Fatty Acids and Polar Lipids of Extremely Thermophilic Filamentous Bacterial Masses from Two Yellowstone Hot Springs

The fatty acid composition of filamentous bacterial masses from two very hot Yellowstone Park springs is not unusual despite the extreme environment. Both populations have a series of C(14) to C(20) straight-chain acids with a maximum at C(18), and a series of saturated iso acids with a maximum at C(17) in one case and C(19) in the other. The fatty acid pattern of this anomalous group of organisms is like that of bacteria but not of blue-green algae. Both populations have similar polar lipids and identical carotenoids. It is speculated that these organisms may be adapted to their high-temperature environment by means of stable lipoprotein membrane systems.     

An unstable locus in soybeans

Summary Investigation of a variegated condition in the soybean variety Lincoln indicates instability at the Y locus. Leaf sectors of chlorophyll-less yellow tissue occur in distinct heritable patterns; some leaves have small flecks of yellow tissue (late occurring mutations) and others possess large areas or whole leaflets (early occurring mutations).There is evidence that this allele, Y ₁₈ ^m , mutates to the wild type, Y, which is green and stable and to the recessive, y, which is yellow and lethal in the seedling condition. (With an increase in the amount of yellow tissue there is an increase in the frequency of lethals.) However, changes from one type to the other are observed, and patterns of variegation representing different states of the instability are described. These depend upon the time and frequency of mutation events.Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that this instability is controlled by a factor that resides at the locus. Such a factor governs the timing of the mutation events and is related to similar elements in maize, which are part of specific mutable systems. Control of variegation of the Y ₁₈ ^m locus is compared with the models proposed for the cases of instability in maize.

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Zusammenfassung Die Untersuchung eines variegaten Zustandes bei der Sojabohnensorte Lincoln führte zum Nachweis einer Instabilität des Y-Locus. Blattsektoren mit chlorophyllfreiem gelbem Gewebe traten in bestimmten erblichen Mustern auf. Einige Blätter wiesen kleine Flecken gelben Gewebes auf (spät eingetretene Mutationen), während andere große Flächen oder vollständig gelbe Blättchen besaßen (früh eingetretene Mutationen).Es gibt Beweise dafür, daß das entsprechende Allel Y ₁₈ ^m sowohl zum stabilen Wildtypallel Y, mit grünem Phänotyp, als auch zum rezessiv gelben y, das im Sämlingsstadium letal wirkt, mutiert. (Eine Zunahme der Menge gelben Gewebes ist mit einer Zunahme der Letalfrequenz verbunden.) Umwandlungen eines Typs zu einem anderen werden beobachtet und Variegationsmuster beschrieben, die unterschiedliche Stadien der Instabilität verkörpern. Diese hängen von dem Zeitpunkt und der Frequenz der Mutationsereignisse ab.Es werden Beweise vorgelegt, die die Hypothese stützen, daß diese Instabilität durch einen Faktor kontrolliert wird, der sich am Locus befindet. Ein Faktor dieser Art kontrolliert das zeitliche Auftreten der Mutationsereignisse. Er ist mit ähnlichen Elementen des Maises verwandt, die Teile eines spezifisch mutablen Systems sind. Die Kontrolle der Variegation durch den Y ₁₈ ^m -Locus wird mit den Modellen verglichen, die für die Fälle der Instabilität beim Mais vorgeschlagen wurden.

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Joint contribution from the Iowa Agricultural and Home Economics Experiment Station, Ames, Iowa (Projects 1335 und 1179) as Journal Paper No. 5635.

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Former Agronomist, Crops Research Division, ARS, USDA, and Professor Iowa State University; now Research Director, Peterson Seed Company.     

Cell differentiation and pigment composition in Anabaena cylindrica

Summary Cell differentiation in Anabaena cylindrica is accompanied with characteristic changes in the pigment composition of heterocysts and spores. In both the absence of phycocyanin is consistent with the lack of CO₂-fixing ability previously reported. The presence of chlorophyll and -carotene suggests a functional photosystem I in heterocysts. In the spores chlorophyll is largely replaced by pheophytin. The quantitative distribution of carotenoids is also affected. An increase in the proportion of -carotene is characteristic of heterocysts while spores show a larger proportion of xanthophylls compared with the intact filament.     

