Light- and electron-microscopic immunocytochemistry of peptidergic neurons innervating thoracico-abdominal neurohaemal areas in the blowfly

Summary Ventral thoracic neurosecretory cells (VTNCs) of the blowflies, Calliphora erythrocephala and C. vomitoria, innervating thoracic neuropil and the dorsal neural sheath of the thoracico-abdominal ganglion have been shown to be immunoreactive to a variety of mammalian peptide antisera. In the neural sheath the VTNC terminals form an extensive neurohaemal network that is especially dense over the abdominal ganglia. The same areas are invaded by separate, ut overlapping serotonin-immunoreactive (5-HT-IR) projections derived from neuronal cell bodies in the suboesophageal ganglion. Immunocytochemical studies with different antisera, applied to adjacent sections at the lightmicroscopic level, combined with extensive cross-absorption tests, suggest that the perikarya of the VTNCs contain co-localized peptides related to gastrin/cholecystokinin (CCK), bovine pancreatic polypeptide (PP), Met- and Leuenkephalin and Met-enk-Arg⁶-Phe⁷ (Met-enk-RF). Electron-microscopic immunogold-labeling shows that some of the terminals in the dorsal sheath react with several of the individual peptide antisera, whilst others with similar cytology are non-immunoreactive. In the same region, separate terminals with different cytological characteristics contain 5-HT-IR. Both 5-HT-IR and peptidergic terminals are localized outside the cellular perineurium beneath the acellular permeable sheath adjacent to the haemocoel. Hence, we propose that various bioactive substances may be released from thoracic neurosecretory neurons into the circulating haemolymph to act on peripheral targets. The same neurons may also interact by synaptic or modulatory action in the CNS in different neuropil regions of the thoracic ganglion.     

Distribution of FMRFamide-like immunoreactivity in the nervous system of the slug Limax maximus

Summary The distribution of FMRFamide-like immunoreactive neurons in the nervous system of the slug Limax maximus was studied using immunohistochemical methods. Approximately one thousand FMRFamide-like immunoreactive cell bodies were found in the central nervous system. Ranging between 15 m and 200 m in diameter, they were found in all 11 ganglia of the central nervous system. FMRFamide-like immunoreactive cell bodies were also found at peripheral locations on buccal nerve roots. FMRFamide-like immunoreactive nerve fibres were present in peripheral nerve roots and were distributed extensively throughout the neuropil and cell body regions of the central ganglia. They were also present in the connective tissue of the perineurium, forming an extensive network of varicose fibres. The large number, extensive distribution and great range in size of FMRFamide-like immunoreactive cell bodies and the wide distribution of immunoreactive fibres suggest that FMRFamide-like peptides might serve several different functions in the nervous system of the slug.     

Intermediate range effects in DNA. I: Low pH/stress induced conformational changes in the vicinity of an extruded d(AT)n.d(AT) in cruciform.

A family of plasmids which contain d(AT)n cruciforms are sensitive to "single strand specific" (SS) endonucleases and a variety of chemical probes in a "random sequence" region centered 10-30 residues away from the cruciform junction. The SS nuclease sensitive structures are dependent on the presence of the extruded cruciform and exhibit a degree of sequence independence. Their appearance depends upon the combined effects of slightly lower than neutral pH and superhelical coiling above the minimum required to drive the extrusion of the d(AT)n cruciform arms. The nuclease sensitive structure is therefore underwound with respect to the B conformation and contains protonated bases.     

Evolutionary conservation of the human homologue of the yeast cell cycle control gene cdc2 and assignment of Cd2 to chromosome 10

Summary The human homologue of the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe cell cycle control gene cdc2 has been assigned to chromosome 10. DNA hybridization reveals that this gene is highly conserved in vertebrates. The human CDC2 gene probe detects a simple two-allele polymorphism in Taq1-digested DNA.     

Squid glycoproteins with structural similarities to Thy-1 and Ly-6 antigens

In an attempt to identify invertebrate homologs of Thy-1 antigen, the optic and central nervous tissue of squid was solubilized in deoxycholate and fractionated by lentil lectin affinity chromatography and gel filtration to yield small abundant glycoproteins. Material with biochemical similarities to Thy-1 was found and shown to consist of two glycoproteins that were ultimately purified using monoclonal antibody affinity columns. Both glycoproteins were sequenced to yield sequences of 84 residues for Sgp-1 and 92 residues for Sgp-2. The sequences were analyzed for similarities to Thy-1 and other Ig-related sequences, and Sgp-1 showed some similarities that were > 3 standard deviation units away from mean random scores when tested with the ALIGN program. However, the sequence patterns were not typical of Ig-related domains and the relationship of Sgp-1 to the Ig superfamily remains problematical. Sgp-2 showed no relationship to the Ig superfamily, but similarities to Ly-6 antigen sequences were noted that are in accord with an evolutionary relationship. The similarities included ten Cys residues in each sequence of which eight were matched in the best alignment given by the ALIGN program. Chemical evidence was obtained for glycophospholipid tails at the COOH-termini of Sgp-1 and Sgp-2 as is the case for Thy-1 and Ly-6 antigens.Abbreviations used in this paper GPL glycophospholipid - mAb monoclonal antibody - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

