Studies on 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxy acridine fluorescence quenching and enhancement in relation to energy transduction in spheroplasts and intact cells of the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum

The fluorescent probe 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxy acridine was used to study the energy transduction in the thylakoid and cell membranes of the cyanobacterium Plectonema boryanum. Apart from light-driven electron transfer, the dark endogenous respiration also leads to energization resulting in an ACMA fluorescence response, that is sensitive to the electron flow inhibitor 2, 5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone, to the energy transfer inhibitors dicyclohexylcarbodiimide and venturicidine and to the uncoupler 5-chloro-3-t-butyl-2-chloro-4-nitrosalicylanilide.In spheroplasts, in which the cell membranes have lost their capacity to maintain a proton gradient, the respiration-and light-induced ACMA fluorescence changes (quenching) are similar to those in chloroplasts. In intact cells a combination of reversible quenching and enhancement of ACMA fluorescence was found. This dualistic behaviour is supposedly caused by an opposite orientation of the thylakoid and cell membranes. ACMA quenching at the level of the thylakoids was obtained either by respiratory or photosynthetic electron transfer and gave similar responses to those obtained in the spheroplasts. The slower ACMA fluorescence enhancement, only observed in cells with intact cell membranes, also evoked by both respiration and light-induced energization is sensitive to the compounds mentioned above and in addition to KCN.Our results support the view [8] that dark oxidation of substrates by O₂ proceeds via the thylakoid membrane and terminates at a CN^- sensitive oxidase located in the cell membrane which requires the involvement of a mobile cytoplasmic redox mediator.Abbreviations ACMA 9-amino-6-chloro-2-methoxy acridine - chl a chlorophyll a - DBMIB 2, 5-dibromo-3-methyl-6-isopropyl-p-benzoquinone - DCCD dicyclohexylcarbodiimide - DNP dinitrophenol - DNP-INT dinitrophenyl ether of 2-iodo-4-nitrothymol - FCCP carbonylcyanide-p-trifluoro-methoxy phenylhydrazone - S-13 5-chloro-3-t-butyl-2-chloro-4-nitrosalicylanilide - tricine N-2 (2-Hydroxy-1, 1-bis (hydroxymethyl) ethyl)-glycine - Tris Tris (hydroxymethyl) amino methane     

低温对不同耐寒力的黄瓜幼苗子叶的各细胞器中NAD~+-苹果酸脱氢酶的影响

NAD~+-MDH在黄瓜子叶中的定位是细胞溶质中占总活性的55～59％,线粒体为38～35％,叶绿体为7％。其同工酶谱亦为细胞溶质中带数最多,全青为5条,粤早3号为4条,线粒体和叶绿体均为1条,品种间无明显差异。黄瓜幼苗随低温胁迫的加剧,伤害逐步加重,子叶电解质渗出率明显增加,NAD~+-MDH活性亦不断下降,其中叶绿体的NAD~+-MDH对低温最敏感,1±1℃处理就能反映品种间耐寒力的差异。叶绿体和线粒体的NAD~+-MDH同工酶对低温的反应与活性变化一致,谱带数没有差异,只是活性降低。细胞溶质部分酶带较多,各条酶带对低温的反应不同。     

菠萝叶膜脂脂肪酸组成的温度效应及其与抗寒性的关系

生长在不同季节的菠萝叶膜脂脂肪酸的配比存在着明显差异;随着大气温度的下降,18:1含量显著减少,18:2和18:3含量增加。不同品种均表现出一致的变化趋势。致害低温破坏了膜脂,使较不抗寒品种的16:0含量增加,18:2和18:3含量减少;较抗寒品种这种变化则较不显著。适当低温锻炼能改变膜脂脂肪酸的代谢过程,16:0和18:1含量减少,18:3含量增加。当处于更低温度时,除了16:0和18:1继续减少外,有一部分18:2也脱饱和而转变为18:3。因之明显地增加了膜脂中18:3的含量和脂肪酸的不饱和度,从而有利于抗寒性的提高。而品种间的抗寒性差异亦是在此低温期间表现出来。     

