Comparative organic growth factor requirements of nine Candida species

Nine Candida species isolated from fleshy fruits have been examined for their organic growth factor requirements. Complete or partial deficiencies for thiamine, biotin, pyridoxine, inositol, pantothenic acid, ascorbic acid and xanthine have been reported in C. catenuclta, C. curiosa, C. curvata, C. humicola, C. rhagii, C. steatolytica and C. tropicalis. Only two species, namely, C. fragicola and C. ishiwadea were prototrophic for the growth factors. Concentrations of essential growth factors higher than the optimum have been found inhibitory for the growth of yeasts.     

Global perspectives on trace element requirements

Trace elements are inorganic constituents of the human body present in concentrations less than 50 mg/kg body weight. An exception is iron that is found in slightly higher amounts, 60 mg/kg body weight, but it is classified within this category due to its physiological roles. Requirements of trace elements can vary according to age, gender, growth, body composition, genetics, pregnancy, lactation, wound healing and burns, alcohol abuse, infections, and diseases (anemia, coronary artery, Keshan, Kashin–Beck). Additionally, interactions may occur with dietary factors, such as other minerals (iron versus copper), phytates (zinc), oxalates (iron), fiber (manganese), and polyphenolic compounds (molybdenum). On a global basis, requirements can vary according to soil and geographical location, food preparation and processing, food accessibility, cultural practices (geophagia) and pollution. Furthermore, global differences exist in body composition, ethnicity, and age of menarche.     

Effects of nitrogen and water addition on trace element stoichiometry in five grassland species

A 9-year manipulative experiment with nitrogen (N) and water addition, simulating increasing N deposition and changing precipitation regime, was conducted to investigate the bioavailability of trace elements, iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) in soil, and their uptake by plants under the two environmental change factors in a semi-arid grassland of Inner Mongolia. We measured concentrations of trace elements in soil and in foliage of five common herbaceous species including 3 forbs and 2 grasses. In addition, bioaccumulation factors (BAF, the ratio of the chemical concentration in the organism and the chemical concentration in the growth substrate) and foliar Fe:Mn ratio in each plant was calculated. Our results showed that soil available Fe, Mn and Cu concentrations increased under N addition and were negatively correlated with both soil pH and cation exchange capacity. Water addition partly counteracted the positive effects of N addition on available trace element concentrations in the soil. Foliar Mn, Cu and Zn concentrations increased but Fe concentration decreased with N addition, resulting in foliar elemental imbalances among Fe and other selected trace elements. Water addition alleviated the effect of N addition. Forbs are more likely to suffer from Mn toxicity and Fe deficiency than grass species, indicating more sensitivity to changing elemental bioavailability in soil. Our results suggested that soil acidification due to N deposition may accelerate trace element cycling and lead to elemental imbalance in soil–plant systems of semi-arid grasslands and these impacts of N deposition on semi-arid grasslands were affected by water addition. These findings indicate an important role for soil trace elements in maintaining ecosystem functions associated with atmospheric N deposition and changing precipitation regimes in the future.     

Comparative chlorine requirements of different plant species

Summary Recognition of chlorine as a plant micronutrient has been extended to include ten species. Acute chlorine deficiencies or decreased yields were produced with lettuce, tomato, cabbage, carrot, sugar beet, barley, alfalfa, buckwheat, corn, and beans. Squash plants showed neither loss in yield nor other deficiency symptoms when cultured at the same time and under the same conditions as the aforementioned species. All plants acquired more chlorine during their growth than can be accounted for from seeds, inorganic salts, or water used in the experiments. Plant species least susceptible to injury when cultured upon low chlorine salt solutions were also the ones most capable of acquiring extrinsic chlorine. Of the species studied, lettuce was the most sensitive to minus chlorine culture solutions and squash, the least sensitive. However, the concentration of chlorine in all of the species cultured under limited chlorine supply was not greatly different. It is inferred that plants such as corn, beans, and squash survived the minus chlorine cultures by reason of greater accretion of extrinsic chlorine from the atmosphere. The form of the atmospherically borne chlorine is not known.     

