RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS

BENTON, T.G & SPENCER, T. 1995. The Pitcairn Islands. Biogeography, ecology and prehistory.
CHEKE, R.A. & WALSH, J.F. 1996. The Birds of Togo. BOU Checklist
DAAN, P., NORMAN. I. & Rimx, P. (eds). 1995. The Penguins: Ecology and management.
DEWAK, S.M. & SHAWYER. C.R. 1996. Boxes. Baskets and Platforms: Artificial nest sites for owls and other birds of prey.
DINGLE. H. 1996. Migration: The biology of life on the move.
FEBUCCIA, A. 1996. The Origin and Evolution of Birds.
HOLMES, D.A. L PHILLIPPS, K. 1996. The Birds of Sulawesi.
JOHNSGARD. P.A. & CARBONELL, M. 1996. Ruddy Ducks and Other Stifftails: Their behavior and biology.
LANNER. R.M. 1966. Made for Each Other: A symbiosis of birds and pines.
Meyburg. B.-U. & CHANCELLOR, R.D. (eds) 1996. Eagle Studies.
PINOWSKI, J., KAVANAGH, B.P. & PINOWSKA, B. (eds). 1995. Nestling Mortality of Granivorous Birds due to Microrganisms and Toxic Substances: Synthesis.
POOLE, A.F & GILL, EB. (eds). 1995. The Birds of North America: Life histories for the 21st century. Nos 161–200. Washington, D.C.: The American Ornithologists' Union and The Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia.
PORTER, R.F., CHRISTENSEN, S. & SCHIERMACKER-HANSEN. P. 1996. Field Guide to the Birds of the Middle East.
SCHELHAS, J. & GREENBERG, R. (eds). 1996. Forest Patches in Tropical Landscapes.
SHURTLEFF, L.L. & SAVAGE, C. 1996. The Wood Duck and the Mandarin: The northern wood ducks.
SKUTCH, A.F. 1996. The Minds of Birds.
TULLY, T.N., JR. & SHANE. S.M. (eds). 1996. Ratite Management, Medicine and Surgery.     

New Books

Book reviewed in this article: Byrne R . 1995: The thinking ape. Evolutionary origins of intelligence. Tembrock G . 1996: Akustische Kommunikation bei Säugetieren. Die Stimmen der Säugetiere und ihre Bedeutung. Kleiman , D., Allen , M., Thompson , K., Lumpkin , S. & Harris , H. (eds) 1996: Wild mammals in captivity. Principles and techniques. Strahan, R . (ed.) 1996: Mammals of Australia. Tarsnane, S . 1996: Waterfowl — care, breeding and conservation. Vince, M . 1996: Softbills — care, breeding and conservation. Bjorndal, K. A . (ed) 1995: Biology and conservation of sea turtles (revised edition). Spindler, K.-D . 1997: Vergleichende Endokrinologie. Regulation und Mechanismen. Prinzinger, R . 1996: Das Geheimnis des Alterns. Die programmierte Lebenszeit bei Mensch, Tier und Pflanze. Spear , N. E., Spear , L. P. & Woodruff , M. L. (eds) 1995: Neurobehavioral Plasticity. Learning, Development, and Response to Brain Insults.     

New Books

Book reviewed in this article: Vygotsky, L. S. & Luria , A. R. 1993: Studies on the History of Behavior: Ape, Primitive, and Child, edited and translated by V. I. Golod & J. E. Knox. Mitchell , R. W., Thompson , N. S. & Miles , R. W. (eds) 1996: Anthropomorphism, Anecdotes, and Animals. Günther , R. (ed.) 1996: Die Amphibien und Reptilien Deutschlands.     

