Sprouting of the fructan- and starch-storing geophyte Lachenalia minima: Effects on carbohydrate and water content within the bulbs.
The carbohydrate pool within the bulbs of Lachenalia minima W.F. Barker (Hyacinthaceae) consists of similar amounts of fructans and starch. This study was conducted to examine the changes within the pool of non-structural carbohydrates that occur during sprouting under field conditions. The bulbs were watered over a period of 23 days to simulate the onset of the rainy season. Even though there was no significant change of the total fructan content, the distribution and the composition of the fructan fraction within the different leaf scales of the bulbs altered during sprouting. The major changes occurred in the innermost scales, the total fructan content increased from 300 (day 0) to 607 (day 23) g kg-1 dry mass and high-performance anion-exchange chromatography analysis revealed a significant increase of fructans with low degree of polymerization (DP). With respect to starch, the most pronounced difference accompanying the transition to growth was also in the innermost scales. In contrast to fructans, starch content decreased from 241 (day 0) to 60 (day 14) g kg-1 dry mass. These results demonstrate that starch, and not fructan, is used as the carbon and energy source for sprouting. The water content data suggest the involvement of fructans in water relations. The preferential accumulation of low DP fructans and sucrose within the innermost scales directs the water flow to where it is most needed for growth. Similar changes were obtained for bulbs in the dry soil, but transformation rates were much slower and occurred to a lesser extent, indicating that these reactions were not triggered but were accelerated by water.
The role of fructan in flowering of Campanula rapunculoides.
Inulin type fructan was detected in all vegetative organs of Campanula rapunculoides L. plants. All flower parts contained fructan at some developmental stage. A steady decrease was found in sepals during development. Petals, however, stored fructan in the bud stage. A rapid breakdown during opening of the flower resulted in high concentrations of glucose and especially fructose that may contribute to the osmotic driving force involved in petal expansion. Before complete shrivelling, the hexoses were apparently exported from flower parts. Fructans were hydrolysed and exported from the stamen and style tissue upon flower opening. Similarly, the major fructan reserves in the ovary were broken down almost simultaneously with those in other flower parts. Hexoses did not reach high levels in the ovary, probably because they were rapidly metabolized and/or incorporated by developing seeds.
Isolation and characterization of fecal bacteria capable of 16 alpha-dehydroxylating corticoids
For more than a decade it has been known that the fecal flora of humans and rats includes organisms capable of 16 alpha-dehydroxylating corticoids, but their identity has remained unknown. To isolate these organisms, Mueller-Hinton agar plates were seeded with fresh feces from Proteus-free rats and incubated anaerobically. On an average, 1 of every 35 colonies consisted of organisms synthesizing 16 alpha-dehydroxylase. Isolation of the individual colonies yielded two obligate anerobes, strains 144 and 146, which elaborated the enzyme. The steroid transformation could be attained by the microbial culture alone in prereduced media or in aerobic media in the presence of Escherichia coli. Although both strains were phenotypically similar to Eubacterium lentum, they differed between themselves in their enzymatic equipment.