METABOLISM OF ACETATE-1-14C IN EXCISED LEAVES FROM POTASSIUM DEFICIENT RICE SEEDLINGS

Excised leaves from one-month old rice seedlings grown in potassiumdeficient nutrient solution were fed with acetate-l-¹⁴C for20 to 180 min. Rate of respiration of those leaves was significantlyhigher than that of control leaves supplied with sufficientpotassium. Incorporation of UC into organic acid and sugar fractionswere greater in potassium deficient leaves than in normal leaves.The reverse was true as for the incorporation into amino acidfraction. In comparison with normal leaves, potassium deficientleaves acquired much ¹⁴C in succinic acid and glutamine. Therewere distinct differences in the labeling pattern of citrateand in the order of magnitude of specific activities among theorganic acids included in the TCA cycle. From these results,it was assumed that the increase of respiratory rate causedby the potassium deficiency was related to accelerated operationof the TCA cycle. The decreased rate of conversion of organicacids to amino acids and the accumulation of glutamine werealso concluded. (Received April 13, 1967; )     

Effects of Pruning of Young and Old Shoots on Ribulose Bisphosphate Carboxylase and Other Constituents in Leaves of the Mulberry Tree (Morus alba L.)

Changes in the contents of ribulose 1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase(RuBPCase) and other cellular constituents were measured inthe leaves remaining on mulberry shoots after removal of thetop one-third of shoots (old) which had developed since thespring and shoots (young) which developed following shoot harveston 1 July. Top pruning of the young summer shoots increasedthe contents of chlorophyll, total soluble protein, RuBPCase,RNA and starch in the leaves. In the old shoots that had developedsince the spring, top-pruning in the late summer produced noappreciable change except in the content of RNA. The contentof RuBPCase of the young summer shoots doubled as a result oftop-pruning; this was the most conspicuous change in the cellularconstituents examined. The increase in RuBPCase protein accountedsatisfactorily for the increase in total soluble protein. Key words: RuBP carboxylase, shoot top-pruning, mulberry (Morus alba)     

Effects of four-week feed restriction on toxicological parameters in beagle dogs

This study was conducted to examine any changes caused by feed restriction in dogs to contribute to safety evaluation in toxicity studies. Two male 7-month-old beagle dogs/group were fed 300 (control), 150 (50% of control), or 70 g/animal of diet daily (23% of control) for 4 weeks. Effects of feed restriction, except for clinical signs, were noted depending on the feed dosage in almost all examinations. The principal outcomes were: decreased body weight and water consumption, ECG changes (decreased heart rate and prolonged QTc), and hematopoietic and lymphopoietic suppression (decreased reticulocyte ratio or white blood cell count in hematology, decreased nucleated cell count in bone marrow, decreased erythroid parameters in myelography, and hypocellularity of bone marrow and thymic atrophy in histopathology). In addition, some changes were noted in urinalysis (decreased urine volume and sodium and potassium excretion), blood chemistry (decreased ALP and inorganic phosphorus and increased creatinine), organ weights, and gastric histopathology. These results provide important reference data for distinguishing the primary effects of test compounds from secondary effects of decreased food consumption in toxicity studies in beagle dogs.     

Meiosis-Reinitiation-Inducing Factor of Tetrahymena Functions Upstream of M-Phase-Promoting Factor

Reinitiation of meiosis (maturation) of amphibian Bufo and Xenopus oocytes can be induced if Tetrahymena extract is injected into them. The activity differed from M-phase-promoting factor, because action of the former factor on the induction of maturation was inhibited by treatment of the oocytes with cycloheximide. Activity of M-phase-promoting factor was not detected in Tetrahymena extract regardless of the presence of cdc2 homologues in the extract. However, cycloheximide-resistant-maturation-inducing activity appeared in the recipients, when the maturation was induced by injection of Tetrahymena extract. Immunoblots using antibodies against cdc2 showed that injection of Tetrahymena extract induced fast mobility of the recipient cdc2 in the presence of the recipient protein synthesis. The same mobility shift of the cdc2 was also induced when M-phase-promoting factor containing Xenopus oocyte extract was injected into immature oocytes or when the immature oocyte extract was treated with alkaline phosphatase. These results indicate that meiosis-reinitiation-inducing factor of Tetrahymena functions upstream of M-phase-promoting factor to induce dephosphorylation of the recipient cdc2. Tetrahymena cdc2 homologues also showed fast mobility when the Tetrahymena extract was treated with alkaline phosphatase. Preliminary experiments showed that the meiosis-reinitiation-inducing factor of Tetrahymena was a soluble protein.     

