Isolation, characterisation and identification of a potyvirus from Dioscorea alata L. (water yam) in Nigeria

A yam potyvirus was isolated from Dioscorea alata samples collected in Nigeria. The virus was not transmissible mechanically but was transmitted by Aphis craccivora to four cowpea cultivars (Ife Brown, IT84S-2114, IT82E-10 and TVu2657), and from which it could be mechanically transmitted between the cowpea cultivars. In infectivity- tests using cowpea extracts, the virus had a dilution end point of 10^-4, a thermal inactivation point of 60–65°C and longevity in vitro of 2 days at room temperature. The virus coat protein had an estimated molecular weight of 32 100 daltons. The virus was identified as an isolate of Dioscorea alata virus (DAV; syn. yam virus 1) due to its biological characteristics and its serological reaction with antiserum raised against DAV. The virus is not related to yam mosaic virus, but distantly related to blackeye cowpea mosaic virus and cowpea aphid-borne mosaic virus.     

Farmers' use of wild relative and sexual reproduction in a vegetatively propagated crop. The case of yam in Benin

The impact of traditional farmers' management on genetic diversity of vegetatively propagated crops is poorly documented. In this study, we analysed the impact of ennoblement of spontaneous yams, an original traditional farmers' practice, on the genetic diversity of yam (Dioscorea sp.) in Benin. We used 11 microsatellite markers on yam tubers from a small village in northern Benin and demonstrated that wild x cultivated hybrids are spontaneously formed. Many of the spontaneous yams collected by farmers from surrounding savannah areas for ennoblement were shown to be of wild and hybrid genotypes. Moreover, we demonstrated that some yam varieties have a wild or hybrid signature. Lastly, we performed a broader ranging genetic analysis on yam material from throughout Benin and showed that this practice is used in different ecological and ethno-linguistic regions. Through this practice, farmers create new varieties with new genetic combinations via sexual reproduction of wild and cultivated yams. This system, whereby a sexual cycle and asexual propagation are mixed, ensures potential large-scale cultivation of the best genotypes while preserving the potential for future adaptation.     

Purification and some properties of polyphenol oxidase from the yam tubers, Dioscorea bulbifera

In a comparison of the polyphenol oxidase activity of various species of yam tubers the greatest enzyme activity was found in D. bulbifera. The enzyme was purified from acetone powder extracts of this plant. Ammonium sulphate fractionation, followed by ion exchange chromatography and gel filtration gave 22-fold purification. The final product gave a single band on polyacrylamide disc gel electrophoresis. The purified enzyme showed activity towards catechol, pyrogallol and dl-β-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dl-DOPA) and had a MW 115000 ± 2000. It was characterized by response to various inhibitors. β-Mercaptoethanol, dithioerythritol, l-cysteine, sodium metabisulphite and KCN inhibited strongly.     

The ups and downs of Mexican economic growth: the biological standard of living and inequality, 1870–1950

The secular change in the biological standard of living of the Mexican population between 1870 and 1950 is examined based on evidence on the physical stature from military and passport records. While Mexico industrialized and experienced rapid economic growth during this period, there was only a modest overall improvement in the height, health and nutritional status of the Mexican population. The average Mexican born in the 1940s was not only slightly taller than its compatriot of the 1870s. There were, however, considerable social differences: the Mexican upper class was markedly taller than the working class and the gap increased prior to the revolution. Economic growth with systemic inequality largely accounts for such a pattern.     

Life-History Variation inChrysoperla carnea:Implications for Rearing and Storing a Mexican Population

A population ofChrysoperla carneafrom San Pedro, Coahuila, Mexico, showed phenological responses that differ from those of previously studied North American biotypes. Short daylengths that induce diapause in other biotypes resulted in low incidences of diapause in the San Pedro population. Diapause induction required a decrease in daylength (from long to short days). Constant long days produced variable reproductive responses, whereas an increase in daylength (from short to long day) resulted in high incidences of reproduction. Providing prey to adults that had been reared under short days consistently increased the incidences of reproduction. Storage of either diapausing or nondiapausing adults at low temperature (5°C) for 13 weeks yielded better survivorship and reproductive performance than in unstored (24°C) controls. For efficient production, the San Pedro population ofC. carneamay be reared either with an increase in daylength or with the regular intervention of a storage period. To induce diapause in individuals destined for storage, larvae may be reared under long-day photoperiod and the prepupae transferred to short days.     

