Untersuchungen an den Geschmacksknospen der Barteln von Corydoras paleatus Jenyns

Zusammenfassung Der Bau der Geschmacksknospen auf den Barteln von Corydoras paleatus Jen. wurde elektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. Jede Geschmacksknospe ist aus 2 Zelltypen aufgebaut: den Rezeptorzellen und den sie umhüllenden Stützzellen. Die sich von der Geschmacksknospenbasis bis zur Oberfläche erstreckenden Stützzellen tragen einen Mikrovillibesatz. — Die einheitlich gestalteten Rezeptoren, die im Längsschnitt spindelförmig, im Querschnitt rund sind, besitzen zum Unterschied von den Stützzellen zahlreiche Mitochondrien und peripher gelagerte Vesikel sowie 2 Typen von Tubuli. Der Zellapex trägt einen über die freie Oberfläche senkrecht hinausragenden, schlankkegelförmigen Fortsatz mit rundem oder ovalem Querschnitt. — Innerhalb der Bindegewebspapille befindet sich dicht unter der Geschmacksknospenbasis ein Plexus von Axonbündeln, von dem aus die Axone meist einzeln an das Perikaryon der Rezeptorzellen herantreten. In der Nähe der Kontaktstelle mit dem Rezeptor sind häufig Tubulibündel zu finden. — Die meisten Geschmacksknospen enthalten einzelne degenerierende Zellen. — Im Epithel zwischen den Geschmacksknospen wurde ein besonderer Sekretzellentyp nachgewiesen.

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Investigation of taste buds of barbels in Corydoras paleatus JenynsI. Ultrastructure of the taste buds

Summary The taste buds of the barbels of Corydoras paleatus have been studied with the electron microscope. Each taste bud is composed of two cell types: receptor cells and supporting cells. The supporting cells extend from the base of the taste bud to the surface where they bear microvilli. The apex of the uniform, spindle shaped receptor cells has a free, cone-shaped appendage. The receptor cells, unlike the supporting cells, contain numerous mitochondria, peripherally-located vesicles, and two types of tubuli. Single axons project from a nerve plexus close to the base of the taste bud and run to perikarya of the receptor cells. Frequently bundles of tubuli lie close to the area of contact between axon and receptor cell membranes. Most of the taste buds contain individual degenerating cells. A special type of secretory cell is present in the epithelium of the barbels.

     

Das UV-Sehen der V?gel: Neue Ergebnisse über den spektralen Sehbereich der V?gel

Zusammenfassung Ergebnisse aus einem mikrospektrophotometrischen sowie einem verhaltensphysiologischen Versuchsansatzes zeigen, daß der SonnenvogelLeiothrix lutea einen eigenständigen UV-Zapfentyp besitzt und eine sehr hohe Empfindlichkeit im UV-Teil des Spektrums aufweist. Diese Befunde werden mit den Ergebnissen anderer Autoren verglichen, die zeigen, daß eine Vielzahl von Vogelarten UV-empfindlich ist (entweder mit einem UV-Rezeptor oder eingeschränkt mit einem Violett-Rezeptor). Diese UV-Empfindlichkeit könnten Vögel nützen zur Orientierung am Polarisationsmuster der Sonne, zur Art-und/oder Partnererkennung, bzw. zur Nahrungssuche.

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UV vision in birds: A summary of latest results concerning the extended spectral range of birds

The results of a microspectrophotometric and a behavioural test present evidence that the passeriform birdLeiothrix lutea (Timaliidae) possesses a genuine UV cone type and is highly sensitive in the UV part of the spectrum. Those data are in accordance with results of other tests indicating that a majority of bird species is UV sensitive (either by a UV cone type or somewhat limited by a violet cone typ). Possible use of this extended sensitivity like orientation according to the polarisation pattern of the sky, species and/or mate recognition and food detection are discussed.

     

Linking chloroplast relocation to different responses of photosynthesis to blue and red radiation in low and high light-acclimated leaves of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis> (L.)

