Host habitat patchiness and the distance decay of similarity among gastro-intestinal nematode communities in two species of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Mastomys</Emphasis> (southeastern Senegal)

Beta-diversity, or how species composition changes with geographical distance, has seldom been studied for different habitats. We present here quantitative estimates of the relationship between geographic distance and similarity of parasitic nematode communities in two closely related rodent host species that live in habitats with very different spatial configurations. In southeastern Senegal Mastomys natalensis lives exclusively inside human villages whereas M. erythroleucus is continuously distributed outside villages. Both host species and their gastro-intestinal nematodes were sampled on the same spatial scale. Beta-diversity was found to be higher in parasite communities of M. erythroleucus than in those of M. natalensis, and significantly related to geographic distance in this first species. Even on the local spatial scale studied, host dispersal limitation, and stochastic events, may affect species turnover in nematode communities of M. erythroleucus. In M. natalensis, no relationship was found between geographic distance and nematode community similarity, however, suggesting low host dispersal rates between habitat patches. Together with previous population genetic results, this study illustrates the need for different approaches with regard to dispersal in natural populations and its effect on biodiversity.     

三峡水库蓄水对消涨带植被的初步影响

三峡库区消涨带植被一直受到广泛关注。为了研究水库蓄水对175 m以下消涨带原有植被的潜在影响,2008年8月在三峡大坝上游长江干流从巴南到秭归12个监测点,设立68个5 m×5 m永久监测样方,比较被水淹过的156 m以下与当时尚未水淹的156～175 m地段植被物种组分、物种多样性和草本层生物量的差异。结果表明：被水淹过与尚未水淹的植被物种组分存在显著差异,DCA可以将二者明显分开,156 m以上尚未水淹的植被以灌丛为主;156 m以下被水淹过的植被以草丛为主,优势种包括多年生草本：狗牙根（Cynodon dactylon）、牛鞭草（Hemarthria altissima）和硬秆子草（Capillipedium assimile）;一年生草本：狗尾草（Setaria viridis）、毛马唐（Digitaria ciliaris）和千金子（Leptochloa chinensis）。木本植物基本死亡,只有枫杨（Pterocarya stenoptera）、牡荆（Vitex negundo）和地瓜（Ficus tikoua）存活。此外,被水淹过的植被中灌木物种数比例显著降低,而一年生草本物种数比例显著增加。被水淹过和尚未水淹植被的物种多样性也存在显著差异,被水淹过植被物种总数、灌木和多年生草本物种数显著低于尚未被水淹过的植被,但一年生草本物种数没有显著差异。被水淹过的植被草本层生物量与尚未水淹的植被没有显著差异。可见,水淹显著改变了消涨带原有植被物种组分和物种多样性,但一年生草本物种数和草本层生物量没有显著差异。未来175 m以下的植被中,草本尤其是一年生草本将占据优势。在消涨带植被恢复选择适应水淹生境物种过程中,应分别从植物的生活史、生理学和形态学等角度进行筛选,尤其应重视生活史适应策略植物的应用。被水淹过的156 m以下现有优势草本和存活的灌木可以作为三峡库区未来消涨带植被恢复的备选物种。     

The effect of low temperature on fatty acid composition and tocopherols of the red microalga, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Porphyridium cruentum</Emphasis>

Porphyridium cruentum was grown in 10 L batch culture at 18°C, pH 8.0 and 28‰ salinity. The cells were harvested in the stationary phase and the fatty acid composition analysed by GC and tocopherol content by HPLC. A total of 14 fatty acids were identified including saturated fatty acids (13:0, 14:0, 14:0 iso, 15:0, 16:0, 16:0iso) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs; 16:1(n-7), 18:1(n-7), 18:1(n-9). Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) were the predominant fatty acids detected, reaching 43.7% of total fatty acids in the stationary phase of culture. Among the PUFAs, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, 20:5(n-3)) was dominant (25.4%), followed by 12.8% arachidonic acid (AA, 20:4(n-6)). α-Tocopherol and γ-tocopherol contents were 55.2 μg g⁻¹ dry weight and 51.3 μg g⁻¹ dry weight respectively.     

