Leaf microbodies (peroxisomes) and catalase localization in plants differing in their photosynthetic carbon pathways

Summary Kinetic studies of the uptake of hydroquinone--D-glucoside (arbutin) by excised roots of barley demonstrated that this compound is actively transported. Similar studies on the uptake of hydroquinone indicated that the latter compound enters the root tissues by diffusion. A concentration gradient favouring diffusion is maintained for at least three hours by the conversion of the aglucone to its correspondings glucoside. Hydroquinone, at a concentration of 5 mM, reduced uptake of ⁸⁶rubidium ion by approximately 30%.This work was supported by a grant from the National Research. Council of Canada     

Hormonal Regulation of Cell Elongation in the Hypocotyl of Rootless Soybean: An Evaluation of the Role of DNA Synthesis

A method was developed where soybean seedlings were grown without roots to study the influence of hormones of root origin on shoot growth. Excision of the root resulted in inhibition of apical section growth and DNA synthesis and inhibited elongating section growth. A synthetic cytokinin restored DNA synthesis in the apical section, but did not influence growth in either the apical or elongating sections. Low concentrations of gibberellin with the cytokinin restored growth in the apical section. Gibberellin alone was sufficient to restore growth in the elongating section.An inhibitor of DNA synthesis, 5-fluorodeoxyuridine, inhibited the increase in apical section DNA without inhibiting control or gibberellin-induced growth in the elongating section. Experiments with (14)C-thymidine resulted in no DNA labeling differences in the elongating section under conditions where gibberellin-induced elongation varied from 50% to 73% above controls. It was concluded that gibberellin-induced elongation in soybean hypocotyl occurred in the absence of DNA synthesis. Gibberellin does stimulate DNA synthesis in the apical tissue apart from its effect on cell elongation.Excised soybean hypocotyl elongated maximally at 10(-6)m auxin. At higher auxin concentrations, fresh weight and ethylene production increased, but elongation was reduced. Addition of GA to the higher auxin concentrations resulted in a 50% inhibition in auxin-induced ethylene production and resumption in maximal elongation. Added ethylene inhibited elongation 30% at 2 mul/l. Addition of up to 100 mul/l ethylene did not inhibit elongation with GA present in the incubation medium. Thus GA may counteract ehtylene inhibition of cell elongation in addition to inhibiting ethylene production in auxin-treated tissues.     

B12 Coenzyme-dependent Ribonucleotide Reductase in Rhizobium Species and the Effects of Cobalt Deficiency on the Activity of the Enzyme

This investigation revealed that the ribonucleotide reductases in extracts of Rhizobium leguminosarum, R. trifolii, R. phaseoli, R. japonicum, and R. meliloti 3DOal (ineffective in nitrogen fixation) are dependent upon B(12) coenzyme for activity. Rhizobium and certain Lactobacillus species are the only two groups of organisms known to contain B(12) coenzyme-dependent ribonucleotide reductases. Extracts of cobalt-deficient R. meliloti cells assayed in the presence of optimum B(12) coenzyme showed a 5- to 10-fold greater ribonucleotide reductase activity than comparable extracts from cells grown on a complete medium. Furthermore, cobalt-deficient cells were abnormally elongated and contained reduced contents of deoxyribonucleic acid. The addition of purified deoxyribonucleosides to cobalt-deficient cultures of R. meliloti failed to alleviate deficiency symptoms.     

Beneficial arthropod behavior mediated by airborne semiochemicals. VIII. Learning of host-related odors induced by a brief contact experience with host by-products inCotesia marginiventris (Cresson), a generalist larval parasitoid

Females of Cotesia marginiventris(Cresson), a generalist larval parasitoid, were observed to respond to host related odors in a four-arm olfactometer. The females were significantly more responsive to the odors after a brief contact experience with host-damaged leaves contaminated with host by products. During the experience, actual encounters with hosts were not required to improve subsequent responses to host-related odors. The response to odors of the plant-host complex with which parasitoids had experience was significantly higher than the response to odors of an alternative plant-host complex. This suggests that the experience effect is due, at least partly, to associative learning. We suspect that females of this generalist parasitoid, as was recently found for those of a specialist, recognize specific semiochemicals when they contact frass of suitable host larvae. The parasitoids, subsequently, associate the surrounding odors with the possible presence of hosts, and use these odors as cues in their search for more hosts. This could be an important component in the host-searching behavior of many parasitoids.Mention of a proprietary product does not constitute an endorsement or the recommendation for its use by the USDA.     