Low light (LL) and high light (HL)-acclimated plants of A. thaliana were exposed to blue (BB) or red (RR) light or to a mixture of blue and red light (BR) of incrementally increasing intensities. The light response of photosystem II was measured by pulse amplitude-modulated chlorophyll fluorescence and that of photosystem I by near infrared difference spectroscopy. The LL but not HL leaves exhibited blue light-specific responses which were assigned to relocation of chloroplasts from the dark to the light-avoidance arrangement. Blue light (BB and BR) decreased the minimum fluorescence (\(F_{0}^{\prime }\)) more than RR light. This extra reduction of the \(F_{0}^{\prime }\) was stronger than theoretically predicted for \(F_{0}^{\prime }\) quenching by energy dissipation but actual measurement and theory agreed in RR treatments. The extra \(F_{0}^{\prime }\) reduction was assigned to decreased light absorption of chloroplasts in the avoidance position. A maximum reduction of 30% was calculated. Increasing intensities of blue light affected the fluorescence parameters NPQ and q_P to a lesser degree than red light. After correcting for the optical effects of chloroplast relocation, the NPQ responded similarly to blue and red light. The same correction method diminished the color-specific variations in q_P but did not abolish it; thus strongly indicating the presence of another blue light effect which also moderates excitation pressure in PSII but cannot be ascribed to absorption variations. Only after RR exposure, a post-illumination overshoot of \(F_{0}^{\prime }\) and fast oxidation of PSI electron acceptors occurred, thus, suggesting an electron flow from stromal reductants to the plastoquinone pool.     

High-Affinity Transport of Choline-O-Sulfate and Its Use as a Compatible Solute in Bacillus subtilis

We report here that the naturally occurring choline ester choline-O-sulfate serves as an effective compatible solute for Bacillus subtilis, and we have identified a high-affinity ATP-binding cassette (ABC) transport system responsible for its uptake. The osmoprotective effect of this trimethylammonium compound closely matches that of the potent and widely employed osmoprotectant glycine betaine. Growth experiments with a set of B. subtilis strains carrying defined mutations in the glycine betaine uptake systems OpuA, OpuC, and OpuD and in the high-affinity choline transporter OpuB revealed that choline-O-sulfate was specifically acquired from the environment via OpuC. Competition experiments demonstrated that choline-O-sulfate functioned as an effective competitive inhibitor for OpuC-mediated glycine betaine uptake, with a K_i of approximately 4 μM. Uptake studies with [1,2-dimethyl-¹⁴C]choline-O-sulfate showed that its transport was stimulated by high osmolality, and kinetic analysis revealed that OpuC has high affinity for choline-O-sulfate, with a K_m value of 4 ± 1 μM and a maximum rate of transport (V_max) of 54 ± 3 nmol/min · mg of protein in cells grown in minimal medium with 0.4 M NaCl. Growth studies utilizing a B. subtilis mutant defective in the choline to glycine betaine synthesis pathway and natural abundance ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of whole-cell extracts from the wild-type strain demonstrated that choline-O-sulfate was accumulated in the cytoplasm and was not hydrolyzed to choline by B. subtilis. In contrast, the osmoprotective effect of acetylcholine for B. subtilis is dependent on its biotransformation into glycine betaine. Choline-O-sulfate was not used as the sole carbon, nitrogen, or sulfur source, and our findings thus characterize this choline ester as an effective compatible solute and metabolically inert stress compound for B. subtilis. OpuC mediates the efficient transport not only of glycine betaine and choline-O-sulfate but also of carnitine, crotonobetaine, and γ-butyrobetaine (R. Kappes and E. Bremer, Microbiology 144:83–90, 1998). Thus, our data underscore its crucial role in the acquisition of a variety of osmoprotectants from the environment by B. subtilis.     

Validating the prediction accuracies of marker-assisted and genomic selection of Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat using an independent sample

Key message

Compared with independent validation, cross-validation simultaneously sampling genotypes and environments provided similar estimates of accuracy for genomic selection, but inflated estimates for marker-assisted selection.

Abstract

Estimates of prediction accuracy of marker-assisted (MAS) and genomic selection (GS) require validations. The main goal of our study was to compare the prediction accuracies of MAS and GS validated in an independent sample with results obtained from fivefold cross-validation using genomic and phenotypic data for Fusarium head blight resistance in wheat. In addition, the applicability of the reliability criterion, a concept originally developed in the context of classic animal breeding and GS, was explored for MAS. We observed that prediction accuracies of MAS were overestimated by 127% using cross-validation sampling genotype and environments in contrast to independent validation. In contrast, prediction accuracies of GS determined in independent samples are similar to those estimated with cross-validation sampling genotype and environments. This can be explained by small population differentiation between the training and validation sets in our study. For European wheat breeding, which is so far characterized by a slow temporal dynamic in allele frequencies, this assumption seems to be realistic. Thus, GS models used to improve European wheat populations are expected to possess a long-lasting validity. Since quantitative trait loci information can be exploited more precisely if the predicted genotype is more related to the training population, the reliability criterion is also a valuable tool to judge the level of prediction accuracy of individual genotypes in MAS.