On the Diversity of Sperm Histones in the Vertebrates

Sperm histones display great variability in contrast to the conservation of most classes of somatic histones. To study this paradox, this series of papers examines the variation of histone patterns in the testis and sperm of vertebrates, particularly amphibians and reptiles, and attempts to relate such variation to genetically based sex determination as hypothesized by Bloch [Genetics Supplement 61, 93 (1969)]. In the present study we have investigated spermiogenesis in the newt Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens . Cytochemical experiments indicate that the basic nuclear proteins undergo progressive shifts from somatic type histone → very arginine-rich stable protamine'in the later spermatids → protamine in the mature sperm. Electrophoresis of Notophthalmus histones extracted from chromatin reveals that the pattern of testes-specific basic proteins in the urodele is distinct from the pattern of testicular proteins in the anurans Bufo americanus and Xenopus laevis . Species within the class Amphibia therefore exhibit considerable diversification in their type of basic sperm proteins.     

Red Light Stimulates Feeding Motivation in Fish but Does Not Improve Growth

Nile tilapia fish were individually reared under similar light levels for 8 weeks under five colored light spectra (maximum wavelength absorbance): white (full light spectrum), blue (∼452 nm), green (∼516 nm), yellow (∼520 nm) or red (∼628 nm). The effects of light on feeding, latency to begin feeding, growth and feed conversion were measured during the last 4 weeks of the study (i.e., after acclimation). We found that red light stimulates feeding, as in humans, most likely by affecting central control centers, but the extra feeding is not converted into growth.     

Non-Additive Effects of Genotypic Diversity Increase Floral Abundance and Abundance of Floral Visitors

Background

In the emerging field of community and ecosystem genetics, genetic variation and diversity in dominant plant species have been shown to play fundamental roles in maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem function. However, the importance of intraspecific genetic variation and diversity to floral abundance and pollinator visitation has received little attention.

Methodology/Principal Findings

Using an experimental common garden that manipulated genotypic diversity (the number of distinct genotypes per plot) of Solidago altissima, we document that genotypic diversity of a dominant plant can indirectly influence flower visitor abundance. Across two years, we found that 1) plant genotype explained 45% and 92% of the variation in flower visitor abundance in 2007 and 2008, respectively; and 2) plant genotypic diversity had a positive and non-additive effect on floral abundance and the abundance of flower visitors, as plots established with multiple genotypes produced 25% more flowers and received 45% more flower visits than would be expected under an additive model.

Conclusions/Significance

These results provide evidence that declines in genotypic diversity may be an important but little considered factor for understanding plant-pollinator dynamics, with implications for the global decline in pollinators due to reduced plant diversity in both agricultural and natural ecosystems.     

Uptake of Exogenous Glutamate and Aspartate by Circumventricular Organs but Not Other Regions of Brain

Abstract: Glutamate (Glu) and aspartate (Asp) concentrations in blood and selected regions of brain were measured at sequential intervals over a 3-h period following subcutaneous administration of Glu, Asp, or Glu plus Asp (2 mg/g body wt) to 4-day-old mouse or rat pups. Marked serum elevations of the administered amino acids (peak values exceeding 200 times control levels) were detected within 1 h. In circumventricular organ (CVO) regions of brain, which are thought to have no blood-brain barriers, a sharp and steady increase in tissue concentrations of the administered amino acids (peak values 4–10 times higher than control levels) occurred during a 15–120 min interval, whereas no appreciable increases were detected in other brain regions. When 2 mg/g Glu plus 2 mg/g Asp were administered, CVO tissue concentrations of each amino acid rose to approximately the same level obtained when the individual amino acids were given. It is concluded that blood-brain barriers preventing net entry of Glu or Asp into brain proper are relatively well established by the 4th postnatal day in rodents, but that CVO brain regions lack such barriers; selective access of blood-borne Glu or Asp to CVO neurons explains why these neurons are selectively destroyed by systemic administration of these neurotoxic amino acids.     

