中国妮蛾蜡蝉属分类研究(半翅目:蛾蜡蝉科)

综述了妮蛾蜡蝉属Neosalurnis Distant的分类研究历史,研究妮蛾蜡蝉属种类,同意网纹妮蛾蜡蝉Neosalurnis reticulates Distant是妮蛾蜡蝉Neosalurnis gracilis（Melichar））的异名。记述中国妮蛾蜡蝉属4种,包括1新种——大刺妮蛾蜡蝉N.magnispinata,sp．nov．,1新记录种——短刺妮蛾蜡蝉Neosalurnis bonenda Medler。提供了分种检索表。模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。     

中国碧蛾蜡蝉属的分类研究(半翅目:蛾蜡蝉科)

综述了碧蛾蜡蝉属Geisha Kirkaldy的分类研究历史,研究了中国碧蛾蜡蝉属种类,同意莎碧蛾蜡蝉G．sauteri Jacobi是碧蛾蜡蝉G．distinctissima（Walker）的异名。记述了中国碧蛾蜡蝉属4种,包括2新种——二叉碧蛾蜡蝉G．bifurcata,sp．nov．,秦岭碧蛾蜡蝉G．qinlingensis,sp．nov．。提供了分种检索表。模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。     

中国彩蛾蜡蝉属分类研究(半翅目,蛾蜡蝉科)

综述了彩蛾蜡蝉属Cerynia St(a)l的分类研究历史,研究中国彩蛾蜡蝉属种类.记述中国彩蛾蜡蝉属4种,包括1新种--指突彩蛾蜡蝉C.digitula sp.nov..提供了分种检索表.新种模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆.     

中国埃蛾蜡蝉属分类研究（同翅目：蛾蜡蝉科）

综述了埃蛾蜡蝉属 Exoma Melichar的分类研究历史,研究了中国埃蛾蜡蝉种类,同意Leocerus属是埃蛾蜡蝉属Exoma的异名,将其归入埃蛾蜡蝉属并记述了1个新种——基斑埃蛾蜡蝉 Exoma basimacula,sp．nov．。提供了分种检索表。模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。     

中国蛾蜡蝉科一新记录属并记一新种(半翅目:蛾蜡蝉科:涩蛾蜡蝉族)

报道了中国新记录属长蛾蜡蝉属Gomeda Distant,1906,该属隶属于蛾蜡蝉科Flatidae、涩蛾蜡蝉族Selizini,综述了该属的分类研究历史,并记述1新种——素长蛾蜡蝉Gomeda unicolorata,sp.nov.,提供了新种的形态和雌性外生殖器特征图,编制了本属分种检索表。新种模式标本保存在中国科学院动物研究所。     

中国蛾蜡蝉科一新记录属及一新记录种

记述采自中国云南省的蛾蜡蝉科1新记录属：宽额蛾蜡蝉属Byhopsyma Melichar及1新记录种：宽额蛾蜡蝉Bythopsyrna circulata(Guerin—Meneville),绘了成虫特征图。     

中国络蛾蜡蝉属Lawana分类与二新记录种

记述蛾蜡蝉科Flatidae络蛾蜡蝉属Lawana中国2新记录种——LawanaradiataDistant,1906和L.conspersa(Walker),1851。提供了形态描述、分布及形态图。制作了分种检索表。     

蒙瓢蜡蝉属Mongliana Distant的分类研究（同翅目：蜡蝉总科：瓢蜡蝉科）

综述蒙瓢蜡属的分类研究历史，记述中国蒙瓢蜡蝉属Mongliana Distant 7种，其中包括5新种：柔尖蒙飘蜡蝉Mongoliana lanceolata,sp.nov.,三角蒙飘蜡蝉Mongoliana triangularis,sp.nov，锯缘蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana serrata,sp.nov.,褐斑蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana naevia,sp.nov.和曲纹蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana sinuata,sp.nov.绘制了雄性外生殖器及前翅主要特征图，并列有分种检索表。新种模式标本均保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆。     

中国璐蜡蝉科一新记录属及一新种记述(同翅目:蜡蝉总科)

记述璐蜡蝉科 Lophopidae1个中国新记录属 :阿柯璐蜡蝉属 AcothruraMelichar,new record 和 1新记录种 :红缘阿柯璐蜡蝉 Acothrura impunctata(Jacobi) ,new record以及 1新种 :褐带阿柯璐蜡蝉 Acothrura fucizona,sp.n.。模式标本保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆     

