Antigenic similarity between the β-subunits of the ATPases of a bacterium,a yeast and a higher plant

Antiserum raised against the β-subunit of wheat (Triticum aestivum) chloroplast ATPase cross-reacts with a 51000 protein located in the membrane fraction of Escherichia coli. The differential solubility of this polypeptide after chloroform treatment of unc⁺ and uncD409 strains indicates that this cross-reacting polypeptide is the bacterial β-subunit of ATPase. Thus a high degree of conservation of antigenic determinant sites exists between a bacterial β-subunit and the β-subunit of a monocot. This conservation also seems to extend to the β-subunit of mitochondrial ATPase of yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae).     

Is the effect of priming plants,and a functional JAR1, negligible on the foraging behaviour and development of a generalist lepidopteran,Helicoverpa armigera?

Theory and recent literature suggest strong effects of induced plant defences in some plant herbivore systems. Few have studied behavioural effects on intact plants. Differences in foraging behaviour as well as weight gain were determined for first instar Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) on Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. (Brassicaceae) mutant and wild type plants, non‐primed, or primed by herbivore feeding or methyl jasmonate. The differences in feeding were primarily in the length of feeding time as opposed to the area fed on, feeding location, or frequency. More larvae dispersed from plants after priming by mite feeding than dispersed after caterpillar feeding. Other behavioural activities such as resting were not significantly affected. Early instars gained less weight feeding on ein2 (ethylene insensitive) mutant, but there was no difference in weight gain between larvae feeding on induced and non‐induced plants of the same type. We concluded that there are fitness consequences for neonates of the generalist H. armigera after feeding on induced plant tissues in some cases, and that distinct changes in behaviour are recognisable both at the fine scale and at grosser levels (dispersal). However, these changes are more subtle than might be expected.     

Patterns of richness and endemism of the Mexican herpetofauna,a matter of spatial scale?

The goal of this study was to compare the richness and endemism patterns of Mexican species of amphibians and reptiles at different spatial scales. We used the best available dataset of distributional ranges generated from ecological niche models and employed geographically weighted regressions (GWRs) to test whether richness and endemism were related. Patterns were found to vary with the scale used for richness and endemism, and these patterns were not coincident. The results showed that: (1) only relatively coarse spatial scales can address latitudinal patterns in amphibians and reptiles, and, in fine scales, they are related to topographic formations; (2) areas of greatest endemism for amphibians and reptiles are located in the highlands of the central or southern part of the country, although not necessarily in the same specific highlands for both groups; (3) there is a strong average correlation between richness and endemism for both groups, indicating that the same factors contribute to both patterns, but these factors act differentially in terms of regions among amphibians and reptiles; and (4) the scale at which the analysis is conducted is important, and we believe that careful consideration of spatial scale must be undertaken to avoid false conclusions. © 2013 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, 2014, 111 , 305–316.     

Hairpin and duplex forms of a self-complementary dodecamer, d-AGATCTAGATCT, and interaction of the duplex form with the peptide KGWGK: can a pentapeptide destabilize DNA?

Ordered forms of a synthetic dodecamer, d-AGATCTAGATCT, a direct repeat of the BglII recognition sequence, have been investigated using UV, CD, and fluorescence spectroscopy. Complex hairpin-duplex equilibria are manifest in UV thermal transitions, which are monophasic in the presence of very low or high NaCl concentrations but distinctly biphasic at intermediate ionic strengths. In 100 mM NaCl, the 1/Tm vs 1n C curve has a reasonable positive slope, which yields delta H and delta S for duplex formation as -66.2 kcal/mol and -190 cal/mol, respectively. Interaction of the dodecamer in duplex form with a tryptophan-containing peptide, KGWGK, has also been investigated to test the "bookmark" hypothesis (Gabbay et al., 1976) under the uniform structural constraint of the oligonucleotide of defined sequence. CD spectra of the peptide (P), the oligonucleotide (N), and their mixtures at different P/N ratios show a dramatic change in peptide spectrum but little change in nucleic acid dichroism with peptide binding. The Tm of P-N complexes decreases with an increase in peptide binding and levels off at saturation binding of P/N = 2.0. The data are interpreted in terms of a groove-cum-intercalation mode of binding, where intercalation to the tryptophan side chain destabilizes the double helix. A Scatchard plot of the binding data is nonlinear, with best-fit values for an overall association constant K = 4.33 x 10(5) M-1, and the number of binding sites n = 3.23 when fitted to the site-exclusion model of binding.     