Uptake of Exogenous Aspartate into Circumventricular Organs but Not Other Regions of Adult Mouse Brain

Abstract: Adult mice were treated intraperitoneally with aspartate (Asp) at one of several doses (0.47–3.75 mmol/kg) and 30 min later given a subcutaneous Asp injection at the same dose. This treatment regimen resulted in steady state blood Asp elevations, a given dose producing the same degree of elevation at both 30 and 60 min. The lowest and highest doses, respectively, produced fourfold and 55-fold elevations of serum Asp. In selected circumventricular organ (CVO) regions of brain which lack blood brain barriers, tissue Asp levels rose 1.5 and 3 times above control values following the lowest and highest doses, respectively, whereas tissue Asp remained unchanged in non-CVO brain regions. Thus, even very moderate Asp dosing causes marked increases in CVO Asp. In order to analyze the pattern of Asp uptake into CVO, Asp was assayed in numerous subdivisions of each CVO, and maps were constructed which reflected microregional concentration differences. The pattern of Asp distribution suggests that Asp enters brain via fenestrated capillaries serving certain portions of CVO and then spreads into adjacent brain tissue. In separate experiments, we administered a single high dose of Asp (15 mmol/kg) to both adult and infant mice and measured Asp in serum and select brain regions 60 min later. Asp concentrations in serum and CVO (but not other brain regions) rose markedly at both ages but the increases were greater in serum and therefore also in CVO of infants. This may explain in part the observation that a given dose of Asp destroys a larger number of CVO neurons in infant than in adult mice. Our findings support a growing body of evidence that CVO are an important communication link between blood and brain.     

Anti-HmuY Antibodies Specifically Recognize Porphyromonas gingivalis HmuY Protein but Not Homologous Proteins in Other Periodontopathogens

Given the emerging evidence of an association between periodontal infections and systemic conditions, the search for specific methods to detect the presence of P. gingivalis, a principal etiologic agent in chronic periodontitis, is of high importance. The aim of this study was to characterize antibodies raised against purified P. gingivalis HmuY protein and selected epitopes of the HmuY molecule. Since other periodontopathogens produce homologs of HmuY, we also aimed to characterize responses of antibodies raised against the HmuY protein or its epitopes to the closest homologous proteins from Prevotella intermedia and Tannerella forsythia. Rabbits were immunized with purified HmuY protein or three synthetic, KLH-conjugated peptides, derived from the P. gingivalis HmuY protein. The reactivity of anti-HmuY antibodies with purified proteins or bacteria was determined using Western blotting and ELISA assay. First, we found homologs of P. gingivalis HmuY in P. intermedia (PinO and PinA proteins) and T. forsythia (Tfo protein) and identified corrected nucleotide and amino acid sequences of Tfo. All proteins were overexpressed in E. coli and purified using ion-exchange chromatography, hydrophobic chromatography and gel filtration. We demonstrated that antibodies raised against P. gingivalis HmuY are highly specific to purified HmuY protein and HmuY attached to P. gingivalis cells. No reactivity between P. intermedia and T. forsythia or between purified HmuY homologs from these bacteria and anti-HmuY antibodies was detected. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that P. gingivalis HmuY protein may serve as an antigen for specific determination of serum antibodies raised against this bacterium.     

Haemosporidian Parasites of Antelopes and Other Vertebrates from Gabon,Central Africa

Re-examination, using molecular tools, of the diversity of haemosporidian parasites (among which the agents of human malaria are the best known) has generally led to rearrangements of traditional classifications. In this study, we explored the diversity of haemosporidian parasites infecting vertebrate species (particularly mammals, birds and reptiles) living in the forests of Gabon (Central Africa), by analyzing a collection of 492 bushmeat samples. We found that samples from five mammalian species (four duiker and one pangolin species), one bird and one turtle species were infected by haemosporidian parasites. In duikers (from which most of the infected specimens were obtained), we demonstrated the existence of at least two distinct parasite lineages related to Polychromophilus species (i.e., bat haemosporidian parasites) and to sauropsid Plasmodium (from birds and lizards). Molecular screening of sylvatic mosquitoes captured during a longitudinal survey revealed the presence of these haemosporidian parasite lineages also in several Anopheles species, suggesting a potential role in their transmission. Our results show that, differently from what was previously thought, several independent clades of haemosporidian parasites (family Plasmodiidae) infect mammals and are transmitted by anopheline mosquitoes.     

Detection of Sperm Histone Diversity Among Vertebrates by Alkaline Fast Green Staining

Testis sections from fifteen species from six classes of vertebrates were stained with alkaline fast green (AFG) to correlate staining differences with the known biochemical diversity of histones in the spermatozoa. After trichloroacetic acid (TCA) hydrolysis the sperm of some species known to contain sperm-specific histones did not stain. This correlation held if fixation in neutral buffered formalin was limited to 3 to 6 hr and hydrolysis was done at 90 C. The species whose sperm did stain after TCA hydrolysis could be divided into three groups. In some species the sperm no longer stained if, after TCA, the sections were treated with thioglycollic acid. These sperm contained basic proteins that were rich in cysteine. In turn, the group of species whose sperm continued to stain after TCA and thioglycollic acid treatments could be subdivided. The sperm of some were stained specifically without DNA hydrolysis if the AFG was made up with sodium chloride. These sperm contained sperm-specific histones. In other species the sperm did not stain under these conditions, and these sperm had a basic protein complement similar to that found in somatic cell nuclei. These correlations suggest that AFG staining can be used to detect sperm histone diversity in a wide range of organisms.     

