Water flux through a semi-deciduous forest grove of the Orinoco savannas

Water relations were analysed in a semi-deciduous forest grove occurring in the oxisols of the Orinoco savannas. This grove has a shallow unconsolidated ironstone cuirass, which is overlaid by a sandy loam layer (0.0–0.5 m) that contains more than 90% of the grove forest root phytomass. Evapotranspiration and through drainage were calculated by using data from the soil profile as related to physical characteristics of the site root zone, hydraulic conductivity, volumetric water content and potential hydraulic gradient. Mean annual evapotranspiration was 783 mm year^–1 and annual through drainage below the root zone was 14% (162 mm year^–1) of the gross rainfall. This drainage recharged the 42% of the annual saturation deficit of the water table. Similar mean annual evapotranspiration (770 mm year^–1) was also calculated by using the water balance components. The mean daily coupling omega factor () between the grove canopy and the surrounding atmosphere indicated that a high degree of coupling (=0.14±0.16) occurs in the grove and evapotranspiration was mainly controlled by surface conductance. As the dry season proceeded, the soil saturation deficit () increased rapidly resulting in a threshold surface conductance (0.030–0.005 m s^–1) for ranging from 0.05 to 0.10. Hypotheses to explain the omnipresence of perennial species in the wide range of physical conditions in neotropical savannas are discussed.     

The mite Varroa jacobsoni does not transmit American foulbrood from infected to healthy colonies

The present study was conducted to determine whether Varroa jacobsoni can transmit American foulbrood (AFB), caused by the bacterium Paenibacillus larvae to healthy colonies by the surface transport of spores. Five two-storey Langstroth colonies of Apis mellifera ligustica were infested by placing a sealed brood comb, with 10% Varroa prevalence, between the central brood combs of each colony. Two months later the colonies were inoculated with P. larvae by adding brood comb pieces with clinical signs of AFB (45±5 scales per colony). After 60 days the brood area was completely uncapped by means of dissecting needles and tweezers, separating the Varroa mites from the larvae and the collected mites were introduced at a rate of 51 per colony into four recipient hives placed in an isolated apiary. Twenty female Varroa specimens were separated at random and observed by SEM. Paenibacillus larvae spores were found on the dorsal shield surface and on idiosomal setae. All colonies died after 4–5 months due to a high incidence of varroosis. No clinical AFB symptoms or P. larvae spores were observed in microscopic preparations. It is concluded that Varroa jacobsoni does not transmit AFB from infected to healthy colonies; it does, however transport P. larvae spores on its surface.     

A partially deficient mutant, recA1730, that fails to form normal nucleoprotein filaments.

Summary The phenotype of the recA1730 mutant is highly dependent on the level of expression of the RecA1730 protein. If the recA1730 gene was expressed from its own promoter, the cells were deficient in recombination and SOS induction. In contrast, when the recA1730 gene was expressed under the control of recAo98, a constitutive operator that increased the RecA1730 concentration 20-fold, cells became proficient in recombination and SOS induction. Likewise, in crude extracts, fivefold more RecA1730 than RecAwt was required to produce full cleavage of LexA protein. The requirement for a high RecA1730 concentration for recombination and LexA cleavage suggests that the recA1730 defect alters a common reaction step. In fact, in vitro data show that the impaired assembly of RecA1730 protein on single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) can account for the mutant phenotype. Purified RecA1730 protein was assayed in vitro for ssDNA binding and ATPase activities. RecA1730, like RecAwt, retained ssDNA equally well on nitrocellulose filters; this activity was specifically inhibited by a monoclonal anti-RecA antibody. However, RecA1730 protein did not form complete filaments on ssDNA, as shown by two observations: (i) most of the protein did not elute with ssDNA during gel filtration; and (ii) binding of RecA1730 to ssDNA did not protect it from being digested by DNaseI. RecA1730 hydrolysed ATP in high salt but was defective in ssDNA-dependent ATP hydrolysis. These results strongly suggest that RecA1730 binds to ATP and ssDNA but does not form normal nucleoprotein filaments.Abbreviations RecAwt RecA wind-type protein - ssDNA singlestranded DNA - dsDNA dmble-stranded DNA     

Developmental analysis of the cell recognition mechanism in the ciliate Euplotes raikovi

