The petrosal bone and bony labyrinth of early to middle Miocene European deer (Mammalia,Cervidae) reveal their phylogeny

Deer (Cervidae) have a long evolutionary history dating back to the Early Miocene, around 19 million years ago. The best known fossils to document this history belong to European taxa, which all bear cranial appendages more or less similar to today's deer antlers. Despite the good fossil record, relationships of the earliest stem deer and earliest crown deer are much debated. This hampers precise calibration against the independent evidence of the fossil record in molecular clock analyses. While much has been written on the Early and Middle Miocene deer, only two phylogenetic analyses have been performed on these taxa to date mostly based on cranial appendage characters. Because the petrosal bone and bony labyrinth have been shown to be relevant for phylogeny in ruminants, we describe for the first time these elements for four iconic early cervids from Europe (Procervulus dichotomus, Heteroprox larteti, Dicrocerus elegans and Euprox furcatus) and include them in a phylogenetic analysis based on the ear region exclusively. The analysis recovered E. furcatus in a sister position to the living red deer (Cervus elaphus). Further, it placed D. elegans in a sister position to Euprox + Cervus and a clade Procervulinae that includes P. dichotomus and H. larteti, in sister position to all other deer. The inclusion of E. furcatus in crown Cervidae, which was previously suggested based on antler morphology, cannot be ruled out here but needs a more comprehensive comparison to other crown deer to be confirmed. J. Morphol. 277:1329–1338, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Matrix protein synthesis by glomerular mesangial cells in culture: Effects of transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) on fibronectin and collagen type IV mRNA

The pathogenesis of glomerular scarring is multifactional; recent evidence suggests that transforming growth factor β (TGFβ), a pleiotropic cicatricial mediator, may promote mesangial sclerosis by enhancing the production of extracellular matrix proteins. We studied the effect of TGFβ1 and TFGβ2 on collagen type IV and fibronectin (FN) synthesis in human glomerular mesangial cells in culture (GMC). Two hours after addition of TGFβ, an up to twofold increase in abundance of collagen type IV mRNA was found, which further increased up to fivefold within 24 h. Addition of cycloheximide did not inhibit the TGFβ effect, but caused by itself an up to twofold increase in the abundance of collagen type IV mRNA after 2 h. Together with collagen mRNA, the mRNA for FN and for platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) was also enhanced. PDGF was found to enhance abundance of the collagen type IV and fibronectin mRNA in GMC. A neutralizing antibody to PDGF or a PDGF-antisense oligonucleotide partly inhibited the TGFβ-induced increase of collagen type IV mRNA, suggesting that TGFβ can affect the collagen type IV synthesis not only directly but also indirectly via the synthesis of PDGF. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Combined prophylactic suppression of graft-versus-host and host-versus-graft reactions following treatment of prospective bone marrow recipients with rat IgG 2b anti-mouse T cell antibodies

A new approach to avoid typical complications from bone marrow transplantation into MHC different mice was studied. Rat monoclonal anti-Thy-1 antibodies of the IgG 2b isotype were identified, which inhibit T lymphocytes in vivo so that transplanted donor T cells as well as residual T cells of the conditioned marrow recipient were suppressed. A single injection of these antibodies after irradiation and before marrow transplantation did not only prevent graft-versus-host mortality but suppressed also host-versus-graft reactivity so that the radiation dose necessary for engraftment of donor cells differing in H-2, IA (both haplotypes) major histocompatibility antigens could be reduced to 6.0 Gy. In addition an anti-T leukemic cell effect from the injected monoclonal T cell antibodies was observed.     

Feeding and egestion rates of individual zooplankton using Cerenkov counting

Cerenkov radiation was used to measure ingestion and release by Brachionus calyciflorus and Daphnia pulex that were fed ³²P-labeled Rhodotorula glutinus. A method is described that uses automatic pipet tips as cages, permitting measurement of ingestion rates and isotope loss by individual animals. Estimated gut renewal times were 16 min for B. calyciflorus and 25–28 min for D. pulex. Filtering and ingestion rates for both animals agree closely with previous estimates. B. calyciflorus release ³²P at high rates in several pulses of short duration. Loss of ³²P by D. pulex occurs at a slower rate and in a single pulse sustained over a longer period. 32P release by B. calyciflorus was not dependent on the presence of food, whereas food influenced the timing and quantity of ³²P release by D. pulex.Financial support to JFH was provided by the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung.Financial support to JFH was provided by the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung.     

Cytologische Untersuchungen an Arten und Artbastarden von Aquilegia

Zusammenfassung Das Genom von Aquilegia besteht aus drei Paaren gleicher oder sehr ähnlicher Chromosomen, von denen mindestens eines fähig ist, Quadrivalente zu bilden. Deren Häufigkeit schwankt signifikant zwischen einzelnen Pflanzen. Außer den bekannten Ursachen für eine Hemmung des Partnerwechseins bei natürlichen Polyploiden wird eine neue zur Diskussion gestellt: Partnerwechsel ist nur dann möglich, wenn die Chromosomenpaarung an mehreren Stellen zugleich eingeleitet wird. Er könnte also völlig unterdrückt werden durch einen Mechnismus, der bewirkt, daß die Paarung regelmäßig an einem einzigen paarungsaktiven Punkt eingeleitet wird und sich von dort nach beiden Seiten hin fortsetzt. Dann ist auch bei völliger Homologie der Chromosomen kein Partnerwechsel möglich. Es wird diskutiert, ob ein solches Verhalten genetisch gesteuert sein könnte.Das unpaare Nukleolenchromosom ist extrem heterochromatisch und zeigt Strukturpolymorphismus. Seine beiden Schenkel sind morphologisch einander ähnlich und möglicherweise homolog. Die daraus folgenden Paarungskomplikationen könnten die Ursache für den Strukturpolymorphismus sein.Sehr kleine akzessorische Chromosomen wurden gefunden, die nur aus einem Centromer mit winzigen heterochromatischen Schenkeln zu bestehen scheinen.Herrn Prof. Dr. Friedrich Oehlkers zum 70. Geburtstag gewidmet.     

Die Muskulatur des Eileiters von Carausius morosus

Zusammenfassung An lebenden Muskelfasern aus dem Eileiter von Carausius morosus wurden die Veränderungen der A- und I-Zonen im Verlauf spontaner Kontraktionen beobachtet. Die A-Zone verkürzt sich in den Fasern, deren Sarkomerenlänge bei voiler Kontraktion gleich groß oder kürzer als die ruhende A-Zone wird. In kontrahierten A-Zonen treten keine Kontraktionsbanden auf. Auch extrem kontrahierte Sarkomeren zeigen noch eine schmale I-Zone. In manchen Fasern verkürzt sich während einer Kontraktionswelle die A-Zone nicht, sondern nur die I-Zone.

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Summary The appearance of living muscle fibres from the oviduct of Carausius morosus was observed with the polarizing microscope as it changes during spontaneous contractions. In many fibres the A-bands shorten. In these cases, the contracted sarcomeres are found to be as long as, or shorter than the length of resting A-bands. The A-bands look always homogeneous, no contraction bands are observed when they shorten. In fully contracted sarcomeres, the I-bands become narrow but they do not disappear. In many fibres, the A-bands remain constant, and only the I-bands shorten during contractions.