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[Glutamine metabolism regulation in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Regulation of Chlorella glutamine synthetase activity by amino acids].

Effect of glutamine and its metabolites (amino acids) on Chlorella glutamine synthetase (GS) (E.C.6.3.1.2) in the presence of Mg or Mn was studied. Purified GS preparation was used, isolated from Chlorella grown in the presence of NH as a sole nitrogen source. Glutamate, aspartate, alanine and glycine inhibit GS activity in the presence of both Mg and Mn. Tryptophane and valine (up to 15 mM) activate GS in the presence of Mn. Tryptophane inhibits GS in the system with Mg. Sinergistic inhibition was observed under the combined effect of amino acids on GS in the presence of Mn and aspartate or alanine. The change of GS activity observed is supposed to be due to the inhibitory effect of glutamine and amino acids studied, since the glutamine content is increased (in 2.5 times for 5 min) and that of alanine and dicarbonic amino acids (for the following 15 min) under NH assimilation in Chlorella cells.

Amino Acids

Experiments on the accumulation of lindane (gamma-BHC) by the primary producers Chlorella spec. and Chlorella pyrenoidosa.

Experiments were performed on the accumulation of the pesticide lindane (gamma-isomer of BHC) by two algae with different surfaces. An analytical procedure was developed for the gas chromatographic determinnation of lindane. At room temperature, lindane had a water solubility of 7.8 mg/L in distilled water and 6.7 mg/L in tap water. Under the experimental conditions of 10 to 100 microgram/L, 2.3% of the dissolved lindane was lost through adsorption on the glass walls of the equipment and 0.2% through evaporation. The recovery rate of lindane was 98% for the water samples and more than 90% for Chlorella spec. The tolerance in the gas chromatographic measurements amounted to 1.2%. Investigations on the effect of lindane on the growth of Chlorella spec. revealed irreparable damage to the algae cells through loss of chlorophyll, coagulation, and complete sedimentation at concentrations greater than 300 microgram/L. The experiments on sublethal accumulation showed the development of a state of equilibrium between the amount of lindane per cell and in the surrounding water with lindane concentrations of 10 to 100 microgram/L. The lindane was adsorptively attached to the algal cells within a few hr, and after three days lindane stabilized in the cells. The gelatinous surface of the algae increases the accumulation of lindane.

Chlorella

[Absorption of radiocobalt in Chlorella vulgaris]?1Assorbimento di radiocobalto in "Chlorella vulgaris".

The uptake, accumulation and loss of traces of radiocobalt present in the culture medium by a green alga, Chlorella vulgaris, were studied. The trace quantities of the radionuclide employed had no effect on the growth of the algal population. The uptake is related to the number of cells present and to the temperature of the culture medium; it is not affected by mitotic activity. The rate of the 60Co, uptake during algal growth is compared to the rate of uptake of other radioisotopes; 90Sr and, to some extent, 137Cs have the same rate of uptake as 60Co, whereas 90Y and 144Ce differ. Perhaps the radiocobalt in the cells undergoes a chelating process and consequently its loss to the outer environment is very slow. The involvement of a biological process, in addition to a physical one, is claimed in order to explain the possibility of an active concentration of the radioisotope (C.F.=170). Emphasis is laid on the possible danger of this concentration when a disposal system by dilution of industrial or nuclear waste is employed.

Cesium Radioisotopes

The cryopreservation of Chlorella. 1. Interactions of rate of cooling, protective additive and warming rate.

The cryoprotective additives glycerol and dimethylsulphoxide were found to be toxic to Chlorella cells at concentrations greater then 2.5% w/v. Polyvinylpyrrolidone, was not damaging up to a concentration of 15%w/v. Chlorella 211/7a had a recovery rate greater than 95% at all rates of cooling studied. With Chlorella 211/8h the survival was lower than 0.1% at all rates examined. The addition of dimethylsulphoxide (5% w/v) to Chlorella 211/8h increased the recovery, particularly at the faster rates of cooling; with polyvinylpyrrolidone (10% w/v) there was an optimum range of cooling rate. Cells of Chlorella 211/7a from the exponential phase of growth were found to be damaged both by a temperature reduction from 25 degrees C to 0 degrees C (thermal shock) and by freezing and thawing. In contrast cells from the stationary phase of growth were resistant to these stresses.

