Effects of nest paper hydrocarbons on nest and nestmate recognition in colonies ofPolistes metricus say

The role of nest paper hydrocarbons in nest and nestmate recognition for the social waspPolistes metricus was examined. Newly emergedP. metricus workers maintained in the laboratory spent four days alone on a fragment of nest paper that was subjected to one of the following tretments: untreated, extracted with hexane to remove surface hydrocarbons, or extracted with extract reapplied. Test wasps were returned to their natal nest with nestmates and observed for 1 h. Time spent on nest by test wasp and its behaviors were recorded. Wasps exposed to untreated and reapplied nest fragments spent an average of 34.13 and 31.75 min on their nests, respectively, while wasps from extracted fragments averaged 17.19 min. Behavior of wasps exposed to extracted paper differed significantly from wasps exposed to paper with hydrocarbons. These results suggest that exposure to nest paper hydrocarbons is important for both nest and nestmate recognition.     

Incorporation of the yeast mitochondrial ribosomal protein Mrp2 into ribosomal subunits requires the mitochondrially encoded Var1 protein

Mrp2 is a protein component of the small subunit of mitochondrial ribosomes in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We have examined the expression of Mrp2 in yeast mutants lacking mitochondrial DNA and found that the steady-state level of Mrp2 is dramatically decreased relative to wild type. These data suggest that the accumulation of Mrp2 depends on the expression of one or more mitochondrial gene products. The mitochondrial genome of S. cerevisiae encodes two components of the small ribosomal subunit, 15S rRNA and the Var1 protein, both of which are necessary for the formation of mature 37S subunits. Several studies have shown that in the absence of Var1 incomplete subunits accumulate, which lack a limited number of ribosomal proteins. Here, we show that Mrp2 is one of the proteins absent from subunits lacking Var1, indicating that Var1 plays an important role in the incorporation of Mrp2 into mitochondrial ribosomal subunits.     

Detection of quantitative trait loci for agronomic,yield, grain and disease characters in spring barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

Quantitative trait loci (QTLs) have been revealed for characters in a segregating population from a spring barley cross between genotypes adapted to North-West Europe. Transgressive segregation was found for all the characters, which was confirmed by the regular detection of positive and negative QTLs from both parents. A QTL for all the agronomic, yield and grain characters measured except thousand grain weight was found in the region of the denso dwarfing gene locus. There were considerable differences between the location of QTLs found in the present study and those found in previous studies of North American germ plasm, revealing the diversity between the two gene pools. Thirty-one QTLs were detected in more than one environment for the 13 characters studied, although many more were detected in just one environment. Whilst biometrical analyses suggested the presence of epistasis in the genetic control of some characters, there was little evidence of interactions between the QTLs apart from those associated with yield. QTLs of large effect sometimes masked the presence of QTLs of smaller effect.     

Morphological differences between wild and hatchery-reared turbot

Reared 0-group turbot originating from Irish Sea stock were heavier at a given length than wild fish due to a greater body width and body depth. A very high incidence (96%) of abnormal lateral line canals was noted in the reared fish. It is suggested that these morphometric and morphological differences developed during the larval stage.     

Activities of CaMV 35S and nos promoters in pollen: implications for field release of transgenic plants

The expression of foreign genes in pollen may pose potentialproblems in the field release of transgenic plants, since pollenrepresents a route whereby foreign genes and their productsmay escape into the wider environment. The possible risks posedby cross-hybridization with wild relatives have been extensivelyexplored, but problems that may arise due to the expressionof foreign gene products in pollen have not been so widely studied.The activities of the CaMV 35S and nos promoters in pollen inpopulations of stably transformed plants and in transient expressionanalysis are described. These promoters are commonly used inall areas of plant molecular biology research and their expressionpatterns will be of interest to those involved in field releasestudies. The results show that both promoters had no detectablepollen activity in Arabidopsis, but both showed activity intobacco pollen. The CaMV 35S-gus gene fusion showed heritableexpression levels in tobacco pollen of up to a maximum of 64.6pmol 4-MU min^–1 mg ^–1 total protein. nos promoteractivity in transgenic tobacco pollen was highly variable, withGUS activities ranging from undetectable levels up to 2561 pmol4-MU min^–1 mg^–1 total protein within the transgenicpopulation. Histochemical staining of anther sections from 10–12mm buds revealed that the CaMV 35S promoter had some activityin the vascular bundle, stomium and tapetum, while GUS expressionfrom the nos promoter in sporophytic tissues was confined entirelyto the stomium. Key words: CaMV 35S promoter, nos promoter, pollen, transgenic plant release     

cDNA cloning and sequence analysis of the Xenopus laevis egg envelope glycoprotein gp43

