requires Ca-pantothenate, biotin and thiamine inaddition to the three amino acids.
2. In a synthetic medium containingthese amino acids and the threevitamins, tryptophan could replacehistidine completely.
3. Pyridoxine, leucine, isoleucine andvaline, as a group, couldreplace thiamine in the presence ofinositol.
4. In the above substitution, leucine could be removedwhen excessivevaline was added, the optimal ratio of isoleucineto valinebeing about 1:3 in the presence of tryptophan, insteadof histidine.
5. In a isoleucine-deficient medium, flocculationoccurred in fiveor more days.

(Received March 3, 1961; )     

STUDIES ON ALGAL CYTOCHROME: I. ENZYMIC ACTIVITIES PERTAINING TO PORPHYRA TENERA CYTOCHROME 553 IN CELL-FREE EXTRACTS

1. Enzymic activities pertaining to Porphyra tenera cytochrome553 were investigated with cell-free extracts of a red alga,Porphyra tenera, and various fractions prepared therefrom.
2. Thealgal extracts were found to be incapable, in the dark,of catalyzingoxidation of reduced cytochrome 553 at a ratesufficient toaccount for the respiratory oxygen-uptake in theintact cell.Oxidation of cytochrome 553 was highly acceleratedon illumination.The former reaction was found to be cyanide-sensitiveand thelatter, cyanide-insensitive. Both activities were foundto belocalized in the particulate fraction of the cell extract.
3. Significantactivities of reduced pyridine nucleotide-cytochromereductasewere discovered in the soluble fraction of the cellextract,the reaction being two or three times faster with TPNHthanwith DPNH as electron donor. There was no reaction withsuccinatein the presence of cytochrome and 2,6–dichlorophenolindophenol.
4. Porphyra tenera cytochrome 553 was shown to be localized inthe plastids of the algal cell.
5. Possible functions of cytochrome553 in the algal metabolismwere discussed.

     

Polyphenoloxidase and the Respiration of Ivy Leaves

1. Polyphenoloxidase is present in ivy leaves but not in thoseof Aucuba or Euonymus.
2. Respiration of intact ivy leaves wasmarkedly stimulated bycatechol (R.Q. approximately=I), gallicacid, caffeic acid,and dihydroxyphenylalanine. The stimulationwas not relatedto injury as far as could be detected and wasnot followed byinhibition. The extra oxygen consumption representsa many timesrepeated oxidation of the amount of catechol supplied.
3. The effect of catechol on the respiration of Aucuba and Euonymusleaves was very small.
4. Cupferron and phenylthiourea, whichinhibit polyphenoloxidasein vitro, nevertheless increased respirationwhen administeredto leaves through the petiole. On the otherhand, when appliedby infiltration, cupferron did cause inhibition,but in Aucubaand Euonymus as much as in ivy.

     

CHANGES IN RESTING POTENTIAL AND ION ABSORPTION INDUCED BY LIGHT IN A SINGLE PLANT CELL

1. Effect of light on ion absorption and resting potential of theinternodal cell of Nitella flexilis was investigated under variousconditions.
2. On illumination, the resting potential increasedby about 30mVin 10^–4 M KCl and by about 60 mV in 10^–4M NaClsolution. A similar photoelectric response was also observedin 10^–3 M KCl, 10^–2 M CaCl₂ and 5 x 10^–2 MCaCl₂ solutions, but not at all in 10^–2 M KCl solution.
3. Absorption of ions by the cell took place in parallel withthelight-induced change in resting potential.
4. Red and bluelights were very effective in increasing the restingpotential,while green light was almost ineffective. These differenteffectsof color lights were in good agreement with their effectsinincreasing the osmotic value of the cell.
5. The photoelectricresponse was not affected by phenylurethane,which, on the otherhand, strongly inhibited the light-inducedion absorption.
6. Theuptake of ions by the cell from the external medium intothevacuole is assumed to proceed in two different steps: thefirstis the process involving the ion movements across theoutermostplasmalemma, and the second is that involved in thetransportof ions through the cytoplasmic layer and tonoplast.The formerprocess is considered to be influenced by the increasein restingpotential probably caused by the light absorbed bychlorophyll.The process was, however, suggested to be independentof photosynthesis.On the other hand, the latter process issupposed to be relatedto photosynthesis. A discussion was madealong this line.

(Received July 26, 1962; )     

Crystallization and some properties of cryptocytochrome c from aerobically-grown Pseudomonas denitrificans

1. 1. Analyses of cytochrome types in intact cells of aerobically-and anaerobically-grownPs. denitrificans indicated a higherratio of cytochrome c to cytochrome b in the former than inthe latter.
2. 2. Anaerobically-grown cells contained about twotimes as muchcryptocytochrome c as did aerobically-grown cells.
3. 3. Crystalline cryptocytochrome c obtained from the solublefraction of cell-free extracts of aerobically-grown cells manifestedthe same properties as cryptocytochrome c from anaerobically-growncells, i. e., absorption maxima, autooxidizability, redox potential,molecular weight, haem content, etc.
4. 4. Cryptocytochrome cwas reversibly converted to a true haemochrometype spectrumby alcohols, detergents, carboxylic acid salts,guanidine saltor high pH values.