Cell Division

The determination of the membrane ptoential of Chlorella vulgaris. Evidence for electrogenic sugar transport.

From data on the accumulation of tetraphenylphosphonium within Chlorella vulgaris cells, it can be estimated that these cells possess a membrane potential of --120 to --150 mV (inside negative). Under anaerobic conditions as well as in the presence of uncoupling agents the membrane potential drops to about -60 to -80 mV. Nystatin (50 mug/ml) abolishes it almost completely. Since it took more than 1 h before the tetraphenylphosphonium equilibrium was reached, this method could not be used to measure relatively fast transient changes in membrane potential. However, the rate of influx of tetraphenylphosphonium is also directly dependent on membrane potential and can be followed within minutes. Using this phenomenon as an indicator for membrane potential a brief transient depolarisation was detected after the addition of sugars taken up by Chlorella via the proton cotransport system. The depolarisation was absent from cells not induced for sugar uptake and induced cells did not show it with substances not transported, like mannitol. The maximal depolarisation observed amounted to about 70 mV; after 1 min, however, the membrane potential returned to a value about 25 mV less negative than the one before sugars was added. The results demonstrate that sugar uptake in Chlorella is electrogenic. The delta pH plus membrane potential measured for Chlorella completely cover the energy required to explain the 1600-fold accumulation of 6-deoxyglucose experimentally observed.

Anaerobiosis

[Physico-chemical determination of the ploidy of the unicellular alga, Chlorella pyrenoidosa (strain 211/8b) (author's transl)].

The ploidy of the unicellular green alga Chlorella pyrenoidosa (strain 211/8b) has been determined by means of renaturation kinetics. The nuclear DNA is made up from fast, intermediate and slow renaturing sequences, which represent respectively about 5, 15 and 80% of the DNA. These observations are consistent with the findings in other eukaryotic nuclear DNAs. Nevertheless, the relative importance of the repeated sequences is much lower than that observed in Chlamydomonas reinhardi [16] and in higher plants [18-20], but slightly higher than that obtained in Chlorella vulgaris [17]. The kinetic complexity of the main fraction of the Cl. pyrenoidosa nuclear DNA is found to be 2.94 - 10-10 daltons (mean value of five independant experiments) assuming value of 2.1 - 10-8 daltons for Cl. pyrenoidosa chloroplastic DNA. When compared with the analytical complexity of this fraction (80% of the nuclear DNA analytical complexity, that is 2.02 - 10-10 daltons), one can assume that the slow renaturing fraction of the nuclear DNA is constituted by a unique nucleotide sequence. This result thus suggests that Cl. pyrenoidosa (strain 211/8b) is an haploid organism. The possible existence of an haploid genome in the nuclei of the algae from Chlorella genus and the apparent absence of sexuality might explain the high discrepancy observed in the G + C content of the Chlorella nuclear DNAs.

Chlorella

[Regulation of glutamine metabolism in Chlorella pyrenoidosa. Regulation of glutamine synthetase activity by adenylic system components].

A decrease of glutamine synthetase (E. C. 6.3.1.2.) activity was observed under the assimilation of ammonium nitrogen in Chlorella. At the same time a decrease of ATP content in Chlorella cells took place. The ATP content was 7-fold decreased, while ADP and AMP contents were 4-fold and 3-fold increased respectively, after 15 min. of Chlorella incubation on "ammonium" medium. Further incubation for 45 min, resulted in gradual increase of ATP content and in decrease of ADP and AMP contents. The value of energy charge in ammonium assimilating Chlorella cells sharply decreased for first 15 min. of incubation and then it normalized gradually. The experiments with glutamine synthetase preparation, isolated from ammonium assimilating cells, have shown that ADP and AMP are strong inhibitors of the enzyme in the presence of Mg2+, and only ADP produces the inhibitory effect in the presence of Mn2+. No enzyme reactivation was observed after the transfer of ammonium assimilating cells into nitrogen-free medium or nitrate medium, the enzyme activity increasing at the expense of enzyme protein synthesis denovo.

