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J Bacteriol. 1968 October; 96(4): 962-969
Copyright © 1968 American Society for Microbiology. All Rights Reserved.

Reactivation of Ribonucleic Acid and Protein Synthesis During Germination of Blastocladiella Zoospores and the Role of the Ribosomal Nuclear Cap¹

^a Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, Lafayette, Indiana 47907

ABSTRACT

Freshly harvested zoospores of Blastocladiella emersonii begin to germinate about 15 min after inoculation into a defined growth medium at a density of 10⁶ zoospores per ml. Flagellum retraction accompanies encystment, and dispersal of the ribosomal nuclear cap takes place shortly thereafter. The primary rhizoid begins to emerge at 25 to 30 min and starts to branch at ca. 60 min. The first nuclear division occurs between 120 and 190 min. The dry weight per cell increases linearly after 60 min, whereas the deoxyribonucleic acid per cell doubles between 120 and 240 min. A linear increase in total ribonucleic acid (RNA) is detectable beginning at 40 to 45 min, and in total protein beginning at 80 min; neither process is interrupted during nuclear division. Encystment and nuclear cap disorganization are associated with a sharp rise in the rates of precursor incorporation into RNA and protein. Cycloheximide at 20 µg/ml prevents leucine incorporation at all stages and inhibits development beyond the earliest encystment stage. Actinomycin D at 25 µg to 50 µg/ml prevents uracil incorporation, but it has no effect on leucine incorporation or development until 40 to 45 min. At the latter stage, actinomycin D causes a sharp developmental arrest and begins to inhibit leucine incorporation. It is concluded that early protein synthesis must occur on the ribosomes formed during the prior growth phase and conserved through the zoospore stage in the nuclear cap. The results further indicate that this synthesis is dependent upon messenger RNA already present in the zoospore before germination.

¹ Portions of this study were reported at the 10th International Botanical Congress, Edinburgh, Scotland, 1964, and a preliminary report has been published (10).

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