Do pollen beetles need pollen? The effect of pollen on oviposition,survival, and development of a flower‐feeding herbivore

Abstract.  1. Pollen is considered to be an important dietary component for many species of flower-feeding herbivores. Its influence on oviposition site selection by the pollen beetle Meligethes aeneus , and on the development of its larvae was investigated.
2. The effects of pollen presence and absence on adult, egg, and larval incidence in the field, and on larval development in the laboratory were compared through the use of Synergy, a composite hybrid oilseed rape Brassica napus variety comprising male-fertile (with pollen) and male-sterile (without pollen) plants.
3. In the field, adult females were more abundant on male-fertile plants during flowering, and a greater proportion of male-fertile than male-sterile buds were accepted for oviposition. These data indicate a possible role of pollen in oviposition site selection by female pollen beetles.
4. The numbers of first instar larvae on the two plant lines did not differ; however, more second instars were found on male-fertile than on male-sterile flowers. This suggests a greater larval survival on male-fertile plants, possibly due to the more readily available food resources and better nutrition afforded by the presence of pollen.
5. Laboratory experiments confirmed that a diet which included pollen improved survival to adulthood and resulted in heavier pupae and adults; however, pollen was not obligatory for larval survival and development.
6. The pollen beetle, previously thought to be an obligate pollen feeder, is therefore more generalist in its requirements for development. These findings may relate to the nutritional and behavioural ecology of other flower-feeding herbivores.     

Thermal properties of chemically modified cytochrome c

Differential scanning calorimetry was used as a probe to follow structural disturbances in cytochrome c with electrostatic modification. At 51.7% maleylation, the Td decreased 14.1 degrees C; however, relatively stable delta H values reflected minor structural variations. With 77.5 and 96.4% modification, a significant decrease in delta H was more indicative of major conformational change. On this basis, a critical labelling point was considered. Extensive maleylation (96.4%) did not result in complete cytochrome denaturation. In general, assessment of cytochrome thermal parameters by DSC provided a conformational perspective for the influence of specific electrostatic parameters on molecular integrity.     

5-Amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide is a mutagen in E. coli

5-Amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide (5A4IC), the base moiety of a common intermediate in de novo purine biosynthesis, was found to be mutagenic in E. coli. Using a series of mutants in the tryptophan synthetase A gene, 5A4IC was observed to cause transition and transversion mutations at similar levels. At 400 micrograms/ml in the growth medium, it stimulates the base substitution GC----AT 4.8-fold; AT----GC 20-fold; AT----CG (2 sites) an average of 6.0-fold; AT----TA 7.8-fold; and GC----CG 6.1-fold. The transversion GC----TA was not tested. In contrast to the base, 5-amino-4-imidazolecarboxamide riboside is not mutagenic at a similar molar concentration.     

Collagen metabolism in mouse lung after X irradiation

Collagen and total protein synthesis rates have been determined in the lungs of CBA mice irradiated with single doses of X rays between 8 and 16 Gy. Mice were injected with [3H]proline accompanied by a large dose of unlabeled proline, and synthesis rates were measured at 2-month intervals from 8 to 31 weeks after irradiation. At 2 months after radiation treatment, collagen and total protein synthesis rates were significantly depressed but they had recovered by 4 months. By 6 months collagen synthesis rates had increased above control in a dose-dependent manner, so that in the 14-Gy dose group the fractional synthesis rate for collagen was 4.6 times higher than in control mice as measured by incorporation of [3H]proline. However, a significant net accumulation of collagen was seen only in the lungs of the highest dose group at 31 weeks, as indicated by total hydroxyproline measurements. There was a slight increase in the ratio of types I and III collagen. Late radiation damage in the CBA mouse lung is characterized by increased collagen metabolism, which may or may not lead to a net accumulation of collagen.     

Human papillomavirus type 16 DNA cooperates with activated ras in transforming primary cells.

The close association of human papillomavirus type 16 DNA with a majority of cervical carcinomas implies some role for the virus in this type of cancer. To define the transforming properties of HPV-16 DNA in vitro we have now performed transfection experiments on baby rat kidney cells using HPV-16 DNA in conjunction with an activated ras gene. We have demonstrated that a 6.6-kb DNA fragment, containing the early genes of HPV-16 under the control of Moloney murine leukaemia virus long terminal repeats (MoMuLV-LTRs), cooperates with EJ-ras in transforming these cells. Both DNAs are required and neither alone is effective. The cooperating activity appears to reside in a protein or proteins derived from the E6/E7 region of the HPV-16 genome.