Beobachtungen zur fortpflanzungsbiologie und zum verhalten der geißelspinne tarantula marginemaculata C. L. Koch (Chelicerata,Amblypygi)

The social behaviour of T. m. includes ritualized fights. Sperm transfer is achieved by means of a spermatophore deposited on the ground and by the male pulling the female over it. The behaviour and the spermatophore are described and compared to those of other arachnids and the phylogenetical implications are discussed.     

Association between Foeto-maternal Bleeding and Hypertension in Pregnancy

A blind prospective survey of foeto-maternal bleeding in 200 primiparous pregnancies was carried out in an investigation of a possible association between foeto-maternal bleeding and hypertension in pregnancy. Evidence of foeto-maternal bleeding was found in 61% of 36 hypertensive pregnancies, and in 51% of 160 normotensive pregnancies, a difference which is not statistically significant.Significant differences between the hypertensive and the normotensive groups were found when foeto-maternal bleeding was related to gestation. In pregnancies that became hypertensive more foetal cells were found in the maternal circulation before week 36 than in normotensive pregnancies. In patients with oedema of the abdominal wall during pregnancy the incidence of foeto-maternal bleeding was significantly increased.These findings seem to explain why pre-eclamptic toxaemia is a significant predisposing factor in women who later develop Rh antibodies. It is recommended that anti-D gammaglobulin should be offered to all Rh-negative women with Rh-positive infants following a hypertensive pregnancy. Consideration should also be given to the question of administering anti-D gammaglobulin during Rh-negative hypertensive pregnancies if this procedure is proved to be both safe to mother and foetus and effective.The results provide contributory evidence that the placental vascular changes in toxaemic pregnancies precede the clinical signs and are not the result of hypertension.     

Kinetics of Induction of the Lactose Operon on an Episome in Salmonella typhimurium

A kinetic study of induction of the enzymes of the lactose operon was carried out under conditions known to affect the kinetics of derepression of the enzymes of the histidine operon. The results show that the lactose system is similar to the histidine system in its responsiveness to conditions thought to affect the formylating capacity of the cell. This was demonstrated in the following ways: (i) trimethoprim, which is known to reduce the formylating capacity of the cell, gives rise to a relatively long interval between the times of induction of beta-galactosidase and transacetylase; (ii) under conditions in which the histidine operon is derepressed, chloramphenicol causes a prolongation of the interval between the times of induction of the two enzymes, and this prolongation is reversed by adenine, methionine, and serine, compounds known to enrich the one-carbon pool of the cell; and (iii) 4-amino-5-imidazolcarboxamide ribonucleoside, a compound which may act as a drain for formyl groups, reverses the effect of the latter compounds. The finding that the interval between the times of induction of the two enzymes is shortened under conditions expected to maintain a relatively high intracellular fo rmylating capacity suggests that under certain conditions translation of the polycistronic messenger ribonucleic acid of the lactose operon may be initiated at more than one site or may proceed more rapidly from the operator end.     

Alternative Developmental Pathways Determined by Environmental Conditions in the Cellular Slime Mold Dictyostelium discoideum

The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum grows in the soil as a population of independent, uninucleate amoebae. Upon entrance to the stationary phase, the amoebae collect in multicellular aggregates to form organized fruiting bodies composed of spores and stalk cells. Depending upon environmental conditions, the developing aggregate either constructs the fruiting body at the site of aggregation or transforms into a structure that can migrate to a more favorable location. Environmental conditions that favor migration are (i) the accumulation of metabolite(s) produced by the aggregate and (ii) a low ionic strength in the substratum. Conditions that prevent migration or that stop a migrating slug are (i) the presence of buffer and (ii) illumination by overhead light.