A microassay for detection of DNA and RNA in small numbers of plant cells

Summary A microtechnique for the detection of DNA or RNA in small numbers of plant cells (1–50) has been developed using cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV) infection of turnip as a model system. Both DNA and RNA extracted from 10 mesophyll protoplasts from CaMV-infected plants can be detected by hybridization using a radioactive probe made from cloned CaMV DNA (pCaMV10). No hybridization above background was detected in extracts of protoplasts from uninfected plants. At least 0.15 pg (11 000 molecules) of purified pCaMV10 DNA can be detected. This method is superior to existing macro techniques for nucleic acid detection as smaller amounts of tissue are required and the detection is approximately 100-fold more sensitive. re]19850326 rv]19850530 ac]19850611     

Occurrence of a microcanalicular system within the ossicles and dermal tissue of Asterias rubens and Marthasterias glacialis (Echinodermata: Asteroidea)

Summary A microcanalicular network is demonstrated within the ossicle stroma and the dermal tissue of two asteroid species. Microcanaliculi are presumed to be mesodermal structures. They consist of convoluted tubular ducts lined by epithelial cells associated with scattered basiepithelial nervous processes. Such a microcanalicular system has not been reported previously from any echinoderm species. Its discovery in asteroids entails some conceptual changes, especially considering the physiology of the body wall.Research assistants of the National Fund for Scientific Research (NFSR, Belgium)     

The phytosociology of British sea-cliff vegetation with special reference to the ecophysiology of some maritime cliff plants

The major factors thought to control the distribution of associations on the sea cliffs in Britain are discussed in relation to the zonation of cliff vegetation, and some experiments to investigate the effects of these factors are described.The seeds of the maritime cliff species are able to germinate in higher salinities than those of closely related inland species.Relative growth rates of maritime cliff species indicate stimulation at low salinities over non-saline conditions, and less reduction in growth at higher salinities than those of closely related inland species.Increasing salinity reduces both photosynthesis and dark respiration in Lavatera arborea. Mesophyll and stomatal resistances are increased while transpiration is reduced.The distribution of ions within Lavatera arborea grown at different salinities indicates differential accumulation between young leaves, old leaves and roots.Nomenclature follows Clapham, Tutin & Warburg (1962).     

Cross-modal identification: Effects of contingent changes in the stimulus series

Two computer controlled experiments in an olfactory cross-modal matching task, using two-component odour mixtures matched against bar diagrams, were designed so that stimulus presentation was contingent upon the recent performance of the subject; stimuli that were relatively poorly (in experiment 1) or well (in experiment 2) matched were more frequently presented. Analysis shows that the autoregressive structure of the performance is modified by such contingent presentation and that there is a weak relationship between transmitted information in matching and the time series structure of the matching errors. It is suggested that the process is nonlinear.     

The effect of ampicillin and tylosin on the faecal enterococci of healthy young chickens

Enterococcal isolates from young chickens were differentiated into one of three species, namely Enterococcus faecalis, Ent. faecium and Ent. gallinarum . The proportion of each species among the enterococcal population changed with time in birds not dosed with antibiotics. This pattern of change was modified in birds dosed with either tylosin or ampicillin even though ampicillin did not select for ampicillin resistance among the enterococcal population. A gradual increase in tylosin resistance was recorded with time among the enterococci of the 'undosed' control birds. This was associated with an increase in the proportion of Ent. faecium , a species commonly resistant to tylosin, among the enterococci of the birds as they grew older.     

Mechanism of proton-pumping in the cytochrome b/f complex

Several models have been proposed to interpret the mechanism of proton-pumping associated with the electron transfer reactions in the cytochrome b/f complex. Energetics considerations suggest that the proton pump is coupled to the oxidation of cytochrome b by plastoquinone. Experiments performed in living cells under anaerobic conditions suggest that proton-pumping can occur through two independent mechanisms. When the two b cytochromes are reduced prior to a flash illumination i.e. after a long dark anaerobic incubation (>10 minutes), proton-pumping is very likely associated with the reduction of a semiquinone by cyt b which occurs at a site close to the inner face of the membrane. The electrogenic phase is associated with the tranfer of protons via a transmembrane channel. This process is not inhibited by 2-n-nonyl-4-hydroxyquinoline N-oxide (NQNO). Under repetitive-flash or under aerobic conditions, proton-pumping occurs according to a modified Q-cycle mechanism, which is inhibited by NQNO.Dedicated to Prof. L.N.M. Duysens on the occasion of his retirement     

A reinvestigation of the Gn-RH (gonadotrophin-releasing hormone) systems in the goldfish brain using antibodies to salmon Gn-RH

Summary The organization of Gn-RH systems in the brain of teleosts has been investigated previously by immunohistochemistry using antibodies against the mammalian decapeptide which differs from the teleostean factor. Here, we report the distribution of immunoreactive Gn-RH in the brain of goldfish using antibodies against synthetic teleost peptide.Immunoreactive structures are found along a column extending from the rostral olfactory bulbs to the pituitary stalk. Cell bodies are observed within the olfactory nerves and bulbs, along the ventromedial telencephalon, the ventrolateral preoptic area and the latero-basal hypothalamus. Large perikarya are detected in the dorsal midbrain tegmentum, immediately caudal to the posterior commissure. A prominent pathway was traced from the cells located in the olfactory nerves through the medial olfactory tract and along all the perikarya described above to the pituitary stalk. In the pituitary, projections are restricted to the proximal pars distalis. A second immunoreactive pathway ascends more dorsally in the telencephalon and arches to the periventricular regions of the diencephalon. Part of this pathway forms a periventricular network in the dorsal and posterior hypothalamus, whereas other projections continue caudally to the medulla oblongata and the spinal cord. Lesions of the ventral preoptic area demonstrate that most of the fibers detected in the pituitary originate from the preoptic region.     

Enumeration of chlorine-stressed organisms with acridine orange 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride (AOINT)

Direct microscopic enumeration ofEnterobacter cloacae with the acridine orange 2-(p-iodophenyl)-3-(p-nitrophenyl)-5-phenyl tetrazolium chloride technique (AOINT) was compared with spread plate counts on nonselective media to establish the usefulness of the former technique in the enumeration of chlorine-stressed cells. Results indicate that the techniques are comparable when the organisms are not stressed. However, AOINT is more sensitive than are plate counts in the detection of chlorine-stressed cells.