The effect of negative air ionization on the thymus glands of laboratory rats

Continuous negative air ionization, over two generations, was found to result in depletion of thymus mass when compared with control values. Evidence from adrenal weights suggested that this effect was not mediated via stress effect; it is suggested that there may be a direct action of negative ions on the immune system. The normal pattern of thymic growth and involution was unaffected by such treatment. However, successive generations of animals, raised in a negatively ionized atmosphere, showed no such depletion of thymus mass.     

Effect of stressful and nonstressful growth temperatures on variation of sternopleural bristle number in Drosophila melanogaster

The effect of stressful (31 degrees C) and nonstressful (25 degrees C) growth temperatures on quantitative variation and developmental stability (fluctuating asymmetry) of Drosophila melanogaster was examined in a short-term selection experiment on sternopleural bristle number. Realized heritabilities based on 10 generations of selection in an upward direction did not differ between the two temperature regimes, which indicated that additive genetic variation was not affected by a high, stressful temperature. Phenotypic variability and fluctuating asymmetry of sternopleural bristles were significantly higher under stressful conditions when averaged over generations, although most pairwise comparisons in separate generations showed nonsignificant differences between temperatures.     

The transformation of the mammalian genome and the teratogenic activity of chloridin

Susceptibility to the effect of teratogen chloridine of three generations produced from transgenic rats with human growth hormone gene was investigated. The offsprings were shown to reveal elevated teratogenic injury as compared with intact animals.     

Factors controlling the proliferative rate, final cell density, and life span of bovine vascular smooth muscle cells in culture

Low density vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cell cultures maintained on extracellular-matrix(ECM)-coated dishes and plated in the presence of either plasma or serum will proliferate actively when serum-containing medium is replaced by a synthetic medium supplemented with three factors: high density lipoprotein (HDL, 250 micrograms protein/ml); insulin (2.5 micrograms/ml) or somatomedin C (10 ng/ml); and fibroblast growth factor (FGF, 100 ng/ml) or epidermal growth factor (EGF, 50 ng/ml). The omission of any of these three factors from the synthetic medium results in a lower growth rate of the cultures, as well as in a lower final cell density once cultures reach confluence. When cells are plated in the total absence of serum, transferrin (10 micrograms/ml) is also required to induce optimal cell growth. The effects of the substrate and medium supplements on the life span of VSM cultures have also been analyzed. Cultures maintained on plastic and exposed to medium supplemented with 5% bovine serum underwent 15 generations. However, when maintained on ECM-coated dishes the serum-fed cultures had a life span of at least 88 generations. Likewise, when cultures were maintained in a synthetic medium supplemented with HDL and either FGF or EGF, an effect on the tissue culture life span by the substrate was observed. Cultures maintained on plastic underwent 24 generations, whereas those maintained on ECM-coated dishes could be passaged repeatedly for 58 generations. These experiments demonstrate the influence of the ECM-substrate only in promoting cell growth but also in increasing the longevity of the cultures.     

The diverse effects of 5'-bromodeoxyuridine on enzyme activities in cultured H35 hepatoma cells.

Reuber (H35) hepatoma cells were grown in medium containing 10(-5)M bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), which was incorporated into their DNA. Cell growth rate was unaffected by BrdU for the first two generations, after which it was reduced by about 50%. The effect of BrdU incorporation on the activities of several enzymes with rapid turnover rates was examined to test the hypothesis that the synthesis of such enzymes will be preferentially inhibited by BrdU. Tyrosine amino-transferase (TAT) activity decreased by 70% within two generations whereas thymidine kinase activity remained at control values. PEP carboxykinase activity was unchanged during the first generation in BrdU-containing medium but, during the second, its activity increased by at least 30%. Ornithine decarboxylase levels decreased by about 50% only after two generations in the presence of BrdU. There appeared to be no simple relationship between turnover rates and the effect of BrdU on enzyme activity. Incorporation of BrdU was found to inhibit the induction of both TAT and PEP carboxykinase by dexamethasone and to enhance the inhibition of cell growth by this steroid. These results are discussed with respect to possible mechanisms of gene expression and development in both normal and neoplastic cells.     