Valois, a component of the nuage and pole plasm, is involved in assembly of these structures, and binds to Tudor and the methyltransferase Capsuléen

Using the Capsuleen (Csul) methyltransferase as bait in the yeast two-hybrid system, we have identified a novel Drosophila protein containing multiple WD repeats and encoded by the valois (vsl) gene, which acts in pole plasm function. Vls is homologous to human MEP50, which forms a complex with the PRMT5 methyltransferase--the human homologue of Csul. We found that Vls localizes to the nuage in the nurse cells and to the pole plasm in the oocyte. Moreover vls is required for the synthesis and/or stability of Oskar and the localization of Tudor (Tud) in both the nuage and at the posterior pole of the oocyte. Furthermore, we show that Vls and a fragment of Tud interact directly in binding assay. As the PMRT5/MEP50 complex is involved in ribonucleoprotein complex assembly, we hypothesize that the Vls complex may play a similar function in assembling the nuage in nurse cells and the polar granules in the oocyte.     

Review of the fauna of Rotatoria,Cladocera, and Copepoda of the basin of the Anadyr’ River

The zooplankton composition is studied in the thermokarst, glacial and meteorite lakes, channels, former riverbeds, and hollows in the basin of Anadyr’. We found 174 taxa: 78, Rotatoria, 55, Cladocera, and 41, Copepoda. The most diverse is the lake fauna: 51 taxa of Rotatoria, 48, Cladocera, and 37, Copepoda. The thermokarst Lake Maiorskoe hosts 68 taxa: 31, Rotatoria, 14, Cladocera, and 23, Copepoda, wheras the cold ultraoligotrophic Lake El’gygytgyn features only one species of Cyclop of the group scutifer Cyclops neymanae Strel., and Rotatoria and Cladocera are present as allochtonous forms. The Copepoda illustrate the relations of the Anadyr’ fauna with those of Europe, North America, and Japan.     

Effects of rapeseed‐press cake glucosinolates and iodine on the performance,the thyroid gland and the liver vitamin a status of pigs

Rapeseed press cake (per kg DM 181 g EE, 341 g CP and 23.3 mmol glucosinolates) was tested in a long‐term experiment with a total of sixty pigs (live weight range 24 to 104 kg). The 3×2 factorial design consisted of three rapeseed press cake levels (no rapeseed press cake ‐ control, 75g or 150g rapeseed press cake per kg diet) each with two iodine dosages (125 or 250 μg supplementary iodine per kg diet). Reduced feed intake and depressed weight gain were found in groups receiving 150 g rapeseed press cake per kg diet, which correspond to 3.2mmol glucosinolates per kg diet. At an inclusion level of 75 g rapeseed‐press cake per kg diet no differences in feed intake and growth intensity were recorded in comparison to the rape feed free control. The rapeseed‐press cake diet increased the weight of thyroid gland and liver and decreased the serum thyroxine (T₄) concentration. Higher iodine dosage increased the serum T₄ concentration of pigs receiving 75 g rapeseed press cake per kg diet ( = 1.6 mmol glucosinolates per kg diet) to the level of the control group and retarded the enlargement of the thyroid gland. Intake of rapeseed products lowered the iodine content of the thyroid gland, however, there was no significant difference between groups given 1.6 and 3.2 mmol glucosinolates per kg diet. The vitamin A content of the whole liver and the vitamin A serum concentration were not influenced by the diets tested. However, rapeseed press cake and the glucosinolates, respectively, decreased the vitamin A concentration per gram liver due to the organ enlargement and the resulting dilution effect.     

Chronicle of a summer and the editing of cinema‐verite

Jean Rouch and Edgar Morin's Chronicle of a Summer is held up as an innovative, seminal “work in the formation of cinéma‐vérité, and has a central position in the development of documentary and ethnographic filmmaking. Although much has been written about fthis film, little attention has been paid to the film's construction. This paper examines ‘elements of the editing structure of Chronicle of a Summer both to consider how this “work was shaped given the constraints of its production and intended reception and to ¦ analyze a relatively neglected aspect of documentary film practice.     

