Visible light-induced oxidation of unsaturated components of cutins: a significant process during the senescence of higher plants.

9-Hydroperoxy-18-hydroxyoctadec-10(trans)-enoic and 10-hydroperoxy-18-hydroxyoctadec-8(trans)-enoic acids deriving from type II (i.e. involving 1O2) photooxidation of 18-hydroxyoleic acid were detected after visible light-induced senescence experiments carried out with Petroselinum sativum and subsequent cutin depolymerisation.

Photochemical oxidation and autoxidation of chlorophyll phytyl side chain in senescent phytoplanktonic cells: potential sources of several acyclic isoprenoid compounds in the marine environment.

Visible light-induced degradation of the chlorophyll phytyl side chain was studied in senescent cells of two phytoplanktonic strains (Skeletonema costatum and Thalassiosira weissflogii). Particular attention was paid to the induction of autoxidation processes on the phytyl chain and its photoproducts by photochemically produced hydroperoxides. The combination of photochemical oxidation and autoxidation reactions resulted in the production of several acyclic isoprenoid compounds that have been unambiguously identified by comparison of their retention times and mass spectra with those of appropriate standards.

Regluating factors in helper T-cell maturation.

The effect of soluble and insoluble thymic fractions (STF and ITF, respectively) on the antibody response to sheep red blood cells (SRBC) was tested at different times after injection in mice. In normal mice, a temporary increase in the number of plaque forming cells (PFCs) was observed after injecting either ITF and STF, this increase being more prolonged when both fractions were injected together. In thymectomized, lethally irradiated mice repopulated with syngeneic untreated bone marrow, full reconstitution of T helper function was achieved only if both ITF and SFT were injected, partial reconstitution being obtained when either of these fractions was administered alone.