When cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) cotyledon discs were floated on $\delta$-aminolevulinic acid, oxyfluorfen, or rose bengal solution under light condition following 20 h dark incubation, rapid electrolyte leakage from the tissues occurred. The electrolyte leakage from the tissues was dependent on the compounds treated, their concentrations, and the duration of light exposure to the tissues. Dark incubation before exposure to continuous white light enhanced electrolyte leakage from the tissues treated with the compounds and reduced lag period for the activity of the compounds. Electrolyte leakage from the treated tissues was greatly influenced by the light intensity to which they were exposed. Higher light intensities stimulated electrolyte leakage and reduced lag period. Porphyrin biosynthesis inhibitors, gabaculine and 4,6-dioxoheptanoic acid, completely inhibited electrolyte leakage from the oxyfluorfen-treated tissues. Protection against the activity of $\delta$-aminolevulinic acid from electrolyte leakage was complete with 4,6-dioxoheptanoic acid, but not with gabaculine. However, gabaculine and 4,6-dioxoheptanoic acid gave no such protection against rose bengal activity. In summary, our results indicate that $\delta$--aminolevulinic acid, oxyfluorfen, and rose bengal exert their effects by causing electrolyte leakage from the treated tissues in a similar manner, except that oxyfluorfen has an apparent lag period for its action on electrolyte leakage increase. All above compounds require preincubation of treated tissues in darkness and subsequent light exposure with a high intensity for their maximal activities. Our results also support that in the presence of light, $\delta$-aminolevulinic acid and oxyfluorfen cause cellular damage through the indirect generation of singlet oxygen from accumulated tetrapyrroles of porphyrin pathway, whereas rose bengal causes cellular damage through the direct generation of singlet oxygen.

For three cultivars of chilling-sensitive cucumber plants, chilling sensitivity was evaluated in terms of photosynthetic activity using Chl fluorescence techniques. Low-temperature treatment caused a decrease in photosynthetic activities of cucumber leaves, measured as CO$_2$ exchange, as well as the decrease in the stomatal conductance. FR of the three cultivars decreased after chilling for 24 h in light and the extent of decline of F$_R$ was the greatest in 'Chosaeng' cultivar. When these plants were recovered from light-chilling, 'Chosaeng' and 'Samchuk' cultivars did not fully restore the original value of F$_R$ after 24 h of recovery, in contrast to 'Ilmi' cultivar which showed a rather efficient recovery. The results of FR study showed that 'Chosaeng' was most susceptible, whereas Ilmi was most resistant, to chilling among the three cultivars of cucumber plants. When quenching coefficients for chlorophyll fluorescence was analyzed after chilling the cucumber plants for 24 h in light, 'Chosaeng' elicited more rapid declines in the coefficients for photochemical quenching (qQ), non-photochemical quenching (qNP) and energy-dependent quenching (qE) than 'Ilmi' and 'Samchuk'. The implications of these observations are discussed in relation to the growth habits of the respective cultivars in the field. The results showed that measurement of chlorophyll fluorescence was an effective means of screening chilling tolerance of cucumber plants. Furthermore, the study on the chlorophyll fluorescence induction and fluorescence quenching charactersitics showed that low temperature could accelerate inhibition of photosynthesis in chilling-sensitive plants, by limiting Calvin cycle activity and disrupting, in part, the energy dissipation mechanims of the photosystem II.

