Dose‐dependent fate of GFP‐expressing Escherichia coli in the alimentary canal of adult house flies

The adult house fly Musca domestica (L.) (Diptera: Muscidae) can disseminate bacteria from microbe‐rich substrates to areas in which humans and domesticated animals reside. Because bacterial abundance fluctuates widely across substrates, flies encounter and ingest varying amounts of bacteria. This study investigated the dose‐dependent survival of bacteria in house flies. Flies were fed four different ‘doses’ of green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐expressing Escherichia coli (GFP E. coli) (very low, low, medium, high) and survival was determined at 1, 4, 10 and 22 h post‐ingestion by culture and epifluorescent microscopy. Over 22 h, the decline in GFP E. coli was significant in all treatments (P < 0.04) except the very low dose treatment (P = 0.235). Change in survival (ΔS) did not differ between flies fed low and very low doses of bacteria across all time‐points, although ΔS in both treatments differed from that in flies fed high and medium doses of bacteria at several time‐points. At 4, 10 and 22 h, GFP E. coli ΔS significantly differed between medium and high dose‐fed flies. A threshold dose, above which bacteria are detected and destroyed by house flies, may exist and is likely to be immune‐mediated. Understanding dose‐dependent bacterial survival in flies can help in predicting bacteria transmission potential.     

Somatic Embryogenesis and Plant Regeneration from Leaf Callus of Hordeum vulgare

Explants obtained from the basal portion of leaves of Hordeumvulgare (cv. Karan 92) gave rise to callus when cultured onMurashige and Skoog (MS) basal medium supplemented with 2, 4-dichlorophenoxyaceticacid (2, 4-D). Initially, the callus was friable, shiny-whiteand watery but subsequently some compact, nodular callus appeared.The latter were cultured on MS medium containing 0.05 mg l^–12, 4-D and 0.1 mg l^–1 N6-furfurylaminopurine (kinetin),when plantlets were generated. Histological studies showed thatplantlet regeneration occurred by the formation of somatic embryos.The regenerated plants had the normal diploid chromosome number(2n = 14). Hordeum vulgare, barley, somatic embryogenesis, tissue culture, plant regeneration     

Population Analysis of Licuala glabra Griff. var. glabra (Palmae) using RAPD Profiling

Random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) profiling revealed geneticdiversity among three populations ofLicuala glabra var. glabra,an understorey palm growing in the dipterocarp forests of Terengganu,Malaysia. The Bukit Bauk population had individuals withoutaerial stems. The Bukit Besi individuals had stem heights to30 cm, while those of the Rasau Kerteh population had stemsup to 4 m in height. Southern blot analysis confirmed that anapparent monomorphic band generated by the primer OPU-17 amongthe three different populations corresponds to the same locus.Six primers were used to generate 87 RAPD bands that formed2-state character raw data for estimating genetic distancesusing the simple matching coefficient of similarity. The phenogramgenerated by UPGMA of the RAPD data grouped the individualsfrom the three populations under three clusters. This was inagreement with the morphological grouping. The infraspecificL. glabra var.selangorensis Becc. was grouped closer to theL. glabra var. glabra individuals than to the outgroupL. scortechiniiBecc. Principal component analysis supported the observationfrom the phenogram. The results show discrete genetic structuringin the populations studied and provide useful information forfuture conservation measures. Copyright 1999 Annals of BotanyCompany Licuala glabra Griff. var. glabra, RAPD, palm, AMOVA, population, genetic diversity, conservation.