New gammaroid family, genera and species from subterranean waters of Japan, and their phylogenetic relationships (Crustacea: Amphipoda)

Luciobliviidae, a new family in the superfamily Gammaroidea (Amphipoda: Crustacea), is described on the basis of species in the genus Lucioblivio gen. nov. from subterranean waters of Japan. Mesogammaridae Bousfield, 1977 is rediagnosed; Octopupilla gen. nov. from subterranean waters of Japan is described and Eoniphargus (Uéno, 1955) from subterranean waters of Japan and Korea is included. The members of Lucioblivio , Octopupilla and Eoniphargus share several characters, including reduced eyes, a setose body, reduced coxae, feeble appendages and pedunculate coxal gills. To elucidate the phylogeny of the three genera among others, a sequence analysis of the 28S rRNA gene was conducted for 14 species in six families, including the three genera, from the superfamilies, Gammaroidea, Crangonyctoidea and Hadzioidea. The tree from a neighbour-joining analysis and the strict consensus tree from a maximum-parsimony analysis indicate monophyly of Mesogammaridae. Luciobliviidae is embedded within a clade of taxa belonging to the superfamily Gammaroidea. These results and the occurrence of gammarid-type calceoli in species of the new family indicate that Luciobliviidae should be placed within the superfamily Gammaroidea. © 2007 The Linnean Society of London, Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2007, 149 , 643–670.     

Embryology of Eusideroxylon (Cryptocaryeae, Lauraceae) and character evolution in the family

Lauraceae are relatively well-known embryologically and embryological data are available for 23 of about 50 genera. In this paper we present the embryology of Eusideroxylon , an unstudied and key genus within Cryptocaryeae, which are positioned basally in the evolution of Lauraceae, and discuss the evolution of embryological characters in the family. Based on comparisons of over 50 characters, it was found that Eusideroxylon is consistent with Aspidostemon , the core Cryptocaryeae ( Beilschmiedia , Cryptocarya , Endiandra and Potameia ), Caryodaphnopsis and Cassytha in having a glandular anther tapetum. The core Cryptocaryeae further agrees with both Caryodaphnopsis and Cassytha in having an embryo sac protruding from the nucellus. In light of the phylogenetic trees available, both the glandular tapetum and the embryo sac protruding from the nucellus have evolved as homoplasies in Lauraceae, once each in a clade of Cryptocaryeae, and the Caryodaphnopsis and Cassytha clade, respectively. Such character-state distributions suggest that it is better to place both Caryodapnopsis and Cassytha in the same clade as the core Cryptocaryeae. Embryologically, Eusideroxylon appears to have an intermediate state between Hypodaphnis , a genus positioned basal-most in the family, and the core Cryptocaryeae. Supplementary data on the anther and seed of Hypodaphnis are also provided.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 150 , 187–201.     

Species Specificity of the Insect Prothoracicotropic Hormone (PITH): the Presence of Bombyx-and Samia-Specific PTTHs in the Brain of Bombyx mori

Crude extracts of Bombyx mori brains can provoke adult development when injected into brain-removed dormant pupae of Bombyx mori and Samia Cynthia ricini. From this fact the prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) of Bombyx has long been thought to be species-nonspecifically active on Samia. Chemical fractionation of Bombyx brain or head extracts by fractional precipitation with acetone, Sephadex G-50 gel-filtration, and DEAE-Sepharose CL-6B chromatography, however, separated the fractions which activated Bombyx brainless pupae from those which activated Samia. Those results reveal the existence of two species-specific PTTHs.     

Reactivity of Monoclonal Antibodies to Species-Specific Antigens of Entamoeba histolytica

Twenty monoclonal antibodies were produced against trophozoites of Entamoeba histolytica strains HK-9 and HM-1: IMSS. When reactivity to various enteric protozoa was examined by an indirect fluorescence antibody test, 15 of the monoclonal antibodies were strongly reactive with E. histolytica trophozoites. Species-specific antigens recognized by these monoclonal antibodies were located on the plasma membrane, nucleus, cytoplasm, and cytoskeletal structures of the trophozoites. Two of the remaining five monoclonals reacted strongly with trophozoites of the E. histolytica -like Laredo strain. The determinant antigen was located in the cytoplasm. The three remaining monoclonal antibodies were found to recognize cross-reactive antigens between E. histolytica and E. histolytica -like Laredo, E. hartmanni, E. coli, Dientamoeba fragilis, Giardia lamblia , and Trichomonas hominis. These three antibodies were also reactive with T. vaginalis     

Influence of Pregnancy on the Course of Malaria in Mice Infected with Plasmodium berghei

The course of malarial infection was compared in pregnant mice inoculated with Plasmodium berghei at different stages of gestation. When 12–14 wk old, pregnant BALB/c mice were inoculated with 1 × 10⁶ of P. berghei NK65-infected red cells at gestation day 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 14 or 16, the mice inoculated on gestation days 6–12 expired 6.5 days after inoculation compared to 9.5 days in non-pregnant mice. Parasitemia in these pregnant mice increased rapidly on day 4 after inoculation and anemia also developed earlier on day 5. However, the degree of parasitemia and anemia in the terminal stage of infection in these pregnant mice was milder than that of non-pregnant controls. Blood urea nitrogen increased at the terminal stage although the degree of increase in mice inoculated on gestation days 6–10 was comparatively small. Pregnant malarial mice died earlier with less physiological changes than non-pregnant controls. It was concluded that pregnancy makes the host susceptible to physiological changes caused by malaria.     

