Probing the substrate-binding sites of aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases with the procion dye green HE-4BD.

In contrast with previous reports, it was found that membrane-protein phosphorylation by the catalytic subunit (CS) of cyclic AMP-dependent protein kinase had no effect on Ca2+ uptake into platelet membrane vesicles or on subsequent Ca2+ release by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3). Furthermore, IP-20, a highly potent synthetic peptide inhibitor of CS, which totally abolished membrane protein phosphorylation by endogenous or exogenous CS, also had no effect on either Ca2+ uptake or release by IP3. Commercial preparations of protein kinase inhibitor protein (PKI) usually had no effect, but one preparation partially inhibited Ca2+ uptake, which is attributable to the gross impurity of the commercial PKI preparation. IP3-induced release of Ca2+ was also unaffected by the absence of ATP from the medium, supporting the conclusion that Ca2+ release by IP3 does not require the phosphorylation of membrane protein.     

Haematological and rheological characteristics of blood in seven marine mammal species: physiological implications for diving behaviour

The haeniatological and rheological characteristics of blood from seven marine mammal species have been examined to determine the relationship between increased haematocrit. which is correlated with the ability to increase aerobic dive limits. and blood viscosity. The species examined reflect adaptations to a variety of marine niches ranging from coastal to pelagic to iceedge environments. and exhibit a wide range of diving behaviours. Average haematocrits ranged from43–45% in bottlenose dolphins. killer whales and California sea lions to more than 60% in the deeper diving species (beluga whales and northern elephant seals). Whole blood viscosity () increased exponentially with haematocrit (= 0.96*e^0-0335*Hct). representin a two-fold increase from 4.1 cP for killer whale blood to 8.9 cP for northern elephant seal. There was no apparent compensatory mechanism to reduce viscosity at any shear rate. The optimal haematocrit for oxygen transport was calculated to be40–50% for all species tested. The species with lower haematocrits were within optimal values for oxygen transport. while the two species with the highest haematocrits (beluga whales and northern elephant seals) were above predicted optimal oxygen transport values. On the basis of comparisons of the diving behaviour of these seven species, we suggest that marine mammal species with the greatest adaptation for increased oxygen stores via increased haematocrit have the capacity for deep, long-duration dives, but a limited oxygen transport capacity. We predict that this compromise precludes fast sustainable swimming behaviour in these species.     

Resident mesenchymal cells and fibrosis

Fibrosis is a major clinical problem associated with as many as 45% of all natural deaths in developed nations.It can affect all organs and accumulating evidence indicates that fibrogenesis is not merely a bystander product of injury, but is a central pathological problem directly contributing to loss of organ function. In the majority of clinical cases, fibrogenesis is strongly associated with the recruitment of leukocytes, even in the absence of infection. Although chronic infections are a significant cause of fibrogenesis, in most cases fibrotic disease occurs in the context of sterile injury, such as microvascular disease, toxic epithelial injury or diabetes mellitus. Fibrogenesis is a direct consequence of the activation of extensive, and previously poorly appreciated, populations of mesenchymal cells in our organs which are either wrapped around capillaries and known as ‘pericytes’, or embedded in interstitial spaces between cell structures and known as resident ‘fibroblasts’. Recent fate-mapping and complementary studies in several organs indicate that these cells are the precursors of the scar-forming myofibroblasts that appear in our organs in response to injury. Here we will review the literature supporting a central role for these cells in fibrogenesis, and highlight some of the critical cell to cell interactions that are necessary for the initiation and continuation of the fibrogenic process. This article is part of a Special Issue entitled: Fibrosis: Translation of basic research to human disease.     

Spatial patterns of extra‐pair paternity for spotted towhees Pipilo maculatus in urban parks

The extra‐pair (EP) mating system of birds may be influenced by food resources, such that nutritionally stressed females are unable to pursue EP fertilizations (constrained female hypothesis; CFH), or that females on poor territories acquire EP fertilizations during extra‐territorial forays in search of food (mating opportunity hypothesis; MOH). Edges of urban habitat fragments are sites of apparent high food abundance for spotted towhees Pipilo maculatus, and we used distance to habitat edge in four urban parks in Portland, OR, USA (2004–2006), to test the CFH and MOH. EP paternity was independent of park identity and year; 44% of nests contained EP young and 26% of all young were EP. As predicted by the CFH, EP paternity was more common in nests of long‐tailed (presumably) high quality females. However, independently of tail length, younger females had more EP young than older females, a finding consistent with the MOH. Contrary to predictions of both hypotheses, the probability that a nest contained EP young was highest both at the habitat edge and habitat interior while the proportion of young in nests of EP origin (for nests with EP young) was highest at intermediate distances from habitat edge. We propose that high frequency of EP paternity among females in the interior occurred because, as predicted by the MOH, they ranged more widely in search of food and often encountered EP males. High probability of EP paternity near edges was likely unrelated to female quality. Instead, anthropogenic food sources may have attracted individuals to edges and increased encounters between potential EP mates. Simple opportunity seems likely to account for patterns of EP paternity in spotted towhees, suggesting that human altered environments have the potential to substantially affect EP mating behavior.     

