Systems & Synthetic Industrial Biotechnology

Cover illustration This Special Issue on “Systems and Synthetic Approaches to Industrial Biotechnology” compiles the outcomes of the minisymposiumat the 31^st General Assembly of the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS). Implementation of systems biology and synthetic biology approaches in engineering industrial microbes and processes provides a promising and straight-forward approach to linking basic and application-inspired research. The cover represents the various concepts involved in systems and synthetic biotechnology. Image: © kytalpa – Fotolia.com.     

How the iobc/oilb montpellier 1996 conference developed,and was organized

The first incentive to envisage a worldwide Conference on the implementation of biological control was formally accepted by the global International Organization for Biological Control (IOBC; French and Spanish: OILB) in July 1992 during its General Assembly held in Bei-jing (China; cf. IOBC/OILB Newsletter55, April 1992; 56, August 1992). As a first step, a Conference Executive Committee (as listed below) was established under the auspices of IOBC/OILB, which has been responsible for defining the concept, and delineating broad scientific guidelines to be followed in the preparation of the event.     

International Palaeontological Association General Assembly, Paris, 10th July, 1980

The Assembly discussed past and future activities of the IPA. Representing now all national palaeontological societies of the world, IPA will make greater effort to initiate International Research Programmes on Palaeontology, to mount an extensive palaeontological programme at forthcoming sessions of the International Geological Congress and to ensure satisfactory representation of palaeontology within the International Union of Geological Sciences     

Presence and significance of naturally occurring chemical elements of the periodic system in the plant organism and consequences for future investigations on inorganic environmental chemistry in ecosystems

After acceptance of the Element Concentration Cadasters in Ecosystems (ECCE) programme as an international project sponsored by the International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS) at the 24th General Assembly of IUBS in Amsterdam in Sept 1991, the present status of Biological Trace Element Research (BTER) is presented here from the biological point of view. Especially information on occurrence, essentially, toxicity and uptake form of all 88 naturally occurring chemical elements is presented. In addition an estimated annual production of each element in the year 2000 and examples of their technical application is given. A scientific proposal for further research work on a local, regional and global scale has been discussed.     

A Comparison of Two Serological Methods for Detecting the Immune Response after Rabies Vaccination in Dogs and Cats being Exported to Rabies-free Areas

Levels of rabies virus neutralizing antibody in sera from dogs and cats were titrated to endpoint by the Rapid Fluorescent Focus Inhibition Test (RFFIT) and retested by the RFFIT and the Fluorescent Antibody Virus Neutralization test (FAVN). The two tests were compared for their ability to detect the 0.5 international units/ml (I.U.) of antibody required by the World Health Organization and the Office International des Epizooties as the minimum response for proof of rabies immunization. No difference was observed in sensitivity or specificity for either method in tests of 168 sera from unvaccinated animals or 70 sera from vaccinated animals with high levels of neutralizing antibody (an initial RFFIT titre of > or = 1.0 I.U.). Test to test variation occurred for results obtained by both RFFIT and FAVN for 95 sera from vaccinated animals with low to moderate levels of neutralizing antibody (RFFIT titre < 1.0 I.U.). No significant differences were detected for the 95 sera in the frequency for one methodology more often than the other to have a positive response (> or = 0.5 I.U.), nor were significant differences detected for the symmetry (P = 0.43) or the marginal homogeneity (P = 0.39) of results obtained by the two methods. Both methods can adequately identity unvaccinated animals, but false positive and false negative results are possible for either method when a single test is used to measure the antibody response of low-responding vaccinated animals. Nucleotide sequence analysis identified several amino acid differences in stocks of the challenge rabies virus from different laboratories. The small differences in neutralizing antibody titre that may result from mutations in the challenge virus are not important for evaluating immunity induced by vaccines which are themselves prepared from a variety of different rabies virus strains, but differences in the challenge virus, rather than differences in methodology, may account for at least some of the discrepant results reported in inter-laboratory surveys. Comparative studies of serological methods for measuring rabies antibodies should use well-characterized unpassaged virus stocks obtained from a single reference laboratory.     

Viruses in and out

A report on the twelfth Congress of Virology, part of 'The world of microbes', the joint meeting of the three divisions of the International Union of Microbiological Societies, Paris, France, 27 July to 1 August 2002.     

