Latitudinal variation in population structure of wintering Pacific Black Brant

ABSTRACT.   Latitudinal variation in population structure during the winter has been reported in many migratory birds, but has been documented in few species of waterfowl. Variation in environmental and social conditions at wintering sites can potentially influence the population dynamics of differential migrants. We examined latitudinal variation in sex and age classes of wintering Pacific Black Brant ( Branta bernicla nigricans ). Brant are distributed along a wide latitudinal gradient from Alaska to Mexico during the winter. Accordingly, migration distances for brant using different wintering locations are highly variable and winter settlement patterns are likely associated with a spatially variable food resource. We used resightings of brant banded in southwestern Alaska to examine sex and age ratios of birds wintering at Boundary Bay in British Columbia, and at San Quintin Bay, Ojo de Liebre Lagoon, and San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California from 1998 to 2000. Sex ratios were similar among wintering locations for adults and were consistent with the mating strategy of geese. The distribution of juveniles varied among wintering areas, with greater proportions of juveniles observed at northern (San Quintin Bay and Ojo de Liebre Lagoon) than at southern (San Ignacio Lagoon) locations in Baja California. We suggest that age-related variation in the winter distribution of Pacific Black Brant is mediated by variation in productivity among individuals at different wintering locations and by social interactions among wintering family groups.     

Fine structural recognition specificities of IgE antibodies distinguishing amoxicilloyl and amoxicillanyl determinants in allergic subjects.

IgE antibodies in the sera of subjects allergic to beta-lactam antibiotics detect a spectrum of specificities ranging from side-chain groups to an entire penicillin or cephalosporin molecule. In addition to such structural heterogeneity of allergenic determinants, IgE antibodies in the sera of different allergic subjects show heterogeneous recognition responses. Detailed immunochemical studies were carried out on the sera of penicillin-allergic subjects that showed selective and unexpected reactions with the frequently prescribed penicillin, amoxicillin. Antibodies from one subject reacted only with the amoxicilloyl determinant while IgE from another subject showed multiple reactivity with penicilloyl and penicillanyl determinants of different penicillins but not with the amoxicilloyl determinant. Quantitative hapten inhibition studies revealed that the combining sites of the former antibodies were complementary to amoxicillin in a form that permits binding to the hydroxyaminobenzyl side-chain and the thiazolidine ring carboxyl. These conditions are satisfied with the drug in the '-oyl' but not in the '-anyl' form which involves linkage through the 2-carboxyl of the thiazolidine ring. With the second serum, adsorption studies showed that the wide-ranging reactivity of IgE was due to a single population of antibodies that detected a common specificity on the different penicillins. Combining site studies revealed clear recognition of the benzyl portion of the side-chain of benzylpenicilloyl, benzylpenicillanyl, ampicilloyl, ampicillanyl and amoxicillanyl determinants when free antibody access to the side-chain was possible but little or no recognition of the ring hydroxyl of amoxicillin. Such uninhibited access may not occur, however, when amoxicillin is conjugated in the '-oyl' form since opening the beta-lactam ring allows increased flexibility and rotation of the molecule and the possibility of close association of the hydroxyaminobenzyl side-chain of amoxicillin with the linked peptide carrier. In such close steric association, H-bonding involving the ring hydroxyl and amino acids of the carrier may prevent antibody access to the side-chain region of the amoxicilloyl determinant.     

Persistent Effects of Short-term, High Exposure to Chlorine Gas on Physiology and Growth of Pinus ponderosa andPseudotsuga menziesii

Following a single acute exposure to chlorine gas, persistenteffects on epicuticular waxes, cuticular transpiration, treegrowth and mortality were studied in foliage of Pinus ponderosaand Pseudotsuga menziesii for three growing seasons. Chlorinegas exposure caused foliar injury to both exposed foliage andfoliage that flushed after exposure (P < 0.05). The tendencyto form films of water rather than droplets was greater in directlyexposed foliage (P < 0.001). Rates of cuticular transpirationwere higher for directly and indirectly exposed foliage of Pinusponderosa up to 1 year after exposure and up to 6 months afterexposure for directly exposed Pseudotsuga menziesii(P < 0.001),after which P. menziesii needles defoliated. Total water content(TWC) and relative water content were significantly correlatedwith foliar injury (P < 0.05). TWC was lower for directlyexposed foliage up to 1 year after exposure (P < 0.001).There was no persistent negative effect on F_v/F_m ratios after1 year. Exposure to chlorine gas did not affect needle lengthor annual shoot increment growth, but exposure was correlatedwith increased bud production. Needle longevity of foliage thatflushed 2 months after exposure was reduced significantly (P< 0.001). Annual stem increment growth for both species decreasedover at least three growing seasons following chlorine gas exposure(P < 0.001), and depended on distance from the spill site.Cone production was lower for exposed Pinus ponderosa treescompared to controls (P < 0.05), and tree mortality was higherwithin approx. 50 m of the release site forPseudotsuga menziesii. Growth responses for both conifers agreed well with predictedpatterns of carbon allocation after defoliation caused by chlorinegas exposure. Copyright 2001 Annals of Botany Company Pinus ponderosa, Pseudotsuga menziesii, conifers, chlorine gas, leaf wettability, cuticular transpiration, water relations, growth, mortality     

The endocrine cells in the gastroenteropancreatic system of the bowfin, Amia calva L.: an immunohistochemical, ultrastructural, and immunocytochemical analysis.