Maintenance and Growth of the Horny Processes of the Medaka, Oryzias latipes, in Vitro

The maintenance and growth of the horny processes of the medaka, Oryzias latipes , were investigated in vitro by organ culture of the anal-fin. Processes were induced in adult females by oral administration of ethisterone. On this day, anal-fins were removed and cultured with in media containing androgen. Early processes elongated in these media during six to eight days of culture, though they degenerated in androgen-free control media. They developed to nearly the same degree as those in intact fins in medium 199 and CMRL-1066, while they degenerated to various extents in Eagle's MEM and Dulbecco's modified EM. These results suggest that scleroblasts maintain the mass and secrete the horny substance in vitro in the presence of androgen and essential nutrients. Early processes developed on the fifth day of treatment.     

OCCURRENCE AND FINE STRUCTURE OF SUBCORTICAL CYTOPLASMIC ISLETS IN FERTILIZED EGGS OF CYNOPS PYRRHOGASTER

Fertilized and unfertilized eggs of Cynops pyrrhogaster were examined by light and electron microscopy. In fertilized eggs that have just been laid, there are numerous small cytoplasmic patches free of granules in the pigmented layer of the animal hemisphere. Many of these granule-free cytoplasmic islets gradually grow out subcortically from the pigmented layer and fuse to form a subcortical layer of yolk-free cytoplasm of varying thickness by the time of the first cleavage division. The cytoplasmic islets are present in 100% of the fertilized eggs, but not in unfertilized eggs. Electron microscopic observations showed that the cytoplasmic islets contain tubules and that development of a complex system of cortical tubules constitutes the basis of the early growth of the cytoplasmic islets. The cortical tubules are transient structures and are no longer observable a few hours after the eggs are laid. These phenomena are considered to be a response of the egg to the fertilization stimulus.     

THE ROLE OF THE SEED-COATS IN GERMINATION OF PHOTOSENSITIVE LETTUCE SEEDS

1. In order to analyze the role of both the fruit-coat and theendosperm in the germination of Grand Rapids lettuce seed andin the elongation of the embryo, the seeds were subjected toa number of operations. The fruit-coat was found to make onlya minor con tribution to the photosensitivity of the seed. Thefact that 100% germination of these seeds can occur in completedarkness, when the restraining influence of the endosperm isremoved by appropriate cuts, makes clear that it is the integrityof the endosperm layer that lecides the photosensitivity ofthe seed to red and far-red light. Thus it is deduced that theeffect of light is exerted primarily on the mechanical propertiesof the endosperm layer.
2. Neither red nor far-red light wasfound to affect the elongationof the radicle of de-coated seeds,whereas both powerfully affectthe germination of intact seeds.It follows that radicle elongationis not itself the limitingfactor in germination, although ofcourse it follows immediatelyupon the germination process proper.
3. In order to account forthe ability of red light to initiategermination, it is proposedthat the final step in the germinationcontrol process is theproduction of an enzyme whose actionenables the tip of theradicle to penetrate through the coat.This makes it possiblefor the radicle to begin elongating.Although the detectionof such an enzyme in the radicle wasnot successful, the cotyledonsdo produce both a pectinase andan enzyme hydrolyzing carboxymethylcellulose.Furthermore, seedsinjected with a cellulolytic, hemicellulolyticor pectolyticenzyme germinated to nearly the maximum extentin the dark.This gives considerable support to the hypothesis.

¹ Present address: Johnson Foundation for Medical Physics, Universityof Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. (Received December 5, 1962; )     

ROLE OF SULFUR IN THE CELL DIVISION OF CHLORELLA, WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE SULFUR COMPOUNDS APPEARING DURING THE PROCESS OF CELL DIVISION. I.

1. The role of sulfur in the cell division of Chlorella was studiedby following the fate of the sulfur supplied to the sulfur-deficientcells using ³⁵S as a tracer.
2. The sulfur-deficient cells whichwere unable to perform celldivision were made capable of divisionby the provision of ³⁶S-labeledsulfate under non-photosynthesizingconditions. Soon after theprovision of sulfate the labeledsulfur went rapidly into thecold perchloric acid (PCA)-solublefraction of algal cells,almost entirely in the form of sulfateand/or some other inorganicsulfur substance (s). With the lapseof time, more or less remarkablechanges occurred in the patternof ³⁵S-distribution in differentfractions of cell material.It was noticed that, at the onsetof cell division, a sulfur-containingpeptide-nucleotide compound(s)(SPN), which has been reportedearlier, appeared in a largequantity in the cold PCA-solublefraction, and that its quantitydecreased gradually during thesubsequent process of cell division,suggesting that the compoundwas transformed into some othersubstance (s), presumably withits nucleotide moiety going intonucleic acids and the peptidemoiety going into some essentialproteins.
3. Another noteworthyphenomenon observed during the process ofcell division wasthe incorporation of ³⁶S in a group of hotPCA-soluble substances.These sulfur substances were revealedto be sulfur-containingnucleotidic compounds, which might possiblybe some essentialcomponents of, or substances in close relationto, deoxypentosenucleic acid (DNA).

(Received March 1, 1960; )