Impacts of hunting on mammals in African tropical moist forests: a review and synthesis

• 1 Available information on the consumption of wild meat in West and Central Africa is reviewed. We show that mammals are the prime source of bushmeat, and that ungulates and rodents make up the highest proportion of biomass extracted.
• 2 We present data on current knowledge of extraction patterns of wild mammals in West and Central Africa, and evidence that at current off‐take levels, within the range states, mammals as bushmeat are being depleted on an unprecedented scale. Extraction rates are orders of magnitude higher there than in comparable ecosystems like the Amazon, and much less likely to be sustainable.
• 3 However, basic knowledge of the biology of harvestable tropical moist forest mammals, and the consequences of hunting on mammalian communities, which permits accurate estimation of maximal production rate (the excess of growth over replacement rate), is largely unavailable, and this hinders estimation of hunting quotas and sustainability. Comparisons are made with the existing information available on Amazon basin mammals and hunting patterns reported there.

     

Equal Expression of the Maternal and Paternal Alleles for the Polypeptide Subunits of the Major Storage Protein of the Bean Phaseolus vulgaris L

Discontinuous sodium dodecyl sulfate slab gel electrophoresis of G1 globulin from several strains of Phaseolus vulgaris L. seed permitted clear resolution of the constituent polypeptides. Three strains (Tendergreen, Canadian Wonder, and BBL 240) had subunits of molecular weight 53,000, 47,000 and 43,000 while two strains (Seafarer and PI 229,815) had 50,500, 47,000 and 43,000 molecular weight subunits. F₁ seed from the cross BBL 240 × PI 229,815 showed four polypeptides on dissociation of the G1 protein; however, the amount of each of the 53,000 and 50,500 subunits was half that of the 47,000 subunit. This is interpreted as evidence that both the maternal and paternal loci for these polypeptides are transcribed and translated with similar efficiency. All of the polypeptides were found to have associated sugar residues.     

Direct photoaffinity labeling of the primary region of the ouabain binding site of (Na+ + K+)-ATPase with [3H]ouabain, [3H]digitoxin and [3H]digitoxigenin

The tritiated cardiotonic steroids, ouabain, digitoxin, and digitoxigenin are shown to photolabel the large polypeptide but not the glycoprotein or proteolipid component of the (Na⁺ + K⁺)-ATPase when they are bound to the inhibitory site and exposed to light of 220 or 254 nm. The extent of photolabeling is low, less than 1%, and is limited by photocross-linking of the enzyme. The mechanism of photoincorporation does not appear to be either photolysis of the lactone ring in ouabain or photolysis of tryptophan or tyrosine residues in the polypeptide.     

Composition of bleeding sap nitrogen from lines of field-grownPhaseolus vulgaris L.

Summary The nitrogenous compounds in the xylem (bleeding) sap of lines of field-grownPhaseolus vulgaris L., known to vary in N₂ fixation and yield, were measured during growth with and without N fertilizer. Forty nine-67% of the total sap N was in the form of nitrate in fertilized plants, with low amounts of the ureides, allantoin and allantoic acid (4–12%). Ureides contributed between 17 and 38% to the total sap N of non-fertilized plants, with nitrate generally comprising less than 40%. Among the nine lines grown without fertilizer there were significant differences in the % of the sap N as ureides and also in the total mol N ml^–1 sap.The ASN/GLN ratio (mol/mol) was greater in sap collected from the two parental lines given fertilizer compared with non-fertilized plants. However the actual ratio varied between the parental lines. Together the two amides generally comprised between 43–62% of the amino-N in sap samples from the two parental lines with or without N fertilizer.For each N treatment (fertilized or non-fertilized) there were no obvious differences in sap composition between the high N₂ fixing lines and the low N₂ fixing lines. However there was generally a positive relationship between the rate of N translocation (total N concn. ml^–1 sap x rate of exudation) and the ranking of the lines on the basis of higher N₂ fixation rates (acetylene reduction), which was to a large extent independent of the source of N available to the plant.     

Quantitative trait loci for hip dysplasia in a crossbreed canine pedigree

Canine hip dysplasia is a common developmental inherited trait characterized by hip laxity, subluxation or incongruity of the femoral head and acetabulum in affected hips. The inheritance pattern is complex and the mutations contributing to trait expression are unknown. In the study reported here, 240 microsatellite markers distributed in 38 autosomes and the X chromosome were genotyped on 152 dogs from three generations of a crossbred pedigree based on trait-free Greyhound and dysplastic Labrador Retriever founders. Interval mapping was undertaken to map the QTL underlying the quantitative dysplastic traits of maximum passive hip laxity (the distraction index), the dorsolateral subluxation score, and the Norberg angle. Permutation testing was used to derive the chromosome-wide level of significance at p < 0.05 for each QTL. Chromosomes 4, 9, 10, 11 (p < 0.01), 16, 20, 22, 25, 29 (p < 0.01), 30, 35, and 37 harbor putative QTL for one or more traits. Successful detection of QTL was due to the crossbreed pedigree, multiple-trait measurements, control of environmental background, and marked advancement in canine mapping tools.     

Antiangiogenic properties of Koetjapic acid, a natural triterpene isolated from Sandoricum koetjaoe Merr

Background

Angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels, has become an important target in cancer therapy. Angiogenesis plays an important role in tumor growth and metastasis. Koetjapic acid (KA) is a seco-A-ring oleanene triterpene isolated from S. koetjape. The solvent extract of this plant species was shown previously to have strong antiangiogenic activity; however the active ingredient(s) that conferred the biological activity and the mode of action was not established. Given the high concentration of KA in S. koetjape, an attempt has been made in this study to investigate the antiangiogenic properties of KA.

Results

Treatment with 10-50 μg/ml KA resulted in dose dependent inhibition of new blood vessels growth in ex vivo rat aortic ring assay. KA was found to be non-cytotoxic against HUVECs with IC₅₀ 40.97 ± 0.37 μg/ml. KA inhibited major angiogenesis process steps, endothelial cell migration and differentiation as well as VEGF expression.

Conclusions

The non-cytotoxic compound, KA, may be a potent antiangiogenic agent; its activity may be attributed to inhibition of endothelial cells migration and differentiation as well VEGF suppression.