Functional response of Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes on two-spotted spider mite (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Generalist predatory mites are the common phytoseiid fauna in many agroecosystems, but little attention has been paid to their potential as biological control agents. In this study, we determined the functional responses of adult females of the generalist predator Neoseiulus barkeri Hughes on eggs, larvae, and adults of the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch, in the laboratory. Predation experiments were conducted on pepper leaf discs over a 24 h period at 25±1°C, 70–80% RH and 16L:8D photoperiod. Prey densities ranged 5 to 80 eggs, or 5 to 40 larvae, or 1 to 8 female adults of T. urticae per disc. The predation rate of N. barkeri adult females on T. urticae eggs was the same as on its larvae, but the predation rate on adult females was much lower. The role of generalist predatory mites in integrated and biological control of greenhouse pests was discussed.     

A proper transmembrane Ca2+ gradient is essential for the stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity by stimulatory GTP-binding protein

Stimulatory GTP-binding Protein (Gs) and adenylate cyclase prepared from bovine brain cortices were co-reconstituted into asolectin vesicles with or without 1000-fold transmembrane Ca²⁺ gradient. The results showed that both basal activity and Gs-stimulated activity of adenylate cyclase were highest in proteoliposomes with a transmembrane Ca²⁺ gradient similar to physiological condition (1 M Ca²⁺ outside and 1 mM Ca²⁺ inside) and lowest when the transmembrane Ca²⁺ gradient was in the inverse direction. Such a difference could be diminished following dissipation of the transmembrane Ca²⁺ gradient by A23187. Comparable conformational changes of Gs in proteoliposomes were also observed when Gs was labeled with the fluorescence probe, acrylodan. These results may indicate that a proper transmembrane Ca²⁺ gradient is essential not only for higher adenylate cyclase activity but also for its stimulation by Gs.     

刺果番荔枝中的番荔枝内酯

从刺果番荔枝（Ａｎｎｏｎａ ｍ ｕｒｉｃａｔａ Ｌ．）的种子中分离到３ 个单四氢呋喃型番荔枝内酯类化合物,用波谱方法鉴定为海南哥纳香甲素（ｈｏｗ ｉｉｃｉｎ Ａ, Ｓ１３）、乙素（ｈｏｗ ｉｉｃｉｎ Ｂ, Ｓ５）和新化合物４－去氧海南哥纳香乙素（４－ｄｅｓｏｘｙｈｏｗ ｉｉｃｉｎ Ｂ, Ｓ２）。     

衣藻(Chlamydomonas sp)中间纤维及核纤层存在的证实(简报)

衣藻(Chlamydomonas sp)是属于绿藻门的最低等单细胞植物,为典型的真核生物。迄今以衣藻为材料所作的有关细胞骨架方面的研究多集中在微管蛋白(tubulin)。C.J.Miller等曾以衣藻(Chlamydomonas reinhardtii)全蛋白与几种中间纤维抗体进行免疫印迹实验有阳性反应,但是衣藻中是否存在中间纤维与核纤层是不清楚的问题。衣藻中间纤维与核纤层的形态研究更未见报道。目前认为中间纤维-核纤     

小鼠卵激活过程中胞质游离Ca~(2 )的变化及孤雌发育研究

乙醇和电刺激均可使小鼠MⅡ期卵母细胞激活并在体外孤雌发育至囊胚。小鼠卵对乙醇十分敏感。用7%—8%乙醇处理5min后95%以上的卵母细胞(卵龄为HCG注射后18—19h)内形成原核。3—4次电刺激后卵的激活率为71.58%;仅刺激1次卵的激活率为63.63%。乙醇刺激可诱导卵内游离Ca~(2 )浓度出现多次升高;单一电刺激仅能诱导卵内游离Ca~(2 )浓度出现1次升高;多次电刺激可诱导卵内游离Ca~(2 )浓度多次升高,而且电刺激次数与Ca~(2 )浓度升高成一一对应关系。对于电刺激,介质中足够量的Ca~(2 )对卵激活至关重要。在无Ca~(2 )的介质中,电刺激很难使卵激活。正常受精刺激诱导卵内游离Ca~(2 )浓度出现多次有规律的升高。实验结果表明,卵母细胞激活过程中胞质游离Ca~(2 )浓度重复多次升高可促使卵母细胞恢复成熟分裂。     

Detection of proteins and sialoglycoproteins in polyacrylamide gels using eosin Y stain

An eosin Y staining technique that permits detection of various proteins, including membrane sialoglycoproteins, in polyacrylamide gels is described. The sensitivity of the eosin Y staining method is comparable to silver staining. In addition, there is an added advantage of the antigen icily of the stained proteins being retained in a Western blot. Details of the procedure to obtain optimal staining results are described.     

