The changes in the dominance hierarchy over time of a complete field-captured colony of Cryptomys hottentotus hottentotus

The common mole-rat, Cryptomys h. hottentotus , is a social subterranean rodent occurring in colonies in which one female and one to three males are involved in reproduction and the remaining colony members are non-reproductive. Within each sex the reproductive animals are usually the largest and most dominant animals.
The dominance hierarchy amongst a field-captured colony was linear ( h = 0.95, calculated from Landau's linearity index) soon after capture. The non-reproductive females were ranked low in the dominance hierarchy; many were subordinate to non-reproductive males. The order of capture of mole-rats was not related to the position in the dominance hierarchy. The hierarchy became non-linear ( h = 0.56) after six months in captivity during which two juvenile animals became adult. The breakdown in the hierarchy may result from the lack of opportunity in captivity for animals to disperse and establish satellite colonies, or from colony members becoming co-dominant in the hierarchy as a result of a rise in rank by young animals.
Dominant mole-rats are involved in a greater proportion of interactive behaviours than subordinates. Popularity studies show that females tend to be more popular animals than males. The largest reproductive male was the least popular animal in the first study, whereas a beta male was the least popular animal in the second study period. The reproductive female was the most popular in both periods.     

Chromosomal Organization of Rrna Operons in Bacillus Subtilis

Integrative mapping with vectors containing ribosomal DNA sequences were used to complete the mapping of the 10 rRNA gene sets in the endospore forming bacterium Bacillus subtilis. Southern hybridizations allowed the assignment of nine operons to distinct BclI restriction fragments and their genetic locus identified by transductional crosses. Nine of the ten rRNA gene sets are located between 0 and 70 degrees on the genomic map. In the region surrounding cysA14, two sets of closely spaced tandem clusters are present. The first (rrnJ and rrnW) is located between purA16 and cysA14 closely linked to the latter; the second (rrnI, rrnH and rrnG) previously mapped within this area is located between attSPO2 and glpT6. The operons at or near the origin of replication (rrnO,rrnA and rrnJ,rrnW) represent "hot spots" of plasmid insertion.     

Instability of rRNA operons in Bacillus subtilis.

Many laboratory strains of Bacillus subtilis contain 9 rather than 10 rRNA operons due to deletions occurring within the rrnJ-rrnW or rrnI-rrnH-rrnG gene cluster. These operons are members of two sets of closely spaced clusters located in the cysA-aroI region. Analysis of rescued DNA from integrants with insertions into rrnG and rrnH indicated that these tandemly arranged operons allowed frequent deletions of an rrn operon equivalent. These events may arise spontaneously by intrachromosomal recombination or by simultaneous double crossovers with a multimeric integrative plasmid.     

Trichothecenes produced by Stachybotrys atra from Eastern Europe.

A total of 17 isolates of Stachybotrys atra isolated from various parts of Hungary and Czechoslovakia were grown on rice, and the toxin production of each isolate was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography. Of the 17 isolates, 14 produced macrocyclic trichothecenes (satratoxins F, G, and H, roridin E, and verrucarin J) as well as trichoverrols A and B. Most isolates produced satratoxins G and H in higher quantities than the other trichothecenes. The yield (in milligrams) of trichothecenes produced by one isolate grown on 800 g of rice was as follows: roridin E, 12; satratoxin F, 10; satratoxin G, 75; satratoxin H, 100; trichoverrol A, 15; and trichoverrol B, 30.     

Proteolytic cleavage of [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine-labelled nucleoside transporter in human erythrocytes.