Solid-state fermentation-supported enhanced production of α-galactosidase by a deoxyglucose-resistant mutant of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Aspergillus niger</Emphasis> and thermostabilization of the production process

The aim of the present investigation was to comparatively evaluate the behaviour of A. niger and its derepressed mutant in production of α-galactosidase in submerged (SmF) and solid state fermentation (SSF) using basal Vogel’s medium or corn steep liquor as nitrogen source and observe the response of latter source under both cultural techniques under different temperature regimes, and determine if SSF can be exploited in a wide range of temperature expected to vary in this fermentation system. All studies were performed in both systems under pre-optimized cultural conditions. Higher melting temperature and negative values of entropy of activation in SSF indicated that the genetic system of both organisms was thermodynamically resistant in the presence of corn steep liquor but sensitive to inactivation in the presence of Vogel’s nitrogen sources in submerged fermentation. This was reflected as the organisms demanded higher magnitudes of energy for product formation in the presence of ammonium salts. Studies on influence of corn steep liquor revealed that it had stabilizing effect too in both fermentation systems but the mutant strain was more stable in both fermentation systems. Because of these properties, the mutant organism may be exploited for bulk production of α-galactosidase in SSF under condition where temperature may fluctuate during fermentation.     

Conformational dynamics of the tetrameric hemoglobin molecule as revealed by hydrogen exchange: 2. Effect of intersubunit contact cleavage

IR spectroscopy was used to study the rate of hydrogen-deuterium (H-D) exchange of peptide NH atoms in isolated α and β subunits of human hemoglobin (Hb) at pH 5.5–9.0 and 20°C. The H-D exchange occurs by the EX2 mechanism. The retardation factor of subunit exchange rate (P) is in a range of approximately 10²–10⁷. Compared to tetrameric Hb, the probability of local fluctuations (1/P) increases to a slightly greater extent in monomeric α subunits than in tetrameric β subunits. Unlike in the whole Hb molecule, oxygenation of its subunits has no effect on the probability of local fluctuations, and the subunits show no pH-dependent changes in 1/P values (observed for liganded Hb). Probable mechanisms accounting for overall intensification of local fluctuations upon the cleavage of contacts between subunits of the tetrameric Hb molecule are discussed with regard to structural crystallographic data.     

Non-fucosylated therapeutic antibodies: the next generation of therapeutic antibodies

Therapeutic antibody IgG1 has two N-linked oligosaccharide chains bound to the Fc region. The oligosaccharides are of the complex biantennary type, composed of a trimannosyl core structure with the presence or absence of core fucose, bisecting N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc), galactose, and terminal sialic acid, which gives rise to structural heterogeneity. Both human serum IgG and therapeutic antibodies are well known to be heavily fucosylated. Recently, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity (ADCC), a lytic attack on antibody-targeted cells, has been found to be one of the critical effector functions responsible for the clinical efficacy of therapeutic antibodies such as anti-CD20 IgG1 rituximab (Rituxan^®) and anti-Her2/neu IgG1 trastuzumab (Herceptin^®). ADCC is triggered upon the binding of lymphocyte receptors (FcγRs) to the antibody Fc region. The activity is dependent on the amount of fucose attached to the innermost GlcNAc of N-linked Fc oligosaccharide via an α-1,6-linkage, and is dramatically enhanced by a reduction in fucose. Non-fucosylated therapeutic antibodies show more potent efficacy than their fucosylated counterparts both in vitro and in vivo, and are not likely to be immunogenic because their carbohydrate structures are a normal component of natural human serum IgG. Thus, the application of non-fucosylated antibodies is expected to be a powerful and elegant approach to the design of the next generation therapeutic antibodies with improved efficacy. In this review, we discuss the importance of the oligosaccharides attached to the Fc region of therapeutic antibodies, especially regarding the inhibitory effect of fucosylated therapeutic antibodies on the efficacy of non-fucosylated counterparts in one medical agent. The impact of completely non-fucosylated therapeutic antibodies on therapeutic fields will be also discussed.