Mobilizable carbon reserves in young peach trees as evidenced by trunk girdling experiments

The seasonal patterns in concentrations of both soluble (NSC-S)and insoluble (NSC-I) non-structural carbohydrates, in 3-year-oldpeach trees (Prunus persica L. Batsch) grown in sand cultureare described. The ability of trees to mobilize their carbohydratereserves in response to scion-trunk girdling, which preventsphotosynthate transport toward the roots, was tested at fourphenological stages. Girdling induces a NSC-I depletion in rootsand rootstock-trunk bark and a NSC-I accumulation in leavesand shoots. On the contrary, the NSC-S concentrations of theorgans located both above and below girdling were not significantlyaffected by the treatment. Consequently, when phloem transportbreaks down, trees, whatever their growing stage, mobilize carbohydratereserves below the girdle to maintain the soluble sugar contentsat the same level as in control trees. Key words: Girdling, non-structural carbohydrates, Prunus persica L., carbon reserves, seasonal patterns     

Sequence and secondary structure of Drosophila melanogaster 5.8S and 2S rRNAs and of the processing site between them.

Drosophila melanogaster 5.8S and 2S rRNAs were end-labeled with 32p at either the 5' or 3' end and were sequenced. 5.8S rRNA is 123 nucleotides long and homologous to the 5' part of sequenced 5.8S molecules from other species. 2S rRNA is 30 nucleotides long and homologous to the 3' part of other 5.8S molecules. The 3' end of the 5.8S molecule is able to base-pair with the 5' end of the 2S rRNA to generate a helical region equivalent in position to the "GC-rich hairpin" found in all previously sequenced 5.8S molecules. Probing the structure of the labeled Drosophila 5.8S molecule with S1 nuclease in solution verifies its similarity to other 5.8S rRNAs. The 2S rRNA is shown to form a stable complex with both 5.8S and 26S rRNAs separately and together. 5.8S rRNA can also form either binary or ternary complexes with 2S and 26S rRNA. It is concluded that the 5.8S rRNA in Drosophila melanogaster is very similar both in sequence and structure to other 5.8 rRNAs but is split into two pieces, the 2S rRNA being the 3' part. 2S anchors the 5.8S and 26S rRNA. The order of the rRNA coding regions in the ribosomal DNA repeating unit is shown to be 18S - 5.8S - 2S - 26S. Direct sequencing of ribosomal DNA shows that the 5.8S and 2S regions are separated by a 28 nucleotide spacer which is A-T rich and is presumably removed by a specific processing event. A secondary structure model is proposed for the 26S-5.8S ternary complex and for the presumptive precursor molecule.     

Complete nucleotide sequence of a gene encoding a functional human class I histocompatibility antigen (HLA-CW3)

The HLA-CW3 gene contained in a cosmid clone identified by transfection expression experiments has been completely sequenced. This provides, for the first time, data on the structure of HLA-C locus products and constitutes, together with that of the gene coding for HLA-A3, the first complete nucleotide sequences of genes coding for serologically defined class I HLA molecules. In contrast to the organisation of the two class I HLA pseudogenes whose sequences have previously been determined, the sequence of the HLA-CW3 gene reveals an additional cytoplasmic encoding domain, making the organisation of this gene very similar to that of known H-2 class I genes and also the HLA-A3 gene. The deduced amino acid sequences of HLA-CW3 and HLA-A3 now allow a systematic comparison of such sequences of HLA class I molecules from the three classical transplantation antigen loci A, B, C. The compared sequences include the previously determined partial amino acid sequences of HLA-B7, HLA-B40, HLA-A2 and HLA-A28. The comparisons confirm the extreme polymorphism of HLA classical class I molecules, and permit a study of the level of diversity and the location of sequence differences. The distribution of differences is not uniform, most of them being located in the first and second extracellular domains, the third extracellular domain is extremely conserved, and the cytoplasmic domain is also a variable region. Although it is difficult to determine locus-specific regions, we have identified several candidate positions which may be C locus-specific.     

Invertebrate muscle performance at high latitude: swimming activity in the Antarctic scallop, Adamussium colbecki

The escape swimming performance of the Antarctic scallop, Adamussium colbecki, was measured in animals acclimated for 6 weeks to –1, 0 or 2°C and tested at –1.5 to +1.5°C. Clap duration and swimming velocity were significantly related to temperature, but were not affected by acclimation, demonstrating no phenotypic plasticity. Comparisons of the mean swimming velocity of A. colbecki with the published data for temperate and tropical species showed little evidence for evolutionary compensation for temperature, with all data fitting to a single exponential relationship with a Q₁₀ of 2.08 (0–20°C). The contraction kinetics of the isolated fast adductor muscle of A. colbecki were determined and the times to 50% peak tension and 50% relaxation had Q₁₀s (0–4°C) of 3.6 and 4.7, respectively. The Q₁₀ of the overall relationship for pooled time to peak twitch data for four scallop species was 2.05 (0–20°C). Field studies revealed low mobility and poor escape performance in wild A. colbecki. A combination of thermodynamic constraints, reduced food supply, and lower selective pressure probably explains the low levels of swimming performance seen in A. colbecki.     

Pulmonary arterial distension does not cause pulmonary vasoconstriction

Distension of the main pulmonary artery or its major branches with an intraluminal balloon has been reported to cause pulmonary vasoconstriction by an unknown mechanism. This study was an attempt to confirm the pressor response and explore its cause. Several balloon distension methods were tried and discarded because they caused unintentional obstruction. Ultimately, I inflated a balloon placed retrogradely and confined to the left main pulmonary artery of six anesthetized open-chest dogs after ligating left lobar arterial branches. Blood flow and systemic gas composition were controlled by interposing an external pump oxygenator between the left ventricle and aorta. Pressures in the aorta, main pulmonary artery, and left atrium were recorded. Alveolar hypoxia was used as an independent test of pulmonary vasoreactivity. Although hypoxic pressor responses occurred, challenges with arterial distension did not change lung perfusion pressure. Silicone rubber casts were made of the arteries of six dogs used in pilot experiments. These revealed the limited lengths in which distenders can be placed without unintentional encroachment on flow. I could not support the conclusion that arterial distension causes vasoconstriction and am suspicious that the perfusion pressure increases reported by others may have been caused by undetected obstruction of a major arterial branch.     

MONITORING THE TREND OF HARBOR SEALS IN PRINCE WILLIAM SOUND,ALASKA, AFTER THE EXXON VALDEZ OIL SPILL

We used aerial counts to monitor the trend in numbers of harbor seals, Phoca vitulina richardsi, in Prince William Sound, Alaska, following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill. Repetitive counts were made at 25 haul-out sites during the annual molt period each year from 1990 through 1997. A generalized linear model indicated that time of day, date, and time relative to low tide significantly affected seal counts. When Poisson regression was used to adjust counts to a standardized set of survey conditions, results showed a highly significant decline of 4.6% per year. Unadjusted counts indicated a slight, but not statistically significant, decline in the number of seals. The number of harbor seals on the trend-count route in eastern and central PWS has been declining since at least 1984, with an overall population reduction of 63% through 1997. Programs to monitor long-term changes in animal population sizes should account for factors that can cause short-term variations in indices of abundance. The inclusion of such factors as covariates in models can improve the accuracy of monitoring programs.