Parasite acquisition by the invasive Chinese sleeper (Perccottus glenii Dybowski, 1877) (Gobiiformes: Odontobutidae) in Latvia and Ukraine

The Perccottus glenii is one of the most invasive of European fish species. During August-September 2019, we examined Chinese sleeper from six waterbodies in Latvia and Ukraine for parasites. Seventeen parasite species were registered, including two ciliate species, one coccidia, one monogenean, one cestode, six trematodes, three nematodes, one acanthocephalan, one parasitic copepod, and one bivalve glochidia. Maximum species richness was registered in Ukraine, with eight species at Vylkove and three species at Lake Kartal. Numbers in Latvia were generally lower with three species at Ilgas and just one at Gailezers. The parasite fauna registered in Latvia was poor overall, the richest site being the University pond. Two non-native parasite species were registered, the monogenean Gyrodactylus perccotti and the copepod Neoergasilus japonicus. Gyrodactylus perccotti was observed in Lake Kartal and the Danube delta in Ukraine, but not in Latvia, while N. japonicus only occurred in the University Pond in Latvia. This is the first record of this species in Latvia. Low parasite acquisition by the Chinese sleeper in Latvia may be caused by the release of this fish from aquaria, which is commonly registered in the region. It is likely that such low parasite loads have contributed to the formation of stable populations and the subsequent increase in expansion.     

Genome structure of caulobacter phage phiCb5

The complete genome sequence of caulobacter phage phiCb5 has been determined, and four open reading frames (ORFs) have been identified and characterized. As for related phages, the ORFs code for maturation, coat, replicase, and lysis proteins, but unlike other Leviviridae members, the lysis protein gene of phiCb5 entirely overlaps with the replicase in a different reading frame. The lysis protein of phiCb5 is about two times longer than that of the distantly related MS2 phage and presumably contains two transmembrane helices. Analysis of the proposed genome secondary structure revealed a stable 5' stem-loop, similar to other phages, and a substantially shorter 3' untranslated region (UTR) structure with only three stem-loops.     

Permanent genetic resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 February 2012 - 31 March 2012

This article documents the addition of 171 microsatellite marker loci and 27 pairs of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) sequencing primers to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Bombus pauloensis, Cephalorhynchus heavisidii, Cercospora sojina, Harpyhaliaetus coronatus, Hordeum vulgare, Lachnolaimus maximus, Oceanodroma monteiroi, Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici, Rhea americana, Salmo salar, Salmo trutta, Schistocephalus solidus, Sousa plumbea and Tursiops aduncus. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Aquila heliaca, Bulweria bulwerii, Buteo buteo, Buteo swainsoni, Falco rusticolus, Haliaeetus albicilla, Halobaena caerulea, Hieraaetus fasciatus, Oceanodroma castro, Puccinia graminis f. sp. Tritici, Puccinia triticina, Rhea pennata and Schistocephalus pungitii. This article also documents the addition of 27 sequencing primer pairs for Puffinus baroli and Bulweria bulwerii and cross-testing of these loci in Oceanodroma castro, Pelagodroma marina, Pelecanoides georgicus, Pelecanoides urinatrix, Thalassarche chrysostoma and Thalassarche melanophrys.     

Bionomics of Anopheles spp. (Diptera: Culicidae) in a malaria endemic region of Sukabumi,West Java,Indonesia

A 15‐month bionomic study of Anopheles species was conducted in two ecologically distinct villages (coastal and upland) of Sukabumi District, West Java, Indonesia from June 2006 to September 2007. Mosquitoes were captured using human‐landing collections at both sites. During the study, a total of 17,100 Anopheles mosquitoes comprising 13 Anopheles species were caught: 9,151 at the coastal site and 7,949 at the upland site. Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles maculatus, and Anopheles vagus were the predominant species caught at the coastal site, and Anopheles aconitus, Anopheles barbirostris, and An. maculatus predominated in the upland site. Overall, species were exophagic at both sites, but there was variation between species. Anopheles aconitus was endophagic at the coastal site, exophagic at the upland site, collected most often in April 2007 and had a peak landing time between 22:00 and 23:00. Anopheles sundaicus was only collected at the coastal site, exophagic, collected most often in October 2006, and had a peak landing time between 19:00 and 20:00. Potential malaria vector species such An. aconitus, An. maculatus, and An. sundaicus were present throughout the year. None of the 7,770 Anopheles tested using CSP‐ELISA were positive for malaria, although the risk for malaria outbreaks in Sukabumi district remains high.     