Human endogenous retroviruses, hormones and APOBEC3G: A connection to explore in schizophrenia

Human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) represent the footprints of previous retroviral infections. They are integrated within the human germ line and constitute approximately 7% of our genome. They have the potential to harm, given their capacity to alter the cellular metabolism, and could be involved in various pathological processes such as systemic lupus erythematosus or multiple sclerosis. In this respect it has been found that the stimulation of HERVs genome expression was observed after a steroid hormone treatment, stating the first evidence that an enhanced expression of the HERVs genome by hormones may be involved in the etiology of breast cancer. There is now increasing evidence that HERVs may in fact be involved in the etiology of schizophrenia, a disorder characterized by heterogeneous presence of positive, negative and cognitive symptoms that affect all aspects of mental activity, with a first peak incidence for males and females in the decade 15-24 and a second peak at age 55-64 for females, both periods characterized by two moments of significant hormonal changes. In connection with genetic aspects, several studies suggest a linkage between chromosome 22 (22q) and schizophrenia, being different genes of this chromosomal region reported as candidate genes for association with the disorder. Likewise, in a closely region of these genes, on 22q13, is located a gene named APOBEC3G, a potent intrinsic inhibitor of retroviral replication that also includes some HERVs. We propose that hormonal changes that coincide with two peak incidences in schizophrenia produce an enhancement in the expression of some HERV families implicated in the etiopathology of the disorder. The expression of HERVs is followed by a defective action of APOBEC3G that avoids carry out its function, that is, the inhibition of retroviral replication. This altered process might play a critical role in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia.     

The use of specimen-label databases for conservation purposes: an example using Mexican Papilionid and Pierid butterflies

In recent years, use of databases of the labels of specimens deposited in museums and herbaria is becoming increasingly common as a tool for addressing biodiversity conservation and management problems. These databases are often large in size and complex in structure, and their application to conservation deserves a wider appreciation of some of the biases, gaps and potential pitfalls common to them. In this paper, we discuss some of the problems associated with using such databases for obtaining lists of species for arbitrary sites, as well as for the estimation of the distribution area of single species. The possibility of obtaining these closely related variables using specimen databases is shown to be scale-dependent. A tool based on mark-recapture techniques is applied to the problem of: (i) detecting sites with low number of species due to lack of adequate in-site sampling and, (ii) species with small estimated areas due to poor spatial coverage of samples.     

Intra-sexual competition alters the relationship between testosterone and ornament expression in a wild territorial bird

In a reliable signalling system, individual quality is expected to mediate the costs associated with ornamental displays, with relatively lower costs being paid by individuals of higher quality. These relative costs should depend not only on individual quality, but also on levels of intra-sexual competition. We explored the current and delayed effects that testosterone implants have on bird ornamentation in populations with contrasted population densities, as a proxy for intra-sexual competition. In a replicated experiment, we manipulated testosterone in 196 yearling male red grouse Lagopus lagopus scoticus in autumn in populations of high and low levels of intra-sexual competition. Males were assigned to one of three exogenous testosterone (T) treatments: empty implants (T0), small T implants (T1) or larger T implants (T2). We monitored subsequent changes in testosterone levels, ornament size and carotenoid-based colouration, carotenoid levels and body condition from autumn to spring. Testosterone implants increased testosterone levels, comb redness and comb size, and decreased body condition but these effects depended on levels of intra-sexual competition. Specifically, T2-implanted birds increased testosterone levels and comb size more, and reduced body condition more, in populations where intra-sexual competition was low. In the following spring, testosterone levels of T2-treated birds kept increasing in populations where intra-sexual competition was high but not in populations where intra-sexual competition was low. Our results highlight that levels of intra-sexual competition alter the relationship between testosterone levels and ornament expression, influencing their condition-dependence; they also indicate that the outcome of standard hormone manipulation conducted in free-living animals vary depending on the population context.     