XVIIITH International Congress of Psychology,Moscow, USSR,August 4-11, 1966. Information and Program

The XVIIIth International Congress of Psychology has been organized by the Society of Psychologists of the USSR, under the auspices of the International Union of Scientific Psychology and the Soviet Steering Committee, under the chairmanship of P. N. Fedosseyev. The Steering Committee was established by the USSR Ministry of Higher Education, the USSR Academy of Sciences, and the RSFSR Ministry of Education. The President of the Congress is A. N. Leont'yev. The Organizing Committee of the Congress is chaired by A. A. Smirnov; and the Program Committee is chaired by A. R. Luriya, with the assistance of P. Fraisse (Paris), acting on behalf of the International Union of Scientific Psychology.     

国际昆虫学大会简介

<正> 第一届国际昆虫学大会(1910年)在比利时首都布鲁塞尔(Brussels)召开的。原则上每4年召开1次,至今已举行过18届了,第19届将于1992年6月28日至7月4日在中国北京国际会议中心(亚运村)召开。现将国际昆虫学大会的概况以图表作如下简要介绍。     

Pseudochakura (Hymenoptera: Eucharitidae), a New World genus of chalcidoids parasitic on ants

Abstract. The genus Pseudochakura Ashmead (Eucharitidae: Eucharitinae) is revised to include thirteen species which all share the complete fusion of the genae behind the mandibles and a loss of functional mouthparts. Eight Neotropical and one Nearctic species of Pseudochakura are described as new: atra (Mexico), condylus (lesser Antilles), excruciata (Brazil), frustrata (Argentina), liburna (Florida, U.S.A.), pauca (Argentina), prolata (Argentina), sculpturata (Brazil; Florida, U.S.A.), septuosa (Mexico). P. chilensis Kieffer is redescribed. The known distribution of P.nigrocyanea Ashmead is extended to Uruguay and Venezuela. The known distribution of P. americana (Howard) [comb.n.] is extended to Panama, Columbia, Ecuador, Argentina and northward into the southern tip of Florida. All three previously described Nearctic species are synonomized under the name P.gibbosa (Provancher) with P.arizonensis (Crawford) and P.californica (Ashmead) as junior synonyms. Biological information is summarized providing new information on both plant and ant hosts. A phylogenetic hypothesis for the genus is nresenteri.     

REVIEWS

The New Genetics in the Soviet Union. By P. S. H udson and R. H. R ichens
Trace Elements in Plants and Animals. By W alter S tiles
Actions of Radiations on Living Cells. By D. E. L ea
Biology of Tissue Cells. By A lbert F ischer
Gall Midges of Economic Importance. By H. F. B arnes , Agricultural and Horticultural Handbooks
DDT The Synthetic Insecticide. By T. F. W est , M.Sc., Ph.D. (Lond.), F.R.I.C. and G. A. C ampbell , M.Sc. (Leeds), F.R.I.C.
Danish Review of Game Biology.     

The Pseudomonas aeruginosa opportunistic pathogen and human infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a Gram-negative environmental species and an opportunistic microorganism, establishes itself in vulnerable patients, such as those with cystic fibrosis or hospitalized in intensive care units. It has become a major cause of nosocomial infections worldwide (about 10% of all such infections in most European Union hospitals) and a serious threat to Public Health. The overuse and misuse of antibiotics have also led to the selection of resistant strains against which very few therapeutic options exist. How an environmental species can cause human infections remains a key question that still needs elucidation despite the incredibly high progress that has been made in the P. aeruginosa biology over the past decades. The workshop belonging to Current trends in Biomedicine series, which was held under the sponsorship of the Universidad International de Andalucia between the 8th and the 10th November 2010 brought in the most recent advances in the environmental life of P. aeruginosa, the human P. aeruginosa infections, the new animal models to study Pseudomonas infections, the new genetic aspects including metabolomics, genomics and bioinformatics and the community lifestyle named biofilm that accounts for P. aeruginosa persistence in humans. This workshop organized by Soeren Molin (Danemark), Juan-Luis Ramos (Spain) and Sophie de Bentzmann (France) gathered 46 researchers coming from 11 European and American countries in a small format and was hosted in the 'Sede Antonio Machado' in Baeza. It was organized in seven sessions covering animal models for P. aeruginosa pathogenesis, resistance to drugs, regulatory potency including small RNA, two component systems, extracytoplasmic function sigma factors and trancriptional regulators, new therapies emerging from dissection of molecular mechanisms, and evolutionary mechanisms of P. aeruginosa strains in patients.     