Maintenance of red blood cell integrity by AMP-activated protein kinase α1 catalytic subunit

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) plays a pivotal role in regulating cellular energy metabolism. We previously showed that AMPKα1−/− mice develop moderate anemia associated with splenomegaly and high reticulocytosis. Here, we report that splenectomy of AMPKα1−/− mice worsened anemia supporting evidence that AMPKα1−/− mice developed a compensatory response through extramedullary erythropoiesis in the spleen. Transplantation of bone marrow from AMPKα1−/− mice into wild-type recipients recapitulated the hematologic phenotype. Further, AMPKα1−/− red blood cells (RBC) showed less deformability in response to shear stress limiting their membrane flexibility. Thus, our results highlight the crucial role of AMPK to preserve RBC integrity.     

Crystal structure of human gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase

Gamma-butyrobetaine hydroxylase (GBBH) is a 2-ketoglutarate-dependent dioxygenase that catalyzes the biosynthesis of l-carnitine by hydroxylation of gamma-butyrobetaine (GBB). l-carnitine is required for the transport of long-chain fatty acids into mitochondria for generating metabolic energy. The only known synthetic inhibitor of GBBH is mildronate (3-(2,2,2-trimethylhydrazinium) propionate dihydrate), which is a non-hydroxylatable analog of GBB.To aid in the discovery of novel GBBH inhibitors by rational drug design, we have solved the three-dimensional structure of recombinant human GBBH at 2.0 Å resolution. The GBBH monomer consists of a catalytic double-stranded β-helix (DBSH) domain, which is found in all 2KG oxygenases, and a smaller N-terminal domain. Extensive interactions between two monomers confirm earlier observations that GBBH is dimeric in its biological state. Although many 2KG oxygenases are multimeric, the dimerization interface of GBBH is very different from that of related enzymes.The N-terminal domain of GBBH has a similar fold to the DUF971 superfamily, which consists of several short bacterial proteins with unknown function. The N-terminal domain has a bound Zn ion, which is coordinated by three cysteines and one histidine. Although several other 2KG oxygenases with known structures have more than one domain, none of them resemble the N-terminal domain of GBBH. The N-terminal domain may facilitate dimer formation, but its precise biological role remains to be discovered.The active site of the catalytic domain of GBBH is similar to that of other 2KG oxygenases, and Fe(II)-binding residues form a conserved His-X-Asp-X_n-His triad, which is found in all related enzymes.     

Permanent Genetic Resources added to Molecular Ecology Resources Database 1 June 2010 - 31 July 2010

This article documents the addition of 205 microsatellite marker loci to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Bagassa guianensis, Bulweria bulwerii, Camelus bactrianus, Chaenogobius annularis, Creontiades dilutus, Diachasmimorpha tryoni, Dioscorea alata, Euhrychiopsis lecontei, Gmelina arborea, Haliotis discus hannai, Hirtella physophora, Melanaphis sacchari, Munida isos, Thaumastocoris peregrinus and Tuberolachnus salignus. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Halobaena caerulea, Procellaria aequinoctialis, Oceanodroma monteiroi, Camelus ferus, Creontiades pacificus, Dioscorea rotundata, Dioscorea praehensilis, Dioscorea abyssinica, Dioscorea nummularia, Dioscorea transversa, Dioscorea esculenta, Dioscorea pentaphylla, Dioscorea trifida, Hirtella bicornis, Hirtella glandulosa, Licania alba, Licania canescens, Licania membranaceae, Couepia guianensis and 7 undescribed Thaumastocoris species.     

Lysis of autologous tumor cells by blood lymphocytes activated in autologous mixed lymphocyte tumor cell culture — No correlation with the postsurgical clinical course

Summary Mixed lymphocyte tumor cell cultures (MLTC) were initiated with cells collected at the time of surgery from 62 patients with the following diagnoses: 12 squamous cell carcinoma, 14 adenocarcinoma of the lung, 17 osteosarcomas, and 16 soft tissue sarcomas. The lytic effect generated against autologous tumor cells was tested on the 7th day. These patients had been part of previous evaluation, which revealed that the lysis of autologous tumor cells by freshly collected lymphocytes correlated with the postsurgical clinical course. Patients with long survival exhibited autotumor lysis without previous activation. Blood lymphocytes of about half of the primarily nonreactive patients were stimulated for lytic function in MLTC. However, this parameter showed no correlation with the clinical course.