Incorporation of [S]Sulfate and [C]Bicarbonate into Karyotype-specific Polysaccharides of Chondrus crispus.

Gametophytic and sporophytic tissues of Chondrus crispus (Stackhouse) cultured in vitro were labeled with (35)S and (14)C. The major sulfated polysccharides isolated from the two karyotypes were characterized by KCI fractionation, immunoprecipitation, and infrared spectroscopy. Reproducibility of data has been demonstrated by an experiment using gametophytic T(4) strain with five replicates per time point. The rate of sulfate uptake was similar in haploid and diploid plants from a given area cultured for a similar time. Cultures from different sources cultured for different times showed different uptake and incorporation levels. Although sulfate uptake did not appear to be karyotype-related, the pattern of incorporation of (35)S and (14)C into polysaccharides was ploidy-specific.