Adenine Nucleotides

Physiological and biochemical contributions to the taxonomy of the genus Chlorella. XI. DNA hybridization.

1. DNA homology was studied in 12 Chlorella species. The DNA of 88 strains was hybridized with 3H-labelled DNA from C. fusca var. vacuolata 211-8 b and from C. vulgaris 211-8m. The results indicate that the genus Chlorella is a heterogenous taxon which consists of several groups of species. 2. The "C. fusca group" comprises C. fusca var. vacuolata, C. fusca var. rubescens, and C. zofingiensis. Within this group, C. zofingiensis appears to be more closely related to C. fusca var. vacuolata than is C. fusca var. rubescens. C. fusca var. fusca does not belong to this group of taxa. 3. The "C. vulgaris group" consists of C. vulgaris, C. sorokiniana, and C. saccharophila. There are several strains which seem to assume a position intermediate between C. vulgaris and C. saccharophila. C. protothecoides is not related to this group of species. 4. Several groups of strains of C. sorokiniana with different base compositions (guanine + cytosine content) of their DNA appear to belong to the same taxon. 5. In addition to C. fusca var. fusca and C. protothecoides, also C. luteoviridis, C. minutissima, C. kessleri, and C. homosphaera seem to have so little relationship with the other species that their assignment to the genus Chlorella appears questionable.

Chlorella

[The metabolic interactions between Paramecium bursaria Ehrbg. and Chlorella spec. in the Paramecium bursaria-symbiosis. I. The nitrogen and the carbon metabolism (author's transl)].

Symbiotic Chlorellae have been isolated from Paramecium bursaria Ehrbg. and cultivated under conditions of nitrogen deficiency. Reinfection of Chlorella-free Paramecium bursaria with these nitrogen-deficient algae resulted in a complete regeneration and multiplication of the algae within the host cells. The endosymbiotic algal cells of the Paramecium bursaria-symbiosis can be supplied by their host with nitrogen. The inhibition of photosynthesis by 3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) leads in green Paramecium bursaria to a breakdown of the symbiotic steady state-system resulting in a loss of algal cells. Obviously the endosymbiotic algae cannot be fed heterotrophically by their host to such an extent that a stable symbiosis is maintained. The application of 3-(3,4-Dichlorophenyl)-1,1-dimethylurea (DCMU) can be used as a new method for culturing Chlorella-free Paramecium bursaria.

Chlorella

The regreening of nitrogen-deficient Chlorella fusca II. Structural changes during synchronous regreening.

Chlorella fusca, strain 211-15, cells degreened in a nitrogen-deficient mineral growth medium in the light for 4-6 weeks were regreened for up to 24 hrs in a nitrogen rich medium that leads to synchronous cell division at 24-26 hrs. Structural changes in the plastid membranes during the regreening period were observed by thin section and freeze-fracture electron microscopy. Nitrogen-deficient plastids were found to have non-appressed lamellae, prolamellar body-like membrane aggregations, and only 2 types of freeze-fracture face. At this time no photosynthetic oxygen evolution could be demonstrated. After 6 hrs regreening the plastid lamellae had fused to form bands of appressed lamellae and the four types of freeze-fracture face, described previously, were visible. At this time photosynthetic oxygen evolution could be demonstrated. After 24 hrs regreening the plastids had an appearance typical of normally grown Chlorella and had commenced to divide. Supporting evidence for these developmental stages is presented from isolated chloroplast particle fractions. An unusual type of cell wall proliferation was observed in the nitrogen-deficient Chlorella cells that resulted in the laying down of several walls, each with a trilaminar component.

Cell Division

Kinetics of chlorophyll fluorescence at 77K in Chlorella and chloroplasts. Effects of CCCP, ferricyanide and DCMU.

