The digestive tract of Helicoradomenia (Solenogastres, Mollusca), aplacophoran molluscs from the hydrothermal vents of the East Pacific Rise

Abstract. Species of Helicoradomenia are constantly found at hydrothermal vent sites of the eastern and western Pacific Ocean. The digestive tract of 2 species of the genus was investigated with special focus on the ultrastructure and histochemistry of epithelia and glandular organs. The preoral cavity and foregut epithelia are composed of microvillous main cells, secretory cells producing protein-rich substances, and sensory cells with specialized cilia. The foregut bears a pair of glands with 3 types of extremely long-necked glandular cells surrounded by musculature. Each glandular cell opens directly into the radula pocket without a gland duct. The large radula apparatus consists of pairs of denticulated bars resting on a flexible radular membrane without elaboration of a subradular membrane. The midgut has a narrow, mid-dorsal tract of ciliary cells, but most of the epithelium is composed of digestive cells with a highly developed lysosomal system. The hindgut is lined by ciliated cells and free of glands. The foregut and radula seem to be highly efficient in the capture of relatively large, motile prey. Food contents within the midgut lumen and within some of the large secondary lysosomes indicate a triploblastic metazoan prey of non-cnidarian origin. The digestive tract is not adapted to microvory and there is no indication of a symbiosis with chemoautotrophic bacteria.     

Novel SLC20A2 mutations identified in southern Chinese patients with idiopathic basal ganglia calcification

Idiopathic basal ganglia calcification (IBGC) is a rare neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by bilateral and symmetric cerebral calcifications. Recently, SLC20A2 was identified as a causative gene for familial IBGC, and three mutations were reported in a northern Chinese population. Here, we aimed to explore the mutation spectrum of SLC20A2 in a southern Chinese population. Sanger sequencing was employed to screen mutations within SLC20A2 in two IBGC families and 14 sporadic IBGC cases from a southern Han Chinese population. Four novel mutations (c.82G > A p.D28N, c.185T > C p.L62P, c.1470_1478delGCAGGTCCT p.Q491_L493del and c.935-1G > A) were identified in two families and two sporadic cases, respectively; none were detected in 200 unrelated controls. No mutation was found in the remaining 12 patients. Different mutations may result in varied phenotypes, including brain calcification and clinical manifestations. Our study supports the hypothesis that SLC20A2 is a causative gene of IBGC and expands the mutation spectrum of SLC20A2, which facilitates the understanding of the genotype–phenotype correlation of IBGC.     

The Soluble Interleukin-6 Receptor Is a Mediator of Hematopoietic and Skeletal Actions of Parathyroid Hormone

Both PTH and IL-6 signaling play pivotal roles in hematopoiesis and skeletal biology, but their interdependence is unclear. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of IL-6 and soluble IL-6 receptor (sIL-6R) on hematopoietic and skeletal actions of PTH. In the bone microenvironment, PTH stimulated sIL-6R protein levels in primary osteoblast cultures in vitro and bone marrow in vivo in both IL-6^+/+ and IL-6^−/− mice. PTH-mediated hematopoietic cell expansion was attenuated in IL-6^−/− compared with IL-6^+/+ bone marrow, whereas sIL-6R treatment amplified PTH actions in IL-6^−/− earlier than IL-6^+/+ marrow cultures. Blocking sIL-6R signaling with sgp130 (soluble glycoprotein 130 receptor) inhibited PTH-dependent hematopoietic cell expansion in IL-6^−/− marrow. In the skeletal system, although intermittent PTH administration to IL-6^+/+ and IL-6^−/− mice resulted in similar anabolic actions, blocking sIL-6R significantly attenuated PTH anabolic actions. sIL-6R showed no direct effects on osteoblast proliferation or differentiation in vitro; however, it up-regulated myeloid cell expansion and production of the mesenchymal stem cell recruiting agent, TGF-β1 in the bone marrow microenvironment. Collectively, sIL-6R demonstrated orphan function and mediated PTH anabolic actions in bone in association with support of myeloid lineage cells in the hematopoietic system.     

