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PubMed2005

Involvement of transforming growth factor-beta 1 signaling in hypoxia-induced tolerance to glucose starvation.

Because survival and growth of human hepatoma cells are maintained by nutrient, especially glucose, glucose starvation induces acute cell death. The cell death is markedly suppressed by hypoxia, and we have reported involvement of AMP-activated protein kinase-alpha (AMPK-alpha), Akt, and ARK5 in hypoxia-induced tolerance. In the current study we investigated the mechanism of hypoxia-induced tolerance in human hepatoma cell line HepG2. ARK5 expression was induced in HepG2 cells when they were subjected to glucose starvation, and we found that glucose starvation transiently induced Akt and AMPK-alpha phosphorylation and that hypoxia prolonged phosphorylation of both protein kinases. We also found that hypoxia-induced tolerance was partially abrogated by blocking the Akt/ARK5 system or by suppressing AMPK-alpha expression and that suppression of both completely abolished the tolerance, suggesting that AMPK-alpha activation signaling and the Akt/ARK5 system play independent essential roles in hypoxia-induced tolerance. By using chemical compounds that specifically inhibit kinase activity of type I-transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) receptor, we showed an involvement of TGF-beta in hypoxia-induced tolerance. TGF-beta1 mRNA expression was induced by hypoxia in an hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha-independent manner, and addition of recombinant TGF-beta suppressed cell death during glucose starvation even under normoxic condition. AMPK-alpha, Akt, and ARK5 were activated by TGF-beta1, and Akt and AMPK-alpha phosphorylation, which was prolonged by hypoxia, was suppressed by an inhibitor of type I TGF-beta receptor. Based on these findings, we propose that hypoxia-induced tumor cell tolerance to glucose starvation is caused by hypoxia-induced TGF-beta1 through AMPK-alpha activation and the Akt/ARK5 system.

AMP-Activated Protein Kinases↗
PubMed2005

Starvation-induced cleavage of the tRNA anticodon loop in Tetrahymena thermophila.

Amino acid deprivation triggers dramatic physiological responses in all organisms, altering both the synthesis and destruction of RNA and protein. Here we describe, using the ciliate Tetrahymena thermophila, a previously unidentified response to amino acid deprivation in which mature transfer RNA (tRNA) is cleaved in the anticodon loop. We observed that anticodon loop cleavage affects a small fraction of most or all tRNA sequences. Accumulation of cleaved tRNA is temporally coordinated with the morphological and metabolic changes of adaptation to starvation. The starvation-induced endonucleolytic cleavage activity targets tRNAs that have undergone maturation by 5' and 3' end processing and base modification. Curiously, the majority of cleaved tRNAs lack the 3' terminal CCA nucleotides required for aminoacylation. Starvation-induced tRNA cleavage is inhibited in the presence of essential amino acids, independent of the persistence of other starvation-induced responses. Our findings suggest that anticodon loop cleavage may reduce the accumulation of uncharged tRNAs as part of a specific response induced by amino acid starvation.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1994

The cardiovascular, metabolic and hormonal changes accompanying acute starvation in men and women.

The effect of fasting for 12, 36 and 72 h was studied in twenty-nine healthy subjects (seventeen women and twelve men). Measurements were made of cardiovascular variables, metabolic rate, respiratory exchange ratio, plasma metabolites, insulin, thyroid hormones and catecholamines. During starvation there were no significant changes in blood pressure, whilst heart rate (beats/min) increased at 36 h and remained elevated after 72 h (12 h 62.5 (SE 1.8), 36 h 68.0 (SE 1.9), 72 h 69.2 (SE 1.8); P < 0.001). Forearm blood flow (FBF) increased progressively from 3.32 (SE 0.20) to 6.21 (SE 0.46) ml/100 ml per min (P < 0.001). Resting metabolic rate (kJ/min) was significantly increased after 36 h of starvation (12 h 4.60 (SE 0.14), 36 h 4.88 (SE 0.13), P < 0.001), but was not significantly different from the 12 h value after 72 h (72 h 4.72 (SE 0.15) P = 0.06). The respiratory exchange ratio fell progressively from 0.80 to 0.76 to 0.72 (P < 0.001). Blood glucose fell, whilst plasma glycerol and beta-hydroxybutyrate rose and plasma lactate did not change. Plasma insulin and free triiodothyronine fell during starvation. Plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline were unchanged at 36 h, but were significantly increased after 72 h. Both sexes showed a similar pattern of response to starvation, although absolute values of blood pressure, forearm blood flow, metabolic rate and plasma catecholamines were higher in men than women. Acute starvation produces profound cardiovascular and metabolic changes which are not explained by the accompanying hormonal changes.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Reversion of the tyrosine ochre strain Escherichia coli WU3610 under starvation conditions depends on a new gene tas.

