Type Specimens of Conopidae (Diptera) in the Collection of the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences,St. Petersburg

Entomological Review - A catalog of the type specimens of Conopidae (Diptera) described by Th. Becker and L.V. Zimina and deposited in the Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences in...     

The conduction of protons in different stereoisomers of dioxolane-linked gramicidin A channels

Two different stereoisomers of the dioxolane-linked gramicidin A (gA) channels were individually synthesized (the SS and RR dimers;. Science. 244:813-817). The structural differences between these dimers arise from different chiralities within the dioxolane linker. The SS dimer mimics the helicity and the inter- and intramolecular hydrogen bonding of the monomer-monomer association of gA's. In contrast, there is a significant disruption of the helicity and hydrogen bonding pattern of the ion channel in the RR dimer. Single ion channels formed by the SS and RR dimers in planar lipid bilayers have different proton transport properties. The lipid environment in which the different dimers are reconstituted also has significant effects on single-channel proton conductance (g(H)). g(H) in the SS dimer is about 2-4 times as large as in the RR. In phospholipid bilayers with 1 M [H(+)](bulk), the current-voltage (I-V) relationship of the SS dimer is sublinear. Under identical experimental conditions, the I-V plot of the RR dimer is supralinear (S-shaped). In glycerylmonooleate bilayers with 1 M [H(+)](bulk), both the SS and RR dimers have a supralinear I-V plot. Consistent with results previously published (. Biophys. J. 73:2489-2502), the SS dimer is stable in lipid bilayers and has fast closures. In contrast, the open state of the RR channel has closed states that can last a few seconds, and the channel eventually inactivates into a closed state in either phospholipid or glycerylmonooleate bilayers. It is concluded that the water dynamics inside the pore as related to proton wire transfer is significantly different in the RR and SS dimers. Different physical mechanisms that could account for this hypothesis are discussed. The gating of the synthetic gA dimers seems to depend on the conformation of the dioxolane link between gA's. The experimental results provide an important framework for a detailed investigation at the atomic level of proton conduction in different and relatively simple ion channel structures.     

On two species of Diptera described by I. A. Portschinsky in 1876

In 1876 I.A. Portschinsky described two species of Diptera: Urellia muscipora Portschinsky (Tephritidae) and Phlebotomus grimmi Portschinsky (Psychodidae–Phlebotominae). The former name is a senior synonym of Goniurellia tridens (Hendel, 1910), but it was not used as a valid name since 1876 and should be rejected according to Articles 23.9.1.1 and 23.9.1.2 of the ICZN. The name Phlebotomus grimmi was in use in 1926–1984 as a valid name and as a senior synonym of Ph. sergenti Parrot, 1917 or Ph. caucasicus Marzinovsky, 1917. It is necessary to appeal to the International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature to establish the status of Phlebotomus grimmi Portschinsky, 1876.     

Protocol of a prospective study on the diagnostic value of transcranial duplex scanning of the substantia nigra in patients with parkinsonian symptoms

Background  

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. As there is no definitive diagnostic test, its diagnosis is based on clinical criteria. Recently transcranial duplex scanning (TCD) of the substantia nigra in the brainstem has been proposed as an instrument to diagnose PD. We and others have found that TCD scanning of substantia nigra duplex is a relatively accurate diagnostic instrument in patients with parkinsonian symptoms. However, all studies on TCD so far have involved well-defined, later-stage PD patients, which will obviously lead to an overestimate of the diagnostic accuracy of TCD.     

Grass-fly larvae (Diptera,Chloropidae): Diversity,habitats, and feeding specializations

The fly family Chloropidae belongs to the higher Diptera series Acalyptratae. It is distributed worldwide and globally comprises 200 genera and about 3000 species in 4 subfamilies: Oscinellinae, Siphonellopsinae, Rhodesiellinae, and Chloropinae. In the fossil record, Chloropidae are known since the Oligocene, with 2 genera found in Baltic amber: one extinct, the other recent. The family includes several important agricultural pests (frit flies, gout flies, Meromyza, seed pests) which injure corn. The feeding preferences of chloropid larvae vary strongly: there are saprophages in the broad sense, true phytophages using both woody and grassy plants (mainly monocots), predators on egg masses of insects and spiders, as well as on scale insects and aphids, and ectoparasites of frogs. Among the 100 families of monocots (Liliopsida), only 11 include species serving as food plants for chloropid larvae. The greatest diversity of habitats and feeding types is observed in the subfamily Oscinellinae. The most advanced subfamily Chloropinae includes mostly phytophagous larvae. A possible scenario of ecological evolution within the family is briefly discussed.     

Genomic organization and chromosomal localization of three members of the UDP-N-acetylgalactosamine: polypeptide N- acetylgalactosaminyltransferase family

A homologous family of UDP- N -acetylgalactosamine: polypeptide N - acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GalNAc-transferases) initiate O- glycosylation. These transferases share overall amino acid sequence similarities of approximately 45-50%, but segments with higher similarities of approximately 80% are found in the putative catalytic domain. Here we have characterized the genomic organization of the coding regions of three GalNAc-transferase genes and determined their chromosomal localization. The coding regions of GALNT1 , -T2 , and -T3 were found to span 11, 16, and 10 exons, respectively. Several intron/exon boundaries were conserved within the three genes. One conserved boundary was shared in a homologous C. elegans GalNAc- transferase gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed that GALNT1 , -T2 , and -T3 are localized at chromosomes 18q12-q21, 1q41-q42, and 2q24-q31, respectively. These results suggest that the members of the polypeptide GalNAc-transferase family diverged early in evolution from a common ancestral gene through gene duplication.      

Assemblages of dipterans (Diptera) in burrows of the European pine vole Microtus ( Terricola ) subterraneus Sel.-Long. in the “Les na Vorskle (Forest on the Vorskla River)” Nature Reserve (Belgorod Province)

Six species of bothrobiontic flies of 3 families (Phoridae, Helomyzidae, and Sphaeroceridae) were recorded from nests of the European pine vole Microtus (Terricola) subterraneus Sel.-Long. in Belgorod Province (“Forest on the Vorskla River” Nature Reserve). Four species are recorded in the fauna of Russia for the first time. Original Russian Text ? V.A. Krivokhatsky, E.P. Nartshuk, 2007, published in Entomologicheskoe Obozrenie, 2007, Vol. 86, No. 1, pp. 100–103.