Distribution and status of the Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) in Ireland

The distributions of the Red and Grey Squirrel were surveyed in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland between 1994 and 1996. Survey methods differed between the two studies. In the former, all suitable habitat, of at least 15 ha, was inspected for species presence or absence. In the Republic, data were gathered through questionnaires to governmental and independent wildlife bodies. The combined results indicate that the Red Squirrel remains widespread and locally abundant, and is present in all but two counties. The Grey Squirrel is now more widespread than ever before, and can be found in 22 of the 32 counties. Its range expansion has varied from 0 km/yr to an estimated 13.4 km/yr, as various geographical features, principally rivers, have hindered its progress in certain directions.     

Abundance and Diversity of Viruses in Six Delaware Soils

The importance of viruses in marine microbial ecology has been established over the past decade. Specifically, viruses influence bacterial abundance and community composition through lysis and alter bacterial genetic diversity through transduction and lysogenic conversion. By contrast, the abundance and distribution of viruses in soils are almost completely unknown. This study describes the abundance and diversity of autochthonous viruses in six Delaware soils: two agricultural soils, two coastal plain forest soils, and two piedmont forest soils. Viral abundance was measured using epifluorescence microscopy, while viral diversity was assessed from morphological data obtained through transmission electron microscopy. Extracted soil virus communities were dominated by bacteriophages that demonstrated a wide range of capsid diameters (20 nm to 160 nm) and morphologies, including filamentous forms and phages with elongated capsids. The reciprocal Simpson's index suggests that forest soils harbor more diverse assemblages of viruses, particularly in terms of morphological distribution. Repeated extractions of virus-like particles (VLPs) from soils indicated that the initial round of extraction removes approximately 70% of extractable viruses. Higher VLP abundances were observed in forest soils (1.31 × 10⁹ to 4.17 × 10⁹ g⁻¹ dry weight) than in agricultural soils (8.7 × 10⁸ to 1.1 × 10⁹ g⁻¹ dry weight). Soil VLP abundance was significantly correlated to moisture content (r = 0.988) but not to soil texture. Land use (agricultural or forested) was significantly correlated to both bacterial (r = 0.885) and viral (r = 0.812) abundances, as were soil organic matter and water content. Thus, land use is a significant factor influencing viral abundance and diversity in soils.     

An Immunological Study of Rat Acetylcholinesterase: Comparison with Acetylcholinesterases from Other Vertebrates

We have examined the immunoreactivity of acetylcholinesterase from different vertebrate species with a rabbit antiserum raised against the purified rat brain hydrophobic enzyme (G4 form). We found no significant interaction with enzymes from Electrophorus, Torpedo, chicken, and rabbit. The antiserum reacted with acetylcholinesterases from the brains of the other mammalian species studied, with titers decreasing in the following order: rat = mouse greater than human greater than bovine. The serum was inhibitory with murine and human acetylcholinesterases, but not with the bovine enzyme. The inhibition was partially depressed in the presence of salt (e.g., 1 M NaCl). In those species whose acetylcholinesterase was recognized by the antiserum, both soluble and detergent-soluble fractions behaved in essentially the same manner, interacting with the same antibodies. The apparent immunoprecipitation titer was decreased in the presence of salt, and it did not make any difference whether NaCl was included in the solubilization procedure or added to the extracts. Both G1 and G4 forms of acetylcholinesterase in the soluble and detergent-soluble fractions were recognized by the antiserum, and in the case of the human enzyme, by monoclonal antibodies produced against human erythrocyte acetylcholinesterase. However, the monomer G1 showed a clear tendency to form smaller complexes and precipitate less readily than the tetramer G4. Although we cannot exclude the existence of significant differences between the various molecular forms of acetylcholinesterase, our results are consistent with the hypothesis that they all derive from the same gene or set of genes by posttranslational modifications.     

Genetic Diversity and Abundance of Flavobacterial Proteorhodopsin in China Seas

Proteorhodopsin (PR) genes related to Flavobacteria were found to be highly diverse in the East and South China seas and displayed a distinct geographic pattern, which appeared to reflect cold versus warm adaptation when Global Oceanic Sampling database metagenomic data were included. Flavobacterial PR genes were more abundant offshore than nearshore, implying that inheritance of the PR gene could be important for Flavobacteria living in the oligotrophic environment.