Vertical distributions and relations of euphausiid populations off Elephant Island,March 1984

Summary Distributional relationships are described for post-larval and larval Euphausia superba and Thysanoessa sp. (probably macrura) and post-larval Euphausia frigida collected in 0–70/80 m and 0–175/200 m depth ranges with a MOCNESS sampler north of Elephant Island (61°S, 55°W) during 17–23 March 1984. Larval E. superba (predominantly calyptopes stage 2 and 3) were rare shallower than 80 m at night. Day catches of post-larval E. suberba were small and night catches were primarily near the top of the thermocline above 50 m depth. Thysanoessa sp. occurred throughout the 0–200 m depth range and was abundant in the upper 80 m both night and day. E. frigida migrated to the upper 80 m at night from deeper day depths. Larval stages of E. superba and bost-larval stages of all three species demonstrated independent and variable vertical distribution patterns both night and day. Changes in E. superba abundance and distributional patterns could to a certain extent be associated with observed environmental changes. An increase in larval and decrease in post-larval E. superba abundances between 0–80 m was associated with an intrusion of cold water at depth. At night, vertically restricted concentrations of post-larval E. superba were associated with shallow mixed layer depths, and a significant vertical separation of developmental stages and size categories was observed only during periods of stratification in the upper 80 m. Fluctuations in the distribution and abundance of Thysanoessa sp. and distribution of E. frigida did not appear to be influenced by physical parameters within the upper 80 m. Within the 0–80 m depth range, the distributions of these two species differed from each other and from E. superba and showed large tow to tow variability that could not be related to physical parameters in the upper water column.     

bcd: A mutation affecting the width of organelle domains in the cortex of Tetrahymena thermophila

Summary A single-gene recessive mutation, bcd (broadened cortical domains), of Tetrahymena thermophila is characterized by a variable broadening of the spatial domains within which cortical organelles, including both the contractile vacuole pores (CVP) and oral apparatus (OA), are formed. The phenotype is not temperature-sensitive. During the development of the organelles of the mutant prior to cell division, extra CVPs and extra oral primordia (OP) appear near ciliary rows adjacent to the rows at which these structures normally form. In the later stages of development, some, but not all, of these extra structures are resorbed, or in the case of the oral domain, multiple adjacent OPs may be completely or partially integrated into a single enlarged OA. When multiple OAs persist, one or more of these may display a reversed orientation reminiscent of those encountered in janus mutants. However, unlike janus, bcd cells do not express any sign of a mirror-image global organization.Our results can best be accounted for by postulating that the bcd mutation affects some common determinant of the widths of both CVP and OA domains. Studies are in progress which explore the relationship between this width-determining mechanism(s) and the mechanism(s) determining the location of cortical organelles around the cell circumference.     

Electroantennogram responses of the oriental fruit fly, Dacus dorsalis, to a spectrum of alcohol and aldehyde plant volatiles

Electroantennograms (EAGs) were recorded from unmated, laboratory-reared, male and female oriental fruit flies, Dacus dorsalis, in response to a range of between C₁ and C₁₂ carbon chain-length saturated and unaturated aliphatic alcohols and aldehydes, most all of which are known host-plant volatiles. Only two of the 35 compounds tested elicited significantly larger EAGs from female than male antennae. For the two functional-group series tested, aldehydes elicited responses greater than or equal to the responses to the alcohols. In general, the unsaturated alcohols did not elicit responses significantly different from the saturated alcohols. However, the unsaturated aldehydes, (E)-2-hexenal and 10-undecenal, elicited larger amplitude EAGs than their saturated analogs. EAGs were significantly greater for a particular carbon chain-length, with responsiveness to primary alcohols peaking at C₆ and aldehydes peaking at C₇. The (E)-2- monoenic alcohols peaked at C₆, while the (E)-3-alcohols plateaued between C₅ and C₈. The greatest EAG responses of all compounds tested were elicited by the saturated and unsaturated C₆ alcohols and aldehydes which are constitutents of the general green-leaf volatile complex that emanates from most plants. The potential adapative benefit of selective sensitivity to green-leaf volatiles is discussed in regards to foraging behaviors of oriental fruit flies.

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Résumé Des électroantennogrammes (EAG) ont enregistré les réponses, en élevages de femelles et mâles vierges de Dacus dorsalis, à une gamme de chaînes de carbones de C₁ à C₁₂ saturés et non-saturés d'alcools aliphatiques et d'aldéhydes, dont beaucoup sont connus comme substances volatiles des végétaux. Seulement 2 des 35 composés examinés ont provoqué des EAG significativement plus importants chez les femelles que chez les mâles. Pour les séries des deux groupes fonctionnels examinés, les aldéhydes ont provoqué des réponses supérieures ou égales aux alcools. En général, les réponses aux alcools nonsaturés n'étaient pas significativement différentes des réponses aux alcools saturés. Cependant, les aldéhydes non-saturés, (E)-2-hexénal et 10-undécénal, ont induit des EAG de plus grande ampleur que leurs analogues saturés. Les EAG étaient significativement les plus importants pour une chaîne de longueur particulière, la réponse aux alcools primaires culminant en C₆ et les aldéhydes en C₇. Les alcools monoéniques (E)-2- culminaient en C₆, tandis que les alcools (E)-3- étaient étales entre C₅ et C₈. Les EAG les plus importants ont été obtenus pour tous les composés examinés avec les alcools et aldéhydes en C₆ qui appartiennent à l'odeur verte complexe émise par beaucoup de plantes. Le bénéfice adaptatif potentiel de la sensibilité sélective à l'odeur verte des feuilles est examinée en fonction du comportement de prospection de D. dorsalis.