To investigate the chilling sensitivity related injuries in the photosynthetic apparatus of cucumber leaves, the light-chilling induced alterations of chlorophyll fluorescence transients in cucumber leaves were compared with those in pea leaves. As an early effect of light-chilling, an increase in Fp/Fm$^*$ was observed in both pea and cucumber leaves, which was saturated by about 6 h chilling. However, the saturated value of Fp/Fm was almost 1.0 in cucumber, in contrast to about 0.8 in pea. During the recovery period after 24 h chilling, the light-chilling induced changes in pea seemed to be reversed, but those in cucumber leaves were thought to be irreversible, because Fo was increased significantly. Light-chilling caused significant decreases in qQ and qE in cucumber leaves, but qR was increased until 6 h, and decreased thereafter. In both pea and cucumber leaves, Fm was increased by 2 h dark treatment. The Fm from the predarkened pea leaf discs was higher than the value from the preilluminated ones during the whole period of light-chilling (500 $\mu$mol m$^{-2}$s$^{-1}$ PAR). However, the predarkened cucumber leaf discs showed a reduction in Fm and an increase in Fo during the 2 h chilling in the light. These results indicate that the causes of chilling sensitivities in photosynthetic apparatus of cucumber leaves are possibly related with the damage in PSI reaction center and the ability of acidification of lumen by PSII.

To investigate the structure and function of photosystem I, cartridge mutagenesis technique was used to inactivate the psaB gene of photosystem I. From the screen, many strains which have potential defects in photosystem I were generated. Biochemical analysis revealed that B2, one of the mutant, had a reduced amount of chlorophyll. Electron transfer activitx from photosystem II to photosystem I as oxygen uptake was the rate of 64 % of wild type. Also B2 showed a decreased photosystem I activity when measured by 77 K fluorescence emission spectrum. Particularly, immunodetection analysis showed that the B2 had reduced amount of PsaA/PsaB, but a normal range of PsaC and PsaD. Here we present a photoheterotrophic mutant for psaB gene as a unique model strain for future study of structural/functional relationship and biogenesis of photosystem I.

Psoralens are metabolized in the liver and thus can produce liver damage in laboratory animals when given in excessive doses. However, in humans, reports of the effects of psoralens on liver functions during photochemotherapy have been contradictory. We studied 311 patients t o observe the effects of various phototoxic drugs: 8-methoxypsoralen (8-MOP), 5-methoxypsoralen (5-MOP), 4,5,8-trimethylpsoralen (TMP)-on liver function during photochemotherapy. Of the 311 patients, only seven had transient elevations of transaminases. Incidence of hepatotoxicity of 8-MOP, TMP and 5-MOP showed 0.6%, 6% and 3%, respectively. Although the effects of psoralens on liver functions during photochemotherapy have been contradictory in humans and there have been few cases showing transient elevated values of liver transaminases during photochemotherapy, it is advisable to obtain serial liver function tests before and during photochemotherapy.

The effect of vesicular L-$\alpha$-phosphatidylcholine on the rate of formation of all-trans-N-retinylidene-n-butylamine (3) and on the regeneration kinetics of bacteriorhodopsin pigment from retinal and bacterio-opsin have been studied. An estimate of the relative positions of retinal and n-butylamine in the vesicles has been made by fluoresence quenching experiments. Partition coefficient of retinal and microviscosity of the retinal-binding region have also been determined. The results are discussed in terms of the nature of chemical interaction between retinal and amine in a lipid environment.

The photochemical reaction of phenyl(tribromomethyl)mercury with nido-decaborane gives a new boron cluster expanded compound. The two borons at the 6- and 9- positions in decaborane behave as electrophilic centers for the reaction with dibromocarbene. The first step in this reaction is the addition of two molar equivalents of dibromocarbene which is produced from phenyl(tribromomethyl)mercury to nido-decaborane. In the second step the unstable intermediate generates the product, 1,2-$Br_2C_2B_{10}H_{10}$ through loss of H$_2$.

The 77 K emission and excitation, and room-temperature UV-visible spectra of $\Lambda$-fac[Cr(L-ala)$_3$] (ala = alanine anion) have been measured. The ten electronic transitions due to spinallowed and spin-forbidden are assigned. With the observed electronic transition energies, ligand field optimizations have been performed to determine the bonding properties of L-alanine anion toward chromium(III). The angular overlap model (AOM) parameters obtained indicate that it is electron-donating ligand which has values of e$_{\sigma}O$, e$_{\pi}O$, and e$_{\sigma}N$ slightly lower than those of glycine anion (gly). It seem that the decrease of the ligand field properties is due to steric effect of extra methyl group and inductive effect of adjacent carbonyl group.