蒙瓢蜡蝉属Mongoliana Distant的分类研究(同翅目: 蜡蝉总科: 瓢蜡蝉科)

综述蒙瓢蜡蝉属的分类研究历史,记述中国蒙瓢蜡蝉属Mongoliana Distant 7种,其中包括5新种矛尖蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana lanceolata, sp. nov.,三角蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana triangularis, sp. nov.,锯缘蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana serrata, sp. nov.,褐斑蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana naevia, sp. nov. 和曲纹蒙瓢蜡蝉Mongoliana sinuata, sp. nov.;绘制了雄性外生殖器及前翅主要特征图,并列有分种检索表.新种模式标本均保存在西北农林科技大学昆虫博物馆.     

Identification of Gibberellins A(1), A(5), A(29), and A(32) from Immature Seeds of Apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.)

Gibberellins (GAs) A₁, A₅, and A₂₉ were identified, and also GA₃₂ was confirmed, as endogenous GAs of immature seeds (3-4 weeks after anthesis, 0.25-0.5 gram fresh weight) of apricot (Prunus armeniaca L.) based on capillary gas chromatography (GC), retention time (Rt), and selected ion monitoring (SIM), in comparison with authentic standards. Fractions subjected to GC-SIM were purified and separated using sequential solvent partitioning → paper chromatography → reverse phase C₁₈ high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) → bioassay on dwarf rice cv Tan-ginbozu. Two other peaks of free GA-like bioactivity (microdrop and immersion dwarf rice assays) were eluted from C₁₈ HPLC at Rts where GA_4/7 and GA₈ (or other GAs with similar structures) would elute. Also, three unidentified GA glucoside-like compounds (based on bioactivity on the immersion assay, and no bioactivity on the microdrop assay) were noted. There were very high amounts of GA₃₂ (112 ng of GA₃ equivalents per gram fresh weight), and minor amounts (0.5 ng of GA₃ equivalents) for each of GA₁ and GA₅, respectively, based on the microdrop assay.     

(A)GGG(A), (A)CCC(A) and other potential 3' splice signals in primate nuclear pre-mRNA sequences

Several 3' splice signals in nuclear precursor mRNAs have already been known for some time: the AG doublet on the left-hand side of the splice and a run of pyrimidines just upstream of it. More recently it has been noted that the YNYTRAY sequence (where Y is a pyrimidine, R a purine and N any base) is a branching-sequence participating in formation of a lariat structure. Keller and Noon have shown the existence of several putative consensus sequences at this site. In this work, extensive computations of the distributions of 256 quartets in all primate nuclear pre-mRNA intron sequences present in GenBank have been carried out. Several putative signals upstream and downstream of the 3' splice have been detected. These have been compared with the results obtained in analogous computations carried out on all nuclear pre-mRNA introns present in a combined eukaryotic file containing mammal, non-mammalian vertebrate, invertebrate and plant sequences. The distributions of the more interesting oligomers are shown here. Of particular interest are the putative (A)GGG(A) signal 60 nucleotides upstream of the 3' splice site and (A)CCC(A) 3-40 nucleotides downstream of it. A possible splicing model explaining these data and involving formation of alternative hairpin loop structures is proposed.     

Quantitation of Gibberellins A(1), A(3), A(4), A(9) and a Putative A(9)-Conjugate in Grafts of Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) during the Period of Shoot Elongation

