Evolution: an ecological context for C. elegans

Despite low global diversity among natural populations of Caenorhabditis elegans, neighboring populations can be as genetically distinct as strains from different continents, probably owing to transient bottlenecks and ongoing dispersal as a dauer larva. Selfing predominates in the wild, but rare outcrossing may also play an important role.     

Antibodies to the L3T4 and Lyt-2 molecules interfere with antigen receptor-driven activation of cloned murine T cells

When L3T4+ cloned murine helper T lymphocytes (HTL) are stimulated with antigen or immobilized anti-T cell receptor (TCR) monoclonal antibodies (mAb) at concentrations which are optimal for proliferation, anti-L3T4 mAb inhibits activation as measured by proliferation and lymphokine production. Under similar conditions, IL 2-independent proliferation of Lyt-2+ cloned murine cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTL) stimulated by anti-TCR mAb is inhibited by anti-Lyt-2 antibodies. Proliferation of cloned HTL and CTL cells stimulated by IL 2 is not affected by the anti-L3T4 and anti-Lyt-2 mAb. The inhibition of TCR-induced activation of the T cell clones is not due to interference with the binding of the anti-TCR mAb. Stimulation of the TCR has been proposed to induce lymphokine secretion and proliferation by T cells through a pathway involving the activation of protein kinase C and the stimulation of an increase in the concentration of intracellular free calcium. However, proliferation of T cells stimulated by PMA (which activates protein kinase C) plus the calcium ionophore A23187 (which increases the concentration of intracellular free calcium) is not affected by mAb reactive with the Lyt-2 or L3T4 structures. If TCR stimulation does indeed activate T cells by activating protein kinase and increasing intracellular free calcium, then our data suggest that anti-L3T4 and anti-Lyt-2 mAb inhibit TCR-driven proliferation at some step before the activation of protein kinase C and the stimulation of a rise in intracellular free calcium concentration. Our results suggest that anti-L3T4 and anti-Lyt-2 mAb interfere with early biochemical processes induced by stimulation of the TCR. In HTL, which proliferate via an autocrine pathway, anti-L3T4 mAb appears to inhibit proliferation by interfering with signaling events involved in lymphokine production. Inhibition of IL 2-independent proliferation of Lyt-2+ cells by anti-Lyt-2 mAb appears to occur by a different mechanism. The precise molecular basis for the interference of each cell type has not yet been characterized.     

Substituted benzothiadizine inhibitors of Hepatitis C virus polymerase

The synthesis and optimisation of HCV NS5B polymerase inhibitors with improved potency versus the existing compound 1 is described. Substitution in the benzothiadiazine portion of the molecule, furnishing improvement in potency in the high protein Replicon assay, is highlighted, culminating in the discovery of 12h, a highly potent oxyacetamide derivative.     

Synthetic adjuvants for vaccine formulations: evaluation of new phytol derivatives in induction and persistence of specific immune response

Terpenoids are ubiquitous natural compounds that have been shown to improve vaccine efficacy as adjuvants. To gain an understanding of the structural features important for adjuvanticity, we studied compounds derived from a diterpene phytol and assessed their efficacy. In a previous report, we showed that phytol and one of its derivatives, PHIS-01 (a phytol-derived immunostimulant, phytanol), are excellent adjuvants. To determine the effects of varying the polar terminus of PHIS-01, we designed amine and mannose-terminated phytol derivatives (PHIS-02 and PHIS-03, respectively). We studied their relative efficacy as emulsions with soluble proteins, ovalbumin, and a hapten-protein conjugate phthalate-KLH. Immunological parameters evaluated consisted of specific antibody responses in terms of titers, specificities and isotype profiles, T cell involvement and cytokine production. Our results indicate that these new isoprenoids were safe adjuvants with the ability to significantly augment immunogen-specific IgG1 and IgG2a antibody responses. Moreover, there was no adverse phthalate cross-reactive anti-DNA response. Interestingly, PHIS-01 and PHIS-03 influenced differentially T-helper polarization. We also observed that these compounds modulated the immune response through apoptotic/necrotic effects on target tumor cells using murine lymphomas. Finally, unlike squalene and several other terpenoids reported to date, these phytol derivatives did not appear arthritogenic in murine models.     

You are what you eat: fatty acid profiles as a method to track the habitat movement of an insect

Tracking the movement of small organisms is of tremendous importance to understanding the ecology of populations, communities, and ecosystems. However, it remains one of the most difficult challenges facing the field of movement ecology. We developed an intrinsic marking technique for tracking small organisms using dietary fatty acid profiles as a biomarker as well as for clarifying source-sink dynamics between populations on a landscape level. Navel orangeworm moths (NOW), Amyelois transitella (Walker) (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae), raised on two different host plants with significantly different fatty acid profiles, were used to develop a model that distinguishes NOW based on their larval host plant. Wild NOW from both known and unknown host plants were used to validate the model. NOW fatty acid profiles showed striking similarities to the fatty acid profile of their host plant demonstrating that fatty acids can act as an intrinsic marking technique for quantifying the movement of small organisms. We anticipate that given sufficient spatial variation in dietary fatty acids, this technique will be useful in studying the movement of arthropods and other invertebrates particularly when addressing questions of source-sink dynamics.     