Biodegradation of trichloroethylene and toluene by indigenous microbial populations in soil.

The biodegradation of trichloroethylene (TCE) and toluene, incubated separately and in combination, by indigenous microbial populations was measured in three unsaturated soils incubated under aerobic conditions. Sorption and desorption of TCE (0.1 to 10 micrograms ml-1) and toluene (1.0 to 20 micrograms ml-1) were measured in two soils and followed a reversible linear isotherm. At a concentration of 1 micrograms ml-1, TCE was not degraded in the absence of toluene in any of the soils. In combination, both 1 microgram of TCE ml-1 and 20 micrograms of toluene ml-1 were degraded simultaneously after a lag period of approximately 60 to 80 h, and the period of degradation lasted from 70 to 90 h. Usually 60 to 75% of the initial 1 microgram of TCE ml-1 was degraded, whereas 100% of the toluene disappeared. A second addition of 20 micrograms of toluene ml-1 to a flask with residual TCE resulted in another 10 to 20% removal of the chemical. Initial rates of degradation of toluene and TCE were similar at 32, 25, and 18 degrees C; however, the lag period increased with decreasing temperature. There was little difference in degradation of toluene and TCE at soil moisture contents of 16, 25, and 30%, whereas there was no detectable degradation at 5 and 2.5% moisture. The addition of phenol, but not benzoate, stimulated the degradation of TCE in Rindge and Yolo silt loam soils, methanol and ethylene slightly stimulated TCE degradation in Rindge soil, glucose had no effect in either soil, and dissolved organic carbon extracted from soil strongly sorbed TCE but did not affect its rate of biodegradation.     

Post-repolarization block of cardiac sodium channels by saxitoxin.

Phasic block of rat cardiac Na+ current by saxitoxin was assessed using pulse trains and two-pulse voltage clamp protocols, and the results were fit to several kinetic models. For brief depolarizations (5 to 50 ms) the depolarization duration did not affect the rate of development or the amplitude of phasic block for pulse trains. The pulse train data were well described by a recurrence relation based upon the guarded receptor model, and it provided rate constants that accurately predicted first-pulse block as well as recovery time constants in response to two-pulse protocols. However, the amplitudes and rates of phasic block development at rapid rates (> 5 Hz) were less than the model predicted. For two pulse protocols with a short (10 ms) conditioning step to -30 mV, block developed only after repolarization to -150 mV and then recovered as the interpulse interval was increased. This suggested that phasic block under these conditions was caused by binding with increased affinity to a state that exists transiently after repolarization to -150 mV. This "post-repolarization block" was fit to a three-state model consisting of a transient state with high affinity for the toxin, the toxin bound state, and the ultimate resting state of the channel. This model accounted for the biphasic post-repolarization block development and recovery observed in two-pulse protocols, and it more accurately described phasic block in pulse trains.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Isolation and identification of a novel tandemly repeated DNA sequence in the centromeric region of human chromosome 8

EcoRI subclones, designated as 50E1 and 50E4, were independently obtained from a cosmid clone previously mapped to the centromeric region of human chromosome 8. Southern blot hybridization analyses suggested that both subclones contain repetitive DNA sequences different from the chromosome 8 specific alphoid DNA. DNA sequence analysis of the 704 bp insert of 50E1 and the 1, 962 bp insert of 50E4 revealed that both inserts contained tandemly repeated units of 220 bp. Fluorescence in situ hybridization studies confirmed these two subclones to be specifically located on the centromeric region of chromosome 8. A 220 bp consensus sequence, derived from nine monomeric repeats, showed no significant homology to alphoid consensus sequences or to other currently known human centromeric DNA sequence. Furthermore, no significant homology was found with any other DNA sequence deposited in the EMBL or GenBank databases, indicating that this chromosome 8 specific repetitive DNA sequence is novel. From slot blot experiments it was estimated that 0.013% of the human genome comprises 1,750 of these monomeric repeats, residing on the centromeric region of chromosome 8 in tandem array(s).