Non-marine Teredolites from the Middle Eocene of southern England

Middle Eocene, non-marine sediments from southern England contain examples of Teredolites borings in two contrasting palaeoenvironmental settings, viz.: (A) as in situ borings in an allochthonous lignite in an abandoned river channel and (B) as bored logs in cross-bedded fluvial sandstones of probable point-bar origin. The lignite is 0.30 m thick, of which the upper 0.20 m is intensely bored. Rounded pebbles of ?charcoal at its base also show small borings. A log in a fluvial sandstone shows densely-packed. radial club-shaped borings. now filled with sandstone. The wood substrate has subsequently been oxidized away. To our knowledge, this is the first detailed account of Teredolites from an ancient freshwater setting.     

Construction and characterization of Escherichia coli disruptants defective in the yaeM gene.

Escherichia coli disruptants defective in the yaeM gene, which is located at 4.2 min on the chromosome map, were constructed and characterized. The disruptants showed auxotrophy for 2-C-methylerythritol, a free alcohol of 2-C-methyl-D-erythritol 4-phosphate that is a biosynthetic precursor in the nonmevalonate pathway. This result clearly shows that the yaeM gene is indeed involved in this pathway in E. coli.