(Received December 16, 1968; )     

The Growth-time Relationships of the Auxin- induced Growth in Avena Coleoptile Sections

1. 1. The growth rate of Avena coleoptile sections in the presenceof indoleacetic acid (IAA) is constant with time over a widerange of time intervals and IAA concentrations.
2. 2. Constancyof growth rate is dependent upon the maintenanceof constantconditions in which the concentration of IAA availableto thesection remains the chief factor limiting growth rate.
3. 3.Control of the pH of the medium in which the sections aregrownis essential to the maintenance of constant growth rate,particularlyin the presence of high concentrations of IAA.
4. 4. The lagperiod in establishment of steady growth rate bysections inthe presence of IAA is less than 10 minutes andis not detectableby present methods of measurement.

     

CHANGES IN HYDROGENASE ACTIVITY DURING THE SYNCHRONOUS GROWTH OF SCENEDESMUS OBLIQUUS D3

1. A fairly good synchronization of Scenedesmus cells was obtainedby transferring the cells grown in a medium containing a lowconcentration of iron into a medium containing relatively highconcentration of iron.
2. During the synchronous culture in themineral medium, a goodparallelism between the average cellvolume and hydrogenaseactivity was observed.
3. Effect of glucoseon the development of the hydrogenase activitywas variabledepending on the stage of algal growth.
4. Iron is essentialfor the development of the hydrogenase activityand glucosesupplementary.

¹On leave from Laboratory of Applied Botany, Faculty of Agriculture,Kyoto University, Kyoto.     

Studies on the destruction of indole-3-acetic acid by a species of Arthrobacter I. On the induction of the enzyme responsible for the destruction

1. The induction of an IAA-destroying enzyme in Arthrobacter sp.that can utilize IAA as its sole source of carbon and nitrogenwas investigated.
2. 1. The enzyme was most effectively inducedby 10–³ to2x10–³ M IAA, at pH 6.5.
3. 2. All testedIAA analogs were unable to induce the enzyme.Analogs otherthan indole-3-lactic acid were rather inhibitoryon the inductionwith IAA.
4. 3. The induction period was shortened with the ageof culturein both polypeptone and acetate media.
5. 4. Pretreatmentof the bacterium with IAA caused a shorteningof the inductionperiod.
6. 5. The induction was inhibited by various antibiotics,aminoacid analogs and nucleobase analogs.
7. 6. The inductionwas less remarkable in actively proliferatingcells than itwas in slowly proliferating ones.

(Received July 1, 1967; )     

MODE OF ACTION OF MALEIC HYDRAZIDE ON THE GROWTH OF ESCHERICHIA COLI AND AVENA COLEOPTILE SECTIONS

1. MH was found to suppress the growth and respiration of E. colias well as the IAA-induced growth of Avena coleoptile sections.
2. These suppressions could be reversed more or less strikinglyby the addition of a trace of heavy metals such as Co, Mn, Ni,Zn, Cu, or Mo.
3. The reversal could also be achieved by cysteine,thioglycollate,or fumarate, the latter two substances being,however, lesseffective.
4. The inhibition of the growth of E.coli by MH was completelyrelieved by the addition of IAA. Conversely,the inhibitionof the microbial growth by high concentrationsof IAA couldbe relieved by the addition of MH.
5. It was inferredthat MH may block certain heavy metal-catalyzedprocess, inwhich some thiol substance and IAA are participating,probablyby combining with the heavy metal.

(Received June 23, 1960; )     

ACID-SOLUBLE NUCLEOTIDES OF CHLAMYDOMONAS MOEWUSII, WILD TYPE AND A PARALYZED MUTANT

1. An attempt was made to correlate flagellar paralysis in theChlamydomonas mutant M. 1002 with some change in nucleotidemetabolism.
2. Cells of this mutant did not differ significantlyfrom wildtype in their ATP content.
3. Perchloric acid extractsof wild-type and mutant cells werecompared by gradient formateelution chromatography from Dowex-1columns.
4. Less nucleotidewas extracted from mutant cells than from wildtypecells.
5. The30-minute extracts of mutant cells contained a fraction(peak"B") absent from similar extracts of wild-type cells.This fractioncontained hypoxanthine, guanine, and an unidentifiedUV-absorbingcomponent.
6. It thus appears that flagellar paralysis in thiscase may becorrelated with an impairment in the metabolismof purine compounds.

