History of diatom research in The Netherlands and Flanders

The history of diatom research in The Netherlands and Flanders is summarized in this report. A. van Leeuwenhoek observed diatoms as early as 1702. The first inventories were made in The Netherlands by R. B. van den Bosch (1846) and in Flanders by J.-J. Kickx (1867). Diatoms were already used in geological research in the second half of the nineteenth century. The Synopsis by H. van Heurck (1880–1885) enabled many twentieth century workers to do applied research for geological and ecological purposes.     

Biogeographic context is related to local scale tree demography,co-occurrence and functional differentiation

Identifying the drivers of community structure and dynamics is a major pursuit in ecology. Emphasis is typically placed on the importance of local scale interactions when attempting to explain these fundamental ecological patterns. However, regional scale phenomena are also important predictors. The importance of regional scale context should be more evident in assemblages where multiple species are close to their range margins. Here, we test the importance of regional scale context using data from a temperate forest plot that contains two species groups – one near its northern range limit and one near its southern range limit. We show the proximity of species to their southern or northern range margins is linked to local scale co-occurrence, similarity in gene expression responses to a key environmental driver, demographic performance and inter-specific variation in conspecific negative density dependence. In sum, many of the key local scale patterns and processes of interest to community ecologists are linked to biogeographic context that is frequently ignored.     

Differential expression of two related amino acid transporters with differing substrate specificity in Arabidopsis thaliana

A general amino acid permease cDNA ( AAP2 ) was isolated from Arabidopsis by complementation of a yeast mutant defective in citrulline uptake. Direct transport measurements in yeast show that the protein mediates uptake of l -[¹⁴C]-citrulline and l -[¹⁴C]-proline. Detailed analyses of the substrate specificity by competition studies demonstrate that all proteogenic amino acids are recognized by the carrier, including those that represent the major transport forms of reduced nitrogen in many species, i.e. glutamine, glutamate and asparagine. Thus, AAP2 is less selective as compared with AAP1 and transports basic amino acids such as histidine as shown by expression in a histidine transport-deficient yeast strain. The predicted polypeptide of 53 kDa is highly hydrophobic with 12 putative membrane-spanning regions and shows significant homologies to the Arabidopsis broad specificity permease AAP1, and a limited homology to bacterial branched chain amino acid transporters, but not to any other known proteins. Alterations in the charged residues as compared with AAP1 in four regions might be involved in the difference in selectivity towards basic amino acids. Both genes are highly expressed in developing pods indicating a role in supplying the developing seeds with reduced nitrogen. AAP2 is selectively expressed in the stem and might therefore play a role in xylem-to-phloem transfer of amino acids during seed filling. Furthermore in situ hybridization shows that both genes are expressed in the vascular system of cotyledons in developing seedlings.     

Selection of cold‐tolerant plants for growth in soils contaminated with organics

A mixture of organic chemicals (MOC) containing equal molar amounts of benzoic acid, hexadecane, 2,2‐dimethyl 4,n‐propyl‐benzene, phenanthrene, pyrene, and either cycloheptane or cis‐decahydronaphthalene (cis‐decalin) was applied to soil at rates of 0 to 8000 mg/kg. In a plant‐screening experiment, growth responses of four legume and five nonlegume species were determined at 10 and 25°C. The MOC applied at 2000 mg/kg reduced the growth of several species without resulting in significant seedling death. At 10°C, the growth of alpine bluegrass (Poa alpina L.) in the 1000 and 2000 mg/kg treatments of soil increased by more than 185%. In a plant growth response experiment, alpine bluegrass and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) were grown in soil that had been contaminated at rates of 0 and 2000 mg/kg. At 14 weeks, the shoot and root dry weights of alfalfa were 97% lower in the contaminated soil, while the shoot dry weight, root dry weight, and root length of alpine bluegrass were 135,235 and 268% higher, respectively. Except for pyrene, <23% of the compounds comprising the MOC remained in the soil after 4 weeks and <5% after 14 weeks. The disappearance of the MOC was not significantly influenced by the presence of alfalfa or alpine bluegrass.     

Preparation of Insect Chromosomes for Immunolabeling

We describe a method for isolating chromosomes from testes of the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, and their subsequent incubation with antibodies directed against chromosomal proteins. The procedure involves hypotonic pretreatment of the germ cells, centrifugation onto coverslips in a cytocentrifuge and immunolabeling, while still unfixed, using a chromatin-stabilizing buffer. In the present case, an antibody specific for the acetylated isoforms of his tone H4 was tested. After the antibody treatment, the preparations are fixed using formaldehyde, stained with a DNA-specific fluorescent dye and mounted. Analysis of the preparations revealed good preservation of chromosome structure in prophase spermatogonia and late prophase I spermatocytes. Fully condensed chromosomes were not observed and are probably lost during preparation. The bright fluorescence of the autosomes indicates that the reaction between the antibody against acetylated histone H4 and its chromosomal antigen is not impeded. In contrast, the X univalent remained unstained with the exception of a small terminal band. Thus, cytospin preparations of locust germ cells allow high resolution immunolabeling with antibodies against chromosome-associated proteins.     

Qualitative mathematical discussion of different evolutionary states in water transport systems of plants

We shall present several qualitative mathematical models to describe the early evolution of water transport systems in plants. To perform this in a systematic way we apply methods which have been developed in phenomenological synergetics. These methods rest on the fact that it becomes possible to describe the macroscopic behavior of a complex system by a set of control and order parameters when they are suitably identified. Our presentation is addressed to community with interdisciplinary interests.     

Interleukin-12 gene expression after viral infection in the mouse.

Interleukin-12 is a lymphokine that triggers gamma interferon secretion by various cells and differentiation of T-helper lymphocytes towards the Th1 subtype. Since viruses are potent inducers of gamma interferon production and elicit immune responses most probably mediated by Th1 cells, like B-cell immunoglobulin G2a secretion, we analyzed interleukin-12 message expression after infection of mice with lactate dehydrogenase-elevating virus, mouse hepatitis virus, and mouse adenovirus. Our results indicated that the message for the p40 component of interleukin-12 was transiently increased shortly after infection. Interleukin-12 was expressed mainly by macrophages. Therefore, production of interleukin-12 might constitute the initial event that would determine the subsequent characteristics of the immune response elicited by viral infections.