Evolution of sex-biased maternal effects in birds. IV. Intra-ovarian growth dynamics can link sex determination and sex-specific acquisition of resources

The evolutionary importance of maternal effects is determined by the interplay of maternal adaptations and strategies, offspring susceptibility to these strategies, and the similarity of selection pressures between the two generations. Interaction among these components, especially in species where males and females differ in the costs and requirements of growth, limits inference about the evolution of maternal strategies from their expression in the offspring phenotype alone. As an alternative approach, we examine divergence in the proximate mechanisms underlying maternal effects across three house finch populations with contrasting patterns of sex allocation: an ancestral population that shows no sex-biased ovulation, and two recently established populations at the northern and southern boundaries of the species range that have opposite sequences of ovulation of male and female eggs. For each population, we examined how oocyte acquisition of hormones, carotenoids and vitamins was affected by oocyte growth and overlap with the same and opposite sexes. Our results suggest that sex-specific acquisition of maternal resources and sex determination of oocytes are linked in this system. We report that acquisition of testosterone by oocytes that become males was not related to growth duration, but instead covaried with temporal exposure to steroids and overlap with other male oocytes. In female oocytes, testosterone acquisition increased with the duration of growth and overlap with male oocytes, but decreased with overlap with female oocytes. By contrast, acquisition of carotenoids and vitamins was mostly determined by organism-wide partitioning among oocytes and oocyte-specific patterns of testosterone accumulation, and these effects did not differ between the sexes. These results provide important insights into three unresolved phenomena in the evolution of maternal effects - (i) the evolution of sex-specific maternal allocation in species with simultaneously developing neonates of both sexes; (ii) the link between sex determination and sex-specific acquisition of maternal products; and (iii) the evolution of context-dependent modulation of maternal effects.     

农药对家蚕(Bombyx mori L.)的亚致死效应研究进展

明确农药对家蚕的影响对综合评价农药的生态效应与合理使用农药具有理论和实践意义.从生长发育、经济性状和食物利用方面综述了农药对家蚕的亚致死效应;从生理代谢、组织器官亚显微结构和培养细胞方面介绍了亚致死效应产生的机制,并结合杀虫剂对其它鳞翅目昆虫亚致死影响方面的研究结果对其进行了讨论,提出了今后加强研究的重点.总的来说,亚致死剂量农药的胁迫可使家蚕幼虫眠性不齐,眠蚕体重和蛹重减轻,发育历期延长,严重者结茧(上蔟)时间推迟,且吐丝营茧功能失常,最终导致蚕茧质量下降.桑叶上残留的农药在一定程度上还会对家蚕的取食行为以及食物摄入后的消化吸收产生影响.农药对家蚕亚致死效应产生的机制目前主要有3个:家蚕体内正常生理水平和代谢平衡受到扰动、家蚕的一些重要组织器官如中肠和后丝腺等微形态结构受到损伤和家蚕卵巢细胞出现凋亡现象.农药对家蚕的亚致死效应因农药种类、试验剂量和家蚕受药时间而异,产生的机理也十分复杂.今后应着重开展新农药对家蚕亚致死效应研究,特别是对生化和分子机制方面的研究以及农药复合污染对家蚕影响的研究.     

Effect of incorporation of drugs,vitamins and peptides on the structure and dynamics of lipid assemblies

The characteristics of vesicles formed from Dipalmitoyl Phosphatidyl Choline (DPPC) are sensitive to the presence of perturbing molecules such as drugs, peptides, hormones and vitamins. We have used ESR spin labeling and NMR techniques for studying interaction of such molecules with lipid bilayers. ESR spin labeling has been used to monitor thermotropic behaviour of model membranes. Different NMR probes such as¹H,³¹P,¹³C have been used to gather information regarding the mode of interaction. It has been observed that the model membrane systems respond differently depending upon the localization of the perturbing molecules in the lipid bilayer. Small molecules such as neurotransmitters epinephrine and norepinephrine decrease gel to liquid crystalline phase transition temperature significantly even when present in small amounts. Vitamine E acetate having a hydrophobic hydrocarbon tail orients parallel to the lipid molecule and thereby exhibits dynamics similar to palmitate chain. When the acetate group is replaced by hydroxyl group (-tocopherol), the phase transition becomes broad and the lipid molecules loose freedom of lateral diffusion. This can be attributed to formation of hydrogen bond between the hydroxyl group of -tocopherol and phosphate moiety of lipid. The conformation of antidepressants nitroxazepine and imipramine is significantly altered when embedded in lipid bilayer. Anaesthetic etomidate not only modifies thermotropic characteristics but also induces polymorphism. The normal bilayer arrangement of lipids gets transformed into hexagonal packing. Amino acid tryptophan induces cubic phases in the normal bilayer arrangement of DPPC dispersions. Peptide gonadoliberin shows a reduced internal motion due to the lipid peptide interaction.The major consequences of binding of lipids with externally added molecules are changes in the fluidity and permeability properties of membranes. It has been shown that permeability is effected by the presence of molecules such as propranolol, -tocopherol and its analogue, neurotransmitters, etc. The magnetic resonance methods have thus evolved as power techniques in the study of membrane structure and function.     

