Theoretical models of cellular dielectrophoresis

Dielectrophoresis, the motion of neutral particles induced by a non-uniform electric field, is useful in separating and comparing single-celled organisms. The rate of dielectrophoretic collection in a region of higher field, called the “yield”, depends strongly upon the physiological state of the organism, upon the frequency of the field, and upon the conductivity of the suspending medium. The resulting yield spectrum is complex.     

Prevention by uncouplers of lipophilic chelator inhibition at three sites of mitochondrial electron transport

Inhibition of coupled electron transport in mitochondrial cristae by hydrophobic chelators such as bathophenanthroline is partially prevented by uncoupling agents such as carbonylcyanide-m-chlorophenyl hydrazone. Reversal of inhibition is observed in all three sections of the electron transport chain where energy coupling occurs. Sites inhibited by hydrophilic bathophenanthroline sulfonate or orthophenanthroline do not show uncoupler relief of inhibition. We conclude that a buried non-heme iron or copper protein is closely associated with each energy coupling site.     

Biosynthesis and accumulation of microgram quantities of chlorophyll by developing chloroplasts in vitro

Developing chloroplasts were incubated under conditions previously shown to induce protochlorophyll and chlorophyll biosynthesis, as well as chloroplast maintenance and partial differentiation in vitro. In the presence of air, δ-aminolevulinic acid, coenzyme A, glutathione, potassium phosphate, methyl alcohol, magnesium, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide, and adenosine triphosphate, microgram quantities of chlorophyll accumulated after 1 hour of incubation. Part of the chlorophyll was not extractable in organic solvents; it is referred to as bound chlorophyll. The amount of bound chlorophyll depended on the degree of cotyledon greening at the time of plastid isolation. Etioplasts with or without a lag phase of chlorophyll biosynthesis synthesized nonphototransformable protochlorophyll and smaller amounts of extractable chlorophyll. As the greening of excised cotyledons progressed, more of the chlorophyll became bound before and after in vitro incubation. It is suggested that this increase in the fraction of bound chlorophyll reflects the biosynthesis of membrane-bound chlorophyll receptor sites. In the absence of cofactors, chlorophyll biosynthesis was blocked and porphyrins accumulated, indicating damage of the chlorophyll biosynthetic chain. It is concluded that chlorophyll accumulation constitutes a potentially convenient tool for the study of thylakoid membrane biogenesis in vitro.