Flower heliotropism in an alpine population of Ranunculus acris (Ranunculaceae): effects on flower temperature,insect visitation,and seed production

Some plants in arctic and alpine habitats have heliotropic flowers that track the sun. This results in a heating of the flower's interior, which may improve the possibilities for insect pollination and seed production. Here, I examine whether flower heliotropism in an alpine population of the self-incompatible Ranunculus acris L. (Ranunculaceae) enhances pollinator visitation and seed production. Flowers of Ranunculus acris tracked the sun during the day. Tracking accuracy was greatest during the middle of the day. The temperature elevation in flowers was negatively correlated with the flower's angle of deviation from the sun. Despite the increased temperature, insects did not discriminate among flowers on the basis of their angle of deviation from the sun, or tend to stay longer in the flowers aligned closest towards the sun. A tethering experiment was conducted on three groups of plants flowering at different times in the 1993 season and on one group the following season. Manipulation plants were constrained not to track the sun, whereas control plants tracked the sun naturally. Solar tracking had no effect on seed:ovule ratio, seed mass, or abortion rate in any of the groups. There is probably a very narrow range of weather conditions (cold, sunny, and calm) where flower heliotropism may enhance visitation rate to flowers and their seed production.     

The kinetics of baculovirus adsorption to insect cells in suspension culture

The influence of various culture parameters on the attachment of a recombinant baculovirus to suspended insect cells was examined under normal culture conditions. These parameters included cell density, multiplicity of infection, and composition of the cell growth medium. It was found that the fractional rate of virus attachment was independent of the multiplicity of infection but dependent on the cell density. A first order mathematical model was used to simulate the adsorption kinetics and predict the efficiency of virus attachment under the various culture conditions. This calculated efficiency of virus attachment was observed to decrease at high cell densities, which was attributed to cell clumping. It was also observed that virus attachment was more efficient in Sf900II serum free medium than it was in IPL-41 serum-supplemented medium. This effect was attributed to the protein in serum which may coat the cells and so inhibit adsorption. A general discussion relating the observations made in-these experiments to the kinetics of recombinant baculovirus adsorption to suspended insect cells is presented.     

Effects of irradiation on neuropeptide expression in rat salivary gland and spinal cord

Summary It is well-known that a large number of factors can influence the expression of neuropeptides in the nervous system. In the present study, the effects of unilateral and bilateral irradiation to the rat head and neck on the expression of neuropeptides in the innervation of the submandibular gland and in the ganglionic cells of the submandibular ganglion was examined ten days and six months after treatment. Antisera directed against enkephalin and bombesin and immunohistochemical methods were used. The effects of bilateral irradiation on the staining pattern of various neuropeptides in the cervical spinal cord were also studied. In the submandibular gland and in the submandibular ganglionic cells, there was a markedly increased neuropeptide expression ten days after bilateral treatment, as seen after staining with both antisera used, while no changes occurred after unilateral treatment. Six months after treatment, the pattern of neuropeptide expression in the submandibular gland/ganglion corresponded to that seen in controls. Irradiation did not lead to any changes in the staining pattern of neuropeptides in the spinal cord. The observations show that there is a great complexity in the susceptibility of nervous tissues to radiotherapy with respect to influences on the expression of neuropeptides.     

Li+ counterion self-diffusion in ordered DNA

The anisotropic self-diffusion coefficient of ⁷Li⁺ (I = 3/2) counterions has been studied in hydrated, macroscopically oriented Li-(B)DNA fibers at relatively high water contents, corresponding to approximate DNA-DNA helix axis distances of 22–35 Å, using the pulsed field gradient hmr spin-echo method. Self-diffusion coefficients parallel (D_∥) and perpendicular (D_?) to the DNA helix axis increase with increasing salt content and with increasing DNA-DNA helix axis distance. The observed anisotropy D_∥/D_? decreases from 1.6 to 1.2 with the DNA-DNA separation increasing from 22 to 35 Å in the salt-free sample. This result can be understood by the obstruction effect caused by the DNA molecules themselves. The values of the Li⁺ self-diffusion coefficients in the most water-rich system with no added salt (corresponding to an approximate distance of 35 Å between the DNA helix axes) were D_∥ ～ 1.15 × 10^?10 m² s^?1 and D_? ～ 0.98 × 10^?10 m² s^?1, compared to 9.14 × 10^?10 m² s^?1 for the diffusion of Li⁺ in an aqueous solution of LiCl (～ 2.1M). The possible occurrence of restriction effects in the DNA fibers have also been studied by determining the self-diffusion coefficient at different effective diffusion times. The self-diffusion coefficient of Li⁺ in the sample with the largest DNA-DNA helix axis distance seems to be independent of the effective diffusion time, which indicates that the lithium ions are not trapped within impermeable barriers. The possibility of diffusion through permeable barriers has also been investigated, and is discussed. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Changes in Metabotropic Glutamate Receptor mRNA Levels Following Global Ischemia: Increase of a Putative Presynaptic Subtype (mGluR4) in Highly Vulnerable Rat Brain Areas

Abstract: Metabotropic glutamate receptors mediate their intracellular response by coupling to G proteins and may be divided into three subfamilies: mGluR1 and mGluR5, which stimulate phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis; mGluR2 and mGluR3, which are negatively coupled to cyclic AMP formation; and mGluR4 and mGluR6, which also inhibit forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP formation. The mGluR4 subtypes may represent l -2-amino-4-phosphonobutyrate-sensitive presynaptic autoreceptors, and two alternatively spliced variants of the mGluR4 coding for two receptors with different C termini have been identified. Using in situ hybridization, we measured the levels of mGluR1–mGluR5 mRNA in regions of the rat brain 24 h after transient global ischemia, a time point when no neuronal damage can yet be observed morphologically. In the hippocampus, the mRNA levels for mGluR1, mGluR2, and mGluR5 were decreased, mGluR3 mRNA levels were unchanged, and the mGluR4 mRNA levels were strongly increased. The strongest increase appeared to be in the mRNA encoding mGluR4b. The mGluR4 mRNA was also increased in the parietal cortex, whereas the ventral posteromedial thalamic nucleus showed a small decrease in its mRNA content. These results suggest that vulnerable neurons react to an increased extracellular glutamate concentration by differential regulation of the mRNA for pre- and postsynaptically located metabotropic glutamate receptors.     