Differential influence of peripheral and systemic sex steroids on skeletal muscle quality in pre- and postmenopausal women

Aging is associated with gradual decline of skeletal muscle strength and mass often leading to diminished muscle quality. This phenomenon is known as sarcopenia and affects about 30% of the over 60-year-old population. Androgens act as anabolic agents regulating muscle mass and improving muscle performance. The role of female sex steroids as well as the ability of skeletal muscle tissue to locally produce sex steroids has been less extensively studied. We show that despite the extensive systemic deficit of sex steroid hormones in postmenopausal compared to premenopausal women, the hormone content of skeletal muscle does not follow the same trend. In contrast to the systemic levels, muscle tissue of post- and premenopausal women had similar concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone and androstenedione, while the concentrations of estradiol and testosterone were significantly higher in muscle of the postmenopausal women. The presence of steroidogenetic enzymes in muscle tissue indicates that the elevated postmenopausal steroid levels in skeletal muscle are because of local steroidogenesis. The circulating sex steroids were associated with better muscle quality while the muscle concentrations reflected the amount of infiltrated fat within muscle tissue. We conclude that systemically delivered and peripherally produced sex steroids have distinct roles in the regulation of neuromuscular characteristics during aging.     

光耦功率放大技术在CT超低剂量扫描的研究

目的将全新的光电耦合高电压强电流放大处理技术用于CT机的前置放大处理中,隔离噪声和高电压大电流放大图像信号,实现超低剂量扫描,高清晰成像。方法将光电耦合放大器制作成射线剂量仪,并用CT机等超低剂量120KV、3-6mA…对其曝光,并与标准射线剂量仪校准,使其输出值不仅为射线剂量值,更能显示为高电压和大电流的优质图像信噪比。结果超小电流扫描经探测和光耦放大后最大值为87.5V和0.96A,而噪声电压为0.13μV、电流仅为0.02μA,给超低剂量扫描和传输处理时的功耗及高电压的宽动态范围显示留了很大空间。结论 CT超低剂量扫描时光耦放大器可在源头彻底隔离各种噪声并超高倍放大、高电压大电流输出图像信号,可保证高清晰高分辨率成像。     

Effects of ovarian hormones on cell membranes in the rat uterus

Histochemical techniques, including radioisotope histochemistry, have been used to investigate the nature of the surface carbohydrates at the apex of cells of the luminal epithelium of the rat uterus under various hormonal conditions. Binding of ruthenium red was quantitatively similar in ovariectomized rats without further treatment and in those given three daily injections of progesterone. Ruthenium red binding was significantly lower after 3 days treatment with estradiol, and also after 3 days treatment with progesterone with an additional dose of estradiol on day 3, a regime known to produce an epithelium receptive to the implanting blastocyst. Binding of concanavalin A (con A), whether studied by electron microscope histochemistry after incubation of tissue with con A-horseradish peroxidase, or by light microscope autoradiography after incubation with³H-con A, was not statistically different in any of the four groups of rats. The results with ruthenium red show a reduction in net negative charge of the carbohydrates on the apical cell membrane in conditions permitting implantation: this change is not due to variations in the amounts of the neutral carbohydrates, mannose and glucose, as demonstrated by con A.     

银杏芽中内源激素与大小年结实的关系

为探讨银杏大、小年结实现象的生理原因,于2004～2005年,用ELISA(间接酶联免疫法)对银杏大年树和小年树果芽和叶芽内的IAA,GA,ZR和ABA含量进行了对比测定。结果表明:大年树IAA、ZR和ABA含量在果芽和叶芽之间的比值均高于小年树,GA含量在果芽和叶芽之间的比值则低于小年树,有利果芽分化生长,形成大年;果芽中较高水平的ZR、IAA和ABA与较低水平的GA,以及萌芽前期较高的IAA/GA,ZR/GA和ABA/GA等比值,有利果芽分化,形成大年;叶芽中较高的ZR、IAA和较低的ABA有利于形成大年生长,尤其是ZR含量在萌芽前期或中期升高与形成大年生长关系密切。     

A test for hormonal responsiveness in a mammary epithelial cell line,NMuMg

Summary The NMuMG cell line derived from normal mouse mammary epithelial cells was tested for responsiveness to hormones. The hormones studied included insulin, glucocorticoids (cortisol and dexamethasone), and prolactin. In addition to membrane bound insulin receptors and prolactin receptors, the cells had 2 × 10⁴ cytoplasmic glucocorticoid receptors per cell. Morphological changes were observed in response to hormones. Clusters of cells appeared with greatly increased diameter, and the number of cells per plate was reduced. The rate of DNA synthesis, corrected by cell number, indicates that cell division, and hence cell turnover, was increased by the combination of all three hormones. Insulin greatly enhanced protein synthesis, but glucocorticoid and prolactin did not further increase the rate. The combination of the three hormones produced a change in the synthesis of histones, consistent with the increase in cell turnover. There were substantial responses of enzyme activities to hormonal treatment of the cells. Insulin by itself induced a doubling of the activity of glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase and perhaps a modest increase in NADH-cytochromec reductase. Lactose synthetase activity showed a three- to fourfold induction of both A and B subunits of the enzyme when the cells were treated with insulin, glucocorticoid, and prolactin, and the effect of the latter two hormones was shown to be additional to that of insulin. This work was supported by Contract N01-CB-43866 from the National Cancer Institute, by Grants GB-38658 from the National Science Foundation and GMS-20338 from the National Institutes of Health, and by the Agricultural Experimental Station at the University of California.     

