Seminiferous tubule involution in elderly men

The observation of different types of seminiferous tubules (from tubules with normal spermatogenesis to sclerosed tubules) in aging human testes points to the progressive stages of tubular involution in elderly men. The tubules with hypospermatogonesis (reduced number of elongated spermatids) show numerous morphological anomalies in the germ cells, including multinucleated cells. Abnormal germ cells degenerate, causing Steroli cell vacuolation. These vacuoles correspond to dilations of the extracellular spaces resulting from the premature exfoliation of germ cells. Degenerating cells that are phagocytized by Sertoli cells lead to an accumulation of lipid droplets in the Sertoli cell cytoplasm. The loss of germ cells begins with spermatids, but progressively affects the preceding germ cell types, and tubules with maturation arrested at the level of spermatocytes or spermatogonia are observed. Simultaneously, an enlargement of the tunica propria occurs. This leads to the formation of sclerosed tubules, some of which display a low seminiferous epithelium consisting of a few cells--including lipid-loaded Sertoli cells and both Ap and Ad spermatogonia--and others, showing complete sclerosis, are devoid of seminiferous epithelium. The development of tubular involution is similar to that reported after experimental ischemia, which also seems to cause nonspecific effects on the testis such as multinucleate cells, vacuoles, and increased lipids in Sertoli cells.     

Cloning and characterization of an extracellular temperature-labile serine protease gene from Aeromonas hydrophila

Aeromonas virulence is thought to depend on multigenic functions. The gene for an extracellular protease from Aeromonas hydrophila SO2/2 was cloned in Escherichia coli C600-1 by using pIJ860, bifunctional plasmid, as a vector. The gene encodes for a temperature-labile serine protease (P2) with a molecular mass of approx. 68 kDa which is highly inhibited by PMSF. The gene was expressed in Streptomyces lividans 1326 by transforming protoplasts with the original clone pPA2. We were also able to transfer and express the prt P2 gene in Pseudomonas putida by mating experiments. The protein P2 was secreted into the periplasms of both P. putida and E. coli C600-1 being identical in properties to one of the proteases secreted into the culture supernatant by A. hydrophila SO2/2.     

The cylindrical or tubiliform glands of Nephila clavipes

The cylindrical or tubiliform glands of the spider Nephila clavipes have been studied and compared to the large ampullates on which we have previously reported. The three pairs of cylindrical or tubiliform glands secrete the fibroin for the organism's egg case. Their solubilized luminar contents migrate as a homogeneous band in Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and turn out to be a larger protein than that produced by the large ampullates. The excised cylindrical glands remain metabolically active for several hours in a simple culture medium, where fibroin synthesis can be monitored through the incorporation of 14C alanine. The glands' response to a fibroin production stimulus does not reach the magnitude displayed by the large ampullates, but this is to be expected since their products supply different functions in this organism. This fibroin also seems to be elongated discontinuously. Translational pauses have been detected in the secretory epithelium of cylindrical and large ampullate glands of Nephila as well as in the silk glands of Bombyx mori. Since these glands produce the fibroin for the females egg case, they should prove to be an interesting model system.     

Features of the cell-free translation of a spider fibroin mRNA

The massive production of fibroin by the large ampullate glands of the spider, Nephila clavipes, serves as a model system in which to study the synthesis and control of a large secretory protein. Their tissue-specific product, fibroin, produced during the entire adult life of the female, is approximately 320 kilodaltons, and rich in glycine and alanine. Highly purified fibroin mRNA from the glands has been translated in a rabbit reticulocyte cell-free system with variable supplements. The translational products analyzed by SDS-PAGE display two features, tRNA modulation and discontinuous pauses during elongation. tRNA complements exert their effects both in the translational efficiency and in the size of the peptides generated. The pauses observed during translation generate subsets of smaller discrete peptides, visualized in the gels as ladders of variable relative intensities, appearing exclusively and concomitantly with the fibroin. Definitive linkage between the discrete peptides and fibroin synthesis process has been established by their selective labeling with specific radioactive amino acids.     

Pitted pattern in the human epididymis

This histological study of the human ductus epididymidis in autopsy or surgical specimens revealed the presence of multiple intra-epithelial cavities or pits showing a variable degree of development. In their origin, cavities were surrounded by cells with the same staining affinity and ultrastructural features as the principal cells, except for the cavity basal surfaces that were supported by lower cells. The latter cells, although otherwise like the basal cells of the ductus epididymis, displayed short microvilli in the cavity lumen. When the cavities expanded the basal cells became principal cells, while the principal cells located at the top of the cavities degenerated, creating pits that opened into the lumen of the ductus epididymidis. The surface occupied by the pitted areas increased progressively between the end portion of the caput epididymidis and the corpus-cauda transition, where it decreased abruptly. This pitted pattern was observed in all the normal adult men studied and in the children with precocious puberty but not in the normal children or in the adult men with hypogonadotrophic hypogonadism. This observation suggests that the development of pitted cavities is androgen-dependent.     