Over-production of the D1 protein of photosystem II reaction centre in the cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942

The unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 has three psbA genes encoding two different forms of the photosystem II reaction centre protein D1 (D1:1 and D1:2). The level of expression of these psbA genes and the synthesis of D1:1 and D1:2 are strongly regulated under varying light conditions. In order to better understand the regulatory mechanisms underlying these processes, we have constructed a strain of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 capable of over-producing psbA mRNA and D1 protein. In this study, we describe the over-expression of D1:1 using a tac-hybrid promoter in front of the psbAI gene in combination with lacI ^Q repressor system. Over-production of D1:1 was induced by growing cells for 12 h at 50 mol photons m^-2 s^-1 in the presence of 40 or 80 g/ml IPTG. The amount of psbAI mRNA and that of D1:1 protein in cells grown with IPTG was three times and two times higher, respectively. A higher concentration of IPTG (i.e., 150 g/ml) did not further increase the production of the psbAI message or D1:1. The over-production of D1:1 caused a decrease in the level of D1:2 synthesised, resulting in most PSII reaction centres containing D1:1. However, the over-production of D1:1 had no effect on the pigment composition (chlorophyll a or phycocyanin/number of cells) or the light-saturated rate of photosynthesis. This and the fact that the total amounts of D1 and D2 proteins were not affected by IPTG suggest that the number of PSII centres within the membranes remained unchanged. From these results, we conclude that expression of psbAI can be regulated by using the tac promoter and lacI ^Q system. However, the accumulation of D1:1 protein into the membrane is regulated by the number of PSII centres.     

Herbivory on calcicolous lichens: different food preferences and growth rates in two co-existing land snails

A total of 32 calcicolous lichen species, one alga and one bryophyte were recorded on a limestone wall in the grassland Great Alvar on the Baltic island of Öland, Sweden. Fourteen (41%) of these 34 species and free-living cyanobacteria showed herbivore damage, most probably due to grazing by the land snails Chondrina clienta and Balea perversa which inhabited the limestone wall. Three laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the food preferences of individuals of C. clienta and B. perversa collected at this site and to evaluate any association between their preference and the net food quality of the lichens to the snails. Chondrina clienta and B. perversa exhibited food preferences, which differed significantly between species. Within species, variation in food choice was similar among individuals. This indicates that snail populations may be composed of polyphagous individuals with similar food preferences. Different lichen species were of different net food quality to the snails as indicated by growth rate differences. In both snail species the most preferred lichen species of the choice experiment caused the largest weight increase in juveniles, viz. Caloplaca flavovirescens for C. clienta and Aspicilia calcarea for B. perversa. This suggest that the snail species studied differ in their abilities to deal with secondary compounds and physical characteristics of certain lichens or that they can utilize the energy and nutrients of these lichens to a different extent. It is suggested that differential food preferences might reduce the intensity of interspecific competition for resources (lichens) between C. clienta and B. perversa.     

Production and properties of inulinase from Aspergillus niger

Summary A thermostable inulinase was identified in a strain of A. niger. The highest activity was observed at 50 °C (50 Lml^–1) and 77% and 34% of this was retained at 60° and 65°C, respectively. pH stability, the effect of thermal stabilizers such as Propylene glycol (10%) and Sorbitol (10%) and effects of different cations were investigated. It was found that the activity was completely inhibited by Ag⁺ and Hg²⁺, while Na⁺ had an activator effect.     

The T→C mutation at position +96 of the untranslated region 3′ to the terminating codon of the β-globin gene is a rare polymorphism that does not cause a β-thalassemia as previously ascribed

We have observed a TC mutation at position +96 of the untranslated region 3 to the terminating codon of the -globin gene in members of two Czech families and one black family. Data from initial studies suggested that this change was the cause of a -thalassemia, but continued analyses have provided convincing evidence that this mutation is a simple polymorphism.     

Silurian (Ludlow) acastid trilobites from Gotland and Scania,Sweden

Acastid trilobites from Ludlow strata on Gotland include three stratigraphically non-overlapping species ofAcastella Reed:Acastella madidipes n. sp. (Hemse Marl and Eke Beds),A. breviceps (Angelin 1851) (Burgsvik Beds), andA. amatrix n. sp. (Hamra Beds, and probably Burgsvik Beds). Type and other material ofA. breviceps (Angelin) from the Klinta Formation, Scania, is revised. Meraspid and early holaspid material ofAcastella is described. Some characters supportAcaste and allied taxa of mostly Wenlock age as a monophyletic subfamily Acastinae.Acastella as widely recognized is a grade with Devonian species more closely related to Asteropyginae than to the Ludlow type species. Baltic Ludlow-P?00ED;dolí species previously placed inScotiella Delo form a distinct group,Ewacaste n. gen., that includes a species from the uppermost Eke Beds on Gotland.