Non-reciprocal cross-incompatibility in Trichogramma deion

In non-reciprocal cross-incompatibility (NRCI), the crossing of a female of a strain A with a male of a strain B results in hybrid offspring, whereas the reciprocal cross produces few or no hybrids. Only females are of hybrid origin in Hymenoptera because they arise from fertilized eggs; males arise from unfertilized (haploid) eggs. Crosses between many strains of Trichogramma deion showed some degree of NRCI. Crosses between a T. deion culture collected in Seven Pines, California (SVP) with one from Marysville, California (MRY) showed an extreme form of NRCI in which practically no female offspring was produced when MRY females were crossed with SVP males. The reciprocal cross produced a close to normal proportion of female and male offspring. Detailed studied of this cross indicated that 1) the female offspring produced in the compatible interstrain cross were not the result of parthenogenesis but were true hybrids, 2) the incompatible interstrain cross did not produce female offspring because fertilized eggs died during development, 3) the death of these eggs could not be prevented by either antibiotic or temperature treatment, 4) cytoplasmically inherited factors causing NRCI could be discounted because backcrossed females with the genome of MRY and the cytoplasm of SVP, exhibit the NRCI relationship characteristic of their genome. Therefore the NRCI between these strains appears to be caused by a modification coded for by the nuclear genes of MRY that results in incompatibility when SVP sperm fertilizes MRY eggs. In addition the level of incompatibility in crosses between the SVP females and MRY males is temperature sensitive, the higher the rearing temperature the lower the level of compatibility.     

Sperm motility initiation factor is a minor component of the Pacific herring egg chorion

Polyclonal antibodies were generated to the 105 kDa herring sperm motility initiation factor (SMIF) and used to explore the role of SMIF in sperm-egg interaction. Using sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and immunoblotting with SMIF antibodies, it was demonstrated that SMIF is present as a minor (4–7% of total chorion protein) component of the chorion. The major polypeptides in the chorion migrated at 117 kDa and in a grouping between 48–54 kDa, with other minor bands above and below. The only detectable glycosylated component was the 105 kDa band, which was resolved at two isoelectric points (8.22 and 8.31) after isoelectric focusing gel electrophoresis. Using antibodies to SMIF, fertilization was blocked, sperm motility was inhibited in vitro in the presence of solubilized SMIF and SMIF binding sites on sperm were localized. Lastly, SMIF was localized to the region of the herring egg that encircles the micropyle.     

Comparing the spectroscopic and electrochemical properties of ruthenium and osmium complexes of the tridentate polyazine ligands 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine and 2,3,5,6-tetrakis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine

A number of osmium and ruthenium complexes of the tridentate ligands 2,2′:6′,2″-terpyridine (tpy) and 2,3,5,6-tetrakis(2-pyridyl)pyrazine (tpp) have been prepared and characterized by our laboratory. All these complexes possess metal based oxidations and ligand based reductions localized on each polyazine ligand. Polymetallic complexes bridged by the tpp ligand exhibit two sequential tpp based reductions prior to the reduction of other polyazine ligands in these complexes. The spectroscopy of these complexes is dominated by ligand based π-π^* transitions in the ultraviolet and MLCT (metal-to-ligand charge transfer) bands terminating on each polyzine ligand in the visible. For the complexes reported herein the lowest lying optical transitionis a M → BL CT band. For most of the complexes reported, occupation of this excited state gives rise to an observable emission at room temperature. For ruthenium complexes of these tridentate ligands, the presence of a low-lying LF state shortens the excited state lifetimes of these chromophores. This gives rise to ruthenium complexes that display shorter excited state lifetimes than the analogous osmium based systems. Incorporation of tpp based chromophores into polymetallic frameworks leads to the production of bimetallic species with long-lived excited states, 100 ns at room temperature. This makes these chromophores good candidates for the development of stereochemically defined supramolecular complexes. It is possible to measure an electrochemical HOMO-LUMO energy gap and a correlation between this electrochemically measured energy gap and the spectroscopic energy associated with this HOMO→LUMO transition are reported herein (HOMO== highest occupied molecular orbital, LUMO = lowest unoccupied molecular orbital).     