水稻籽粒激素对产量和品质的调控效应研究进展

水稻籽粒激素含量甚微,却能有效调控产量与品质的形成。该文主要对近年来国内外有关水稻籽粒中激素(IAA、GA1+4、Z、ZR、iPA、ABA、ETH)含量在不同环境下的变化规律、各激素及其互作对水稻籽粒产量和品质性状的调控效应和调控机理进行综述,并讨论了该领域未来的研究重点和方向,为今后相关研究提供信息参考。     

Evolution of sex-biased maternal effects in birds: III. Adjustment of ovulation order can enable sex-specific allocation of hormones, carotenoids, and vitamins

Overlap in growth of offspring should constrain the opportunity for sex-biased maternal effects, yet sex-specific allocation of maternal resources among simultaneously growing ova is often observed in vertebrates. In birds, such allocation can be accomplished either by temporal clustering of ova that become the same sex, resulting in sex-biased egg-laying order, or by follicle-specific delivery of maternal resources. Two house finch populations at the northern and southern boundaries of the species range have opposite ovulation sequences of male and female eggs, and thus, in the absence of sex differences in ova growth or sex-specific maternal strategies, would be expected to have opposite sex-specific accumulation of maternal products. We found that the populations had strong and similar gradients of steroid distribution in relation to ovulation order, whereas distribution of carotenoids and vitamins correlated with each follicle's accumulation of steroids. In both populations, temporal bias in production of sons and daughters within a clutch enabled strongly sex-specific acquisition of maternal products, and oocytes of the same sex were highly interdependent in their accumulation of steroids. Moreover, in nests where the sex-bias in relation to ovulation order deviated from population-specific patterns, eggs had highly distinct concentrations of steroids, carotenoids and vitamins. These results and previous findings of sex-specific yolk partitioning among oocytes suggest that oocytes that become males and females are temporally or spatially clustered during their ovarian growth. We discuss the implication of these findings for the evolution of sex-specific maternal resource allocation.     

人工低温对滇中砀山酥梨休眠芽和枝的效应

建立大田温栅,以不同的人工低温量（冷温小时数分别为６００ｈ、９００ｈ、１２００ｈ）处理滇中砀山酥梨休眠芽和枝,分别将枝条嫁接到温棚中,调查芽的萌动与发育状况,并检测不同的低温量导致芽和枝发生的生理生变化。结果表明,不经冬季低温处理的砀山酥酥梨花芽自然不能解除休眠,６００ｈ低温量基本可解险砀山酥梨花芽休眠,９００ｈ低温量使休眠芽的总萌发率、花芽萌动率均达最高值,１２００ｈ低 一反而使休眠芽的总萌发率     

Review. Meiotic drive and sex determination: molecular and cytological mechanisms of sex ratio adjustment in birds

Differences in relative fitness of male and female offspring across ecological and social environments should favour the evolution of sex-determining mechanisms that enable adjustment of brood sex ratio to the context of breeding. Despite the expectation that genetic sex determination should not produce consistent bias in primary sex ratios, extensive and adaptive modifications of offspring sex ratio in relation to social and physiological conditions during reproduction are often documented. Such discordance emphasizes the need for empirical investigation of the proximate mechanisms for modifying primary sex ratios, and suggests epigenetic effects on sex-determining mechanisms as the most likely candidates. Birds, in particular, are thought to have an unusually direct opportunity to modify offspring sex ratio because avian females are heterogametic and because the sex-determining division in avian meiosis occurs prior to ovulation and fertilization. However, despite evidence of strong epigenetic effects on sex determination in pre-ovulatory avian oocytes, the mechanisms behind such effects remain elusive. Our review of molecular and cytological mechanisms of avian meiosis uncovers a multitude of potential targets for selection on biased segregation of sex chromosomes, which may reflect the diversity of mechanisms and levels on which such selection operates in birds. Our findings indicate that pronounced differences between sex chromosomes in size, shape, size of protein bodies, alignment at the meiotic plate, microtubule attachment and epigenetic markings should commonly produce biased segregation of sex chromosomes as the default state, with secondary evolution of compensatory mechanisms necessary to maintain unbiased meiosis. We suggest that it is the epigenetic effects that modify such compensatory mechanisms that enable context-dependent and precise adjustment of primary sex ratio in birds. Furthermore, we highlight the features of avian meiosis that can be influenced by maternal hormones in response to environmental stimuli and may account for the precise and adaptive patterns of offspring sex ratio adjustment observed in some species.