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NITROGEN METABOLISM IN LICHENS V. THE FORMAS OF NITROGEN RELEASED BY THE BLUE‐GREEN PHYCOBIONT IN PELTIGERA SPP.
Author(s) -
MILLBANK J. W.
Publication year - 1974
Publication title -
new phytologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.742
H-Index - 244
eISSN - 1469-8137
pISSN - 0028-646X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1469-8137.1974.tb02146.x
Subject(s) - lichen , nostoc , biology , molecular mass , nitrogen , electrophoresis , algae , botany , size exclusion chromatography , serine , cyanobacteria , biochemistry , chemistry , bacteria , organic chemistry , enzyme , genetics
SUMMARY The nitrogenous materials released by the blue‐green phycobiont ( Nostoc sp.) of five lichens have been examined by means of high voltage paper electrophoresis. They were found to be a mixture of substances with similar electrophoretic characteristics to the materials released by the same algae when grown in pure culture, and were largely peptide in nature. A more detailed study was made of the components released into their growth media by the three strains of Nostoc isolated from Peltigera aphthosa, P. canina and P. polydactyla. From about twelve compounds demonstrable by electrophoresis, the six most abundant were examined for their amino acid composition. The only finding strikingly different from existing data was a generally low level of serine. Molecular weight estimates by means of gel filtration indicated that most of the substances had molecular weights of approximately 1100, with substances with molecular weights of about 300 forming a smaller important group, although materials with a wide range of molecular weights were evidently present and low molecular weight material could also be important.