Changing taxonomic and functional β-diversity of cladoceran communities in Northeastern and South Brazil

Hydrobiologia - Disturbances caused by both natural and anthropogenic forces can drive changes in alpha and beta taxonomic diversity and be accompanied by losses or gains in freshwater ecosystem...     

Enhancement of the photodynamic activity of tri-cationic porphyrins towards proliferating keratinocytes by conjugation to poly-S-lysine.

A fast uptake of the tri-cationic 5-(4-carboxyphenyl)-10,15,20-tris(4-methylpyridinium-4-yl)porphyrin tri-iodide (P-H), independent of the presence or absence of proteins in the culture medium, occurs during incubation of NCTC 2544 human keratinocytes with this porphyrin. By contrast, the uptake of the poly-S-lysine conjugate (P-(Lys)(n)) is faster in serum-free medium than in the supplemented medium suggesting that P-(Lys)(n) interacts with serum proteins. The P-(Lys)(n) uptake is almost an order of magnitude greater than that of P-H in serum-free or supplemented culture medium. With histidine as a specific probe of type II photodynamic reactions, the relative photosensitizing effectiveness of the conjugate is only one fourth that of P-H. Nevertheless, the photocytotoxicity of the conjugate is strongly enhanced as compared to that of P-H as a result of its larger uptake. Thus, the doses achieving 50% of photocytotoxicity after incubation with 5 microM of the conjugate and its parent cationic porphyrin are about 20 min and 1 h, respectively. Similarly, the initial rate of the cell lipid peroxidation induced by photosensitization with P-(Lys)(n) is about 8 times higher than that obtained with P-H. Fluorescence microscopy reveals that P-H is more diffusely located in the cytoplasm than P-(Lys)(n) which seems to accumulate in lysosome-like structures. Little if any staining of the nucleus is observed with both photosensitizers.     

Establishment of chasmogamous and cleistogamous seedlings of an ant-dispersed UNDERSTORY HERB,CALATHEA MICANS (Marantaceae)

This study compares the establishment success of cleistogamous (CL, obligately selfed) and chasmogamous (CH, potentially outcrossed) seeds of the neotropical understory herb, Calathea micans (Marantaceae). In this species, CH and CL seeds are morphologically identical and are both dispersed by ants. I measured dispersal distances and analyzed seedling recruitment and seedling size for ant-planted CH and CL seeds, a protocol made possible by the fact that the seed coat of C. micans can be indelibly marked and remains attached to the base of the seedling for a few months. Seeds were taken by ants from experimental depots placed in natural conditions. In a second experiment, I planted CH and CL seeds in gap and understory sites to determine the effects of seed type and light on germination percentage, date of emergence, and seed and seedling survivorship. Ant-planted CH and CL seedlings did not differ in dispersal distance. CH and CL seeds did not differ significantly in recruitment probability and seedling size in either experiment. However, for the ant-planted seedlings, CH recruitment was higher in the understory than in the gap, while CL recruitment was uniform across light environments. In conclusion, I found a difference in the establishment success of CH and CL seeds in this understory herb, only after dispersal by ants in field conditions.     

Flavonoid variability within and between natural populations of Pinus uncinata

A total of 120 individual trees representative of Pinus uncinata were analysed for their foliar flavonoid content. The ratio of two extracted anthocyanidins, prodelphinidin and procyanidin, is a constant. Among the flavonols quercetin, kaempfrerol and isorhamnetin, the percentage of quercetin discriminates the five studied populations. Its distribution conforms to the Hardy-Weinberg law, but the ratio of the two implicit alleles proves the originality of each population, and leads to the recognition of distinct chemotypes.     

Equine CTNNB1 and PECAM1 nucleotide structure and expression analyses in an experimental model of normal and pathological wound repair

Background  

Wound healing in horses is fraught with complications. Specifically, wounds on horse limbs often develop exuberant granulation tissue which behaves clinically like a benign tumor and resembles the human keloid in that the evolving scar is trapped in the proliferative phase of repair, leading to fibrosis. Clues gained from the study of over-scarring in horses should eventually lead to new insights into how to prevent unwanted scar formation in humans. cDNA fragments corresponding to CTNNB1 (coding for β-catenin) and PECAM1, genes potentially contributing to the proliferative phase of repair, were previously identified in a mRNA expression study as being up-regulated in 7 day wound biopsies from horses. The aim of the present study was to clone full-length equine CTNNB1 and PECAM1 cDNAs and to study the spatio-temporal expression of mRNAs and corresponding proteins during repair of body and limb wounds in a horse model.     

