Triterpenoids from lipids of Rhodomicrobium vanniellii

Triterpenoids have been isolated from the lipids of the anaerobic, photosynthetic bacterium, Rhodomicrobium vannielii. These compounds constitute various hopanoids, including hydrocarbons, 22-, 29-and 3-hydroxy, 3-keto-, C-3 and C-21 methyl-triterpenoids, as well as fernenes.     

Photosynthetic metabolism in the cyanophytaOscillatoria rubescens D.C.

Short term¹⁴C labelling experiments and enzymatic activities related to primary pathways of photosynthesis have been studied in the cyanophytaOscillatoria rubescens D.C. from axenic cyclostat cultures. Responses of samples from cultures with different amounts of nitrogen are presented and compared. Variations in photosynthetic pigments are used to quantify the degree of nitrogen starvation at different levels.PEPcarboxylase activity remains low and is not affected by nitrogen starvation. RuBPcarboxylase activity is lowered to nearly two thirds of its normal metabolic rate by starvation but PEPcarboxykinase and aspartate aminotransferase activities are significantly higher in this case. Malate dehydrogenase is slightly altered and malic enzyme is never active. Starved algae replaced in fresh complete media fix rapidly¹⁴C in nitrogen compounds such as amino acids. Results are discussed in regard to both physiological and ecological characteristics ofO. rubescens. PEPcarboxykinase can play a role in making efficient use of HCO ₃ ^- .Abbreviations AAT aspartate aminotransferase - APC allophycocyanin - ASM 1 algal synthetic medium, 1st modification - DW dry weight - GAPDH glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase - MDH malate dehydrogenase - PC phycocyanin - PE phycoerythrin - PEP phophoenolpyruvate - PEPC phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase - PEPCK phophoenolpyruvate carboxykinase - PGA 3-phosphoglyceric acid - RuBPC ribulose bisphosphate carboxylase     

Photosynthetic phosphorylation by a membrane preparation of the cyanobacterium Spirulina Maxima

A new method for the isolation of photosynthetic membranes from the cyanobacterium Spirulina maxima has been developed. When illuminated, these membranes evolve oxygen in the presence of ferricyanide (Hill reaction) and consume oxygen in the presence of methyl viologen (Mehler reaction). When the membranes are left to stand at 4°C for 30 min, they develop the ability to consume oxygen in the light without an added, artificial electron acceptor. The Hill and Mehler reactions are not affected by the presence of ADP or uncouplers, but are inhibited by triphenyltin chloride. We have detected a cryptic ATPase activity stimulated by trypsin in the 2000×g supernatant fraction of the membrane preparation. In addition, the membrane vesicles contain an ATPase activity which is enhanced by treatment with dithiothreitol in the presence of light. These observations of ATPase led us to try a careful titration of the membrane vesicles with both triphenyltin chloride and N,N′-dicyclohexylcarbodiimide. When the vesicles were sealed with these reagents, we could observe both cyclic and stoichiometric photosynthetic phosphorylation.     

A cyanobacterium which lacks thylakoids

Gloebacter violaceus gen. and sp. n. is a unicellular photosynthetic prokaryote of unusual cellular structure. The only unit membrane in the small, rod-shaped cells is the cytoplasmic membrane, which has a simple contour, without intrusions. Immediately underlying it is an electron-dense layer 80 nm thick. Gloeobacter is an aerobic photoautotroph which contains chlorophyll , -carotene and other carotenoids, allophycocyanin, phycocyanin and phycoerythrin. Chlorophyll and carotenoids are associated with the particulate fraction of cell-free extracts, and are thus probably localized in the cytoplasmic membrane. The phycobiliproteins may be associated with the electron-dense 80 nm layer. The DNA contains 64.4 moles percent GC. The cellular lipids have a high content of polyunsaturated fatty acids, largely linoleate and -linolenate. Despite its atypical fine structure, Gloeobacter is evidently a cyanobacterium, sufficiently different from other unicellular cyanobacteria to be placed in a new genus.Non-Standard Abbreviations DNA deoxyribonucleic acid - GC guanine + cytosine - DCMU 3-(3,4 dichlorophenyl)-1,1 dimethyl urea     

CO2浓度倍增对垂柳和杜仲叶绿体吸收光能和激发能分配的影响

研究了CO_2浓度倍增对垂柳(Salix babylonica L.)和杜仲(Eucommia ulmoides Oliv.)叶片光合色素含量、叶绿体对光能吸收能力和激发能在两个光系统之间分配的影响。结果表明,CO_2 浓度倍增能提高垂柳叶片单位鲜重和单位叶面积叶绿素(Chl)和类胡萝卜素(Car)的含量;提高杜仲Chl含量,降低Car含量。CO_2浓度倍增能提高含等量Chl的叶绿体对光能的吸收和激发能在两个光系统间分配的调节能力。     

