The effects of food availability and distance to protective cover on the winter foraging behaviour of tits (Aves: Parus)

To maximize fitness, many animals must trade off their need to forage efficiently against their need to avoid predators. We studied such a trade-off in four species of tits (Paridae) in a forest near Oxford, UK. During winter, tits form flocks which increase feeding efficiency and reduce predation risk. These flocks feed extensively on beech (Fagus sylvatica) seeds, the abundance of which may be critical for winter survival. Because these seeds drop to the ground, where birds are exposed to sparrowhawk (Accipiter nisus) attack, tits need to trade off their need to find seeds against the proximity to protective cover, provided by dense clusters of hawthorn (Crataegus spp.). The quality of the beech crop differs markedly between trees and years. During a year of abundant beechmast, most tits searched for seeds close to protective cover. This 'safety-first' strategy precluded visits to superabundant food patches if they were too far from protective cover. Among beech trees near to cover, tits tended to prefer those with high seed density. Tits benefited from foraging under trees with high seed density because this correlated significantly with seed mass per square metre and because mean search times decreased with increasing seed density. Finally, we show experimentally that great tits, Parus major, can discriminate between edible (viable) and inedible (empty) seeds.     

Structure of Cu2(indomethacin)4 and the reaction with superoxide in aprotic systems

The copper complex of indomethacin (1-(p-chlorobenzoyl)-5-methoxy-2-methyl-indole acetate), a common anti-inflammatory drug, was prepared and characterized. Crystal structure determination revealed the dimeric form of the 1:2 complex, namely Cu₂(indomethacin)₄ · L₂, in the unit cell. Suprisingly, the copper-copper distance (263 pm) was very close to metallic copper (256 pm). The two coordination sites in the copper-copper axis can be readily replaced by superoxide. An intriguing similarity to Cu₂(acetate)₄ was seen.Due to the lipophilic nature of the indomethacin ligand, this copper complex reacted with superoxide in aprotic solvents. The superoxide dismutating activity was successfully demonstrated in Me₂SO/water and acetonitrile/water mixtures using the nitro-blue tetrazolium assay and pulse radiolysis. The second-order rate constant of 6 · 10⁹ M^?1 · s^?1 in strictly aqueous systems dropped only slightly to 1.1 · 10⁹ M^?1 · s^?1 when aprotic solvents were used. This is the fastest rate constant ever observed for a copper-dependent dismutation of superoxide. The KO₂-induced lipid peroxidation in both erythrocytes and liver microsomes was suppressed by 70% in the presence of 1 · 10^?10 mol · ml^?1 of Cu₂(indomethacin)₄. The inhibitory action dropped to 25% when Cu₂Zn₂superoxide dismutase was employed. The formation of copper · indomethacin in rat serum after administration of indomethacin was shown in vitro and in vivo.     

Survival of Escherichia coli in the environment: fundamental and public health aspects

In this review, our current understanding of the species Escherichia coli and its persistence in the open environment is examined. E. coli consists of six different subgroups, which are separable by genomic analyses. Strains within each subgroup occupy various ecological niches, and can be broadly characterized by either commensalistic or different pathogenic behaviour. In relevant cases, genomic islands can be pinpointed that underpin the behaviour. Thus, genomic islands of, on the one hand, broad environmental significance, and, on the other hand, virulence, are highlighted in the context of E. coli survival in its niches. A focus is further placed on experimental studies on the survival of the different types of E. coli in soil, manure and water. Overall, the data suggest that E. coli can persist, for varying periods of time, in such terrestrial and aquatic habitats. In particular, the considerable persistence of the pathogenic E. coli O157:H7 is of importance, as its acid tolerance may be expected to confer a fitness asset in the more acidic environments. In this context, the extent to which E. coli interacts with its human/animal host and the organism''s survivability in natural environments are compared. In addition, the effect of the diversity and community structure of the indigenous microbiota on the fate of invading E. coli populations in the open environment is discussed. Such a relationship is of importance to our knowledge of both public and environmental health.     

Preferential expression of cellular retinoic acid binding protein in a subpopulation of neural cells in the developing mouse embryo

The cellular retinoic acid binding protein is thought to be involved in the retinoic-acid-mediated signal transduction pathway. We have isolated the mouse cellular retinoic acid binding protein cDNA from an embryonal-carcinoma-derived cell line by using differential cDNA cloning strategies. In situ hybridization on sections of mouse embryos of various developmental stages indicated that the cellular retinoic acid binding protein gene, which we localized on mouse chromosome 9, is preferentially expressed in a subpopulation of neurectodermal cells. This restricted expression pattern suggests an important role for cellular retinoic acid binding protein in murine neurogenesis.     

Brain mitochondrial cytochrome P-450scc: spectral and catalytic properties

The cytochrome P-450-dependent cholesterol side chain cleavage system of the brain has been studied using nonsynaptic mitochondria as the source of enzymatic activity. The system has been found to bind cholesterol and 11-deoxycorticosterone, producing type I difference spectra, whereas the binding of pregnenolone induced a reverse type I difference spectrum. Inhibitors of cytochrome P-450-linked monooxygenase activities produced type II spectra. The formation of labeled pregnenolone after incubation of brain mitochondria with [4-14C]cholesterol has been obtained, and this formation was inhibited by glutethimide, a specific inhibitor of cytochrome P-450scc. The functional significance of this enzymatic activity is discussed.     

The role of the carboxy-terminal membrane-spanning fragment in the biogenesis of Escherichia coli K12 outer membrane protein PhoE

Summary PhoE protein of Escherichia coli K12 is an outer membrane protein which is supposed to span the membrane sixteen times. By creating a deletion which removes the last membrane-spanning fragment and studying the localization of the truncated PhoE, we show that this fragment is indispensable for trimerization and outer membrane localization. In addition, circumstantial evidence for the proposed topology model of the protein was obtained. An insertion mutation in a region supposed to be cell surface-exposed, interferes with the binding of a monoclonal antibody which recognizes a cell surface-exposed epitope of the protein.