The trajectory of a stiff rod in a curved potential energy trough

The equilibrium trajectory of the axis of a rod subject to an externally imposed curved potential energy trough tends to conform to the shape of the curved trough, but also tends to be straight because of elastic resistance to bending. The actual path of the axis is a balance between the two extremes. We consider a potential energy trough centered along a circular arc of radiusR. For a rod of small length compared toR, we show that the axis at equilibrium forms an arc of a circle of radius greater thanR. The value of the radius of the axial path depends on the relative values of the Hooke’s Law bending constant for the rod and the depth and width of the trough. Motivation for the calculation is provided by nucleosomal DNA, which conforms to the surface of a roughtly cylindrical histone core at physiological ionic strength, but is observed to unwind into a partially extended conformation at very low ionic strength. We suggest that the rigidity to bending of short DNA segments becomes sufficiently great at low ionic strength to overcome attractive interactions with the histone surface. Alternately, of course, if during the cell cycle mutually attractive forces between DNA and histone core are weakened at constant ionic strength, the same type of unfolding would be expected to occur as the strength of the DNA-histone contacts drops below the level required to overcome elastic resistance to bending of the DNA rod.     

Effect of nonanoic acid and other short chain fatty acids on exchange properties in embryonic axes of Cicer arietinum during germination

Nonanoic acid, which inhibits germination in several seeds, enhanced ion efflux from embryonic axes of Cicer arietinum L., especially at temperatures above 25°C. Other short chain fatty acids had little effect on germination and ion leakage. Nonanoic acid also decreased uptake of ⁸⁶Rb⁺ and ²²Na⁺ and increased efflux of both isotopes from the embryonic axes into the incubation solution. Fusicoccin, which stimulates early germination in C. arietinum , counteracted the effects of nonanoic acid at both 25 and 30°C. These results suggest that nonanoic acid affects the integrity of plasmalemma and other membrane systems. Nonanoic acid thus inhibits cell elongation during early germination by disturbing ion exchange and inhibiting water uptake.     

Appearance of a State 1 – State 2 transition during chloroplast development in the wheat leaf: Energetic and structural considerations

The ability of developing chloroplasts to dynamically regulate the distribution of excitation energy between photosystem 1 and photosystem 2, and thus perform a State 1 – State 2 transition, was examined from analyses of chlorophyll fluorescence kinetics in 4- and 8-day-old Triticum aestivum L. cv. Maris Dove leaves grown under a diurnal light regime. Chloroplasts at all stages of development in the two leaf systems could undergo a State 1 – State 2 transition, except those found in the basal 0.5 cm of the 4-day-old leaf. The ability to physiologically modify the excitation energy distribution between the chlorophyll matrices of the two photosystems developed after the development of mature, fully photochemically competent photosystem 2 units and the appearance of excitation energy transfer between photosystem 2 and photosystem 1. Also, changes in the degree of energetic interaction between the two photosystems, in vivo rates of electron transport and the chlorophyll a/b ratio could not be correlated with the appearance of a State 1 – State 2 transition. Ultrastructural studies demonstrated a 32% increase in the degree of thylakoid appression in chloroplasts at the base of the 8-day-old leaf compared to the situation in the basal 0.5 cm of the 4-day-old leaf. This difference in thylakoid stacking can account for the differing abilities of these two tissues to perform a State 1 – State 2 transition when considered in the context of the distribution of the two photosystems within appressed and non-appressed regions of thylakoid membranes.     

Effect of calcium ion on cytoplasmic streaming during turgor regulation in a brackish water charophyte Lamprothamnium

Abstract The brackish water charophyte Lamprothamnium succinctum regulates its turgor pressure against changes in the external osmotic pressure. Upon hypotonic treatment, the rate of cytoplasmic streaming in the internodal cells fell to almost zero, and then recovered to the original value within 20 min. The decrease could be inhibited by lowering the external Ca²⁺ concentration in the hypotonic medium. Also, cytoplasmic streaming in tonoplast-free cells of L. succintum was sensitive to Ca²⁺ like freshwater charophyte. Thus, the concentration of free Ca²⁺ in the cytoplasm seems to increase transiently upon hypotonic treatment.