Hatchery selection promotes boldness in newly hatched brown trout (Salmo trutta): implications for dominance

By using newly hatched (approximately 2 weeks old) brown trout(Salmo trutta) from six families of wild and six families ofsea-ranched origin (seventh generation), we tested the hypothesesthat (1) the hatchery environment selects for increased boldness,and (2) boldness predicts dominance status. Sea-ranched troutspend their first 2 years in the hatchery before being releasedinto the wild at the onset of seaward migration. Trout werepresented with a novel object (tack) and with food (brine shrimp),and their responses were measured and scored in terms of boldness.Siblings with increasing difference in boldness were then pairedin dyadic contests. Fish of sea-ranged origin were on averagebolder than were fish of wild origin, and bolder individualswere more likely to become dominant regardless of origin. Boldnesswas not related to RNA levels, indicating that bold behaviorwas not a consequence of higher metabolism or growth rate. Neitherwas size a predictor of bold behavior or the outcome of dyadiccontests. These results are consistent with studies on olderlife stages showing increased boldness toward predators in hatchery-selectedfish, which suggests that behavioral consequences of hatcheryselection are manifested very early in life. The concordancebetween boldness and dominance may suggest that these behaviorsare linked in a risk prone-aggressive phenotype, which may bepromoted by hatchery selection. However, we also found significantvariation in behavioral and growth-related traits among families,suggesting that heritable variation has not been exhausted bysea-ranching procedures.     

A Treasure Chest of Balinese Images

Book reviewed in this article:
Images of Power: Balinese Paintings Made for Gregory Bateson and Margaret Mead . Hildred Geertz.     

Identification and design of a novel series of MGAT2 inhibitors

[Acyl CoA]monoacylglycerol acyltransferase 2 (MGAT2) is of interest as a target for therapeutic treatment of diabetes, obesity and other diseases which together constitute the metabolic syndrome. In this Letter we report our discovery and optimisation of a novel series of MGAT2 inhibitors. The development of the SAR of the series and a detailed discussion around some key parameters monitored and addressed during the lead generation phase will be given. The in vivo results from an oral lipid tolerance test (OLTT) using the MGAT2 inhibitor (S)-10, shows a significant reduction (68% inhibition relative to na?ve, p <0.01) in plasma triacylglycerol (TAG) concentration.     

Intrachromosomal rearrangements fusing L-myc and rlf in small-cell lung cancer.

Chromosomal abnormalities affecting proto-oncogenes are frequently detected in human cancer. Oncogenes of the myc family are activated in several types of tumors as a result of gene amplification or chromosomal translocation. We have recently found the L-myc gene involved in a gene fusion in small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). This results in a chimeric protein with amino-terminal sequences from a novel gene named rif joined to L-myc. Here we present a preliminary structural characterization of the rlf-L-myc fusion gene, which has been found only in cells with an amplified L-myc gene. In addition, we have used somatic cell hybrids to assign the normal rlf locus to the same chromosome (chromosome 1) on which L-myc resides. Finally, we have been able to establish a physical linkage between rif and L-myc with pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. Our results demonstrate that normal rlf and L-myc genes are separated by less than 800 kb of DNA. Thus, the rlf-L-myc gene fusions are due to similar but not identical intrachromosomal rearrangements at 1p32. The presence of independent genetic lesions that cause the formation of identical chimeric rlf-L-myc proteins suggests a role for the fusion protein in the development of these tumors.     

Human familial and sporadic breast cancer: analysis of the coding regions of the 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 2 gene (EDH17B2) using a single-strand conformation polymorphism assay

17-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17HSD) is one of the key enzymes in estrogen metabolism, catalyzing the reversible reaction between estradiol and the less active estrogen, estrone. The gene encoding this enzyme, EDH17B2, has been mapped to chromosome 17, region q12–q21, in the vicinity of BRCA1, an as yet unidentified gene that appears to be involved in familial breast cancer and in familial ovarian cancer. The possibility that EDH17B2 gene is the same as BRCA1 was tested by screening for mutations in the coding regions of EDH17B2, using a polymerase chain reaction/single-strand conformation polymorphism method. An AG transition creating a new BstUI site at exon 6 was the only frequent sequence alteration found in the coding region of the gene. This mutation also led to an amino acid substitution of serine to glycine at position 312 (312^S312^G) in the 17HSD protein. Since the nucleotide change was detected both in specimens from patients with familial or sporadic cancer and in control samples, and at similar rates, this mutation appears to be of a polymorphic nature. In addition, a rare polymorphism located at intron 5 was detected. This CT substitution creates a BbvI site and is not thought to have any effect on 17HSD activity. The results indicate that there are no major alterations in the coding areas of EDH17B2 and thus studies testing the hypothesis that EDH17B2 may be the same as BRCA1 should be extended to the promoter and regulatory elements of EDH17B2.     