Euplotes raikovi, like other ciliates, passes through a postconjugal immaturity, operatively identified by an apparent cell inability to form mating pairs under experimental conditions that are the same as those used for inducing mating at maturity. In cells homozygous for the gene mat-2, which controls the pheromone Er-2, Er-2 mRNA synthesis and mature Er-2 secretion were shown to start from the very beginning of the life cycle and continue throughout immaturity, although to extents estimated to be 5- to 10-fold lower than at maturity. In addition, experiments of ¹²⁵ I-Er-2 binding and crosslinking provided evidence that autocrine pheromone-binding sites, showing values of the dissociation constant of the order of 10^?9 M, are on the surface of immature cells. The number of these sites per cell was estimated to increase from less than 10⁶ per cell of 5–7 fissions of age, to about 16 × 10⁶ at maturity. These results were taken to suggest that a pheromone-receptor production is stimulated during immaturity by autocrine pheromone binding to cells and that this production might be essential for the development of a pheromone-receptor density high enough to transform the cell from “immature” to “adult,” that is competent to respond as well to pheromones of conspecific, genetically different cells. © 1992 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

On the identity of dnaP and dnaF genes of Bacillus subtilis

Summary The dnaP strains of Bacillus subtilis are altered in the initiation of DNA replication at high temperature (Riva et al., 1975). Fine mapping of the gene shows that it is located very close to the dnaF gene, described by Karamata and Gross (1970) and mapped by Love et al. (1976) in the polC region. The phenotype of both mutants is indistinguishable: the DNA synthesis stops at non permissive temperature after synthesizing an amount of DNA equivalent to the completion of the rounds of replication already initiated; at permissive temperature they are abnormally sensitive to MMS and are reduced in the ability to be transformed. Both mutants are to be considered as belonging to the dnaF locus.The dnaF gene is very close to the polC gene, which specifies the DNA polymerase III of B. subtilis. The DNA polymerase III of the dnaF mutants is not temperature sensitive in vitro, however, the level of this enzyme is lower by a factor of 4 or 5 in the dnaF mutants, at the permissive temperature. Following shift of dnaF cultures to the non permissive temperature, the level of DNA polymerase III activity specifically decreases further by a factor of at least 10 in the mutant, whereas the DNA polymerase I level is unaffected.The possible roles of the dnaF gene in the control of the cellular level of the DNA polymerase III, and the possibility of a regulatory role of DNA polymerase III in the initiation of DNA replication in bacteria are discussed.Abbreviations and symbols HPUra 6-(p-hydroxyphenylazo)-uracil; mic, minimum inhibitory concentration - MMS methyl-methanesufonate - Pol I Pol II and Pol III: DNA polymerase I, II and III respectively - PCMB parachloro-mercuri-benzoate     

A recombinant monoclonal-based Taenia antigen assay that reflects disease activity in extra-parenchymal neurocysticercosis

BackgroundAntigen tests for diagnosis and disease monitoring in some types of neurocysticercosis (NCC) are useful but access to testing has been limited by availability of proprietary reagents and/or kits.Methods/Principal findingsThree previously identified IgM-secreting hybridomas whose IgM products demonstrated specificity to Taenia solium underwent variable heavy and light chain sequencing and isotype conversion to mouse IgG. Screening of these recombinantly expressed IgG anti-Ts hybridomas, identified one (TsG10) with the highest affinity to crude Taenia antigen. TsG10 was then used as a capture antibody in a sandwich antigen detection immunoassay in combination with either a high titer polyclonal anti-Ts antibody or with biotinylated TsG10 (termed TsG10*bt). Using serum, plasma, and CSF samples from patients with active NCC and those from NCC-uninfected patients, ROC curve analyses demonstrated that the TsG10-TsG10-*bt assay achieved a 98% sensitivity and 100% specificity in detecting samples known to be antigen positive and outperformed the polyclonal based assay (sensitivity of 93% with 100% specificity). By comparing levels of Ts antigen (Ag) in paired CSF (n = 10) or plasma/serum (n = 19) samples from well-characterized patients with extra-parenchymal NCC early in infection and at the time of definitive cure, all but 2 (1 from CSF and 1 from plasma) became undetectable. There was a high degree of correlation (r = 0.98) between the Ag levels detected by this new assay and levels found by a commercial assay. Pilot studies indicate that this antigen can be detected in the urine of patients with active NCC.Conclusions/SignificanceA newly developed recombinant monoclonal antibody-based Ts Ag detection immunoassay is extremely sensitive in the detection of extra-parenchymal NCC and can be used to monitor the success of treatment in the CSF, serum/plasma and urine. The ability to produce recombinant TsG10 at scale should enable use of this antigen detection immunoassay wherever NCC is endemic.Clinical Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifiers: {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00001205","term_id":"NCT00001205"}}NCT00001205 - & {"type":"clinical-trial","attrs":{"text":"NCT00001645","term_id":"NCT00001645"}}NCT00001645.     

