Toxicity of chromium and tin toAnabaena doliolum Interaction with bivalent cations

Summary The toxicity of chromium and tin on growth, photosynthetic carbon-fixation, oxygen evolution, heterocyst differentiation and nitrogenase activity ofAnabaena doliolum and its interaction with bivalent cations has been studied. Some interacting cations, viz. Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺, substantially antagonised the toxic effects of chromium and tin with reference to growth, heterocyst differentiation and nitrogenase activity in the following hierarchal sequence: Ca²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Mn²⁺. However, the sequence of hierarchy was Mg²⁺ > Ca²⁺ > Mn²⁺ for carbon fixation and Mn²⁺ > Mg²⁺ > Ca²⁺ for photosynthetic oxygen evolution. Synergistically inhibitory patterns were noticed for all the parameters, viz. growth,¹⁴CO₂ uptake, oxygen evolution, heterocyst differentiation and nitrogenase activity ofA. doliolum when Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺ were combined with the test metals in the growth medium. These cations followed the following sequence of synergistic inhibition: Ni²⁺ > Co²⁺ > Zn²⁺. Among all the interacting cations, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺ and Mn²⁺ exhibited antagonistic effects which relieved the test cyanobacterium from metal toxicity. In contrast to this, Ni²⁺, CO²⁺ and Zn²⁺ showed synergistic inhibition which potentiating the toxicity of test metals in the N₂-fixing cyanobacteriumA. doliolum. It is evident from the present study that bivalent cations, viz. Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Mn²⁺, Ni²⁺, Co²⁺ and Zn²⁺, may appreciably regulate the toxicity of heavy metals in N₂-fixing cyanobacteria if present in aquatic media.     

Fermentation parameters of Peptostreptococcus productus on gaseous substrates (CO,H2/CO2)

Intrinsic growth and substrate uptake parameters were obtained for Peptostreptococcus productus, strain U-1, using carbon monoxide as the limiting substrate. A modified Monod model with substrate inhibition was used for modeling. In addition, a product yield of 0.25 mol acetate/mol CO and a cell yield of 0.034 g cells/g CO were obtained. While CO was found to be the primary substrate, P. productus is able to produce acetate from CO₂ and H₂, although this substrate could not sustain growth. Yeast extract was found to also be a growth substrate. A yield of 0.017 g cell/g yeast extract and a product yield of 0.14 g acetate/g yeast extract were obtained. In the presence of acetate, the maximum specific CO uptake rate was increased by 40% compared to the maximum without acetate present. Cell replication was inhibited at acetate concentrations of 30 g/l. Methionine was found to be an essential nutrient for growth and CO uptake by P. productus. A minimum amount of a complex medium such as yeast extract (0.01%) is, however, required.     

Evidence for carrier-mediated,energy-dependent uptake of urea in some bacteria

Evidence for the existence of an energy-dependent urea permease was found for Alcaligenes eutrophus H16 and Klebsiella pneumoniae M5a1 by studying uptake of ¹⁴C-urea. Since intracellular urea was metabolized immediately, uptake did not result in formation of an urea pool. Evidence is based on observations that the in vivo urea uptake and in vitro urease activity differ significantly with respect to kinetic parameters, temperature optimum, pH optimum, response towards inhibitors and regulation. The K _m for urea uptake was 15–20 times lower (38 M and 13 M urea for A. eutrophus and K. pneumoniae, respectively) than the K _m of urease for urea (650 M and 280 M urea), the activity optimum for A. eutrophus was at pH 6.0 and 35°C for the uptake and pH 9.0 and 65°C for urease. Uptake but not urease activity in both organisms strongly decreased upon addition of inhibitors of energy metabolism, while in K. pneumoniae, potent inhibitors of urease (thiourea and hydroxyurea) did not affect the uptake process. Significant differences in the uptake rates were observed during growth with different nitrogen sources (ammonia, nitrate, urea) or in the absence of a nitrogen source; this suggested that a carrier is involved which is subject to nitrogen control. Some evidence for the presence of an energy-dependent uptake of urea was also obtained in Pseudomonas aeruginosa DSM 50071 and Providencia rettgeri DSM 1131, but not in Proteus vulgaris DSM 30118 and Bacillus pasteurii DSM 33.Non-standard abbreviations CCCP Carbonylcyanide-m-chlorphenylhydrazone - DCCD dicyclohexylcarbodiimide - DNP 2,4-dinitrophenole     

