Selection analysis on the rapid evolution of a secondary sexual trait

Evolutionary analyses of population translocations (experimental or accidental) have been important in demonstrating speed of evolution because they subject organisms to abrupt environmental changes that create an episode of selection. However, the strength of selection in such studies is rarely measured, limiting our understanding of the evolutionary process. This contrasts with long-term, mark–recapture studies of unmanipulated populations that measure selection directly, yet rarely reveal evolutionary change. Here, we present a study of experimental evolution of male colour in Trinidadian guppies where we tracked both evolutionary change and individual-based measures of selection. Guppies were translocated from a predator-rich to a low-predation environment within the same stream system. We used a combination of common garden experiments and monthly sampling of individuals to measure the phenotypic and genetic divergence of male coloration between ancestral and derived fish. Results show rapid evolutionary increases in orange coloration in both populations (1 year or three generations), replicating the results of previous studies. Unlike previous studies, we linked this evolution to an individual-based analysis of selection. By quantifying individual reproductive success and survival, we show, for the first time, that males with more orange and black pigment have higher reproductive success, but males with more black pigment also have higher risk of mortality. The net effect of selection is thus an advantage of orange but not black coloration, as reflected in the evolutionary response. This highlights the importance of considering all components of fitness when understanding the evolution of sexually selected traits in the wild.     

Antide-induced suppression of pituitary gonadotropin and ovarian steroid secretion in cynomolgus monkeys: premature luteolysis and prolonged inhibition of folliculogenesis following single treatment

Administration of high-dose Antide to ovariectomized monkeys results in rapid, prolonged, and reversible inhibition of gonadotropin secretion. The present study examined whether similar long-term control would be manifested in the menstrual cycle of intact primates. Antide administration at a dose of either 3.0 or 18.0 mg/kg induced rapid suppression of bioassayable LH concentrations, precipitating a concurrent fall in serum progesterone concentrations from 7.9 +/- 3.6 and 5.8 +/- 1.0 ng/ml (mean +/- SEM) on the day of injection to 0.6 +/- 0.2 and 0.5 +/- 0.1 ng/ml by 2 days post-treatment, respectively. This Antide-induced luteolysis was accompanied by the premature onset of menses within 3 days. The next menses following Antide administration was delayed. Ultimately, folliculogenesis culminating in normal follicular-phase estradiol production, ovulation, and subsequent normal luteal-phase progesterone production did occur in all treated monkeys. Menses resumed 54 +/- 9 and 75 +/- 13 days after treatment with 3.0 and 18.0 mg/kg Antide, respectively. No allergic cutaneous or peripheral reactions were seen, even at the highest dose of Antide. Thus, the long duration of action of high-dose Antide reported earlier in ovariectomized monkeys is also demonstrated in intact primates. These findings, along with the apparent absence of histamine-release effects even at high doses, suggest that Antide is a GnRH antagonist deserving clinical evaluation.     

A preliminary investigation of prediction of mean arterial pressure after self-regulatory treatments.

This study investigated the ability of pretreatment variables from three different domains (social-demographic, psychological, and psychophysiological) to predict posttreatment mean arterial pressure (MAP) for 59 unmedicated males with mild hypertension who were participating in a cross-cultural (USA-USSR) comparison of autogenic training and thermal biofeedback to a self-relaxation control. The overall multiple regression equation consisted of two variables and indicated that higher diastolic blood pressures during a cold pressor task were predictive of greater MAP reductions while higher scores on the Irritability subscale of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Scale were predictive of less MAP reductions. Suggestions for future research in this area are provided.     

Organization of voluntary movement.

There have recently been a number of advances in our knowledge of the organization of complex, multi-joint movements. Promising starts have been made in our understanding of how the motor system translates information about the location of external targets into motor commands encoded in a body-based coordinate system. Two simplifying strategies for trajectory control that are discussed are parallel specification of response features and the programming of equilibrium trajectories. New insights have also been gained into how neural systems process sensory information to plan and assist with task performance. A number of recent papers emphasize the feedforward use of sensory input, which is mediated through models of the external world, the body's physical plant, and the task structure. These models exert their influence at both reflex and higher levels and permit the preparation of predictive default parameters of trajectories as well as strategies for resolving task demands.     