Chronic coccidian infestation compromises flight feather quality in house sparrows Passer domesticus

Parasites usurp indispensable resources for birds during a moult, and this is particularly relevant for those parasites residing in host intestines. This might compromise the nutritionally demanding moult and, thus, feather functionality. Although lower feather quality has profound and multifaceted adverse effects on residual fitness, surprisingly, little is known about parasites' effect on feather traits, especially over the longer term. We conducted an aviary experiment by medicating half of a group of naturally infested house sparrows Passer domesticus against intestinal coccidians for 15 months, spanning two consecutive postnuptial moults, whereas the other half was kept infested (i.e. without medication). Coccidian infestation significantly and negatively affected the size of the uropygial gland during the second moulting period compared to the medicated group. Furthermore, wing length was significantly shorter after the second moulting in the non‐medicated compared to the medicated female birds, which indicates that the negative effects of coccidians emerge only after a prolonged exposure to parasite infestation. Non‐medicated birds grew poorer quality flight feathers detected in a large number of feather traits both after the first and second moults. In the case of non‐medicated birds, the primaries were lighter and shorter, and had a smaller vane area, thinner rachis and decreased stiffness, although a higher barb and barbule density, which may have various consequences for fitness through reducing flight performance. Our findings demonstrate that, besides the well‐known immediate consequences for host breeding success, parasites might also have serious, long‐lasting effects through influencing feather quality and, ultimately, fitness of the host. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London     

Diurnal Variations in [125I]Melatonin Binding by Rat Thymus Membranes: Effects of Continuous Light Exposure and Pinealectomy

Binding of melatonin by rat thymus membranes exhibited diurnal changes. Binding increased during the daytime and reached maximal values before entering the dark period. Then, binding decreased rapidly during the dark phase. In rats kept in light at night, binding of [¹²⁵I]melatonin by membranes was significantly higher than in animals that entered the normal dark period. Neonatal pinealectomy, which suppresses the circadian rhythm of melatonin, led to an increase in melatonin binding of 106%. Moreover, in animals maintained under continuous light exposure, which corresponds to functional pinealectomy, binding of melatonin by thymus membranes also increased in a time-dependent manner. The results support the hypothesis of a regulatory role of melatonin in the thymus in which melatonin downregulates its own binding sites.     

Some Properties of Neutral Proteolytic System in Rabbit Skeletal Muscle

The properties of the neutral proteolytic activity concentrated in a fraction (F–1) separated from rabbit muscle homogenate were examined by measuring the effects of various reagents and metal ions, the time course of the proteolysis and Ca-stability. The obtained results have indicated that F–1 contains two types of neutral protease active on proteins, tentatively named Protease I and II, The former, which is activated by Ca²⁺ and Ca-labile, shows an explosive production of Cu-Folin phenol reagent positive materials at the early stage of incubation. The latter, which is Ca-stable, shows a large production of ninhydrin positive materials throughout the incubation time. The proteolysis by F–1 was similar to the autolysis of muscle homogenate in all the properties examined. Therefore, Proteases I and II were assumed to be main enzymes responsible for the muscle proteolysis at the neutral pH region. As there has been no factor denying their functioning in living muscle, it is probable that Proteases I and II take important parts in the muscle catabolism.     

Natural genetic variation in male reproductive genes contributes to nontransitivity of sperm competitive ability in Drosophila melanogaster

Female Drosophila melanogaster frequently mate with multiple males, and the success of a given male depends not only on his genotype but also on the genotype of his competitor. Here, we assess how natural genetic variation affects male–male interactions for traits influencing pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection. Males from a set of 66 chromosome substitution lines were competed against each other in a ‘round‐robin’ design, and paternity was scored using bulk genotyping. We observed significant effects of the genotype of the first male to mate, the second male to mate and an interaction between the males for measures of male mating rate and sperm utilization. We also identified specific combinations of males who show nontransitive patterns of reproductive success and engage in ‘rock‐paper‐scissors’ games. We then tested for associations between 245 polymorphisms in 32 candidate male reproductive genes and male reproductive success. We identified eight polymorphisms in six reproductive genes that associate with male reproductive success independent of the competitor (experimentwise P < 0.05). We also identified four SNPs in four different genes where the relative reproductive success of the alternative alleles changes depending on the competing males' genetic background (experimentwise P < 0.05); two of these associations include premature stop codons. This may be the first study that identifies the genes contributing to nontransitivity among males and further highlights that ‘rock‐paper‐scissors’ games could be an important evolutionary force maintaining genetic variation in natural populations.