The founder effect and deleterious genes

During the rapid growth of a population from a few founders, a single deleterious gene in a founder can attain an appreciable frequency in later generations. A computer simulation, which has the population double itself in early generations, indicates a lethal could attain a frequency of 0.1. Since deleterious recessive genes are eliminated from large populations at a very slow rate, variations in their frequencies in present major human populations may be due to the founder effect during earlier rapid expansion.     

卷蛾赤眼蜂体内共生菌Wolbachia对寄主产雌孤雌生殖行为的影响

在30℃的条件下,连续饲养卷蛾赤眼蜂Trichogramma cacoeciaeMarchall10代,观察每代蜂的生物学特性,并进行Wolbachia的wsp基因的分子检测,以研究卷蛾赤眼蜂产雌孤雌生殖行为与其体内共生菌Wolbachia的关系。结果表明,高温下卷蛾赤眼蜂体内的Wolbachia被抑制,4代以后wsp基因的PCR检测结果变为阴性;同时赤眼蜂的产雌孤雌生殖行为的改变程度也随着世代的增加呈递增趋势。这显示卷蛾赤眼蜂的产雌孤雌生殖行为与其体内的共生菌Wolbachia具有一定程度的相关性。     

Differential effects of water depth and sediment type on clonal growth of the submersed macrophyte <Emphasis Type="Italic">Vallisneria natans</Emphasis>

The response of clonal growth and ramet morphology to water depth (from 60 to 260 cm) and sediment type (sand versus organic clay) was investigated for the stoloniferous submersed macrophyte Vallisneria natans in an outdoor pond experiment. Results showed that water depth significantly affected clonal growth of V. natans in terms of clone weight, number of ramets, number of generations, clonal radius and stolon length. V. natans showed an optimal clonal growth at water depths of 110–160 cm, but at greater depths clonal growth was severely retarded. A high allometric effect was exhibited in ramet morphology. Along the sequentially produced ramet generations, ramet weight and plant height decreased while stolon length and the root:leaf weight ratio increased. When using ramet generations as covariate, sediment type rather than water depth more strongly affected the ramet characteristics. For plants grown in clay, ramet weight, ramet height and stolon length were greater, and plants exhibited lower root:leaf weight ratio. These data suggest that water depth and sediment type have differential effects on clonal growth of V. natans: Water depth appears primarily to affect numerical increase in ramets and spatial spread, whereas sediment type mainly affects biomass accumulation and biomass allocation. Handling editor: S. M. Thomaz     

The role of thermal stratification on the population dynamics of Sagitta elegans Verrill in the western Irish Sea

Temperature and prey availability have a marked effect on thedevelopment and growth of Sagitta elegans. This study addressesthe effects of thermal stratification on the growth and sizeof adult S.elegans in the western Irish Sea. It shows that instratified waters, bottom water temperature had a greater effecton the development of mature adults than surface water temperature.Whilst the length of mature individuals caught in 1992 and 1994decreased with increasing temperature, they did not conformto the models of McLaren (1963) and Sameoto (1971), as the animalswere larger than predicted. The long breeding period found inthe stratified region, suggests that previous reports of oneor two generations per year in the western Irish Sea do notaccount for the likely mix of generations that occur from Februarythrough to September.     

