In vitro propagation of the medicinal plant Plumbago zeylanica L. Through nodal explants

Summary A protocol for rapid in vitro propagation using nodal explants obtained from 2-yr-old, field-grown medicinal plants of Plumbago zeylanica L. belonging to the family Plumbaginaceae is described. High frequency bud break and fast development of shoots were induced on Murashige and Skoog's basal medium supplemented with 27.2 μM adenine sulfate +2.46 μM indole-3-butyric acid (IBA). Induction of rooting was achieved by transferring the shoots to the same basal medium containing 4.92 μM IBA. Using our protocol from one twig of P. zeylanica (eight responsive nodes per explant shoot) within a period of 5 mo., eight plantlets could be raised. After a hardening period of 4 wk, there was a 90% transplantation success in the field compared to the 60–65% survival of plantlets recorded in the experiments of previous workers. The plantlets derived through in vitro propagation mimic the growth and morphological characteristics of the donor plants.     

An improved breeding method for solitarious locusts

In order to unravel the physiological, endocrine, and behavioral differences between gregarious and solitarious forms of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria (Forsk.) (Orthoptera, Acrididae), a constant supply of rather large numbers of solitary individuals has to be guaranteed. This represents a bottleneck, mainly because of the intensity of the labor involved and limited laboratory accommodation. The method we describe here substantially reduces the space and manpower needed. The survival rate we obtained in the solitarised population was relatively high, reaching about 55%. The optimal rearing temperature proved to be 32–36 °C. Cabbage leaves and oat flakes sufficed for feeding all year round. Special racks have been designed that enable high density stacking and easy handling. The solitarisation process was monitored over ten consecutive generations. Changes in morphometrics, eye stripes, color, and behavior were recorded, of which only morphometrics, temperature related development, and mortality are discussed. A shift towards the solitarious phase was recorded, with clear differences between gregarious, 1^st generation and 7^th to 10^th generation solitarious locusts.     

Lipid changes during development of Blastocladiella emersonii

The lipid composition of swimming spores, cysts and five hour germlings was established. Spores utilized triglycerides first, then phospholipids. Upon encystment all glycolipid components decreased, while in germlings the phospholipids, monoglycerides and sterol esters exhibited a marked increase.     

Homeotic protein binding sites, origins of replication, and nuclear matrix anchorage sites share the ATTA and ATTTA motifs.

Nuclear matrix organizes the mammalian chromatin into loops. This is achieved by binding of nuclear matrix proteins to characteristic DNA landmarks in introns as well as proximal and distal sites flanking the 5' and 3' ends of genes. Matrix anchorage sites (MARs), origins of replication (ORIs), and homeotic protein binding sites share common DNA sequence motifs. In particular, the ATTA and ATTTA motifs, which constitute the core elements recognized by the homeobox domain from species as divergent as flies and humans, are frequently occurring in the matrix attachment sites of several genes. The human apolipoprotein B 3' MAR and a stretch of the Chinese hamster DHFR gene intron and human HPRT gene intron shown to anchor these genes to the nuclear matrix are mosaics of ATTA and ATTTA motifs. Several origins of replication also share these elements. This observation suggests that homeotic proteins which control the expression level of many genes and pattern formation during development are components of the nuclear matrix. Thus, the nuclear matrix, known as the site of DNA replication, might sculpture the crossroads of the differential activation of origins during development and S-phase and the control of gene expression and pattern formation in embryogenesis.     

Chronobiologic Factors in Experimental Stress Ulcer

The available literature on chronobiologic factors in experimental stress ulcer is extremely small and thematically limited. It focuses almost exclusively on circadian rhythms and, within that, on rhythms related to light-dark cycles, activity and body temperature. Among these, only differences in ulcer induction related to circadian activity patterns have been adequately demonstrated. Other circadian patterns and other temporal phase relationships might be profitably explored, including those related to postnatal development. It is also likely that the important relationships between biorhythms and stress ulcer are not limited to ulcer induction. Future studies should address chronobiologic factors in predisposition, severity of illness, the probability of recovery and response to various therapeutic interventions.     