New Books

Book reviewed in this article: Rosenblatt, J. S. & Snowdon , C. T. (eds.) 1996: Parental Care: Evolution, Mechanisms, and Adaptive Significance. Lehner , P. N. 1996: Handbook of Ethological Methods, 2nd Ed. Denoël , M. 1996: Etude comparée du comportement de cour de deux sousespèces du triton alpestre (A Comparative Study of Courtship Behaviour of Triturus alpestris alpestris Goldschmidt , T. 1996: Darwin's Dreampond. Drama in Lake Victoria. König, B. & Linsenmair , K. (eds.) 1996: Biologische Vielfalt (Beiträge aus Spektrum der Wissenschaft). Bruce V., Green P.G. & Georgeson M.A., 1996: Visual Perception. Physiology, Psychology, and Ecology. Roth, G. & Prinz , W. (eds.) 1996: Kopf-Arbeit. Ricklefs, R. E. & Finch , C. E. 1996: Altern: Evolutionsbiologie und medizinische Forschung. Hausser , J. (ed.) 1995: Säugetiere der Schweiz/Mammifères de la Suisse/Mammiferi della Svizzera — Verbreitung, Biologie, Ökologie/Répartition, Biologie, Ecologie/Distribuzione, Biologia, Ecologia. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, Boston, Berlin.     

Also Received

Biber, 0., ENGIST. P., MARTI, C. & SALATHE. T. 1995. Conservation ol the White Stork, Western Population. Proceedings of the International Symposium on the White Stork (Western Population), Basel 1994.
Cucco. M. Levi, L., MAFFEI. G. & PULCHER. C. (eds). 1996. Atlante degli ucceli di Piemonte e Valle d'Aosta in inverno (1986–1992).
GHIGI, A. 1995. Alessandro Ghigi: Autobiografia.
GILLHAM. E. & GILLHAM. B. 1996. Hybrid Ducks: A contribution towards an inventory.
HAYWOOD. G.D. & VKRNER. J. 1994. Flammulated, Boreal and Great Gray Owls in the United States: A technical conservation assessment.
HICKLIN. P. (ed). 1996. Shorebird Ecology and Conservation in the Western Hemisphere: Based on papers presented at a symposium held on 4–5 November 1991 in conjunction with the IV Neotropical Ornithology Congress in Quito. Ecuador.
Porter R.E. & MARTINS, R.P. (eds). 1996. Southern Yemen and Scotra: The report of the OSME survey in spring 1993.
PRANTY. B. 1996. A Birder's Guide to Florida. 4th edition.
Scott, D. A. 1995. A Directory of Wetlands in the Middle East.
TAYLOR, D. 1996. Birding in Kent.
WAGNER. W.L. & FUNK. VA. (eds). 1995. Hawaiian Biogeography: Evolution on a hot spot archipelago.
WAUER. R.H. 1996. A Birder's West Indies: An island by island tour.
ZALAKEVICIUS. M., SVAZAS, S., Stanvicious V. & VAIKUS. G. 1995. zBird Migration and Wintering in Lithuania.
ZORICH. D. & HOAGLANU. K.E. 1995. Status, Resources and Needs of Systematic Collections.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS

