Temperature gradient gel electrophoresis: detection of a single base substitution in the cattle β-lactoglobulin gene

An A in equilibrium with G transition in exon III is known to differentiate alleles A and B of the cattle beta-lactoglobulin (BLG) gene. A BLG exon III fragment containing the transition site was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction. Temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TGGE) was then used to detect this transition and hence to genotype cattle: the AT base-pair in allele A was readily distinguished from the GC base-pair of allele B. TGGE can be used to detect any single base-pair substitution, and thus is a powerful method of detecting genetic variability.     

NEST BUILDING AND NESTING BEHAVIOUR OF THE SOCIABLE WEAVER PHILETAIRUS SOCIUS

The behaviour of the Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius was studied briefly in South Africa in 1969, and more extensively in aviaries in southern California for over three years (1972-75). The species was bred successfully in captivity, apparently for the first time. Building of the compound nest in nature is reviewed in the light of preceding accounts, both by ourselves and by others. The optimal preference for nest materials was experimentally determined. Male and female appear identical and there seems to have been no previous detailed account of the behaviour of Sociable Weavers based on distinctively colour-ringed individuals of known sex. Among the sex differences in behaviour are the amount and nature of building, dominance, malespecific song, and sex differences in relative share of incubation and in the care of nestlings and fledglings. In addition, we describe in detail for the first time certain rarely observed behavioural acts including precopulatory courtship and copulation. Allopreening and water bathing are very rare in this species, and the birds do not take dust baths.     

BOTANICAL BRIEFING: The Function and Metabolism of Ascorbic Acid in Plants

Ascorbate is a major metabolite in plants. It is an antioxidantand, in association with other components of the antioxidantsystem, protects plants against oxidative damage resulting fromaerobic metabolism, photosynthesis and a range of pollutants.Recent approaches, using mutants and transgenic plants, areproviding evidence for a key role for the ascorbate–glutathionecycle in protecting plants against oxidative stress. Ascorbateis also a cofactor for some hydroxylase enzymes (e.g. prolylhydroxylase) and violaxanthin de-epoxidase. The latter enzymelinks ascorbate to the photoprotective xanthophyll cycle. Arole in regulating photosynthetic electron transport has beenproposed. The biosynthetic pathway of ascorbate in plants hasnot been identified and evidence for the proposed pathways isreviewed. Ascorbate occurs in the cell wall where it is a firstline of defence against ozone. Cell wall ascorbate and cellwall-localized ascorbate oxidase (AO) have been implicated incontrol of growth. High AO activity is associated with rapidlyexpanding cells and a model which links wall ascorbate and ascorbateoxidase to cell wall extensibility is presented. Ascorbate hasalso been implicated in regulation of cell division by influencingprogression from G1 to S phase of the cell cycle. There is aneed to increase our understanding of this enigmatic moleculesince it could be involved in a wide range of important functionsfrom antioxidant defence and photosynthesis to growth regulation. Ascorbic acid; ascorbate oxidase; cell division; cell wall; growth; oxidative stress; photosynthesis; ozone; vitamin C     

Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus in Scotland - demography of a declining population

Capercaillie Tetrao urogallus numbers declined in Scottish forests between 1992 and 1997, although the rate (mean 16% per year, 95% CL 1–30%) differed among forests. Hens declined more quickly than cocks despite the sex ratio in chicks favouring females. A probable explanation is that adult cocks lived longer. Juvenile survival was less than adult survival, largely because juveniles were more likely to die from hitting fences. Although poor reproduction was probably the main cause of the decline, this might not have occurred had fence strikes been substantially fewer.     

Advances in endophenotyping schizophrenia

The search for the genetic architecture of schizophrenia has employed multiple, often converging strategies. One such strategy entails the use of tracing the heritability and neurobiology of endophenotypes. Endophenotypes are quantifiable traits not visible to the eye, which are thought to reflect an intermediate place on the path from genes to disorder. Endophenotype abnormalities in domains such as neurophysiology or neurocognition occur in schizophrenia patients as well as their clinically “unaffected” relatives, and reflect polymorphisms in the DNA of schizophrenia spectrum subjects which create vulnerability to developing schizophrenia. By identifying the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with endophenotypes in schizophrenia, psychiatric neuroscientists can select new strong inference based molecular targets for the treatment of schizophrenia.