Distribution of the protein “phaseolin“ in some representatives ofViciaceae

Using immunochemical methods the authors investigated the evolutionary taxonomic distribution of the reserve seed protein “phaseolin” in cultivars ofPhaseolus vulgaris, in a series of species ofPhaseolus, and in representatives of some additional genera ofViciaceae. “Phaseolin” is typical of the seed ofPhaseolus vulgaris L.: it was detected in all 658 investigated cultivars — and also in species related toPhaseolus vulgaris L.(Ph. vulgaris L. ssp.aborigineus Burk.,Ph. polyanthus Green,Ph. dumosus Macf.,Ph. coccineus L., and in an undescribed species from the group ofPh. vulgaris L. -Ph. coccineus L.). A protein immunochemically somewhat similar to ?phaseolin“ occurs inPh. acufifolius A. Gray. In all other taxa“phaseolin” is absent.     

New teleostean fishes from the Jurassic of southern Germany and the systematic problems concerning the ‘pholidophoriforms’

A new genus,Siemensichthys, from the Upper Jurassic of southern Germany is described. The new genus includes two species,S. macrocephalus (Agassiz) which was formerly in the genusPholidophorus, andS. siemensi n. sp. The two species share synapomorphies such as only one supramaxillary bone covering the dorsal margin of the maxilla. Both species are described, and their phylogenetic position is analyzed. The phylogenetic analyses, based on 27 taxa and 141 characters, show thatAnkylophorus from the Kimmeridgian of Cerin,Siemensichthys andEurycormus from the Solnhofen Lithographic Limestone of Bavaria, form a monophyletic group. The new extinct clade (preliminarily identified as theSiemensichthys- group) is proposed as the sister-group ofPholidophorus s. str. plus more advanced teleosts. This sister-group relationship is supported by eight characters (e.g., supraoccipital bone extending forward in the roof of the otic region; articular bone fused with both the angular and retroarticular; presence of an elongated posteroventral process of quadrate; presence of dorsal processes at the base of the innermost caudal rays of upper lobe; mobile premaxillary bone). Comparisons with species ofPholidophorus s. str. provide a new understanding of the genusPholidophorus. At least four synapomorphies are proposed to support the monophyly ofPholidophorus. As a consequence of this new interpretation, the European Late Jurassic species previously assigned to the Pholidophoridae and to the genusPholidophorus (e.g., ‘Ph.’armatus, ‘Ph.’ falcifer, ‘Ph.’ micronyx, ‘Ph.’ microps) should be reexamined because they do not belong to the family nor to the genus. The order PholidophoriformesBerg is not a monophyletic group as currently constructed. Therefore, all so-called pholidophoriforms are in need of revision.     

The protein euphaseolin inPhaseolinae — A chemotaxonomical study

On the basis of immunochemical analyses of the main reserve protein ofPh. vulgaris, euphaseolin, in numerous cultivars ofPh. vulgaris, in additional 23Phaseolus species, and several representatives of further genera of Viciaceae and on the basis of the comparison of these data with morphological and genetical data the authors propose to separate the sectionEuphaseolus characterized by the presence of the protein euphaseolin. The species characterised by euphaseolin are closely related and capable of being crossed. The proposal requires an additional formal completion from the point of view of the conventions of classical systematies. Further the questions of the taxonomical extent of various protein characters and the problematies of the so-called large and small protein characters are discussed. Na základě imunochemických analys hlavní zásobní bílkovinyPh. vulgaris euphaseolinu u velkého po?tu kultivar?Phaseolus vulgaris, dal?ích 23 druh?Phaseolus a několika zástupc? dal?ích rod?Viciaceae a srovnáváním těchto údaj? s údajl morfologickými a genetickými auto?i navrhují vydělení sekceEuphaseolus, charakterisované p?ítomností bílkoviny euphaseolinu. Druhy charakterisované euphaseolinem jsou si blízce p?íbuzné, jsou k?i?itelné. Návrh vy?aduje je?tě formální doplnění z hlediska zvyklostí klasické systematiky. V ?lánku jsou dále diskutovány otázky taxonomické ?í?e r?zných bílkovinných znak?.     

Serological comparisons of seed proteins of some representatives of the genusAllium

Results obtained by comparison of similarity of seed protein spectra of 15 species of the genusAllium (in 22 samples) by means of immunochemical methods more or less correspond to the contemporary division of this genus. Species belonging to the sectionCepa (according to Vvedenskiy) andPhyllodolon have very similar spectra, which suggests that they either should be allocated to one sectionCepa or to two subsections (Cepa andPhyllodolon). Species belonging to the subgenusRhizirideum considerably differ in seed proteins. The investigated species of the subgenusMelanocrommyum show the most distinct spectrum of all the other analyzed representatives, less marked differences were found in the case of the representatives of the subgenusAllium.     

