Endopeptidase Activity of Phage λ-Endolysin

JACOB and Fuerst^1,2 demonstrated the presence of a bacteriolytic enzyme (λ-endolysin) in the induced cultures of lysogenic Escherichia coli K12 (λ). The enzyme was later identified as the product of gene R; of phage λ³ which is involved in bacterial lysis at the end of a latent period. The enzyme is apt to form spheroplast-like structures in E. coli² and one would therefore expect its substrate to be murein.     

Effects of the new antifungal antibiotic mucidin

The antibiotic activity of the antifungal substance mucidin was compared with the activity of nystatin and pimaricin. The antibiotics were tested by the plate method using 19 fungal species, mainly phytopathogenic ones. Toward 14 species, mucidin was ten times more active than nystatin and pimaricin, toward 5 species the activities were roughly the same. The antibiotics differed also in the sharpness of the inhibition zone boundaries.     

On the interaction of growth retardants with IAA and kinetin

In the pea test a highly positive response to the treatment with IAA reversed to a negative one or became 5 to 6 times weaker when CCC was applied together with IAA. In cultivating pea seedlings, following their decapitation, for two days in a 0.25 per cent CCC solution and then in water, growth of their cotyledonous axillaries (cotylaries) were inhibited. This inhibitive action of CCC could be made ineffective when the seedlings, following two-days’ cultivation in the CCC solution, were grown further in kinetin solutions (0.37–3 mg per 1). Cotylaries of decapitated pea seedlings, when grown in kinetin solutions were inhibited. With kinetin solutions of 6–12 mg/l a strong inhibition also occured in the growth of roots at the apical parts of which spherical swellings were developing. The CCC supplied to the roots of intact etiolated pea seedlings is translocated acropetally into the stem at a rate of about 5 cm per hour. Decapitation of the plant causes retardation of this transport, yet a coat of 0.00001–1% IAA or kinetin paste produces acceleration of the stream. Existence of an antagonism between CCC and IAA, demonstrated earlier, was found holding true also for B-9 (N, N-dimethyl-aminesuccinamic acid) and IAA, as the inhibitive action of B-9, 0.06% solution on the growth of lettuce hypocotyls was reduced to a highly significant degree when the plants were supplied with B-9 together with IAA at a concentration of 10 mg/l.     

Antibacterially active substances

Synthesis of two hydroxy-derivatives of nalidixic acid as a result of microbial transformation was demonstrated in certain species of the genusAspergillus. Aspergillus alliaceus produced 7-hydroxy-nalidixic acid andAspergillus niger 6-hydroxy-nalidixic acid. It was demonstrated that the antibacterial activity of both hydroxy-derivatives (tested inEscherichia coli) was lower than that of the initial nalidixis acid.     

Neue oder wenig bekannte Flechten in der Tschechoslowakei. I

Es werden 28 Arten von lichenisierten Fungi (Flechten) mit kritischen taxonomischen Hinweisen oder Ergänzungen zu den in der Literatur vorhandenen Beschreibungen, oft mit chorologischen Bemerkungen und Angaben über die ökologischen Verhältnisse ihrer Standorte angeführt, von denen die nachgenannten Arten und Namenskombinationen neu sind:Verrucaria scabra Vězda sp. n.,Geisleria xylophila Vězda sp. n.,Toninia steineri Poelt etVězda sp. n.,Pachyascus byssaceus (Vězda) Vězda comb. n. undMicarea gomphillacea (Nyl.) Vězda comb. n.     

Peroxidases of different parts of the pumpkin plant (Cucurbita pepo L.)

We compared the occurrence of peroxidase isozymes in protein extract from roots, hypocotyls and cotyledons of 10 dayCucurbita pepo plants and of adult leaves of older plants by means of starch gel and polyacryl amide gel electrophoresis. We reached maximum discrimination by means of starch gel electrophoresis: 11 zones were ascertained on the cathode side and about 2 on the anode side at pH 3.1. Two zones occurred regularly:A and (the latter having a more complicated structure). ZoneD is characteristic for roots, but is it suppressed and seldom found with leaves. On the other hand zonesC ₁ andC ₂ are clearly discernible with leaves but are substantially less evident with roots. The character of anodic zoneZ is discussed later in this paper.