Impatiens holstii pollen germination on an aqueous agar extract

Summary Impatiens holstii pollen grains germinate on a liquid medium consisting of an aqueous extract of agar but not to the quantitative extent manifested on a solid agar medium. However, the addition of calcium ions to the aqueous agar extract brings about germination percentages and extents of pollen tube growth similar to that observed on the solid agar medium.This article is dedicated to the memory of Dr Malcolm E. Davis. I thank the Dr Hadwen Trust For Humane Research for funds received in support of this research.     

Slide test for detection of slime formation in vibrios

Summary and conclusion Slime production was detected by a simple slide test on a glass slide with distilled water and 0.5% sodium taurocholate solution in all the 64 strains of vibrios consisting of classicalV. cholerae, El Tor and NAG vibrios, isolated from different sources, 2 strains ofPs. aeruginosa and 2 of the 8 strains of Enterobacteriaceae, when the organisms were grown in a special phosphate agar medium. Phosphate was essential for SM in many strains of El Tor and NAG vibrios. Although detectable SM was observed in nutrient agar, presence of phosphate definitely augmented its production by classicalV. cholerae. Observation of such characteristic features in vibrios justified the consideration that the viscous material was extracellular slime of the organism. This also suggests that the simple slide test as employed here can be utilized for detection of SM of intestinal bacteria after growing in medium containing suitable concentration of phosphate.

---

Zusammenfassung Nachweis der Schleimbildung von Vibrionen in Enterobakterien.

---

---

The authors wish to convey their gratefulness to Prof. J. B.Chatterjea, School of Tropical Medicine, Calcutta, for his kind permission to publish this paper.     

Action of stannous and stannic chlorides on bacteria

Summary Stannous or stannic chlorides reduced the growth rate ofK. aerogenes, Ps. reptilovora and an unidentified bacterium in a minimal liquid medium and on agar plates. The greatest effect was observed withK. aerogenes and was accompanied by a decreased viability, but 100% survival occurred with the other strains. The metal was loosely bound to the cells and there was no direct correlation between the amount adsorbed and the biological response.We are indebted to the Wolfson Foundation for a grant for research on natural resources.     

Biosynthesis of deuteriated amino acids byCandida lipolytica

Summary Biosynthesis of a whole series of deuteriated amino acids has been carried out, by cultivation of the yeastCandida lipolytica in an artificial medium composed of a deuterio-alkane, heavy water, water and some mineral salts.Acknowledgments. This work has been carried out with the aid of grants from The Swedish Medical Research Council. Thanks are due to Mr Nils Engström for his skilful technical assistance during the yeast growth, and to Mrs Monica Olsson for the Moore-Stein analysis.     

Penicillium auxotrophic mutants can be detected by suing xanthene dyes

Summary Auxotrophic mutants ofPenicillium spp. have been directly isolated after mutagenic treatment from agar plates containing Xanthene dyes. They grow as characteristic small colored colonies. Some strains were tested and they showed a differential response depending on the Xanthene dye used.     

Ontogenetic changes in isozyme patterns during seed germination of self-pollinatedSecale species

Summary Six isozymatic systems have been studied comparatively during the first week of germination of seeds of self-pollinatedSecale species (S. silvestre Host. andS. vavilovii Gross.). Isozymatic systems do not change at all, or reach their definitive adult plant pattern early during germination.Acknowledgements. This work was carried out at the Dpto. de Genética, Univ. Complutense, Madrid and supported by grants from the C.A.I.C.Y.T. (1789-82) and the P.F.P.I.     

Phaeomelanic pigments from a human melanoma

Summary The pigments in melanomas from 2 patients were studied with regard to solubility and chemical composition. Melanoma pigment from a patient with red-blonde hair was alkali-soluble and contained 9 or 10% sulfur and was thus of phaeomelanic type. Melanoma pigment from a patient with red-brown hair was insoluble in 0.2N NaOH. Its sulfur content was 6%. This pigment was eumelanic with regard to solubility characteristics but the sulfur content was higher than previously observed for eumelanin.Supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Society (No. 626-B75-04XA), the Swedish Medical Research Council (No. B76-04X-00056-12), and the Walter, Ellen, and Lennart Hesselman Foundation for Scientific Research. ProfessorProta was a visiting scientist of the Swedish Cancer Society (No. 626-B75-04U).     