Evolution de la radioactivité des cellules neurosécrétrices de la pars intercerebralis chez Locusta migratoria migratorioides (Insecte Orthoptère) après injection de cystéine S35

Résumé Après injection de cystéine S³⁵, les cellules A, B, C et les neurones banaux de la pars intercerebralis chez Locusta (femelles immatures et mûres) sont radioactifs. Le taux d' incorporation de la cystéine S³⁵ dans les cellules B est identique chez toutes les femelles et il est légèrement supérieur à celui des neurones banaux. Ces résultats confirment l'inactivité sécrétoire protéique des cellules B. Les cellules C incorporent 3 à 5 fois plus de cystéine S³⁵ que les neurones banaux. Elles synthétisent donc une ou plusieurs protéines contenant de la cystéine ce qui réaffirme leur activité neurosécrétrice chez Locusta. Les cellules A possèdent le taux d'incorporation de cystéine S³⁵ le plus élevé: 5 à 8 fois celui des neurones banaux.Chez toutes les femelles, les cellules A synthétisent plus de neurosécrétion et en éliminent proportionellement plus que les cellules C. La neurosécrétion A est élaborée sous sa forme figurée plus rapidement (30 min) que la neurosécrétion C (60 min). Le renouvellement de la neurosécrétion A est donc quantitativement plus important et plus rapide que celui de la neurosécrétion C. Chez les femelles immatures, les cellules A et C synthétisent plus de matériel et en éliminent proportionnellement plus que chez les femelles mûres. Le temps nécessaire à l'élaboration et à la vidange des grains de neurosécrétion A est identique chez toutes les femelles. Il en est de même pour le matériel C. Le renouvellement des neurosécrétions A et C est donc plus important chez les femelles immatures que chez les femelles mûres mais il n'est pas plus rapide. L'accumulation du matériel fuchsinophile dans les cellules A et C lors de la maturation ovarienne correspond à une réduction de leur fonction neurosécrétrice: elle résulte d'une diminution de l'activité d'élimination des cellules neurosécrétrices A et C supérieure à l'affaiblissement de leur activité de synthèse.

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Evolution of the radioactivity of the neurosecretory cells of pars intercerebralis in Locusta migratoria migratorioides (insect orthoptera) after injection of ³⁵S-cysteineAn autoradiographic study by optical and electronic microscopy

Summary After injection of ³⁵S-cysteine, the A, B, C cells and the ordinary neurones of pars intercerebralis in Locusta — immature and mature females — are radioactive. The rate of incorporation of ³⁵S-cysteine into the B cells is the same for all the females, and it is slightly higher than the rate of incorporation of ³⁵S-cysteine into the ordinary neurones. These results demonstrate the proteinic secretory inactivity of the B cells. The C cells incorporate 3 to 5 times more ³⁵S-cysteine than ordinary neurones. Thus, the C cells synthesize one protein or several proteins with cysteine; this observation confirms their neurosecretory activity in Locusta. The A cells have the highest rate of incorporation of ³⁵S-cysteine: 5 to 8 times the one of ordinary neurones.In all the females, the A cells produce and release proportionally more neurosecretion than the C cells. The production of granules is faster in A cells (30 min) than in C cells (60 min). The turnover of the A neurosecretion is consequently higher and quicker than the C neurosecretion. In immature females, the A and C cells synthesize and release proportionally more material than in mature females. The time necessary for production and release of the A neurosecretion is the same for all the females. It is so for the C material. The turnover of the A and C neurosecretions is thus more important in immature females than in mature females but it is not more rapid. The accumulation of stainable neurosecretory material in A and C cells at the time of ovarian maturation is associated with a reduction of their neurosecretory activity: it is due to a decrease of the rate of release of the A and C cells being more important than their rate of production.

     

Osmotic stress alters the balance between organic and inorganic solutes in flax (Linum usitatissimum)

Flax (Linum usitatissimum) is grown for its oil and its fiber. This crop, cultivated in temperate regions, has seen a renewed interest due to the presence of abundant molecules of interest for many applications. Little information is available about the behavior of flax during osmotic stress; yet this is considered a major stress that causes significant yield losses in most crops. To control the presence of this stress better, flax behavior was investigated following the application of osmotic stress and the response was examined by applying increasing concentrations of PEG 8000. This resulted in the reorganization of 32 metabolites and 6 mineral ions in the leaves. The analysis of these two types of solute highlighted the contrasting behavior between a higher metabolite content (particularly fructose, glucose and proline) and a decrease in mineral ions (especially nitrate and potassium) following PEG treatment. However, this reorganization did not lead to a greater accumulation of solutes, with the total amount remaining unchanged in leaves during osmotic stress.