Influence of exogenous sugars and polyols on C1-influx and efflux by the ascomycete Neocosmospora vasinfecta

Glucose and other transportable sugars and polyols inhibited Cl- influx very soon after addition to mycelium in the process of Cl- accumulation. Under the usual experimental conditions (0.1 mM KCl, glucose greater than or equal to 2 mM) the mean percentage of inhibition of Cl- influx by glucose was 54.1 +/- 8.0 (+/- standard error; N = 26). Transport of the exogenous carbohydrate was necessary for inhibition of Cl- influx. Thus, the estimated Ki for glucose inhibition of Cl- influx (28 muM) was close to the Km for glucose transport; glycerol did not inhibit Cl- influx unless it was itself transported, and the degree of inhibition exerted by various carbohydrates correlated with their uptake rates. Inhibition was not caused by the accumulated sugar itself, as high levels (ca. 60 mM) of intramycelial 3-O-methylglucose gave rise to a stimulation of Cl- influx when the exogenous sugar was removed. It is suggested that interaction of Cl- and carbohydrate transport arises from competition for a common energy-coupling mechanism in the cell membrane. Both glucose and 3-O-methylglucose elicited Cl- efflux, but the maximal Cl- efflux rates were observed only after 40 min of incubation and only in the presence of the readily metabolizable glucose. Removal of the exogenous glucose, even after maximal Cl- efflux had been established, resulted in the rapid cessation of efflux. Studies under anaerobic conditions gave further evidence that glucose uptake was necessary and that efflux was not due to temporary depletion of energy reserves. It is proposed that glucose-induced leakage of Cl- is due to reversal of the Cl- uptake system, even though the Km for efflux is much greater than that for influx.

The development of an increased rate of Cl- uptake in the ascomycete Neocosmospora vasinfecta

Freshly harvested mycelium of the filamentous ascomycete Neocosmospora vasinfecta accumulated C1- against a concentration gradient by a process probably requiring the expenditure of metabolic energy. When mycelium, washed free of growth medium, was incubated in deionized water or tris (hydroxymethyl) aminomethane sulfate at pH 7.5 for 4 h and then transferred to K36C1 solutions, the C1- uptake rate was, on the average, 3.77 +/- 0.26 (+/-SE, N = 20) times the uptake rate exhibited by freshly harvested mycelium. This development of an increased rate of Cl- uptake could be blocked by the presence of an inhibitor of ribonucleic acid synthesis (azaguanine) or of protein synthesis (cycloheximide, fluorophenylalanine, or puromycin). The combined presence of glucose and a potassium salt in the preincubation solution virtually arrested the development of enhanced Cl- uptake. The rate of Cl- uptake by freshly harvested mycelium did not vary greatly with the age of the culture on harvest but the ability to develop an increased rate declined with age. The fact that it is possible to obtain mycelium possessing widely different capacities for Cl- uptake should assist in biochemical characterization of the Cl- uptake system.

Halide uptake by the filamentous ascomycete Neocosmospora vasinfecta

The uptake of Cl minus by the ascomycetes Neocosmospora vasinfecta was investigated. Intramycelial concentrations of more than 55 mM (890-fold the external concentration) were reached. Accumulation was as inorganic Cl minus and nystatin induced total loss of mycelial Cl minus without extensive protein loss, implying that Cl minus retention was not due to binding to macromolecules. Cl minus transport was largely unidirectional with efflux being low under all conditions. Uptake was temperature dependent (maximal Arrhenius activation energy of 18.0 kcal/mol) and was severely reduced by KCN, dicyclohexylcarbodiimide, and anaerobiosis. A comparison with the inhibition of oxygen uptake under the same conditions implied that Cl minus transport was not directly coupled to aerobic electron transport. Cl minus uptake was a saturatable function of the external Cl minus concentration, and apparent Km values of 6.4 times 10-6 M and 10-4 M were calculated. Of the anions tested, only Br minus effectively inhibited Cl minus uptake and I minus, NO3 minus, SO4 minus 2, HCO3 minus, and H2PO4 minus were without effect. Cl minus uptake did not require concomitant cation uptake.

A study of the control of glycolate excretion in chlorella

Chlorella pyrenoidosa cells grown on 5% CO(2) excreted glycolate when incubated in light with 10 mm bicarbonate, but excreted no glycolate under the same conditions when they were maintained on air for 7 hours prior to the assay. Incubation of 5% CO(2)-grown and air-grown cells with 10 mm isonicotinyl hydrazide or 10 mm alpha-hydroxypyridinemethane sulfonate during the assay stimulated the excretion of glycolate by CO(2)-grown cells severalfold that of air-grown cells.Adaptation of CO(2)-grown Chlorella to growth on air did not affect the levels of glycolate dehydrogenase in the cells and did not affect the rate of dark oxidation and metabolism of exogeneous (14)C-glycolate by the cells. These results indicate that the lack of glycolate excretion by air-grown or air-adapted cells of Chlorella cannot be explained by a concomitant change in the level of glycolate dehydrogenase.

An investigation of glycolate excretion in two species of blue-green algae

The amount of (14)C-glycolate excreted by Oscillatoria sp. and Anabaena flos-aquae is less than 1% of the (14)C fixed by the algae during photosynthesis. Transfer of cells grown on 5% CO2 in air to a medium of low bicarbonate concentration or treatment of the cells with isonicotinyl hydrazide (INH) during photosynthesis, caused little increase in glycolate excretion. α-Hydroxysulfonates failed to stimulate massive excretion of glycolate. Although these blue-green algae excreted little glycolate, a significant proportion of the photosynthetically fixed carbon was excreted in the form of basic, neutral and acidic compounds, and such excretion was greater in 5% CO2-grown cells than in air-grown cells.

Social perception of internal-external control

420 male and 324 female Ss were given photographs, previously scaled as being high, moderate, or low in physical attractiveness, and were instructed to fill out Rotter's I-E scale as they thought the person in the photograph would. Persons low in attractiveness were perceived as more external in I-E control than persons either high or moderately attractive, there being no difference between the latter. In addition, males perceived females as significantly more external than males, although female Ss did not make this distinction. The results were interpreted as demonstrating the relevance of I-E in interpersonal perception, and in particular the cue value of physical attractiveness in evoking varying perceptions of I-E in a first impression setting.

Psychological stress as a determinant of cognitive complexity

In an exploratory study of the situational generality of cognitive complexity (CC), Ss were administered a modification of Kelly's Role Construct Repertory Test under non-stress or stress instructions. The social role-figures on the complexity measure were also divided into socially close and distant subgroups. The results supported previous research indicating greater CC toward distant persons, perhaps a result of the perceiver's vigilant stance toward such individuals. However, Ss were generally less complex under stressful task instructions, possibly a manifestation of a decrease in tolerance for stimulus incongruity. Stress thus appears to be a relevant contextual as well as stimulus dimension with respect to CC.