On the action of ribonuclease in salivary gland cells of drosophila

Summary It was shown that ribonuclease degrades the nucleolus in actively metabolizing cells. It does this without inhibiting RNA synthesis in the puffs and the nucleolus organizer. DNA synthesis still continues before or after puff formation, while amino acid incorporation is inhibited before the puffs are formed, indicating pre-existence of proteins involved in the process of puff formation.Dedicated to Professor H. Bauer on the occasion of his 60th birthday. — Research sponsored jointly by the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission under contract with the Union Carbide Corporation, the International Laboratory of Genetics and Biophysics, Naples, Italy (Partially supported by Euratom), and the Whitman Laboratory, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois.Supported by NTH Postdoctoral Fellowship 2-F 2–6 M-17, 187-02.     

A short guide to the nomenclature of seven-transmembrane spanning receptors for lipid mediators

The International Union of Pharmacology (IUPHAR) has established a Nomenclature Committee comprised of sub-committees of experts to evaluate types and subtypes of receptors and ion channels in an effort to establish universally accepted nomenclature [Vanhoutte, P.M., Barnard, E.A., Cosmides, G.J., Humphrey, P.P., Spedding, M., Godfraind, T., 1994. International Union of Pharmacology Committee on Receptor Nomenclature and Drug Classification. Pharmacological Reviews 46, 111-116]. This overview cites the reports of the IUPHAR subcommittees and other prominent review articles in an effort to compile receptors for lipid mediators that bind to and evoke their pharmacological responses via seven-transmembrane spanning, G-protein-coupled receptors.     

Emerging Law of the Sea Issues in the Antarctic Maritime Area: A Heritage for the New Century?

This article focuses on three emerging law of the sea issues for states cooperating in management of the Antarctic and its maritime area. The first of these is no newcomer: How to regulate the dramatic increase in illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing of Patagonian toothfish (Dissostichus eleginoides) in the Southern Ocean? The second question, according to the letter of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, awaits the countries claiming sovereignty over portions of territory in the Antarctic 10 years from the entry into force of the Convention for each of them. The question here is what to do with the requirement contained in that Convention relating to the submission of information on the outer limit of the continental shelf beyond 200 nautical miles to the Commission on the Continental Shelf? Finally, there is a third tricky question: Who is competent to regulate, and accordingly to ban, mineral activities in the Southern Ocean seabed? Is it the International Seabed Authority as the global body, or the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties through their regional cooperation? This question may well never be put on the policy agenda for any global forum; but it may well be posed at any time and by any third party, whether in the UN General Assembly or, more likely, in the Assembly of the International Seabed Authority.     

The parasite fauna of the fish of the Shropshire Union Canal, Cheshire

A survey was made of the parasites of 603 roach Rutilus rutilus (L.), 15 bream Abramis brama (L.), 201 perch Perca fluviatilis L., 30 pike Esox lucius L. and four eels Anguilla anguilla (L.) caught in the Shropshire Union Canal at Backford, Cheshire from December 1964 to August 1966. Twenty-seven species of parasites were found, 17 in roach, seven in bream, ten in perch, ten in pike and two in the eel. Two species of Protozoa, seven species of Monogenea, five species of Digenea, six species of Cestoda, two species of Nematoda, one species of Acanthocephala, two species of Hirudinea, one species of Crustacea and mollusc glochidia were recorded. The following parasites are believed to be new records for the British Isles: Henneguya oviperda (Cohn, 1895), Dactylogyrus suecicus Nybelin, 1936, D. wunderi Bykhovskii, 1931, Asymphylodora kubanicum (Isaichikov, 1923), and Philometra rischta Skryabin, 1917.
One table shows the species of parasites found, together with data on the site of occurrence in the host, and the percentage and intensity of infection of the fish. A second table compares the occurrence of the parasites in four other localities in the British Isles, Loch Lomond Scotland, Llyn Tegid (Bala Lake), Merionethshire, Rostherne Mere, Cheshire and the River Lugg, Herefordshire. A further column gives the normal hosts in the U.S.S.R.
A limited comparison is made of the numerical occurrence of six species of parasites in the canal, Llyn Tegid and Druzno Lake, Poland. It is concluded that unless relatively large samples of fish of all length groups are collected on a regular basis throughout the year such comparisons will have little meaning.
The concept of the characterization of parasite faunas is briefly noted. It is suggested that the high degree of host specificity shown by many of the species of parasites is evidence in support of the concept.     

