NOTES ON CLADOPHORA (CHLOROPHYCEAE). II. CLADOPHORA CATENATA (LINNAEUS) KÜTZ., 1843, EMEND. V. D. HOEK, 1963

The species name Cladophora catenata (L.) Kütz. emend, van den Hoek has priority over Cladophora fuliginosa Kütz.     

Acid-soluble nucleotides of pinto bean leaves at different stages of development

Acid-soluble nucleotides of unifoliate leaves of Pinto bean plants (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) were determined at young, mature, and senescent stages of development. At least 25 components could be distinguished on the basis of inorganic phosphorus determinations and 37 or more fractions on the basis of ³²P labeling, with adenosine di- and triphosphates accounting for 60% of the total moles of nucleotide. The total nucleotide P and inorganic P, on a fresh weight basis, decreased about 44% between each stage of leaf development, but decrements in the levels of individual nucleotides varied from this over-all pattern.     

Compartmentation of glutamate metabolism in brain. Evidence for the existence of two different tricarboxylic acid cycles in brain

1. (14)C from [1-(14)C]glucose injected intraperitoneally into mice is incorporated into glutamate, aspartate and glutamine in the brain to a much greater extent than (14)C from [2-(14)C]glucose. This difference for [1-(14)C]glucose and [2-(14)C]glucose increases with time. The amount of (14)C in C-1 of glutamate increases steadily with time with both precursors. It is suggested that a large part of the glutamate and aspartate pools in brain are in close contact with intermediates of a fast-turning tricarboxylic acid cycle. 2. (14)C from [1-(14)C]acetate and [2-(14)C]acetate is incorporated to a much larger extent into glutamine than into glutamate. An examination of the time-course of (14)C incorporated into glutamine and glutamate reveals that glutamine is not formed from the glutamate pool, labelled extensively by glucose, but from a small glutamate pool. This small glutamate pool is not derived from an intermediate of a fast-turning tricarboxylic acid cycle. 3. It is proposed that two different tricarboxylic acid cycles exist in brain.     

The ultrastructure of the marine blue green alga,Trichodesmium erythraeum,with special reference to the cell wall,gas vacuoles,and cylindrical bodies

Summary The marine blue green alga, Trichodesmium erythraeum, was studied with electron microscopy in an attempt to elucidate the structural basis for its rapid lysis when removed from its marine environment. In this connection, it was found that a thining of the electron-dense layer of the longitudinal wall at the site adjacent to transverse wall attachment was responsible for lysis. The underlying biochemical basis for this change has not been elucidated because of the extreme difficulties of maintaining and growing the alga in culture under defined conditions. Several other features of considerable interest also were found. Especially interesting is the very regular array of gas vacuoles in the form of a hollow cylinder which shields most of the photosynthetic system. It was suggested that the gas vacuoles might possibly function optically, having adaptive value in protecting the free-floating alga from excessive radiation. In addition, a detailed structure of the cylindrical bodies was presented, and its structure with the photosynthetic lamellae was compared. On the basis of sectoring to form fragments of double lamellar units from the cylindrical body which are identical in structure to the photosynthetic lamellae, it has been postulated that the cylindrical body may be the site of synthesis for the photosynthetic system in Trichodesmium erythraeum.     

Influence of photoperiod and temperature on testicular recrudescence and body growth in the lizards, Lacerta sicula and Lacerta muralis

Annual testicular cycles in the lizards Lacerta sicula and L. muralis appear to be regulated by the interaction between seasonal changes in body temperature and an endogenous rhythmicity in thermal responsiveness. Photoperiodism does not appear to be an important factor; i.e. testicular activity does not appear to be regulated by daylength.
Following testicular regression in July, the lizards are refractory to sexual stimulation by high temperatures (i.e. normal preferred levels) for about five months. High temperatures accelerate gonadal regression and prevent recrudescence during late summer. Reduced temperatures stimulate testicular enlargement and spermatid formation during the autumn; this recrudescence can be blocked by treatment with testosterone. Very low temperatures suppress gonadal activity during mid-winter.
Maintenance of lizards at constant high temperatures (33°C) starting in July suppresses testicular recrudescence until December. Also, testicular collapse occurs in lizards transferred to high temperatures after recrudescence has started. The gonads are stimulated by exogenous gonadotropins at 33°C during the fall indicating that high temperatures reduce circulating levels of gonadotropins.
The refractoriness to high temperatures is "spontaneously" terminated during midwinter (December) under a wide range of photo-thermal conditions. Low temperatures may accelerate the termination of refractoriness. Thereafter, high temperatures stimulate, and are required for the final development of the testes and accessory sexual structures. Thus, the increase in body temperature following hibernation times the onset of breeding in the spring.
Temperature also has a marked influence on appetite and growth, independent of photo-period. Weight gains are greater at 33° than at 20°C. At 33° there is a tendency for abdominal fat bodies to enlarge but with little hepatic growth; whereas, the reverse occurs at 20°C.