When 3 x 10(8) bacteria of the Escherichia coli tyrA14(oc) leu308(am) strain WU3610 are plated on glucose salts agar supplemented with leucine only, colonies of slow-growing Tyr+ suppressor mutants begin to appear after about a week and increase in numbers roughly linearly with time thereafter (stationary phase or starvation-associated mutation). From a library constructed from two of these mutants, a clone was obtained that suppressed the tyrosine requirement of WU3610 when present on a multicopy plasmid. The activity was identified to an open reading frame we call tas, the sequence for which has homology with a variety of known genes with aldo-keto reductase activity. The activity of tas complements the prephenate dehydrogenase dysfunction of tyrA14 (the chorismate mutase activity of tyrA possibly being still functional). A strain deleted for tas showed no spontaneous mutation under starvation conditions. Whereas neither tas+ nor tas bacteria showed any increase in viable or total count when plated under conditions of tyrosine starvation at 3 x 10(8) cells per plate, at lower density (approximately 10(7) per plate) tas+ but not tas bacteria showed considerable residual growth. We suggest that the single copy of tas present in WU3610 allows cryptic cell or DNA turnover under conditions of tyrosine starvation and that this is an essential prerequisite for starvation-associated mutation in this system. The target gene for mutation is not tas, although an increase in the expression of this gene, for example, resulting from a suppressor mutation affecting supercoiling, could be responsible for the slow-growing Tyr+ phenotype.

Alcohol Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed2006

Tissue-specific expression of tomato Ribonuclease LX during phosphate starvation-induced root growth.

Ribonuclease LX (RNaseLX) from tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) belongs to the RNase T2/S-RNase superfamily of plant endoribonucleases and this is a report on the characterization of the RNaseLX gene and its encoded protein as a member of the phosphate starvation response in tomato. RNaseLX gene sequences were cloned by a PCR-assisted approach. RNaseLX promoter sequences contained the conserved binding motif of the transcription factor PHR1 known to mediate phosphate starvation-dependent gene expression. The increase of RNaseLX transcript levels in roots during phosphate starvation correlated with high promoter activity in transgenic plants carrying a PromLX::uidA gene construct and pointed to transcriptional control of RNaseLX expression. Histochemical staining for beta-glucuronidase activity and immunodetection of RNaseLX protein revealed striking RNaseLX expression in main and lateral root tips of phosphate-starved transgenic plants, specifically in epidermal cells, as well as in lateral and adventitious root primordia. Induced RNaseLX expression in roots correlated with stimulated growth and elongation of primary and lateral roots during phosphate deprivation. Phosphate-starvation-induced RNaseLX transcript levels in roots were not modulated by auxin or ethylene. These data indicate that the role of intracellular RNaseLX in the phosphate starvation response is connected with specific RNA turnover processes at the root tip.

Binding Sites↗
PubMed1996

Physiological effects of nitrogen starvation in an anaerobic batch culture of Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The effects of nitrogen starvation on the anaerobic physiology of Saccharomyces cerevisiae were studied in cells cultivated in a bioreactor. The composition of the mineral medium was designed such that the nitrogen source became depleted while there was still ample glucose left in the medium. The culture was characterized by acoustic gas analysis, flow injection analysis and HPLC analysis of extracellular substrates and metabolites. During the cultivation, the macromolecular composition of the cells was analysed with respect to the cellular content of RNA, protein, trehalose and glycogen. During exponential growth under anaerobic conditions, the maximum specific growth rate conditions. Depletion of ammonium in the medium led to an abrupt decrease (mumax) of S. cerevisiae CBS 8066 (0.46 h-1) was identical to the mumax determined under aerobic in the flux through glycolysis. Subsequently, a continuous decrease in the carbon dioxide evolution rate, caused by catabolite inactivation of the hexose-transport system, was observed. The apparent half-life of the transport system under nitrogen starvation was 13 h. During the exponential growth phase, the cellular content of RNA and protein was 15% (w/w) and 60% (w/w), respectively. At the end of the cultivation where the cells had been starved of nitrogen for 18 h, the cellular content of RNA and protein had decreased to 4% (w/w) and 22% (w/w), respectively. The intracellular carbohydrate content increased dramatically as trehalose and glycogen accumulated to final concentrations of 7% (w/w) and 25% (w/w), respectively. Glycerol formation during nitrogen starvation was higher than that accounted for by the formation of organic acids, suggesting a protein turnover of approximately 6% h-1. The growth energetics of S. cerevisiae CBS 8066 also changed as a result of nitrogen starvation, and YxATP was observed to increase from 80 mmol g-1 during the exponential growth phase to more than 130 mmol g-1 towards the end of the cultivation. The presented results illustrate the effect of nitrogen starvation on glycerol formation, protein turnover, catabolite inactivation of the sugar-transport system, the cellular composition, the cell cycle and growth energetics.

