Age- and density-dependent growth within populations of the ectoparasitic digenean Transversotrema patialense on the fish host

Mills C. A. 1980. Age- and density-dependent growth within populations of the ectoparasitic digenean Transversotrema patialense on the fish host. Internationaljournal for Parasitology, 10: 287–291. Growth of the adult ectoparasitic digenean Transversotrema patialense on the fish host Brachydanio rerio is shown to be age-dependent, ceasing 15–20 days post infection. The vitelline glands expand greatly in size after infection from 1.25 % of cercarial area to 20.7 % of that of the mature adult. There is an increase in the occurrence of reproductive abnormalities in old parasites but this alone fails to account for the decline in egg production found as populations of T. patialense age. Growth of adult T. patialense is density-dependent with reduced growth at high initial parasite densities per host.     

Cu2O纳米颗粒对小麦根系形态及遗传毒性的影响

为了阐明Cu₂O纳米颗粒(NPs)暴露对植物根系的毒性效应,本研究以小麦品种‘周麦18’为材料,采用水培试验方法,研究了10、50、100和200 mg·L^-1浓度的Cu₂O-NPs对小麦幼苗生长、根系活性、形态结构及细胞遗传学毒性的影响。结果表明: 不同浓度的Cu₂O-NPs降低了小麦幼苗的根芽长度、鲜重、根活性和根冠比,增加了初生根的数量;随着Cu₂O-NPs浓度的升高,幼苗根伸长区缩短、根系变硬变脆、根径增加、根冠变大;100 mg·L^-1浓度的Cu₂O-NPs处理下,小麦根尖有丝分裂指数显著降低,根尖细胞形状不规则化、质壁分离、细胞出现空泡化、细胞核核膜模糊、核内染色体异常。在水培条件下,Cu₂O-NPs对小麦幼苗具有一定的遗传学毒性效应,从而影响小麦幼苗的生长发育和根系形态结构。     

High dietary arachidonic acid levels affect the process of eye migration and head shape in pseudoalbino Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis early juveniles

The effect of high dietary levels of arachidonic acid (ARA) on the eye migration and cranial bone remodelling processes in Senegalese sole Solea senegalensis early juveniles (age: 50 days post hatch) was evaluated by means of geometric morphometric analysis and alizarin red staining of cranial skeletal elements. The incidence of normally pigmented fish fed the control diet was 99·1 ± 0·3% (mean ± s.e .), whereas it was only 18·7 ± 7·5% for those fed high levels of ARA (ARA‐H). The frequency of cranial deformities was significantly higher in fish fed ARA‐H (95·1 ± 1·5%) than in those fed the control diet (1·9 ± 1·9%). Cranial deformities were significantly and negatively correlated with the incidence of normally pigmented animals (r² = ?0·88, P < 0·001, n = 16). Thus, fish displaying pigmentary disorders differed in the position of their eyes with regard to the vertebral column and mouth axes, and by the interocular distance and head height, which were shorter than in fish not displaying pigmentary disorders. In addition to changes in the positioning of both eyes, pseudoalbino fish showed some ARA‐induced osteological differences for some of the skeletal elements from the splanchnocranium (e.g. right premaxillary, dentary, angular, lacrimal, ceratohyal and branchiostegal rays) and neurocranium (e.g. sphenotic, left lateral ethmoid and left frontal) by comparison to normally pigmented specimens. Pseudoalbino fish also had teeth in both lower and upper jaws. This is the first study in Pleuronectiformes that describes impaired metamorphic relocation of the ocular side eye, the right eye in the case of S. senegalensis, whereas the left eye migrated into the ocular side almost normally.     

Inbreeding depression of sperm traits in the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata

Inbreeding depression, or the reduction in fitness due to mating between close relatives, is a key issue in biology today. Inbreeding negatively affects many fitness‐related traits, including survival and reproductive success. Despite this, very few studies have quantified the effects of inbreeding on vertebrate gamete traits under controlled breeding conditions using a full‐sib mating approach. Here, we provide comprehensive evidence for the negative effect of inbreeding on sperm traits in a bird, the zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata. We compared sperm characteristics of both inbred (pedigree F = 0.25) and outbred (pedigree F = 0) individuals from two captive populations, one domesticated and one recently wild‐derived, raised under standardized conditions. As normal spermatozoa morphology did not differ consistently between inbred and outbred individuals, our study confirms the hypothesis that sperm morphology is not particularly susceptible to inbreeding depression. Inbreeding did, however, lead to significantly lower sperm motility and a substantially higher percentage of abnormal spermatozoa in ejaculate. These results were consistent across both study populations, confirming the generality and reliability of our findings.     