‘Alperujo’ compost amendment of contaminated calcareous and acidic soils: Effects on growth and trace element uptake by five Brassica species

The effects of ‘alperujo’ compost on trace element availability and on microbial activity of two contaminated soils, a calcareous soil (S1) with high contents of Pb and Zn, and an acidic soil (S2) with a substantial amount of Al, As, Pb and Zn, were assessed. Additionally, the growth and capacity for contaminant phytoextraction of five Brassica species were studied. Compost amendment did not affect S1, but in S2 it increased soil pH, thus reducing Al and Zn bioavailability and toxicity. Compost application also increased microbial population and bioactivity in both soils. Brassica plants did not survive in S2, yet they thrived in S1. When compost was applied to S2, Brassica carinata, Brassica napus and Brassica oleracea grew adequately. Considering both the capacity to accumulate trace elements in the shoot and the ability to grow in the contaminated soils tested, the most efficient phytoextractors were Brassica juncea in S1 (particularly for Zn) and Brassica oleracea in S2 (for Al, As, Pb and Zn).     

Comparative genomics of trace element dependence in biology

Biological trace elements are needed in small quantities but are used by all living organisms. A growing list of trace element-dependent proteins and trace element utilization pathways highlights the importance of these elements for life. In this minireview, we focus on recent advances in comparative genomics of trace elements and explore the evolutionary dynamics of the dependence of user proteins on these elements. Many zinc protein families evolved representatives that lack this metal, whereas selenocysteine in proteins is dynamically exchanged with cysteine. Several other elements, such as molybdenum and nickel, have a limited number of user protein families, but they are strictly dependent on these metals. Comparative genomics of trace elements provides a foundation for investigating the fundamental properties, functions, and evolutionary dynamics of trace element dependence in biology.     

Evaluation of trace element status of organic dairy cattle

The present study aimed to evaluate trace mineral status of organic dairy herds in northern Spain and the sources of minerals in different types of feed. Blood samples from organic and conventional dairy cattle and feed samples from the respective farms were analysed by inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry to determine the concentrations of the essential trace elements (cobalt (Co), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), iron (Fe), iodine (I), manganese (Mn), molybdenum (Mo), nickel (Ni), selenium (Se) and zinc (Zn)) and toxic trace elements (arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb)). Overall, no differences between organic and conventional farms were detected in serum concentrations of essential and toxic trace elements (except for higher concentrations of Cd on the organic farms), although a high level of inter-farm variation was detected in the organic systems, indicating that organic production greatly depends on the specific local conditions. The dietary concentrations of the essential trace elements I, Cu, Se and Zn were significantly higher in the conventional than in the organic systems, which can be attributed to the high concentration of these minerals in the concentrate feed. No differences in the concentrations of trace minerals were found in the other types of feed. Multivariate chemometric analysis was conducted to determine the contribution of different feed sources to the trace element status of the cattle. Concentrate samples were mainly associated with Co, Cu, I, Se and Zn (i.e. with the elements supplemented in this type of feed). However, pasture and grass silage were associated with soil-derived elements (As, Cr, Fe and Pb) which cattle may thus ingest during grazing.     

五种棺头蟋核型的比较研究

报道了中国5种棺头蟋的核型：石首棺头蟋Loxoblemmus equestris, 2n=17, XO(♂);小棺头蟋L. aomoriensis, 2n=11, XO(♂); 哈尼棺头蟋L. haani, 2n=11, XO(♂);多伊棺头蟋L. doenitzi, 2n=11, XO(♂)和窃棺头蟋L. detectus, 2n=11,XO(♂)。并应用核型似近系数及进化距离对这5种蟋蟀作了聚类分析,得出5种蟋蟀的演化方向为石首棺头蟋→小棺头蟋→哈尼棺头蟋→多伊棺头蟋→窃棺头蟋。     

Biodegradation of volatile organic compounds by five fungal species

Five fungal species, Cladosporium resinae (ATCC 34066), Cladosporium sphaerospermum (ATCC 200384), Exophiala lecanii-corni (CBS 102400), Mucor rouxii (ATCC 44260), and Phanerochaete chrysosporium (ATCC 24725), were tested for their ability to degrade nine compounds commonly found in industrial off-gas emissions. Fungal cultures inoculated on ceramic support media were provided with volatile organic compounds (VOCs) via the vapor phase as their sole carbon and energy sources. Compounds tested included aromatic hydrocarbons (benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene, and styrene), ketones (methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone, and methyl propyl ketone), and organic acids ( n-butyl acetate, ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate). Experiments were conducted using three pH values ranging from 3.5 to 6.5. Fungal ability to degrade each VOC was determined by observing the presence or absence of visible growth on the ceramic support medium during a 30-day test period. Results indicate that E. lecanii-corni and C. sphaerospermum can readily utilize each of the nine VOCs as a sole carbon and energy source. P. chrysosporium was able to degrade all VOCs tested except for styrene under the conditions imposed. C. resinae was able to degrade both organic acids, all of the ketones, and some of the aromatic compounds (ethylbenzene and toluene); however, it was not able to grow utilizing benzene or styrene under the conditions tested. With the VOCs tested, M. rouxiiproduced visible growth only when supplied with n-butyl acetate or ethyl 3-ethoxypropionate. Maximum growth for most fungi was observed at a pH of approximately 5.0. The experimental protocol utilized in these studies is a useful tool for assessing the ability of different fungal species to degrade gas-phase VOCs under conditions expected in a biofilter application.     

