大葱胚和胚乳的发育

观察了“章丘大葱”胚珠、胚囊的结构,胚及胚乳的发育。胚发育属紫菀型,经历球胚前的原胚、球胚、椭形胚、凹形胚、长棒形胚及弯形成熟胚等各期。宿存助细胞生存到球形胚期。胚乳发育属核型。球胚晚期,在胚褒珠孔端及合点端,胚乳开始细胞化。由于游离核之间出现了垂周壁,由一层胚乳游离核形成了一层无内切向壁的“开放细胞”。“开放细胞”行平周分裂而形成两层细胞,外层为完整细胞,内层为新的“开放细胞”。如此多次分裂,向心增生胚乳细胞,最后将中央细胞填满。初始的垂周壁来自于间期游离核之间的细胞板,非“自由生长壁”但又未见明显的成膜体。初始的平周壁是正常有丝分裂的胞质分裂的结果,与成膜体,细胞板有关。在球胚晚期,胚乳细胞化后,在中央液泡内观察到游离细胞。     

BRANCHING PATTERN IN ONION ADVENTITIOUS ROOTS

The pattern of topographic distribution of lateral roots (LRs) along the adventitious root of Allium cepa L. was studied in relation to the adventitious root vascular system. In the onion LRs arise in vertical files opposite the protoxylem poles, thus forming protoxylem-based ranks of LRs along the mother root. Two protoxylem-based ranks are shown to support large numbers of LRs, whereas the remaining ranks are considerably less prolific. Within each rank short distances between longitudinal neighbor LRs are uncommon. The results suggest that the developing LR influences the location of subsequent LRs forming in the same protoxylem-based rank. The frequency with which longitudinal neighbor LRs formed in adjacent protoxylem-based ranks was significantly high, whereas their appearance in the same rank or in nonadjacent ranks was more restricted. Similarly, the existence of nonrandom clumps of LRs could be demonstrated at certain levels of the adventitious root. The possible effects of interaction between protoxylem-based ranks of LRs as well as likely agents operating from the parent root vascular system are discussed insofar as they represent factors favoring the clumping of LRs.     

ISOLATION AND ELECTROPHORETIC IDENTIFICATION OF HISTONES OF RAT BRAIN AND LIVER

Abstract—

• 1 Relatively pure brain nuclei were prepared on a discontinuous sucrose gradient which gave yields of between 40 and 60 per cent.
• 2 An extraction procedure has been developed for the isolation of total histones from brain and liver nuclei. This procedure is also applicable to the isolation of histones directly from whole brain and liver.
• 3 The electrophoretic pattern of histones prepared from brain and liver by the above procedure was similar to that of calf thymus histones.

     

ULTRASTRUCTURE OF ONION ROOTS INFECTED WITH PYRENOCHAETA TERRESTRIS,A FUNGUS PARASITE

Onion roots of varieties ‘951’ and ‘Excel’ were infected under artificial conditions by a virulent isolate of the onion pink-root fungus, Pyrenochaeta terrestris. Roots of variety ‘951’ were penetrated initially at the tip while roots of variety ‘Excel’ were penetrated initially 2 cm or more back from the tip. Ultrastructural observations of infected roots of both varieties indicated that the fungus penetrated primarily or entirely by dissolution of host cell walls, rather than by pressure of fungal cells. In both varieties the fungus caused cell disruption one to several cells in advance of the fungus. In addition, the same isolate of the pink-root fungus was grown on paper consisting primarily of gymnosperm cells. The remnants of cell walls were dissolved by the fungus with no evidence of physical pressure by the fungus.     

HISTONES OF GENETICALLY ACTIVE AND INACTIVE CHROMATIN

It has frequently been proposed that a variation in the relative content of lysine-rich, moderately lysine-rich, and arginine-rich histones might provide a mechanism by which specific portions of the genome may be genetically regulated. This possibility was investigated by comparing the electrophoretic pattern of these three fractions in cells differing markedly in their content of genetically active and genetically inactive chromatin. Three models were used: heterochromatin versus euchromatin; metaphase cells versus interphase cells, and mature lymphocytes versus phytohemagglutinin-stimulated lymphocytes. In no case was there a significant difference in the histone patterns of these contrasting models. It is concluded that, although histones may act as a generalized repressor and structural component of chromatin, factors other than a variation in histone pattern may be responsible for repression or derepression of specific segments of the genome.     

海洋游仆虫细胞核染色质组分和组蛋白的初步研究

收集海洋游仆虫(Euplotes vannus)的细胞,制备其染色质。稀酸抽提染色质得到的组蛋白经聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳、SDS-聚丙烯酰胺梯度凝胶电泳、等电点聚焦和氨基酸分析等方法测定,其核染色质中组蛋白占核总蛋白的69.6％;DNA:RNA:组蛋白:非组蛋白为1∶0.022∶1.1∶0.047。染色质的全组蛋白由16种氨基酸组成,碱性氨基酸与酸性氨基酸之比为1.06∶1,是一种弱碱性蛋白质。等电点为pH8.1—9.15,分子量为10,500—22,000道尔顿。     

IN VIVO METHYLATION AND TURNOVER OF RAT BRAIN HISTONES

Abstract— The turnover of the different histone components from brain nuclei was studied after the administration of l -[³H]lysine and l -[¹⁴C-methyl]methionine to newborn rats. The radioactivities of the different histone subfractions as well as other proteins were determined over a 280-day period. Biphasic type decay curves (³H and ¹⁴C) were obtained for total brain histones and all the subfractions. From 6 to 40 days of age the half life of total brain histones was 19 days. After reaching brain maturity the half life was 132 days. The lysine rich histone (F₁) was found to turnover the fastest of all the histones, having half lives of 13 and 112 days, respectively. The decay curve for the slightly lysine rich histones (F_2a2, F_2b) gave half lives of 25 days up to 40 days of age and 189 days after reaching brain maturity. The arginine rich histones (F_2a1, F₃) gave a half life of 32 days up to 40 days of age, while no turnover was observed after maturity. The turnover rates of the methyl groups and/or methionyl residues did not vary significantly from the turnover rates of the lysyl residues in the F₂ and F₃ histones. The lysine-rich histones did not contain significant amounts of methionyl residues or methyl groups.
Amino acid analysis of the brain histones revealed that about 3·6 per cent of the lysyl residues in the slightly lysine rich histones were methylated, mainly as ε-N-dimethyllysine. About 13 per cent of the lysyl residues in the arginine rich histones were methylated, mainly as ε-N-monomethyllysine and ε-N-dimethyllysine.     

GREEN AUTOFLUORESCENCE OF DINOFLAGELLATE CYSTS CAN BE USED INSTEAD OF PRIMULINE STAINING FOR CYST VISUALIZATION AND ENUMERATION IN SEDIMENTS1

Primuline staining is widely used to visualize and enumerate dinoflagellate cysts in marine sediments. In staining cysts of Gymnodinium catenatum H. W. Graham, Scrippsiella trochoidea (F. Stein) A. R. Loebl., and cysts from estuarine sediments, we found their green fluorescence after primuline treatment to be seemingly no different from the green autofluorescence (GAF) inherent in vegetative cells and cysts of dinoflagellates fixed in formaldehyde. Although primuline subsequently proved to enhance green fluorescence of both species quantitatively, we nonetheless recommend taking advantage of dinoflagellates' GAF to detect and count their cysts in sediments. Doing so will reduce the time, chemical consumption, and possible loss of cells involved in the primuline‐staining procedure.