6. A blue‑fluorescent seedling and anther character.

Ultraviolet light examination of an extensive series of Bikini progeny seedlings in 1948‑49 revealed a family segregating for bright blue fluorescence (recessive), in place of the usual dull red color. The blue‑fluorescent seedlings appear normal in daylight. Chromatographic adsorption columns run on acetone extracts of the blue‑fluorescent seedlings showed that chlorophyll was present in approximately normal amounts though seedlings had failed to show characteristic reddish fluorescence because of the masking effect of the blue-fluorescent material. Paper strip chromatograms showed three main bands of blue‑fluorescent material in the mutant that were absent or very faint in the normal seedlings. Eluates from each of the major bands were active as tryptophane substitutes for Lactobacillus arabinosus but not for Streptococcus faecalis (the former is known to utilize anthranilic acid or indole in place of tryptophane, but the latter requires tryptophane). One of the bands has been shown to be identical with anthranilic acid in adsorption spectrum, pH fluorescence curve, biological activity, and Rf values on chromatograms, although as yet insufficient material has been obtained for determination of melting points and preparation of derivatives. The two other major components can be degraded to anthranilic acid by relatively mild procedures. Anthers of both heterozygous plants and homozygous plants are blue-fluorescent and exhibit the same chromatographic bands as blue-fluorescent seedlings.

H. J. Teas and E. G. Anderson