Comparative observations of ultrastructure of five species of Candida

An electron microscopic comparison was made of five species ofCandida, namely:C. guilliermondii, C. krusei, C. parapsilosis, C. stellatoidea andC. tropicalis. The cell wall, plasma membrane and the cytoplasm with its organelles were described. The cell wall ofC. tropicalis was twice as thick as the cell wall in the other species.C. krusei appeared with distinct, rather elaborate wall sculpturing, a feature not pronounced in the other four species. A single nucleus with nucleolus appeared only in micrographs ofC. guilliermondii andC. krusei. At the same time, large central electron-luscent area (vacuole) appeared in the cells ofC. guilliermondii, C. parapsilosis andC. stellatoidea. The cytoplasm ofC. tropicalis was characterized by a granular appearance. Budding cells and pseudohyphae appeared similar to single cells in their general organelles. Such organelles in species studied were similar to these reported for other yeasts. These include: mitochondria, lipid granules, endoplasmic reticulum, ribosomes and vacuoles.Southwest Foundation for Research and Education, San Antonio, Texas.In partial fulfillment of the requirement of course work for Master of Science, Incarnate Word College, San Antonio.     

Comparative natural durability of five wood species from Mozambique

The objective of this study was to evaluate the natural durability of five lesser-utilized wood species from Mozambique. Both laboratory methods and field tests were applied for assessing wood decay of muanga (Pericopsis angolensis), metil (Sterculia appendiculata), namuno (Acacia nigrescens), ncurri (Icuria dunensis), and ntholo (Pseudolachnostylis maprounaefolia). Laboratory tests involved soft-, brown-, and white-rot fungi and termites. Heart- and sapwood of ncurri and ntholo were exposed in above-ground field tests; additionally, all species were exposed to in-ground contact tests. The results indicated that namuno, muanga, ncurri, and ntholo are resistant to soft-, brown- and white-rot fungi and the termite species Reticulitermes grassea and Mastotermes darwiniensis. Comparatively, soft-rot caused more severe decay on the studied wood species than did basidiomycete fungi. The brown-rot fungi Coniophora puteana, Gloeophiyllum trabeum, and Postia placenta caused less decay on the tested species than did the white-rot Trametes versicolor. Metil was not resistant to any of the mentioned hazards. Therefore, this species is not recommendable for exterior use if untreated.     

Comparative FISH analysis in five species of Eyprepocnemidine grasshoppers

The chromosomal localization of ribosomal DNA, and a 180 bp satellite DNA isolated from Spanish Eyprepocnemis plorans specimens, has been analysed in five Eyprepocnemidinae species collected in Russia and Central Asia. Caucasian E. plorans individuals carried each of the two DNAs, but the rDNA was limited to only two chromosomes (S(9) and S(11)) in sharp contrast to Spanish specimens that show 4-8 rDNA clusters and to Moroccan specimens which carry rDNA in almost all chromosomes. The four remaining species, however, lacked the 180 bp tandem repeat, and showed rDNA clusters in one (S(9) in Thisoicetrinus pterostichus), two (S(9) and S(10) in Eyprepocnemis unicolor; M(8) and S(11) in Heteracris adspersa), or three (S(9), S(10), and S(11) in Shirakiacris shirakii) chromosome pairs. The implications of these findings for the evolution of these two chromosome markers in this group of species are discussed.     

Certain chemical requirements for growth and sporulation of alternaria species

Summary Fresh, single-spore isolates ofAlternaria nyctanthi spec. nov. andAlternaria tropaeoli Deshpande &N. R. Rajderkar from the infected leaves varied widely in response when cultured on Coon's, PDA, Richard's and Czapek's medium. Some isolates did not produce macroscopically visible colonies, although the spores germinated. A few isolates grew poorly without sporulating; most of the others grew well and sporulated abundantly on PDA and Czapek-Dox medium.Cultures that had been inhibited from sporulating by irradiation at 26° C sporulated when subsequently placed in a 22° C incubator, even though nitrogen availability was varied by adding solutions of NaNO₃, with or without sucrose.     

