Electron microscopic observations on the penetration of Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus into gram-negative bacterial hosts

The progressive stages in Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus penetration into two strains of Escherichia coli were examined by use of electron microscopic techniques. The initial change observed in the ultrastructure of the host following parasitic attack was the swelling of the cell envelope at the site of attachment. The Bdellovibrio then appeared to pierce the center of this swelling, forming a pore in the outer wall layers of the host. The edges of this entry pore constricted the Bdellovibrio throughout its penetration into the host cell. Although partial disruption of the cytoplasmic membrane was always apparent, the parasite did not appear to actively penetrate through this barrier. An attempt is made to correlate the fine structural changes involved in penetration with the physiological data that have accumulated to date.

Isolation of (+)-abscisin II from dormant aerial tubers of Dioscorea batatas

The occurrence of at least three growth inhibitors was demonstrated in the dormant aerial tubers of Dioscorea. One of the inhibitors was isolated in crystalline form and identified as (+)-abscisin II by the infrared and ultraviolet spectra as well as by the optical rotatory dispersion.

Variations in endogenous gibberellins in developing bean seeds I. Occurrence of neutral and acidic substances

Activities of separated and chromatographed substances in the nonacidic, acidic ethyl acetate and acidic butanol fractions from bean seeds, Phaseolus vulgaris L., cv. Bountiful and Kentucky Wonder, were measured in the Progress No. 9 dwarf pea bioassay grown under red light. Activity in the nonacidic fraction was shown to be attributable only to neutral substances and was free of acidic gibberellin-like substances. As the seed matures, neutral substances and one of the acidic butanol-soluble substances (B-I) increase in activity. The acidic ethyl acetate substances and butanol-soluble substance (B-II) initially increase and then almost disappear.