Der frühlarvale Köcherbau von Micrasema longulum McL. (Trichoptera,Brachycentridae)

Case Construction of Young Larvae of Micrasema longulum McL. (Trichoptera, Brachycentridae) The method of case building used by the first three larval instars of Micrasema longulum is described. The initial case is constructed above the hatching aperture in the jelly of the egg mass, in the same way as it is done by other species of Brachycentridae. The material of the initial case is caught from drifting particles in running water. From the end of the first larval instar only silk is used for the extension of the case. Two silken layers of a very regular pattern are to be distinguished. The construction of the cloverleaf-shaped posterior aperture is described. Some of the methods used for the case building show a maturing process during ontogenesis.     

Die Chromosomenzahlen in den Leberzellen von Ratten verschiedenen Alters

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit Unterstützung der Deutschen Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

New insights in the cellular processing of platinum antitumor compounds, using fluorophore-labeled platinum complexes and digital fluorescence microscopy

The cellular distribution and processing pathways of two platinum compounds, modeling the antitumor drug cisplatin (cDDP) in human osteosarcoma (U2-OS) cells is reported. A [Pt(en)Cl] entity has been covalently linked to a carboxyfluorescein diacetate (CFDA) moiety and to a dinitrophenyl (DNP) moiety. The two different constructs were administered to living cell cultures that were analyzed using digital fluorescence microscopy. The non-fluorescent CFDA construct becomes fluorescent after cellular uptake and subsequent acetate hydrolysis by esterases, and is therefore suitable to monitor platinum in living cells; the DNP construct can be visualized by immunocytochemistry and consequently serves as a control. Both complexes were readily internalized by the cells, and localized throughout the whole cell. After 2-3 h the complex accumulated in the nucleus, but 6-8 h after incubation a punctuate staining of a cytoplasmic region was observed, that persisted and became more pronounced after 24 h. The overall fluorescence in the cell decreased over time, implying a secretion of the platinum complex. Surprisingly, the accumulation remained visible after 72 h. Co-localization experiments with a Golgi apparatus-selective stain indicate the involvement of Golgi vesicles in intracellular processing of cisplatin-derived complexes. Immunocytochemical studies, using the DNP derivative, resulted in very similar images as obtained with the CFDA construct. CFDA-boc (a non-platinum-containing fluorescein derivative) was used as control: a faint staining throughout the whole cell was observed. Cisplatin-resistant U2-OS/Pt cells showed staining patterns very similar to the U2-OS cells using both platinum constructs. This study illustrates that only a very small portion of the platinum complex eventually remains bound to DNA, as after 24 h no significant fluorescence could be observed in the nucleus. Cisplatin-derived complexes with fluorescent tags afford a new insight into the cellular processing of these complexes and therefore may contribute to further unraveling of the mechanism of platinum antitumor complexes.     

Signs of stabilisation and stable coexistence

Many empirical studies motivated by an interest in stable coexistence have quantified negative density dependence, negative frequency dependence, or negative plant–soil feedback, but the links between these empirical results and ecological theory are not straightforward. Here, we relate these analyses to theoretical conditions for stabilisation and stable coexistence in classical competition models. By stabilisation, we mean an excess of intraspecific competition relative to interspecific competition that inherently slows or even prevents competitive exclusion. We show that most, though not all, tests demonstrating negative density dependence, negative frequency dependence, and negative plant–soil feedback constitute sufficient conditions for stabilisation of two‐species interactions if applied to data for per capita population growth rates of pairs of species, but none are necessary or sufficient conditions for stable coexistence of two species. Potential inferences are even more limited when communities involve more than two species, and when performance is measured at a single life stage or vital rate. We then discuss two approaches that enable stronger tests for stable coexistence‐invasibility experiments and model parameterisation. The model parameterisation approach can be applied to typical density‐dependence, frequency‐dependence, and plant–soil feedback data sets, and generally enables better links with mechanisms and greater insights, as demonstrated by recent studies.     

On the patterns of abundance and diversity of macrolichens of Chopta-Tunganath in the Garhwal Himalaya

A total of 3211 colonies of macrolichens, from twelve 50 m × 10 m plots distributed across four macrohabitat (vegetation) types between 1500 m–3700 m in the Chopta-Tunganath landscape of the Garhwal Himalaya, yielded 13 families with 15 genera and 85 species.Lobaria retigera stood out as a broad-niched generalist species with moderate levels of abundance in all the three major microhabitats, viz. rock, soil and wood across 83% of all the plots sampled, whereasUmbilicaria indica emerged as an abundantly occurring specialist confined to rock substrates.Heterodermia incana andLeptogium javanicum appeared to be rare members of the community as they were encountered only once during the field survey. Woody microhabitats turned out to be richer than rock and soil substrates for macrolichens. Amongst the macrohabitats, middle altitude (2500–2800 m)Quercus forest was richest in species and genera followed by high altitude (2900–3200 m)Rhododendron forest, higher altitude grasslands (3300–3700 m) and then the lower elevation (1500 m)Quercus forest. Species, genus and family level alphaas well as beta-diversities were significantly correlated with each other, implying that higher taxonomic ranks such as genera may be used as surrogates for species thus facilitating cost- and time-effective periodic monitoring of the biodiversity of macrolichens. Dynamics of the diversity of lichen communities in relation to various forms of environmental disturbance including livestock grazing and tourism as dominant land use activities in the higher Himalaya need further research.     

A novel homozygous 10 nucleotide deletion in BBS10 causes Bardet–Biedl syndrome in a Pakistani family

Bardet–Biedl Syndrome is a multisystem autosomal recessive disorder characterized by central obesity, polydactyly, hypogonadism, learning difficulties, rod-cone dystrophy and renal dysplasia. Bardet–Biedl Syndrome has a prevalence rate ranging from 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 160,000 births although there are communities where Bardet–Biedl Syndrome is found at a higher frequency due to consanguinity. We report here a Pakistani consanguineous family with two affected sons with typical clinical features of Bardet–Biedl Syndrome, in addition to abnormal liver functioning and bilateral basal ganglia calcification, the latter feature being typical of Fahr's disease. Homozygous regions obtained from SNP array depicted three known genes BBS10, BBS14 and BBS2. Bidirectional sequencing of all coding exons by traditional sequencing of all these three genes showed a homozygous deletion of 10 nucleotides (c.1958_1967del), in BBS10 in both affected brothers. The segregation analysis revealed that the parents, paternal grandfather, maternal grandmother and an unaffected sister were heterozygous for the deletion. Such a large deletion in BBS10 has not been reported previously in any population and is likely to be contributing to the phenotype of Bardet–Biedl Syndrome in this family.     

Enzyme Thermistor Analysis of Penicillin in Standard Solutions and in Fermentation Broth

Immobilized penicillinase was applied in an enzyme thermistor for calorimetric analysis of samples containing penicillin G. Standard solutions as well as extracts from fermentation broth were analyzed. The enzyme was applied bound either to porous glass or, when dealing with crude preparations, to the inner surface of nylon tubing. In the fermentation system studied, high concentrations of penicillin were present, thus allowing dilution to reduce the influence of the composition of the medium on the analysis. The useful linear concentration range was from 0.1 to 100 mM. The coefficient of correlation between analytical results obtained with the present method and those from conventional assays was 0.997.