Neuromedin U-immunoreactivity in the nervous system of the small intestine of the pig and its coexistence with substance P and CGRP

Summary In the small intestine of the pig, neuromedin U (NMU)-immunoreactivity was mainly confined to the nerve plexus of the inner submucosal and mucosal regions. After colchicine treatment, a high number of immunoreactive nerve cell bodies was observed in the plexus submucosus internus (Meissner), whereas only a low number was found in the plexus submucosus externus (Schabadasch). The plexus myentericus as well as the aganglionic nerve meshworks in the circular and longitudinal smooth muscle layers almost completely lacked NMU-immunoreactivity. Double-labeling experiments demonstrated the occurrence of distinct NMU-containing neuron populations in the plexus submucosus internus: (1) relatively large type-II neurons revealing immunoreactivity for NMU and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) and/or substance P (SP); (2) a group of small NMU- and SP-immunoreactive neurons; (3) a relatively low number of small neurons displaying immunoreactivity for NMU but not for SP. Based on its distributional pattern, it is concluded that NMU plays an important role in the regulation and control of mucosal functions.     

DNA repair in organelles: Pathways, organization, regulation, relevance in disease and aging

Both endogenous processes and exogenous physical and chemical sources generate deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage in the nucleus and organelles of living cells. To prevent deleterious effects, damage is balanced by repair pathways. DNA repair was first documented for the nuclear compartment but evidence was subsequently extended to the organelles. Mitochondria and chloroplasts possess their own repair processes. These share a number of factors with the nucleus but also rely on original mechanisms. Base excision repair remains the best characterized. Repair is organized with the other DNA metabolism pathways in the organelle membrane-associated nucleoids. DNA repair in mitochondria is a regulated, stress-responsive process. Organelle genomes do not encode DNA repair enzymes and translocation of nuclear-encoded repair proteins from the cytosol seems to be a major control mechanism. Finally, changes in the fidelity and efficiency of mitochondrial DNA repair are likely to be involved in DNA damage accumulation, disease and aging. The present review successively addresses these different issues.     

Neodiaptomus intermedius n. sp. (Calanoida: Copepoda) from South India

A new species of Neodiaptomus, N. intermedius n. sp. is described and illustrated. It is compared with related species of the strigilipes — physalipus species group.     

The Cockroach Origin of the Termite Gut Microbiota: Patterns in Bacterial Community Structure Reflect Major Evolutionary Events

Termites digest wood and other lignocellulosic substrates with the help of their intestinal microbiota. While the functions of the symbionts in the digestive process are slowly emerging, the origin of the bacteria colonizing the hindgut bioreactor is entirely unknown. Recently, our group discovered numerous representatives of bacterial lineages specific to termite guts in a closely related omnivorous cockroach, but it remains unclear whether they derive from the microbiota of a common ancestor or were independently selected by the gut environment. Here, we studied the bacterial gut microbiota in 34 species of termites and cockroaches using pyrotag analysis of the 16S rRNA genes. Although the community structures differed greatly between the major host groups, with dramatic changes in the relative abundances of particular bacterial taxa, we found that the majority of sequence reads belonged to bacterial lineages that were shared among most host species. When mapped onto the host tree, the changes in community structure coincided with major events in termite evolution, such as acquisition and loss of cellulolytic protists and the ensuing dietary diversification. UniFrac analysis of the core microbiota of termites and cockroaches and construction of phylogenetic tree of individual genus level lineages revealed a general host signal, whereas the branching order often did not match the detailed phylogeny of the host. It remains unclear whether the lineages in question have been associated with the ancestral cockroach since the early Cretaceous (cospeciation) or are diet-specific lineages that were independently acquired from the environment (host selection).     

Paternal genetic effects on offspring fitness are context dependent within the extrapair mating system of a socially monogamous passerine

Avian extrapair mating systems provide an interesting model to assess the role of genetic benefits in the evolution of female multiple mating behavior, as potentially confounding nongenetic benefits of extrapair mate choice are seen to be of minor importance. Genetic benefit models of extrapair mating behavior predict that females engage in extrapair copulations with males of higher genetic quality compared to their social mates, thereby improving offspring reproductive value. The most straightforward test of such good genes models of extrapair mating implies pairwise comparisons of maternal half-siblings raised in the same environment, which permits direct assessment of paternal genetic effects on offspring traits. But genetic benefits of mate choice may be difficult to detect. Furthermore, the extent of genetic benefits (in terms of increased offspring viability or fecundity) may depend on the environmental context such that the proposed differences between extrapair offspring (EPO) and within-pair offspring (WPO) only appear under comparatively poor environmental conditions. We tested the hypothesis that genetic benefits of female extrapair mate choice are context dependent by analyzing offspring fitness-related traits in the coal tit (Parus ater) in relation to seasonal variation in environmental conditions. Paternal genetic effects on offspring fitness were context dependent, as shown by a significant interaction effect of differential paternal genetic contribution and offspring hatching date. EPO showed a higher local recruitment probability than their maternal half-siblings if born comparatively late in the season (i.e., when overall performance had significantly declined), while WPO performed better early in the season. The same general pattern of context dependence was evident when using the number of grandchildren born to a cuckolding female via her female WPO or EPO progeny as the respective fitness measure. However, we were unable to demonstrate that cuckolding females obtained a general genetic fitness benefit from extrapair fertilizations in terms of offspring viability or fecundity. Thus, another type of benefit could be responsible for maintaining female extrapair mating preferences in the study population. Our results suggest that more than a single selective pressure may have shaped the evolution of female extrapair mating behavior in socially monogamous passerines.     

Antheseabhängige UV-Muster in Blütenständen von Asteraceen

The pseudanthia ofHeliopsis scabra andRudbeckia vulgaris (Asteraceae) were examined during the anthesis for differences in their UV patterns. Distinct changes in the reflectance and absorbance properties could be observed. The results suggest a close correlation between different stages of floral development and pollinator attraction.

