Chimpanzee feeding ecology and fallback food use in the montane forest of Nyungwe National Park,Rwanda

Almost all primates experience seasonal fluctuations in the availability of key food sources. However, the degree to which this fluctuation impacts foraging behavior varies considerably. Eastern chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) in Nyungwe National Park, Rwanda, live in a montane forest environment characterized by lower primary productivity and resource diversity than low‐elevation forests. Little is known about chimpanzee feeding ecology in montane forests, and research to date predominantly relies on indirect methods such as fecal analyses. This study is the first to use mostly observational data to examine how seasonal food availability impacts the feeding ecology of montane forest chimpanzees. We examine seasonal changes in chimpanzee diet and fallback foods (FBFs) using instantaneous scan samples and fecal analyses, supported by inspection of feeding remains. Chimpanzee fruit abundance peaked during the major dry season, with a consequent change in chimpanzee diet reflecting the abundance and diversity of key fruit species. Terrestrial herbaceous vegetation was consumed throughout the year and is defined as a “filler” FBF. In contrast to studies conducted in lower‐elevation chimpanzee sites, figs (especially Ficus lutea) were preferred resources, flowers were consumed at seasonally high rates and the proportion of non‐fig fruits in the diet were relatively low in the current study. These divergences likely result from the comparatively low environmental diversity and productivity in higher‐elevation environments.     

Effective use of regional intensive therapy units.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the effectiveness of regional intensive therapy units. DESIGN--Retrospective and prospective study of patients transferred to a regional intensive therapy unit over four years. SETTING--Glasgow regional intensive therapy unit. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Severity of illness was assessed at the time of referral to the unit with the acute physiological and chronic health evaluation (APACHE) scoring system. Mortality was calculated. RESULTS--A significant association was found between increasing duration of illness before transfer and mortality, which was independent of the severity of illness. Mortality also varied depending on the referring hospital. CONCLUSIONS--When transfer of critically ill patients is required this should be done as early as possible to make best use of the services available. The mortality of patients transferred after 10 days casts doubt on whether further aggressive intensive therapy is appropriate.     

Ras-mediated cell cycle arrest is altered by nuclear oncogenes to induce Schwann cell transformation.

The cellular responses to ras and nuclear oncogenes were investigated in purified populations of rat Schwann cells. v-Ha-ras and SV40 large T cooperate to transform Schwann cells, inducing growth in soft agar and allowing proliferation in the absence of added mitogens. Expression of large T alone reduces their growth factor requirements but is insufficient to induce full transformation. In contrast, expression of v-Ha-ras leads to proliferation arrest in Schwann cells expressing a temperature-sensitive mutant of large T at the restrictive temperature. Cells arrest in either the G1 or G2/M phases of the cell cycle, and can re-enter cell division at the permissive temperature even after prolonged periods at the restrictive conditions. Oncogenic ras proteins also inhibit DNA synthesis when microinjected into Schwann cells. Adenovirus E1a and c-myc oncogenes behave similarly to SV40 large T. They cooperate with Ha-ras oncogenes to transform Schwann cells, and prevent ras-induced growth arrest. Thus nuclear oncogenes fundamentally alter the response of Schwann cells to a ras oncogene from cell cycle arrest to transformation.     

Effect of a cold stimulus on the synthesis of uncoupling protein in brown adipose tissue of rats and newborn rabbits

Rats are known to respond to a cold stimulus by increasing the activity and amount of the uncoupling protein in brown adipose tissue. A 48 h cold stimulus was found to increase the synthesis of uncoupling protein 3.g-fold in 4–5 week old rats whereas no change was observed with newborn rabbits. The lack of response in the latter case may reflect a difference between rabbits and rats or that synthesis is already maximal in newborn rabbits.     

Complete nucleotide and derived amino acid sequence of cDNA encoding the mitochondrial uncoupling protein of rat brown adipose tissue: lack of a mitochondrial targeting presequence.

A cDNA clone spanning the entire amino acid sequence of the nuclear-encoded uncoupling protein of rat brown adipose tissue mitochondria has been isolated and sequenced. With the exception of the N-terminal methionine the deduced N-terminus of the newly synthesized uncoupling protein is identical to the N-terminal 30 amino acids of the native uncoupling protein as determined by protein sequencing. This proves that the protein contains no N-terminal mitochondrial targeting prepiece and that a targeting region must reside within the amino acid sequence of the mature protein.     

Experimental approaches to the study of the biogenesis of mammalian mitochondrial proteins

Mitochondrial proteins are synthesized in mitochondria and on cytosolic ribosomes. Several approaches used to establish the site of synthesis and the identity of mitochondrially synthesized proteins are described. These include the specific inhibition of mitochondrial translation by inhibitors or mutation and the specific elimination of cytosolic translation either by using isolated mitochondria or specific inhibitors. Experimental approaches to study the import of proteins into mitochondria are also discussed.     

Patterns of sequence variation in the mitochondrial D-loop region of shrews

Direct sequencing of the mitochondrial displacement loop (D-loop) of shrews (genus Sorex) for the region between the tRNA(Pro) and the conserved sequence block-F revealed variable numbers of 79-bp tandem repeats. These repeats were found in all 19 individuals sequenced, representing three subspecies and one closely related species of the masked shrew group (Sorex cinereus cinereus, S. c. miscix, S. c. acadicus, and S. haydeni) and an outgroup, the pygmy shrew (S. hoyi). Each specimen also possessed an adjacent 76-bp imperfect copy of the tandem repeats. One individual was heteroplasmic for length variants consisting of five and seven copies of the 79-bp tandem repeat. The sequence of the repeats is conducive to the formation of secondary structure. A termination-associated sequence is present in each of the repeats and in a unique sequence region 5' to the tandem array as well. Mean genetic distance between the masked shrew taxa and the pygmy shrew was calculated separately for the unique sequence region, one of the tandem repeats, the imperfect repeat, and these three regions combined. The unique sequence region evolved more rapidly than the tandem repeats or the imperfect repeat. The small genetic distance between pairs of tandem repeats within an individual is consistent with a model of concerted evolution. Repeats are apparently duplicated and lost at a high rate, which tends to homogenize the tandem array. The rate of D- loop sequence divergence between the masked and pygmy shrews is estimated to be 15%-20%/Myr, the highest rate observed in D-loops of mammals. Rapid sequence evolution in shrews may be due either to their high metabolic rate and short generation time or to the presence of variable numbers of tandem repeats.      

The role of microRNAs in the modulation of cancer-associated fibroblasts activity during pancreatic cancer pathogenesis

Journal of Physiology and Biochemistry - Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the deadliest of the common cancers. A major hallmark of PDAC is an abundant and dense fibrotic stroma, the...