Abstract:
When grown in sterile nutrient medium lacking phosphate, Spirodela oligorrhiza developed phosphorous deficiency symptoms similar to those shown by other higher plants. Growth slowed rapidly, old fronds were yellowed, young fronds were dark-green, and roots elongated. Starch accumulated in the younger fronds, and the photosynthesis rate decreased.
To aid study of changes in protein and enzyme levels in phosphorous-deficient Spirodela use of acrylamide gel electrophoresis was investigated. The cylindrical gel cores of conventional disc electrophoresis were not well suited to such a study, so an apparatus employing a thin flat-sheet of gel was designed and constructed. The apparatus was simple, required no accurate machining in construction, and was easy to use. Techniques for the separation, localization and radioautography of enzymes and proteins were developed.