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Concurrent effect of visible light on γ-particles, chitin synthetase, and encystment capacity in zoospores ofBlastocladiella emersonii

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Summary

Zoospores derived from ordinary colorless plants ofBlastocladiella emersonii grown under 240 μW/cm2 of visible light contain an average of ca. 5 γ-particles and numerous aggregates of cytoplasmic granules which resemble the γ-matrix, while spores from dark-grown plants contain ca. 12 γ-particles but none of the granules. Correspondingly, the amount of chitin synthetase associated with γ-particles is approximately proportional to the number of γ-particles in the two spore types. The foregoing light effects, known to be accompanied by an increased capacity for encystment, probably take place before sporogenesis. Conversely, zoospores derived from dark-grown plants do not encyst appreciably over an 8 h period unless they are illuminated, but the number of γ-particles/spore decreases from 12 to ca. 6 whether or not light is present. Arguments are presented for considering the latter disappearance of γ-particles as an essential “ark reaction” which precedes a photochemical reaction, both being needed for light-induced encystment.

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  1. Department of Botany and Plant Pathology, Michigan State University, 48823, East Lansing, Michigan, USA

    E. C. Cantino & R. B. Myers

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  1. E. C. Cantino
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  2. R. B. Myers
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Cantino, E.C., Myers, R.B. Concurrent effect of visible light on γ-particles, chitin synthetase, and encystment capacity in zoospores ofBlastocladiella emersonii . Archiv. Mikrobiol. 83, 203–215 (1972). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00645122

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00645122

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