Ammonia↗
PubMed2004

Influences of temperature, salinity and starvation on the motility and chemotactic response of Vibrio anguillarum.

The role of growth factors for the motility and chemotaxis of the fish pathogen Vibrio anguillarum was determined. Cells of V. anguillarum were chemotactic to serine in the temperature range 5-25 degrees C and in 0.8-2.7 % NaCl. The chemotactic response was significantly higher at 25 degrees C than at 5 or 15 degrees C. Growth in medium with 1.5 % NaCl gave a higher response than growth with 3 % NaCl; when the salinity of the chemotaxis buffer was raised, the chemotactic response was reduced. The role of starvation was also studied; V. anguillarum showed a high chemotactic response after starvation for 2 and 8 days. Motility and chemotaxis are important virulence factors for this bacterium. Not only was the ability to perform chemotactic motility maintained after starvation, but also it was shown that starvation does not interfere with the ability of the organism to cause infection in rainbow trout after a bath challenge. The swimming speed was reduced at lower temperatures. Within the range of salinity and starvation studied, the motile cells swam with the same velocity, indicating that V. anguillarum under all the examined conditions has a functional flagellum and rotates it with constant speed. Phenamil, a specific inhibitor of Na(+)-driven flagella, reduced the motility of both starved and non-starved cells of V. anguillarum indicating that, in both cases, a Na(+) motive force drives the flagellum.

Animals↗
PubMed2003

Bacillus subtilis during feast and famine: visualization of the overall regulation of protein synthesis during glucose starvation by proteome analysis.

Dual channel imaging and warping of two-dimensional (2D) protein gels were used to visualize global changes of the gene expression patterns in growing Bacillus subtilis cells during entry into the stationary phase as triggered by glucose exhaustion. The 2D gels only depict single moments during the cells' growth cycle, but a sequential series of overlays obtained at specific points of the growth curve facilitates visualization of the developmental processes at the proteomics scale. During glucose starvation a substantial reprogramming of the protein synthesis pattern was found, with 150 proteins synthesized de novo and cessation of the synthesis of almost 400 proteins. Proteins induced following glucose starvation belong to two main regulation groups: general stress/starvation responses induced by different stresses or starvation stimuli (sigma(B)-dependent general stress regulon, stringent response, sporulation), and glucose-starvation-specific responses (drop in glycolysis, utilization of alternative carbon sources, gluconeogenesis). Using the dual channel approach, it was not only possible to identify those regulons or stimulons, but also to follow the fate of each single protein by the three-color code: red, newly induced but not yet accumulated; yellow, synthesized and accumulated; and green, still present, but no longer being synthesized. These green proteins, which represent a substantial part of the protein pool in the nongrowing cell, are not accessible by using DNA arrays. The combination of 2D gel electrophoresis and MALDI TOF mass spectrometry with the dual channel imaging technique provides a new and comprehensive view of the physiology of growing or starving bacterial cell populations, here for the case of the glucose-starvation response.

Bacillus subtilis↗
PubMed2004

Transcriptome profiling of the response of Arabidopsis suspension culture cells to Suc starvation.