The kinetics of chlorophyll fluorescence at 77K were studied in Chlorella cells and spinach chloroplasts. During a first illumination, the rise is polyphasic with at least three phases. The slowest one is irreversible and corresponds to the cytochrome oxidation. The dark regeneration of half the variable fluorescence is biphasic, the fast phase being inhibited by 3-(3,4-dichlorophenyl)-1, 1-dimethylurea (DCMU) both in Chlorella and chloroplasts. The fluorescence rise during a second illumination is still biphasic. Carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone (CCCP) slows down the fluorescence rise in Chlorella but has no effect on the dark regeneration. It does not affect the fluorescence of chloroplasts. Ferricyanide which oxidizes cytochrome beta-559 at room temperature produces a quenching of the variable fluorescence and an acceleration of the fluorescence rise during the first illumination. Our results fit the idea of the heterogeneity of the Photosystem II centers at low temperature.

Carbonyl Cyanide m-Chlorophenyl Hydrazone

Cyanide formation from histidine in Chlorella. A general reaction of aromatic amino acids catalyzed by amino acid oxidase systems.

The formation of HCN from D-histidine in Chlorella vulgaris extracts is shown to be due to the combined action of a soluble protein and a particulate component. Either horse-radish peroxidase (EC 1.11.1.7) or a metal ion with redox properties can be substituted for the particulate component. Ions of manganese and vanadium are especially effective, as are o-phenanthroline complexes of iron. Cobalt ions are less active. The D-amino acid oxidase (EC 1.4.3.3) from kidney and the L-amino acid oxidase (EC 1.4.3.2) from snake venom likewise cause HCN production from histidine when supplemented with the particulate preparation from Chlorella or with peroxidase or with a redox metal ion. The stereospecificity of the amino acid oxidase determines which of the two stereoisomers of histidine is active as an HCN precursor. Though histidine is the best substrate for HCN production, other naturally occurring aromatic amino acids (viz. tyrosine, phenylalanine and tryptophan) can also serve as HCN precursors with these enzyme systems. The relative effectiveness of each substrate varies with the amino acid oxidase enzyme and with the supplement. With respect to this latter property, the particulate preparation from Chlorella behaves more like a metal ion than like peroxidase.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases

A D-amino acid oxidase from Chlorella vulgaris.

A procedure has been developed for the partial purification from Chlorella vulgaris of an enzyme which catalyzes the formation of HCN from D-histidine when supplemented with peroxidase of a metal with redox properties. Some properties of the enzyme are described. Evidence is presented that the catalytic activity for HCN formation is associated with a capacity for catalyzing the oxidation of a wide variety of D-amino acids. With D-leucine, the best substrate for O2 consumption, 1 mol of ammonia is formed for half a mol of O2 consumed in the presence of catalase. An inactive apoenzyme can be obtained by acid ammonium sulfate precipitation, and reactivated by added FAD. On the basis of these criteria, the Chlorella enzyme can be classified as a D-amino acid oxidase (EC 1.4.3.3). Kidney D-amino acid oxidase and snake venom L-amino acid oxidase, which likewise form HCN from histidine on supplementation with peroxidase, have been compared with the Chlorella D-amino acid oxidase. The capacity of these enzymes for causing HCN formation from histidine is about proportional to their ability to catalyze the oxidation of histidine.

Animals

Characterization and messenger activity of poly(A)-containing RNA from Chlorella.

Poly(A)-containing RNA was isolated by cellulose column chromatography from total RNA extracted from Chlorella fusca var. vacuolata 211/8p. RNA retained by the column was identified as poly(A)-containing RNA because it contained ribonuclease-resistant tracts, 25 to 55 nucleotides in length, from which not less than 80% of base was found to be adenine after acid hydrolysis. The base composition of poly(A)-containing RNA differed from that of RNA (largely ribosomal) which did not adsorb to cellulose, having a higher adenine content and a lower guanine content. Poly(A)-containing RNA was polydisperse including molecules with mobilities from 10S to 40S with a mean of about 20S. In an in vitro system derived from wheat-germ, protein synthesis was stimulated by adding poly(A)-containing RNA from Chlorella. Optimum conditions were established in this system with respect to the amount of poly(A)-containing RNA added and the concentration of KCl and Mg-2+. It is proposed that, in Chlorella, poly(A)-containing RNA includes cytoplasmic mRNA as has been shown for some other eucaryotic organisms.

