Morphological and anatomical features of Cuscuta pedicellata and C. campestris

Observations on morphological and anatomical features of Cuscuta pedicellata and, to a lesser extent, C. campestris have been made at different stages of their life-cycles. The seedling is filiform with a bulbous radicular end which collapses early. The simple shoot apex is green and photosentitive. Initial "nutation" is followed by "creeping" over the substrate. Host plants less than about three weeks old seem not to be attacked by Cuscuta seedlings. When haustorial contact is established the shoot apex differentiates into buds and scale leaves. The chlorophyll disappears and stomata, which are lacking in the seedling, develop. The apical growth rate increases strongly by frequent cell division and - elongation. This is reflected anatomically by the formation of "cell families" in rows. Weakening and flowering of the host plants are followed by flowering of the parasite. Greening of stem segments of Cuscuta occurs during formation of haustoria and after death of the host. Stem anatomy is characterized by a tripartite cortex in which the middle layer consists of thin-walled angular cells. Characteristic are also the voluminuous intercellular spaces, the cortical and perivascular laticifers, and the central position of the small vascular bundles. Observations on self-parasitism were made. The epidermis of the haustorial cushion elongates and the cytoplasm is mainly positioned towards the host. Pseudo-intercellular spaces are formed between the epidermal cells. The haustorium connects the phloem of the two plants, but vascular elements of any kind have not been observed.     

Seed structure and germination in Cuscuta pedicellata with some notes on C. campestris

Dry seeds of Cuscuta pedicellata have a deeply pitted surface due to invaginated epidermal cell walls. After water uptake these walls bulge outwards and the seed surface becomes papillose. The seed coat consists of an epidermis, two palissade cell layers, and a multiple layer of parenchyma cells. The epidermis contains starch and mucilage, the parenchyma cells are compressed but some contain starch. The endosperm consists of starch–filled cells, but has a peripheral aleuron layer. The endosperm cell walls are gelatinous. The variable structure of the seed coat epidermis is believed to function in wind dispersal and rapid water uptake. Seed dormancy is common in the genus, but does apparently not occur in C. pedicellata.     

Phytochemical,Free Radical Scavenging and Antifungal Profile of Cuscuta campestris Yunck. Seeds

This work was conceptualized with the goal to investigate the phytochemical, free radical scavenging and antifungal profile of Cuscuta campestrisYunck . seeds. Total phenolics, amino acid and carbohydrate contents were evaluated in ethanolic, acetone and chloroform extract. Effective antioxidant activity was evaluated throughout seven antioxidant methods. The antifungal activity was assessed against eight fungal strains and Candida albicans. The results showed total phenol, flavonoid, flavonols and phenolic acids contents in amount of 1.51 – 6.35 mg GAE/mL, 78 – 425 μg RU/mL, 1.04 – 2.98 mg QU/g and 12.01 – 30.58 μg CAE/mL, respectively. The total amino acids and carbohydrates content ranged from 8.29 to 185.45 μg Gly/mL and from 0.05 to 0.12 μg Glu/mL. The ethanolic extract showed the best antioxidant activity in phosphomolybdenum, DPPH free radical scavenging, ferric reducing power and lipid peroxidation assays. The best activity in ferrous ion chelating and H₂O₂ assays had the acetone extract, whereas the best hydroxyl radical scavenging activity was observed with the chloroform extract. The ethanolic extract at a concentration of 6 mg/mL proved to be the most effective antimycotic, since it inhibited the growth of all tested fungi except Penicillium verrucosum. The obtained results indicate that C. campestris seeds could be attributed to a potential source of natural antioxidants in food and pharmaceutical products.     

丙型肝炎病毒免疫电镜的初步研究

采用组织匀浆免疫沉淀后负染、免疫组化块染后包埋、原位包埋等免疫电镜技术,研究丙型肝炎病毒（ＨＣＶ）。组织匀浆、免疫沉定、负染后在电镜下观察到与ＨＣＶ相关的类病毒颗粒,形态与披膜病毒相似,大小多在５５～６５ｎｍ,圆形,有包膜,边缘略有突起或比较平滑,有胶体金结合在此种颗粒上及其周围。无关单抗阴性对照无类似颗粒及胶体金。免疫酶染电镜下还见到成堆可疑颗粒。此外,ＨＣＶ－Ｅ区抗原染色后原位包埋,尚发现胶体金大多结合于大小５０ｎｍ左右圆形结构的内部,表明Ｅ区单抗针对的特异性抗原位点位于这种结构的内侧。     

Ultrastructural Studies of Hepatitis A Virus by Electron Microscopy

Well-defined, core-like structures were visualized in hepatitis A virus particles by a modified microelectron microscopy technique.     

Literature Review: The Scanning Electron Microscopy of Fossil Seeds

The monograph on Miocene fruits and seeds from Denmark by E.M. Friis (1985) is reviewed. Many of the SEM pictures in thiswork show varying stages of degradation of the exotesta whichraise problems in the interpretation of surface features ofthe fossil seeds revealed by SEM. The stages of exotesta degradationhave been produced experimentally with ultrasonics on Recentseeds of the Theaceae, and show how surface features which areregarded as taxonomically useful may be affected by such treatment.     

