Home range use and the exploitation of gum in the marmosetCallithrix jacchus jacchus

Three wild groups of common marmoset, Callithrix jacchus jacchus,in north-east Brazil, of approximately similar size, had home ranges between 2.5 and 6.5 ha. But their core areas were similar in size between 1.0 and 1.5 ha, with a monthly area of heavy use between 1.1 and 1.6 ha. The groups were selective in the use of their home ranges, even though they were small: they used some areas heavily and others lightly. The core areas had higher densities of trees that produced gum exudates than did other parts of the home ranges. Our data suggest that a group of marmosets in this habitat may require a minimum of about 50 gum trees in its home range at a minimum density of about 50 trees/ha. In addition, the animals require suitable trees in which to sleep. We suggest that patches of forest with these desirable properties remain relatively fixed in size and location over the years and that individual animals are constantly in flux between them.     

The effect of glucose-6-phosphate isomerase genotype onin vitro specific activity andin vivo flux inMytilus edulis

Four samples of the musselMytilus edulis were taken between 1984 and 1987 from Stony Brook, New York, and used to study the glucose-6-phosphate isomerase (GPI) polymorphism in this species.In vitro specific activity andin vivo flux measured in the same animals were found to be significantly correlated. A significant effect of GPI genotype on flux was observed in one of the samples; overall, significant evidence of effect of genotype on enzyme activity was also obtained. GPI activities of common genotypes tend to deviate less from the population mean than those of rare (frequency less than 5%) genotypes. This suggests the possibility that rare GPI genotypes are rare as a consequence of having biochemical properties that deviate from an optimum level and, therefore, having a lower fitness. In support of this hypothesis, we found in one of our samples that shell length is a concave function of GPI activity with an intermediate optimum activity level. The financial support provided to P.J.N.S. by the Luso-American Educational Commission (Fulbright Program), the Instituto Nacional de Investigacao Científica (Portugal), and the Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa during several stages of this research is gratefully acknowledged. Financial support from the Ministerio de Educatión y Ciencia (Spain) in the form of a postdoctoral Fulbright/MEC fellowship to M.S. is also gratefully acknowledged. Research was supported by National Science Foundation Grant BSR-8415060 to R.K.K. This is contribution No. 736 from the Program in Ecology and Evolution, State University of New York at Stony Brook. On leave from Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande C2, Lisboa, Portugal.     

Optimization of growth conditions for the production of proteolytically-sensitive proteins in the periplasmic space of Escherichia coli

Summary The expression of many secreted recombinant proteins in Gram-negative bacteria is limited by degradation in the periplasmic space. We have previously shown that the production of protein A--lactamase, a secreted fusion protein highly sensitive to proteolysis in Escherichia coli, can be increased in mutant strains deficient in up to three cell-envelope-associated proteolytic activities. In this work we investigated the effect of fermentation conditions on suppressing any residual proteolytic activity in various protease-deficient strains. Optimal production of the fusion protein was observed in cells grown under mildly acidic conditions (5.5pH6.0) and at low temperatures. These conditios were shown to specifically decrease the rate of proteolysis. In addition, a further increase in production was observed in cultures supplemented with 0.5 to 0.75 mM zinc chloride. This may relate to the inhibition of a cell envelope protease by Zn²⁺ ions. Offsprint requests to: G. Georgiou     

Comparative chromatography of Brazilian coral snake (Micrurus) venoms.

1. Elution profiles of 11 coral snake venoms, including those of Micrurus albicinctus, M. corallinus, M. frontalis altirostris, M. f. brasiliensis, M. f. frontalis, M. fulvius fulvius, M. ibiboboca, M. lemniscatus ssp., M. rondonianus, M. spixii spixii and M. surinamensis surinamensis, were compared using high performance gel filtration and reverse phase media. 2. Micrurus venom profiles were compared with those of "outgroup" taxa Bothrops moojeni, Naja naja kaouthia and Bungarus multicinctus. 3. Purified elapid venom constituents were also chromatographed under identical conditions in order to suggest possible identities of Micrurus venom constituents. 4. Masses of various components were confirmed by mass spectrometry. 5. Phospholipase constituents in three venoms were positively identified based on their reverse phase chromatograms. 6. Venoms of M. rondonianus and M. s. surinamensis are shown to be significantly different in their peptide composition from other Micrurus venoms.     

Recombinant Trypanosoma cruzi antigens and Chagas' disease diagnosis: analysis of a workshop

Abstract A workshop organized by the Ibero-American Project of Biotechnology evaluated the diagnostic potential of several cloned Trypanosoma cruzi recombinant antigens for Chagas' disease serodiagnosis. A set of recombinants, Antigen 2, Antigen 13, SAPA, H49, A13, JL5, JL7, JL8, JL9, and RA1 provided by three different South American laboratories were probed with a panel of 236 South American serum samples. Antigens JL7, H49, Antigen 2, and A13 scored as the best diagnostic recombinant reagents. The results suggested that the main advantage of using cloned peptides for chronic Chagas' disease diagnosis resided in their highly specific immunoreactive properties.     

