Hymenolepis diminuta: Worm loss and worm weight loss in long-term infections of the rat

Infections of one and two Hymenolepis diminuta established in newly weaned rats continued to grow for the duration of the experiment (238 days), whereas infections of 5 worms per rat became asymptotic around Day 55 postinfection and remained at or below this level thereafter as shown by biomass and mean weight per worm measurements. Infections of 50 worms established in newly weaned rats became asymptotic around Day 28 postinfection and thereafter worms were lost from the rats. Initially the biomass fell with the loss of worms, but by Day 56 a new lower biomass persisted for the remainder of the infection period. This level was maintained, despite diminishing numbers of worms, due to the growth of surviving individuals to a weight exceeding the original weight at maturity by a factor of more than 2. Experiments using rats that were mature at the time of infection demonstrated that the same response occurred, but approximately 3 weeks earlier.     

In vitro propagation of mature trees of Alnus incana (L.) Moench.

Mature trees of European grey alder (Alnus incana) were micropropagated on a modified MS medium containing 2.5 M BA, 6.2 mM (500 mg l^-1) NH₄NO₃ and 1.5% glucose. Prior to in vitro culture, mature scions were multiplied through grafting and cutting techniques. Shoot tips from cuttings were established in vitro. After six months of culture, shoots were rooted either in vitro or in vivo and plantlets were transferred to greenhouse conditions.     

Adventitious shoot formation in cultures of 30-year-old Larix decidua,L. leptolepis,L. eurolepis,and L. laricina trees

Primordial shoot explants excised from buds of one Larix decidua tree, about 30 years old, produced more adventitious buds, elongating into shoots, when grown on half strength Litvay medium than when grown on other basal media. Thidiazuron and N₆-benzyladenine (BA) were equally effective in adventitious bud induction. In a comparative study of 30-year-old L. decidua, L. leptolepis, L. eurolepis, and L. laricina trees, explants from L. eurolepis and L. decidua produced a high number of cultures with adventitious buds that elongated into shoots; those from L. leptolepis were less productive, and those from L. laricina failed to form adventitious buds. The highest response was obtained with material collected in August and September, and in March and April; the lowest response occurred in explants from the October collection.     

中蜂处女王性成熟日龄及其交尾习性的探讨

本研究对210只人工培育的出房后1,2,3,4,6,8．10日龄的中蜂处女王受精囊液的pH值进行测定．结果表明,1日龄处女王受精囊液的pH值平均为7．7,2日龄为8．5,从3日龄开始达到最高值8.8．并保持稳定状态,由此判断出房后3日龄的中蜂处女王性已成熟．通过对72只中蜂处女王交尾飞行的观察,结果表明,蜂王交尾日龄多为6-8日．最早为4日龄,最迟为16日龄;处女王认巢飞行持续时间平均为7．4分钟,交尾飞行平均为21．5分钟：处女王连续交尾飞行1-3次,有9只处女王在一天里进行2次交尾飞行．     

Electron microscopy study of viral DNA packaging with lambda head mutants

In a previous study, various intermediates in λ DNA packaging were visualized after lysis of λ-infected cells with osmotic shock and sedimentation through a sucrose formalin cushion onto electron microscope grids. Along this line, a systematic screening for intermediates accumulated in all head mutants available was performed. λA^?-infected cells accumulate only empty spherical protein shells (petit λ) bound at an intermediate point along the DNA thread. In situ digestion experiments with restriction endonuclease EcoRI show that the petit λ-DNA complexes are formed at a fixed point on the DNA concatemer. In $\text{λNu1}{}^{\mathrm{?}}\text{-}\text{infected}$ cells, however, most petit λ was not bound to DNA. In Fec^? cells, which are defective in formation of concatemers but normal in head protein synthesis, most petit λ did not sediment onto the carbon film of the grid. In $\text{D}{}^{\mathrm{?}}$ mutant, petit λ, partially full heads and empty heads with released DNA were observed. λFI^?-infected cells also accumulate petit λ and partially full heads. The present studies suggest that protein pNu1 is required for complex formation between head precursors and DNA concatemers, $\text{p}\text{A}$ for the initiation of DNA packaging, $\text{p}\text{D}$ and $\text{p}\text{F}$I for the promotion of DNA packaging, and $\text{p}\text{D}$ for stabilization of head structures. The results obtained with other head mutants involved in formation of mature proheads and head completion confirm earlier results obtained by different techniques.     

