Entamoeba histolytica: Collagenolytic Activity and Virulence1

Several axenic strains of pathogenic and nonpathogenic Entamoeba histolytica were tested for their capacity to digest native radioactive type I collagen gels and to produce liver abscesses when injected into the liver of newborn hamsters. The results demonstrate that the pathogenic strains of amebas (HM1:IMSS, HM3:IMSS, HM38:IMSS, and HK9) have a collagenolytic activity that closely correlates with their in vivo capacity to produce liver lesions. The nonpathogenic isolate (Laredo) did not show collagenolytic activity and failed to produce lesions in the liver of newborn hamsters. The results also demonstrate that type I collagen obtained from rodents and cats is degraded less by amebic collagenase than is bovine collagen, which is similar to human collagen. These findings suggest that species susceptibility to invasive infection may depend, among other factors, on the characteristics of the extracellular components of host tissues.     

Leukocyte migration in guinea pigs. II. Partial characterization of a leukocyte migration inhibitory factor distinct from macrophage migration inhibitory factor.

In this study we present data on the partial biological and biochemical characterization of guinea pig leukocyte migration inhibition factor (LIF) and migration inhibition factor (MIF). The results indicate that guinea pig LIF and MIF are distinct mediators of cellular immunity, in terms of indicator cells affected and molecular weight. This is in agreement with previous reports showing distinctions between human LIF and MIF. Partial characterization of guinea pig LIF suggested that it is a heat-stable protein of molecular weight 68,000–158,000 and does not contain terminal sialic acid groups.     

Construction of a plasmid containing the complete coding region of human elongation factor 2.

A plasmid pUChEF-2 containing the coding sequence as well as the complete 3'-untranslated region (3'UTR) of human EF-2 mRNA was constructed. The plasmid construct was assembled from a cDNA insert of pHGR81 (Rapp et al., (1988) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 369, 247-250) comprising the C-terminal portion of the coding region and the 3'UTR, as well as a polymer chain reaction PCR fragment (Rapp et al., (1989) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 370, 1071-1075) covering the missing part of the coding region from the amino-terminus.     

An ethological framework for animal bioerosion trace fossils upon mineral substrates with proposal of a new class, fixichnia

Animal bioerosion trace fossils upon mineral substrates are analyzed from the point of view of the Seilacherian ethological classification. Several of the currently accepted ethological classes: cubichnia, fugichnia, repichnia, fodinichnia, agrichnia, calichnia and aedificichnia are not represented in these substrates. This fact points out a lower behavioral diversity of hard substrate trace fossils when compared with soft sediment trace fossils. Bioerosion traces can be classified in just five classes: domichnia, pascichnia, equilibrichnia, praedichnia and fixichnia. Fixichnia is here erected to gather superficial etching scars resulting from the anchoring of fixation of sessile epiliths by means of a soft or skeletal body part. Praedichnia and fixichnia are exclusive of the bioerosion realm.     

Two closely linked tomato HKT coding genes are positional candidates for the major tomato QTL involved in Na+/K+ homeostasis

The location of major quantitative trait loci (QTL) contributing to stem and leaf [Na⁺] and [K⁺] was previously reported in chromosome 7 using two connected populations of recombinant inbred lines (RILs) of tomato. HKT1;1 and HKT1;2, two tomato Na⁺‐selective class I‐HKT transporters, were found to be closely linked, where the maximum logarithm of odds (LOD) score for these QTLs located. When a chromosome 7 linkage map based on 278 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) was used, the maximum LOD score position was only 35 kb from HKT1;1 and HKT1;2. Their expression patterns and phenotypic effects were further investigated in two near‐isogenic lines (NILs): 157‐14 (double homozygote for the cheesmaniae alleles) and 157‐17 (double homozygote for the lycopersicum alleles). The expression pattern for the HKT1;1 and HKT1;2 alleles was complex, possibly because of differences in their promoter sequences. High salinity had very little effect on root dry and fresh weight and consequently on the plant dry weight of NIL 157‐14 in comparison with 157‐17. A significant difference between NILs was also found for [K⁺] and the [Na⁺]/[K⁺] ratio in leaf and stem but not for [Na⁺] arising a disagreement with the corresponding RIL population. Their association with leaf [Na⁺] and salt tolerance in tomato is also discussed.     

外源氮输入和水分变化对荒漠草原凋落物分解的影响

全球气候变化背景下,大气氮沉降和降水变化日益显著,其对荒漠草原凋落物分解的影响存在很大的不确定性.采用裂区设计,设置主区为自然降雨、增雨30%和减雨30% 3个水分处理,副区为0(N₀)、30(N₃₀)、50(N₅₀)和100 kg·hm^-2·a^-1(N₁₀₀)4个氮素水平,经过21个月(2016年1月—2017年10月)水氮处理,研究水氮共同作用对荒漠草原常见物种猪毛菜、短花针茅和木地肤3种植物凋落物分解的影响.结果表明: 3种凋落物干物质残留率随时间增加而减少,用Olson负指数衰减模型拟合效果较好,凋落物分解系数(k)大小为猪毛菜>短花针茅>木地肤.增雨30%N₁₀₀处理分解系数最高,为0.028.单因素处理下,增雨30%和N₅₀的凋落物分解最快.水氮共同作用下,增雨 30%N₁₀₀处理凋落物分解最快.3种凋落物初始化学全氮含量大小为猪毛菜>短花针茅>木地肤,猪毛菜和短花针茅k值与全氮含量呈显著正相关;全碳含量、纤维素含量、木质素含量、C/N、木质素/N和纤维素/N大小为木地肤>短花针茅>猪毛菜,猪毛菜k值与各指标均呈显著负相关,短花针茅和木地肤k值与C/N、木质素/N和纤维素/N均呈显著负相关.猪毛菜分解最快,木地肤分解最慢.适量的水、氮添加有利于荒漠草原凋落物的分解,可以促进土壤养分循环,对荒漠草原可持续发展及生态平衡有积极作用.