Geographical and ecological distribution of marine halacarid genera and species (Acari: Halacaridae)

At the end of 2002, the number of marine halacarid species was 1018, that of genera 51. A single genus, Copidognathus contains 33% of all species (336). Eleven genera are monotypic. Geographical provinces with a large number of species are the tropical western Pacific, temperate northeastern Atlantic, temperate southeastern Pacific, and Mediterranean-Black Sea. Most records of halacarid species are from temperate and tropical areas; 10% of species are known from polar zones. On a generic level, 29 genera are recorded from tropical and temperate but not from polar provinces, five genera are restricted to the tropics, and none to polar regions. The majority (920 species or 90%) of all species live in the upper 200 m. Records of genera with exclusively algivorous or brackish/fresh water species are bound to littoral habitats; all the other genera occur in more than one depth zone. Arenicolous genera, though most abundant in the littoral zone, have representatives in the bathyal. Four marine genera (Copidognathus, Halacarellus, Isobactrus, Lohmannella) have representatives in coastal fresh water, and three genera, Acarothrix, Caspihalacarus and Peregrinacarus, are predominantly inhabitants of diluted brackish and fresh water. None of the free-living halacarid genera of the world's oceans appears to be endemic to one geographical province.     

NewProconsul (Xenopithecus) from the Miocene of Kenya

A maxillary fragment with M^2–3 from the middle Miocene of Lothidok Hill, northwestern Kenya represents a new species ofProconsul—the typical East African early and middle Miocene hominoid species group. M² inProconsul (Xenopithecus)hamiltoni sp. nov. is about 50% larger than in Kenyan lower MioceneP. (X.)koruensis. Xenopithecus is revived as a subgenus ofProconsul because its species are less derived than typical species of that genus in having small—unexpanded—trigons, in possessing an M² with a significantly lower relative length, and in lacking a hypocone and large metacone on M³; however, xenopithecines share with proconsulines welldefined trigon ridges on M^1–3, large hypocones on M^1–2, greater relative height of M^2–3, and crenulated cingula on M^1–3 four character complexes derived over those of plesiomorphous East African early and middle MioceneLimnopithecus. An upper canine from Lothidok Hill represents a second species ofProconsul, P. (Proconsul)major. This identification confirms earlier records of that species from Lothidok.     

Conserved odorant-binding proteins from aphids and eavesdropping predators

Background

The sesquiterpene (E)-ß-farnesene is the main component of the alarm pheromone system of various aphid species studied to date, including the English grain aphid, Sitobion avenae. Aphid natural enemies, such as the marmalade hoverfly Episyrphus balteatus and the multicolored Asian lady beetle Harmonia axyridis, eavesdrop on aphid chemical communication and utilize (E)-ß-farnesene as a kairomone to localize their immediate or offspring preys. These aphid-predator systems are important models to study how the olfactory systems of distant insect taxa process the same chemical signal. We postulated that odorant-binding proteins (OBPs), which are highly expressed in insect olfactory tissues and involved in the first step of odorant reception, have conserved regions involved in binding (E)-ß-farnesene.

Methodology

We cloned OBP genes from the English grain aphid and two major predators of this aphid species. We then expressed these proteins and compare their binding affinities to the alarm pheromone/kairomone. By using a fluorescence reporter, we tested binding of (E)-ß-farnesene and other electrophysiologically and behaviorally active compounds, including a green leaf volatile attractant.

Conclusion

We found that OBPs from disparate taxa of aphids and their predators are highly conserved proteins, with apparently no orthologue genes in other insect species. Properly folded, recombinant proteins from the English grain aphid, SaveOBP3, and the marmalade hoverfly, EbalOBP3, specifically bind (E)-ß-farnesene with apparent high affinity. For the first time we have demonstrated that insect species belonging to distinct Orders have conserved OBPs, which specifically bind a common semiochemical and has no binding affinity for related compounds.     