Ionic Requirements for the Specific Binding of [3H]GBR 12783 to a Site Associated with the Dopamine Uptake Carrier

At 0°C, when Na⁺ was the only cation present in the incubation medium, increasing the Na⁺ concentration from 3 to 10 mM enhanced the affinity of [³H]l-[2-(di-phenylmethoxy)ethyl]-4-(3-phenyl-2-propenyl)piperazine ([³H]GBR 12783) for the specific binding site present in rat striatal membranes without affecting the 5_max. For higher Na⁺ concentrations, specific binding values plateaued and then slightly decreased at 130 mM Na⁺. In a 10 mM Na⁺ medium, the K_D and the B_max were, respectively, 0.23 nM and 12.9 pmol/mg of protein. In the presence of 0.4 nM [³H]GBR 12783, the half-maximal specific binding occurred at 5 mM Na⁺. A similar Na⁺ dependence was observed at 20°C. Scatchard plots indicated that K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, and Tris⁺ acted like competitive inhibitors of the specific binding of [³H]GBR 12783. The inhibitory potency of various cations (K⁺, Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Tris⁺, Li⁺ and choline) was enhanced when the Na⁺ concentration was decreased from 130 to 10 mM. In a 10 mM Na⁺ medium, the rank order of inhibitory potency was Ca²⁺ (0.13 mM) > Mg²⁺ > Tris⁺ > K⁺ (15 mM). The requirement for Na⁺ was rather specific, because none of the other cations acted as a substitute for Na⁺. No anionic requirement was found: Cl^-, Br^-, and F^- were equipotent. These results suggest that low Na⁺ concentrations are required for maximal binding; higher Na⁺ concentrations protect the specific binding site against the inhibitory effect of other cations.     

Time-courses of size-fractionated phosphate uptake: are larger cells better competitors for pulses of phosphate than smaller cells?

Summary Time-course experiments of phosphate uptake by size-fractionated phytoplankton were conducted in oligotrophic Kennedy and Sproat Lakes. The objective was to determine if large phytoplankton obtained more phosphate than smaller cells, when the nutrient was present at higher concentrations. Studies at Kennedy Lake revealed that uptake rates in the 0.2–3.0 m fraction were very sensitive to the time they were exposed to elevated concentrations; rates determined over the 60–120 min interval were less than 30% of those recorded over the 0–60 min interval. In contrast, there was little difference in uptake rates over these intervals for cells>3.0 m. At Sproat Lake phosphate incorporation into the two size fractions was followed after the aerial fertilization of the lake with inorganic nutrients. Following nutrient addition the proportion of phosphate entering the>3.0 m size fraction increased from ca. 35% to ca. 85%. Despite these observations, it is doubtful that larger cells are able to sequester enough phosphate from pulses to realize the same specific growth rates as their smaller counterparts.     

Salt tolerance of the reed plant Phragmites communis

Reed plants ( Phragmites communis Trinius) were grown at NaCl concentrations up to 500 m M and their growth, mineral contents and leaf blade osmotic potential were determined. Addition of NaCl up to 300 m M did not affect growth significantly. Sucrose, Cl^-and Na⁺ concentrations in the shoots increased with the salinity of the medium and the shoot water content decreased. K⁺ always contributed most to the leaf osmotic potential. Even in the presence of 250 m M NaCl in the rooting medium, the leaf blade contained only 50 mM Na⁺, suggesting that the plants have an efficient mechanism for Na⁺ exclusion. ²²Na⁺ uptake experiments suggested that the retranslo-cation of absorbed Na⁺ from shoots to the rooting medium lowered the uptake of Na⁺.     