Fibronectin binding protein A of Staphylococcus aureus can mediate human T lymphocyte adhesion and coactivation

The extracellular matrix protein fibronectin (FN) mediates the adhesion of bacteria as well as T lymphocytes. Mammalian cells express integrins alpha(4)beta(1) and alpha(5)beta(1) as the major FN-binding cell surface receptors. Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, also express FN-binding receptors that are important for adherence to host tissue and initiation of infection. The S. aureus FN-binding protein, FnbpA, has been previously identified, and recombinant proteins that correspond to distinct functional regions of this protein have been made. Three recombinant truncated forms of FnbpA, rFnbpA(37-881), rFnbpA(37-605), and rFnbpA(620-881), were examined for effects on in vitro adhesion and coactivation of human T lymphocytes. These proteins, when coimmobilized with anti-CD3 mAb, activated T lymphocyte proliferation. The coactivation signal generated by the rFnbpA proteins required medium containing serum with FN. Furthermore, the costimulatory signal could be restored in FN-depleted serum when the rFnbpAs were preloaded with soluble FN. Monoclonal Ab blocking studies revealed that integrin alpha(5)beta(1) is the major receptor responsible for the rFnbpA costimulatory signal. Shear flow cell detachment assays confirmed that lymphocytes can bind to FN captured by the rFnbpA proteins. These results suggest that the S. aureus rFnbpA can interact with integrin alpha(5)beta(1) via an FN bridge to mediate adhesion and costimulatory signals to T lymphocytes.     

Mandibular gland chemistry of four Caribbean species of Camponotus (Hymenoptera: Formicidae)

The volatile components of whole-body extracts of males, females and workers were analyzed in four species of Neotropical ants in the formicine genus, Camponotus. The species, C. kaura, C. sexguttatus, C. ramulorum and C. planatus, represent three different subgenera. Volatile mandibular gland components were found only in male extracts in three of the species. In C. ramulorum, volatile components were found in male and female reproductives and workers. 3,4-Dihydro-3,5-dihydroxy-6-methylpyran-4-one and octanic acid were found in different sets of three of the species. Methyl 6-methyl salicylate was found in two species and the isocoumarin, mellein, was found in a third species. The significance of the mandibular gland secretion for formicid systematics is discussed.     

Desperate Prawns: Drivers of Behavioural Innovation Vary across Social Contexts in Rock Pool Crustaceans

Innovative behaviour may allow animals to cope with changes in their environment. Innovative propensities are known to vary widely both between and within species, and a growing body of research has begun to examine the factors that drive individuals to innovate. Evidence suggests that individuals are commonly driven to innovate by necessity; for instance by hunger or because they are physically unable to outcompete others for access to resources. However, it is not known whether the factors that drive individuals to innovate are stable across contexts. We examined contextual variation in the drivers of innovation in rock pool prawns (Palaemon spp), invertebrates that face widely fluctuating environments and may, through the actions of tides and waves, find themselves isolated or in groups. Using two novel foraging tasks, we examined the effects of body size and hunger in prawns tested in solitary and group contexts. When tested alone, small prawns were significantly more likely to succeed in a spatial task, and faster to reach the food in a manipulation task, while hunger state had no effect. In contrast, size had no effect when prawns were tested in groups, but food-deprived individuals were disproportionately likely to innovate in both tasks. We suggest that contextual variation in the drivers of innovation is likely to be common in animals living in variable environments, and may best be understood by considering variation in the perception of relative risks and rewards under different conditions.     

Terminal investment in the gustatory appeal of nuptial food gifts in crickets

Investment in current versus future reproduction represents a prominent trade‐off in life‐history theory and is likely dependent on an individual's life expectancy. The terminal investment hypothesis posits that a reduction in residual reproductive value (i.e. potential for future offspring) will result in increased investment in current reproduction. We tested the hypothesis that male decorated crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus), when cued to their impending mortality, should increase their reproductive effort by altering the composition of their nuptial food gifts (i.e. spermatophylaxes) to increase their gustatory appeal to females. Using a repeated‐measures design, we analysed the amino acid composition of spermatophylaxes derived from males both before and after injection of either a saline control or a solution of heat‐killed bacteria. The latter, although nonpathogenic, represents an immune challenge that may signal an impending survival threat. One principal component explaining amino acid variation in spermatophylaxes, characterized by a high loading to histidine, was significantly lower in immune‐challenged versus control males. The relevance of this difference for the gustatory appeal of gifts to females was assessed by mapping spermatophylax composition onto a fitness surface derived in an earlier study identifying the amino acid composition of spermatophylaxes preferred by females. We found that immune‐challenged males maintained the level of attractiveness of their gifts post‐treatment, whereas control males produced significantly less attractive gifts post‐injection. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that cues of a survival‐threatening infection stimulate terminal investment in male decorated crickets with respect to the gustatory appeal of their nuptial food gifts.     

Total mercury in stranded marine mammals from the Oregon and southern Washington coasts

Muscle samples from 105 marine mammals stranded along the Oregon and Washington coasts (2002–2009) were tested for levels of total mercury (THg) by Cold Vapor Atomic Fluorescence Spectrometry. The THg present is in the form of the highly toxic methylmercury. After normalizing tissue to 75% water weight, Steller sea lions and northern elephant seals exhibited the highest mean concentrations of THg followed by harbor seals, harbor porpoises, and California sea lions, 0.34 ± 0.278, 0.34 ± 0.485, 0.21 ± 0.216, 0.17 ± 0.169, and 0.15 ± 0.126 mg/kg normalized wet weight (ww), respectively. The mean normalized values demonstrate limited muscle methylmercury accumulation in these species in the Pacific Northwest. However, actual ww concentrations in some of the stranded carcasses may pose a risk to scavengers. Normalizing muscle mercury concentrations eliminated the variability from desiccation, and allowed for a clearer indication of the amount of mercury the animal accumulated before stranding.