THE PHYSIOLOGY OF HOST–PARASITE RELATIONS: XIV. THE EFFECT OF RUST INFECTION ON THE NUCLEIC ACID CONTENT OF WHEAT LEAVES

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Abstract
The increase in respiration in rust-infected leaves of Little Club wheat was followed and paralleled by an increase in RNA per gram dry weight. The massive increase in dry weight of infected leaves in the later stages of rust development (9–12 days after inoculation) sometimes obscured the increase in RNA when RNA was expressed on a dry weight but not when it was expressed on a fresh weight basis. There was no increase in RNA in rust-infected Khapli. Rust infection had no effect on DNA per gram dry weight in Little Club or Khapli, but DNA per gram fresh weight increased slightly (15%) in Little Club, indicating the synthesis of fungal DNA. Infection had little effect on the protein content of Little Club but markedly lowered that of Khapli. The results are discussed in relation to earlier cytochemical determinations of DNA and RNA in infected tissue.