Phylogenetic relationship of the green alga Nanochlorum eukaryotum deduced from its chloroplast rRNA sequences.

The marine green coccoidal alga Nanochlorum eukaryotum (N.e.) is of small size with an average diameter of 1.5 microns. It is characterized by primitive-appearing biochemical and morphological properties, which are considerably different from those of other green algae. Thus, it has been proposed that N.e. may be an early developed algal form. To prove this hypothesis, DNA of N.e. was isolated by a phenol extraction procedure, and the chloroplast DNA separated by preparative CsCl density-gradient centrifugation. The kinetic complexity of the nuclear and of the chloroplast DNA was evaluated by reassociation kinetics to 3 x 10(7) bp and 9 x 10(4) bp, respectively. Several chloroplast genes, i…

Numerical analysis of density gradient centrifugation profiles from eukaryotic DNA

A numerical method for the deconvolution of superimposed Gaussian distributions with a unique solution has been proposed by Medgyessy [10]. We have tested the usefulness of this method for the analysis of density gradient centrifugation profiles from eukaryotic DNA, which are normally composed from overlapping Gaussian distributed profiles of several subcomponents with different mean buoyant densities. From the analysis of human DNA and from model calculations we conclude that major subcomponents can be identified by this method, if they differ in their buoyant density by approximatly 0.005 g/ml. Minor components can only be identified if the total DNA has been fractionated according to buo…

Extraction and trace enrichment of genotoxicants from environmental samples by solid-phase adsorption on blue pearls

Nuclear DNA fractions with grossly different base ratios in the genome of the marine sponge Geodia cydonium

The DNA of the marine sponge Geodia cydonium (G.c.), a member of the phylogenetically old phylum Porifera, was characterized by density gradient centrifugation and by determining its genetic complexity by reassociation kinetics. At least five subcomponents were identified by curve-fit analyses of analytical density gradient centrifugation profiles of total G.c.-DNA. Four of these subcomponents were isolated from total G.c.-DNA by preparative density gradient centrifugation. The GC-contents of the subcomponents were determined to be 36.4%, 44.0%, 58.7%, and 66.1%, respectively. To our knowledge, such an extreme heterogeneity of DNA composition has never before been observed for any organism.…

In vitro Polymerization of ?-Carotene into Sporopollenin