Variation of Reproductive Traits and Female Body Size in the Most Widely-Ranging Terrestrial Reptile: Testing the Effects of Reproductive Mode, Lineage, and Climate

The European common lizard, Zootoca vivipara, is the most widespread terrestrial reptile in the world. It occupies almost the entire Northern Eurasia and includes four viviparous and two oviparous lineages. We analysed how female snout-vent length (SVL), clutch size (CS), hatchling mass (HM), and relative clutch mass (RCM) is associated with the reproductive mode and climate throughout the species range and across the evolutionary lineages within Z. vivipara. The studied variables were scored for 1,280 females and over 3,000 hatchlings from 44 geographically distinct study samples. Across the species range, SVL of reproductive females tends to decrease in less continental climates, whereas CS corrected for female SVL and RCM tend to decrease in climates with cool summer. Both relationships are likely to indicate direct phenotypic responses to climate. For viviparous lineages, the pattern of co-variation between female SVL, CS and HM among populations is similar to that between individual females within populations. Consistent with the hypothesis that female reproductive output is constrained by her body volume, the oviparous clade with shortest retention of eggs in utero showed highest HM, the oviparous clade with longer egg retention showed lower HM, and clades with the longest egg retention (viviparous forms) had lowest HM. Viviparous populations exhibited distinctly lower HM than the other European lacertids of similar female SVL, many of them also displaying unusually high RCM. This pattern is consistent with Winkler and Wallin’s model predicting a negative evolutionary link between the total reproductive investment and allocation to individual offspring.     

Seasonal dynamics of amino acids in two small Siberian reservoirs dominated by prokaryotic and eukaryotic phytoplankton

The comparison of the dynamics of phytoplankton biomass and total amino acid composition was made for two water bodies: in one the phytoplankton were dominated by prokaryotes (i.e., there was a bloom of cyanobacteria) and by eukaryotic microalgae in the other. The dynamics of phytoplankton biomass and of total amino acid composition of water were investigated during the vegetation season. It was found that the only factor that significantly changed the percentages of amino acids in water was the bloom of cyanobacteria in the blooming water body. During the bloom of cyanobacteria, the absolute and relative content of the Leu-Glu group increased, while the contents of other acids generally dropped. Before and after the bloom, no significant variations in the total amino acid composition were recorded. In the reservoir where eukaryotic microalgae dominated, no significant variations in amino acid composition were recorded during the season.     

The biogenesis of the Golgi ribbon: the roles of membrane input from the ER and of GM130

The Golgi complex in mammalian cells forms a continuous ribbon of interconnected stacks of flat cisternae. We show here that this distinctive architecture reflects and requires the continuous input of membranes from the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in the form of pleiomorphic ER-to-Golgi carriers (EGCs). An important step in the biogenesis of the Golgi ribbon is the complete incorporation of the EGCs into the stacks. This requires the Golgi-matrix protein GM130, which continuously cycles between the cis-Golgi compartments and the EGCs. On acquiring GM130, the EGCs undergo homotypic tethering and fusion, maturing into larger and more homogeneous membrane units that appear primed for incorporation into the Golgi stacks. In the absence of GM130, this process is impaired and the EGCs remain as distinct entities. This induces the accumulation of tubulovesicular membranes, the shortening of the cisternae, and the breakdown of the Golgi ribbon. Under these conditions, however, secretory cargo can still be delivered to the Golgi complex, although this occurs less efficiently, and apparently through transient and/or limited continuities between the EGCs and the Golgi cisternae.     

Chlorophyll “a” content in cells of Antarctic phytoplankton

Material was collected from the Weddell Sea and the Bransfield Strait in January/April 1989. Data on size-taxonomic composition and biomass of phytoplankton communities and Ch1 concentration were obtained to estimate the chlorophyll a (Ch1) cell content. Single cell fluorescence measured microscopically was used as a relative index of cellular Ch1 content of individual species. The relationship between the species composition of the algal communities and the ratio of phytoplankton carbonCh1 concentration (CCh1) was found. Due to changes in species composition the average CCh1 ratio in March/April (56) was half that in January/February (115). The CCh1 ratio ranged from 24 to 215 (mean=101) in the upper mixed layer and from 14 to 69 (mean=37) in the pycnocline region. The distribution of cellular Ch1 within individual species showed lower heterogeneity in the mixed layer in comparison with that in the pycnocline and below. Below the mixed layer, populations consisted partly of dead cells with very low pigment content, while other cells had greatly increased cellular Ch1. At several stations this cellular Ch1 increase led to the formation of a deep Ch1 maximum.     