Upon encountering nutrient stress conditions, plant cells undergo extensive metabolic changes and induce nutrient recycling pathways for their continued survival. The role of nutrient mobilization in the response of Arabidopsis suspension cells to Suc starvation was examined. Vacuolar autophagy was induced within 24 h of starvation, with increased expression of vacuolar proteases that are likely to be required for degradation of cytoplasmic components delivered to the vacuole, and thus for nutrient recycling. After 48 h of starvation, culture viability began to decrease, and substantial cell death was evident by 72 h. To provide further insight into the pathways required for survival during Suc deficit, transcriptional profiling during Suc starvation was performed using the ATH1 GeneChip array containing 22,810 probe sets. A significant increase in transcript levels was observed for 343 genes within 48 h of starvation, indicating a response to nutrient stress that utilizes the recycling of cellular components and nutrient scavenging for maintaining cell function, the protection of the cell from death through activation of various defense and stress response pathways, and regulation of these processes by specific protein kinases and transcription factors. These physiological and molecular data support a model in which plant cells initiate a coordinated response of nutrient mobilization at the onset of Suc depletion that is able to maintain cell viability for up to 48 h. After this point, genes potentially involved in cell death increase in expression, whereas those functioning in translation and replication decrease, leading to a decrease in culture viability and activation of cell death programs.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed2005

Interaction between phosphate-starvation, sugar, and cytokinin signaling in Arabidopsis and the roles of cytokinin receptors CRE1/AHK4 and AHK3.

Cytokinins control key processes during plant growth and development, and cytokinin receptors CYTOKININ RESPONSE 1/WOODEN LEG/ARABIDOPSIS HISTIDINE KINASE 4 (CRE1/WOL/AHK4), AHK2, and AHK3 have been shown to play a crucial role in this control. The involvement of cytokinins in signaling the status of several nutrients, such as sugar, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphate (Pi), has also been highlighted, although the full physiological relevance of this role remains unclear. To gain further insights into this aspect of cytokinin action, we characterized a mutant with reduced sensitivity to cytokinin repression of a Pi starvation-responsive reporter gene and show it corresponds to AHK3. As expected, ahk3 displayed reduced responsiveness to cytokinin in callus proliferation and plant growth assays. In addition, ahk3 showed reduced cytokinin repression of several Pi starvation-responsive genes and increased sucrose sensitivity. These effects of the ahk3 mutation were especially evident in combination with the cre1 mutation, indicating partial functional redundancy between these receptors. We examined the effect of these mutations on Pi-starvation responses and found that the double mutant is not significantly affected in long-distance systemic repression of these responses. Remarkably, we found that expression of many Pi-responsive genes is stimulated by sucrose in shoots and to a lesser extent in roots, and the sugar effect in shoots of Pi-starved plants was particularly enhanced in the cre1 ahk3 double mutant. Altogether, these results indicate the existence of multidirectional cross regulation between cytokinin, sugar, and Pi-starvation signaling, thus underlining the role of cytokinin signaling in nutrient sensing and the relative importance of Pi-starvation signaling in the control of plant metabolism and development.

Arabidopsis↗
PubMed1997

Sugar-Starvation-Induced Changes of Carbon Metabolism in Excised Maize Root Tips.

Excised maize (Zea mays L.) root tips were used to study the early metabolic effects of glucose (Glc) starvation. Root tips were prelabeled with [1-13C]Glc so that carbohydrates and metabolic intermediates were close to steady-state labeling, but lipids and proteins were scarcely labeled. They were then incubated in a sugar-deprived medium for carbon starvation. Changes in the level of soluble sugars, the respiratory quotient, and the 13C enrichment of intermediates, as measured by 13C and 1H nuclear magnetic resonance, were studied to detect changes in carbon fluxes through glycolysis and the tricarboxylic acid cycle. Labeling of glutamate carbons revealed two major changes in carbon input into the tricarboxylic acid cycle: (a) the phosphoenolpyruvate carboxylase flux stopped early after the start of Glc starvation, and (b) the contribution of glycolysis as the source of acetyl-coenzyme A for respiration decreased progressively, indicating an increasing contribution of the catabolism of protein amino acids, fatty acids, or both. The enrichment of glutamate carbons gave no evidence for proteolysis in the early steps of starvation, indicating that the catabolism of proteins was delayed compared with that of fatty acids. Labeling of carbohydrates showed that sucrose turnover continues during sugar starvation, but gave no indication for any significant flux through gluconeogenesis.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1991

Separate promoters direct expression of phoAIII, a member of the Bacillus subtilis alkaline phosphatase multigene family, during phosphate starvation and sporulation.