Cholecystokinin Outcome on Markers of Intestinal IgA Antibody Response

Cholecystokinin 8 (CCK8) is an entero-octapeptide that participates in crosstalk with components of intestinal immunity via the CCK receptor (CCKR), but its role in modulation of the IgA response is not fully known under physiological conditions. Male eight-week-old BALB/c mice each were intraperitoneally injected once during 7 days with CCK8, devazapide (CCKR1 antagonist), L365,260 (CCKR2 antagonist) or vehicle (sham group). In intestinal lavages, total and secretory IgA (SIgA) were determined by ELISA; in lamina propria, IgA⁺ B lymphocytes and IgA⁺ plasma cells were analyzed by flow cytometry; mRNA levels of polymeric immunoglobulin receptor (pIgR) in epithelial cells and α chain, interleukins (ILs) in lamina propria cells were assessed by qRTPCR. Regarding the sham conditions, IgA⁺ plasma-cell percentage and IL-2, IL-5, IL-10 and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) mRNA levels were either increased by CCK8 or decreased by both CCKR antagonists. For IgA/SIgA responses, IL-4/IL-6 mRNA levels were decreased by all drugs and pIgR mRNA was increased by CCK8 and reduced by L365,260. IgA⁺ B cell percentage and α chain mRNA levels were elicited by CCK8 and L365,260. Data suggested a presumable differential role of CCK/CCKR on the IgA-response; outcome of L365,260 on the elicitation of IgA⁺ B cells and α chain mRNA needs further examination.     

Synthesis,semipreparative HPLC separation,biological evaluation,and 3D-QSAR of hydrazothiazole derivatives as human monoamine oxidase B inhibitors

The present study reports on synthesis in high yields (70–99%), HPLC enantioseparation, inhibitory activity against human monoamino oxidases, and molecular modeling including 3D-QSAR studies, of a large series of (4-aryl-thiazol-2-yl)hydrazones (1–45). Most of the synthesized compounds proved to be potent and selective inhibitors of hMAO-B isoform in the micromolar or nanomolar range, thus demonstrating that hydrazothiazole could be considered a good pharmacophore to design new hMAO-B inhibitors. Due to the presence in some derivatives of a chiral center, we also performed a semipreparative chromatographic enantioseparation of these compounds obtained by a stereoconservative pattern. The separated enantiomers were submitted to in vitro biological evaluation to point out the stereorecognition of the active site of the enzyme towards these structures. Finally, a 3D-QSAR study was carried out using Comparative Molecular Field Analysis (CoMFA), aiming to deduce rational guidelines for the further structural modification of these lead compounds.     

Relationship between molecular and enological features of Patagonian wine yeasts: relevance in selection protocols

Summary In this paper, a study of the relationship between genetic patterns, obtained by the combination of mtDNA-RFLP and PCR-amplified inter-δ sequence DNA polymorphism analysis, and relevant enological phenotypic data (fermentative power, specific productivity, volatile and total acidity) was carried out on Argentinean Saccharomyces cerevisiae isolates from north Patagonia. The use of a powerful statistical tool, Generalized Procrustes analysis, allowed us to weigh the relationship for each isolate in particular, denoting a good enough degree of agreement between molecular and physiological data for most of the population analysed. The inclusion of a physiological feature, as the killer sensitivity biotype, within identification methods resulted in a higher degree of discrimination among isolates and in better correlation between both characterizations. The combined use of methods based on molecular polymorphisms and killer biotype could be applied so as not to miss any isolate with differential enological properties in selection protocols.