BAUER, H-C. & BERTHOLD, P. 1996. Die Brutvogel Mitteleuropas: Bestand und Gefahrdung.
BEYNON, P.H., FORBES, N.A. & HARCOURT-BROWN. N.H. (eds). 1996. Manual of Raptors. Pigeons and Waterfowl.
BIRD. D.M., VAKIAND. D.E. & NEGRO, JJ. (eds) 1996. Raptors in Human landscapes: Adaptations to built and cultivated environments.
BLACK, J.M. (ed.). 1996. Partnerships in Birds: The study of monogamy.
CLEMMONS, J.R. & BUCHHOLZ, R. (eds). 1997. Behavioural Approaches to Conservation in the Wild.
DEL, HOYO, J,. Elliot, A. & SARGATAL. J. (eds). 1996. Handbook of the Birds of the World. Volume 3: Hoatzin to Auks.
GERLACH, J. (ed.). Nature Protection Trust of Seychelles. 1997. Seychelles Red Ilata Book 1997.
HANININOS. G. & AKHIOTIS. T. 1997. The Birds of Greece.
HEATHER. B. & ROBERTSON, H. 1996. The Field Guide to the Birds of New Zealand.
HURFORD. C. & LANSDOWN, P. 1995. Birds of Glamorgan.
LAMHERT. F. & WOODCOCK, M. 1996. Pittas, Broadbills and Asities.
LANDMANN. A. 1996. Der Hausrotschwanz.
MLIKOVSKY. J. (ed.). 1995. Tertiary Avian Localities of Europe.
OLIOSO, G. 1996. Oiseaux de Vaucluse et de la Drdme ProvenCal.
PAIN, D.J. & PIENKOWSKI. M.W. (eds). 1997. Farming and Birds in Europe. The Common Agricultural Policy and its implications for bird conservation.
PALM. S. 1997. The Origin of Flapping Flight in Birds.
PANOW, E.N. 1996. Die Wiirger der Palaarktis.
REASTALL, R. 1996. Munias and Mannikins.
STANDLEY, P, BUCKNELL, N.J., SWASH, A. & COLLINS, I.D. 1996. The Birds of Berkshire.
STEYN. P. 1996. Nesting Birds: The breeding habits of southern African birds.
VAN DEN BRINK, H., VAN DIJK, A., VAN Os, B. & VENEMA, P. 1996. Broedvogels van Drenthe.
ZIMMRRMAN, D.A., TURNER. D.A. & PEARSON. D.J. 1996. Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania.     

RECENT ORNITHOLOGICAL PUBLICATIONS

Beletsky. L. 1996. The Red-winged Blackbird. The biology of a strongly polygynous songbird.
GORMAN, G. 1996. The Birds of Hungary.
HAVERSCHMIDT, F. & MEES. G. 1994. Birds of Suriname.
HIGGINS, PJ. & DAVIES, S.J.J.F. (eds). 1996. Handbook of Australian, New Zealand and Antarctic Birds. Volume 3: Snipe to Pigeons.
HOGLUND. J. & ALATALO, R.V. 1995. Leks.
HIIMPHREYS. EN. & KAHROM. E. 1995. The Lion and the Gazelle: The mammals and birds of Iran.
KNOWI, RS. LJ. & NITCHBN. J.W. 1995. Kingfishers of the World.
RISIN˜:. J.D. 1996. A Guide to the Identification and Natural History of the Sparrows of the [Jnited States and Canada.
SKUTCH. A.F. 1996. Antbirds and Ovenbirds.
SKUTCH. A.F. 1996. Orioles, Blackbirds and their Kin.
STEVENS, L. 1996. Avian Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
STOTZ. D.E. FITZPATRICK. J.W., PARKEK. T. A,. 111. & MOSKOVITS. D.K. 1996. Neotropical Birds: Ecology and conservation. Includes FAKKER. T.A., 111, Sro˜z. D.F. & FIT%PATRlCK. J.W. Ecological and Distributional Databases for Neotropical Birds.
SUJATNIKA. JEPSON. P., SO˜:HARTONO. T.R., CROSBY, M.J. L MARDIASTUTI, A. 1995. Melestarikan Kaenekaragarnan Hayati Indonesia:Pondekatan daerah burung endemik [Conserving Indonesian Biodiversity: The endemic bird area approach].
WALLEH. G. (ed.), DANDO. M. & BURCHKTT, M. (principal contributors). 1996. Sealife: A complete guide to the marine environment.
WARHAM, J. 1996. The Behavior, Population Biology and Physiology of the Petrels.     

New Books

Book reviewed in this article: Creutzfeldt , O. D., 1995: Cortex Cerebri. Performance, structural and functional organization of the cortex. Agosta , W. C., 1994: Dialog der Düfte — Chemische Kommunikation. Masson, J.M. & McCarthy , S. 1995: When Elephants Weep. Keulen, C., Loneux, M., Poncin, P. & Ruwet , J.-Cl. 1996: Reconstruire la naturele cas de la nouvelle gravière de Lanaye en Meuse belgo-néerlandaise.     