Serum-free culture of normal human melanocytes: growth kinetics and growth factor requirements

Normal human epidermal melanocytes were selectively propagated from mixed (keratinocyte-melanocyte) cultures and primary epidermal cell suspensions in serum-free medium, MCDB 153 containing insulin, bovine pituitary extract (BPE), phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA), ethanolamine, phosphoethanolamine, and hydrocortisone. Neonatal foreskin melanocytes (NFMs) replicated more readily than adult melanocytes in culture. Early passage NFMs grown in serum-free medium exhibited a population generation time of 24-48 hours. NFMs assumed a less dendritic appearance and were less pigmented than adult melanocytes. PMA or other protein kinase C-activating phorbol esters significantly enhanced mitogenesis of NFMs; however, cAMP-elevating agents were not required for efficient replication of NFMs. Basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) was a potent mitogen for NFMs and replaced the requirement for BPE in the culture medium. NFMs expressed a single class of specific, high-affinity receptors for bFGF, exhibiting a Kd = 3 x 10(-11) M and approximately 76,500 receptors/cell. Neither EGF nor TGF-alpha were mitogenic for NFMs, and TGF-beta reversibly inhibited NFM growth. Rapidly growing, early passage NFMs were shown to have cell cycle times of 19.5, 7.5, and 9 hours for G1, S, and G2/M phases of the cell cycle, respectively. Culture of NFMs to confluence or depletion of growth factors from the culture medium caused reversible, G1 phase-specific, cell cycle growth arrest. Senescence of NFMs was associated with irreversible growth arrest in the G1 phase after 40-45 population doublings in culture. Our data demonstrate that basal medium MCDB 153 can be supplemented with defined factors to cultivate selectively two major constituent cell types of the epidermis, the melanocyte and the keratinocyte.     

五种植物抗寒性的比较研究

采用电导法对五种植物(四种美国引进的植物和一种乡土植物)进行不同低温处理,研究其在各温度下的细胞膜透性改变情况,并配以Logistic方程求拐点值确定低温半致死温度LT50。结果表明:低温处理下各种植物组织电解质渗透率增加,并呈"S"形曲线增长,各种植物的低温半致死温度分别为:沙地柏为-46.58℃,四翅滨藜-1,四翅滨藜-2分别为-42.44℃和-40.09℃,黑油脂木为-27.7℃,伏地肤为-22.18℃。故其抗寒性从强到弱的顺序为沙地柏>四翅滨藜-1>四翅滨藜-2>驼绒藜>黑油脂木>伏地肤。     

Comparative study of G- and C-banded chromosomes of five species of Microtidae

G-banded karyotypes were compared in the following species of Microtidae: Microtus nivalis; M. cabrerae; M. arvalis and Arvicola sapidus. Previous observations on A. sapidus and A. terrestris (Díaz de la Guardia & Pretel, Caryologia 32: 183–189, 1979) were also incorporated in this study. The results show that Robertsonian translocations and pericentric inversions are common mechanisms involved in the karyotypic evolution of this group. Interspecific differences in C-banding patterns were also analyzed. Using the karyograph method (Imai et al., Am. Nat. 121: 477–488, 1983), the evolutionary distances of the karyotypes were estimated, and an attempt was made to establish a presumptive phylogenetic tree.     

Evolution of the transposable element Uhu in five species of Hawaiian Drosophila

The complete DNA sequence of three independent isolates of Uhu, a member of the Tc1-like class of transposable elements from D. heteroneura (Uhu-1, Uhu-3, and Uhu-4), has been determined. These isolates have between 95 and 96.4% nucleotide sequence identity indicating that Uhu is well conserved within this species. A comparison of the DNA sequences of Uhu and the D. melanogaster Hb1 transposable element shows that the nucleotide substitution rate for Uhu is comparable to the synonymous rate for the Adh gene in these species. Uhu has been identified in four other species of endemic Hawaiian Drosophila, D. silvestris, D. differens, D. planitibia and D. picticornis, and nine Uhu elements were isolated from genomic libraries of these four species. A 444 base pair region from within the coding region of the Uhu element, with well conserved ends, was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and used for sequence comparison of elements from different species. The analysis of the sequence similarities between the elements within and between the species shows a grouping of the two pairs of most closely related species (D. heteroneura and D. silvestris, and D. differens and D. planitibia), but shows a much larger variation within the most recently diverged species (D. heteroneura and D. silvestris) than expected. There are extensive nucleotide substitutions and deletions in the Uhu elements from D. picticornis showing that they are degenerating and being lost in this species. These observations indicate that the Uhu element has been transmitted vertically and that transposition may have been activated at the time of formation of each species as it colonized the newly formed islands of the Hawaiian archipelago.