Energy Return on Investment (EROI) for Forty Global Oilfields Using a Detailed Engineering-Based Model of Oil Production

Studies of the energy return on investment (EROI) for oil production generally rely on aggregated statistics for large regions or countries. In order to better understand the drivers of the energy productivity of oil production, we use a novel approach that applies a detailed field-level engineering model of oil and gas production to estimate energy requirements of drilling, producing, processing, and transporting crude oil. We examine 40 global oilfields, utilizing detailed data for each field from hundreds of technical and scientific data sources. Resulting net energy return (NER) ratios for studied oil fields range from ≈2 to ≈100 MJ crude oil produced per MJ of total fuels consumed. External energy return (EER) ratios, which compare energy produced to energy consumed from external sources, exceed 1000:1 for fields that are largely self-sufficient. The lowest energy returns are found to come from thermally-enhanced oil recovery technologies. Results are generally insensitive to reasonable ranges of assumptions explored in sensitivity analysis. Fields with very large associated gas production are sensitive to assumptions about surface fluids processing due to the shifts in energy consumed under different gas treatment configurations. This model does not currently include energy invested in building oilfield capital equipment (e.g., drilling rigs), nor does it include other indirect energy uses such as labor or services.     

In Vitro Intracellular Trafficking of Virulence Antigen during Infection by Yersinia pestis

Yersinia pestis, the causative agent of plague, encodes several essential virulence factors on a 70 kb plasmid, including the Yersinia outer proteins (Yops) and a multifunctional virulence antigen (V). V is uniquely able to inhibit the host immune response; aid in the expression, secretion, and injection of the cytotoxic Yops via a type III secretion system (T3SS)-dependent mechanism; be secreted extracellularly; and enter the host cell by a T3SS-independent mechanism, where its activity is unknown. To elucidate the intracellular trafficking and target(s) of V, time-course experiments were performed with macrophages (MΦs) infected with Y. pestis or Y. pseudotuberculosis at intervals from 5 min to 6 h. The trafficking pattern was discerned from results of parallel microscopy, immunoblotting, and flow cytometry experiments. The MΦs were incubated with fluorescent or gold conjugated primary or secondary anti-V (antibodies [Abs]) in conjunction with organelle-associated Abs or dyes. The samples were observed for co-localization by immuno-fluorescence and electron microscopy. For fractionation studies, uninfected and infected MΦs were lysed and subjected to density gradient centrifugation coupled with immunoblotting with Abs to V or to organelles. Samples were also analyzed by flow cytometry after lysis and dual-staining with anti-V and anti-organelle Abs. Our findings indicate a co-localization of V with (1) endosomal proteins between 10–45 min of infection, (2) lysosomal protein(s) between 1–2 h of infection, (3) mitochondrial proteins between 2.5–3 h infection, and (4) Golgi protein(s) between 4–6 h of infection. Further studies are being performed to determine the specific intracellular interactions and role in pathogenesis of intracellularly localized V.     

Rapid determination of substrate specificity of Clostridium histolyticum beta-collagenase using an immobilized peptide library.

The molecular basis of the substrate specificity of Clostridium histolyticum beta-collagenase was investigated using a combinatorial method. An immobilized positional peptide library, which contains 24,000 sequences, was constructed with a 7-hydroxycoumarin-4-propanoyl (Cop) fluorescent group attached at the N terminus of each sequence. This immobilized peptide library was incubated with C. histolyticum beta-collagenase, releasing fluorogenic fragments in the solution phase. The relative substrate specificity (k(cat)/K(m)) for each member of the library was determined by measuring fluorescence intensity in the solution phase. Edman sequencing was used to assign structure to subsites of active substrate mixtures. Collectively, the substrate preference for subsites (P(3)-P(4)') of C. histolyticum beta-collagenase was determined. The last position on the C-terminal side in which the identity of the amino acids affects the activity of the enzyme is P(4)', and an aromatic side chain is preferred in this position. The optimal P(1)'-P(3)' extended substrate sequence is P(1)'-Gly/Ala, P(2)'-Pro/Xaa, and P(3)'-Lys/Arg/Pro/Thr/Ser. The Cop group in either the P(2) or P(3) position is required for a high substrate activity with C. histolyticum beta-collagenase. S(2) and S(3) sites of the protease play a dominant role in fixing the substrate specificity. The immobilized peptide library proved to be a powerful approach for assessing the substrate specificity of C. histolyticum beta-collagenase, so it may be applied to the study of other proteases of interest.