Proteolytic system in Babesia hylomysci

• 1.1. Babesia hylomysci has an aminopeptidase and an acid endoprotease
• 2.2. The amino-peptidase has properties very similar to the aminopeptidase in Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis and P. chabaudi.
• 3.3. The acid endoprotease is specific towards haemoglobin and practically has no action on bovine serum albumin.
• 4.4. In mouse normal red blood cells we find an acid protease having physico-chemical properties similar to the enzyme present in B. hylomysci extracts.
• 5.5. The similarity of electrophoretic velocity between acid protease in B. hylomysci and non-infected red blood cells leads us to think that the acid protease of parasitic extracts comes from the host-cell.
• 6.6. The proteolytic system of Babesia and Plasmodium are similar.

     

Breast,hips, and buttocks revisited: Honest fatness for honest fitness

This paper comments on: Low, B. S., Alexander, R. D., and Noonan, K.M. Human hips, breast, and buttocks: Is fat deceptive? Ethology and Sociobiology 8: 249-247, 1987. In it I argue that:

• 1.1. Sexual selection has probably not been the most important selection pressure on
• 2.female human body shape.
• 3.2. Male humans in different cultures find different aspects of the female body attractive
• 4.and therefore are unlikely to have exerted consistent directional sexual selection on
• 5.the female body.
• 6.3. Breast size is not correlated with lactation success.
• 7.4. Visible hip width is not correlated with parturition success.
• 8.5. Women would lower their fitness if they tried to deceive men about their internal
• 9.pelvic dimensions.
• 10.6. There are many alternative hypothesis to explain the existence of fat onwomen's
• 11.breast, hips, and buttocks.

     

Electrophysiological and metabolic responses of the isolated teleost retina to changes in po2, and temperature

• 1.1. Comparisons of electrophysiological responses (ERG) were made between two different in vitro preparations of teleost retina.
• 2.2. The ERG was independent of temperature over the normal environmental range.
• 3.3. The Q₁₀ demonstrated temperature independence between 5 and 20°C.
• 4.4. The electrical response of the isolated retina was found to be independent of partial pressures of oxygen at levels above 250 mm Hg.

     

Purification and characterization of hatching enzyme of the pike (Esox lucius)

• 1.1. A choriolytic enzyme was isolated from the hatching medium of the pike, Esox lucius.
• 2.2. The enzyme is defined as hatching enzyme.
• 3.3. The molecular weight of the enzyme is 24,000.
• 4.4. The enzyme is a glycoprotein containing 2% carbohydrate.
• 5.5. Its isoelectric point is 6.5.
• 6.6. The pH optimum is around pH 8.
• 7.7. The enzyme molecule contains two disulfide bonds but no free cysteine.
• 8.8. Inhibitor studies and metal analysis show that the enzyme is a zinc-metalloprotease.

     

Heart rate and its cholinergic control in the sole (Solea vulgaris), acclimatized to different temperatures

• 1.1. The effects of thermal acclimatization at 10 and 24°C on heart rate were investigated on unrestrained soles (Solea vulgaris).
• 2.2. The sensitivity of heart rate to temperature changes induced by temperature acclimatization was higher in cold-acclimatized than in warm-acclimatized soles.
• 3.3. Heart rate of cold-acclimatized fish to temperature changes was not affected by blocking the vagal tone with atropine.
• 4.4. After atropine treatment the ability of heart rate to show thermal compensation decreased in warm-acclimatized soles.
• 5.5. It is suggested that the vagus nerve can function differently at different temperatures.

     

Temperature acclimatization in the filtering rates and oxygen consumption of Daphnia ambigua scourfield

• 1.1. Filtering rates and oxygen consumption were measured in the field on a wild population of the fresh-water limnetic cladoceran Daphnia ambigua.
• 2.2. Filtering rates increased with increasing body size and were significantly affected by environmental temperature.
• 3.3. Oxygen consumption increased with increasing body size; there was no significant difference among b values determined at different environmental temperatures but bs were highest at low temperatures. decreased progressively at higher temperatures and increased at the highest temperatures.
• 4.4. Temperature significantly affected the rate of oxygen consumption.
• 5.5. Both filtering rates and oxygen consumption evidenced classical translation to the left in cold-acclimatized animals. An environmental temperature near 12°C apparently separates warm- and cold-acclimatization processes.

     

Agaricus bisporus tyrosinase—II. Characterization of hydroxylase and dehydrogenase activities

• 1.1. Preparative Isoelectric focusing (PIEF) was used to isolate hydroxylasic and dehydrogenasic activities, at different pI.
• 2.2. The fraction at pI 4.7 and 4.9 displays a pure dehydrogenase activity (substrate l-DOPA).
• 3.3. This fraction did not react with tyrosine, either in the spot-test or in absorption spectra (200–620 nm), and did not exhibit any oxygen consumption.
• 4.4. The fraction at pI 4.1 and 4.3 reacted with both l-DOPA and tyrosine as substrate, showing dehydrogenase and hydroxylase activity.
• 5.5. The latter activity was confirmed by the oxygen consumption test, showing that molecular oxygen is used to ortho-hydroxylate tyrosine.