Ants of the Genus Solenopsis Westwood 1840 (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) in the Arabian Peninsula with Description of a New Species,Solenopsis elhawagryi

Ants of the genus Solenopsis Westwood in the Arabian Peninsula are revised. Six species are treated: Solenopsis elhawagryi Sharaf & Aldawood sp. n., S. geminata (Fabricius, 1804), S. omana Collingwood & Agosti, 1996, S. saudiensis Sharaf & Aldawood, 2011, S. sumara Collingwood & Agosti, 1996, and S. zingibara Collingwood & Agosti, 1996. Solenopsis elhawagryi is described from Beljorashi Governorate, Al Baha Province, Saudi Arabia, based on worker castes and the queen with notes on this species biology and ecology. Solenopsis sumara workers are redescribed and illustrated for the first time and a lectotype is designated. An identification key to the Arabian and Egyptian species is provided with scanning electron micrographs to facilitate species recognition.     

Also Received

Ali. S. 1996. The Book of Indian Birds. 12th ed. ALI S. & RIPLEY, S.D. 1996. Handbook of the Birds of India and Pakistan Together with Those of Bangladesh. Nepal, Sikkim, Bhutan and Sri Lanka. Vol 7: Laughing Thrushes to the Mangrove Whistler. 2nd edition. ARMONIA. 1995. Lista de las Aves de Bolivia. 4th edition. BAILLIE, J. & GROOMBRIDGE, B. (eds). 1996. 1996 IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals. BLUMP, D. 1996. Schwarzspecht, Grauspecht. Gruenspecht: Dryocopus martius, Picus canus, Picus viridis. 5th revised edition. CLARKE, T. & COLLINS, D. 1996. A Birdwatcher's Guide to the Canary Islands. DENNIS. M.K. 1996 Tetrad Atlas of the Breeding Birds of Essex. HOMES. J.S. & CLEMENT. P. 1996. Fish-eating Birds: Proceedings of a seminar to review status, interactions with fisheries and licensing issues. HOWELL., S.N.G. 1996. A Checklist of the Birds of Chile. INSKIPP, T., LINDSEY, N. & DUCKWORTH, W. 1996. An Annotated Checklist of the Birds of the Oriental Region. MALVAIJD, F. (ed.) 1996. L'adicneme Criard en France (Burhinus crdicnemus): Resultats d'une enquete nationale (1980–1993), importance et distribution des populations, biologie, exigences ecologiques et conservation de l'espece. MENZEL. H. 1996. Die Mehlschwalbe: Drlichon urbica. 2nd edition. POYHONEN, M. 1995. Muuttolintujen Matkassa [Bird Migration in Finland]. REID. K. 1996. A Guide to the Use of Otoliths in the Study of Predators at South Georgia. ROMAN, J., ROMAN. F., ANSOLA, L.M., PALMA, C. & VENTOSA, R. 1996. Atlas de las Aves Nidificantes de la Provincia de Burgos. SAIBENEF, C.A., CASTELINO. MA., JUSTO HERRERA, N.R.R. & CALO, J.1996. Inventario de las Aves del Parque Nacional Iguazu, Misiones, Argentina. SHERMAN. A.R. 1996. Birds of an Iowa Dooryard. SMITH, V. 1996. Birds. Beasts and Bature. TERMAN, M. 1996. Messages from an Owl. TOMHAL, 1.-C. (coord.). 1996. Les Oiseaux de la Region Nord-Pas-de-Calais: Effectifs et distribution des especes nicheuses Period 1985–1995. WATERHOUSE. M. 1996. A Wandering Voice: A diary of birdsong. WHEATLEY, N. 1996 Where to Watch Birds in Asia. WORLD CONSERVATION MONITORING CENTRE. 199 5. Checklist of Birds Listed in the CITES Appendices. 4th edition. ZWARTS. L.I. 1996. Waders and Their Estuarine Food Supply.     