Phosphoproteins in dictyostelium discoideum

The phosphoproteins of Dictyostelium discoideum were compared at different stages of development by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Certain phosphoproteins of vegetative amoebae were conserved while others appeared and disappeared during development. Four major phosphoproteins with apparent subunit molecular weights of 50,000, 47,000, 38,000, and 34,000 disappeared precociously in response to exogenous cAMP. Two membranal phosphoproteins, with apparent subunit molecular weights of 80,000 and 81,000, appeared precociously in response to added cAMP. One of these phosphoproteins, molecular weight of 80,000, has been identified tentatively as the “contact site A” glycoprotein. Another membranal protein, with apparent subunit molecular weight of 42,000, unaffected in its appearance by cAMP, has been identified tentatively as phosphoactin.     

Successful captive breeding of Mitchell's water monitor,Varanus mitchelli (Mertens 1958), at Perth Zoo

Mitchell's water monitors (Varanus mitchelli) have been maintained on display at Perth Zoo since 1997. They are generally a timid species but have been maintained and bred in a mixed species water feature exhibit. In this article we describe their captive management and behavior with an insight into their reproductive biology. Between 2002 and 2005, 11 clutches were laid ranging from 13 to 27 (X? = 20) eggs from one female. Egg size ranged between 3.00 and 6.08 g (X? = 4.77 g) in weight, 22.8 and 31.9 mm (X? = 28.3 mm) in length, and 11.1 and 19.3 mm (X? = 17.1 mm) in width. Oviposition included double and triple clutches ranging between 41 and 60 days apart (X? = 48 days), events n = 6. Four clutches were incubated at three different temperatures and hatchlings emerged after 157–289 days. The weight of the hatchlings ranged between 2.60 and 4.52 g (X? = 4.34 g). Total length ranged between 140.1 and 178.0 mm (X? = 165.9 mm) and snout–vent length ranged from 53.8 to 70.0 (X? = 64.4 mm). Juvenile growth and development information is presented from hatching through to approximately 3 years of age. Zoo Biol 29:615–625, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Chloroplast development and the synthesis of chlorophyll and protochlorophyllide in Zostera transferred to darkness

Intact plants and isolated leaves of Zostera capricornii Martens ex Aschers were transferred from daylight to darkness. Substantial amounts of chloropyll a and b continued to accumulate in immature and mature tissue in the same ratio as in the light and were incorporated into chlorophyll-protein complexes in the thylakoids. A small amount of protochlorophyllide also accumulated in immature tissue in the dark. Proplastids and immature chloroplasts continued to develop into mature chloroplasts in the dark in the normal manner but prolamellar bodies, which are a conspicuous feature of immature chloroplasts, took longer to disperse than in the light. Protochlorophyllide accumulation and prolamellar-body formation were not correlated. The results indicate that Zostera has a genetic capacity for dark chlorophyll synthesis which is expressed in immature and mature leaf tissue and enables this plant to continue synthesising chlorophyll and assembling chloroplasts at night.Abbreviations Chl chlorophyll - T _o time of transfer to darkness     

The development and ecology of the Japanese macaque gut microbiome from weaning to early adolescence in association with diet

Previously we have shown that the Japanese macaque gut microbiome differs not by obesity per se, but rather in association with high‐fat diet (HFD) feeding. This held true for both pregnant dams, as well as their 1‐year‐old offspring, even when weaned onto a control diet. Here we aimed to examine the stability of the gut microbiome over time and in response to maternal and postweaning HFD feeding from 6 months of age, and at 1 and 3 years of age. In both cross‐sectional and longitudinal specimens, we performed analysis of the V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA gene on anus swabs collected from pregnant dams and their juveniles at age 6 months to 3 years (n = 55). Extracted microbial DNA was subjected to 16S‐amplicon‐based metagenomic sequencing on the Illumina MiSeq platform. We initially identified 272 unique bacterial genera, and multidimensional scaling revealed samples to cluster by age and diet exposures. Dirichlet multinomial mixture modeling of microbiota abundances enabled identification of two predominant enterotypes to which samples sorted, characterized primarily by Treponema abundance, or lack thereof. Approximating the time of initial weaning (6 months), the Japanese macaque offspring microbiome underwent a significant state type transition which stabilized from 1 to 3 years of age. However, we also found the low abundance Treponema enterotype to be strongly associated with HFD exposure, be it during gestation/lactation or in the postweaning interval. Examination of taxonomic co‐occurrences revealed samples within the low Treponema cluster were relatively permissive (allowing for increased interactions between microbiota) whereas samples within the high Treponema cluster were relatively exclusionary (suggesting decreased interactions amongst microbiota). Taken together, these findings suggest that Treponemes are keystone species in the developing gut microbiome of the gut, and susceptible to HFD feeding in their relative abundance.