Poinsettia's wild ancestor in the Mexican dry tropics: Historical, genetic, and environmental evidence

? Premise of the study: The poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) is the world's most economically important potted plant, but despite its preeminence it is not clear which wild populations are ancestral to the varieties cultivated around the world. Tradition holds that the U.S. envoy to Mexico J. R. Poinsett collected the progenitors of the over 300 varieties in global cultivation on an 1828 excursion to northern Guerrero State, Mexico. It is unknown whether the contemporary cultivars are descended from plants from Guerrero or whether germplasm from other parts of poinsettia's 2000 km long distribution entered into cultivation during the nearly 200 yr of subsequent poinsettia horticulture. ? Methods: To identify the wild populations that likely gave rise to the cultivars and test this historical account, we sequenced plastid and nuclear DNA regions and modeled poinsettia's potential distribution. ? Key results: The combination of nuclear and plastid haplotypes characterizing cultivars was found only in northern Guerrero. Distribution modeling indicated that suitable habitat conditions for wild poinsettias are present in this area, consistent with their likely wild status. ? Conclusions: Our data pinpoint the area of northern Guerrero as the cultivated poinsettia's probable ancestral region, congruent with the traditional account attributing the original collections to Poinsett. Abundant genetic variation likely offers raw material for improving the many shortcomings of cultivars, including vulnerability to cold, stem breakage, and pathogens such as Pythium and Phytophthora. However, genetic differences between populations make conservation of all of poinsettia's diversity difficult.     

Chemical reception mechanisms at a low level of phylogeny. Influence of polypeptide hormones and non-hormone polypeptides on the growth of Tetrahymena

The polypeptide hormones insulin, glucagon, thyrotropin (TSH), pregnant mare serum gonadotropin (PMSG) and adrenocorticotropin (ACTH) stimulated the growth of the Tetrahymena, and the non-hormone polypeptides (bovine serum albumin (BSA), protamine) had a similar effect. Re-exposure after 24 h accounted for a greater growth stimulation than pre-exposure alone in cultures treated with TSH and PMSG, and re-exposure after 7 days had such effect in all polypeptide-treated cultures. It follows that the non-hormone polypeptides had a similar imprinting potential to the polypeptide hormone. The non-hormone polypeptides were also able to cross-imprint for one another, i.e. pre-exposure to one enhanced the binding capacity of the cells for the other on re-exposure, and vice versa. A single treatment with a polypeptide hormone or a non-hormone polypeptide did in itself stimulate the growth of the Tetrahymena for as long as 1 week.     

Distribution of nuclear receptors for steroid hormones in the human brain: a preliminary study

BACKGROUND: Expression of the nuclear steroid hormone receptors (SHR) within certain parts of the human brain has been described by many authors. However, a comprehensive analysis of SHR expression in the human brain still has not been performed. AIM: To investigate the expression of SHR in different anatomical areas of the brain, especially within the neocortex. METHOD: Immunohistochemical expression of estrogen receptors (ER), progesterone receptors (PR) and androgen receptors (AR) in different regions of the human brain was examined. RESULTS: Nuclear expression of the AR was found in the mamillary body, praecentral gyrus and hippocampus of males. The same expression in analysed structures of female was not found. The expression of ER and PR was not observed. CONCLUSIONS: The analysis revealed unexpected localization of SHR within the brain cortex, which could be the first step to the explanation of SHR action in brain as an interrelationship to function and behaviour. These results indicate on the possibility of SHR detection in post-mortal brain.     

Transgenes in Mexican maize: molecular evidence and methodological considerations for GMO detection in landrace populations

A possible consequence of planting genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in centres of crop origin is unintended gene flow into traditional landraces. In 2001, a study reported the presence of the transgenic 35S promoter in maize landraces sampled in 2000 from the Sierra Juarez of Oaxaca, Mexico. Analysis of a large sample taken from the same region in 2003 and 2004 could not confirm the existence of transgenes, thereby casting doubt on the earlier results. These two studies were based on different sampling and analytical procedures and are thus hard to compare. Here, we present new molecular data for this region that confirm the presence of transgenes in three of 23 localities sampled in 2001. Transgene sequences were not detected in samples taken in 2002 from nine localities, while directed samples taken in 2004 from two of the positive 2001 localities were again found to contain transgenic sequences. These findings suggest the persistence or re-introduction of transgenes up until 2004 in this area. We address variability in recombinant sequence detection by analyzing the consistency of current molecular assays. We also present theoretical results on the limitations of estimating the probability of transgene detection in samples taken from landraces. The inclusion of a limited number of female gametes and, more importantly, aggregated transgene distributions may significantly lower detection probabilities. Our analytical and sampling considerations help explain discrepancies among different detection efforts, including the one presented here, and provide considerations for the establishment of monitoring protocols to detect the presence of transgenes among structured populations of landraces.     