Alkaloid and predation patterns in colorado lupine populations

Summary Colorado populations of herbaceous perennial lupines show three distinct patterns of amounts, kinds, and individual variability of inflorescence alkaloids. These patterns, interpreted as alternative chemical defense strategies, can be related to the susceptibility of populations to attack by larvae of a small flower-feeding lycaenid butterfly, Glaucopsyche lygdamus.In situations ecologically unfavorable to G. lygdumus, lupine populations have low alkaloidal profiles, accumulating relatively low amounts of single, bicyclic alkaloids in their inflorescences, with little individual alkaloidal variability, Lupine populations which are quite available to G. lygdamus, on the other hand, accumulate much higher amounts of inflorescence alkaloids. Of these alkaloidally high populations, those which suffer only minor predation by G. lygdamus have individually variable mixtures of three or four inflorescence alkaloids, which are found to be isomers of lupanine and closely related tetracyclic compounds. In contrast, those which suffer heavy predation by G. lygdamus show a mixture of nine diverse alkaloidal components including lupanine, hydroxylupanine, and hydroxylupanine esters which is quite invariant from individual to individual.It is hypothesized that individual variability in alkaloids is an anti-specialist chemical defense mechanism. Such individual variability may be advantageous to plant populations by reducing the possibility of selection for strains of specialist herbivores capable of detoxifying or otherwise withstanding plant defensive compounds.     

Perception of Vocal Tract Resonances by Whooping Cranes Grus americana

Although formants (vocal tract resonances) can often be observed in avian vocalizations, and several bird species have been shown to perceive formants in human speech sounds, no studies have examined formant perception in birds' own species-specific calls. We used playbacks of computer-synthesized crane calls in a modified habituation—dishabituation paradigm to test for formant perception in whooping cranes ( Grus americana ). After habituating birds to recordings of natural contact calls, we played a synthesized replica of one of the habituating stimuli as a control to ensure that the synthesizer worked adequately; birds dishabituated in only one of 13 cases. Then, we played the same call with its formant frequencies shifted. The birds dishabituated to the formant-shifted calls in 10 out of 12 playbacks. These data suggest that cranes perceive and attend to changes in formant frequencies in their own species-specific vocalizations, and are consistent with the hypothesis that formants can provide acoustic cues to individuality and body size.     

Classification and expression of a family of cyclin gene homologues in Brassica napus

In order to investigate the role of cell division in plant development, we isolated several plant genes which encode homologues of animal and yeast cell cycle regulators known as cyclins.Through the use of degenerate primers and the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) we isolated a Brassica sequence which showed homology to the cyclin box functional domain found within cyclin proteins. Southern blot analysis indicated that Brassica napus has a large number of genes containing cyclin box-related sequences. This was further supported by the isolation of cyclin box sequences from six different genomic clones. In addition, we have isolated two different cyclin cDNA clones, BnCYC1 and BnCYC2, from a Brassica napus shoot apical cDNA library. Both of the cDNA clones contain a destruction box regulatory domain similar to animal mitotic cyclins.Northern blot analysis using BnCYC2 shows mRNA levels which correlate well with the level of cell division in various tissues. Messenger RNA abundance was highest in 1–3 mm leaves, root tips and shoot apices. The mRNA detected using BnCYC1 was restricted to young leaves and the shoot apex, suggesting divergent, organ-specific roles for cyclin family members. The results demonstrate that the plant cyclin gene family is more extensive than previously demonstrated and consists of genes expressed in all dividing tissues as well as a subset of developmentally specific members.     

Halogenated and isosteric cytisine derivatives with increased affinity and functional activity at nicotinic acetylcholine receptors

A series of pyridone ring-modified derivatives of (7R,9S)-(-)-cytisine were evaluated for affinity and functional activity at neuromuscular alpha1beta1gammadelta, ganglionic alpha3beta4, and central neuronal alpha4beta2 subtypes of nicotinic receptors. Halogenation at the 3-position improved affinity and functional activity, while substitution at the 5-position led to modest decreases in both, and disubstitution led to near abolition of functional activities and could be correlated with the electron-withdrawing ability of the halogen. Subtype selectivities of the halogenated derivatives were altered relative to cytisine in a substitution-dependent manner. Caulophylline methiodide was less potent than cytisine, but retained significant activity. Thiocytisine was relatively weak in potency and efficacy, but was significantly selective for the alpha4beta2 subtype.