Chromosome studies in the red howler monkey, Alouatta seniculus stramineus (Platyrrhini, Primates): description of an X1X2Y1Y2/X1X1X2X2 sex-chromosome system and karyological comparisons with other subspecies

In the red howler monkey, Alouatta seniculus stramineus (2n = 47, 48, or 49), variations in diploid chromosome number are due to different numbers of microchromosomes. Males exhibit a Y;autosome translocation involving the short arm of an individual biarmed autosome. Consequently, the sex-chromosome constitution in the male is X1X2Y1Y2, with X1 representing the original X chromosome, X2 the biarmed autosome (No. 7), Y1 the Y;7p translocation product, and Y2 the acrocentric homolog of 7q. In the first meiotic division, a quadrivalent with a chain configuration can be observed in spermatocytes. Females have an X1X1X2X2 sex-chromosome constitution. Chromosome heteromorphisms were observed in pair 13, due to a pericentric inversion, and pair 19, due to the presence of constitutive heterochromatin. Microchromosomes, which varied in number between individuals, were also heterochromatic. NOR-staining was observed at two separate sites on a single chromosome pair (No. 10). A comparison of A.s. stramineus with A.s. macconnelli shows that these two subspecies have identical diploid chromosome numbers (47, 48, or 49), again due to a varying number of microchromosomes, and that they share a similar sex-chromosome constitution. Their karyotypes, however, are not identical, but can be derived from each other by a reciprocal translocation. Further comparisons with other A. seniculus subspecies reported in the literature indicate that this taxon is not karyologically uniform and that substantial chromosome shuffling has occurred between populations that have been considered to be subspecies by taxonomic criteria based on their morphometric attributes.     

Studies of the proliferation and differentiation of immature myeloid cells in vitro: 4: Preculture proto-oncogene expression and the behaviour of myeloid leukemia cells in vitro

Studies were conducted to determine the relationship between the pretherapy characteristics of leukemia cells and their behaviour during culture in vitro. Leukemia cells which proliferated well in vitro also proliferated well in vivo. Cells which manifested myeloid or monocytic differentiation in vivo tended to manifest differentiation along these lines in vitro. Cells which manifested high levels of expression of c-fms, c-fes, or triose phosphate isomerase prior to culture were likely to differentiate in vitro, with high levels of c-fes expression being related to myeloid maturation. These observations suggest that differentiation at the molecular level prior to culture is a requisite for leukemia cell differentiation in vitro. The same may be true for differentiation in vivo under the influence of exogenously administered agents such as cytotoxic chemotherapy or recombinant growth factors.     

The effects of Heterosigma akashiwo on juvenile Oncorhynchus tshawytscha and its implications for fish culture

The effects of natural blooms of Heterosigma akashiwo on freshwater-and saltwater-acclimated juvenile chinook salmon were assessed. Rates of fish mortality in the blooms were independent of acclimation of fish to seawater and the ambient oxygen levels, but were dependent on concentration of algae and ambient water temperatures. No pathological abnormality to gills or other internal organs in the fish were evident. Aeration or oxygenation of fish cages did not enhance or inhibit fish survival in a H. akashiwo bloom. Cause of death was considered to be due to a labile ichthyotoxic agent.     

Who's who on Mount Olympus: Bayesian solutions

The computation of genetic risk in the highly endogamous family of an ancient greek god and goddess has been published in this journal as a pleasant puzzle (Ropartz, 1985 and appendix 1). This calculation was assumed to be direct and straightforward. However, a Bayesian computation taking in account most of the available information of the risk is possible. Four solutions of this quiz are given. These solutions illustrate the different strategies which can be followed when facing actual genetic problems.     

Non-destructive assessment of developing hydraulic connections in the graft union of tomato

Hydraulic architecture prescribes water flow in plants and is,therefore, fundamental to many areas of plant physiology. Itis usually analysed destructively, or on excised material. Amethod is explored here based on displacement transducers forthe continuous, nondestructive assessment of functional hydraulicconnections within the intact plant. The graft union was chosenas a test system. The technique involves repeated applicationof water at some point in the system, while simultaneously observingpatterns of swelling (increase in water status) at other points.Such patterns will reflect the hydraulic resistance of the interveningpathways. It is demonstrated that the major hydraulic connections withinthe graft union of tomato become functional over a period ofabout 48 h from the fifth day after grafting. This is consistentwith histological observations on the appearance of wound-xylembridges at this time. This approach could be useful for non-destructive monitoringof changes in hydraulic connections in various other intactsystems, for example, during abscission, drought-induced embolism,or attack by vascular-wilt pathogens. Key words: Hydraulic architecture, xylem, graft union, Lycopersicon esculentum L     

Stress-induced rearrangement of Fusarium retrotransposon sequences

Rearrangement of Fusarium oxysporum retro- transposon skippy was induced by growth in the presence of potassium chlorate. Three fungal strains, one sensitive to chlorate (Co60) and two resistant to chlorate and deficient for nitrate reductase (Co65 and Co94), were studied by Southern analysis of their genomic DNA. Polymorphism was detected in their hybridization banding pattern, relative to the wild type grown in the absence of chlorate, using various enzymes with or without restriction sites within the retrotransposon. Results were consistent with the assumption that three different events had occurred in strain Co60: genomic amplification of skippy yielding tandem arrays of the element, generation of new skippy sequences, and deletion of skippy sequences. Amplification of Co60 genomic DNA using the polymerase chain reaction and divergent primers derived from the retrotransposon generated a new band, corresponding to one long terminal repeat plus flanking sequences, that was not present in the wild-type strain. Molecular analysis of nitrate reductase-deficient mutants showed that generation and deletion of skippy sequences, but not genomic amplification in tandem repeats, had occurred in their genomes.     

Determination of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone in plasma and urine samples of horses by high-performance liquid chromatography and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry

A method is described for the qualiitative and quantitative determination of phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone in horse urine and plasma samples viewing antidoping control. A horse was administered intravenously with 3 g of phenylbutazone. For the qualitative determination, a screening by HPLC was performed after acidic extraction of the urine samples and the confirmation process was realized by GC-MS. Using the proposed method it was possible to detect phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone in urine for up to 48 and 120 h, respectively. For the quantitation of these drugs the plasma was deproteinized with acetonitrile and 20 gml were injected directly into the HPLC system equipped with a UV detector and LiChrospher RP-18 column. The mobile phase used was 0.01 M acetic acid in methanol (45:55, v/v). The limit of detection was 0.5 μg/ml for phenylbutazone and oxyphenbutazone and the limit of quantitation was 1.0 μg/ml for both drugs. Using the proposed method it was possible to quantify phenylbutazone up to 30 h and oxyphenbutazone up to 39 h after administration.