Using phylogenetic, genetic and demographic evidence for setting conservation priorities for Mexican rare pines

Phylogenetic, genetic and demographic information are key issues for establishing priorities for conservation. In this study we explored the Vane-Wrigth measure of phylogenetic diversity for establishing criteria for conservation, when intra as well as interpopulation level demographic (population size) and genetic (heterozygosity, inbreeding and genetic distances among populations) parameters are taken into consideration. The data were standardized and analyzed independently and integratively enabling the calculation of indices or criteria for conservation priorities. We illustrate the application of this approach in populations of four Mexican pine species that have been considered rare and endangered, Pinus rzedowzkii, P. pinceana, P. lagunae and P. muricata. The application of several independent diversity indices did not allow us to resolve prioritization. However, the integration of all indices generated different values of importance to conservation, and suggested that the populations with the highest priorities for conservation are: two for Pinus rzedowskii, P. pinceana, and P. lagunae, and one for P. muricata. These populations have intermediate sizes, are the most divergent in the phylogeny and contain genetic variation that is representative of the gene pool of each species. Finally, we demonstrated the functionality of some genetic and demographic parameters; the genetic structure, recruitment rate, geographic distribution and demographic stochasticity, as complementary indicators for evaluating the conservation priority among populations and species.     

Distribution and diversity of the Syllidae (Annelida: Polychaeta) from the Mexican Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean

The objective of this study was to contribute to the knowledge of the syllids distributed in the eastern coasts of Mexico (Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean) taking into consideration their composition, distribution and diversity. Sampling was done at 77 stations including 49 in soft bottoms (terrigenous and carbonate sediments), and 28 in hard bottoms (coralline substrates) sampled in nine reef zones included in three reef systems (Veracruz, Campeche and Cozumel). In all 2084 individuals were collected (13.5% in soft sediments and 86.4% in coralline areas). Forty-five species were identified: 31 in soft bottoms and 38 in corals, with 21 species common to both types of environments. In soft bottoms, the highest species richness and diversity were found in the Carbonate Zone, while syllids were uncommon in the Terrigenous Zone. In hard bottoms, the highest density, species richness and diversity values were found in the Veracruz Reef System, followed by the Campeche Bank and Cozumel Island Reef Systems. The dominant species in soft bottoms were Haplosyllis spongicola, Exogone lourei, Typosyllis cornuta and T. papillosus, whereas T. alosae, T. corallicola, T. cornuta and H. spongicola dominated in hard bottoms. The importance and success of the syllids in both soft bottoms and reef environments, particularly in those of the Gulf of Mexico is emphasized.     

Fern richness,tree species surrogacy,and fragment complementarity in a Mexican tropical montane cloud forest

We related pteridophytes versus tree species composition to identify surrogate measures of diversity, and complementarity of seven cloud forest fragments. Forest structure, and fern and tree composition were determined in 70 (2 × 50 m) transects. Fern density (10,150–25,080 individuals/ha) differed among sites. We recorded 83 fern species in the transects. Nonparametric richness estimators indicated that more sampling effort was needed to complete fern inventories (14 more species). However, ferns recorded outside of the transects increased richness to 103 species (six more species than predicted). Twenty-eight species were unique and rare due to special habitat requirements (Diplazium expansum, Hymenophyllum hirsutum, Melpomene leptostoma, Terpsichore asplenifolia), or were at a geographical distribution edge (Diplazium plantaginifolium, Lycopodium thyoides, Pecluma consimilis, Polypodium puberulum). Correlations between fern richness and tree richness and density were not significant, but were significant between fern richness and fern density, between epiphytic fern density and tree richness and density. Tree richness is not a good surrogate for fern diversity. Only three species were recorded in all fragments (Polypodium lepidotrichum, P. longepinnulatum, P. plebeium); thus fragments pteridophytes compositions are highly complementary, but more similar for ferns than for trees. A regional conservation approach which includes many small reserves needs to focus supplementarity on patterns of tree and fern species richness.     

Mexican native trouts: a review of their history and current systematic and conservation status

