Multiplication cellulaire et production lipidique en culture in vitro chez Taphrina insititiae et Taphrina pruni, parasites de Prunus domestica

Cellular Multiplication and Lipid Synthesis during in vitro Culture of Taphrina insititiae and Taphrina pruni, Parasites of Prunus domestica. Two Taphrina species were grown on “yeast extract/glucose” and harvested at regular intervals. Their growth was estimated by dry mycelial weight and cell nitrogen. Lipids were recovered and measured by weighing. Phospholipids, which form the major portion of polar lipids, were measured by phosphorus assay. Lipidic and nitrogenous products were studied with regard to the evolution of the cultures during the phase of active growth. The cells accumulated fats, but during the phase of autolysis, fat content decreased. Production of nitrogenous components was maximal during the autolytic phase. Phospholipids varied as nitrogenous and inversely to neutral lipids. There was apparently an antagonism between nitrogen assimilation and synthesis of neutral lipids. Different functions of neutral and polar lipids may be involved, so that the former act as a reserve material and the latter represent an essential structural cell constituent. Fatty acids were analysed by gas liquid chromatography at various culture periods. Fatty acids from polar as well as those from neutral lipids exhibited great variations with regard to culture evolution. The ratio insaturated/saturated fatty acids is greater in polar lipids than in neutral lipids. These variations are discussed with regard to their consequences for the function of cell membranes.     

Isolation and characterization of microsatellite loci in Amazonian red‐handed howlers Alouatta belzebul (Primates,Plathyrrini)

Ten highly polymorphic microsatellite loci are described for Amazonian red‐handed howlers (Alouatta belzebul), an endemic Brazilian primate species subject to intense hunting pressure. The number of alleles observed in 30 individuals ranged from nine to 20, and observed heterozygosity varied from 0.35 to 0.93. No linkage associations were evident from pairwise comparisons of loci. These microsatellites offer a powerful tool for fine‐scale studies of genetic structure in both captive colonies and wild populations of red‐handed howlers.