HISTOCHEMICAL DEMONSTRATION OF γ-GLUTAMYLTRANSPEPTIDASE IN LEUCOCYTES OF GUINEA PIG PERITONEAL EXUDATE

Time Cyanophyceac (blue-greens algae) are time niost. pninsit-ive group of piamsts. Their cells hack onganmized nmuclei with usucleoli ansd usuclear menubrasses, distinct chrommiosonies, Golgi bodies, amid nuitochmonmdnia, amid thus are niuch like those of bacteria. Moreover, hot h grim U S are characterise(l by lack of regular sexual neproductioss. Because time bacteria and (‘yanophyceae are alike ins mansy respects amid histommes mire usot present in the bacterial nsucheus (Belozersky, Symp. Quant. Biol. 12: 1, 1947; Zubay ammd Watsous, .1. Biophys. Biochem. (‘yto!. 5: 51, 1959), time preseumt insvestigation wsss umidertakems to deternsimse cytochemicahly whet her hsistommes are presemmt ims time cemitral body of tise blue-greens algae, Oscil!atoria, .-lphanocapsa, A nabaena, ausd Polycystis. Algal cells were placed oum slides amsd dried in air about 3 mimsutes before fixatimig amid stainsing. Cells were staimsed with alksihimue fast greemt after fixat.ioms in fonnnahins-acetic alcoisol (Alfert amid Geschwind, Proc. .Vat. Acad. Sci. 39: 991, 1953) or in methanol (De, The Nucleus, 4: 1), withs brons phessol blue after picnic acid fixations (Blocis amid Hew, J. Biophys. Biochem. (‘ytol. 7: 515, 1960) amid with ansns(iumiacal silver after fixatious ins acetate buffered mseutral 10% formmssuhins for 15 miniutes (Black anmd Ammsley, Science 143: 693, 1964), all of whicim are specific for isistomses uusder givess consditions. Ins all cases constrol slides of oumion roottip cells were prepared, fixed simmd stss i nied simultamseouslv withs time slides of algae. Nomme of the algae showed positive umuclear staiusissg with time above-messtiomsed staimss, wisereas mmuclei of root tip cells did. The stamusability of root tip mmumcheicams be removed by 0.01 N ilCl at 25#{176} C after 4 hours treatmeust in methanol-fixed materials (1)e, The Nucleus 4: 1, 1961). Thus, usimsg well-established specific stainsinmg procedures for histonse, the presenst study reveals that the central body of members of Cyanophyceae shows an appareust lack of isistones. 1mmhigher organisms, histomses are closely associated with 1)NA, yet the role of histomses ins nsuchei remainss obscure. However, very recenstly histones have beens considered specific repressors of gessetic activity so that only whems histones are removed cams 1)NA act as a primer for specific protein synthesis (Alhfrey et at., Proc. Nat. A cad. Sci. 4.9: 414, 1963; Bommner et al. Proc. Nat. .4cad. Sci. 50: 893, 1963). Thus they may play a major role ins differeustiatioms (Moore, Proc. Nat. Acad. Sci. 50: 1018, 1963). Sinsce in bacteria amid in Cyanophyceac all cells are alike and there is no cellular differentiation, ins this light thse absence of nuclear histones is quite umusderstandable. Ous the other hand, it has i)een opinmed (Anderson et al., Ann. N. V. 1cad. Sci. 90: 486, 1960) that histonmes play ass importaust role ins chromosome coihinmg. The absensce of histonses ins bacteria and C’yanophyceae may from this point of view also explain the diffuse state of their ssuclear nmsatenial.