Units of enzyme activity

Units of enzymes activity, recommended by the Nomenclature Committee on enzymes of the International Union of Biochemistry are described the unit E (U), introduced in 1961 and its derivatives: specific activity, molecular (molar) activity, enzyme catalytic centre activity, enzyme solution concentration; the unit catal, introduced in 1972 and its derivatives. Information presented is essential to ensure correct expression of enzyme activity.     

A Red List of mites from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) in Poland

This article presents a Red List of mite species from the suborder Uropodina (Acari: Parasitiformes) occurring in Poland. Evaluation of the conservation status of the analyzed species was compiled on the basis of new criteria, which may also be applied to other groups of soil fauna. The authors employ the names of categories proposed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). One of our aims was to review the IUCN criteria to ascertain whether they are applicable in an attempt to assess the danger of extinction of soil invertebrates, and to see whether the criteria can be adapted to make such an assessment. The analyzed material contained 93 mite species obtained from 16,921 soil samples, which were collected between 1961 and 2017 in the whole area of Poland. The categories were assigned to species on the basis of the frequency of the species, but also other factors were taken into account, such as microhabitat specificity, vulnerability to detrimental conditions, and shrinking of local populations. One of the analyzed species can now be regarded as extinct, over 25% of the species (26 spp.) were labeled as critically endangered, and most of them (33 spp.) were categorized as vulnerable—the other species were assigned to the categories endangered (13 spp.), near threatened (10 spp.), and least concern (10 spp.).     

A straightforward approach to isolate DNA sequences with potential linkage to the retinoblastoma locus

Summary From a human-Chinese hamster somatic cell hybrid a clone was derived containing chromosome 13 in duplicate as its only human material. This clone was used to construct a human chromosome 13-specific recombinant DNA-library. Overlapping Sau3AI DNA sequences (11.9–17.2 kb) from the cell hybrid were inserted into the lambda phage vector EMBL4. From eleven recombinants having a human insert thirteen putative unique DNA sequences were isolated and cloned into the plasmid vector pBR329. A human-mouse hybrid containing a human chromosome 13 with a deletion of 13q14 and lacking its undeleted homologue was constructed to be used in a selection procedure for DNA sequences belonging to band q14. Three probes originating from two different phages were assigned to 13q14 because they did not hybridise to DNA from this cell hybrid. One of these 13q14 probes detects a low frequency (2/44) Msp I restriction fragment length polymorphism. The probes are now being used for screening a cosmid library to find adjacent polymorphic sequences with a RFLP information content suitable for application in the diagnosis of hereditary retinoblastoma.Preliminary reports of these experiments were presented at the 8th International Workshop on Human Gene Mapping, Helsinki, August 4–10, 1985, and the 13th International Congress of Biochemistry, Amsterdam, August 25–30, 1985 (Scheffer et al. 1985a,b)     

Ectopic pairing and evolution of 5S ribosomal RNA genes in the chromosomes of Drosophila funebris

5S ribosomal RNA from Drosophila melanogaster labeled with ¹²⁵I was used to locate the 5S rRNA genes in chromosomes of D. funebris by means of in situ hybridization. Silver grains were observed at three distinct sites, one of which was a recognized reverse repeat. Only one half of the reverse repeat, however, hybridizes with 5S rRNA and the significance of this phenomenon is discussed. A case of ectopic pairing between two different 5S sites in the genome is reported, and the significance of ectopic pairing is considered.The author was a Predoctoral Fellow supported by Grant GM 1974 from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, National Institutes of Health.Contribution from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, operated by the Union Carbide Corporation for the U.S. Energy Research and Development Administration.     

The little mermaid hosts the 2010 IUSSI World Congress on social interactions

The 16th World Congress of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) was held in Copenhagen (Denmark), where it was hosted by the Northwest European Section of the IUSSI. Scientists working on social evolution in unicellular and other arthropods joined the meeting, demonstrating the strength of collaborative research across disciplines and biological models, and broadening the IUSSI2010 congress profile to the study of social interactions.