Advances in the understanding of the structure and function of ER-α36,a novel variant of human estrogen receptor-alpha

Estrogen receptors (ERs) belong to the nuclear receptor superfamily, whose members include ER-α66, ER-α36, ER-α46 and ER-β. Each receptor performs specific functions through binding with a specific ligand, such as estrogen. Recently, ER-α36, a novel variant of human estrogen receptor-alpha (ER-α), was identified and cloned. ER-α36 inhibits, in a dominant-negative manner, the transactivation of both the wild-type ER-α (ER-α66) and ER-β. As a predominantly membrane-based ER, ER-α36 mediates nongenomic estrogen signaling and is involved in the resistance of breast cancer to endocrine therapy, i.e., tamoxifen. This review summarizes recent studies on the structure and function of ER-α36 and the relationship of ER-α36 with cancer, with special emphasis on its function in the resistance of breast cancer to endocrine therapy.     

Canopy transpiration and water fluxes in the xylem of the trunk of Larix and Picea trees — a comparison of xylem flow,porometer and cuvette measurements

Summary Leaf gas exchange, transpiration, water potential and xylem water flow measurements were used in order to investigate the daily water balance of intact, naturally growing, adult Larix and Picea trees without major injury. The total daily water use of the tree was very similar when measured as xylem water flow at breast height or at the trunk top below the shade branches, or as canopy transpiration by a porometer or gas exchange chamber at different crown positions. The average canopy transpiration is about 12% lower than the transpiration of a single twig in the sun crown of Larix and Picea. Despite the similarity in daily total water flows there are larger differences in the actual daily course. Transpiration started 2 to 3 h earlier than the xylem water flow and decreased at noon before the maximum xylem water flow was reached, and stopped in the evening 2 to 3 h earlier than the water flow though the stem. The daily course of the xylem water flow was very similar at the trunk base and top below the lowest branches with shade needles. The difference in water efflux from the crown via transpiration and the water influx from the trunk is caused by the use of stored water. The specific capacitance of the crown wood was estimated to be 4.7 x 10^-8 and 6.3 x 10^-8 kg kg^-1 Pa^-1 and the total amount of available water storage was 17.8 and 8.7 kg, which is 24% and 14% of the total daily transpiration in Larix and Picea respectively. Very little water was used from the main tree trunk. With increasing transpiration and use of stored water from wood in the crown, the water potential in the foliage decreases. Plant water status recovers with the decrease of transpiration and the refilling of the water storage sites. The liquid flow conductance in the trunk was 0.45 x 10^-9 and 0.36 x 10^-9 mol m^-2s^-1 Pa^-1 in Larix and Picea respectively. The role of stomata and their control by environmental and internal plant factors is discussed.     

Cytogenetic biomonitoring of inhabitants of a large uranium mineralization area: the municipalities of Monte Alegre, Prainha, and Alenquer, in the State of Pará, Brazil

Uranium is a natural radioactive metallic element; its effect on the organism is cumulative, and chronic exposure to this element can induce carcinogenesis. Three cities of the Amazon region—Monte Alegre, Prainha, and Alenquer—in North Brazil, are located in one of the largest uranium mineralization areas of the world. Radon is a radioactive gas, part of uranium decay series and readily diffuses through rock. In Monte Alegre, most of the houses are built of rocks removed from the Earth’s crust in the forest, where the uranium reserves lie. The objective of the present work is to determine the presence or absence of genotoxicity and risk of carcinogenesis induced by natural exposure to uranium and radon in the populations of these three cities. The frequency of micronuclei (MN) and chromosomal aberrations (CA) showed no statistically significant differences between the control population and the three study populations (P > 0.05). MN was also analyzed using the fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique, with a centromere-specific probe. No clastogenic and/or aneugenic effects were found in the populations. Using FISH analysis, other carcinogenesis biomarkers were analyzed, but neither the presence of the IGH/BCL2 translocation nor an amplification of the MYC gene and 22q21 region was detected. Clastogenicity and DNA damage were also not found in the populations analyzed using the alkaline comet assay. The mitotic index showed no cytotoxicity in the analyzed individuals’ lymphocytes. Once we do not have data concerning radiation doses from other sources, such as cosmic rays, potassium, thorium, or anthropogenic sources, it is hard to determine if uranium emissions in this geographic region where our study population lives are too low to cause significant DNA damage. Regardless, genetic analyses suggest that the radiation in our study area is not high enough to induce DNA alterations or to interfere with mitotic apparatus formation. It is also possible that damages caused by radiation doses undergo cellular repair.     