Cultivar differences in the rate of nitrate uptake by intact wheat plants as related to growth rate

Six Argentinian wheat ( Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars grown in nutrient solutions in controlled environment were compared for their nitrate uptake rates on a root dry weight basis. Up to 3-fold differences were observed among the cultivars at 16, 20 and 24 days from germination, either when measured by depletion from the nutrient solution in short-term experiments, or by total N accumulation in the tissue during 8 days.
No differences in total N concentration in root or shoots were found among cultivars. Although the different cultivars showed significant differences in shoot/root ratio and nitrate reductase activity (EC 1.6.6.1) in the roots, none of these parameters was correlated with the nitrate uptake rate. However, nitrate uptake was found to be positively correlated (r = 0.99) with the shoot relative growth rate of the cultivars. The three cultivars with the highest nitrate uptake rates and relative growth rates showed a positive correlation between root nitrate concentration and uptake. However, this correlation was not found in the cultivars with the lowest growth and uptake rates.
Our results indicate that the difference in nitrate uptake rate among these cultivars may only be a consequence of their differences in growth rate, and it is suggested that at least two mechanisms regulate nitrate uptake, one working when plant demand is low and another when plant demand is high.     

Rice cultivar evaluation for phosphorus use efficiency

Phosphorus deficiency is one of the most growth-limiting factors in acid soils in various parts of the world. The objective of this study was to screen 25 rice cultivars (Oryza sativa L.) at low, medium, and high levels of soil P. Number of tillers, root length, plant height, root dry weight and shoot dry weight were related to tissue P concentrations, P uptake and P-use efficiency. Shoot weight was found to be the plant parameter most sensitive to P deficiency. Significant cultivar differences in P use efficiency were found. Phosphorus use efficiency was higher in roots than shoots and decreased with increasing levels of soil P. Positive correlations were found among growth parameters such as plant height, tillers, root and shoot weight, and P content of roots and shoots. These results indicate selection of rice cultivars for satisfactory performance under low P availability can be carried out using shoot and root dry weight as criteria.     

Effect of salinity on phosphate accumulation and injury in soybean

Many soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] genotypes that are grown in solution cultures are highly sensitive to the combination of both salinity and inorganic phosphate (Pi) in the substrate. This effect has been observed on numerous occasions on plants grown in a saline medium that contained a substantial amount of Ca (i.e., CaCl₂/NaCl=0.5 on a molar basis). Because Ca is important in regulating ion transport and membrane permeability, solution culture experiments were designed to examine the effects of various concentrations of Pi and ratios of CaCl₂/NaCl (0 to 0.5 on a molar basis) at a constant osmotic potential (−0.34 MPa) on this adverse interaction. Four soybean cultivars (‘Lee’, ‘Lee 74’ ‘Clark’ and ‘Clark 63’) were tested. No adverse salinity x Pi interaction was found on Lee at any ratio and leaf P and Cl were maintained below 300 and 200 mmol kg⁻¹ dry wt, respectively. Clark, Clark 63 and Lee 74 soybean plants, on the other hand, were severely injured by solution salinity (−0.34 MPa osmotic potential) when substrate Pi was ≥0.12 mM. Reduced substrate Ca did not intensify the salinity x Pi interaction. On the contrary, the onset of injury was hastened and more severe with increased CaCl₂/NaCl ratios in isotonic solutions. Shoot and root growth rates decreased as injury increased. Leaf P concentrations from these cultivars grown in saline solutions with 0.12 mM Pi were excessive (>600 mmol kg⁻¹ dry wt) compared with concentrations commonly found in soybean leaf tissue yet they were independent of the severity of injury. Since leaf Cl increased wiht increased CaCl₂/NaCl ratio, we suspect that the severity of foliar injury was related to the combined effects of excessive P and Cl within the tissue. Lee 74, the only injured cultivar examined that excluded Cl from its leaves, was less sensitive than either Clark cultivar and its injury was characteristically different. Other ion interactions were reported that may have played a role in injury susceptibility.