Identification of RNA molecules which contain 5 S ribosomal RNA and transfer RNA in an RNAase E-RNAase P- double mutant strain of Escherichia coli

In the analysis of DNAase II digestion of chromatin, as described in the preceding paper, interactions between adjacent nucleosomes play an important part. In order to understand the mechanism of DNAase II cleavage we next investigated the role of histone H1 in these interactions and characterized the nucleoprotein particles arising in the course of DNAase II action.H1-free chromatin prepared by three different procedures, using either 0.6 m-NaCl, transfer RNA or an ion-exchange resin, can be cleaved by DNAase II only at the internucleosomal cleavage site leading to 200-bp² digestion patterns regardless of the ionic conditions. When H1 was added back to the three chromatin preparations the 100-bp cleavage pattern could be restored only with material prepared by the resin method at low concentrations of salt. Addition of polylysine instead of H1 has the same effect, but only with material prepared by that method. A direct correlation between extended and condensed states of chromatin as monitored by electron microscopy and DNAase II cleavage in the 200 and 100-bp modes, respectively, could be established.The continuity of the nucleosome chains in DNAase II-digested chromatin is maintained in spite of intranucleosomal cleavage in the terminal section of the core DNA, even in the absence of H1. Addition of 3 m-urea, however, disrupts the nucleosome chains at the intranucleosomal cleavage sites and leads to the formation of novel nucleoprotein particles as seen in sucrose gradient centrifugations. Those sedimenting between mononucleosomes and dinucleosomes contain, almost exclusively, DNA of 300 bp (mouse) or 315 bp (chicken erythrocyte). They can be formed from particles sedimenting in the absence of urea in the dinucleosome region by either a dissociation process or a massive conformational change.On the basis of the results presented here and in the preceding paper a mechanism for DNAase II cleavage of chromatin in the 200-bp and 100-bp modes is proposed and discussed in the context of structural features of chromatin recognized by DNAase II.     

Light and electron microscopical study of Nosema eurytremae

A nuclear-polyhedrosis virus (NPV) of the silkworm, Bombyx mori, which forms an icosahedral inclusion body, was transmitted to larvae of the rice stem borer, Chilo suppressalis. Serial passages of Bombyx NPV in the alternate host by injecting the supernatant of diseased hemolymph produced inclusion bodies with cuboidal and other shapes that differed from the original shape formed in Bombyx. These different shapes increased with times of passages, and after the twelfth passage, only cuboidal inclusion bodies were formed. The icosahedral inclusion bodies in B. mori and the cuboidal inclusion bodies in C. suppressalis occluded singly enveloped virions of the same size (350 × 75 nm), but the cuboidal inclusion bodies contained only a few virions and a large number of membraneous spherical structures. The formation process of the cuboidal inclusion body differed from that of the icosahedral. At first, irregularly branched inclusion bodies containing “vacant” spaces appeared in the infected nuclei. The bodies grew larger with the deposition of protein in the spaces between the branches, and this was accompanied with the occlusion of a large number of membraneous structures formed in the vicinity of the inclusion bodies, which became cuboidal in shape.     

Expression of chemerin and its receptors in the ovaries of prepubertal and mature gilts

Recent studies have demonstrated that chemerin participates in the regulation of female reproductive function at the level of the ovaries. Due to the lack of data concerning the presence of the chemerin system (chemerin and its receptors: CMKLR1, GPR1, CCRL2) in the ovaries of pigs, one of the most economically important livestock species, the aim of this study was to investigate the expression and localization of chemerin and its receptors in the ovaries of prepubertal and mature gilts. We also aimed to examine the concentrations of chemerin in the follicular fluid of prepubertal and mature animals. In the present study, we have demonstrated the expression patterns of chemerin system components in the porcine follicles of different sizes of prepubertal and mature animals, as well as in corpora lutea of mature gilts during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy. The obtained results suggest that the expression of chemerin system components is influenced by the reproductive stage, cell type, and the hormonal status of gilts (the estrous cycle/pregnancy). We have also presented the localization of the chemerin system components in various ovarian structures, and also showed changes in the concentration of chemerin in the follicular fluid of pigs. The presented findings not only confirm that chemerin is produced locally in the porcine ovary but they also demonstrate that chemerin directly affects ovarian cells, as confirmed by the presence of chemerin receptors in all ovarian structures. Therefore, chemerin appears to be an important intra‐ovarian factor that could regulate ovary function in pigs.