Adenine Nucleotides

Specific deficit in the synthesis of 6-sulfoquinovsyl diglyceride in Chlorella pyrenoidosa.

It was found that when Chlorella pyrenoidosa was grown on cysteine as the sole sulfur source, it lost the ability to grow photoautotrophically. When grown in the presence of glucose, cysteine-grown cells displayed a doubling time in the light or dark of 45 h, which is identical to that of cells grown on glucose and SO4 in the dark. This suggests that cells grown on cysteine as sole sulfur source can only grow heterotrophically. In support of this hypothesis, it was found that cysteine-grown cells were defective both in vivo and in vitro in CO2 fixation, although O2 evolution in such cells was normal. Assays of the enzymes of the Calvin cycle indicated that the deficit in CO2 fixation could be ascribed to a lowered phosphoribulokinase activity. A total lipid analysis of Chlorella grown on cysteine revealed that such cells showed a 100-fold deficiency in the purportedly chloroplast-associated 6-sulfoquinovsyl diglyceride. This agrees with earlier reports that cysteine could not serve as a precursor of sulfolipid in Chlorella. No other polar lipid was affected. Large amounts of triglyceride, however, were found in cysteine-grown cells. The biosynthesis of triglyceride provides a means of utilizing reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide reducing equivalents not being used for CO2 fixation.

Chlorella

Enhancement of adhesion of the marine Chlorella vulgaris to glass.

The adhesion of washed cells of a marine Chlorella vulgaris to solid surfaces was enhanced by non-diffusible material recovered from Chlorella exudate, marine bacterial cultures, natural seawater, and fouled marine surfaces. Materials isolated from certain bacterial cultures and from particulate materials filtered from seawater were three orders of magnitude more active than Chlorella exudate per unit weight. Active polymer materials from several sources were chromatographed on DEAE cellulose. The major fraction eluted with dilute base contained both protein and carbohydrate and enhanced adhesion more than the unchromatographed material.

Bacteria

[Cytochrome f from Chlorella pyrenoidosa Pringsheim 82 T].

Cytochrome of the f type was isolated from the thermophilous autotrophic strain Chlorella pyrenoidosa Pringsheim 82T and purified on Sephadex G-75. The isolation procedure allowed a simultaneous production of glutamate dehydrogenase isoenzymes. From 100 g of Chlorella wet paste 100 to 120 nM of electrophoretically unicomponent protein with a molecular weight of 12,000 to 13,000 were isolated. The Chlorella cytochrome had an absorption spectrum in the visible light that was typical of the f type cytochromes.

Chlorella

The role of vanadium in green plants. III. Influence on cell division of Chlorella.

Vanadium, although essential for growth and chlorophyll formation in unicellular green algae, reveals toxic influences on cell division of Chlorella pyrenoidosa, these disturbances arising in the same range of V-concentrations as the known positive effects of the trace metal. In permanent light, as documented by cell volume statistics, vanadium (4-10(-7) g-at/1 as NH4VO3) causes a significant shift of the distribution maxima to higher values of the algal cell volume, the shift having its optimum at 10(-5) g-at V/1. It is documented in pH-constant liquid culture that this effect is not due to a change of pH in the nutrient medium. Under synchronous conditions of algal cultivation (16:8h), vanadium causes a total arrest of cell division after 3 periods; this stop lasts for the next 3 cycles. Afterwards, asynchronous divisions newly occur and lead to generally larger autospores. Staining of algal cell nuclei revealed an inhibitory V-effect on nuclear division, yielding giant nuclei with multiple sets of chromosomes, and thereby limiting cell division. Under these conditions, Chlorella pyrenoidosa is not synchronizable in presence of vanadium.

Cell Division