Die Mauser des Baumfalken (Falco subbuteo)

Ohne Zusammenfassung     

Ribosomal proteins

Summary The proteins of E. coli ribosomes were separated by a specially developed type of preparative polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and proteins corresponding to 16 of the separated bands have so far been isolated. The amino acid compositions and the tryptic peptide maps of these proteins show certain degree of similarity as well as distinct differences. Determination of molecular weights revealed a wide range: The lowest molecular weight was 9,000 and the highest 41,000 for the proteins so far studied.The similarities between various ribosomal proteins in their amino acid compositions and their peptide maps on one hand and the wide range in their molecular weights on the other hand can be explained by a hypothesis involving gene duplications.     

Insulin stimulates proteolysis of the alpha-subunit, but not the beta-subunit, of its receptor at the cell surface in rat liver.

Insulin receptors in rat liver plasma membranes contain two alpha- and two beta-subunits held together by interchain disulphide bonds ([alpha beta]2 receptors). Affinity-labelled receptors were digested with chymotrypsin or elastase and then exposed to dithiothreitol before solubilization from membranes and SDS/polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. This resulted in partial reduction and isolation of Mr-225,000 alpha beta, Mr-200,000 alpha 1 beta, Mr-165,000 alpha beta 1 and Mr-145,000 alpha 1 beta 1 receptor halves containing intact (alpha, beta) or degraded (alpha 1, beta 1) subunits. The ability to identify half-receptor complexes containing intact or degraded subunits made it possible to assay each subunit simultaneously for insulin-induced proteolysis in isolated plasma membranes or during perfusion of rat liver in situ with insulin. In liver membranes, insulin binding increased the fraction of receptors containing degraded alpha-subunits to about one-third of the total population during 2 h of incubation at 23 degrees C. beta-Subunit proteolysis increased only minimally during this time. Plasma membranes isolated from livers perfused with insulin at 37 degrees C contained degraded alpha-subunits but only intact beta-subunits, showing that insulin induced cell-surface proteolysis of the binding, but not the kinase, domain of its receptor. Since previous observations [Lipson, Kolhatkar & Donner (1988) J. Biol. Chem 263, 10495-10501] have shown that receptors containing degraded alpha-subunits are internalized but do not recycle, it is possible that cell-surface degradation may play a role in the regulation of insulin-receptor number in hepatic tissue. Proteolysis of the beta-subunit is not a likely mechanism by which receptor-kinase activity may be attenuated under physiological conditions.     

Variance-component estimation from human sibship data

The large-sample relative efficiencies of the analysis-of-variance (ANOVA) estimators of variance components and the intraclass correlation coefficient rho are investigated for the unbalanced single classification in the context of family studies. The efficiency of an analysis based on the method of unweighted group means is also investigated. From a Monte Carlo study which generates the group sizes from typical family-size distributions it is found that the relative efficiency of the ANOVA estimators of the between-group variance component exceeds 95% for values of .2 less than or equal to rho less than or equal to .4, but can fall below 60% for values of rho that are very close to zero. For the estimation of the between-group variance component the method of unweighted means tends to be preferable to the ANOVA method only if rho greater than .5.     

Frostbite in a pre-Columbian mummy

Radiographs of a prehistoric inhabitant of the Atacama desert show pathological bone changes which are consistent with frostbite, gangrene and autoamputation. The burial position of the body suggests a reversal of sex roles during life, possibly resulting from the frostbite injuries.     

Interferon-alpha down-regulates insulin receptors in lymphoblastoid (Daudi) cells. Relationship to inhibition of cell proliferation

The Daudi line of human lymphoblastoid cells requires insulin and transferrin for growth in serum-free medium and is highly sensitive to the inhibitory effect of human leukocyte interferon (IFN-alpha) on cell proliferation. A variant subline of Daudi cells, which is resistant to the antiproliferative action of IFN-alpha, also has been grown in serum-free medium containing insulin and transferrin. The proliferation of IFN-sensitive and -resistant Daudi cells is dependent on the occupancy of insulin receptors, with optimal cell proliferation observed at high receptor occupancy (nearly 100%). No evidence was found for receptors for insulin-like growth factor I on Daudi cells. IFN treatment of IFN-sensitive cells decreased the capacity of the cells to bind 125I-insulin. The altered binding capacity was due to diminished specific, lower affinity insulin binding, as detected at high 125I-insulin concentrations. Higher affinity insulin binding was not altered by IFN. Insulin binding was also reduced in detergent-solubilized extracts from IFN-treated sensitive Daudi cells and the magnitude of the effect was comparable to that observed in intact cells. This indicates that the total number of insulin binding sites (surface + internal) is decreased in IFN-treated sensitive cells. Insulin binding to IFN-sensitive cells decreased linearly with time between 6 and 48 h from the addition of IFN. The effect on lower affinity insulin binding developed more rapidly than the inhibitory effect of IFN on cell proliferation. The insulin-binding capacity of Daudi cells resistant to the antiproliferative effect of IFN was unaffected by IFN, despite the fact that these cells contain as many cell surface IFN receptors as sensitive cells. These observations raise the possibility that lower affinity insulin binding is important in the growth-promoting actions of insulin.     

Simulated heatwave conditions associated with global warming affect development and competition between hyperparasitoids

Anthropogenic global warming and attendant effects like heatwaves affect the biology and ecology of both individuals and species within and across different trophic levels. Here, we examined the effects of a simulated heatwave on development of and competition between two hyperparasitoid wasps, Lysibia nana and Acrolyta nens when attacking the same host, cocoons of the primary parasitoid, Cotesia glomerata. Parasitized hosts were exposed to three different day and night temperature regimes (low, medium and high) that reflect cool, normal and heatwave conditions in the Netherlands. We found that higher temperatures decreased survival to eclosion more strongly in the hyperparasitoids than in their host. Heatwave conditions also shortened development time and led to the production of smaller adult wasps of both hyperparasitoid species in singly parasitized hosts. In multiparasitized hosts, L. nana won most of the contests when it oviposited first, irrespective of the time interval between the first and second parasitism, whereas A. nens only dominated when it had a 24 h head start or longer. Most importantly, our results show that L. nana in particular benefited in competition at higher temperatures, perhaps due to an increase in the metabolic rate and more rapid egg and/or larval development. This may potentially reduce opportunities for coexistence following heat waves. Our results suggest that heatwaves associated with global warming will enhance the rate of development, but negatively affect survival and other fitness‐related traits in (hyper)parasitoids. Moreover, the outcome of larval competition may be determined via physiological responses that are species‐specific and thus influence phenology.