Release of plasminogen activator from normal and neoplastic endometrium

Summary In the medium of endometrial carcinoma cultures, anti-urokinase-reacting plasminogen activator was released in contrast to cultures of normal or hyperplastic endometrium.This investigation was supported by grants from Malmö General Hospital, the Council for Tobacco Research, USA and the Swedish Medical Research Council (B79-17X-04523-05B).     

Abnormal development of phialides in a strain ofAspergillus niger

Summary AnAspergillus niger mutant strain (hpp) produces an average of 4.1% of conidiophores with phialide proliferations. Increased frequency of proliferations could be induced on all studied strains by growth on potato dextrose agar. The characteristic is recessive and seems to be due to a pleiotropic effect of the mutation for olive conidia color.Acknowledgments. The authors are indebted to CNPq for financial assistance provided with grant PIG/SIP 04/053 as well as the scholarships Pesquisador Científico (R.B.Jr) and Iniciação Científica and Aperfeiçoamento (G.U.V.).     

Imparied bone resorption of cultured calvaria from mice with abnormal lysosomal function (the Chediak-Higashi syndrome)

Summary Spontaneous bone resorption is reduced in cultured calvarial bones from mice with the Chediak-Higashi syndrome, as indicated by decreased mobilization of calcium from the bones to the medium. Although bone resorption in calvaria from mice with this disease can be stimulated by PGE₂ and 1 (OH)D₃, the amounts of mineral released after stimulation is also decreased.This investigation was supported by grants from the Swedish Association against Rheumatic Diseases, from the Royal 80 Year Fund of King Gustav V, and from the Swedish Medical Research Council (project No 14X-05426).     

Untersuchungen über einen mikrobiologisch feststellbaren Serumfaktor nach Gelbsucht

Summary The germination of spores and pollen grains is often inhibited by the serum of subjects who have once suffered from a jaundice. Experiments have been done with spores ofHelminthosporium sativum andAlternaria tenuis and with pollen grains of short style and long style plants ofPrimula obconica. 36 samples of a series of 50 persons, who have suffered from a jaundice, showed the inhibition of germination. 5 samples with positive reaction have been found in a second series of 344 sera of subjects who have never suffered from a jaundice. We observed positive reaction withHepatitis epidemica acuta (6 samples); all other kind of diseases so far tested did not show any similar reaction.     

Presence of viruses in a strain ofMycoplasma pulmonis

Summary Filtrates prepared from heavily grown agar cultures ofM. pulmonis strain Negroni-52 formed plaques on lawns ofA. laidlawii strain JA1 but not on those ofM. pulmonis strains Ash or Negroni-52. The plaque-forming agent proved to be rod-shaped particles morphologically identical with mycoplasmavirus group 1. Evidence supporting the conclusion that the virus originated from Negroni-52 has been obtained. Electron microscopy revelaed that Negroni-52 is also a carrier of long-tailed phage-like particles.     

Synthesis of trypsin inhibitor CMTI III from squash seeds (Cucurbita maxima)

Summary Using the solid-phase procedure, a 29-peptide cross-linked by three disulphide bridges was synthesized. The synthetic product was shown to be identical with the trypsin inhibitor CMTI III from squash seeds (Cucurbita maxima).Acknowledgments. This work was supported by the Swedish Natural Science Research Council (K-GF 3020-107) and the Polish Academy of Sciences (Research grant No. MR I 12.1.6.1).     

Volatile metabolites of aspergilli in relation to spore germination of some keratinophilic fungi

Summary The effect of volatile metabolites produced by 8 Aspergilli (i.e.,Aspergillus candidus, A. chevalieri, A. flavus, A. fumigatus, A. nidulans, A. niger, A. ochraceous andA. tamarii) on spore germination were tested againstAuxarthron conjugatum, Chrysosporium pannicola, Keratinomyces ajelloi andMicrosporum gypseum. The volatile metabolites inhibited the spore germination of all the test fungi.Acknowledgment. The authors thank Professor G.P. Mishra for the use of the facilities and S.K.D. acknowledges the fellowship award by I.C.M.R. New Delhi.     