Tight linkage between the Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome and a microsatellite marker for the TH locus

The Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS) is characterized by somatic overgrowth, developmental anomalies, and proneness to embryonic tumor development. The majority of cases are sporadic, but several families with an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance with variable expression and reduced penetrance have been described. In three such families, BWS has been linked to DNA markers for the insulin gene (INS) and H-ras on chromosome band 11p15. Two additional families with inherited BWS are described here. Linkage analysis has been performed with a highly informative marker for the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) locus within the INS-IGF2 (insulin-like growth factor II)-TH gene cluser and confirms the previous observed linkage to this region (lod score 2.16 at = 0). Linkage analysis to TH provides a basis for informed genetic counselling and carrier detection in the hereditary form of the syndrome. Based on the hypothesis that IGF2 may be a candidate gene for BWS, we screened for mutations in the coding exons 7 and 9, but found no abnormalities in 5 unrelated BWS cases.     

The dentary of hadrosauroid dinosaurs: evolution through heterochrony

The near-global distribution of hadrosaurid dinosaurs during the Cretaceous has been attributed to mastication, a behaviour commonly recognized as a mammalian adaptation. Its occurrence in a non-mammalian lineage should be accompanied by the evolution of several morphological modifications associated with food acquisition and processing. This study investigated morphological variation in the dentary, a major element of the hadrosauroid lower jaw. Eighty-four hadrosauroid dentaries were subjected to geometric morphometric and statistical analyses to investigate their taxonomic, ontogenetic, and individual variation. Results suggest increased food acquisition and processing efficiency in saurolophids through a complex pattern of evolutionary and growth-related changes. The edentulous region grew longer relative to dentary length, allowing for food acquisition specialization anteriorly and processing posteriorly, and became ventrally directed, possibly associated with foraging low-growing vegetation, especially in younger individuals. The saurolophid coronoid process became anteriorly directed and relatively more elongate, with an expanded apex, increasing moment arm length, with muscles pulling the jaw more posteriorly, increasing mechanical advantage. During growth, all hadrosauroids underwent anteroposterior dental battery elongation by the addition of teeth, and edentulous region ventralization decreased. The dental battery became deeper in saurolophids by increasing the number of teeth per tooth family. The increased coronoid process anterior inclination and relative edentulous region elongation in saurolophids are hypothesized to have evolved through hypermorphosis and/or acceleration, peramorphic heterochronic processes; the development of an anteroposteriorly shorter but dorsoventrally taller saurolophid dentary, is probably due to post-displacement in dental battery elongation and edentulous region decreased ventral orientation, a paedomorphic heterochronic process.     

Systolic Blood Pressure is Related to Catecholamine Sensitivity in Subcutaneous Abdominal Fat Cells

A relationship between abdominal obesity and hypertension is well established. In search for an early-onset defect in adipocyte function linking these two conditions, we compared catecholamine sensitivity in subcutaneous abdominal fat cells with 24-hour systolic, mean arterial and diastolic blood pressure in 16 healthy, normotensive subjects. Clear inter-individual variations in the adipocyte lipolytic adrenoceptor sensitivity (pD₂) for noradrenaline were observed in dose-response experiments (i.e., about 4 log units). An inverse and independent correlation was found between the 24-hour systolic blood pressure and pD₂ for noradrenaline (r = ?0.67, p < 0.01). The mean arterial blood pressure was also negatively correlated to peripheral noradrenaline sensitivity (r = ?0.58, p < 0.05). However, no significant relationship between the 24-hour diastolic blood pressure and pD₂ for noradrenaline was demonstrated. In conclusion we suggest that catecholamine resistance in subcutaneous fat cells may be associated with autonomic dysfunction and impaired blood pressure regulation. This finding is supported by the fact that both noradrenaline sensitivity and 24-hour systolic blood pressure also are correlated to the individual orthostatic heart rate responses, reflecting the sympathetic nervous system tone (r=0.61, p=0.01 and r= ?0.53, p=0.03, respectively). The relationship between noradrenaline sensitivity and systolic blood pressure may be of importance in the early development of hypertension in man.