Patterns of reproduction and development of selected resident teleosts of Florida salt marshes

A wide variety of teleost fishes occur in tidal marshes of Atlantic and Gulf coasts of Florida, few of which breed in these habitats or remain there for extended periods of time. A significant fraction of teleosts that do so are members of one of five families. Eleven representative species belonging to these families, whose reproduction and development are considered here, include: Adinia xenica, Fundulus confluentus, F. grandis and F. similis (Fundulidae); Cyprinodon variegatus, Floridichthys carpio and Jordanella floridae (Cyprinodontidae); Gambusia holbrooki and Poecilia latipinna (Poeciliidae); Mugil cephalus (Mugilidae); and Dormitator maculatus (Eleotridae). Spawning or birth locations, patterns of growth and development, times of use of the salt marsh as a nursery area, and development of salinity tolerances/osmotic regulatory capabilities were evaluated for each, considering these in the context of variability of environmental conditions, especially of salinity. Five different patterns of reproduction are shown by these 11 species, and only A. xenica appears to be limited to reproducing in the salt marsh environment. Some of these species are capable of reproducing throughout the year. Several of the species are annuals, most others live only 2 or 3 years. Eight species (those other than M. cephalus, A. xenica and G. holbrooki) were found to show no size relationship, large juvenile to adult sizes, in osmotic regulatory capabilities.     

Cytokeratin provides a specific marker for human arachnoid cells grown in vitro

Cells from cranial and spinal arachnoid membranes of humans were grown in culture. Their growth characteristics, morphology and details of their cytoskeletal composition are described. Arachnoid membranes, obtained at autopsy, were finely minced and incubated in tissue culture medium. Monolayers of cells of homogeneous morphology grew from these tissue fragments. The cells were flat and polygonal. They divided slowly to form non-overlapping monolayers of low cell density. Electron microscopic examination of cultured arachnoid cells revealed numerous desmosome-like tight junctions and abundant intermediate filaments (tonofilaments). Both morphological features are characteristic of arachnoid cells in situ, but not of cells in the fibroblast-rich dura mater. Immunofluorescence microscopy with monoclonal antibodies demonstrated cytokeratin in the cytoplasm of primary cultures of arachnoid cells. Thus we demonstrated that these cultured cells retained certain of the specific differentiated properties of arachnoid cells in situ and that they are not fibroblasts (which lack tight junctions and cytokeratins). To our knowledge, there have been no previous reports of in vitro growth of arachnoid cells. This in vitro model should be useful in studying the response of arachnoid cells to a variety of substances thought to be involved in the chronic inflammatory condition of the meninges known as arachnoiditis.     

Huxley: From Devil's Disciple to Evolution's High Priest

Huxley: From Devil's Disciple to Evolution's High Priest. Adrian Desmond. Reading. MA: Addison-Wesley. 1997.820 pp.     

Influence of Nutrient Concentrations on MPN Quantification and Enrichment of Nitrate-Reducing Fe(II)-Oxidizing and Fe(III)-Reducing Bacteria from Littoral Freshwater Lake Sediments

The application of culture-dependent studies to quantify Fe-metabolizing microorganisms from the environment is a necessity, as there are so far no universal functional marker genes for application in culture-independent studies. Media composition can vary between studies, therefore, we determined the effects of three different growth media on the quantification (MPNs) and identity (via cloning and sequencing of dominant DGGE bands) of nitrate-reducing Fe(II)-oxidizers and lactate- or acetate-oxidizing Fe(III)-reducers from a lacustrine sediment: low sulphate freshwater medium (FWM), sterile filtered bicarbonate-buffered lake water (BLW) and a mixture of both (MIX). We consistently found fewer cells in the BLW than in the FWM and the MIX. The DGGE banding patterns of the microbial communities enriched in different media types clustered together according to the e^? donor and acceptor couples and not according to the medium used. Thus, although the medium composition significantly influenced the quantification and thereby conclusions on the abundance and potential significance of the targeted group within the ecosystem, biodiversity assessments through enrichment cultures were less influenced by the medium, but instead were affected by the type and concentration of the e^? donor/acceptor.     

A Positive GATA Element and a Negative Vitamin D Receptor-Like Element Control Atrial Chamber-Specific Expression of a Slow Myosin Heavy-Chain Gene during Cardiac Morphogenesis

We have used the slow myosin heavy chain (MyHC) 3 gene to study the molecular mechanisms that control atrial chamber-specific gene expression. Initially, slow MyHC 3 is uniformly expressed throughout the tubular heart of the quail embryo. As cardiac development proceeds, an anterior-posterior gradient of slow MyHC 3 expression develops, culminating in atrial chamber-restricted expression of this gene following chamberization. Two cis elements within the slow MyHC 3 gene promoter, a GATA-binding motif and a vitamin D receptor (VDR)-like binding motif, control chamber-specific expression. The GATA element of the slow MyHC 3 is sufficient for expression of a heterologous reporter gene in both atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes, and expression of GATA-4, but not Nkx2-5 or myocyte enhancer factor 2C, activates reporter gene expression in fibroblasts. Equivalent levels of GATA-binding activity were found in extracts of atrial and ventricular cardiomyocytes from embryonic chamberized hearts. These observations suggest that GATA factors positively regulate slow MyHC 3 gene expression throughout the tubular heart and subsequently in the atria. In contrast, an inhibitory activity, operating through the VDR-like element, increased in ventricular cardiomyocytes during the transition of the heart from a tubular to a chambered structure. Overexpression of the VDR, acting via the VDR-like element, duplicates the inhibitory activity in ventricular but not in atrial cardiomyocytes. These data suggest that atrial chamber-specific expression of the slow MyHC 3 gene is achieved through the VDR-like inhibitory element in ventricular cardiomyocytes at the time distinct atrial and ventricular chambers form.