A mutant of the antibiotic resistance factor R124 with altered copy number

Summary A mutation conferring increased antibiotic resistance onSalmonella typhimurium strain 11G carrying R124 was plasmid determined; strains harbouring the mutant plasmid contained more DNA as ccc plasmid than those harbouring R124. The increased copy number was manifested at all growth rates at all growth rates tested.This work was supported by a grant (to R. J. R.) from the Central Research Fund of the University of London and by a studentship (to J. J. P.) from the Science Research Council.     

Immunohistochemical localization of pancreatic polypeptide (PP) in the brain of the larval instar of the hoverfly,Eristalis aenus (Diptera)

Summary 2 pancreatic polypeptide (PP) immunoreactive cells were observed in each half of the protocerebrum of the last (5th), larval instar of the hoverfly,Eristalis aenus. No PP immunoreactive nerve fibers could be detected in the brain.Support by a grant from the Swedish Medical Research Council (project No. 12X-102) and by a Swedish Institute scholarship.     

Competitiveness and communication for effective inoculation byRhizobium,Bradyrhizobium and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi

After a short summary on the ecology and rhizosphere biology of symbiotic bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhiza fungi and their application as microbial inocula, results on competitiveness and communication are summarized. Stress factors such as high temperature, low soil pH, aluminium concentrations and phytoalexins produced by the host plants were studied withRhizobium leguminosarum bv.phaseoli andRhizobium tropici onPhaseolus beans. Quantitative data for competitiveness were obtained by usinggus ⁺ (glucoronidase) labelled strains, which produce blue-coloured nodules. ForPhaseolus-nodulating rhizobia, a group specific DNA probe was also developed, which did not hybridize with more than 20 other common soil and rhizosphere bacteria. Results from several laboratories contributing to knowledge of signal exchange and communication in theRhizobium/Bradyrhizobium legume system are summarized in a new scheme, including also defense reactions at the early stages of legume nodule initiation. Stimulating effects of flavonoids on germination and growth of VA mycorrhiza fungi were also found. A constitutive antifungal compound in pea roots, -isoxazolinonyl-alanine, was characterized.     

Tyrosine hydroxylase activity in a transplantable islet cell tumour of golden hamster

Zusammenfassung In einem transplantierbaren Insel-zelltumor des Goldhamsters ist eine Tyrosinhydroxylase-Aktivität gefunden. Die hohe Aktivität der Enzyme zusammen mit einer starken Konzentration von Tyrosin deutet auf eine schnelle Synthese von Dopa in den Tumorzellen. Die Anwesenheit der Dopametaboliten DOPAC und HVA im Tumor wurde gezeigt.

---

---

This work was supported by grants from the Swedish Cancer Society (No. 67-111) and was carried out within a research organization sponsored by the Swedish Medical Research Council (Projects No. B70-14X-712-05 and No. B70-14X-56-06).     

Electrophoretic variation in esterases and phosphatases in eleven wild-type strains ofMetarrhizium anisopliae

Summary 11 wild-type strains ofMetarrhizium anisopliae were electrophoretically tested for phosphatases and esterases. Phosphatase was homogeneous for all strains. For esterase it was possible to distinguish 5 different patterns with which it is possible to characterize the strains analyzed.Acknowledgment. The authors are thankful to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (CNPq) and to the Empresa Brasileira de Pesquisa Agropecuária (EM-BRAPA) for financial assistance.     

Sclerotial and low aflatoxigenic morphological variants from haploid and diploidAspergillus parasiticus

Summary Serial transfer of mycelial macerates of a wild type, haploid, aflatoxigenic strain ofAspergillus parasiticus in a defined liquid medium resulted in the production of three new morphological classes: a sclerotial form with high aflatoxin production, and two variant forms (fan andfluff) with lowered sporulation, no sclerotia, and attenuated levels of aflatoxin. A genetically marked diploid containing mutant markers for aflatoxin pathway intermediates yielded the same three morphological classes upon serial transfer of macerated mycelia. When these diploid variants were treated with a haploidization agent, and the phenotypes of the resultant segregants scored, a low frequency of colonies producing aflatoxin pathway intermediates was recovered. These genetic data indicate that the structural genes for the aflatoxin pathway are present but somehow attenuated in thefan andfluff strains.This work was supported by a Cooperative Agreement from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, (58-7B30-3-556).