Application of flow karyotyping in prenatal detection of chromosome aberrations

This paper describes the application of bivariate flow karyotyping to (1) classification of chromosomes isolated from cultures of cells taken by amniocentesis and (2) detection of numerical and structural aberrations. Chromosomes were isolated from primary cultures 2-5 wk after amniocentesis, stained with Hoechst 33258 and chromomycin A3, and analyzed using dual beam flow cytometry. Information about chromosome DNA content and DNA base composition was derived from the locations of the peaks in the flow karyotypes, each peak being produced by one or more chromosome types with similar DNA content and DNA base composition. Information about the relative frequency of each chromosome type was determined on the basis of the relative volume of the peak for that chromosome type. Cytogenetic information determined on the basis of flow karyotypes was compared with that obtained by visual analysis following G-banding. Variability among the peak means and volumes in flow karyotypes was determined from analyses of 50 normal amniocyte cultures. Numerical aberrations involving chromosomes 21, 18, and Y were detected correctly in all of 28 analyses, including eight in a blind study. Structural aberrations involving chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 6, 9-12, 13, 14, 15, 21, and 22 were detected in all of seven cultures in a blind study. Flow karyotypes proved to be insensitive to small, normally occurring chromosome polymorphisms detected by banding analysis. In addition, a few samples were erroneously scored as having numerical aberrations.     

Movements of some indigenous riverine fish in Sri Lanka

The migratory movements of reproductive potamodromus fish established in man-made tropical lakes in the dry zone of Sri Lanka were determined. It was shown that the nine indigenous riverine species do not spawn in these lakes but move into the upstream channels when sexually mature. The pattern of upstream movement was found to be species-specific although most species showed a diurnal periodicity. It is suggested that the development of totally lacustrine forms of riverine species is very unlikely to occur in the man-made lakes of Sri Lanka because of their relatively short duration time.     

Comparison of crude and affinity purified cytosolic epoxide hydrolases from hepatic tissue of control and clofibrate-fed mice

An affinity purification procedure was developed for the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase based upon the selective binding of the enzyme to immobilized methoxycitronellyl thiol. Several elution systems were examined, but the most successful system employed selective elution with a chalcone oxide. This affinity system allowed the purification of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase activity from livers of both control and clofibrate-fed mice. A variety of biochemical techniques including pH dependence, substrate preference, kinetics, inhibition, amino acid analysis, peptide mapping, Western blotting, analytical isoelectric focusing, and gel permeation chromatography failed to distinguish between the enzymes purified from control and clofibrate-fed animals. The quantitative removal of the cytosolic epoxide hydrolase acting on trans-stilbene oxide from 100,000g supernatants, allowed analysis of remaining activities acting differentially on cis-stilbene oxide and benzo[a]pyrene 4,5-oxide. Such analysis indicated the existence of a novel epoxide hydrolase activity in the cytosol of mouse liver preparations.     

Pigment patterns in mutants affecting the biosynthesis of pteridines and xanthommatin in Drosophila melanogaster

Eye-color mutants of Drosophila melanogaster have been analyzed for their pigment content and related metabolites. Xanthommatin and dihydroxanthommatin (pigments causing brown eye color) were measured after selective extraction in acidified butanol. Pteridines (pigments causing red eye color) were quantitated after separation of 28 spots by thin-layer chromatography, most of which are pteridines and a few of which are fluorescent metabolites from the xanthommatin pathway. Pigment patterns have been studied in 45 loci. The pteridine pathway ramifies into two double branches giving rise to isoxanthopterin, drosopterins, and biopterin as final products. The regulatory relationship among the branches and the metabolic blockage of the mutants are discussed. The Hn locus is proposed to regulate pteridine synthesis in a step between pyruvoyltetrahydropterin and dihydropterin. The results also indicate that the synthesis and accumulation of xanthommatin in the eyes might be related to the synthesis of pteridines.Support for this work was provided to J.F. in part by a grant from the Ministerio de Universidades e Investigación (Spain) and to F.J.S. by a grant from the Ministerio de Educación y Ciencia (Spain).     

Primary productivity and related parameters in three different types of inland waters in Sri Lanka

Gross and net primary production together with chlorophyll-a biomass were investigated with respect to depth and diurnal changes in three categories of inland waters (reservoirs, temporary ponds, brackish water lagoons) in Sri Lanka. Ten field sites, in both the dry and wet zones of the island, were investigated. Bimodal productivity profiles were recorded in two of the three reservoirs studied. The diel pattern of net photosynthetic rate varied between sites although peak photosynthetic efficiency occurred at solar noon. Surface photoinhibition was characteristic of the reservoirs and brackish water lagoons but not of the temporary ponds. Mean gross primary production was 3.02 g C m^–2 d^–1 but was higher in the temporary ponds than in the reservoirs. The gross primary production in the brackish water Koggala Lagoon at 0.08 g C m^–2 d^–1 is a record low for tropical lagoons and was 2.5 times less than the two other lagoons investigated. Variability in net primary production between sites was similar to the variation in gross production with a relatively low mean value for tropical inland waters of 0.495 C m^–2 d^–1. Mean maximum photosynthetic rate was 0.30 mg C m^–3 h^–1 but was lower in the reservoirs than in the temporary ponds and lagoons.