The levels of endogenous gibberellin A₁ (GA₁), GA₃, GA₄, GA₉, and a cellulase hydrolyzable GA₉ conjugate in needles and shoot stems of mature grafts of Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis [Bong.] Carr.) grown under environmental conditions that were either inductive, hot, and dry, or noninductive, cool, and wet, for flowering, were estimated by combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry selected ion monitoring using deuterated [²H₂]GA₁, GA₃, GA₄, and GA₉ as internal standards. The samples were taken when the shoots had elongated about 30, 70, and 95% of the final shoot length and 17 days after elongation had terminated. The concentration of putative GA₉-conjugate, estimated by GCSIM of GA₉ after cellulase hydrolysis of the highly water soluble fraction, was 33 nanograms per gram fresh weight in the needles of both heat and drought- and cool and wet-treated plants sampled just after bud burst. The concentration gradually decreased to a final value of 13 nanograms per gram fresh weight in the heat and drought-treated grafts and 6 nanograms per gram fresh weight in the cool and wet-treated grafts. The stems contained no detectable putative GA₉ conjugate. Free GA₉ was highest in heat and drought-treated material. For plants subjected to this treatment, GA₉ increased from 22 to 32 nanograms per gram fresh weight in needles and from 1 to 22 nanograms per gram fresh weight in stems during the rapid stem elongation phase. By day 17, after cessation of shoot elongation, GA₉ had decreased to 12 nanograms per gram fresh weight in needles and 9 nanograms per gram fresh weight in the shoot stems. The cool and wet-treated material also showed an increase in GA₉ concentration during shoot elongation. However, the concentration was not as high and was also delayed compared with heat and drought-treated material. By day 17, after cessation of shoot elongation, GA₉ concentration was 9 nanograms per gram fresh weight in needles and 5 nanograms per gram fresh weight in stems for cool and wet treatment plants. The concentration of GA₄ was very low in tissue from both treatments. Fluctuation in concentration of the more polar gibberellins, GA₁ and GA₃, showed the same pattern as fluctuations in the content of GA₉. However, the heat and drought-treated material had lower amounts of GA₁ and GA₃ during the later phases of shoot elongation, than the cool and wet-treated material. These results imply differential metabolism between clones treated with conditions inductive and noninductive for flowering. Higher concentrations of putative GA₉ conjugate and free GA₉ in the hot and dry treatment indicate a higher capacity of synthesizing, for flowering, the physiologically important GA₄ in the heat and drought-treated material. This synthesis does not, however, result in a buildup of the GA₄ pool, probably because of a high turnover rate of GA₄. The cool and wet-treated material had higher amounts of GA₁ and GA₃, indicating that the differentiation was preferentially directed toward vegetative growth.     

Synthesis and coding properties of poly(c 1 A), poly(c 3 A), poly(c 7 A) and poly(h 6 A)

The homopolynucleotides poly(c¹A), poly(c³A), poly(c⁷A) and poly(h⁶A)⁺⁺ were synthesized from their corresponding nucleoside diphosphates using polynucleotide phosphorylase. With the exception of poly(h⁶A), which displayed no hypochromicity, the homopolynucleotides showed melting profiles similar to poly(A). All these polynucleotides, poly(h⁶A), poly(c⁷A), poly(c³A) and poly(c¹A) stimulated the binding of Lys-tRNA to ribosomes; the coding activity of poly(c¹A), however, was very low. Poly(h⁶A) was found to be less specific for Lys-tRNA than poly(A). The data supports the exclusive formation of Watson-Crick type base pairs and contradicts Hoogsteen base pairing in codon-anticodon recognition. Since, however, poly(h⁶A), which can form only one hydrogen bridge per base pair, stimulated the binding of Lys-tRNA comparably to poly(A), the coding activity of the homopolynucleotides tested is discussed in respect to their secondary structure as well as to the pK-values of their 6-amino groups.     

PHYLOGENETIC POSITION OF SYMBIODINIUM (DINOPHYCEAE) ISOLATES FROM TRIDACNIDS (BIVALVIA), CARDIIDS (BIVALVIA), A SPONGE (PORIFERA), A SOFT CORAL (ANTHOZOA), AND A FREE-LIVING STRAIN

