Metabolism of D-fructose in Aerobacter aerogenes: analysis of mutants lacking D-fructose 6-phosphate kinase and D-fructose 1,6-diphosphatase

The relative significance of the pathways for the conversion of d-fructose to d-fructose 1,6-diphosphate via d-fructose 1-phosphate or d-fructose 6-phosphate in Aerobacter aerogenes PRL-R3 was assessed by observing growth patterns of mutants lacking either d-fructose 6-phosphate kinase or d-fructose 1,6-diphosphatase. The mutant lacking d-fructose 6-phosphate kinase grew well on d-fructose or glycerol but not on d-glucose, whereas the mutant lacking d-fructose 1,6-diphosphatase grew on d-glucose but not on d-fructose or glycerol. The data indicate that the pathway of d-fructose metabolism is primarily through d-fructose 1-phosphate rather than d-fructose 6-phosphate.     

Multiple Innervation der Chromatophorenmuskelzellen von Loligo vulgaris

Zusammenfassung Die Chromatophorenmuskelzellen von Loligo vulgaris bestehen aus einer äußeren, von Sarcoplasma umgebenen Schicht scheinbar spiralig gewundener Myofibrillen und einem zentralen, hyalin erscheinenden Innenraum. Jede Muskelzelle wird von Bindegewebe umhüllt. Im distalen Abschnitt der Muskelzelle ist die kontraktile Randzone mit flügelartigen Fortsätzen versehen. An der Zellbasis öffnet sie sich zu einem schmalen Spalt, dadurch wird eine direkte Verbindung zwischen dem Sarcoplasma und dem zentralen Strang des Muskels hergegestellt. — Mittels Silberimprägnation wird eine multiple Innervation von Chromatophoren nachgewiesen. Die Pasern treten in synaptischen Kontakt mit dem Sarcoplasma und folgen der Muskelzelle in zentripetaler, gelegentlich auch in zentrifugaler Richtung. An der Zellbasis dringen Nervenfasern durch den Spalt der Randzone in das Innere des Muskels und weiter bis in die Nähe der Pigmentzelle vor. Innerhalb des Zentralstranges läßt sich eine weitere Nervenfaser darstellen und bis zur Kernregion verfolgen. Fragen einer möglichen Variabilität des Innervationsmodus der verschiedenen Chromatophoren sowie funktioneile Gesichtspunkte werden kurz diskutiert.

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Multiple innervation of the chromatophore muscle cells of Loligo vulgaris

Summary The chromatophore muscle cells of Loligo vulgaris consist of a marginal zone of apparently helically arranged myofibrils, surrounded by sarcoplasm and a central hyalinous core. Each muscle element is covered by a connective tissue sheath. In the distal part of the muscle cell the marginal zone shows a wing-shaped protrusion; at the cell basis a narrow gap is visible, establishing a close connection between the sarcoplasm and the central core of the muscle, cell. — By means of silver impregnation a multiple innervation of the chromatophores has been shown. The fibers form a synaptic contact with the sarcoplasm and follow the muscle cell in a centripetal, occasionally even in a centrifugal direction. At the cell basis nervous structures penetrate through the gap of the marginal zone and may be followed to the vicinity of the pigment cell. Within the core of the muscle another nerve fiber can be distinguished and followed up to the region of the nucleus. Questions concerning a possible variability in the mode of innervation of different chromatophores and functional aspects are briefly discussed.

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Mit Unterstützung durch die Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.

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Zur weiteren Aufklärung der hier angedeuteten morphologischen und physiologischen Probleme sind Untersuchungen im Gange.     

Die submikroskopische Struktur der Assimilatleitbahnen von Polytrichum commune

Summary In the young part of the stem of Polytrichum commune the protoplasts of the two types of conducting cells, the leptoids and parenchyma cells, are nearly identically equipped with cell organelles and cytoplasmic structures. Both types contain a nucleus, chloroplasts, mitochondria, and dictyosomes. The endoplasmic reticulum builds characteristic cisterns in form of hollow cylinders extending from one end wall to the other. The cisterns are connected with many plasmodesmata, which occur only in the end walls. Leptoids have oblique end walls with 16 to 20 plasmodesmata per m², and parenchyma cells show cross walls perpendicular to the axis with 9 to 12 plasmodesmata per m².Since the leptoids are supposed to be the pathways for the longitudinal transport of assimilates (Eschrich and Steiner, 1967, 1968), it is of interest that early in their development these elements undergo a change in their protoplasmatic structure. Two to 3 cm below the apical cell the protoplasts degenerate and show lysosome-like structures. The endoplasmic reticulum and other structures are deformed or dissolved; the plasmodesmata are constricted by callose deposits. At the same level the parenchyma cells still retain the original structure of their protoplasts.Thus, assimilates moving upward in one row of leptoids may penetrate the whole lumen of the leptoids at lower levels, but they are restricted to the cisterns of the endoplasmic reticulum at higher levels of the stem.     

