The transport of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in isolated yeast vacuoles and spheroplasts.

1. The properties of S-adenosyl-L-methionine accumulating system for both vacuoles and spheroplasts are described. Yeast vacuoles were obtained by a modified metabolic lysis procedure from spheroplasts of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. 2. Isolated vacuoles accumulate S-adenosyl-L-methionine by means of a highly specific transport system as indicated by competition experiments with structural analogs of S-adenosyl-L-methionine. The S-adenosyl-L-methionine transport system shows saturation kinetics with an apparent Km of 68 muM in vacuoles and 11 muM in spheroplasts. 3. S-Adenosyl-L-methionine accumulation into vacuoles does not require glucose, phosphoenolpyruvic acid, ATP, ADP nor any other tri- or di-phosphorylated nucleotides. It is insensitive to azide and 2,4-dinitrophenol which strongly inhibit the glucose-dependent accumulation of S-adenosyl-L-methionine in spheroplasts. 4. The transport of S-adenosyl-L-methionine into vacuoles is optimal at pH 7.4 and is insensitive to nystatin while the uptake of S-adenosyl-L-methionine into spheroplasts is optimal at pH 5.0 and is strongly sensitive to nystatin. On this basis it has thus been possible to measure both the intracytoplasmic and the intravacuolar pool of S-adenosyl-L-methionine. 5. Our results indicate the existence of a highly specific S-adenosyl-L-methionine transport system in the vacuolar membrane which is clearly different from the one present in the plasma membrane of yeast cells.     

Xanthones from Tovomita pyrifolium

The wood of Tovomita pyrifolium (Guttiferae) contains the novel tovopyrifolins A [1,6-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-5-prenyl-6′,6′-dimethylpyrano (2′,3′:3,2)xanthone], B (1,5-dihydroxy-3,4-dimethoxyxanthone) and C (1,3,5-trihydroxy-2-methoxyxanthone) and also the known tovophyllins A and B [structure revised to 1,6-dihydroxy-5-prenyl-6′, 6′-dimethylpyrano(2′,3′:3,2)-6″,6″-dimethylpyrano(2″,3″:7,8)xanthone].     

Insect sociality and its consequential effects on intraspecific competition

Summary The phenomenon of colonialism which characterizes many insect groups is considered in terms of its potential effect on intraspecific competition. Intraspecific competition is assumed to be a function of the number of distinct pair encounters between 2 individuals of differing colony origin. A model is offered which describes the reduction in the number of potential competing encounters as a result of colonialism, and as such, combinatorial formulae are appropriate. For 2-colony and multi-colony systems, there is a proportionately smaller number of potential competing encounters as the size of the colonies becomes more inequitable and greater than 100 individuals in combined total. As a consequence, large inequitabilities in colony sizes are expected for nearest neighbor pairs, and thus a generally large variance in colony size for groups of colonies is also expected. Empirical data from various sources is presented and in good agreement with the predictions generated from the model.     

Mechanical inhibition of hypocotyl elongation induces radial enlargement: implications for cytokinin action

Excised elongating segments from 3-day-old soybean (Glycine max var. Wayne) seedlings radially enlarged when auxin-promoted elongation was mechanically inhibited. Growth was similar to segments treated with auxin plus cytokinin. This observation suggests that cytokinin does not necessarily directly “reorient” cell enlargement. Cytokinin-induced radial cell growth may be a secondary effect of cytokinin's inhibition of auxin-promoted elongation.