Expression of c-Fos in subcutaneous adipose tissue of the fetal pig

Calcium oxalate crystal growth and aggregation leads to the formation of renal calculi. It is known to be inhibited by several compounds both in vitro and in vivo conditions. The present study highlights the inhibitory potential of sodium pentosan polysulphate (SPP), a semi-synthetic glycosaminoglycan (GAG) on calcium oxalate crystal growth in vitro. Its efficacy was compared with those of known inhibitors like pyrophosphate, heparin and chondroitin-4-sulphate. Of the above compounds pyrophosphate was found to be the most potent inhibitor. Among the GAGs, SPP exhibited 80% inhibitory activity as compared to heparin. A lesser degree of inhibition was observed with chondroitin-4-sulphate.     

Zinc status does not affect aluminum deposition in tissues of rats

To examine whether zinc deficiency would increase the toxicity of dietary aluminum, weanling, male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed purified diets containing either 2 or 30 mg Zn/kg diet, with or without 500 mg Al/kg diet for 28 d. Individually pair-fed rats were fed the 30 mg Zn/kg diet with or without added aluminum to control for inanition secondary to zinc deficiency. Rats fed the 2 μg Zn/kg diet showed evidence of zinc deficiency, including anorexia, growth retardation, and depressed concentrations of zinc in tibias and livers. Zinc deficiency did not significantly increase the concentrations of aluminum in the tibias, livers, kidneys, or regions of the brain examined (cerebrum, cerebellum, midbrain, and hippocampus). Inclusion of aluminum in the diet did not alter aluminum concentrations in the various tissues. Under the conditions of this study, zinc deficiency did not result in greater sensitivity to dietary aluminum exposure.     

Phytochrome control of short-day-induced bud set in black cottonwood

In trees and other woody perennial plants, short days (SDs) typically induce growth cessation, the initiation of cold acclimation, the formation of a terminal bud and bud dormancy. Phytochrome control of SD-induced bud set was investigated in two northern clones of black cottonwood (Populus trichocarpa Torr. & Gray) by using night breaks with red light (R) and far-red light (FR). For both clones (BC-1 and BC-2), SD-induced bud set was prevented when R night breaks as short as 2 min were given in the middle of the night. When night breaks with 2 min of R were immediately followed by 2 min of FR, substantial reversibility of bud set was observed for BC-1 but not for BC-2. By comparing the effects of the R night breaks on bud set and the length of specific internodes, we determined that the R night breaks influenced internode elongation in two opposing ways. First, the addition of a R night break to the SD treatment prevented the cessation of internode elongation that is associated with bud set. Those internodes that would not have elongated under SDs (and would have been found within the terminal bud) elongated in the R treatment. Second, the R night breaks decreased internode length relative to the long-day (LD) control. In contrast to the clonal differences in reversibility that we observed for bud set, the decrease in internode length (i.e. the second effect of R) was R/FR reversible in both clones. Based on these results, we conclude that internode elongation is influenced by two distinct types of phytochrome-mediated response. The first response is a typical response to photpperiod, whereas the second response is a typical “end-of-day” response to light quality. Our results demonstrate that SD-induced bud set in black cottonwood is controlled by phytochrome but that clonal differences have an important influence on the R/FR reversibility of this response. The availability of an experimental system in which SD-induced bud set is R/FR reversible will be valuable for studying the physiological genetics of photoperiodism in trees.     