Formaldehyde-induced appearance of septate junctions between digestive vacuoles

Tissue biopsies from (1) some chronic inflammatory diseases, (2) a necrotic tumoral process, (3) normal human lymphatic ganglia, and (4) two congenital diseases of the adrenal cortex were selected for study. A block from each biopsy was fixed in glutaraldehyde-paraformaldehyde; a second block was fixed in 10% formaldehyde. In all cases septate junctions between digestive vacuoles did occur in phagocytic cells and some adrenal cortex cells fixed in formaldehyde. These junctions were similar to those reported recently for malakoplakia phagocytes. Consistently, they were not found to attach organelles other than lysosomes derivatives. Both phagocytes and adrenal cortex cells in the material fixed in glutaraldehyde-paraformaldehyde did not display adhesive specializations between digestive vacuoles. This suggests that the septate junctions described herein are artifactuous structures induced by formaldehyde. There is, however, a certain degree of specificity of cells having the capability of developing these septate junctions. It is assumed that the coating material of digestive organelles in phogocytes and some other cells would be responsible for both cell specificity and organelle specificity of the formaldehyde-induced septate junctions.     

A special pattern of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum in the kidney of the snail Cryptomphalus aspersa.

A special structural pattern of the smooth endoplasmic reticulum (SER) has been observed in the kidney of the snail Cryptomphalus aspersa. Two types of cells (clear and dark) cover the foldings of the renal sac; the dark cells are by far the most numerous. A cisterna of SER enveloping the nucleus appears invariably in both types of cells, with no disruptions, or small ones (from 50 to 90 nm) along its profile. The layer of cytoplasm lodged between the external nuclear membrane and this cisterna is found invariably to be from 0-20 to 0-25 mum in width. Glycogen is abundant in the cytoplasm as alpha particles, and also in the nucleus, but as beta particles. It is noteworthy that absolutely no glycogen is present in the layer of cytoplasm lodged between the nuclear membrane and the surrounding SER envelope. Long profiles of SER are also observed closely approaching and parallel to the plasma membrane of the dark cells. Considering the role of SER in glycogen metabolism in the kidney of the snail, the possible function of these cisternae as a support system ofr enzymes involved in the metabolism of glucides is discussed.     

Beta‐diversity in temperate and tropical forests reflects dissimilar mechanisms of community assembly

Site‐to‐site variation in species composition (β‐diversity) generally increases from low‐ to high‐diversity regions. Although biogeographical differences in community assembly mechanisms may explain this pattern, random sampling effects can create this pattern through differences in regional species pools. Here, we compared assembly mechanisms between spatially extensive networks of temperate and tropical forest plots with highly divergent species pools (46 vs. 607 species). After controlling for sampling effects, β‐diversity of woody plants was similar and higher than expected by chance in both forests, reflecting strong intraspecific aggregation. However, different mechanisms appeared to explain aggregation in the two forests. In the temperate forest, aggregation reflected stronger environmental correlations, suggesting an important role for species‐sorting (e.g. environmental filtering) processes, whereas in the tropics, aggregation reflected stronger spatial correlations, more likely reflecting dispersal limitation. We suggest that biogeographical differences in the relative importance of different community assembly mechanisms contribute to these striking gradients in global biodiversity.     

Blood sampling by puncture in the cavernous sinus from hunted wild boar

A new method of sampling based on the extraction of blood from the cavernous sinus of the dura mater has been assessed in hunted wild boar. Blood from 139 animals was obtained by two different extraction methods: the harvesting from thoracic cavity (TC) and intracavernous venipuncture (IV). Sera obtained by the IV method had higher volume (mean 2.85 vs 1.85 ml), were less hemolytic (mean absorbance at 450 nm: 1.01 vs 2.41 nm). A higher number of samples and a higher proportion of sera collected by IV (90.6 %) compared to those obtained using the TC method (78.4 %), could be analyzed against Aujeszky’s disease using blocking ELISA. No statistically significant differences in seroprevalences between samples obtained using both extraction methods were observed. The results obtained indicate that the IV is an easy, fast, reliable, clean, and safe method to collect blood samples from hunted wild boar, proving a real alternative to the traditional collection method.