Can the growth factors PTHrP,Ihh and VEGF,together regulate the development of a long bone?

Endochondral ossification is the process of differentiation of cartilaginous into osseous tissue. Parathyroid hormone related protein (PTHrP), Indian hedgehog (Ihh) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which are synthesized in different zones of the growth plate, were found to have crucial roles in regulating endochondral ossification. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the three growth factors PTHrP, Ihh and VEGF, together, could regulate longitudinal growth in a normal human, fetal femur. For this purpose, a one-dimensional finite element (FE) model, incorporating growth factor signaling, was developed of the human, distal, femoral growth plate. It included growth factor synthesis in the relevant zones, their transport and degradation and their effects. Simulations ran from initial hypertrophy in the center of the bone until secondary ossification starts at approximately 3.5 months postnatal. For clarity, we emphasize that no mechanical stresses were considered. The FE model showed a stable growth plate in which the bone growth rate was constant and the number of cells per zone oscillated around an equilibrium. Simulations incorporating increased and decreased PTHrP and Ihh synthesis rates resulted, respectively, in more and less cells per zone and in increased and decreased bone growth rates. The FE model correctly reflected the development of a growth plate and the rate of bone growth in the femur. Simulations incorporating increased and decreased PTHrP and Ihh synthesis rates reflected growth plate pathologies and growth plates in PTHrP-/- and Ihh-/- mice. The three growth factors, PTHrP, Ihh and VEGF, could potentially together regulate tissue differentiation.     

Isolation and physiological and biochemical characterization of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii C-41 mutant,a superproducer of ζ-carotene

The composition of the carotenes and xanthophylls of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Dang. C-41, a mutant of a unicellular green alga and a superproducer of ζ-carotene, was studied. The light-harvesting complexes and a complex of the PS-II reaction center were established to be disrupted in the C-41 mutant. However, the mutant retained a high (up to 46%) photosynthetic activity and the capacity to accumulate chlorophylls and carotenoids (up to 50%). The composition of carotenes was studied, and it was shown that, in contrast to wild-type K(+) cells, which accumulate up to 95% of β-carotene and 5% α-carotene, cells of the C-41 mutant contained 43% β-carotene, 19% β-zeacarotene, and 38% ζ-carotene. The high level of C-41 mutant biomass accumulation made it possible to recommend the mutant as a superproducer of ζ-carotene in phytobiotechnology.     

Characterization of the βγ-crystallin domains of βγ-CAT, a non-lens βγ-crystallin and trefoil factor complex, from the skin of the toad Bombina maxima

βγ-CAT is a naturally existing 72-kDa complex of a non-lens βγ-crystallin (α-subunit, CAT-α) and a trefoil factor (β-subunit, CAT-β) that contains a non-covalently linked form of αβ₂ and was isolated from the skin secretions of the toad Bombina maxima. The N-terminal region of CAT-α (CAT-αN, residues 1–170) contains two βγ-crystallin domains while the C-terminal region (CAT-αC) has sequence homology to the membrane insertion domain of the Clostridium perfringens epsilon toxin. To examine the biochemical characteristics of the βγ-crystallin domains of βγ-CAT, CAT-αN, CAT-αC and CAT-β were expressed in Escherichia coli. Co-immunoprecipitation of the naturally assembled βγ-CAT confirmed that the CAT-α and CAT-β complex always exists. Furthermore, recombinant CAT-β bound recombinant CAT-αN. Ca²⁺-binding motifs were identified in CAT-αN, and recombinant CAT-αN was able to bind the calcium probe terbium. However, the conformation of CAT-αN was not significantly altered upon Ca²⁺ binding. βγ-CAT possesses strong hemolytic activity toward human erythrocytes, and treatment of erythrocytes with βγ-CAT resulted in a rapid Ca²⁺ influx, eventually leading to hemolysis. However, in the absence of extracellular Ca²⁺, no significant hemolysis was detected, even though the binding and oligomerization of βγ-CAT in the erythrocyte membrane was observed. Our data demonstrate the binding of CAT-β (a trefoil factor) to CAT-αN (βγ-crystallin domains) and provide a basis for the formation of a βγ-crystallin and trefoil factor complex in vivo. Furthermore, the βγ-crystallin domains of βγ-CAT are able to bind Ca²⁺, and βγ-CAT-induced hemolysis is Ca²⁺ dependent.     

