Phylogenetic relationships of palaearctic formica species (hymenoptera, formicidae) based on mitochondrial cytochrome B sequences

Ants of genus Formica demonstrate variation in social organization and represent model species for ecological, behavioral, evolutionary studies and testing theoretical implications of the kin selection theory. Subgeneric division of the Formica ants based on morphology has been questioned and remained unclear after an allozyme study on genetic differentiation between 13 species representing all subgenera was conducted. In the present study, the phylogenetic relationships within the genus were examined using mitochondrial DNA sequences of the cytochrome b and a part of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6. All 23 Formica species sampled in the Palaearctic clustered according to the subgeneric affiliation except F. uralensis that formed a separate phylogenetic group. Unlike Coptoformica and Formica s. str., the subgenus Serviformica did not form a tight cluster but more likely consisted of a few small clades. The genetic distances between the subgenera were around 10%, implying approximate divergence time of 5 Myr if we used the conventional insect divergence rate of 2% per Myr. Within-subgenus divergence estimates were 6.69% in Serviformica, 3.61% in Coptoformica, 1.18% in Formica s. str., which supported our previous results on relatively rapid speciation in the latter subgenus. The phylogeny inferred from DNA sequences provides a necessary framework against which the evolution of social traits can be compared. We discuss implications of inferred phylogeny for the evolution of social traits.     

Dynamics of the pathomorphological changes in the rat brain in relation to the dose of gamma irradiation

Neurohistological, histochemical, electron-microscopic and biometric techniques were used to study the response of rat brain to irradiation within a wide range of doses. Nerve cells were shown to be highly radioresistant. At the same time, synapses and blood-brain barrier structures were highly radiosensitive. The pathomorphologic changes in different brain areas followed a dose-time function.     

The history of ranges of the great tit (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Parus major</Emphasis>) and Japanese tit (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Parus minor</Emphasis>) in the Amur Region

The history of ranges of the great tit (Parus major) and Japanese tit (P. minor) in the Amur River basin is described on the basis of original data collected between 1970 and 2010 and published data. The main factor accounting for the expansion of the great and Japanese tits to the Amur basin and neighboring territories in the 19th to 21st centuries is economic activity, primarily agriculture and timber harvesting. The approximate range boundaries and the sympatry zone of these two species have been determined for the second half of the 19th century; the beginning, middle, and third quarter of the 20th century; and the turn of the 21st century. Three different ecological channels consecutively played the main role in the eastward expansion of the great tit: the Amur River valley (from the mid-19th to the early 20th century), the Trans-Siberian Railroad (since the early 20th century), and the Baikal-Amur Railroad (since the 1970s). It is shown that the concept concerning the finding of great tits in Udskii Ostrog by Middendorff’s expedition is erroneous: according to dates on the labels, the corresponding two specimens were in fact collected in a different geographic locality. It has been found that Komsomolsk-on-Amur is a new locality jointly inhabited by both species, independent of the main zone of their sympatry. It has appeared very recently, at the turn of the 21st century.     

Effect of the global topology of the interplanetary magnetic field on the properties of impulsive acceleration processes in distant regions of the Earth’s magnetospheric tail

The paper is devoted to a statistical study of high-speed ion beams (beamlets) observed by the Interball-1 and Interball-2 satellites in the boundary region of the plasma sheet of the geomagnetic tail and in the high-latitude auroral regions of the Earth’s magnetosphere. Beamlets result from nonlinear acceleration processes occurring in the current sheet in the distant regions of the geomagnetic tail. They propagate toward the Earth along the magnetic field lines and are detected in the boundary region of the plasma sheet and near the high-latitude boundary of the plasma sheet in the auroral region in the form of short (with a duration of 1–2 min) bursts of high-energy (with energies of about several tens of keV) ions. The sizes of the latitudinal zones where the beamlets are localized in the tail and in the auroral region are determined using the epoch superposition method. The relationship between the frequency of beamlet generation in the boundary region of the plasma sheet and the prehistory of the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field (the magnitude of a clock angle) is investigated. It was established that this direction exerts a global effect on the beamlet generation frequency; moreover, it was found that the beamlet generation frequency in the midnight local time sector of the tail and at the flanks depends differently on the direction of the interplanetary magnetic field. In the midnight sector, the beamlets are observed at almost all directions of the interplanetary field, whereas the frequency of their generation at the flanks is maximal only when the interplanetary magnetic field has a large y component.     

What Does the Microsporidian <Emphasis Type="Italic">E. cuniculi</Emphasis> Tell Us About the Origin of the Eukaryotic Cell?

The relationship among the three cellular domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya has become a central problem in unraveling the tree of life. This relationship can now be studied as the completely sequenced genomes of representatives of these cellular domains become available. We performed a bioinformatic investigation of the Encephalitozoon cuniculi proteome. E. cuniculi has the smallest sequenced eukaryotic genome, 2.9 megabases coding for 1997 proteins. The proteins of E. cuniculi were compared with a previously characterized set of eukaryotic signature proteins (ESPs). ESPs are found in a eukaryotic cell, whether from an animal, a plant, a fungus, or a protozoan, but are not found in the Archaea and the Bacteria. We demonstrated that 85% of the ESPs have significant sequence similarity to proteins in E. cuniculi. Hence, E. cuniculi, a minimal eukaryotic cell that has removed all inessential proteins, still preserves most of the ESPs that make it a member of the Eukarya. The locations and functions of these ESPs point to the earliest history of eukaryotes.Reviewing Editor: Dr. Manyuan Long     

The photophysics of a Rhodamine head labeled phospholipid in the identification and characterization of membrane lipid phases

The organization of lipids and proteins into domains in cell membranes is currently an established subject within biomembrane research. Fluorescent probes have been used to detect and characterize these membrane lateral heterogeneities. However, a comprehensive understanding of the link between the probes' fluorescence features and membrane lateral organization can only be achieved if their photophysical properties are thoroughly defined. In this work, a systematic characterization of N-(lyssamine Rhodamine B sulfonyl)-1,2-dioleoyl-sn-3-phosphatidylehanolamine (Rhod-DOPE) absorption and fluorescence behavior in gel, liquid-ordered (l(o)) and liquid-disordered (l(d)) model membranes was performed. In agreement with a previous study, it was found that Rhod-DOPE fluorescence lifetimes present a strong sensitivity to lipid phases, becoming significantly shorter in l(o) membranes as the probe membrane concentration increases. The sensitivity of Rhod-DOPE absorption and fluorescence properties to the membrane phase was further explored. In particular, the fluorescence lifetime sensitivity was shown to be a consequence of the enhanced Rhod-DOPE fluorescence dynamic self-quenching, due to the formation of probe-rich membrane domains in these condensed phases that cannot be considered as typical probe aggregates, as excitonic interaction is not observed. The highly efficient dynamic self-quenching was shown to be specific to l(o) phases, pointing to an important effect of membrane dipole potential in this process. Altogether, this work establishes how to use Rhod-DOPE fluorescence properties in the study of membrane lipid lateral heterogeneities, in particular cholesterol-enriched lipid rafts.