Effects of salinity and cadmium interaction on reproduction and growth during three successive generations ofOphryotrocha labronica (polychaeta)

The long-term effects of different cadmium (0.2 and 0.4 ppm) and salinity levels (30, 25, and 20 ‰ S) on growth and egg-mass production ofOphryotrocha labronica (La Greca & Bacci) were investigated over three generations. Low salinity levels and the presence of cadmium resulted in reduced growth rates, prolonged times to reach sexual maturity, and reduced size at maturity. Three-way analysis of variance showed significant interaction effects of generation and cadmium for the different growth processes tested. Using response-surface methods, 0.2 ppm cadmium was shown to have a greater effect on growth rate at the third generation than the first and second generations at the three salinities tested. Increased effects were observed from first to second generation at 0.4 ppm cadmium and 30 and 25 ‰ S, whereas effects decreased from second to third generation. At 0.4 ppm cadmium and salinity of 20 ‰ the first generation was not able to produce viable larvae.     

On Temporal Dynamics of Morphological Variations in the Black Sea Mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lam.

Temporal variations in morphological characters of the shells were studied in 12 samples of mussels M. galloprovincialis Lam. from the Black Sea commercial collectors that belong to different generations. The samples were shown to be diverse in every studied character and the degree of characters' variability in the samples was different. The morphological diversity of samples diminished with age. Different generations from the same habitat had specific features of age-related variability expressed as different rates of age-related changes and direction and degree of variability. This effect is considered as an index of the influence of ecological conditions on the shell growth and formation.     

An analysis of the growth of the retinal cell population in embryonic chicks yielding proliferative ratios, numbers of proliferative and non-proliferative cells and cell-cycle times for successive generations of cell cycles

Growth curves of the retinal cell population of embryonic chicks were fitted by a branching-process model of cell population growth, thereby estimating the proliferative ratios and mean cell-cycle times of the generations of cell cycles that underlie retinal growth. The proliferative ratio determines the proportion of cells that divides in the next generation, so the numbers of proliferative and non-proliferative cells in each generation of cell cycles were obtained. The mean cell-cycle times determine the times over which the generations are extant. Assuming growth starts from one cell in generation 0, the proliferative cells reach 3.6 × 10⁶ and the non-proliferative cells reach 1.1 × 10⁶ by generation 23. The next four generations increase the proliferative cell numbers to 13.9 × 10⁶ and produce 20.1 × 10⁶ non-proliferative cells. In the next five generations in the end phase of growth, non-proliferative cells are produced in large numbers at an average of 13.9 × 10⁶ cells per generation as the retinal lineages are completed. The retinal cell population reaches a maximum estimated here at 98.2 × 10⁶ cells. The mean cell-cycle time estimates range between 6.8 and 10.1 h in generations before the end phase of growth and between 10.6 and 17.2 h in generations in the end phase. The retinal cell population growth is limited by the depletion of the proliferative cell population that the production of non-proliferative cells entails. The proliferative ratios and the cell-cycle-time distribution parameters are the likely determinants of retinal growth rates. The results are discussed in relation to other results of spatial and temporal patterns of the cessation of cell cycling in the embryonic chick retina.     

Strategies for precise quantification of transgene expression levels over several generations in rice

Variation in transgene expression levels can result from uncontrolled differences in experimental protocols. Studies conducted over generations could, by their design, generate additional unwanted variation. To study sources of spurious variation, transgene expression levels were quantified over five homozygous generations in two independent transgenic rice lines created by particle bombardment. Both lines contained the same gus expression unit and had been shown to exhibit stable inheritance of transgene structure and expression. All plants were cultured and sampled using previously developed standardized protocols. Plants representative of each generation (T2, T3, T4, T5, T6) were grown either all together or across several different growth periods. GUS activity in plants from different generations was quantified either in the same assay or over multiple independent assays. Strategies in which plants were grown and phenotyped independently, significantly increased (up to 3-fold) extraneous variation in transgene expression level quantification, thus reducing the precision of molecular genetic studies and generating artefactual results in transgenic studies conducted over generations. Identification of sources of unwanted variation and quantification of their effect allowed the development of new strategies designed to control spurious variation. Growth and phenotyping of all plants from all generations together, using standard operating procedures (SOP), led to a reduction in extraneous variation associated with transgene expression level quantification. Adoption of such strategies is key to improving the reproducibility of transgenic studies conducted over generations.     

