Nest-building by the virgin female mouse exposed to ultrasound from inaccessible pups

When a naïve virgin female mouse is exposed to an inaccessible litter so that it perceives the odour and the ultrasounds from the pups, its nest-building behaviour undergoes changes that are different from changes occurring in a control condition providing exposure to an inaccessible adult female. Virgin females exposed to a litter built their nest as near as possible to the pups. Other characteristics of their nest-building behaviour were influenced differently according to the type of ultrasound that the pups were emitting. In a condition where pups were mainly calling in response to cold, virgin females built heavier nests than control females. When mainly calls in response to handling were given by the pups, the females built lighter nests than control females. Finally, there was also some suggestion that the females exposed to ultrasounds from handled pups tended to chew the nest-material more than either control females or females exposed to ultrasound from cooled pups.     

Diversity In Symbiotic Dinoflagellates (Pyrrhophyta) from Seven Scleractinian Coral Species: Restriction Enzyme Analysis of Small Subunit Ribosomal RNA Genes

ABSTRACT The diversity of symbiotic dinoflagellates (SD) from seven coral species ( Fungia scutaria, Fungia paumotensis, Lep-tastrea transversa, Pavona cactus, Pocillopora verrucosa, Montastrea curia , and Acropora fonnosa ) was studied in a restricted geographical area, the Lagoon of Arue on the island of Tahiti. Their diversity was explored by small subunit ribosomal RNA gene (SSU rDNA) restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP). After a nested amplification with SD specific primers, RFLP analyses were performed directly and after a cloning step. The diversity of these different SSU rDNA was estimated in respect to possible technical artifacts. In an axenic culture of SD from the coral Galaxea fascicularis , both heterogeneous SSU rDNAs and artifact molecules were observed as in our SD samples. According to the number of patterns observed, corals Fungia paumotensis, Leptastrea transversa. Pavona cactus, Montastrea curia, and Acropora fonnosa contained one class of SD SSU rDNAs. whereas Fungia scutaria and Pocillopora verrucosa contained three and two classes of SD SSU rDNAs respectively. In the limited geographic area studied. SD from different coral species shared the same pattern, except SD from Montastrea curta , which showed a unique pattern. In addition to the possibility of SD flux among different coral species, specific mechanisms could also be involved in the establishment of a symbiosis.     

Mechanical loading regulates NOS expression and activity in developing and adult skeletal muscle

The hypothesis that changes in muscle activation and loadingregulate the expression and activity of neuronal nitric oxide (NO)synthase (nNOS) was tested using in vitro and in vivo approaches. Removal of weight bearing from rat hindlimb muscles for 10 days resulted in a significant decrease in nNOS protein and mRNAconcentration in soleus muscles, which returned to controlconcentrations after return to weight bearing. Similarly, theconcentration of nNOS in cultured myotubes increased by application ofcyclic loading for 2 days. NO release from excised soleus muscles wasincreased significantly by a single passive stretch of 20% or bysubmaximal activation at 2 Hz, although the increases were not additivewhen both stimuli were applied simultaneously. Increased NO release resulting from passive stretch or activation was dependent on thepresence of extracellular calcium. Cyclic loading of cultured myotubesalso resulted in a significant increase in NO release. Together, thesefindings show that activity of muscle influences NO production in theshort term, by regulating NOS activity, and in the long term, byregulating nNOS expression.