Methode und Gerät zur Untersuchung des Wanderungsvermögens von Fritfliegenlarven

Schwantes, H.O.: Biologie der Pilze. Eine Einführung in die angewandte Mykologie. 478 S., 60 Abb., 29 Tab. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart, 1996, UNI‐Taschenbücher 1871, 42,80 DM. ISBN 3–8252–1871–6

Westhoff, P.; Jeske, H.; Jürgens, G.; Kloppstock, K.; Link, G.: Molekulare Entwicklungsbiologie. Vom Gen zur Pflanze. Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart, New York; 1996; 112 Abb., 19 Tab. ISBN 3–13–102021–0

McNamara, K.J. (Herausgeber): Evolutionary Change and Heterochrony. John Wiley &; Sons; Chichester, New York, Brisbane, Toronto, Singapur (1995), ISBN 0–471–95837–9

Sobral, B.W.S. (Herausgeber): The Impact of Plant Molecular Genetics. Birkhäuser Verlag AG Basel (1996), ISBN 3–7643–3802–4

McIntosh, R.A.; Wellings, C.R.; Park, R.F.: Wheat rusts ‐ An atlas of resistance genes. 200 S., 119 Bildseiten, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, Boston, London, 1995, 125,00 Dfl., ISBN 0–7923–3430–2

Friedrich, G.; Rode, H. (Hsg.): Pflanzenschutz im integrierten Obstbau. Verlag Eugen Ulmer Stuttgart. 1996. 494 S., 128 Farbfotos, 94 Zeichnungen, 41 Tab., 3. völlig neubearbeitete Auflage. Preis 88,‐DM; ISBN 3–8001–5541–9

Nultsch, W.: Allgemeine Botanik. 10. neubearbeitete erweiterte Auflage. Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart New York. 1996, 602 Seiten, 234 Abb. in 525 Einzeldarstellungen, 19 Boxen. Glossarium mit 752 Stichworten. Preis 44,‐DM; ISBN 3–13–383310–3

Berndt, J.: Umweltbiochemie. Uni‐Taschenbücher 1838. Gustav Fischer Verlag Stuttgart Jena. 1995; 278 S., 101 Abb., 33 Tab., Preis 34.80 DM. UTB‐ISBN 3–8252–1838–4

Kalusche, D.: Ökologie in Zahlen. Eine Datensammlung in Tabellen mit über 10.000 Einzelwerten. Gustav Fischer Verlag. Stuttgart, Jena, New York. 1996. 415 S. Preis 54, ‐DM; ISBN 3–437–20521–8     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Thompson , N. S. (ed.) 1995: Perspectives in ethology, Vol. 11: Behavioral design. Zimmermann , E., Newman , J. D. & Jürgens , U. (eds) 1995: Current topics in primate vocal communication. Goodman , J. C. & Nusbaum , H. C. (eds) 1994: The development of speech perception: the transition from speech sounds to spoken words. Hof , H. 1996: Rechtsethologie.     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Møller , A. P. 1994: Sexual selection and the barn swallow. Wehner, R., Lehrer, M. & Harvey , W. R. (eds) 1996: Navigation, migration, and homing. Maclean , G. L. 1996: Ecophysiology of desert birds. Keulen, C., Loneux, M., Poncin, P. & Ruwet , J.-Cl. 1994: La Biodiversité: une étude de cas — ‘le site de Lanaye’ en Meuse belgo-néerlandaise. Gansloßer, U., Hodges, J. K. & Kaumanns , W. (eds) 1995: Research and captive propagation. Henry , J. D. 1996: Red fox. The catlike canine.     