Multiplicity of infection does not accelerate infectivity evolution of viral parasites in laboratory microcosms

Coinfection with multiple parasite genotypes [multiplicity of infection (MOI)] creates within-host competition and opportunities for parasite recombination and is therefore predicted to be important for both parasite and host evolution. We tested for a difference in the infectivity of viral parasites (lytic phage Φ2) and resistance of their bacterial hosts (Pseudomonas fluorescens SBW25) under both high and low MOI during coevolution in laboratory microcosms. Results show that MOI has no effect on infectivity and resistance evolution during coevolution over ～80 generations of host growth, and this is true when the experiment is initiated with wild-type viruses and hosts, or with viruses and hosts that have already been coevolving for ～330 generations. This suggests that MOI does not have a net effect of accelerating parasite adaptation to hosts through recombination, or slowing adaptation to hosts through between-parasite conflict in this system.     

Tryptose phosphate broth confers to chick embryo cells resistance to the inhibitory effect of chloramphenicol on growth

Tryptose phosphate broth (10% V/V) prevents the inhibitory effect of chloramphenicol (80 ug/ml) on the growth of chick embryo fibroblasts. Cellular cytochrome $\text{c}$ oxidase activity is rapidly lost indicating that chloramphenicol inhibits the mitochondrial protein-synthesizing system in the presence of the broth. To compensate for the apparent decreased mitochondrial ATP production, pyruvate kinase and lactate dehydrogenase activities, 2-deoxyglucose uptake and lactic acid produced in treated cells are greater than those in the control cells during the first few generations. These fermentation values tend to revert to normal during later cell generations.     

The usage of individual-oriented model in studies on the role of the maternal effect in the reproductive switch in Cladocera

An individual-oriented model of the population of Daphnia longispina, an abundant zooplankton species in lakes and temporary water bodies of the Palaearctic temperate zone, is described. The concept of the model is based on the growth and reproduction potential of an individual and its ability to switch from parthenogenesis to gamogenesis, which is determined by the life conditions of three successive generations. The model was used for testing hypotheses on the role of maternal effect in the population dynamics of Daphnia. Several important conclusions are made, including the verification of the importance of this phenomenon for the seasonal adaptations in crustaceans. The possibility of maternal effect accumulation in a series of successive generations probably increases the tolerance of populations to annual oscillations of environmental factors. The model affirms the role of the maternal effect, along with the interpopulational polimorphism, as a mechanism providing for the stability of biological systems at the species (population) level.     

Effect of phenotypic switching on the biological properties and susceptibility to chlorhexidine in Candida krusei ATCC 14243

Phenotypic switching is characterized as a virulence factor of Candida spp. This study was carried out to evaluate the phenotypic switching ability of C.?krusei ATCC 14243 and to determine its effect on the biological properties, adherence capacity and susceptibility towards chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX). To induce switched generations C.?krusei was cultured under nitrogen-depleted growth conditions by adding phloxine B. These phenotypically switched colonies were designated as the 1st generation. Subsequent sub-culturing was performed to produce the 2nd, 3rd and 4th switched generations. The recovery of the 3rd generation was the highest at 85.7% while that of the 4th generation was lower at 70.8%, and the recovery of the 1st and 2nd generations gradually reduced to 46.6% and 36.4%, respectively. All generations of C.?krusei were susceptible towards CHX. The unswitched C.?krusei was the most susceptible but the least adherent to coated hard surfaces. The 2nd generation was the least susceptible, but with the highest adherent ability. The minimum inhibition concentration and minimal fungicidal concentration of C.?krusei of all generations were determined at 0.4?mg?mL(-1) . These observations suggest that the switching activity of C.?krusei induces changes to its biological properties and susceptibility towards CHX.     