Agromyces sp.CS16去除水体中重金属镉、镍、铜、锌离子的研究北大核心

【目的】本研究从深圳福田红树林表层土壤中分离出一株潜在放线菌新种Agromyces sp.CS16,研究其对水体中重金属的去除能力以及特征,并初步探究其在去除水体重金属中的实际应用,为利用微生物修复水体重金属污染提供技术支持。【方法】测定菌株CS16对Cd^(2+)、Ni^(2+)、Cu^(2+)、Zn^(2+)的去除能力;测定CS16对Cd^(2+)、Ni^(2+)、Cu^(2+)、Zn^(2+)在胞外吸附和胞内吸收的占比;通过全基因组测序分析CS16基因组中与重金属耐受相关的基因;采用海藻酸钠和聚乙烯醇将CS16包埋,并测定包埋后CS16对重金属的去除能力。【结果】放线菌Agromyces sp.CS16在Cd^(2+)浓度为10μg/mL时对其的去除量最大,为32.95 mg/g,此时对溶液中Cd^(2+)的去除率也最高,达到83.71%;菌株CS16在Ni^(2+)浓度为75μg/mL时去除量最大,为25.09 mg/g,在Ni^(2+)浓度为25μg/mL时去除率最高,为70.27%;CS16在Cu^(2+)浓度为150μg/mL时去除量最大,为30.69 mg/g,在Cu^(2+)浓度为30μg/m L时去除率最高,为80.11%;CS16在Zn^(2+)浓度为125μg/mL时去除量最大,为39.29 mg/g,在Zn^(2+)浓度为25μg/mL时去除率最高,为88.91%。菌株CS16全基因组预测总共有3744个基因,其中有37个基因推测与Cd^(2+)、Ni^(2+)、Cu^(2+)、Zn^(2+)的抗性相关。CS16主要通过将重金属吸附在细胞外表面来去除水体中的重金属,在被海藻酸钠(sodium alginate,SA)与聚乙烯醇(polyvinyl alcohol,PVA)材料包埋后,CS16对Cd^(2+)的去除能力下降,但对Ni^(2+)、Cu^(2+)、Zn^(2+)的去除能力显著提高。【结论】放线菌Agromyces sp.CS16是一株分离自红树林表层沉积物的新菌,本研究测定了CS16对Cd^(2+)、Ni^(2+)、Cu^(2+)、Zn^(2+)的去除能力,从细胞层面和基因层面初步探索了其对Cd^(2+)、Ni^(2+)、Cu^(2+)、Zn^(2+)的去除机理,并成功用海藻酸钠和聚乙烯醇将其包埋,为探究微生物去除水体重金属离子的机制和之后应用CS16修复水体重金属污染提供了理论基础。     

The origin of free glycerol accumulated in diapause eggs of Bombyx mori

ABSTRACT. The origin of free glycerol in diapausing eggs of Bombyx mori was examined using ¹⁴C-glycerol as a tracer. When ¹⁴C-glycerol was injected into 5-day-old female pharate adults to label the egg lipids, radioactivity was recovered in glycogen as well as in total lipids in newly laid eggs, but the specific radioactivity in lipid glycerol was 2.5 times higher than that in glycogen. When eggs entered diapause, radioactivity in glycogen decreased rapidly and a concomitant accumulation of sorbitol occurred, implying the conversion of glycogen into sorbitol at the initiation of diapause. Radioactivity in total lipids decreased slowly but significantly, and in free glycerol increased steadily during the diapause period. The sum of recovered radioactivity in these components remained almost constant throughout diapause. The specific radioactivity (cpm/C-atom) of free glycerol was clearly lower than that of lipid glycerol but higher than that of glycogen or sorbitol. It was calculated that about 30% of free glycerol was derived from lipid glycerol in the diapausing eggs.