(Received June 24, 1965; )     

Endophytic bacteria enhancing growth and disease resistance of potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)

Priming plants by non-pathogenic bacteria allows the host to save energy and to reduce time needed for development of defense reaction during a pathogen attack. However, information on the role of endophytes in plant defense is limited. Here, the ability of endophytic bacteria to promote growth and resistance of potato plants towards infection by the necrotroph Pectobacterium atrosepticum was studied. A Pseudomonas sp. strain was selected due to antagonism towards bacterial pathogens and a Methylobacterium sp. strain because of efficient plant colonization. The aim of this study was to find if there is any correlation between plant growth promotion and induction of resistance by endophytes of potato, as well as to study the putative mechanisms of endophytes interacting with the plant during resistance induction. Both tested strains promoted growth of potato shoots but only the Pseudomonas sp. increased potato resistance towards the soft rot disease. Induction of disease resistance by the Methylobacterium sp. was inversely proportional to the size of bacterial population used for inoculation. The plant antioxidant system was moderately activated during the induction of resistance by the biocontrol strains. qPCR data on expression of marker genes of induced systemic resistance and acquired systemic resistance in endophyte-infected Arabidopsis plants showed activation of both salicylic acid and jasmonate/ethylene-dependent pathways after challenge inoculation with the pathogen. We suggest that some endophytes have the potential to activate both basal and inducible plant defense systems, whereas the growth promotion by biocontrol strains may not correlate with induction of disease resistance.     

Light-induced changes in the fluorescence yield of chlorophyll a in Anacystis nidulans II. The fast changes and the effect of photosynthetic inhibitors on both the fast and slow fluorescence induction

1. The intensity dependence and spectral variations during thefast transient of chlorophyll a (Chl a) fluorescence have beenanalyzed in the blue-green alga Anacystis nidulans. (Unlikethe case of eukaryotic unicellular green or red algae, the fastfluorescence induction characteristics of the prokaryotic blue-greenalgae had not been documented before.)
2. Dark adapted cellsof Anacystis exhibit two types of fluctuationsin the fluorescenceyield when excited with bright orange light(absorbed mainlyin phycocyanin). The first kinetic patterncalled the fast (sec)fluorescence transient exhibits a characteristicoriginal levelO, intermediary hump I, a pronounced dip D, peakP and a transitorysmall decline to a quasi steady state S.After attaining S,fluorescence yield slowly rises to a maximumlevel M. From M,the decline in fluorescence yield to a terminalT level is extremelyslow as shown earlier by Papageorgiou andGovindjee (8). Ascompared with green and red algae, blue-greenalgae seem tohave a small PS decline and a very characteristicslow SM rise,with a M level much higher than the peak P.
3. A prolonged darkadaptation and relatively high intensity ofexciting illuminationare required to evoke DPS type yield fluctuationsin Anacystis.At low to moderate intensities of exciting light,the time forthe development of P depends on light doses, butfor M, thisremains constant at these intensities.
4. Fluorescence emissionwas heterogeneous during the inductionperiod in Anacystis;the P and the M levels were relativelyenriched in short-wavelengthsystem II Chi a emission as comparedto D and S levels.
5. Thefast DPS transient was found to be affected by electrontransportcofactor (methyl viologen), and inhibitors (e.g.,DCMU, NH₂OH)in a manner suggesting that these changes are mostlyrelatedto the oxido-reduction level of intermediates betweenthe twophotosystems. On the other hand, the slow SM changesin fluorescenceyield, as reported earlier (5, 15), paralleloxygen evolution.These changes were found to be resistant toa variety of electrontransport inhibitors (O-phenanthroline,HOQNO, salicylaldoxime,DCMU, NH₂OH and Antimycin a). It issuggested that, in Anacystis,even in the presence of so-calledinhibitors of cyclic electronflow, a "high energy state" isstill produced.
6. Measurementsof Chlorophyll a fluorescence and delayed lightemission inthe presence of both DCMU and NH₂OH indicate thatthe slow SMchanges are not due to the recovery of the reactioncenter IIin darkness preceeding illumination.
7. Our results, thus, suggestthat in Anacystis a net electrontransport supported oxidation-reductionstate of the quencherQ regulates only partially the developmentof the DPS transient,but the development of the slow fluorescenceyield changes seemsnot to be regulated by these reactions.It appears, from datapresented elsewhere, that the slow risein the yield resultsdue to a structural modification of thethylakoid membrane.

¹We are grateful to the National Science Foundation for financialsupport. (Received November 21, 1972; )     

The Isolation of l-Quinic Acid from the Apple Fruit

1. A method is described by means of which several grammes ofl-quinicacid were isolated from young fruits of the WorcesterPearmainapple stored for a number of days in nitrogen.
2. Theessential stages in the method are the removal of colouringmatter from extracts of the frozen ground pulp tissue of thefruit with charcoal, the removal of amino acids by absorptionon cation exchange resin, and the separation of the organicacid from sugars by adsorption of the former on anion exchangeresin. Finally, the quinic acid was separated from malic acidby fractional displacement from the anion exchange resin.
3. Thecharacterization of the isolated quinic acid, and of malicacidalso isolated from the fruits, is described.
4. Citric acid isshown to be formed by oxidation of quinic acidwith hot hydrogenperoxide.
5. The possible function of quinic acid in the applefruit andin plants generally is discussed.