Solid-phase Chemistry: A Useful Tool to Discover Modulators of Protein Interactions

The Solid phase synthesis (SPS) concept, first developed for biopolymers, has spread in every field where organic synthesis is involved. While the potential of the solid-phase method was obvious in 1959 to its discoverer, Prof. R. B. Merrifield, it was unpredictable its dominance in peptide synthesis and especially in combinatorial chemistry, an area not yet conceived. SPS paved the way for solid-phase combinatorial approaches (extensively reviewed in (Choong, I. C. and Ellman, J. A.: 1996, Annu. Rep. Med. Chem. 31, 309–318; Obrecht, D. and Villalgordo, J. M.: 1998, Solid-supported Combinatorial and Parallel Synthesis of Small-Molecular-Weight Compound Libraries. Pergamon Press Ltd., Oxford, UK; Chabala, J. C.: 1995, Curr. Opin. Biotechnol. 6, 632–639; Kamal, A., Reddy, K. L., Devaiah, V., Shankaraiah, N., Reddy, D. R.: 2006, Mini Rev. Med. Chem. 6, 53–69; Whitehead, D. M., McKeown, S. C., Routledge, A.: 2005, Comb. Chem. HTS 8, 361–371; Nefzi, A., Ostresh, J. M., Houghten, R. A.: 1997, Chem. Rev. 97, 449–472; Gordon, E. M., Gallop, M. A., Patel, D. V.: 1996, Acc. Chem. Res. 29, 144–154)) as many laboratories and companies focused on the development of technologies and chemistry suitable to this new methodology. This resulted in the spectacular outburst of combinatorial chemistry, which profoundly changed the approach for new drug discovery. Combinatorial chemistry is currently considered a valid approach for a wide range of biomedical applications, such as, target validation and drug discovery.     

The high mobility group I-C gene (HMGI-C): polymorphism and genetic localization

We have identified a highly informative dinucleotide repeat in the 5′-flanking region of the human high mobility group I-C (HMGI-C) gene. This polymorphism consists of 18–37 copies of a (CT) repeat with an observed heterozygosity of 82–83% in African Americans and Caucasians. Linkage analysis in CEPH pedigrees localized the HMGI-C gene to chromosome region 12q13–15 with no recombination observed between HMCI-C and markers D12S102 and D12S8. Received: 16 February 1996 / Revised: 30 April 1996, 29 July 1996     

What do dogs know about hidden objects?

Previous research has found that dogs will search accurately for an invisibly displaced object when the task is simplified and contextual ambiguity is eliminated [Doré, F.Y., Fiset, S., Goulet, S., Dumas, M.-C., Gagnon, S., 1996. Search behavior in cats and dogs: interspecific differences in working memory and spatial cognition. Animal Learning & Behavior 24, 142-149; Miller, H., Gipson, C., Vaughan, A., Rayburn-Reeves, R., Zentall, T.R., 2009. Object permanence in dogs: invisible displacement in a rotation task. Psychonomic Bulletin & Review 16 (1), 150-155]. For example, when an object is placed inside an occluder, one of which was attached to each end of a beam that could be rotated 90°, dogs search inside of the appropriate occluder. The current research confirmed this finding and tested the possibility that the dogs were using a perceptual/conditioning mechanism (i.e., their gaze was drawn to the occluder as the object was placed inside and they continued looking at it as it rotated). The test was done by introducing a delay between the displacement of the object and the initiation of the dogs’ search. In Experiment 1, during the delay, a barrier was placed between the dog and the apparatus. In Experiment 2, the lights were turned off during the delay. The search accuracy for some dogs was strongly affected by the delay, however, search accuracy for other dogs was not affected. These results suggest that although a perceptual/conditioning mechanism may be involved for some dogs, it cannot account for the performance of others. It is likely that these other dogs showed true object permanence.     

Crystal structures of bovine odorant-binding protein in complex with odorant molecules.

