Cytochemical Changes in Aging Ochromonas; Evidence for an Alkaline Phosphatase

Abstract

SYNOPSIS. Changes accompanying aging in light‐grown stationary cultures of Ochromonas danica were examined cytochemically. Succinate dehydrogenase activity increased during the log phase and decreased steadily during stationary and later phases. Acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase and lipase activities increased during the several phases of growth, as did accumulation of lipid. These results imply loss of mitochondrial activity and a gain in lysosomal activity with aging of the cell population. Alkaline phosphatase, widely distributed in animals and believed absent from most photosynthetic organisms and bacteria, is here reported in the photosynthetic genus Ochromonas.

Studies ofEuglena gracilisin aging cultures. I. Light microscopy and cytochemistry

“…The increasing amount of acid-phosphatase precipitate, which is considered to Downloaded by [State University of New York at Albany] at 08:49 23 October 2012 be age-related (De Duve, 1969), has been previously reported in Euglena granulata Klebs (Walne, Palisano & Gomez, 1970;Palisano & Walne, 1972), in two species of Ochromonas (Lui, Roels, Trout & Anderson, 1968;Grusky & Aaronson, 1969), in stationary-phase cultures of aging Tetrahymena populations (Elliot & Bak, 1964;Elliot, Travis & Work, 1966), in some rotifers (Herold & Meadow, 1970), in starved cultures of Euglena gracilis (Brandes, Buetow, Bertini & Malkoff, 1964;Malkoff & Buetow, 1964) and in Tetrahymena (Klamer & Fennell, 1963;Nilsson, 1970).…”

“…Decline in SDH activity has been reported in many aging biological systems (Toth, 1968;Grusky & Aaronson, 1969), although there are other reports of constant SDH activity (Tauchi & Sato, 1968). Decrease in respiratory activity has been directly correlated with protein degradation, liberation of amino acids and bases into the medium, increase in acid-phosphatase activity and, hence, cellular autolysis (Nilsson, 1970).…”

“…This time-release process could have been triggered by some catabolic process, brought about by macromolecular breakdown (Klamer & Fennell, 1963;Grusky & Aaronson, 1969), accompanied by coalescence of other lysosomes and other vacuolar systems (Nilsson, 1970;Gomez et al, 1973aGomez et al, , 1973b.…”

Alterations in Activity of Phosphatases during the Peridinium Bloom in Lake Kinneret

“…One other factor should be considered that might influence the appearance of alkaline phosphatase. The division rate of Peridinium is much lower at the end of the bloom, resulting in older cells, than at the beginning (Pollingher and Serruya 1976), Since aging cultures of Ochrotnonas danica have elevated alkaline phosphatase activity (Grusky and Aaronson 1969), the observed increase in the enzyme in Peridinium could also be due to aging of the cells. We are at present studying Peridinium cultures to investigate this possibility.…”

Diel changes in the alkaline phosphatase activity of bacteria and phytoplankton in the hypereutrophic Villerest reservoir (Roanne, France)

“…Phytoplankton consisted primarily of decaying cells . According to Grusky & Aaronson (1969), the unhealthy status of the cells is translated into high APA regardless of the concentrations in SRP . Also, Wynne (1981) reported increased APA concomitantly with cell multiplication .…”