Influence of chlorobenzoates on the utilisation of chlorobiphenyls and chlorobenzoate mixtures by chlorobiphenyl/chlorobenzoate-mineralising hybrid bacterial strains

Chlorobenzoates (CBA) arise as intermediates during the degradation of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and some chlorinated herbicides. Since PCBs were produced as complex mixtures, a range of mono-, di-, and possibly trichloro-substituted benzoates would be formed. Chlorobenzoate degradation has been proposed to be one of the rate-limiting steps in the overall PCB-degradation process. Three hybrid bacteria constructed to have the ability to completely mineralise 2-, 3-, or 4-monochlorobiphenyl respectively, have been studied to establish the range of mono- and diCBAs that can be utilised. The three strains were able to mineralise one or more of the following CBAs: 2-, 3-, and 4-monochlorobenzoate and 3,5-dichlorobenzoate. No utilisation of 2,3-, 2,5-, 2,6-, or 3,4-diCBA was observed, and only a low concentration (0.11 mM) of 2,4-diCBA was mineralised. When the strain with the widest substrate range (Burkholderia cepacia JHR22) was simultaneously supplied with two CBAs, one that it could utilise plus one that it was unable to utilise, inhibitory effects were observed. The utilisation of 2-CBA (2.5 mM) by this strain was inhibited by 2,3-CBA (200 M) and 3,4-CBA (50 M). Although 2,5-CBA and 2,6-CBA were not utilised as carbon sources by strain JHR22, they did not inhibit 2-CBA utilisation at the concentrations studied, whereas 2,4-CBA was co-metabolised with 2-CBA. The utilisation of 2-, 3-, and 4-chlorobiphenyl by strain JHR22 was also inhibited by the presence of 2,3- or 3,4-diCBA. We conclude that the effect of the formation of toxic intermediates is an important consideration when designing remediation strategies.Abbreviations PCB Polychlorinated biphenyl - CBA Chlorobenzoate     

Zooplankton community response to reservoir aging

Changes in zooplankton diversity and density in response to reservoir aging in Pawnee Reservoir were investigated. Zooplankton samples collected from April 1992 through April 1993, were compared to a similar study conducted after initial impoundment by Helzer (1971), in 1968–1970. Since this initial study, increases in turbidity and resulting changes in biotic interactions significantly altered the zooplankton community. A significant increase in total zooplankton density and a decrease in species richness were observed between study periods. Density increased from 24.6 to 95.4 individuals L^–1, while the number of taxa declined from fourteen to ten. During this time period, Cyclops vernalis became the dominant zooplankter in the reservoir. The density of this predatory copepod increased significantly, from 0.1 l^–1 in 1968–1970, to 44.3 l^–1 in 1992–1993, which accounted for most of the increase in total zooplankton density. Though a greater spring maximum of another dominant, Bosmina spp. was found during the 1992–1993 study period, the annual density of this cladoceran was not significantly different between study periods. Similar trends for Daphnia ambigua and D. parvula were also observed, as greater spring maxima levels were attained, however overall annual densities were not significantly different. The dominance of C. vernalis (46% of annual density) and Bosmina spp. (33%), indicate that these two zooplankters were tolerant of changes in physical conditions resulting from reservoir aging and biotic interactions that followed in the reservoir during the 22 years between study periods.     

EVOLUTIONARY SHIFTS IN THE SPECTRAL PROPERTIES OF SPIDER SILKS

We measured the reflectance properties of unpigmented silks spun by a systematic array of primitive (Deinopoidea) and derived (Araneoidea) aerial, web-spinning spiders, as well as silks spun by Araneomorphae and Mygalomorphae spiders that do not spin aerial webs. Our data show that all of the primitive aerial web spinners produce catching silks with a spectral peak in the ultraviolet (UV), and cladistic analysis suggests that high UV reflection is the primitive character state for silk spectral properties. In contrast, all of the derived aerial web spinners produce silks that are spectrally flat or characterized by reduced reflectance in the UV. Correlated with the evolution of these catching silks is a 37-fold increase in species number and apparent habitat expansion. This suggests that the unique silk proteins spun by the araneoids have been important to their ecological and evolutionary diversity.