     

The effect of myo-inositol on the ability of Ditylenchus dipsaci,D. myceliophagus and Anguina tritici to survive desiccation

• 1.1. The effect of myo-inositol on the ability of three species of nematodes to survive desiccation has been studied.
• 2.2. Survival rates obtained from worms treated with an inositol bathing medium were compared with survival rates of worms treated with distilled or tapwater media.
• 3.3. Highest survival rates were found in those nematodes that were placed in an inositol solution prior to desiccation.
• 4.4. Tapwater facilitated higher revival rates than did distilled water in both D. dipsaci and D. myceliophagous.
• 5.5. No such differences were found for A. tritici.
• 6.6. The results are discussed in relation to the possible mechanisms of protection afforded by the different bathing media.

     

Isolation of dna and rna from Streptococcus sobrinus OMZ176 using CsTFA gradients

• 1.1. A simple procedure for isolation of high molecular weight genomic DNA, and RNA, from Streptococcus sobrinus OMZ176 is described.
• 2.2. Cell cultures were grown aerobically for 10 hr.
• 3.3. Spheroplast formation and lysis was achieved by mutanolysin/lysozyme-dependent digestion of the cell wall, followed by N-lauroylsarcosinate-mediated lysis.
• 4.4. Nucleic acids were isolated directly from cell-lysates using cesium-trifluoroacetate (CsTFA) densitygradient centrifugation.
• 5.5. Three different centrifugation regimes were tested: self-generated density gradients in a fixed angle rotor; self-generated density-gradients in a swinging-bucket rotor; pre-formed density-gradients in a swinging-bucket rotor.
• 6.6. Genomic DNA isolated by the CsTFA-procedure was found to have higher purity as compared to genomic DNA isolated in a conventional CsCl gradient.
• 7.7. Isolated DNA was shown to be of a quality suitable for applications in molecular biology.

     

Lipoxygenase of Thermoactinomyces vulgaris,purification and characterization of reaction products

• 1.1. A lipoxygenase preparation was obtained from Thermoactinomyces vulgaris and was purified by affinity chromatography on a linoleyl aminoethyl sepharose column.
• 2.2. Two active fractions were obtained.
• 3.3. The fraction obtained by elution with 100 mM borate buffer pH 9.0 was used in the subsequent work.
• 4.4. Th. vulgaris lipoxygenase oxidized linoleic acid into two products: 13-HPOD and 9-HPOD at a ratio of 44 to 56, respectively.
• 5.5. The identification and characterization of the isomers was done by HPLC, I.R. and mass spectrometry.
• 6.6. When arachidonic acid was used as substrate, 15-HPETE and 15-HETE were found to be the main enzymatic products.

     

Monoclonal antibodies prepared against heparin lyase I and their reactivity toward heparin lyase I,II and III

• 1.1. Six different monoclonal IgG mouse antibodies to heparin lyase I from Flavobacterium heparinum were prepared.
• 2.2. The monoclonal antibodies were used to detect heparin lyases I, II and III by dot-blotting immunoassay and by Western blotting.
• 3.3. Individual antibodies showed different reactivity toward the three heparin lyases.
• 4.4. The reactivity of two of the monoclonal antibodies was destroyed by exposing heparin lyases to sodium dodecyl sulfate.
• 5.5. The antibodies can be used to rapidly distinguish between the three heparin lyases.

     

The composition of the skin surface lipids of European cattle and buffalo steers

• 1.1. This study compared the composition of the skin surface lipids (SSL) of cattle (Bos taurus) and of buffalo (Bubalis bubalis) steers at the same level of feed intake in a thermoneutral environment.
• 2.2. There was about eight times less lipid per unit area of skin surface on the buffalo than on cattle.
• 3.3. The distribution of the different lipid classes in the SSL of the two breeds was different. Compared to cattle, the buffalo SSL was characterized by smaller proportions of wax ester bands 2 and 3 and triglycerides.
• 4.4. There were significant species differences in the fatty acid patterns of the individual lipid classes.
• 5.5. The results are discussed in relation to the functional attributes of sebum.

     

Genetic diversity in horses inferred from distribution of hemotypes—II. Genetic structure of mixed breed population

• 1.1. Fifteen populations of 10 horse breeds ranging from 110 to 2232 individuals yielded 61 phenotypes of electrophoretic variants at six blood loci.
• 2.2. The numbers of different hemotypes varied from 79 to 239, and the ratios of number of individuals to number of hemotypes varied from 1.38 to 9.34.
• 3.3. The genetic structure of the pooled mixed breed population comprising 11,393 individuals disclosed features similar to those of the least diversified component breeds.
• 4.4. The mean ratio of n individuals to n hemotypes was 11.33.
• 5.5. This figure represents a first direct attempt to estimate the individual genetic diversity in horses.