Factors involved in the control of proliferation of bovine corneal endothelial cells maintained in serum-free medium

Experimental conditions have been defined that allow bovine corneal endothelial (BCE) cells to grow in the complete absence of serum. Low density BCE cell cultures maintained on extracellular matrix (ECM)-coated dishes and plated in the total absence of serum proliferate actively when exposed to a synthetic medium supplemented with high density lipoprotein (HDL 500 μg protein/ml), transferrin (10 μg/ml), insulin (5 μg/ml), and fibroblast (FGP) or epidermal growth factor (EGF) added at concentrations of 100 or 50 ng/ml, respectively. Omission of any of these components results in a lower growth rate and/or final cell density of the cultures. BCE cell cultures plated on plastic dishes and exposed to the same synthetic medium grow very poorly. The longevity of BCE cultures maintained on plastic versus ECM and exposed to serum-free versus serum-containing medium has been studied. The use of ECM-coated dishes extended the life span of BCE cultures maintained in serum-supplemented medium to over 120 generations, as compared to less than 20 generations for cultures maintained on plastic. Likewise, BCE cells maintained on ECM and exposed to a synthetic medium supplemented with optimal concentrations of HDL, transferrin, insulin, and FGF underwent 85 generations, whereas control cultures maintained on plastic could not be passaged. The enhancing effect of ECM on BCE cell growth and culture longevity clearly illustrates the importance of the cell substrate in the control of proliferation of these cells.     

pH influences growth and plasmid stability of recombinant Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis

Continuous cultures of a recombinant Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis strain were performed to display the effect of the fermentation pH on the specific growth rate and plasmid stability. The proportion of plasmid pIL252 bearing cells decreased exponentially with the number of generations. The influence of the pH on the rate of loss of plasmid pIL252 and on the specific growth rate of L. lactis IL2682 was described by second order polynomial equations. Optimal pH for the growth and plasmid stability were 6.39 and 6.41 respectively. © Rapid Science Ltd. 1998     

不同基质多代培养对蚧虫病原真菌蜡蚧霉致病力的影响

【目的】研究昆虫病原真菌蜡蚧霉Lecanicilliurn lecanii(Zimmermann.)菌株No.V3.4504在不同培养基上继代培养,对菌种的菌落生长特性、胞外酶活力和对蚧虫致病力的影响。【方法】试验菌种蜡蚧霉菌株No.V3.4504是从染病蚧虫上分离的。试验蚧虫是沙里院褐球蚧Rhodococcus sariuoni Borchsenius和日本龟蜡蚧Ceroplastes japonicus Green。采用7种培养基继代培养多代。观察菌落形态特征、测定生长速率、产孢量、胞外蛋白酶和几丁质酶活性及对蚧虫的致死率。【结果】在PDA培养基上,菌落生长速率最快,但产孢量最低,胞外蛋白酶和几丁质酶的活性均呈逐代下降趋势,对两种蚧虫致死率也最低;增加蛋白胨对改善菌种致病力没有明显效果;在增加蚧虫尸体的D、E、F培养基上,菌落生长速率虽然较慢,但产孢量上升为8.83×106-9.13×106孢子/cm2。蛋白酶和几丁质酶的活性平均达到2.16-2.13 U/g和1.01-1.03 U/g,对两种蚧虫的致死率分别在55%-58%和39%-42%;在活蚧虫上连续培养3代,蛋白酶和几丁质酶的活性最高,为3.08-2.92 U/g和1.45-1.42 U/g,是PDA培养基上的1.6倍。对两种蚧虫的致死率也最高,分别达到71.30%和58.89%。蛋白酶和几丁质酶的活性与蚧虫死亡率呈正直线相关关系。【结论】采用PDA培养基连续多代培养会引起菌株No.V3.4504明显退化;在培养基中加入蚧虫尸体,对于保持菌种活力有明显效果;在活蚧虫体上继代培养对复壮菌种,提高菌种毒力的效果最佳。