黄缘盒龟血细胞亚显微结构的电镜观察分析

通过电镜对黄缘盒龟血细胞亚显微形态结构的扫描和透射观察,并与中华鳖比较,发现这一较古老的爬行动物红细胞均呈椭圆型形态,与后者具类似性,但细胞的大小有差异,反映在不同深度水域中载氧能力的显著不同,虽然具有成群的凝血细胞,但后者的这类细胞尚无明显的形态特征,反映凝血功能的不完全性,前者粒细胞外周形态的不规则,而后者的彼此无差异,提示不同环境下免疫力的不同。     

Spectroscopic and Scanning Electron Microscopy Studies of Bioaccumulation of Pollutants by Algae

The ability of Chlorella species and two other algal blooms collected locally to take up Cu⁺² and Ni⁺² was investigated using infrared and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) data. The percentage of metal uptake was determined with atomic absorption spectroscopy. The effects of pH and initial concentrations of metal ions on bioaccumulation were examined. The uptake of methyl orange dye by Chlorella species was also studied using Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherms.     

Techniques for Preparing Seeds with Water-Impermeable Coats for Light and Electron Microscopy

An improved method for fixing and embedding seeds with impermeable coats for microscopic study has been developed. Entry portals are cut into seed coats to permit better penetration of fixative. This makes it possible to obtain semithin sections of whole seeds for light microscopy and thin sections of selected areas for electron microscopy. Seed tissues may thereby be studied relative to their position in the seed and to surrounding tissues. This permits studies of imbibition and developmental morphology of seeds in histological and cytological detail previously possible only with soft or dissected seeds.     

Transmission Electron Microscopy of Tissue Prepared for Scanning Electron Microscopy by Ethanol-Cryofracturing

Tissue processed for scanning electron microscopy by ethanol-cryofracturing combined with critical point drying was embedded and sectioned for transmission electron microscopy. Study of sections cut in a plane passing through the fracture edge indicated that preservation of cellular fine structure of fractured cells was excellent. Even at the most peripheral edge of the fracture there was no evidence that movement of cytoplasmic components occurred to distort the original structural organization of fractured cells. Lack of cytoplasmic detail in ethanol-cryofractographs has been due more to the nature of the fracturing of the tissue and to the obscuring effects of the metal coating than to structural deformation at the fracture edge or to limitations in resolving power of the scanning electron microscope used.     

Ultrastructural Studies on Development in Mature Seeds; Embryos of Euonymus europaea L. Dormant or Cultured at +25 ?C

Ultrastructural observations on naturally dispersed and dehydratedseeds of Euonymus europaea L. were performed. It was shown thatduring the culture of isolated embryos at 25 ?C for 7 d thematuration of protein bodies continued; the initial juvenileform (single protein body per cell with dispersed contents)was developing into a more advanced form (single body splitto form several sub-units with condensed contents). Parallelbiochemical determinations pointed to an increase in insolubleprotein levels. There were no changes in other storage organelles,lipid bodies, either in the fine structure or in the level oftriacylglycerols. Deterioration of cellular membranes (in mitochondria,proplastids and protein bodies) similar to that described forageing was observed in cells at the periphery of the embryonicaxis. It is concluded that during the culture of E. europaeaembryos the maturation programme of development in protein bodiesis being continued. Key words: Embryonic axis, storage protein and lipid body, maturation     

Electron Microscopy of Herpes Simplex Virus IV. Studies with Ferritin-conjugated Antibodies

Small aggregates of viral antigen were encountered in the nuclear matrix. The capsids did not tag with antibodies specific for the virus or for the host cell. This observation remains unexplained. Nuclear and cytoplasmic membranes, as well as the envelope of the virus, reacted with both types of antibodies and appear, therefore, to contain host cell and viral protein. Large amounts of viral antigen are synthesized within the cytoplasm. This antigen was either diffusely spread or localized at the surface of membranes. The surface of infected cells contains viral antigen, which accumulates as infection progresses. At circumscribed sites, the cell wall becomes altered antigenically and structurally so as to resemble the envelope of the virus. Hypotheses are presented regarding the manner in which cell fusion occurs.     

Localization of Somatic Antigen on Gram-Negative Bacteria by Electron Microscopy.

Shands, J. W. (University of Florida, Gainesville). Localization of somatic antigen on gram-negative bacteria by electron microscopy. J. Bacteriol. 90:266-270. 1965.-Antisera specific for the somatic antigens of Salmonella typhimurium and Escherichia coli O113 were prepared, and globulins isolated from these antisera were labeled with ferritin. Micrographs of labeled, sectioned bacteria show that somatic antigen is located in considerable quantities on the surface of the bacteria, and, furthermore, that it can extend up to 150 mmu beyond the confines of the cell wall. The arrangement of the ferritin on the bacteria suggests that the antigenic sites are located on fibrillar structures.     