     

Induction kinetics of immune antibacterial proteins in pupae of Galleria mellonella and Pieris brassicae

• 1.1. Pupae of Galleria mellonella and Pieris brassicae given an injection with live, non-pathogenic Enterobacter cloacae or abiotic foreign molecules induce an acquired immunity that corresponds with the synthesis of haemolymph proteins of antibacterial activity.
• 2.2. This humoral defensive response which persists for several days, differs quantitatively between insect species and between the inducers used, although very different foreign bodies induced the same immune proteins in both lepidopteran insects.
• 3.3. A stronger and longer lasting response was consistently noticed in pupae immunized with non-pathogenic bacterium than after sterile nutrient broth injections.
• 4.4. A demonstrably elevated activity of haemolymph lysozyme and trace activity of cecropins found in pupae of Galleria treated with saline W, a salt solution physiological to moths, disappear soon after 36 hr from injection.
• 5.5. In P. brassicae, however, sterile insect Ringer can give a varying, if present at all, immune response.
• 6.6. A mechanical injury (sterile wounding of insect body) can occasionally induce a similar but much weaker response.
• 7.7. The antibacterial activity was drastically reduced in Pieris or completely depressed in most pupae of Galleria when actinomycin D or cycloheximide was given at an early time post-immunization with E. cloacae.
• 8.8. It is concluded that the de novo synthesis of ribonucleic acid and immune proteins is required for expression of antibacterial activity in pupal haemolymphs.
• 9.9. The synthesis of an immune mRNA was completed about 7 hr after the injection of the immunizing bacteria.

     

Blood lipids of the small octopus,Octopus tehuelchus (mollusca,cephalopoda) at different stages of sexual maturation

• 1.1. The lipid and fatty acid composition from the plasma and hemocytes in Octopus tehuelchus at different stages of sexual development, was determined.
• 2.2. The highest content of lipids was found in females engaged in egg development, and the lowest in post-spawning and brooding females. Highest levels occurred during the autumn season in both sexes.
• 3.3. Changes were mainly due to triacylglycerols and diacylglyceryl ethers.
• 4.4. The plasma fatty acid composition did not demonstrate significant changes at different stages of maturation. The arachidonic acid (20:4 ω 6) was present at surprisingly high levels.

     

Effects of temperature and acid stress on hatching,survival capacity,metabolism and postural reflexes in caenid mayflies (ephemeroptera)

• 1.1. Mortality was 100% at pH 3.5 over a temperature range of 10–30°C for embryos and nymphs of Caenis diminuta and C. hilaris.
• 2.2. Hatching success for both species was highest at pH values above 4.5.
• 3.3. Survival capacities were significantly higher at 20°C over a pH range of 4.0-7.2.
• 4.4. Oxygen consumption rates increase as a function of increasing temperature and reduced acidity.
• 5.5. Loss of the nymphal righting response was observed at pH 3.5. This response can be used as a behavioral assay for acid stress.

     

Effect of starvation and experimental feeding on the proximate composition and caloric content of an antarctic teleost,Notothenia coriiceps neglecta

• 1.1. Starving Notothenia coriiceps nn/lecta at 1°C for 20 days resulted in a loss of 4.22 gcal/kcal per day.
• 2.2. During starvation energy was obtained from lipid and carbohydrate stores of the liver and red muscle.
• 3.3. Feeding N. coriiceps neglecta low lipid, high protein shrimp meat at 18.9 gcal/kcal per day at 1°C for 20 days resulted in a gain of 8.5 gcal/kcal per day.
• 4.4. The level of carbohydrate in the liver and red muscle increased five times.
• 5.5. Gross growth efficiency (K₁) equalled 0.52.
• 6.6. Net growth efficiency (K₂) equalled 0.67.

     

Amino acid composition and the protein form of procarboxypeptidase a purified from the pancreas of the sei whale Balaenoptera bolealis

• 1.1. Procarboxypeptidase (W-PCPA) was purified from the pancreas of the sei whale Balaenoptera bolealis.
• 2.2. W-PCPA was obtained as a homogeneous protein in polyacylamide gel disc electrophoresis.
• 3.3. W-PCPA has a molecular weight of 75,000.
• 4.4. Amino acid composition of W-PCPA was compared with that of bovine procarboxypeptidase as A S5 (PCPA-S5).
• 5.5. W-PCPA may be two subunits, and the aggregate form may resemble PCPA-S5.

     

The effects of acclimatization on body weight and oxygen consumption in Dipodomys panamintinus

• 1.1. Seasonal acclimatization effects on oxygen consumption, body temperature, and body weight were evaluated in three different experimental groups of Dipodomys panamintinus.
• 2.2. Body weights of wild field as well as captive animals housed in outdoor sand cages were maximum in winter and lowest in summer for both sexes.
• 3.3. Mean oxygen consumption was maximum in winter and lowest during spring in both sexes of the wild field and captive exposed groups.
• 4.4. Neither weight nor oxygen consumption of indoor control animals varied with the seasons.
• 5.5. No significant differences in body temperatures were observed during either the fall or winter seasons.