Alkaline phosphatase (APase) expression can be induced in Bacillus subtilis by phosphate starvation or by sporulation. We have recently shown that there are multiple APase structural genes contributing to the total alkaline phosphatase expression in B. subtilis. The expression of the alkaline phosphatase III gene (phoAIII) was analysed under both phosphate-starvation induction and sporulation induction conditions. phoAII is transcribed from two promoter regions, PV and PS. The PV promoter initiated transcription 37 bp before the translation initiation codon and was used to transcribe phoAIII during phosphate-starvation induction in vegetative cells. The PS promoter initiated transcription 119 bp before the translation initiation codon and was used during sporulation induction. Genes which have previously been shown to affect total vegatative APase, pho regulon genes phoP, phoR and phoS, affected expression of phoAIII during phosphate starvation. Genes known to affect expression of total sporulation APase, i.e. spoIIA, spoIIG and spoIIE, affected phoAIII expression during sporulation induction. Our data show that one member of the APase multigene family, phoAIII, contributes to the total APase expression both during phosphate-starvation induction and sporulation induction, and that the mechanism of regulation includes two promoters, each requiring different regulatory genes.

Alkaline Phosphatase↗
PubMed1994

Characterization of the carbon starvation-inducible and stationary phase-inducible gene slp encoding an outer membrane lipoprotein in Escherichia coli.

Escherichia coli induces the expression of more than 50 proteins in response to starvation for a carbon source. Strains MC7 (csi7::phoA) and MC19 (csi19::phoA) contain fusions of a signal peptide-deficient phoA reporter sequence to a csi (carbon starvation-inducible) gene. PhoA expression increased when these strains were deprived of a carbon source or entered stationary phase but did not when the cells were deprived of a nitrogen source or subjected to osmotic, oxidative or thermal stress. Mapping and sequence analysis of the cloned phoA fusions in strains MC7 and MC19 indicated that they had occurred in different locations within the same previously unidentified gene. The wild-type allele of this gene was cloned and the encoded protein was found to be a new lipoprotein. Therefore we propose to call this locus slp (starvation lipoprotein). The 22 kDa Slp protein is associated with the outer membrane fraction. The slp gene was located at 78.6 centisomes on the E. coli genetic map. The -10 and -35 regions upstream of the mRNA start site were characteristic of a sigma 70 promoter. The major transcript from this promoter was sufficiently large to contain slp sequences but not the downstream open reading frame. Induction of beta-galactosidase activity from a slp::lacZ translational fusion during carbon starvation or stationary phase was independent of cAMP, RpoS (KatF) and DnaK, all of which are known to affect the expression of certain starvation-inducible or stationary phase-inducible proteins.

Adaptation, Biological↗
PubMed2004

Diurnal rhythm in heat production and oxidation of carbohydrate and fat in pigs during feeding, starvation and re-feeding.

Diurnal rhythm in heat production (HE), oxidation of carbohydrate (OXCHO) and fat (OXF) was calculated from daily measurements of gas exchange in 12 pigs [20-40 kg live weight, (LW)] during 6 days of near ad libitum feeding, followed by 4 days of starvation and 4 days of re-feeding. All measurements, divided in five times intervals from 12.00 to 8.00, showed the highest values of HE, reflecting the animals' energy requirements, between 12.00 and 16.00 gradually declining to the lowest values between 4.00 and 8.00. The values measured in the interval 4.00-8.00 were considered as a basal metabolic rate (BMR), being in all measurements 25% lower than during 12.00-4.00. The lowest BMR was measured on the fourth day of starvation (21.7 kJ/h.kg(0.75)). By transition from feeding to starvation, OXCHO declined gradually, but was for 16 h able to cover the energy requirement with no contribution from OXF. The decline in OXCHO proceeded for 40 h and reached zero between 4.00 and 8.00 on the first day of starvation with the energy requirement being covered by OXF. The HE during starvation was 25-30% lower than during feeding caused by absence of feed-induced thermogenesis and by the transition from OXCHO to OXF. Immediately after re-feeding dietary carbohydrates were oxidized, however, there was still a substantial OXF, proceeding until the next feeding. From the second day of re-feeding the contribution of substrates to the total HE was re-established with no OXF and the same level of HE as during feeding.

Animals↗
PubMed1989

The activities of phosphatases and aminotransferases in the epithelium of the small intestine and caecum of white rock cockerels during starvation.

