Staff:

THE AUSTRALIAN N1ff IONAL UNIV~R..§,ITY

JOHN CURTIN SCHOOL C1F .. :..JlC.1 1 tL.';.... ;-tCH

ELECTRON :-.IICROSCOPY UNIT

~-.I 1 · ~

57/1964

Professorial Fellow and Head of Unit. E. H. l'-: ercer, Ph.D.,

D .Sc., (from February 1963) Fellow. M. C. Taylor, M.Sc.

Research Student. B. K. Filshie, 3,Sc . (commenced August, 196J.)

General.

The present Head of the Unit took up the position early

in the year and the Unit was reorganised on an independent

basis. A number of structural changes were undertaken in the.roans

made available to hou~e a second Siemens microscope which was

installed in July. Two such microscopes and their accessory

apparatus form the current equipment. It is planned to add

another microscope in the near future.

Research ~rogram

The work of the Unit is concerned with the detailed

structure of cells and of cellular products. With the collab­

oration of members of the School and a number of visitors

the study of a wide range of problems is already in progress.

All current electron microscopic techniques are in use ,

1. The Structure and Developwent of Viruses.

Myxomatosis (With Professor Fenner) The development of the

virus has been studied in the skin tumours of rabbits. All

stages of formation are to be found in both epidermal cells

and in the largo abnormal "myxoma" cells of the dermis. The

morphology of the mature virion and its development are

closely identical with thos e of other pox type viruses.

An examination (Mr. B. K. Filshie) of mouth parts of

mosquitoes fed on infected rabbits has revealed the presence

of virus particles in consilerable numbers.

Sericesthis Iridescent Virus (SIV) (With Dr. H . F. Day.

C.S.I.R.O)

This newly found virus has b e en shown to be closely

identical morphologically with an iridescent virus found else­

where in Tipula. It is distinct seriologically. The morph­

ology has been very extensively studied in sections of the

iridescent crystals, by negative and positive staining, and

by shallow casting techniques. It is an icosahedron in shape

and encloses a DNA core of variable forms. The virus develops

cytoplas .ically in several organs of its hosts,

Ui th Lu'. Bellett ( ~H crob iology) SIV was grown in insect

cel l s in vitro.

-2- 57/1964

Antheraea Virus (A-Virus) ( ;ith Iv'tr. T. Grace, C. S . I.R.O.)

A fatal epidemic a mong the larva of the En peror Gum moth

of Canb erra was recognised by .-~r. Grace as being like ly of

viral or i g i n. The virus was found first in the blood, from

wh : ch it was later separated in a very pure form, as a spher­

ical body diameter about 500A0

having an ill defined capsid

structure. The detailed development of the virus has been

followed in the mid gut cells.

A number of less advanced investigations with other

members of Hi crobiology are in progress (rabies virus,

vaccinia, poliovirus and influenza).

2. Insect Cuticle and other resistant formations.

Insect cuticle. (With Mr. B. K. Filshie, Research student)

Unsolved problems concerning insect cuticle include: its

fine structure (chitin and protein), its formation by the

epide rmal cells, the action of moulting enzymes and the

resorption of cut i cle at ecdysis. The special technical

difficulties caused by the hardness of the structure have been

overcome using early larval forms of the blowfly and some

progress made toward understanding the secretion of new cuticle.

(With Dr. Hackman, C.S.I.R.O.) An extrer.:ie ly resistant residue,

isolated by destructive chemical dige stion of cast cuticles

has been identified with the e picuticle. The basic chemical

resistance is not yet explained in terms of known chemical

b on.is.

Other resistant Structures of Biological Origin.

There are numerous membraneou s and protective materials,

to be found in ski n, cuticle s, s ~ ores, cysts, eggs etc.

whose stru ctures remain uninvestigated and whose chemistry

is largely obscur e . The resistant cysts of the liver fluke

(with i,r. Di cks on, Z ol ogy) have sue cess i ve layers of tanned,

protein, polysuccharide and keratinised protein, the total

forming a wall impervious to almost all conceivable chemital

attack except violent oxidisation.

An homology between resistant biological membrane is

being sought by the comparative approach.

. -3- 57/1964

Membrane Studies & Secretion (With ..Jrs, Elliott & Coleman of

Biochemistry)

The fine cystology and the structure of the membrane of

B . subtilis ar e eing examined during a period of active

secretion of amylas e . Dr. Mercer is continuing work with

former colleag ues at Kings College, London on t h e structure

of amoeba membrane.

4 , Visitors to the Unit and other Activitie s.

Dr, W. E. Stephens and Mr. R . J, North (Experimental

Pathology) and :::lr, K . B. East erbrook ( Microbiology) are using

the equipm ent for their own work. Dr. Roger Moe and Dr. John

French (visiting Fellows in i'athology) have made extensive us e

of the equipment .

Dr . Mercer attended and c ontr i buted a paper to a sywposium

on skin at Los Angeles in June . Mr. Taylor is collaborating

with H . A. Mc Kenzie in constructing novel polarographic

equip~ent,

-4- 57/1964

PUBLICATIONS

,.. Easty, G. C. and Mercer, E. H.

An electron microscope study of model tissues formed by the

agglutination of erythrocytes. Exper. Cell Res. 28,

215-227 ( 1963)

•• • Bradbury, J, H., Rogers, G. E. and F i lshie, B. K.

Observations by Light and Electron Microscopy on Wool Cuticle

Fractions obtained by Ultrason i cs. Textile Res.

Journal .22, 251 (1963) .... . Bradbury, J. H., Rogers, G. E. and Filshie, B. K.

"Theory of Shrinkproofing" of Wool Part V - Electron and Light

Microscopy of ·wool Fibers after Chemical Treatments."

Textile Res, Journal Jl, 617 (1963) • •

Lapis, K., and Mercer, E . H .

Az NK/Ly eger ascites Lyr.,phoma sej e k electronrnicroscopos

Morphologiaja.

A Magyar Tudornanyos Acad. Koslemenyei XIII Kotet 4, Szamabol

J45-J6J (1963)

Mercer, E. H.

A scheme for section staining in Electron ~icroscopy.

J, Royal. Micros. Soc. fil:., 179-186 (1963)

Mercer, E . H.

Recent work i n the electron microscopy. Cancer ~rogress

Volume 1963. Ed. R. W. Raven, 66-72 (1963)

• Not a member of the Australian National University. ••Dept. of Chemistry SGS.

t • -5- 57/1964

Mercer , E . H .

The evol~tion of intracellular phospholipid membrane systems .

Interpretation of ultrastructure Vol. 1. p . 369 .

Acad . Press, New York and London (1963) •

Mercer , E. H . and Verma, B . S . ...

Lapis, K. and Mercer, E . H .

An electron u.icroscope study 0f NK Lymphoma cells and the

changes produced by two cytostatic drugs .

Canc0r Res , 32, 676- 81, (1963)

Rogers, G . E . and Filshie, 3 . K .

Some aspects of the Ultrastructure cf :h -Keratin, Bacterial

Flagella and Feather Keratin in "Ultrastructure of

Protein Fibers," 1963 Acadom :_ C Press Inc., New York •

• Wolpert , L ., and Mercer, E. H .

An electron icroscope study of the development of the blas~ula

of the sea urchin embryo and its radial polarity .

Expcr . Cell . Res . 2.Q., 280- JOO (1963)

• Not a member of The Australian National University .

••Dept. of Chemistry. SGS .