ASSESSING NORTHERN ELEPHANT SEAL FEEDING HABITS BY STOMACH LAVAGE

Stomach lavaging was used to study the feeding habits of northern elephant seals ( Mirounga angustirostris ) found on San Miguel Island, California, during the spring of 1984. Fifty-nine elephant seals were chemically immobilized with an intramuscular injection of ketamine hydrochloride. Once immobilized, an animal's stomach was intubated, filled with 3–4 liters of water to create a slurry of the undigested food items, and evacuated into a collection device. The stomachs of 57 (96.6%) of the animals lavaged contained identifiable parts of prey. Twenty-nine different food items were identified, 12 of which have not been previously reported as prey of the northern elephant seal: two teleost fish, Coryphaenoides acrolepis (Pacific rattail) and another unidentified macrourid; two crustaceans, Pasiphaea pacifica (glass shrimp) and Euphausia sp.; six squid, Abraliopsis felis, Gonatus berryi, Histioteuthis dofleini, Cranchia scabra, Taonius pavo, and Galiteuthis sp. and two octopi, Octopus dofleini and Octopus rubescens.     

Chromosome organisation in polyploid mouse trophoblast nuclei

At least one-third of mouse trophoblast cells undergo endoreduplication during the first half of gestation. It has been suggested that the endoreduplicated chromosomes may be polytenised. Here it is shown, using in situ hybridisation to the -1 antitrypsin genes, which map at a unique site, that while there is a tendency for duplicated chromosomes to cluster, this does not involve the complete fusion of replicated chromatids found in fully polytene chromosomes, and in a substantial proportion of homologues the sites on the chromosome arms corresponding to these genes are widely separated. The centromeres do not fuse into a single chromocentre but the possibility is not ruled out that individual chromosomes may be polytenised in the centromeric region. Evidence is also presented showing that endoreduplication in trophoblast nuclei is not accompanied by the formation of new prekinetochore structures, in contrast to the situation in polyploid mouse liver and C127 cells.     

Calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactivity in airway epithelial cells of the human fetus and infant

Summary Calcitonin gene-related peptide-immunoreactive cells were identified within the epithelium of distal conducting airways in the human fetus and infant. Several peptides and amines, including calcitonin, have been identified previously within a specific population of airway epithelial cells. These cells, referred to as pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, are postulated to be airway chemoreceptors responsible for changes in ventilation and perfusion in response to changes in airway gas composition. Calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive cells could be identified throughout the period of development studies (20 weeks gestation to 3 months of age), but were present in only limited numbers in less than 50% of individuals (n=23). In contrast, large numbers of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive cells were identified in 100% of infants (1–3 months, n=5) with bronchopulmonary dysplasia. The differential processing of mRNA transcribed from the calcitonin gene in neural and non-neural tissue suggests that calcitonin, rather than calcitonin gene-related peptide, is the primary product of translation in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells. However, considering the potent vasodilatory and bronchoconstrictive effects of calcitonin gene-related peptide, its presence in pulmonary neuroendocrine cells, even in small amounts, may be important in controlling pulmonary vaso- and/or bronchomotor tone. The presence of large numbers of calcitonin gene-related peptide immunoreactive cells in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia suggests that calcitonin gene-related peptide may be one further agent contributing to the pulmonary pathophysiology seen in this disease.     

Phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate and the measurement on inorganic pyrophosphate in plant tissues

This work provides further evidence that plants contain appreciable amounts of inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi), and that breakdown of phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate (PPRibP) does not contribute significantly to the PPi detected in plant extracts. Inorganic pyrophosphate in extracts of the roots of Pisum sativum L., clubs of the spadices of Arum maculatum L., and the developing endosperm of Zea mays L. was assayed with pyrophosphate fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase (EC 2.7.1.90), and with sulphate adenyltransferase (EC 2.7.7.4). The two different assays gave the same value for PPi content, and for recovery of added PPi. It was shown that PPRibP is converted to PPi during the extraction of PPi. However, the amounts of PPRibP in clubs of A. maculatum and the developing endosperm of Z. mays were negligible in comparison with the contents of PPi.Abbreviations EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - PFK(PPi) pyrophosphate fructose 6-phosphate 1-phosphotransferase - PPi inorganic pyrophosphate - PPRibP phosphoribosyl pyrophosphate