Protein characters and relationship betweenPhaseolus vulgaris ssp.Aborigineus Burk. and related taxons of the genusPhaseolus

Both quantitative and qualitative immunochemical methods were used for studying the mutual relationships of several spocies and the subspecies of the genusPhaseolus: Ph. vulgaris L. ssp.vulgaris, Ph. vulgaris L. ssp.aborigineus Burk.,Ph. coccineus L.,Ph. acutifolius A. Gray,Ph. lunatus L. (American endemites) andPh. aureus L. (a typical Asian bean). Protein characters of cotyledons (i.e., ?storage” proteins) of the above species were compared with the aid of antisera prepared against seed (cotyledon) proteins ofPh. vulgaris L. ssp.vulgaris, cv. Veltruská Saxa, using

1. (a)
   the whole complex of cotyledon protein,     
   
   

The “tropical lineage” of the brown dog tick Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato identified as Rhipicephalus linnaei ()

The brown dog tick (Rhipicephalus sanguineus) parasitises dogs. Over the past decade, two distinct lineages have been recognised – R. sanguineus sensu lato “temperate lineage” and R. sanguineus sensu lato “tropical lineage”. The nominal taxon R. sanguineus (Latreille, 1806) was recently associated with the “temperate lineage”. We here identify the “tropical lineage” as Rhipicephalus linnaei (Audouin, 1826) using material from Australia, where no other Rhipicephalus species parasitises dogs. Whole genome sequencing of R. linnaei from Australia, Fiji and Laos, and assembly of their complete mitochondrial DNA (~15 kb) confirms the genetic identity and distinctness from all other known species within the brown dog tick species complex. Designation of the species R. linnaei is unequivocally supported by material available through the Australian National Insect Collection, Australia. Accordingly, we are formally justified in using R. linnaei for the “tropical lineage”.     

Comparison of the primary structure ofwaxy proteins (granule-bound starch synthase) between polyploid wheats and related diploid species

Thewaxy proteins encoded by the genomes A, B, and D in polyploid wheats and related diploid species were isolated by SDS-PAGE. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of mature proteins and V8 protease-induced fragments were determined. A total of five amino acid substitutions was detected in these sequences, which represent about 10% of the whole sequences of thewaxy proteins. A comparison of these sequences in polyploid wheats with those in related diploid species revealed the following: (i)waxy proteins encoded by the A genome of polyploid wheats were identical to that ofTriticum monococcum, (ii) thewaxy protein encoded by the B genome ofT. turgidum was identical to that ofT. searsii, but differed from those ofT. speltoides andT. longissimum by one amino acid substitution, (iii) thewaxy protein encoded by the B genome ofT. aestivum differed from that encoded by the B genome ofT. turgidum by one amino acid substitution, and (iv) thewaxy protein encoded by the D genome ofT. aestivum was identical to that ofT. tauschii.     

Distribution Pattern and Climate Preferences of the Representatives of the Cosmopolitan Genus Sirthenea Spinola, 1840 (Heteroptera: Reduviidae: Peiratinae)

The main goal of this study was to predict, through the use of GIS tool as ecological niche modelling, potentially suitable ecological niche and defining the conditions of such niche for the representatives of the cosmopolitan genus Sirthenea. Among all known genera of the subfamily Peiratinae, only Sirthenea occurs on almost all continents and zoogeographical regions. Our research was based on 521 unique occurrence localities and a set of environmental variables covering the whole world. Based on occurrence localities, as well as climatic variables, digital elevation model, terrestrial ecoregions and biomes, information about the ecological preferences is given. Potentially useful ecological niches were modelled using Maxent software, which allowed for the creation of a map of the potential distribution and for determining climatic preferences. An analysis of climatic preferences suggested that the representatives of the genus were linked mainly to the tropical and temperate climates. An analysis of ecoregions also showed that they preferred areas with tree vegetation like tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests biomes as well as temperate broadleaf and mixed forest biomes. Therefore, on the basis of the museum data on the species occurrence and ecological niche modelling method, we provided new and valuable information on the potentially suitable habitat and the possible range of distribution of the genus Sirthenea along with its climatic preferences.     

Flagellar proteins of motile spores ofActinomycetes

Flagella of some of the actinoplanete genera were purified and the molecular sizes of their flagellin subunits compared by SDS-PAGE analysis to flagellins of cells of other bacteria. Several species ofActinoplanes have a major flagellar protein of subunit sizes of 42–43 kDa and a lesser amount of a second protein, possibly a minor flagellin subunit, of 60 kDa. The flagellar protein sizes of other actinoplanetes ranged from 32–43 kDa (major) and 48–58 kDa (minor). Antibodies formed against the 42-kDa protein ofA. rectilineatus showed cross-reactivity in Western blots against flagellar proteins of spores of otherActinoplanes species, two species ofDactylosporangium and anAmpullariella species. Cross-reactivity was also observed with motile cells of two other actinomycetes,Arthrobacter atrocyaneus and aGeodermatophilus species, and withBacillus subtilis. No cross-reactivity was observed withEscherichia coli orPlanomonospora parontospora flagellar proteins. The amino acid composition and partial N-terminal sequence of the 42-kDa flagellar protein ofA. rectilineatus was compared to literature data for other bacterial flagellins and found to be most similar toB. subtilis 168.     

