Abstract
WHEN certain strains of the green flagellate Euglena gracilis are grown at 34–35°, cultures devoid of chloroplasts are obtained1. These cells, which we term bleached, resemble the normal organisms cultivated in the dark (designated colourless), but they have lost a hereditary character necessary for the formation of the plastids2. In the course of a study of the chemical changes attending the loss of the photosynthetic apparatus in Euglena, a bleached culture (‘Bleached II’) derived from the normal strain z by thermal treatment, which had been carried through frequent liquid transfers for about three years, was found to contain twice the amount of deoxyribonucleic acid that is present in the original green or colourless cells. A comparison of the properties of this bleached variant with those of colourless cells showed the first to contain also more ribonucleic acid and protein and to have a slower rate of growth. Although the nuclei of these two cell types, when treated by the Feulgen method, appeared of equal size, those of the bleached organisms were coloured more intensely.
This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution
Access options
Subscribe to this journal
Receive 51 print issues and online access
$199.00 per year
only $3.90 per issue
Buy this article
- Purchase on Springer Link
- Instant access to full article PDF
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Pringsheim, E. G., and Pringsheim, D., New Phyt., 51, 65 (1952).
Brawerman, G., and Chargaff, E., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 37, 221 (1960).
Provasoli, L., Hutner, S. H., and Schatz, A., Proc. Soc. Exp. Biol. Med., 69, 279 (1948).
Brawerman, G., and Chargaff, E., Biochim. Biophys. Acta, 31, 164 (1959).
Ogur, M., and Rosen, G., Arch. Biochem., 25, 262 (1950).
Crampton, C. F., Lipshitz, R., and Chargaff, E., J. Biol. Chem., 206, 499 (1954).
Neff, R. H., J. Protozool., 7, 69 (1960).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
BRAWERMAN, G., REBMAN, C. & CHARGAFF, E. A Bleached Variant of Euglena gracilis showing a Doubling of the Content of Deoxyribonucleic Acid. Nature 187, 1037–1038 (1960). https://doi.org/10.1038/1871037a0
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/1871037a0
This article is cited by
-
Bleaching euglena gracilis with antihistamines and streptomycin-type antibiotics
Archiv f�r Mikrobiologie (1962)
Comments
By submitting a comment you agree to abide by our Terms and Community Guidelines. If you find something abusive or that does not comply with our terms or guidelines please flag it as inappropriate.