Alkaline phosphatase (ALP, EC 3.1.3.1), acid phosphatase (ACP, EC 3.1.3.2), aspartate aminotransferase (ASAT, EC 2.6.1.1) and alanine aminotransferase (ALAT, EC 2.6.1.2) were measured in the mucosal homogenates of the duodenum, jejunum and caecum of full-fed (control), starved and refed White Rock Cockerels. Starvation caused a significant (p less than or equal to 0.05) increase in the activity of ACP in all three segments of the intestine. Subsequent re-feeding brought the activity back to the control level. In contrast ALP activity fell in the duodenum during starvation and was partially restored by refeeding. In the jejunum and caecum the ALP activity decreased during starvation and was fully restored by re-feeding only in the caecum. ASAT activity increased (p less than or equal to 0.05) during the entire period of starvation in all three segments. Re-feeding failed to decrease the enzyme activity within 48 hours. Starvation caused a reduction (p less than or equal to 0.05) in the activity of ALAT and re-feeding did not increase the activity in the duodenum and jejunum. The caecum showed no change in the activity during fasting.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Formation of viable but nonculturable Salmonella during starvation in chemically defined solutions.

Salmonella enteritidis enters a viable-but-nonculturable state when exposed to starvation in aquatic environments. This study determined starvation survival of this pathogen in chemically defined solutions and tested the ability of nonselective enrichment to detect viable-but-nonculturable cells. Starvation of Salm. enteritidis at 7 degrees C in 7.35 mmol l-1 potassium phosphate buffer resulted in complete loss of culturability after 5 weeks with maintenance of a substrate-responsive population of over 10,000 cell ml-1. Starvation at 21 degrees C and starvation in saline solutions or lower concentrations of phosphate buffer resulted in prolonged survival of a culturable population although this population was lower than the total viable population. Enrichment using lactose broth did not allow resuscitation of viable-but-nonculturable cells even after 5 d of incubation at 35 degrees C.

Culture Media↗
PubMedDate not supplied

The development of Trypanosoma cruzi (Trypanosomatidae) in the reduviid bug Triatoma infestans (Insecta): influence of starvation.

Fifth instars of Triatoma infestans with established Trypanosoma cruzi infections were dissected after different periods of starvation to determine the population density and the percentage of different developmental stages of T. cruzi in the small intestine and rectum of the bugs. After a short starvation period of 20 days, the population density in the small intestine was 20% (about 60,000) of the rectal population. The population in the small intestine was strongly reduced after an additional ten days of starvation, and no flagellates could be found there 60, 90 and 120 days after the last feeding. In the rectum, this reduction went down to 1% of the initial population, but a total elimination never occurred. Usually the remaining population contained more live than dead flagellates. Starvation also resulted in an increase in the rectum in the number and percentage of drop-like forms, intermediates between sphero- and epi- or trypomastigotes, from 1% initially to about 10% after 90 days of starvation. The percentage of spheromastigotes increased from 2% at 20 days after the last feeding to about 20% after an additional 40 and 70 days. Therefore, the spheromastigotes of T. cruzi seem to be induced by stress conditions.

Animals↗
PubMed1977

Survival of a psychrophilic marine Vibrio under long-term nutrient starvation.

Ant-300, a psychrophilic marine vibrio isolated from the surface water of the Antarctic convergence, was starved for periods of more than 1 year. During the first week of starvation, cell numbers increased from 100 to 800% of the initial number of cells. Fifty percent of the starved cells remained viable for 6 to 7 weeks while a portion of the population remained viable for more than 1 year. During the first 2 days of starvation, the endogenous respiration of the cells decreased over 80%. After 7 days, respiration had been reduced to 0.0071% total carbon respired per hour and remained constant thereafter. After 6 weeks of starvation, 46% of the cellular deoxyribonucleic acid had been degraded. Observation of the cellular deoxyribonucleic acid with Feulgen staining before starvation showed the average number of nuclear bodies per cell varied from 1.44 to 4.02 depending on the age of the culture. A linear relationship was found between the number of nuclear bodies per cell and the increase in cell numbers upon starvation. Our data suggest that Ant-300 is capable of surviving long periods of time with little or no nutrients and is therefore well adapted for the sparse nutrient conditions of the colder portions of the open ocean.

Journal Article↗