The importance of Paracallisoma coecus and myctophid fishes to nesting fork-tailed and Leach's storm-petrels in the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia

The diet of fork-tailed (Oceanodroma furcata) and Leach's storm-petrel(O.leucorhoa) was studied at Petrel Island, a small island northof Hippa Island in the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbiain 1983. The diet of the two storm-petrel species consistedmostly of the amphipod Paracallisoma coecus and fish. Most fisheswhich could be identified were myctophids, and may have beenacquired by storm-petrels at night. Fishes increased while P.coecusdeclined in importance as a food over the nestling season ofthe storm-petrels. The amount of oil also declined in the Leach'sstorm-petrel diet over the season. Since P.coecus contains muchoil, the seasonal decline of both P.coecus and oil was probablyassociated. Other less important foods were jellyfishes, copepods,isopods, euphausiids, shrimp, squid and octopus. Jellyfishes(Velella velella) only occurred in the diet of Leach's storm-petrels,which may relate to that storm-petrel feeding in open oceanwhere V. velella occurs most frequently. The most numerous copepodwas Neocalanus cristatus, which was only observed in the storm-petreldiet early on during the study period. An abyssal copepod, Bathycalanusbradyi, and the isopod Cirolana californiensis (tentativelyidentified, the latter only previously known from sea canyonsoff California) were surprising food items of storm-petrels.Most euphausiid prey consisted of Thysanoessa spinifera andEuphausia pacifica.     

Ac transposition in transgenic tomato plants

Summary As an initial step towards developing a transposon mutagenesis system in tomato, the maize transposable element Ac was transformed into tomato plants via Agrobacterium tumefaciens. Southern analysis of leaf tissue indicated that in nine out of eleven transgenic plants, Ac excised from the T-DNA and reintegrated into new chromosomal locations. The comparison of Ac banding pattern in different leaves of the same primary transformant provided evidnece for transposition during later stages of transgenic plant development. There was no evidence of Ds mobilization in tomato transformants.     

Measurement of light within thin plant tissues with fiber optic microprobes

Vogelmann, T. C., Knapp, A. K., McClean, T. M. and Smith, W. K. 1988. Measurement of light within thin plant tissues with fiber optic microprobes. - Physiol. Plant. 72: 623–630.
The measurement of light with fiber optic microprobes has been extended to thin (200–300 μm) plant tissue samples. To test the method, light measurements were made in thin aqueous films and paradermal sections from 10-day-old etiolated Cucurbita pepo L. cv. Fordhook cotyledons. The measurements obtained were highly reproducible. Paradermal sections of spongy mesophyll that were irradiated with collimated light scattered light more effectively than the palisade layer of intact cotyledons. These results demonstrate that different plant tissues have different light scattering characteristics. The successful extension of the fiber optic microprobe technique to thin systems makes it possible to examine the optical properties of different cell layers within leaves and other plant organs.     

Glycine decarboxylase is confined to the bundle-sheath cells of leaves of C3−C4 intermediate species

Immunogold labelling has been used to determine the cellular distribution of glycine decarboxylase in leaves of C₃, C₃–C₄ intermediate and C₄ species in the genera Moricandia, Panicum, Flaveria and Mollugo. In the C₃ species Moricandia foleyi and Panicum laxum, glycine decarboxylase was present in the mitochondria of both mesophyll and bundle-sheath cells. However, in all the C₃–C₄ intermediate (M. arvensis var. garamatum, M. nitens, M. sinaica, M. spinosa, M. suffruticosa, P. milioides, Flaveria floridana, F. linearis, Mollugo verticillata) and C₄ (P. prionitis, F. trinervia) species studied glycine decarboxylase was present in the mitochondria of only the bundle-sheath cells. The bundle-sheath cells of all the C₃–C₄ intermediate species have on their centripetal faces numerous mitochondria which are larger in profile area than those in mesophyll cells and are in close association with chloroplasts and peroxisomes. Confinement of glycine decarboxylase to the bundle-sheath cells is likely to improve the potential for recapture of photorespired CO₂ via the Calvin cycle and could account for the low rate of photorespiration in all C₃–C₄ intermediate species.Abbreviation and symbol kDa kilodaltons - CO₂ compensation point     

Glyphosate tolerant flax plants from Agrobacterium mediated gene transfer

Agrobacterium tumefaciens carrying a disarmed Ti-plasmid vector containing a chimeric NPT-II gene and a glyphosate resistance plant-derived 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase gene was used to transform flax hypocotyl tissues. Transformed shoots could be regenerated from the inoculated tissue and were proven to be transgenic by the combination of leaf callus assays, nopaline assays and progeny tests. Co-segregation was observed in the progeny for kanamycin and glyphosate resistance.