Gross structure and dimensions of the gills in a hill-stream sisorid catfish,Glyptothorax pectinopterus

Gross structure and dimensions of the gills have been examined in a hill-stream sisorid catfish,Glyptothorax pectinopterus, which remains adhered to rocks by means of an adhesive organ developed on the ventral side of the thorax. The fish shows a greater weight-specific gill area and greater length of the gill filaments by comparison with other hill-stream fishes. Adaptation for life in a hill-stream habitat is shown by the presence of additional filaments on the gills and patches of specialised cells on the filament epithelium.     

Transection of the aorta for repair of pulmonary artery branch stenosis after creation of a Waterston shunt

Closure of a Waterston shunt can usually be performed at the time of corrective surgery, either from the inside of the aorta or by detaching it from outside the aorta and patching the pulmonary artery. We propose a different approach for closing the shunt and repairing pulmonary artery stenosis.     

Synthesis of 5-Fluoro-1-(3-O-benzoyl-4, 6-dideoxy- β-L-GLYCERO-hex-3-enopyranos-2-ulosyl)uracil

Abstract

Synthesis of the title compound, an unsaturated ketohexo-pyranosyl nucleoside of 5-fluorouracil is reported. It was prepared by oxidation of the corresponding dibenzoylhexopyranosyl nucleoside with pyridinium dichromate/molecular sieves system.     

Growth and resilience responses of Scots pine to extreme droughts across Europe depend on predrought growth conditions

Global climate change is expected to further raise the frequency and severity of extreme events, such as droughts. The effects of extreme droughts on trees are difficult to disentangle given the inherent complexity of drought events (frequency, severity, duration, and timing during the growing season). Besides, drought effects might be modulated by trees’ phenotypic variability, which is, in turn, affected by long‐term local selective pressures and management legacies. Here we investigated the magnitude and the temporal changes of tree‐level resilience (i.e., resistance, recovery, and resilience) to extreme droughts. Moreover, we assessed the tree‐, site‐, and drought‐related factors and their interactions driving the tree‐level resilience to extreme droughts. We used a tree‐ring network of the widely distributed Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) along a 2,800 km latitudinal gradient from southern Spain to northern Germany. We found that the resilience to extreme drought decreased in mid‐elevation and low productivity sites from 1980–1999 to 2000–2011 likely due to more frequent and severe droughts in the later period. Our study showed that the impact of drought on tree‐level resilience was not dependent on its latitudinal location, but rather on the type of sites trees were growing at and on their growth performances (i.e., magnitude and variability of growth) during the predrought period. We found significant interactive effects between drought duration and tree growth prior to drought, suggesting that Scots pine trees with higher magnitude and variability of growth in the long term are more vulnerable to long and severe droughts. Moreover, our results indicate that Scots pine trees that experienced more frequent droughts over the long‐term were less resistant to extreme droughts. We, therefore, conclude that the physiological resilience to extreme droughts might be constrained by their growth prior to drought, and that more frequent and longer drought periods may overstrain their potential for acclimation.     

Diversity analysis of selected rice landraces from West Bengal and their linked molecular markers for salinity tolerance

Study of genetic diversity in crop plants is essential for the selection of appropriate germplasm for crop improvement. As salinity posses a serious environmental challenge to rice production globally and especially in India, it is imperative that the study of large collections of germplasms be undertaken to search for salt tolerant stocks. In the present study, 64 indica germplasms were collected from different agro-climatic zones of West Bengal, India, from the Himalayan foothills in the northern part down to the southern saline belt of the state keeping in view the soil characteristics and other edaphic factors prevailing in the region. Salt tolerance parameters were used to screen the large set of germplasms in terms of root-shoot length, fresh-dry weight, chlorophyll content, Na+/K+ ratio and germination potential in presence of salt. Standard evaluation score or SES was calculated to find out tolerant to sensitive cultivar. Twenty-one SSR markers, some associated with the Saltol QTL and others being candidate gene based SSR (cgSSR) were used to study the polymorphism of collected germplasm. A wide diversity was detected among the collected germplasms at the phenotypic as well as molecular level. Of the 21 SSR markers, 15 markers were found to be polymorphic with 88 alleles. Based on phenotypic and biochemical results, 21 genotypes were identified as salinity tolerant, whereas 40 genotypes turned out to be salt susceptible. The present study shows that apart from the established salt tolerant lines, several other landraces like Bonkanta, Morisal, Ghiosh, Patni may be the source of salt tolerant donor in future breeding programs.     

An In Silico Evaluation of Molecular Interaction Between Antimicrobial Peptide Subtilosin A of Bacillus subtilis with Virulent Proteins of Aeromonas hydrophila

International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics - Subtilosin A, a cyclic peptide from Bacillus subtilis is known for its antimicrobial activity against a diverse range of bacteria....     

Adaptor Protein Complex 2–Mediated Endocytosis Is Crucial for Male Reproductive Organ Development in Arabidopsis

Fertilization in flowering plants requires the temporal and spatial coordination of many developmental processes, including pollen production, anther dehiscence, ovule production, and pollen tube elongation. However, it remains elusive as to how this coordination occurs during reproduction. Here, we present evidence that endocytosis, involving heterotetrameric adaptor protein complex 2 (AP-2), plays a crucial role in fertilization. An Arabidopsis thaliana mutant ap2m displays multiple defects in pollen production and viability, as well as elongation of staminal filaments and pollen tubes, all of which are pivotal processes needed for fertilization. Of these abnormalities, the defects in elongation of staminal filaments and pollen tubes were partially rescued by exogenous auxin. Moreover, DR5rev:GFP (for green fluorescent protein) expression was greatly reduced in filaments and anthers in ap2m mutant plants. At the cellular level, ap2m mutants displayed defects in both endocytosis of N-(3-triethylammonium-propyl)-4-(4-diethylaminophenylhexatrienyl) pyridinium dibromide, a lypophilic dye used as an endocytosis marker, and polar localization of auxin-efflux carrier PIN FORMED2 (PIN2) in the stamen filaments. Moreover, these defects were phenocopied by treatment with Tyrphostin A23, an inhibitor of endocytosis. Based on these results, we propose that AP-2–dependent endocytosis plays a crucial role in coordinating the multiple developmental aspects of male reproductive organs by modulating cellular auxin level through the regulation of the amount and polarity of PINs.