The structure of bovine odorant-binding protein (bOBP) revealed a striking feature of a dimer formed by domain swapping [Tegoni, M., Ramoni, R., Bignetti, E., Spinelli, S. & Cambillau, C. (1996) Nat. Struct. Biol.3, 863-867; Bianchet, M.A., Bains, G., Pelosi, P., Pevsner, J., Snyder, S.H., Monaco, H.L. & Amzel, L.M. (1996) Nat. Struct. Biol.3, 934-939] and the presence of a naturally occuring ligand [Ramoni, R., Vincent, F., Grolli, S., Conti, V., Malosse, C., Boyer, F.D., Nagnan-Le Meillour, P., Spinelli, S., Cambillau, C. & Tegoni, M. (2001) J. Biol. Chem.276, 7150-7155]. These features led us to investigate the binding of odorant molecules with bOBP in solution and in the crystal. The behavior of odorant molecules in bOBP resembles that observed with porcine OBP (pOBP), although the latter is monomeric and devoid of ligand when purified. The odorant molecules presented K(d) values with bOBP in the micromolar range. Most of the X-ray structures revealed that odorant molecules interact with a common set of residues forming the cavity wall and do not exhibit specific interactions. Depending on the ligand and on the monomer (A or B), a single residue--Phe89--presents alternate conformations and might control cross-talking between the subunits. Crystal data on both pOBP and bOBP, in contrast with binding and spectroscopic studies on rat OBP in solution, reveal an absence of significant conformational changes involving protein loops or backbone. Thus, the role of OBP in signal triggering remains unresolved.     

Major differences between the rrnA operons of two strains of Agrobacterium vitis

The sequence of the rrnA operon and its flanking regions was determined for the Agrobacterium vitis type strain NCPPB3554. Compared to the earlier obtained rrnA sequence of A. vitis strain S4, several important differences were noted: the sequences diverged at the 5′-flanking region, within the 16S–23S intergenic region, and within the 23S rRNA sequence. The B8 stem-loop structure at the 5′-end of the 23S rRNA of strain NCPPB3554 was 142 nt shorter than that of strain S4. These findings have important consequences for the use of ribosomal RNA gene sequences in phylogenetic comparisons. Received: 16 February 1996 / Accepted: 26 April 1996     

Developmental expression of the protein kinase C substrate/binding protein (clone 72/SSeCKS) in rat testis identification as a scaffolding protein containing an A-kinase-anchoring domain which is expressed during late-stage spermatogenesis.

The coordinated interaction of kinases, phosphatases and other regulatory molecules with scaffolding proteins is emerging as a major theme in intracellular signaling networks. In this report we show that a cDNA isolated from a rat testis expression library by interactive cloning using the regulatory subunit (R) of a type-II protein kinase A (PKA) is identical with a previously characterized protein kinase C (PKC)-binding protein termed either clone 72 [Chapline, C., Mousseau, B., Ramsay, K., Duddy, S., Li, Y., Kiley, S. C. & Jaken, S. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 6417-6422] or SSeCKS [Lin, X., Tombler, E., B., Nelson, P.J., Ross, M. & Gelman, I.H. (1996) J. Biol. Chem. 271, 28430-28438]. Deletion mutagenesis demonstrated that amino acids 1495-1524 of clone 72/SSeCKS had the ability to interact with RII. Antibodies prepared against the recombinant protein recognized a 280/290-kDa doublet and a 240-kDa protein on Western blots of rat testis cytosolic and Triton X-100 extracts. Expression of clone 72/SSeCKS mRNA and protein levels was developmentally regulated in rat testis. Northern-blot analysis showed a dramatic increase in clone 72/SSeCKS-hybridizing mRNA starting 30 days after birth. Immunohistochemical examination showed high expression levels in elongating spermatids. Clone 72/SSeCKS was not detected in mature sperm. These studies suggest a role for clone 72/SSeCKS, a PKA/PKC scaffolding protein, during the process of spermiogenesis.