The glycoproteins of the Xenopus laevis egg envelope function in fertilization and development. As the unfertilizable coelomic egg transits the pars recta region of the oviduct, it is converted to a fertilizable egg by limited proteolysis of the envelope glycoprotein gp43 to gp41. This conversion is caused by an oviductally secreted serine active site protease, oviductin. We cloned a cDNA for gp43 from an oocyte cDNA library. The cDNA encoded a 454 amino acid protein homologous to the ZPC family of glycoproteins previously shown to be present in mammalian and fish egg envelopes. Conserved ZPC domains and motifs present in the Xenopus sequence included a signal peptide sequence, an N-linked glycosylation site, and 12 aligned Cys residues. In mammalian and Xenopus sequences, a furin-like (convertase) site and a C-terminal transmembrane domain were present reflecting the biosynthesis of ZPC in these species via the secretory glycoprotein pathway. However, fish envelope glycoproteins lack these sequences since they are synthesized via a different route (in the liver, transported to the ovary, and assembled into the egg envelope surrounding the oocyte). Consensus amino acid residues were identified by sequence comparisons of seven ZPC family members; 19% of the amino acid residues were invariant and 48% of the residues were identical in at least four of the seven sequences. The consensus sequence was used to make structure-fertilization function predictions for this phylogenetically conserved family of glycoproteins.     

Changes in Telomerase Activity and Telomere Length during Human T Lymphocyte Senescence

It has been proposed that telomeres shorten with every cell cycle because the normal mechanism of DNA replication cannot replicate the end sequences of the lagging DNA strand. Telomerase, a ribonucleoprotein enzyme that synthesizes telomeric DNA repeats at the DNA 3′ ends of eukaryotic chromosomes, can compensate for such shortening, by extending the template of the lagging strand. Telomerase activity has been identified in human germline cells and in neoplastic immortal somatic cells, but not in most normal somatic cells, which senesce after a certain number of cell divisions. We and others have found that telomerase activity is present in normal human lymphocytes and is upregulated when the cells are activated. But, unlike the immortal cell lines, presence of telomerase activity is not sufficient to make T cells immortal and telomeres from these cells shorten continuously duringin vitroculture. After senescence, telomerase activity, as detected by the TRAP technique, was downregulated. A cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) cell line that was established in the laboratory has very short terminal restriction fragments (TRFs). Telomerase activity in this cell line is induced during activation and this activity is tightly correlated with cell proliferation. The level of telomerase activity in activated peripheral blood T cells, the CTL cell line, and two leukemia cell lines does not correlate with the average TRF length, suggesting that other factors besides telomerase activity are involved in the regulation of telomere length.     

Cryptosporidium sp. Infections in Green Turtles, Chelonia mydas, as a Potential Source of Marine Waterborne Oocysts in the Hawaiian Islands

For the first time, Cryptosporidium sp. oocysts were identified in fecal and intestinal samples from free-ranging marine turtles, Chelonia mydas, from the Hawaiian Islands. The oocysts produced positive reactions with commercial test kits recommended for the detection of human-infectious waterborne oocysts of Cryptosporidium parvum.     

THE EFFECT OF A HORN SNAIL ON ULVA EXPANSA (CHLOROPHYTA): CONSUMER OR FACILITATOR OF GROWTH?1

To determine whether California horn snails are more likely to be consumers or facilitators of Ulva expansa (Setch) S. & G. growth in estuaries, we conducted manipulative experiments that evaluated algal growth and the movement of N between the water column, algal tissue, and, in the second experiment, sediments. Algae grew poorly in the absence of sediments, drawing on their own sequestered N supplies (3.5% of dry weight reduced to <2%) and N released by snails and by depleting inorganic N in the water column. There was no evidence of consumption when snail densities ranged from 0 to 900.m^?2 (0, 3, 6, and 9 per aquarium), as algal growth was similar for all snail densities, and snail lengths did not increase during the 21–d experiment. when sediment was provided, N was depleted in the sediment and enhanced in the algal tissue. As in the first experiment, the water column was depleted of inorganic N and enriched with organic N, mostly in the dissolved form. Because both snails and macroalgae often dominate the shallow waters of southern California's lagoons and estuaries, our evidence that the snails are primarily facilitators of algal growth (via transfer of N from sediments to the water column) suggests that snails may play an important role in both food web and N dynamics.