Two novel microsatellite markers for prenatal prediction of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA)

Autosomal recessive spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) has been mapped to a 6-cM interval on chromosome 5q12–13.3, flanked proximally by locus D5S6 and distally by locus D5S112. In this study we describe the isolation of two new microsatellite markers (EF1/2a and EF13/14) near locus D5S125, which lies 2 cM distal to D5S6. We show by linkage analysis and the study of the recombinants in 55 SMA pedigrees that the disease lies in the 4-cM interval between EF1/2a and D5S112. Fluorescence in situ analysis of cosmids from D5S6, EF1/2a and D5S112 confirms the genetic order and relative distance of markers. The microsatellites EF1/2a and EF13/14 are the first highly polymorphic PCR based proximal markers in SMA to be described, and will be of value in prental prediction of the disorder.     

Monogamy in black vultures: genetic evidence from DNA fingerprinting

Recent research has indicated that avian mating systems maycommonly deviate from monogamy due to extrapair fertilizations(EPFs). Because the majority of avian species have long beenconsidered monogamous, accurate measurement of the frequencyof EPFs in a variety of species is important to enhance understandingof the evolution of avian mating systems. We used DNA fingerprintingto investigate the apparently monogamous mating system of blackvultures (Coragyps airaius) by assaying parentage within severalnuclear families. Monogamy is suggested in black vultures becausemated pairs exhibit long-term pair bonding and year-round association,and share incubation and nestling feeding duties equally. Thirtytwobreeders and 36 nestlings representing 16 complete nuclear familieswere tagged for individual identification and sampled for DNAanalysis using 2 restriction enzymes and 3 probes for hypervariableregions. Putative parents were assigned parentage in all cases.We empirically examined the probability of detecting EPFs bycomparing nestlings' fingerprints to those of a putative parentand another randomly chosen adult. All putative parents couldbe assigned with 95%confidence and all outside adults couldbe similarly excluded. There is therefore no evidence for successfulEPFs in this population, indicating a mating system that doesnot deviate from strict monogamy. The complex social behaviorof black vultures may eliminate the opportunity for EPFs dueto the prohibition of copulations in the presence of relatives.     

Begomovirus diversity in tomato crops in Costa Rica

Begomoviruses (Geminiviridae family) are characterized by their high recombination rate and a wide range of hosts, making their control difficult. In Costa Rica, various species of bipartite begomoviruses have been reported, which are Pepper golden mosaic virus (PepGMV), Tomato yellow mottle virus (ToYMoV), Tomato leaf curl Sinaloa virus (ToLCSiV) and the monopartite begomovirus Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). Since the TYLCV first report in Costa Rica, neither additional knowledge has been produced on how this begomovirus has spread in the country's territory nor on the distribution of the other bipartite species. A total of 429 tomato samples collected during the years 2015–2016 were used to study these aspects. Each sample was georeferenced and analysed with various techniques such as nucleic acid hybridization, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and sequencing for the begomoviruses previously reported in Costa Rica. It was found that the presence/absence of the different species can vary, depending on the province. TYLCV is present in the six provinces analysed in this work, with a proportion from 3.7 to 86.6 per cent. Alajuela, Cartago, and Heredia are the provinces most affected by tomato-infecting begomoviruses. Fourteen different haplotypes of TYLCV were detected, but all were identified as TYLCV-IL. The distribution of TYLCV was related to the presence of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED, especially in the country's main tomato production areas. This information allows the phytosanitary surveillance services to develop strategies for the integrated management of the disease and to contribute data to the genetic improvement programmes of the crop.     

Bat species richness and abundance in tropical rain forest fragments and in agricultural habitats at Los Tuxtlas, Mexico

Faced with the rapid and extensive conversion of tropical rain forests to pasture lands and agricultural fields and with the need to preserve the remaining mammalian fauna, it is imperative to determine how the different species that form the mammalian community have responded to the anthropogenic alterations of their natural habitats To provide data in this direction, we sampled bats m 45 forest islands, m 20 agricultural habitats representing five types of vegetation (cocoa, coffee, mixed, citrus and allspice), in four live-fence sites and in four pasture sites at Los Tuxtlas, Veracruz, Mexico Sampling effort resulted in the capture of 2587 bats representing 35 species In forest habitats we detected 32 species We did not capture any bats at the four pasture sites, but the at the other agricultural habitats studied, we captured 38% of the bats and 77% of the species recorded Thirty-four percent of the species recorded were present at the live-fence habitats Isolating distance was an important variable influencing species richness in forests and in agricultural habitats Only 10% of the species recorded occurred m all the habitats studied, but 77% of the species occurred m a habitat other than ram forest Recaptures of bats indicated inter habitat movements in the fragmented landscape We discuss the conservation value for the bat fauna of agricultural islands of vegetation as elements reducing isolating distances among forest fragments     

Biotin carboxylases in mitochondria and the cytosol from skeletal and cardiac muscle as detected by avidin binding