Glutamate,acetylcholine, and γ-aminobutyric acid as transmitters in the pyloric system of the stomatogastric ganglion of a stomatopod,Squilla oratoria

The neurotransmitters mediating the synaptic interactions in the pyloric system of the stomatogastric ganglion of a stomatopod, Squilla oratoria, were examined. Putative transmitters were applied iontophoretically to the pyloric cells. Glutamate and GABA produced inhibitory responses in all motoneurons but acetylcholine did not. These inhibitory responses were due to increases in conductance to either K⁺ or Cl^– or both, and blocked by picrotoxin. The inhibitory postsynaptic potentials evoked by the constrictor and dilator neurons were different in their time courses, reversal potentials, ion selectivities, and picrotoxin sensitivities. Glutamate is a transmitter candidate for inhibitory synapses made among the pyloric cells as well as for their neuromuscular junctions. In some cells, glutamate and acetylcholine evoked excitatory responses which were blocked by joro spider toxin and by tubocurare, respectively. They mediated the extrinsic inputs to modulate the pyloric rhythm. The transmitter, glutamate, is conserved in the ganglion neurons between stomatopods and decapods during evolution. Use of two transmitters, glutamate and acetylcholine, may have evolved in decapods, while the ionic mechanism is preserved in both orders. The neuromodulators, acetylcholine and -aminobutyric acid, are conserved between both orders. Glutamate may be used as the neuromodulator in stomatopods.Abbreviations ACh acetylcholine - EPSP excitatory postsynaptic potential - GABA -aminobutyric acid - Glu glutamate - IC inferior cardiac - IPSP inhibitory postsynaptic potential - JSTX joro spider toxin - LP lateral pyloric - pcp posterior cardiac plate - PTX picrotoxin     

Reclassification of the serows and gorals: the end of a neverending story?

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Construction, Characterization, and Chromosomal Mapping of a Fosmid Library of the White-Cheeked Gibbon （Nomascus leucogenys）

Gibbons have experienced extensive karyotype rearrangements during evolution and represent an ideal model for studying the underlying molecular mechanism of evolutionary chromosomal rearrangements. It is anticipated that the cloning and sequence characterization of evolutionary chromosomal breakpoints will provide vital insights into the molecular force that has driven such a radical karyotype reshuffle in gibbons. We constructed and characterized a high-quality fosmid li- brary of the white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus leucogenys) containing 192,000 non- redundant clones with an average insert size of 38 kb and 2.5-fold genome coverage. By end sequencing of 100 randomly selected fosmid clones, we generated 196 se- quence tags for the library. These end-sequenced fosmid clones were then mapped onto the chromosomes of the white-cheeked gibbon by fluorescence in situ hy- bridization, and no spurious chimeric clone was detected. BLAST search against the human genome showed a good correlation between the number of hit clones and the number of chromosomes, an indication of unbiased chromosomal distribu- tion of the fosmid library. The chromosomal distribution of the mapped clones is also consistent with the BLAST search result against human and white-cheeked gibbon genomes. The fosmid library and the mapped clones will serve as a valu- able resource for further studying gibbons' chromosomal rearrangements and the underlying molecular mechanism as well as for comparative genomic study in the lesser apes.     

Is prostaglandin a mediator for the inhibitory action of histamine,hydrocortisone, and isoproterenol?

We examined the inhibitory actions of prostaglandin E₂, histamine, isoproterenol, hydrocortisone, and interferon on lymphocyte mitogenesis. There was a high degree of intercorrelation between the amount of inhibition caused by prostaglandin E₂, histamine, isoproterenol, and hydrocortisone, but not interferon, in any given subject; that is if lymphocytes from a given subject were highly sensitive to inhibition by one of those agents, they were also sensitive to the other agents. The inhibitory actions of histamine, isoproterenol, or hydrocortisone could be partially blocked by adding prostaglandin synthetase inhibitors to the mitogen cultures. Preincubation of the lymphocytes for 18 hr prior to the addition of mitogens and inhibitors resulted in a loss in sensitivity to the inhibitors other than interferon. Removal of glass-adherent cells (the prostaglandin-producing cells) prior to culture lessened the inhibition caused by histamine and isoproterenol. The above data would suggest that these inhibitors may act via prostaglandin; however, all of these compounds actually decrease prostaglandin production in cultures of peripheral blood mononuclear cells. The implications of these findings are discussed.