The solution synthesis of antisense oligonucleotide-peptide conjugates directly linked via phosphoramide bond by using a fragment coupling approach

To improve antisense oligonucleotide penetration inside cells, conjugates of oligonucleotides and cell-penetrating peptides, covalently linked through a phosphoramide bond, were prepared by a fragment coupling approach in the liquid phase. Two methods were used for this synthesis, i.e., phosphorylation of a peptide amino group by an oligonucleotide terminal phosphate 1-hydroxybenzotriazole ester in aqueous media or condensation of phosphate and amino groups in presence of triphenylphosphine, 2,2'-dithiopyridine and 4-dimethylaminopyridine in organic media. Several oligonucleotides, including a 18-mer antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide complementary to an internal coding region of the reporter gene of the green fluorescent protein (GFP) were prepared. Peptides derived from the third helix of the homeodomain of Antennapedia, the influenza envelope hemagglutinin subunit as well as melittin and polymyxin B were used for the conjugates' synthesis. The peptides with various amino acid composition were chosen to confirm that these coupling methods are of a general use.     

Boundaries between chromosomal domains of X inactivation and escape bind CTCF and lack CpG methylation during early development

Escape from X inactivation results in expression of genes embedded within inactive chromatin, suggesting the existence of boundary elements between domains. We report that the 5' end of Jarid1c, a mouse escape gene adjacent to an inactivated gene, binds CTCF, displays high levels of histone H3 acetylation, and functions as a CTCF-dependent chromatin insulator. CpG island methylation at Jarid1c was very low during development and virtually absent at the CTCF sites, signifying that CTCF may influence DNA methylation and chromatin modifications. CTCF binding sites were also present at the 5' end of two other escape genes, mouse Eif2s3x and human EIF2S3, each adjacent to an inactivated gene, but not at genes embedded within large escape domains. Thus, CTCF was specifically bound to transition regions, suggesting a role in maintaining both X inactivation and escape domains. Furthermore, the evolution of X chromosome domains appears to be associated with repositioning of chromatin boundary elements.     

Evaluation of antimicrobial resistance among <Emphasis Type="Italic">Salmonella</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Shigella</Emphasis> isolates in the University Hospital “St. George,” Plovdiv,Bulgaria

The aim of this work is to study the epidemiology and antimicrobial resistance to the most commonly used antibiotics for the treatment of acute gastroenteritis caused by Salmonella and Shigella at the largest Bulgarian hospital—University Hospital “St. George,” Plovdiv—for the period 2009–2013. Two hundred ninety strains were in vitro tested for resistance to 15 antimicrobial agents. The presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) was demonstrated by a variety of specialized tests. For comparison, a collection of 28 strains submitted by the National Reference Laboratory (NRL) “Enteric Infections” at the National Center of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases (NCIPD), Sofia, was also tested for the production of ESBLs. In isolates, phenotypically demonstrated as ESBL producers, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detection of the genes bla-CTX-M, bla-SHV, and bla-TEM was performed. Among the 290 tested isolates, only two— Salmonella serotype Livingstone and Shigella flexneri—were phenotypically proven to be ESBL producers. Only 4 strains from the collection of 28, submitted from the NRL “Intestinal Infections” in NCIPD, Sofia, were phenotypically confirmed as ESBL producers. The presence of the bla-CTX-M gene was detected in all of the tested strains (4 from NRL, NCIPD, Sofia, and 2 from the University Hospital St. George, Plovdiv), the bla-SHV gene only in strain S. Livingstone from Plovdiv, and the bla-TEM gene in two from Sofia and one (again S. Livingstone) from Plovdiv. In conclusion, Salmonella and Shigella isolates from patients hospitalized at the University Hospital St. George, Plovdiv, with acute gastroenteritis demonstrate good susceptibility to the most commonly used antibiotic agents, including azithromycin.     

Thiols as biomarkers of heavy metal tolerance in the aquatic macrophytes of Middle Urals,Russia

Aquatic macrophytes, viz. Sagittaria sagittifolia L., Lemna gibba L., Elodea canadensis Michx., Batrachium trichophyllum (Chaix.) Bosch., Ceratophyllum demersum L. and Potamogeton sp. (P. perfoliatus L., P. alpinus Balb., P. crispus L., P. berchtoldii Fieber, P. friesii Rupr., P. pectinatus L.) were collected from 11 sites for determining their metal accumulation and thiols content. Cu²⁺, Ni²⁺, Mn²⁺, Zn²⁺, and Fe³⁺ exceeded maximum permissible concentrations in chosen sites. Significant transfer of metals from water to leaves is observed in the order of Ni²⁺ < Cu²⁺ < Zn²⁺ < Fe³⁺ < Mn²⁺. The maximum variation of bioconcentration factor was noticed for manganese. The accumulation of heavy metals in leaves was correlated with non-protein and protein thiols, confirming their important role in metal tolerance. The largest contribution was provided by Cu²⁺ (on the average r = 0.88, p < 0.05), which obviously can be explained as an important role of these ions in thiols synthesis. Increased synthesis of thiols in the leaves allows the usage of SH-containing compounds as biomarkers of metal tolerance. Considering accumulation of metals and tolerance, B. trichophyllum, C. demersum and L. gibba are the most suitable species for phytoremediation of highly multimetal contamination, while E. canadensis and some species of Potamageton are suitable for moderately metal-polluted sites.