A maximum likelihood approach to the detection of selection from a phylogeny

Summary A large amount of information is contained within the phylogentic relationships between species. In addition to their branching patterns it is also possible to examine other aspects of the biology of the species. The influence that deleterious selection might have is determined here. The likelihood of different phylogenies in the presence of selection is explored to determine the properties of such a likelihood surface. The calculation of likelihoods for a phylogeny in the presence and absence of selection, permits the application of a likelihood ratio test to search for selection. It is shown that even a single selected site can have a strong effect on the likelihood. The method is illustrated with an example fromDrosophila melanogaster and suggests that delerious selection may be acting on transposable elements.     

Monoclonal antibodies against alpha toxin of Clostridium perfringens

Ten distinct monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against alpha toxin of Clostridium perfringens were produced by the fusion of SP2/O with spleen cells of mice immunized with alpha toxoid, and alpha toxin mixed with or without ethylenediamine-tetraacetate (EDTA). The antibody activity was evaluated by antigen-binding activity in an enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), by phospholipase C (PLC)-neutralizing activity using both egg yolk lecithin and p-nitrophenylphosphoryl-choline (PNPPC) hydrolysis reactions and by anti-lethal activity in mice. Since the toxin-neutralizing activities of each MAb were not parallel, it has been suggested that the three biological activities may not be located in the same site in the toxin molecule. This report also describes the development of a simple purification of the toxin by affinity chromatography and a sensitive immunoassay for quantitation of the toxin using the monoclonal antibody.     

Use of Bioluminescence for Detection of Genetically Engineered Microorganisms Released into the Environment

The persistence and movement of strain JS414 of Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, which was genetically engineered to bioluminesce, were monitored during a limited field introduction. Bioluminescence and traditional dilution plate counts were determined. Strain JS414 was applied to cabbage plants and surrounding soil by mist inoculation, by wound inoculation, by scattering infested debris among plants, and by incorporating bacteria into the soil. Bioluminescent X. campestris pv. campestris was detected in plant samples and in the rhizosphere up to 6 weeks after inoculation. Movement to uninoculated plants was detected on one occasion, but movement from the immediate release area was not detected. Strain JS414 was detected in soil samples beneath mist- and wound-inoculated plants only at intentionally infested locations and in aerial samples only on the day of inoculation. Our bioluminescence methods proved to be as sensitive as plating methods for detecting the genetically engineered microorganisms in environmental samples. Our results demonstrate that transgenic incorporation of the luxCDABE operon provides a non-labor-intensive, sensitive detection method for monitoring genetically engineered microorganisms in nature.     

Hemolysis of rabbit erythrocytes in the presence of copper ions

The hemolysis of red blood cells (RBC) induced by Cu(II) is modified by ceruloplasmin (Cp) and albumin. The time course of hemolysis for rabbit RBC by Cu(II) consisted of two parts, an induction period followed by a catastrophic lysis period. The induction period decreased and the lysis rate increased with increasing Cu(II) concentration. Cp or albumin, modified Cu(II) induced hemolysis, by increasing the duration of the induction period and decreasing the overall rate of hemolysis of RBC. The catastrophic lysis period coincided with a sharp increase in the formation of metHb within the cell and in a rapid uptake of Cu(II). The presence of Cp led to an increase in the induction period prior to the rapid increase in metHb formation and in Cu(II) uptake. Porcine Cp was prepared with either two or three nonprosthetic copper binding sites (sites where Cu(II) is easily removed by passing over Chelex-100). Cp with three nonprosthetic binding sites gave more protection than Cp with two. Likewise, albumin can be prepared with three and five nonprosthetic copper binding sites. The albumin with five sites gave more protection than the albumin with three sites.