水稻高光效育种的再探索图版Ⅰ

群体叶片截获光能能力的叶面积指数（ＬＡＩ）的发展和单个叶片光能转化效率的最大光合速率（Ｐｍ ａｘ）,是提高水稻光能利用效率的两大关键性的指标．利用适应低光强生态型的、ＬＡＩ发展快的广东优良品种“七桂早”,与适应高光强生态型的、Ｐｍ ａｘ 高的美国优良品种“Ｌｅｍ ｏｎｔ”为亲本,利用化学杂交剂组配成化杀杂种稻Ｌｅ／七,较好地解决了ＬＡＩ与Ｐｍａｘ的矛盾．Ｌｅ／七既保持了父本“七桂早”早期ＬＡＩ发展快的优点,又兼具有母本“Ｌｅｍ ｏｎｔ”Ｐｍａｘ较高、适应高光强的优点．杂种Ｌｅ／七在中午强光下光合作用“午睡”现象不明显,尤其是当广东出现造成水稻光氧化伤害的气象条件时,Ｌｅ／七的光氧化伤害很轻或无,比“七桂早”明显提高了对高光强的光能利用效率．对杂种Ｌｅ／七在人工气候箱不同控光控温条件下进行的生长分析,及在平原、丘陵及山区的试种,均表明其光合生产力和光合适应性比亲本有明显的提高和改进．研究表明∶利用美国适高光强的优良品种,通过组配成化杀杂种稻的途径,是改良广东水稻品种对高光强的光合适应性,提高光合生产力和经济效益的一条快速而有效的育种途径．     

Exudation of an allelopathic substance lepidimoide from seeds during germination

Lepidimoide promotes growth of the cockscomb hypocotyl. It is exuded from germinating seeds of various plant species into their culture environment. The mode of exudation of lepidimoide from seeds into the culture solution, using sunflower and buckwheat seeds, was studied in relation to seed germination. In the dry seeds, about 75% of the lepidimoide was found in the seed coat and about 25% in the kernel. Upon water imbibition it was released into the culture solution. However, the quantity of lepidimoide detected in the seed exudate was more than three times the total amount in dry and imbibed seeds, suggesting that lepidimoide was also produced de novo in the seeds and subsequently released. When seed coats or kernels were imbibed separately, the quantity of lepidimoide released from the seed coats into the culture solution was much the same as that in the dry seeds, but the amount of lepidimoide detected in the exudate of kernels was about 16 times that in the dry kernels. These results suggest that lepidimoide, already present in dry seeds, as well as that newly produced in the kernels following imbibition, was released into the environment.     

Surface potential on the periplasmic side of the photosynthetic membrane of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides

Membrane surface potential on the periplasmic side of the photosynthetic membrane was estimated in cells, spheroplasts and chromatophores of Rhodopseudomonas sphaeroides. When the membrane potential (potential difference between bulk aqueous phases) was kept constant in the presence of carbonylcyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, addition of salt to a suspension of cells or spheroplasts induced a red shift in the carotenoid absorption spectrum which indicated a change in the intramembrane electrical field. The spectral shift is explained by a rise in electrical potential at the outside surface of the photosynthetic membrane due to a decrease in extent of the negative surface potential.The spectral shift occurred in the direction opposite to that in chromatophores, indicating that the sidedness of the membrane of cells or spheroplasts is opposite to that of chromatophores. The dependences of the extent of the potential change on concentration and valence of cations of salts agreed with the Gouy-Chapman relationship on the electrical diffuse double layer. The charge density on the periplasmic surface of the photosynthetic membrane was estimated to be ?2.9 · 10^?3 elementary charge per Ų, while that on the cytoplasmic side surface was calculated as ?1.9 · 10^?3 elementary charge per Ų (Matsuura, K., Masamoto, K., Itoh, S. and Nishimura, M. (1979) Biochim. Biophys. Acta 547, 91–102). Surface potential on the periplasmic side of the photosynthetic membrane was estimated to be about ?50 mV at pH 7.8 in the presence of 0.1 M monovalent salt.     

Light-harvesting systems of brown algae and diatoms. Isolation and characterization of chlorophyll ac and chlorophyll afucoxanthin pigment-protein complexes

The present study examined the protein associations and energy transfer characteristics of chlorophyll c and fucoxanthin which are the major light-harvesting pigments in the brown and diatomaceous algae. It was demonstrated that sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS)-solubilized photosynthetic membranes of these species when subjected to SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis yielded three spectrally distinct pigment-protein complexes. The slowest migrating zone was identical to complex I, the SDS-altered form of the P-700 chlorophyll a-protein. The zone of intermediate mobility contained chlorophyll c and chlorophyll a in a molar ratio of 2 : 1, possessed no fucoxanthin, and showed efficient energy transfer from chlorophyll c to chlorophyll a. The fastest migrating pigment-protein zone contained fucoxanthin and chlorophyll a, possessed no chlorophyll c, and showed efficient energy transfer from fucoxanthin to chlorophyll a. It is demonstrated that the chlorophyll $\text{a}\text{c-}\text{protein}$ and the chlorophyll $\text{a}\text{fucoxanthin-protein}$ complexes are common to the brown algae and diatoms examined, and likely share similar roles in the photosynthetic units of these species.     

A stochastic gompertz model with hereditary effect

Summary In this paper we have studied a stochastic version of the Gompertz model for population growth of a single species after incorporating the aspect of heredity. Various statistical characteristics-the mean-value function, covariance-kernel, etc.-are evaluated for a delta-correlated process and their asymptotic values obtained. The effect of the hereditary kernel on the various statistics is discussed and it is found that it is to shift the distribution towards the origin.