Herrn Prof. Dr.Lothar Geitler zum 90. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

A mutational analysis of U12-dependent splice site dinucleotides

Introns spliced by the U12-dependent minor spliceosome are divided into two classes based on their splice site dinucleotides. The /AU-AC/ class accounts for about one-third of U12-dependent introns in humans, while the /GU-AG/ class accounts for the other two-thirds. We have investigated the in vivo and in vitro splicing phenotypes of mutations in these dinucleotide sequences. A 5' A residue can splice to any 3' residue, although C is preferred. A 5' G residue can splice to 3' G or U residues with a preference for G. Little or no splicing was observed to 3' A or C residues. A 5' U or C residue is highly deleterious for U12-dependent splicing, although some combinations, notably 5' U to 3' U produced detectable spliced products. The dependence of 3' splice site activity on the identity of the 5' residue provides evidence for communication between the first and last nucleotides of the intron. Most mutants in the second position of the 5' splice site and the next to last position of the 3' splice site were defective for splicing. Double mutants of these residues showed no evidence of communication between these nucleotides. Varying the distance between the branch site and the 3' splice site dinucleotide in the /GU-AG/ class showed that a somewhat larger range of distances was functional than for the /AU-AC/ class. The optimum branch site to 3' splice site distance of 11-12 nucleotides appears to be the same for both classes.     

Cloning and over-expression in Escherichia coli of the gene encoding NADPH group III alcohol dehydrogenase from Thermococcus hydrothermalis. Characterization and comparison of the native and the recombinant enzymes.

A NADP-dependent group III alcohol dehydrogenase (ADH) was purified from the hyperthermophilic strictly anaerobic archaeon Thermococcus hydrothermalis, which grows at an optimum temperature of 85 degrees C and an optimum pH of 6. The gene encoding this enzyme was cloned, sequenced, and over-expressed in Escherichia coli. The recombinant enzyme was purified, characterized and compared with the native form of the enzyme. The enzyme structure is pH-dependent, being a 197-kDa tetramer (subunit of 45 kDa) at pH 10.5, the pH optimum for alcohol oxidation, and a 80.5-kDa dimer at pH 7.5, the pH optimum for aldehyde reduction. The kinetic parameters of the enzyme show that the affinity of the enzyme is greater for the aldehyde substrate and NADPH cofactor, suggesting that the dimeric form of the enzyme is probably the active form in vivo. The ADH of T. hydrothermalis oxidizes a series of primary aliphatic and aromatic alcohols preferentially from C2 to C8 but is also active towards methanol and glycerol and stereospecific for monoterpenes. T. hydrothermalis ADH is the first Thermococcale ADH to be cloned and overproduced in a mesophilic heterologous expression system, and the recombinant and the native forms have identical main characteristics.     

Identification of the major endogenous leukotriene metabolite in the bile of rats as N-acetyl leukotrience E4

Mercapturic acid formation, an established pathway in the detoxication of xenobiotics, is demonstrated for cysteinyl leukotrienes generated in rats after endotoxin treatment. The mercapturate N-acetyl-leukotriene E₄ (N-acetyl-LTE₄) represented a major metabolite eliminated into bile after injection of [³H]LTC₄ as shown by cochromatography with synthetic N-acetyl-LTE₄ in four different HPLC solvent systems. The identity of endogenoud N-acetyl-LTE₄ elicited by endotoxin was additionally verified by enzymatic deacetylation followed by chemical N-acetylation. The deacetylation was catalyzed by penicillin amidase. Endogenous cysteinyl leukotrienes were quantified by radioimmunoassay after HPLC separation. A N-acetyl-LTE₄ concentration of 80 nmol/l was determined in bile collected between 30 and 60 min after endotoxin injection. Under this condition, other cysteinyl leukotrienes detected in bile by radioimmunoassay amounted to less than 5% of N-acetyl-LTE₄. The mercapturic acid pathway, leading from the glutathione conjugate LTC₄ to N-acetyl-LTE₄, thus plays an important role in the deactivation and elimination of these potent endogenous mediators.     

Response of bacterial community during bioremediation of an oil-polluted soil

AIM: To study the response of the bacterial community to bioremediation of a soil with an aged contamination of crude oil. METHODS AND RESULTS: The bacterial community in laboratory soil columns during a 72-day biostimulation treatment was followed by analysing the number of total cultivable hydrocarbon-degrading bacteria, soil respiratory activity and the 16S-23S rDNA internal transcribed spacer homoduplex heteroduplex polymorphisms (ITS-HHP) of total soil bacterial DNA. ITS-HHP permits an estimate of both length and sequence polymorphism in a 16S-23S rDNA spacer population, using to advantage the homoduplex and heteroduplex fragments that are generated during PCR. The treatment, made by air sparging and biostimulation with a mineral nutrient and surfactant solution, resulted in a 39.5% decrease of the total hydrocarbon content. Within 4 days of treatment onset the bacterial community underwent a first phase of activation that led to a substantial increase in the observable diversity. Subsequently, after a 12-day period of stability, another activation phase was observed with further shifts of the community structure and an increase in the abundance and diversity of catechol-2,3-dioxygenase (C23O) genes. CONCLUSIONS: The overall data suggest an important contribution of uncultivable bacteria to the soil bioremediation, since, during the second activation phase, the increases of the respiratory activity, bacterial diversity and C23O gene abundance and diversity were not accompanied by a corresponding increase of the cultivable bacteria number. SIGNIFICANCE AND IMPACT OF THE STUDY: This study shows that successive phases of activation of bacterial populations occur during a bioremediation treatment of oil-polluted soil.