Alteration of free amino acid concentrations in insect galls induced by Andricus mukaigawae (Hymenoptera; Cynipidae)

1. Insect galls are abnormal plant growths that develop in response to a stimulus provided by a galling insect. The nutrition hypothesis suggests that the concentrations of nutritive compounds in galls are changed to provide optimum nutrition for the larvae and adults of galling insects. 2. To test the nutrition hypothesis, we determined the concentrations of 20 free amino acids in galls and in galled and ungalled twigs of Quercus fabri during the larval and adult stages of Andricus mukaigawae using high-performance liquid chromatography with ultraviolet–visible detection. 3. At the larval stage, the concentrations of 12 out of 20 amino acids in A. mukaigawae galls were significantly higher than those in galled and ungalled twigs. Asparagine and tryptophan were the most abundant nonessential and essential amino acids, respectively, in A. mukaigawae galls. 4. At the adult stage, the concentrations of most amino acids, except proline, were significantly lower in A. mukaigawae galls than in galled and ungalled twigs. The A. mukaigawae adults may not manipulate amino acid levels because the adults do not feed on galls. The decrease of amino acid levels in adult galls may be viewed as a depletion. 5. The composition of free amino acids in A. mukaigawae galls was significantly different from the composition in galled and ungalled twigs in both the larval and adult stages. 6. Our results may support the nutrition hypothesis. We suggest that a high concentration of proline in A. mukaigawae galls may protect larvae and adults from plant defense responses.     

A new minimal synthetic medium for germ-tube production in Candida albicans

A new minimal synthetic medium, with low amount of glucose, without aminoacids, vitamins and neutral pH, which induces germ-tubes production in Candida albicans, is reported in this work. The results indicate a perfect agreement between the germ-tube test performed with the standard method in human or animal serum and this test performed in minimal synthetic medium. In this medium the germ-tube test for the presumptive identification of Candida albicans can be performed with the same formality, time and reproducibility as those in human or animal serum. This constitutes an interesting finding because it is easy to prepare, to store and is highly reproducible.     

Mediolateral patterning of somites: multiple axial signals, including Sonic hedgehog, regulate Nkx-3.1 expression

The axial structures, the notochord and the neural tube, play an essential role in the dorsoventral patterning of somites and in the differentiation of their many cell lineages. Here, we investigated the role of the axial structures in the mediolateral patterning of the somite by using a newly identified murine homeobox gene, Nkx-3.1, as a medial somitic marker in explant in vitro assays. Nkx-3.1 is dynamically expressed during somitogenesis only in the youngest, most newly-formed somites at the caudal end of the embryo. We found that the expression of Nkx-3.1 in pre-somitic tissue explants is induced by the notochord and maintained in newly-differentiated somites by the notochord and both ventral and dorsal parts of the neural tube. We showed that Sonic hedgehog (Shh) is one of the signaling molecules that can reproduce the effect of the axial structures by exposing explants to either COS cells transfected with a Shh expression construct or to recombinant SHH. Shh could induce and maintain Nkx-3.1 expression in pre-somitic mesoderm and young somites but not in more mature, differentiated ones. The effects of Shh on Nkx-3.1 expression were antagonized by a forskolin-induced increase in the activity of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase A. Additionally, we confirmed that the expression of the earliest expressed murine myogenic marker, myf 5, is also regulated by the axial strucutres but that Shh by itself is not capable of inducing or maintaining it. We suggest that the establishment of somitic medial and lateral compartments and the early events in myogenesis are governed by a combination of positive and inhibitory signals derived from the neighboring structures, as has previously been proposed for the dorsoventral patterning of somites.     

Fatty acid composition of total lipids from the needles of pine seedlings as related to boron availability

The effect of boron availability on the content of fatty acids (FA) in the total lipids of needles was investigated in two-year-old seedlings of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The study was conducted in the forest nursery on the soil deficient in boron. Various rates of boric acid (0.01, 0.03, 0.1, 0.3, 1, 3, and 10 g/m²) were applied to soil three times throughout the growth period. When pine seedlings were supplied with extra boron, the lipid content of the seedling needles declined. The optimal boron supply elevated the content of saturated FA in total needle lipids mostly at the expense of palmitic acid, with a corresponding decline in the level of unsaturated FA and unsaturation index of FA owing to trienoic FA (mainly linolenic and hexadecatrienoic acids). At the same time, the level of monoenoic and to a lesser degree dienoic acids increased. When boron supply of the seedlings was not optimal, the content of unsaturated and low-molecular FA increased.     

Starvation and the Mating Success of Wild Male Mediterranean Fruit Flies (Diptera: Tephritidae)

Recent evidence suggests that the nutritional state of male Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wied.) (medfly), is an important influence on various components of their reproductive biology, including mating success. The objective of the present study was to examine experimentally the effect of temporary starvation on the mating success of wild male C. capitata. Males were maintained on protein–sugar or sugar-only diets, and for each diet we compared the mating success of continuously fed males versus males starved for 18 or 24 h immediately before testing. In trials conducted on field-caged, host trees, males starved for 24 h obtained only about half as many matings as fed males for both diets. However, when the starvation period was 18 h, starved males reared on the protein–sugar diet mated significantly less frequently than fed males, whereas starved males reared on sugar mated as often as fed males. Measurements of male pheromone calling and female attraction revealed that reduced mating success likely reflected the decreased signaling activity of starved males.     

Media effects on black walnut (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Juglans nigra</Emphasis> L.) shoot culture growth <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>: evaluation of multiple nutrient formulations and cytokinin types

The growth of black walnut shoot cultures was compared on media differing in nutrient formulation (MS, DKW, WPM, and 1/2X DKW), cytokinin type (ZEA, BA, and TDZ), and cytokinin concentration. On WPM and 1/2X DKW media, hyperhydricity was observed at frequencies of 60–100% compared with frequencies of 10–40% on the high-salt media (DKW and MS). All three cytokinins facilitated shoot regeneration from nodal cuttings, but recurrent elongation was only observed for BA (5–12.5 μM) and ZEA (5–25 μM) with mean shoot heights of 70–80 mm being possible after two culture periods (6–8 wk) for the fastest elongating lines. ZEA was effective across all six shoot lines with mean shoot heights of at least 35 mm over two culture periods, but two of the shoot lines were ‘nonresponsive’ to BA with mean shoot heights of <15 mm. In contrast, when shoot tip explants were used for culture multiplication, ZEA was the least effective cytokinin with proliferation frequencies of only 30–40%. The proliferation frequencies were twice as great (75–87%) for TDZ (0.05–0.1 μM), but most of the shoots regenerated were swollen or fasciated in morphology. High rates of proliferation (61–88%) were also possible using BA (12.5–25 μM), but axillary shoots did not elongate well, growing to heights of only 5–10 mm, on average, after 4–5 wk. Since the cytokinin types and concentrations required for high-frequency (>50%) axillary proliferation had adverse effects on the morphology and growth potential of the shoots, multiplication strategies based on the use of nodal cuttings are recommended.