Control of gene expression by FNR-like proteins in facultatively anaerobic bacteria

Facultatively anaerobic bacteria are able to adapt to many different growth conditions. Their capability to change their metabolism optimally is often ensured by FNR-like proteins. The FNR protein ofEscherichia coli functions as the main regulator during the aerobic-to-anaerobic switch. Low oxygen tensions activate this protein which is expressed constitutively and is inactive under aerobic conditions. The active form is dimeric and contains a [4Fe−4S]²⁺ cluster. The direct dissociation of the cluster to the [2Fe−2S]²⁺ cluster by the effect of oxygen leads to destabilization of the FNR dimer and to loss of its activity. The active FNR induces the expression of many anaerobic genes; the set comprises over 100 of controlled genes. Many other bacteria contain one or more FNR analogues. All these proteins form the FNR family of regulatory proteins. Properties of these proteins are very distinct, sometimes even among representatives of different strains of the same bacterial species. FNR-like proteins together with other regulators (e.g., two-component system ArcBA, nitrate-sensing system NarXL,etc.) control a complicated network of modulons that is characteristic for every species or even strain and enables fine tuning of gene expression.     

Adaptive selection and coevolution at the proteins of the Polycomb repressive complexes in Drosophila

Polycomb group (PcG) proteins are important epigenetic regulatory proteins that modulate the chromatin state through posttranslational histone modifications. These interacting proteins form multimeric complexes that repress gene expression. Thus, PcG proteins are expected to evolve coordinately, which might be reflected in their phylogenetic trees by concordant episodes of positive selection and by a correlation in evolutionary rates. In order to detect these signals of coevolution, the molecular evolution of 17 genes encoding the subunits of five Polycomb repressive complexes has been analyzed in the Drosophila genus. The observed distribution of divergence differs substantially among and along proteins. Indeed, CAF1 is uniformly conserved, whereas only the established protein domains are conserved in other proteins, such as PHO, PHOL, PSC, PH-P and ASX. Moreover, regions with a low divergence not yet described as protein domains are present, for instance, in SFMBT and SU(Z)12. Maximum likelihood methods indicate an acceleration in the nonsynonymous substitution rate at the lineage ancestral to the obscura group species in most genes encoding subunits of the Pcl–PRC2 complex and in genes Sfmbt, Psc and Kdm2. These methods also allow inferring the action of positive selection in this lineage at genes E(z) and Sfmbt. Finally, the protein interaction network predicted from the complete proteomes of 12 Drosophila species using a coevolutionary approach shows two tight PcG clusters. These clusters include well-established binary interactions among PcG proteins as well as new putative interactions.     

Two new species of the genus Philaenus (Homoptera, Aphrophoridae) from Iran

Two new species of Philaenus from Iran are described. Philaenus elbursianus sp. n. belongs to the Ph. signatus species group from the nominotypical subgenus. Philaenus iranicus sp. n. differs considerably from all the known representatives of the genus and was separated in a new subgenus Gyrurus subgen. n. The occurrence of this highly peculiar species in Iran may indicate that the center of origin of the genus Philaenus lies in this territory and not in the Mediterranean region as it was considered before.     

Comparative electrophoretic studies of proteins from species ofCandida

Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to assess similarities and differences between strains and species ofCandida. The profiles of total soluble proteins and the relative mobilities of individual enzymes («zymograms») were examined. The two approaches agreed well. Different species gave dissimilar protein profiles and showed consistent differences in zymograms. In some cases, strains within a species also differed by all the criteria employed. The use of gel electrophoresis as an adjunct to more standard methods of yeast classification is discussed.     

Assessment ofPaulinia acuminata [Orthoptera: Acrididae] for the biological control ofSalvinia molesta in Australia

The biology and host specificity of the aquatic grasshopper,Paulinia acuminata (De Geer) were studied in quarantine in Australia. Adults and nymphs fed on the leaves of salvinia (Salvinia molesta), water lettuce (Pistia stratiotes) and azolla (Azolla pinnata). Fifty-three plant species representing 38 families were exposed to adults and nymphs ofP. acuminata. Adult feeding occurred on 17 plants but nymphs failed to feed on 9 of these species in the presence ofS. molesta. In starvation trials, 14 plants (excludingS. molesta, P. stratiotes andA. pinnata) were attacked by adults, of which only 5 were attacked by nymphs. Heavy feeding occurred on strawberry (Fragaria xananassa) but no oviposition occurred even when the leaves were held in contact with the water surface. The life cycle ofP. acuminata was completed only onS. molesta, P. stratiotes andA. pinnata. Eggs deposited on water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) failed to hatch. Laboratory evaluation was supplemented with observations on the distribution and abundance ofP. acuminata on the Zambezi River system, Zimbabwe, during October 1984.