寄生植物菟丝子防治外来种薇甘菊研究初探

利用寄生植物田野菟丝子(Cuscuta campestris Yunker)作为外来杂草薇甘菊(Mikania micrantha H．B．k)的生物防治手段,研究了田野菟丝子对薇甘菊的光合作用及生长的影响。结果表明：田野菟丝子寄生于薇甘菊30d左右,薇甘菊单株叶片数、地上茎长度和生物量开始减少,光合速率、蒸腾速率、气孔导度、叶绿素含量以及叶绿素荧光Fv／Fm也开始降低。经过约2个月时间,以上的几个生长指标和生理指标均显著降低。在野外自然状态下,田野菟丝子由最初撒播面积约0．0l辞,很快发展到20m。左右的大块面积,离侵染源中心的最大扩散距离达到5m以上。田野菟丝子寄生可以严重影响薇甘菊茎叶生长及开花结实,可望成为根本上解决薇甘菊危害的一种生物控制技术,而且也可以缓解药用菟丝子资源匮乏的问题。结合国内外最新进展,提出有关田野菟丝子与其寄主相互关系中亟待解决的几个问题。     

Use of Atomic Force Microscopy and Transmission Electron Microscopy for Correlative Studies of Bacterial Capsules

Bacteria can possess an outermost assembly of polysaccharide molecules, a capsule, which is attached to their cell wall. We have used two complementary, high-resolution microscopy techniques, atomic force microscopy (AFM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM), to study bacterial capsules of four different gram-negative bacterial strains: Escherichia coli K30, Pseudomonas aeruginosa FRD1, Shewanella oneidensis MR-4, and Geobacter sulfurreducens PCA. TEM analysis of bacterial cells using different preparative techniques (whole-cell mounts, conventional embeddings, and freeze-substitution) revealed capsules for some but not all of the strains. In contrast, the use of AFM allowed the unambiguous identification of the presence of capsules on all strains used in the present study, including those that were shown by TEM to be not encapsulated. In addition, the use of AFM phase imaging allowed the visualization of the bacterial cell within the capsule, with a depth sensitivity that decreased with increasing tapping frequency.     

Purification and Electron Microscopy Studies of a Probable Potyvirus from Polianthes tuberosa L.

A partial purification procedure is described for a flexuous filamentous virus from leaves of the ornamental crop tuberose (Polianthes tuberosa L.) exhibiting mottle symptoms. Particular problems associated with the purification included particle aggregation and the highly viscous nature of the plant sap. The former difficulty was partially alleviated by the addition of 1.0 M urea to the extraction buffer and the latter by treatment of the extract with cellulase. The mean virus particle length from negatively stained leaf dips was 742 nm (SD = 54) which is characteristic of viruses belonging to the potyvirus group. In addition, electron microscopy of thin sections of infected leaf tissue demonstrated the presence of several types of inclusion bodies similar in appearance to inclusions previously described in association with potyvirus infections in other plants.     

Effect of Gibberellin on Mature Euonymus europaeus L. Seeds

The release from dormancy of Euonvmus europaeus L embryos bya brief treatment with GA₃ has been studied During 48 h incubationof dormant embryos in GA-free medium, phospholipid levels increasedat first, then declined sharply over the last 6 h When the embryoswere placed in GA₃ medium during this 6 h period levels of totalphospholipids as well as of phosphatidylethanolamine increasedwhilst phosphatidylinositol and phosphatidylcholine declinedslightly Fine structural changes stimulated by a brief GA₃ treatmentwere of different character depending on tissue region (1) ‘destructive’changes occurred in the superficial procortical parenchyma onthe hypocotyl/radicle boundary, involving autolysis and decompartmentationof organelles, (2) ‘positive’ changes occurred inregions close to root and shoot apical meristems, involvingdegradation of protein bodies and their conversion into vacuoles,and the proliferation of various organelles A number of differenceswere noted when the changes in GA₃-treated embryos were comparedwith those induced by low temperature, which also overcomesdormancy The results suggest that germination is accompaniedby different cytological events depending on whether it is inducedby cold or GA₃ The growth of embryos in which dormancy was overcomeby GA3 was due to the activation of the apical root meristemclose to the quiescent centre, whilst in embryos in which germinationwas induced by low temperature, the periphery of hypotocotyl/radicleboundary was the site of activation Euonymus europaeus L, dormant embryo, fine structure, phospholipids, GA₃ and cold treatments     

Studies on RNA in the Metaphase Chromosome of Zea mays by Electron Microscopy in Situ Hybridization

In situ hybridization using biotinylated cDNA probes of 18S rRNA, 5S rRNA, tRNAfMet, tRNAcys, tRNAAsn was performed on ultra-thin sections of K4M-embedded maize root tip. After hybridization, the biotinylated hybrids were detected with avidin coupled to 10 nm gold particles and then examined under the electron microscopy. The results showed that 18S rRNA, 5S rRNA and tRNA all existed in the metaphase chromosomes at random. They were distributed not only in the interior of the chromosomes, but also in the periphery of the chromosomes. Three tRNAs and 5S rRNA in the chromosomes were equal in amount to that in the cytoplasm, but the amount of 18S rRNA in the chromosomes was much higher than that in the cytoplasm. These results indicated that a part of the RNAs in the chromosomes came from the nucleolus, while others came from the nucleoplasm.