A soluble form of human nectin-2 impairs exocrine secretion of pancreas and formation of zymogen granules in transgenic mice

Transgenic mouse lines expressing a soluble form of human nectin-2 (hNectin-2Ig Tg) exhibited distinctive elevation of amylase and lipase levels in the sera. In this study, we aimed to clarify the histopathology and to propose the transgenic mouse lines as new animal model for characteristic pancreatic exocrine defects. The significant increase of amylase and lipase levels in sera of the transgenic lines approximately peaked at 8 weeks old and thereafter, plateaued or gradually decreased. The histopathology in transgenic acinar cells was characterized by intracytoplasmic accumulation of abnormal proteins with decrease of normal zymogen granules. The hNectin-2Ig expression was observed in the cytoplasm of pancreatic acinar cells, which was consistent with zymogen granules. However, signals of hNectin-2Ig were very weak in the transgenic acinar cells with the abnormal cytoplasmic accumulaion. The PCNA-positive cells increased in the transgenic pancreas, which suggested the affected acinar cells were regenerated. Acinar cells of hNectin-2Ig Tg had markedly small number of zymogen granules with remarkable dilation of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) lumen containing abundant abnormal proteins. In conclusion, hNectin-2Ig Tg is proposed as a new animal model for characteristic pancreatic exocrine defects, which are due to the ER stress induced by expression of mutated cell adhesion molecule that is a soluble form of human nectin-2.     

低分子质量魔芋甘露寡糖的长期毒性与遗传毒性研究

魔芋甘露寡糖是一种具有肠道菌群调节作用的新型食品添加剂．本研究首次通过酶解与有机溶剂沉淀法制备了低分子质量的甘露寡糖(聚合度2～7),并对这类寡糖进行了长期毒性与遗传毒性评价．在长期毒性试验中,以大鼠为实验对象,分低、中、高(2.25,5.25,7.50 g/kg)药物剂量组和阴性对照组,连续灌胃给药90天．一般状况观察、生化指标、血液学指标、病理学等与对照组比较均无显著性差异,而大体解剖观察发现,部分大鼠的肝脏与肾脏形态发生变化,但这些变化均在正常范围内,且其他各项指标差异均无统计学意义．此外,一系列实验包括小鼠骨髓微核实验、Ames试验、小鼠精子畸变试验均未发现低分子质量甘露寡糖有明显的遗传毒性．试验结果提示,本研究方法获得的低分子质量甘露寡糖在本实验条件下未发现长期毒性与遗传毒性．     

Induction of structural and numerical changes of chromosome, centrosome abnormality, multipolar spindles and multipolar division in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells by exposure to a trivalent dimethylarsenic compound

Dimethylarsine iodide (DMI) was used as a model compound of trivalent dimethylarsenicals [DMA(III)], and the biological effects were extensively investigated in cultured Chinese hamster V79 cells. When the cytotoxic effects of DMA(III) were compared with those of inorganic arsenite and dimethylarsinic acid [DMA(V)], DMA(III) was about 10,000 times more potent than DMA(V), and it was even 10 times more toxic than arsenite. Depletion of cell glutathione (GSH) did not influence the cytotoxic effects of DMA(III), whereas it enhanced the cytotoxicity of arsenite. Chromosome structural aberrations, such as gaps, breaks and pulverizations, and numerical changes, such as aneuploidy, hyper- and hypo-tetraploidy, were induced by DMA(III) in a concentration-dependent manner. Mitotic index increased 9-12h after the addition of DMA(III), and then declined. By contrast, the incidence of multinucleated cells increased conversely with the decrease in mitotic index at and after 24h of exposure. The mitotic cell-specific abnormality of centrosome integrity and multipolar spindles were induced by DMA(III) in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, DMA(III) caused abnormal cytokinesis (multipolar division) at concentrations that were effective in causing centrosome abnormality, multipolar spindles and aneuploidy. These results showed that DMA(III) was genotoxic on cultured mammalian cells. Results also suggest that DMA(III)-induced multipolar spindles and multipolar division may be associated with the induction of aneuploidy. In addition, the centrosome may be a primary target for cell death via multinucleated cells.     

Paternal reciprocal translocation t(11;16)(p13;q24.3) in a Silver-Russel syndrome patient

We describe a 7-month-old male child with Silver-Russel syndrome (SRS) phenotype, presented with two major clinical features: low birth weight, short stature, and minor features, such as macrocephaly, clinodactyly, essential for the diagnosis of SRS. Routine cytogenetic studies with GTG-banding showed 46,XY,t(11;16)(p13;q24.3). Fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) with single copy probes BAC (11p13) and PAC (16q24.3), showed a reciprocal translocation. Chromosomal analysis of the mother was normal and the phenotypically normal father had apparently identical translocation t(11;16)(p13;q24.3). The disruption of growth factor genes at 11p and 16q breakpoint regions due to reciprocal translocation in the father might have caused SRS phenotype in the child.     

三株光合细菌的毒性试验研究

以昆明小白鼠为实验动物,对类球红细菌Z1、沼泽红假单胞菌Z2及光合细菌分离株C2采用急性毒性试验、骨髓细胞微核试验和精子畸形试验进行安全性评定。结果表明,急性毒性试验:实验组小白鼠的一般状况、器官含水量、器官系数及血常规检查,与对照组差异均无显著性(P>0.05);骨髓细胞微核试验和精子畸形试验实验组与阴性对照组(生理盐水)差异均无显著性(P>0.05),与阳性对照组(环磷酰胺40 mg/kg)比较,骨髓细胞微核试验差异有极显著性(P<0.01),精子畸形率试验差异有显著性(P<0.05)。以上结果说明,三株光合细菌均不具有毒性。