Chance and change in British Long-tailed field mice: (Apodemus sylvaticus)

The Long-tailed field mouse ( Apodemus sylvaticus (L.)) has undergone a marked degree of racial differentiation on the islands of the north-west Atlantic (Iceland, Shetland, and the Hebrides). The differences have arisen as a result of the colonization of these islands after the Pleistocene by small numbers of animals carrying alleles in different proportions to those in the parental population. In contrast, the populations on some islands to the south of Britain (Jersey and Guernsey in the Channel Isles, and St. Mary's in the Isles of Scilly) are similar to A. sylvaticus from the mainland of Britain, and are likely to represent the descendants of mice which survived the Ice Ages ( A. sylvaticus populations on the smaller islands–Alderney, Sark, Herm and Tresco–differ markedly from their closest relatives, and probably represent the results of recolonization following extinction in the same way as on the glaciated islands to the north).
On the mainland of Britain there is a fairly clear distinction between two groups: western and central populations, and eastern ones (which have closer affinities to French mice than western British ones). It is suggested that the two mainland British "races" may have diverged in Pleistocene refuges. Since no pelage or size genes are involved in the divergence, it would not be expected that they would be taxonomically distinct.
The data on which these conclusions are based derive from the incidence of 20 nonmetrical variants in the skulls of 1096 mice from 22 series.     

Ingestion of sugar diets correlates with spike activity in labellar chemosensilla of the flesh-fly, Neobellieria (= Sarcophaga ) bullata

Abstract .Female 2-day-old Neobellieria (= Sarcophaga ) bullata (Parker) (Diptera: Sarcophagidae) were exposed to different concentrations of sucrose, glucose and fructose in a single-choice potometer, and the volume ingested in the first hour was measured. Nerve spike activity in response to the same sugars was recorded from medium labellar taste hairs of similar flies by tip-recording. Two classes of chemosensory cells responded to sucrose, glucose and fructose. Cell 1 showed an increasing spike activity with sugar concentration, whereas cell 2 did not; cell 1 was identified as the 'sugar cell'.
For both spike activity in cell 1 and feeding, sucrose was the most stimulatory sugar. The dose–response curves for glucose and fructose crossed over at about 200 m m . At higher concentrations, glucose was more stimulatory for both cell 1 and for feeding, and at lower concentrations, fructose. The pattern of spike activity supports a separate location on the sensory cells of receptors for pyranose and fructose forms of sugar. The strong correlation between volume ingested and spike activity indicates that sugar feeding is controlled by sensory input from the 'sugar' cells of labellar chemosensilla. Moreover, the results suggest that the flies do not distinguish between these sugars except by apparent 'sweetness'.     

Switchgrass leaching requirements for solid‐state fermentation by Acidothermus cellulolyticus

Growth of Acidothermus cellulolyticus in solid‐state fermentation and its required growth conditions were investigated in this study. Extraction of switchgrass was required for growth. Under the experimental conditions, extraction ratio had the most significant effect on the growth of A. cellulolyticus. Heat treatment (in the form of autoclaving) of switchgrass did not have a significant effect on the growth rate; however, longer heat treatment times had a negative effect on the total growth. Moisture content adjustment had no effect on the release of inhibitors into extracts. Our results showed that leaching at a minimum 40:1 (gram water: gram dry biomass) removed inhibitory compound(s) from switchgrass. Upon extraction A. cellulolyticus colonized switchgrass in solid fermentation without exogenous addition of carbon and nitrogen sources. It is the first demonstration of growth of A. cellulolyticus in solid fermentation. © 2009 American Institute of Chemical Engineers Biotechnol. Prog., 2010     

The URE2 protein regulates nitrogen catabolic gene expression through the GATAA-containing UASNTR element in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Many of the gene products that participate in nitrogen metabolism are sensitive to nitrogen catabolite repression (NCR), i.e., their expression is decreased to low levels when readily used nitrogen sources such as asparagine are provided. Previous work has shown this NCR sensitivity requires the cis-acting UASNTR element and trans-acting GLN3. Here, we extend the analysis to include the response of their expression to deletion of the URE2 locus. The expression of these nitrogen catabolic genes becomes, to various degrees, NCR insensitive in the ure2 deletion. This response is shown to be mediated through the GATAA-containing UASNTR element and supports the current idea that the NCR regulatory circuit involves the following steps: environmental signal-->URE2-->GLN3-->UASNTR operation-->NCR-sensitive gene expression. The various responses of the nitrogen catabolic genes' expression to deletion of the URE2 locus also indicate that not all NCR is mediated through URE2.     

On the thyroid hormone-induced increase in respiratory capacity of isolated rat hepatocytes.

The respiratory capacities of hepatocytes, derived from hypothyroid, euthyroid and hyperthyroid rats, have been compared by measuring rates of oxygen uptake and by titrating components of the respiratory chain with specific inhibitors. Thyroid hormone increased the maximal rate of substrate-stimulated respiration and also increased the degree of ionophore-stimulated oxygen uptake. In titration experiments, similar concentrations of oligomycin or antimycin were required for maximal inhibition of respiration regardless of thyroid state, suggesting that the changes in respiratory capacity were not the result of variation in the amounts of ATP synthase or cytochrome b. However, less rotenone was required for maximal inhibition of respiration in the hypothyroid state than in cells from euthyroid or hyperthyroid rats, implying that hepatocytes from hypothyroid animals contain less NADH dehydrogenase. The concentration of carboxyatractyloside necessary for maximal inhibition of respiration was 100 microM in hepatocytes from hypothyroid rats, but 200 microM and 300 microM in hepatocytes from euthyroid and hyperthyroid rats, respectively, indicating a possible correlation between levels of thyroid hormone and the amount or activity of adenine nucleotide translocase. The increased capacity for coupled respiration in response to thyroid hormone is not associated with an increase in the components of the electron transport chain or ATP synthase, but correlates with an increased activity of adenine nucleotide translocase.