Influence of fish size on proliferation and differentiation of cultured myosatellite cells of white axial muscle of carp (Cyprinus carpio L.)

Abstract. The in vitro proliferation [uptake of 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU)] and the degree of differentiation (presence of desmin) of myosatellite cells isolated from white axial muscle of carp between 3 cm and 27 cm standard length (SL) were examined 17 h after isolation. The fraction of the myosatellite cells that were both desmin positive and BrdU positive never exceeded 2% of the total number of isolated myosatellite cells, irrespective of the standard length of the donor(s). This indicates that, for carp, the temporal relationship between replication and desmin expression of myosatellite cells is different from that described for myogenic cells of mammals and birds. The percentage of BrdU positive myosatellite cells was significantly correlated with standard length: it increased from 10% for carp of about 5 cm SL to 40–50% for carp between 20 cm and 27 cm SL. The percentage of desmin positive myosatellite cells was about 50–60%; it was not significantly correlated with standard length. The percentage of myosatellite cells that were both BrdU negative and desmin negative showed a stepwise difference in this percentage with increasing length. Fish smaller than 10 cm SL, had more of these cells (10–40%), than larger fish (which had 0–12%). So, apparently the composition of the myosatellite cell population changes during growth. The low percentage of proliferating cells, and the relatively high percentage of differentiated (desmin positive) myosatellite cells obtained from 3–6 cm large carp, suggests that, in these small fish, muscle growth strongly depends on the use of a pool of myogenic cells that has been formed at an earlier stage of their development.     

Genetic mapping of the gene for androgen-binding protein/sex hormone-binding globulin to mouse chromosome 11

Southern blot analysis of DNAs from Chinese hamster x mouse and rat x mouse somatic cell hybrids showed that the mouse gene encoding androgen-binding protein/sex hormone-binding globulin (ABP-SHBG) is on Chromosome 11. Progeny from an intersubspecies backcross were analyzed to position this locus, termed Shbg, between Il-3 and Int-4 in the middle of this chromosome. Shbg is thus closely linked to several neurological mutations, one of which, Tr, is also associated with male sterility. The recent finding that ABP-SHBG is found throughout the rat brain raises the possibility that one of these mutations may be due to a defect in Shbg.     

Field test of an automated radio‐telemetry system: tracking local space use of aerial insectivores

Documenting local space use of birds that move rapidly, but are too small to carry GPS tags, such as swallows and swifts, can be challenging. For these species, tracking methods such as manual radio‐telemetry and visual observation are either inadequate or labor‐ and time‐intensive. Another option is use of an automated telemetry system, but equipment for such systems can be costly when many receivers are used. Our objective, therefore, was to determine if an automated radio‐telemetry system, consisting of just two receivers, could provide an alternative to manual tracking for gathering data on local space use of six individuals of three species of aerial insectivores, including one Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), one Eastern Phoebe (Sayornis phoebe), and four Barn Swallows (Hirundo rustica). We established automated radio‐telemetry systems at three sites near the city of Peterborough in eastern Ontario, Canada, from May to August 2015. We evaluated the location error of our two‐receiver system using data from moving and stationary test transmitters at known locations, and used telemetry data from the aerial insectivores as a test of the system's ability to track rapidly moving birds under field conditions. Median location error was ~250 m for automated telemetry test locations after filtering. More than 90% of estimated locations had large location errors and were removed from analysis, including all locations > 1 km from receiver stations. Our automated telemetry receivers recorded 17,634 detections of the six radio‐tagged birds. However, filtering removed an average of 89% of bird location estimates, leaving only the Cliff Swallow with enough locations for analysis of space use. Our results demonstrate that a minimal automated radio‐telemetry system can be used to assess local space use by small, highly mobile birds, but the resolution of the data collected using only two receiver stations was coarse and had a limited range. To improve both location accuracy and increase the percentage of usable location estimates collected, we suggest that, in future studies, investigators use receivers that simultaneously record signals detected by all antennas, and use of a minimum of three receiver stations with more antennas at each station.     

Comparison of microridges in juvenile and adult sunfish,Lepomis gibbosus

Microridges are F-actin-based surface protrusions of the superficial layer cells of fish epidermis. Microridge patterns progress in complexity during fish embryogenesis, often transitioning from abundant surface microvilli to the classical fingerprint arrangement. This progression suggests pattern changes may also occur during later stages of fish development. Fluorescent labelling of F-actin and morphometric analysis were therefore used to assess changes in epidermal microridge patterns in juvenile and adult sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus). The microridge patterns found in adult pumpkinseed were similar to that described for many fishes, consisting of whorls or complex multi-branched ridges. The microridge patterns of the scales from three different-sized groups of juvenile pumpkinseed were distinctly different from that of adult, however, and were present mainly as unbranched concentric or nearly concentric rings in the two larger juvenile groups. In the smallest juveniles, microridges were often apparent as fragmented ridges with abundant actin puncta. Larger juveniles sometimes displayed mixed patterns, with some microridges similar to that of both adult and juvenile patterns. The results show a transition from simple microridge patterns in juvenile pumpkinseeds to distinctly different, diverse and more complex patterns in adults. The different pattern types may reflect particular microridge functions relevant to fish size and age.     

Determinants of expression variability

The amount of tissue-specific expression variability (EV) across individuals is an essential characteristic of a gene and believed to have evolved, in part, under functional constraints. However, the determinants and functional implications of EV are only beginning to be investigated. Our analyses based on multiple expression profiles in 41 primary human tissues show that a gene’s EV is significantly correlated with a number of features pertaining to the genomic, epigenomic, regulatory, polymorphic, functional, structural and network characteristics of the gene. We found that (i) EV of a gene is encoded, in part, by its genomic context and is further influenced by the epigenome; (ii) strong promoters induce less variable expression; (iii) less variable gene loci evolve under purifying selection against copy number polymorphisms; (iv) genes that encode inherently disordered or highly interacting proteins exhibit lower variability; and (v) genes with less variable expression are enriched for house-keeping functions, while genes with highly variable expression tend to function in development and extra-cellular response and are associated with human diseases. Thus, our analysis reveals a number of potential mediators as well as functional and evolutionary correlates of EV, and provides new insights into the inherent variability in eukaryotic gene expression.