The transmembrane topology of the nucleoside transporter of human erythrocytes, which had been covalently photolabelled with [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine, was investigated by monitoring the effect of proteinases applied to intact erythrocytes and unsealed membrane preparations. Treatment of unsealed membranes with low concentrations of trypsin and chymotrypsin at 1 degree C cleaved the nucleoside transporter, a band 4.5 polypeptide, apparent Mr 66 000-45 000, to yield two radioactive fragments with apparent Mr 38 000 and 23 000. The fragment of Mr 38 000, in contrast to the Mr 23 000 fragment, migrated as a broad peak (apparent Mr 45 000-31 000) suggesting that carbohydrate was probably attached to this fragment. Similar treatment of intact cells under iso-osmotic saline conditions at 1 degree C had no effect on the apparent Mr of the [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine-labelled band 4.5, suggesting that at least one of the trypsin cleavage sites resulting in the apparent Mr fragments of 38 000 and 23 000 is located at the cytoplasmic surface. However, at low ionic strengths the extracellular region of the nucleoside transporter is susceptible to trypsin proteolysis, indicating that the transporter is a transmembrane protein. In contrast, the extracellular region of the [3H]cytochalasin B-labelled glucose carrier, another band 4.5 polypeptide, was resistant to trypsin digestion. Proteolysis of the glucose transporter at the cytoplasmic surface generated a radiolabelled fragment of Mr 19 000 which was distinct from the Mr 23 000 fragment radiolabelled with [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine. The affinity for the reversible binding of [3H]cytochalasin B and [3H]nitrobenzylthioinosine to the glucose and nucleoside transporters, respectively, was lowered 2-3-fold following trypsin treatment of unsealed membranes, but the maximum number of inhibitor binding sites was unaffected despite the cleavage of band 4.5 to lower-Mr fragments.     

Thermoregulation and metabolism in the smallest African gerbil, Gerbillus pusillus

The effect of temperature on thermoregulation, metabolism, evaporative water loss and thermal conductance was studied in Gerbillus pusillus . Its resting body temperature (TB) was 34·6°C, approximately 5°C higher than the mean ambient temperature (TA) encountered in its burrow. As TA increased above 34°C, its ability to lose heat to the environment decreased. It overcame this problem by tolerating increases in TB to a non-lethal maximum of 41°C, whilst also eliminating increasing quantities of obligate heat by pulmocutaneous evaporation and conduction.
Metabolic rate was 41% lower than that predicted from Kleiber's (1975) allometric equation. This confers a considerable saving in energy in an environment where food is often scarce, whilst simultaneously reducing heat production and the degree of gaseous exchange in the already oxygen-poor and carbon dioxide-rich environment encountered in the plugged burrows of its natural milieu.
Gerbillus pusillus , therefore, does not maintain strict homeothermy and utilizes a labile TB and reduced metabolic rate as an adaptive mechanism for survival in the arid zones of tropical Africa.     

Population fluctuations, reproduction and survival in the Striped fieldmouse Rhabdomys pumilio on the Cape Flats, South Africa

A wild population of Striped fieldmice was studied for a continuous period of five years in an area of alien Acacio bush about 24 km from Cape Town, South Africa. Mice were live-trapped, marked by toe-clipping and released on a 60-station grid, and also kill-trapped in a separate area. Marked annual fluctuations in the population size were correlated with a 6–8 month summer breeding season. There were also marked inter-annual differences in peak population size. The age of sexual maturity of females was determined from the first pregnancy which occurred at 6–7 weeks old; and of males from the presence of visible spermatozoa in the vas deferens which occurred at about 11 weeks old. Litter size was affected by both the age and the body mass of the female. It appeared that mean survival from birth was only approximately 1.5 months and that survival from first capture was about 1.9–2.5 months. This high mortality appeared to be the major reason for the sharp seasonal fluctuations in population size and may also have been responsible for the interannual differences since marked changes in survival were recorded between some years.     

Passive exposure to tobacco smoke: saliva cotinine concentrations in a representative population sample of non-smoking schoolchildren.

Saliva cotinine concentrations in 569 non-smoking schoolchildren were strongly related to the smoking habits of their parents. When neither parent smoked the mean concentration was 0.44 ng/ml, rising to 3.38 ng/ml when both parents were cigarette smokers. Mothers'' smoking had a stronger influence than did fathers'' (p less than 0.01). In addition, there was a small independent effect of number of siblings who smoked (p less than 0.01). The dose of nicotine received from fathers'' smoking was estimated as equivalent to the active smoking of 30 cigarettes a year, that from mothers'' smoking as equivalent to smoking 50 cigarettes a year, and that from both parents smoking as equivalent to smoking 80 cigarettes a year. This unsolicited burden may be prolonged throughout childhood and poses a definite risk to health.