Do Schwann cells stop, DR(o)P2, and roll?

Dystrophin-dystroglycan complexes in Schwann cells may play a role in both signaling and structural interactions between the extracellular matrix and the cytoskeleton. Sherman et al. (2001) show that a new complex containing dystrophin-related protein 2 (DRP2) and periaxin plays a role in Schwann cell-basal lamina interactions and PNS myelination.     

Communication using eye roll reflective signalling

Body reflections in the ultraviolet (UV) are a common occurrence in nature. Despite the abundance of such signals and the presence of UV cones in the retinas of many vertebrates, the function of UV cones in the majority of taxa remains unclear. Here, we report on an unusual communication system in the razorback sucker, Xyrauchen texanus, that involves flash signals produced by quick eye rolls. Behavioural experiments and field observations indicate that this form of communication is used to signal territorial presence between males. The flash signal shows highest contrast in the UV region of the visual spectrum (lambdamax approximately 380 nm), corresponding to the maximum wavelength of absorption of the UV cone mechanism in suckers. Furthermore, these cones are restricted to the dorsal retina of the animal and the upwelling light background is such that their relative sensitivity would be enhanced by chromatic adaptation of the other cone mechanisms. Thus, the UV cones in the sucker have optimal characteristics (both in terms of absorbance and retinal topography) to constitute the main detectors of the flash signal. Our findings provide the first ecological evidence for restricted distribution of UV cones in the retina of a vertebrate.     

Rac and roll over the corpses

A genetic pathway controlling the removal of apoptotic corpses has now been identified in the nematode. Mammalian homologs of the components of this pathway are already known to have key roles in cell motility and integrin-mediated signaling, suggesting that the three processes are mechanistically related.     

Serological relationship between cherry leaf roll, elm mosaic and golden elderberry viruses

A virus obtained from plants of Sambucus canadensis imported from North America and another obtained from wild plants of Sambucus nigra growing in Perthshire, Scotland, were serologically identical to golden elderberry virus described from North America. They were serologically related to, but distinguishable from, cherry and rhubarb isolates of cherry leaf roll virus from Europe, and elm mosaic, another virus from North America.     

Myelination: all about Rac 'n' roll

During the development of the peripheral nervous system, Schwann cells select individual axons from a nerve bundle and establish a one-to-one relationship through a process termed "radial sorting". Recent findings identify the Rho family GTPase Rac1 as the downstream effector molecule responsible for process extension and lamellipodia formation in Schwann cells, allowing for proper radial sorting and myelination. These findings begin to shed light on our understanding of the distinct and yet essential molecular mechanisms involved in developmental processes preceding myelination.     

Host species-dependent population structure of a pollen-borne plant virus, Cherry leaf roll virus

Cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV) belongs to the Nepovirus genus within the family Comoviridae. It has a host range which includes a number of wild tree and shrub species. The serological and molecular diversity of CLRV was assessed using a collection of isolates and samples recovered from woody and herbaceous host plants from different geographical origins. Molecular diversity was assessed by sequencing a short (375-bp) region of the 3' noncoding region (NCR) of the genomic RNAs while serological diversity was assessed using a panel of seven monoclonal antibodies raised initially against a walnut isolate of CLRV. The genomic region analyzed was shown to exhibit a significant degree of molecular variability with an average pairwise divergence of 8.5% (nucleotide identity). Similarly, serological variability proved to be high, with no single monoclonal antibody being able to recognize all isolates analyzed. Serological and molecular phylogenetic reconstructions showed a strong correlation. Remarkably, the diversity of CLRV populations is to a large extent defined by the host plant from which the viral samples are originally obtained. There are relatively few reports of plant viruses for which the genetic diversity is structured by the host plant. In the case of CLRV, we hypothesize that this situation may reflect the exclusive mode of transmission in natural plant populations by pollen and by seeds. These modes of transmission are likely to impose barriers to host change by the virus, leading to rapid biological and genetic separation of CLRV variants coevolving with different plant host species.     

Effect of active head movements about the pitch, roll, and yaw axes on human optokinetic afternystagmus

Effects of active head movements about the pitch, roll, or yaw axes on horizontal optokinetic afternystagmas (OKAN) were examined in 16 subjects to test the hypothesis that otolith organ mediated activity induced by a change in head position can couple to the horizontal velocity storage in humans. Active head movements about the pitch axis, forwards or backwards, produced significant OKAN suppression. Pitch forward head movements exerted the strongest effect. Active head movements about the roll axis towards the right also produced OKAN suppression but only if the tilted position was sustained. No suppression was observed following sustained yaw. However, an unsustained yaw left movement after rightward drum rotation significantly enhanced OKAN. Sustained head movement trials did not significantly alter subsequent control trials. In contrast, unsustained movements about the pitch axis, which involve more complex interactions, exerted long-term effects on subsequent control trials. We conclude that otolith organ mediated activity arising from pitch or roll head movements couples to the horizontal velocity storage in humans, thereby suppressing ongoing OKAN. Activity arising from the horizontal canals during an unsustained yaw movement (observed mainly with yaw left), following drum rotation in a direction contralateral to the movement, may also couple to the velocity storage, resulting in increased activity instead of suppression.     

Tests for transmission of cherry leaf roll virus using Longidorus, Paralongidorus and Xiphinema nematodes

The ability of 10 nematode species to transmit three strains of cherry leaf roll virus (CLRV) was tested by three methods: (1) virus-infected source plants and virus-free bait plants were grown concurrently in nematode-infested soil, (2) as for (1) but virus source plants were removed before bait plants were planted, and (3) nematodes were extracted from soil after access to virus source plants, and were added to pots containing bait plants. The occurrence of galls on roots showed that nematodes fed both on source and on bait plants in all experiments and, in some experiments, CLRV was detected by direct assays (slash tests) of Longidorus elongatus, L. leptocephalus and Paralongidorus maximus. Although the nematodes readily transmitted control viruses, for which they are known to be vectors, CLRV was detected by root assays in only a few bait plants exposed to L. elongatus, L. macrosoma, Xiphinema diversicaudatum or L. leptocephalus + X. vuittenezi in tests by method 1. The recovery of CLRV in these tests is interpreted as being due to contamination. These results add to the increasing circumstantial evidence against the involvement of nematodes in the transmission of CLRV. Other possible mechanisms of spread are discussed.