The genus Symbiodinium is the commonly observed symbiotic dinoflagellate (zooxanthellae) that forms mutual associations with various marine invertebrates. Numerous studies have revealed that the genus is comprised of a group of diverse taxa, and information on the phylogenetic relationships among the genus’ members is increasing. In this study, small subunit (SSU) ribosomal RNA (ssrRNA) gene sequences were determined for 15 more Symbiodinium strains from 12 relatively unstudied host taxa (Indo-Pacific tridacnids, cardiids, sponge, and soft coral), 1 hitherto unreported free-living Symbiodinium strain, and 4 other Symbiodinium strains from four other host taxa (Indo-Pacific zoanthid, foraminifer, jellyfish, and mid-Pacific hard coral). Their respective phylogenetic positions were inferred, and strains that are either closely related to or distinct from previously reported Symbiodinium taxa were revealed. The cultured Symbiodinium strains isolated from individuals of six species of tridacnids and three species of cardiids all had identical ssrRNA gene sequences, are closely related to S. microadriaticum Freudenthal, and are indistinguishable from the RFLP Type A strain previously reported. However, the ssrRNA gene sequences of clam symbionts that were obtained via gene cloning were different from those of the cultured isolates and represent strains that are close to the RFLP Type C strains. The Symbiodinium-like dinoflagellate from the Indo-Pacific sponge Haliclona koremella De Laubenfels is distinct from any of the Symbiodinium taxa studied and may be similar to the symbiont previously isolated from the stony coral Montipora patula Quelch. The isolates from the soft coral Sarcophyton glaucum Quoy et Gaimard and from the zoanthid Zoanthus sp. are both very closely related to S. pilosum Trench et Blank. The free-living Symbiodinium isolate is very closely related to the symbiont isolated from the Indo-Pacific foraminifer Amphisorus hemprichii Ehrenberg, which in turn is distinct from the Red Sea strain isolated from a similar host. Theisolate from Cassiopeia sp. is different from S. microadriaticum F., the type species harbored by Cassiopeia xamachana Bigelow, and is instead very closely related to S. pulchrorum Trench isolated from a sea anemone. The symbiont from the stony coral M. verrucosa Lamarck is a sister taxon to the symbionts isolated from the foraminifera Marginopora kudakajimensis Gudmundsson and Sorites orbiculus Forskål. These data suggest that polymorphic symbioses extend from cnidarians to some bivalve, foraminifer, and jellyfish host species.     

Chimpanzee lipoprotein(A): Relationship between apolipoprotein(A) isoform size and the density profile of lipoprotein(A) in animals with different heterozygous apo(A) phenotypes

In a previous study [C. Doucet et al., J. Lipid Res 35:263–270, 1994], we have shown that plasma lipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] levels were significantly elevated in a population of unrelated chimpanzees as compared to those in normolipidemic human subjects. Nonetheless, the inverse correlation between Lp(a) levels and apolipoprotein (a) [apo(a)] isoforms typical of man was maintained in the chimpanzee. In the present study, we describe the density profiles of apo B- and apo A1-containing lipoproteins and of Lp(a) in chimpanzee plasmas heterozygous for apo(a) isoforms after fractionation by single spin ultracentrifugation in an isopycnic gradient. The distribution of apo(a) isoforms in the density gradient was also examined by SDS-agarose gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting using chemiluminescence detection. In all double-band phenotypes examined, the smallest isoform was present along the entire length of the density gradient. The density distribution of the second isoform varied according to the size difference between the respective isoforms. Two isoforms close in size (difference in apparent molecular mass ? 60 kDa) were present together in every gradient subfraction. On the contrary, when the two isoforms displayed distinct molecular mass (maximal difference in apparent molecular mass = 340 kDa), then the largest was principally present in the densest fractions of the gradient (d > 1.1 mg/ml). These observations suggest that Lp(a) particles with small apo(a) isoforms are more susceptible to interact with other lipoproteins than are Lp(a) particles with large isoforms.     

Inhibitors from Carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.): II. Effect on Growth Induced by Indoleacetic Acid or Gibberellins A(1), A(4), A(5), and A(7)

Two inhibitory fractions (B₁ and C) from extracts of immature fruit of carob were tested for their ability to inhibit the action of indoleacetic acid (IAA) in three bioassays. There was no reduction of IAA-induced reactions in the Avena curvature test, abscission of debladed coleus petioles, or growth of cucumber hypocotyls. The highest ratio of inhibitor to IAA was 10,000 times greater than the ratio necessary to inhibit by 50% the growth caused by an equivalent amount of gibberellin A₃ in pea seedlings. At the highest concentration used, fraction C alone caused curvature of Avena coleoptiles. The inhibitory fractions appeared to enhance the effect of IAA in the cucumber test.     

Phospholipase A(2)

Considerable progress has been made in characterizing the individual participant enzymes and their relative contributions in the generation of eicosanoids, lipid mediators derived from arachidonic acid, such as prostaglandins and leukotrienes. However, the role of individual phospholipase (PL) A(2) enzymes in providing arachidonic acid to the downstream enzymes for eicosanoid generation in biologic processes has not been fully elucidated. In this review, we will provide an overview of the classification of the families of PLA(2) enzymes, their putative mechanisms of action, and their role(s) in eicosanoid generation and inflammation.