The gastroenteropancreatic (GEP) endocrine system of bowfin (Amia calva) was described using light and electron microscopy and immunological methods. The islet organ (endocrine pancreas) consists of diffusely scattered, mostly small islets and isolated patches of cells among and within the exocrine acini. The islets are composed of abundant, centrally located B cells immunoreactive to bovine and lamprey insulin antisera and D cells showing a widespread distribution and specificity to somatostatin antibodies. A and F cells are present at the very periphery of the islets and are immunoreactive with antisera against glucagon (and glucagon-like peptide) and several peptides of the pancreatic polypeptide (PP)-family, respectively. The peptides of the two families usually collocates within the same peripheral islet cells and are the most common immunoreactive peptides present in the extra-islet tissue. Immunocytochemistry and fine structural observations characterised the granule morphology for B and D cells and identified two cell types with granules immunoreactive to glucagon antisera. These two putative A cells had similar granules, which were distinct from either B or D cells, but one of the cells had rod-shaped cytoplasmic inclusions within cisternae of what appeared to be rough endoplasmic reticulum. The inclusions were not immunoreactive to either insulin or glucagon antisera. Only small numbers of cells in the stomach and intestine immunoreacted to antisera against somatostatin, glucagon, and PP-family peptides. The paucity of these cells was reflected in the low concentrations of these peptides in intestinal extracts. The GEP system of bowfin is not unlike that of other actinopterygian fishes, but there are some marked differences that may reflect the antiquity of this system and/or may be a consequence of the ontogeny of this system in this species.     

Effects of the timing of applications on the incompatibility of three fungicides and one isolate of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin (Deuteromycotina)

Abstract: The effect of timing of application on the incompatibility of three fungicides (metalaxyl, mancozeb, copper oxide) and isolate MK2001 of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (Balsamo) Vuillemin was assessed in vitro . Isolate MK 2001 at 1 × 10⁷ conidia/ml concentration was highly pathogenous to adults of Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera) (84% mortality at day 4 post-treatment). The fungicides at the manufacturer recommended rate (1X) were strongly fungistatic and inhibited the fungal isolate radial growth on Sabouraud dextrose agar (SDA). Mancozeb, metalaxyl and copper oxide exhibited insecticidal activity of 24, 40 and 48% respectively, on L. lineolaris adults. It is clear that application of the fungal isolate MK2001 2–4 days before applying fungicides metalaxyl, mancozeb or copper oxide synergized the insecticidal effect of the isolate. On the contrary, application of metalaxyl, mancozeb, copper oxide 2–4 days before applying isolate MK2001 antagonized the insecticidal effect. The simultaneous use of each fungicide (metalaxyl, mancozeb or copper oxide) and the isolate gave lesser insect mortality. This study revealed that although some fungicides are incompatible for use alongside fungal isolates, the proper evaluation of their time of use could be beneficial in biological control or IPM programmes. Furthermore, the application of B. bassiana isolate MK2001 followed by fungicide application could synergize insecticidal activity.     

Characteristics of Pustula tragopogonis (syn. Albugo tragopogonis) Newly Occurring on Cultivated Sunflower in Germany

In temperate climates, Pustula tragopogonis is rarely found on cultivated sunflower. In Europe, it was so far of little economic impact on other Asteraceae, except for some regions in the Mediterranean. In 2003, P. tragopogonis was found for the first time in sunflower fields in southern Germany. The pathogen has a widespread occurrence there, especially in the region around Stuttgart, BW. Fatty acid profiling, ultrastructural investigation and ITS sequencing revealed a high similarity to an 2002 isolate from southern Africa and an 2005 isolate from Australia, but revealed significant differences to P. tragopogonis s.l. on Cirsium arvense, a common weed, growing on or in the vicinity of sunflower fields in Germany. P. tragopogonis from this host can therefore be excluded from being the source of the reported infection.     

Blueberry flavonoids inhibit matrix metalloproteinase activity in DU145 human prostate cancer cells.

Regulation of the matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), the major mediators of extracellular matrix (ECM) degradation, is crucial to regulate ECM proteolysis, which is important in metastasis. This study examined the effects of 3 flavonoid-enriched fractions (a crude fraction, an anthocyanin-enriched fraction, and a proanthocyanidin-enriched fraction), which were prepared from lowbush blueberries (Vaccinium angustifolium), on MMP activity in DU145 human prostate cancer cells in vitro. Using gelatin gel electrophoresis, MMP activity was evaluated from cells after 24-hr exposure to blueberry fractions. All fractions elicited an ability to decrease the activity of MMP-2 and MMP-9. Of the fractions tested, the proanthocyanidin-enriched fraction was found to be the most effective at inhibiting MMP activity in these cells. No induction of either necrotic or apoptotic cell death was noted in these cells in response to treatment with the blueberry fractions. These findings indicate that flavonoids from blueberry possess the ability to effectively decrease MMP activity, which may decrease overall ECM degradation. This ability may be important in controlling tumor metastasis formation.     

The T=4 envelope of Sindbis virus is organized by interactions with a complementary T=3 capsid

The three-dimensional structure of Sindbis virus, an enveloped animal virus, has been determined to a resolution of 35 A by using a common lines procedure to combine cryoelectron micrographs of vitrified particles. The spikes of the virus appear as columnar trimers arranged on a T=4 lattice. The lipid bilayer of the virus envelope is polyhedral and surrounds a smooth T=3 nucleocapsid. Hence, a complete Sindbis virion (molecular weight 46.4 X 10(6)) contains 240 copies of each of the spike proteins and 180 copies of the capsid protein. The arrangement of the spike proteins is complementary to that of the nucleocapsid. Two types of spike-capsid interactions are seen. Spike trimers near the fivefold axes interact tightly with triplets of capsid elements, whereas those on the threefold axes interact more loosely.