Biotin carboxylases in mammalian cells are regulatory enzymes in lipogenesis and gluconeogenesis. In this study, endogenous biotin in skeletal and cardiac muscle was detected using avidin conjugated with alkaline phosphatase and applied in high concentrations to muscle sections. The avidin binding was subsequently visualized by histochemical demonstration of the alkaline phosphatase activity. All cardiac muscle cells showed high affinity for avidin with only the nuclei and the intercalated discs remaining unstained. In skeletal muscle a diffuse reaction could be detected in the sarcoplasm of the muscle fibres. A granular reaction was noted in the same fibres that showed activity for succinic dehydrogenase. The specificity of the coloured reaction product in the muscle sections was investigated and is suggested to be caused by avidin binding to biotin moieties in mitochondria and the cytosol. Mitochondrial and cytosolic preparations of skeletal muscle were electrophoresed in sodium dodecyl sulphate gels. After blotting and incubation with conjugated avidin, two bands with molecular weights of 75 kDa and 130 kDa respectively were evident in the mitochondrial preparation. It is suggested that the 75-kDa band represents comigration of the biotin-containing subunits of propionyl-CoA carboxylase and methylcrotonyl-CoA carboxylase. The 130-kDa band may represent the biotin-containing pyruvate carboxylase. In the cytosolic preparation a 270-kDa band was stained in blots that had been incubated with conjugated avidin; this band is suggested to represent acetyl-CoA carboxylase. A 190-kDa cytosolic band might be a cleavage product of acetyl-CoA carboxylase. We propose that using alkaline phosphatase-conjugated avidin it is possible to detect the mitochondrial and cytosolic biotin-dependent carboxylases in striated muscle.     

Film Reviews

Vision of Juazeiro . 1970. Directed by Eduardo Escorel
Chichicastenango . 1987. A video by Claudia Feldmar
Comalapa: Traditions and Textures . 1987. A video by Claudia Feldmar
Holy Week in Antigua, Guatemala . 1987. A video by Claudia Feldmar
Sacred Games: Ritual Warfare in a Maya Village . 1988. A film by Thor Anderson
Peru—When the World Turned Dark . 1988. Produced by Maria Luisa Lobo and directed by Gianfranco Annichini     

Heterostyly in the Canarian endemic Jasminum odoratissimum (Oleaceae)

Jasminum odoratissimum is a Madeira and Canary Islands endemic showing classic heterostyly, i.e. with long-styled flowers with anthers at a low level in the corolla tube and short-styled flowers with anthers at a high level in the corolla tube. Short-styled flowers have large pollen, whereas long-styled flowers have small pollen. The two types are present in equal frequencies in the population.     

A SURVEY OF SIZES AND WEIGHTS OF BEMISIA TABACI (HOMOPTERA:ALEYRODIDAE)B BIOTYPE LIFE STAGES FROM FIELD GROWN COTTON AND CANTALOUPES

Abstract Size and weight measurements were made for all the life stages of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) B biotype from field grown cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum L.) and cantaloupe ( Cucumis melo L., var. cantalupensis ) in Phoenix, AZ and Fargo, ND, USA in 2000 and 2001. Nymphal volumes were derived from the measurements. The average nymphal volume increase for settled 1 st to the late 4th instar was exponential. The greatest increase in body volume occurred during development from the 3rd to early 4th instar. Nymphs on cotton leaves were wider, but not longer compared with those on cantaloupe. Ventral and dorsal depth ratios of nymphal bodies from 1 st to late 4th instars from cantaloupe leaves were significantly greater compared with those from cotton leaves. During nymphal development from 1st to 4th instar, the average (from the two host species) ventral body half volume increased by nearly 51 times compared with an increase of 28 times for the dorsal body half volume. Adult female and male average lengths, from heads to wing tips, were 1 126 μm and 953 μm, respectively. Average adult female and male weights were 39 and 17 μg, respectively. Average widths, lengths, and weights of eggs from cotton and cantaloupe were, 99 μm, 197 μm, and 0.8 μg, respectively. Average widths, lengths, and weights for exuviae of non-parasitized nymphs from both cotton and cantaloupe were 492 μm, 673 μm, and 1.20 μg, respectively; and widths, lengths, and weights of parasitized nymph exuviae were 452 μm, 665 μm, and 3.62 μg, respectively. Both exuviae from non-parasitized and parasitized nymphs from cotton leaves were wider, longer, and heavier than those from cantaloupe leaves.     

Use of nuclear morphometry characteristics to distinguish between normal and abnormal cervical glandular histologies.

This is a methodological study exploring the use of quantitative histopathology applied to the cervix to discriminate between normal and cancerous (consisting of adenocarcinoma and adenocarcinoma in situ) tissue samples. The goal is classifying tissue samples, which are populations of cells, from measurements on the cells. Our method uses one particular feature, the IODs-Index, to create a tissue level feature. The specific goal of this study is to find a threshold for the IODs-Index that is used to create the tissue level feature. The main statistical tool is Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. When applied to the data, our method achieved promising results with good estimated sensitivity and specificity for our data set. The optimal threshold for the IODs-Index was found to be 2.12.