     

Comparison of sequences from the malB regions of Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter aerogenes with Escherichia coli K12: A potential new regulatory site in the interoperonic region

Summary The malE and malK genes from Salmonella typhimurium, and the MalEFG operon and a portion of malK from Enterobacter aerogenes were cloned and sequenced. Plasmid-borne malE genes from both species and the malF and malG genes from E. aerogenes were expressed normally in Escherichia coli, and their products function in maltose transport. This shows that the malB products from the three species are interchangeable, at least in the combinations tested. The general genetic organization of the malB region is conserved. Potential binding sites and distances between them are highly conserved in the regulatory intervals. An unexpected conserved region was detected, which we call the U box, and which could be another target for a regulatory protein. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of the U box in the regulatory, region of the pulA-malX operon in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The intergenic region between malE and malF from S. typhimurium and E. aerogenes, contains inverted repeats similar to the palindromic units (PU or REP) found at the same location in E. coli. The predicted amino acid sequence of the encoded proteins showed 90% or more identity in every pairwise comparison of species.     

Studies on the mechanism of action of a bilayer stabilizing inhibitor of protein kinase C: Cholesterylphosphoryldimethylethanolamine

Cholesterylphosphoryldimethylethanolamine is a zwitterionic compound which is a good bilayer stabilizer. As has been found with many other compounds having these properties, cholesterylphosphoryldimethylethanolamine is found to be a potent inhibitor of protein kinase C in both vesicle and micelle assay systems. The kinetics of the inhibition in Triton X-100 micelles was non-competitive with respect to ATP, histone, diolein, phorbol ester and Ca²⁺. It has a K_i of about 30 m. The inhibition kinetics as a function of phosphatidylserine concentration is more complex but suggestive of competitive inhibition. Cholesterylphosphoryldimethylethanolamine does not prevent the partitioning of protein kinase C into the membrane. This inhibitor lowers the Ca²⁺-phosphatidylserine-independent phosphorylation of protamine sulfate by protein kinase C and directly affects the catalytic segment of the enzyme generated by tryptic hydrolysis. Thus, this zwitterionic bilayer stabilizing inhibitor of protein kinase C both competes with the binding of phosphatidylserine as well as affects the active site of protein kinase C.Abbreviation CPD cholesterylphosphoryldimethylethanolamine     

Insulin binding in the hypothalamus of lean and genetically obese Zucker rats

Recent reports have suggested that the obesity and hyperphagia of the genetically obese Zucker rat may be related to defective insulin action or binding in the hypothalamus. We used quantitative autoradiography to determine if insulin binding is altered in specific hypothalamic nuclei associated with food intake. Insulin binding was measured in the arcuate (ARC), dorsomedial (DMN), and ventromedial (VMN) hypothalamic nuclei of 3–4-month-old lean (Fa/Fa) and genetically obese (fa/fa) Zucker rats. A consistently reproducible 15% increase in the total specific binding of 0.1 nM [¹²⁵I]-insulin was found in the ARC of the obese genotype. A slight increase in insulin binding in the DMN was also found. No difference in specific insulin binding was found between genotypes in the VMN. Nonlinear least squares analysis of competitive binding studies showed that the K_d of the ARC insulin binding site was 33% higher in the lean rats than in the obese rats, indicating an increased affinity for insulin. No difference in site number (B_max) was found in the ARC, DMN or VMN, and no evidence was found for reduced insulin binding in the hypothalamus of the obese (fa/fa) genotype. The results suggest that hyperphagia and obesity of the obese (fa/fa) Zucker rat genotype may be associated with increased insulin binding in the arcuate nucleus.     

Corrosion casts as a method for investigation of the insect tracheal system

Summary The tracheal systems of five insect species (two species of ants, worker bee, housefly and the cabbage butterfly) have been studied by scanning electron microscopy of corrosion casts. This technique, which is commonly used for the investigation of vertebrate vasculature, is adapted to demonstrate the ultrastructure of the insect respiratory organ. The problem of filling a blind ending system was solved by injecting the resin Mercox into the evacuated tracheae through a thoracal spiracle. After polymerization of the resin, the tissue was digested enzymatically and chemically. The three-dimensional structure of the tracheal system was investigated by scanning electron microscopy. The technique used here displays for the first time the complex morphology of the entire tracheal system in fine detail, especially the structure of spiracles, airsacs, tracheae and tracheoles. Smooth-walled terminal tracheoles show up in flight muscles. The finest tracheoles that could be identified have diameters of approximately 70 nm. This approaches the finest tracheoles portrayed by transmission electron micrographs.     

Higher order structure is present in the yeast nucleus: autoantibody probes demonstrate that the nucleolus lies opposite the spindle pole body

A panel of sera from 892 autoimmune patients was screened by indirect immunofluorescence on mammalian cells. Seventy-three sera were identified that recognize the nucleolus. Three of these sera appear to stain the nucleolus in yeast, suggesting that they recognize highly conserved antigens. These three sera also immunoprecipitate mammalian U3 snRNA-containing particles, which reside in the nucleolus and have been implicated in rRNA processing. Double immunofluorescence experiments with anti-nucleolus and anti-tubulin antibodies revealed a novel form of non-random nuclear organization in yeast. The spindle pole body and the nucleolus — both of which are associated with the nuclear envelope — preferentially localize at opposite ends of the nucleus. Organization of these and other components into specific regions of the nucleus may be important for optimizing their proper function.