The effect of excess moisture on the germination of Spinacia oleracea L.

Summary The reversible inhibition of the germination of spinach (Spinacia oleracea L.) seeds in conditions which are even slightly wetter than optimal has been traced to the production, in a wet environment, of a layer of mucilage around and within the fruit coat which surrounds the true seed. Such wet seeds may however germinate readily when the temperature is lowered, or the oxygen pressure of the environment is raised, or the intact seeds are placed for a short time in hydrogen peroxide before being transferred to what normally would be an excess of water. Even in the absence of an increased oxygen supply the seeds will germinate under water provided the fruit coat, or even a small part of it where it covers the radicle, is crefully removed. No evidence has been found of a water soluble inhibitor and the findings are consistent with the hypothesis that germination is dependent on a sufficiently high rate of supply of oxygen to the sites embryonic respiration. The mucilage which is formed under wet conditions forms a barrier which prevents the transfer of oxygen to the embryo by gaseous diffusion or aqueous convection currents and restricts it to the process of aqueous diffusion, and under these conditions the rate of oxygen supply may not reach the threshold level required for germination.     

Yield Coefficients of Thiobacillus neapolitanus in Continuous Culture

Thiobacillus neapolitanus, when grown in continuous culture with thiosulfate limiting growth, possessed an apparent maximal molar growth yield of 8.0 g (dry weight) per mole of thiosulfate. The substrate requirement for energy of maintenance was the highest yet reported, amounting to 21.8 mmoles of thiosulfate per g per hr. The molar growth yield, corrected for this maintenance energy requirement, was 13.9 g (dry weight) per mole of thiosulfate. It was concluded that substrate-level phosphorylation during sulfite oxidation accounted for about 45% of the adenosine triphosphate (ATP) requirement for CO₂ assimilation and maintenance during growth on limiting thiosulfate, that three sites of energy conservation exist in the electron-transport chain terminating in oxygen, and that 7.8 moles of ATP are required to fix and assimilate 1 mole of CO₂ into cell material.     

Cytocatalytic evolution in plants

Low fertility and vigor, and requirements of ecological niches distinct from diploids are not universal characteristics of autoploids. InClaytonia, Hedyotis, Oldenlandia, and other genera, occurrence and frequency of both polyploids and aneuploids within species populations suggest a greater role of such mutations in the evolution of vascular plants than heretofore presumed.     

A method for estimating the number of invariant amino acid coding positions in a gene using cytochrome c as a model case

This paper shows, within the limitations of the assumption stated below, that approximately 27–29 of the unmutated codons which determine the amino acids of cytochrome c are invariant because of biological requirements. A mutation is defined here as the change of a single base in the sequence of a trinucleotide codon, which change alters the amino acid coded for. Codons, if any, in which mutations would be vigorously selected against are termed invariant codons. We assume that, subject to one adjustment, those mutations in the cytochrome c gene which survived in the descent of today's species are randomly distributed among the variable codons. The one adjustment arises from the possibility that a very few codon positions may exhibit frequencies of mutation sufficiently great to justify the exclusion of these codons from the overall distribution on the grounds that the frequency of mutation occurring in these few positions is clearly inconsistent with the assumption of randomness. There are 5 out of the total 110 codons in the cytochrome c structural gene which have clearly sustained an abnormally large number of mutations.This project received support from grants to W.M.F. from the National Institutes of Health (NB-04565) and the National Science Foundation (GB-4017).     

NON-INFECTIOUS INFLAMMATORY AND NEOPLASTIC DISORDERS OF THE MALE GENITALIA

The cutaneous manifestations of the male external genitalia are difficult to diagnose. They may be associated with systemic disease (Reiter''s disease, psoriatic arthritis, angiokeratoma corporis diffusum). In dealing with a lesion of this area that does not heal, adequate biopsy is advisable to rule out malignant disease (Bowen''s disease, melanoma, Kaposi''s sarcoma, Paget''s disease, erythroplasia).