While biologists have been aware of theexistence of native Mexican trouts for over acentury, they have received little study. Thefew early studies that did much more thanmention their existence began in the 1930s andcontinued into the early 1960s, focusingprimarily on distributional surveys andtaxonomic analyses. Starting in the 1980s theBaja California rainbow trout became thesubject of more detailed studies, but verylittle remains known of mainland trouts of theSierra Madre Occidental. We review earlierstudies and report on our own collections andobservations made between 1975 and 2000. Wepresent newly discovered historical evidencethat leads us to conclude that a lostcutthroat trout, a lineage not previously knownfrom Mexico, was collected more than a centuryago from headwaters of the Río Conchos (amajor tributary of the Rio Grande (= RíoBravo)), a basin not previously considered toharbor a native trout. We review the lastcentury of regional natural resource managementand discuss our own observations of trouthabitats. Impacts of logging, road building andovergrazing are widespread and expanding. Manystreams suffer from heavy erosion, siltationand contamination, and though long-termhydrologic data are generally not available,there is evidence of decreased discharge inmany streams. These problems appear related toregion-wide land management practices as wellas recent regional drought. Trout cultureoperations using exotic rainbow trout haverapidly proliferated throughout the region,threatening genetic introgression and/orcompetition with native forms and predation onthem. Knowledge of distribution, abundance,relationships and taxonomy, not to mentionecology and population biology, of nativetrouts of the Sierra Madre Occidental remainsinadequate. Vast areas of most mainlanddrainages are still unexplored by fishcollectors, and even rudimentary informationregarding basic biology, ecology and populationstructure of stocks remains lacking.Concentrated exploration, research andmanagement of this long overlooked andundervalued resource are all urgently needed.The history of natural resources exploitationthat placed so many native trouts of thewestern United States on threatened andendangered species lists is repeating itself inthe Sierra Madre Occidental. Without concertedaction and development of region-widesocio-economic solutions for current, largelynon-sustainable resource management practices,native Mexican trout gene pools will soon be ingrave danger of extinction.     

Cell death and the song control system: a model for how sex steroid hormones regulate naturally-occurring neurodegeneration

The production, learning, and perception of song in songbirds are regulated by a series of discrete brain nuclei known as the song control system. In most songbird species, the song control system is sexually dimorphic, and these dimorphisms become more robust after birds have hatched. In seasonally breeding songbirds, the song control system grows and regresses depending upon breeding context. The development and seasonal plasticity of the song control system are dependent upon neurodegenerative processes, which can be ameliorated, at least in part, by circulating sex steroid hormones. I will describe two areas of song control system research that have provided important information about how hormonal control of cell death contributes to the shaping of behaviorally-relevant brain circuits. First, sexual dimorphism in the zebra finch song control system is robust and emerges partially due to substantial regression of female song control system nuclei during development. Second, in seasonally-breeding songbirds, the song control system regresses as birds transition from breeding to non-breeding conditions. In a controlled laboratory setting where hormones can be acutely withdrawn, these brain areas regress in only a matter of hours to days. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the study of cell death in the song control system provides an excellent opportunity for understanding how changes in circulating levels of sex steroids affect the degeneration of hormone-sensitive brain circuits.     

Promotive and inhibitory effects of uniconazole and prohexadione on the sprouting of bulbils of Chinese yam,Dioscorea opposita

Gibberellin A₁ (GA₁), GA₃ and GA₄ inhibited the sprouting of nondormant bulbils of Chinese yam, Dioscorea opposita, where the effectiveness of the GAs was as follows: GA₄>GA₁+GA₃. Uniconazole and prohexadione, plant growth retardants, promoted the sprouting of half-dormant bulbils. By contrast, these retardants inhibited the sprouting of nondormant bulbils. Gibberellin A₃ (GA₃) and A₄ (GA₄) which were applied to the stems of the sprouted bulbils, promoted stem elongation, but GAs applied to the bulbous parts inhibited this process. The effectiveness of the GAs on stem elongation was as follows: GA₃+GA₄ for the promotion and GA₄ > GA₃ for the inhibition. Uniconazole applied to the stem inhibited the stem elongation of the sprouted bulbils. These results suggest the possible involvement of endogenous GAs in the induction and maintenance of bulbil dormancy of D. opposita, as well as in the bulbil sprouting and subsequent stem elongation.     

Caecidotea williamsi (Crustacea: Isopoda: Asellidae), a new species from a saline crater-lake in the eastern Mexican Plateau

A new species of Caecidotea, an aquatic isopod crustacean is described from Alchichica crater-lake in the state of Puebla, Oriental Basin, central Mexico. This is the first report of an epigean asellid isopod, with cryptic behavior inhabiting inland saline waters in America. Comparisons made with other co-occurring asellid species in the region show that the species Caecidotea pasquinii differs from the new species in lacking eyes, having different features on the male endopod of pleopod 2, a shorter pereiopod 6, and having elongated uropods. The epigean species Caecidotea communis differs from the new species in having pleopod 4 of the A type pattern of Lewis & Bowman (1981) and 5–8 retinacula on pleopod 1 sympod.