Evening star., 1951-08-13
Plant Growth StimuIotor
Found in Bean Seeds
Scientists Test Extract
For New Type 'Hormone'
By Thomos R. Henry

BY lhomoS K. neny
Finding of potent plant growth stimu-
lators in seeds has just been reported
by a group of Department of Agricul-
ture scientists.
The specific material with which they
worked, used in extremely small
amounts, was from bean seeds. When
extracted at a specific time in the life
of the seeds. four or five days after
pollination, it fastened the Towering
of bean plants of the same variety from
three to five days. 1t also caused notable
speeding of growth.
From the critical time on, the amount
of the substance obtainable quickly fell
to nothing, according to the report of
DR.. John w. Mitchell, Dorothy P.
Skaggs and W. Powell Anderson of the
Bureau of Plant Industry Station at
Beltsville, Md.
There have been indications of SINH
lar substances in apple, corn, rye and
wheat seeds. 1t has not been deter
mined whether all are the same or
whether they vary for each species of
plant.
Extract Mixed With Lanolin.
The technique has been, in part, to
obtain a crude extract from the seeds.
This is mixed with lanolin and bound,
in the form of bandages, around the
stems OF growing plants. The amount
OF growth Of this part of the stem COM
pared with other parts has then been
measured. The rate of growth was
greatest when the bandages were applied
to seedlings. 1t has very little effect
on relatively mature plants.
The investigators believe that they
have found new plant "hormone."
One of the best known of these is in
dolacetlc acid, which notably stimulates
growth. But the new material has quite
different detailed effects, which indicate
that chemically it must be quite diff
ferent substance.
Experiments now are in progress, the
experimenters report to the American
Association for the Advancement of
Science here, to determine whether an
extract can be obtained from important
cereal crop seeds which will accelerate
growth. 1t also is significant to learn
whether the material stimulates the
production of more seeds.
+
newly found hormone, secreted by
the brain, may be significant factor in
high blood pressure and it's complica-
tlons which constitute the most rapidly
increasing cause of death in the United
States
Finding of this unidentified material
has been announced by DR.. Robert D.
Taylor and his associates of the Cleve-
land Clinic. 1t was demonstrated in ex-
perimentS with dogs and apparently is
quite different from any of the pre-
viously known secretions which raise
blood pressure.
Its Chemical Nature Unknown.
1t long has been noted that hyper
tension is likely to accompany worry or
intense mental activity. 1t is a disease
of the worried executive" The experi-
ments reported by the Cleveland doctors
indicate that the effect may be direct
rather than indirect. There is, as yet,
no clue as to the chemical nature Of
this powerful regulating substance
which the brain itself secretes into the
blood stream. 1t may never actually be
isolated.
The reaction was produced in dogs by
intensive stimulation of the fourth ven
tricle, part of the inner brain, from
which nerve connections had been sew
cred. This caused an increase in pres
sure in the arteries of the dogs leg
which had been cut off from the cen
tral and sympathetic nervous system.
Thus, the effect must have been due to
something secreted into the circulating
blood.
The blood of these animals caused
pressure increases when injected into
other dogs.
The next step was to demonstrate
that the hormone was not identical with
some other pressure raising substances
such as epinephrine from the adrenal
glands or pitressin from the pituitary
gland at the base of the brain. The ef-
feet of these can be offset by certain
blocking substances" None Of these
had any effect on the present phe-
nomenon.
Series of HOrm0nes Suspected.
The closest relationship appeared to
be with Serotonin, a constructing
substance derived from blood serum and
formed during the clotting of blood. The
two, however, were not identical. DR..
Taylor and his associates believe, how
ever, that there may be whole series
of hormone-like materials, all effective
in raising blood pressure, of which sero-
tonin can be considered the type sub
stance. The new hormone then would
be the second of this series yet demon
Strated.
AS yet there has been no entirely
adequate explanation of the high blood
pressure phenomenon. 1t now generally
is ascribed to multiple causes. Certain
hormones which construct the blood YES
sells are we'll known. There is, presum-
ably, an influence from the kidneys pos
sibly secretion of some sort High blood
pressure and kidney ailments tend to
accompany each other. The influence
of the nervous system is great. The
latter observation has resulted in the
now frequent operation of sympathec-
tony, in which the sympathetic nervous
system mediator of many of the un-
conscious, automatic bodily reactions, is
severed from its glandular connections.
Nopa of tbocn avplo ook;oo. ,oon Ill -