Habitat connectivity, more than species’ biology, influences genetic differentiation in a habitat specialist, the short-eared rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis)

It is difficult to assess the relative influence of anthropogenic processes (e.g., habitat fragmentation) versus species’ biology on the level of genetic differentiation among populations when species are restricted in their distribution to fragmented habitats. This issue is particularly problematic for Australian rock-wallabies (Petrogale sp.), where most previous studies have examined threatened species in anthropogenically fragmented habitats. The short-eared rock-wallaby (Petrogale brachyotis) provides an opportunity to assess natural population structure and gene flow in relatively continuous habitat across north-western Australia. This region has reported widespread declines in small-to-medium sized mammals, making data regarding the influence of habitat connectivity on genetic diversity important for broad-scale management. Using non-invasive and standard methods, 12 microsatellite loci and mitochondrial DNA were compared to examine patterns of population structure and dispersal among populations of P. brachyotis in the Kimberley, Western Australia. Low genetic differentiation was detected between populations separated by up to 67?km. The inferred genetic connectivity of these populations suggests that in suitable habitat P. brachyotis can potentially disperse far greater distances than previously reported for rock-wallabies in more fragmented habitat. Like other Petrogale species male-biased dispersal was detected. These findings suggest that a complete understanding of population biology may not be achieved solely by the study of fragmented populations in disturbed environments and that management strategies may need to draw on studies of populations (or related species) in undisturbed areas of contiguous habitat.     

The age-dependent epigenetic and physiological changes in an Arabidopsis T87 cell suspension culture during long-term cultivation

Plant cell suspension cultures represent good model systems applicable for both basic research and biotechnological purposes. Nevertheless, it is widely known that a prolonged in vitro cultivation of plant cells is associated with genetic and epigenetic instabilities, which may limit the usefulness of plant lines. In this study, the age-dependent epigenetic and physiological changes in an asynchronous Arabidopsis T87 cell culture were examined. A prolonged cultivation period was found to be correlated with a decrease in the proliferation rate and a simultaneous increase in the expression of senescence-associated genes, indicating that the aging process started at the late growth phase of the culture. In addition, increases in the heterochromatin-specific epigenetic markers, i.e., global DNA methylation, H3K9 dimethylation, and H3K27 trimethylation, were observed, suggesting the onset of chromatin condensation, a hallmark of the early stages of plant senescence. Although the number of live cells decreased with an increase in the age of the culture, the remaining viable cells retained a high potential to efficiently perform photosynthesis and did not exhibit any symptoms of photosystem II damage.     

A novel splicing variant encoding putative catalytic α subunit of maize protein kinase CK2

A cDNA highly homologous to the known catalytic α subunit of protein kinase CK2 was cloned from maize ( Zea mays ). It was designated ZmCK 2α-4 (accession no. AAF76187). Sequence analysis shows that ZmCK2α-4 and the previously identified ZmCK2α-1 (accession no. X61387) are transcribed from the same gene, ZmPKCK2AL (accession no. Y11649), but at different levels in various maize organs and at different stages of development. The cDNA encoding ZmCK2α-4 has three potential translation initiation sites. The three putative variants of ZmCK2α-4 were expressed in Escherichia coli as GST-fusion proteins and purified from bacterial extracts. In contrast to the previously characterized ZmCK2αs, the obtained GST:ZmCK2α-4 proteins were catalytically inactive as monomers or in the presence of equimolar amounts of the human CK2β. However, GST:ZmCK2α-4 did phosphorylate casein in the presence of a large excess of the β subunit. The activity of ZmCK2α-4 toward casein could also be stimulated by increasing ATP concentration. Modeling studies have shown that there is no interaction between the N-terminal segment of ZmCK2α-4 and the activation loop responsible for constitutive catalytic activity of CK2α. Preliminary results suggest that ZmCK2α-4 may function as a negative regulator of other CK2s, and at certain circumstances as a holoenzyme which catalytic activity is stimulated by specific regulatory subunit(s).     

Runoff water quality from intensive and extensive vegetated roofs

Vegetated roofs are becoming a trend in urban design, among others as a tool for city greening, mitigating urban heat island effect, and lowering urban storm runoff. Additionally, pollutant removal within vegetated roofs is often expected; however, it is commonly not a design feature. This study investigated influence on runoff water quality from two full-scale vegetated roofs (an intensive from Japan and an extensive from Sweden). Results show that both extensive and intensive vegetated roofs are a sink of nitrate nitrogen and ammonium nitrogen with similar performance. The intensive vegetated roof is also a sink of total nitrogen in contrast to the extensive roof. Phosphorus release is observed from the extensive vegetated roof but not from the intensive vegetated roof; release of dissolved organic carbon and potassium is observed from both roofs. The vegetated roofs, if not retaining the metal pollutants, were generally not a significant source. The increase of average pH during rainwater passage through the intensive vegetated roof indicated rapid neutralization of the acid depositions.     

Genetic Structure of Daphnia galeata Populations in Eastern China

This study presents the first examination of the genetic structure of Daphnia longispina complex populations in Eastern China. Only one species, D. galeata, was present across the eight investigated lakes; as identified by taxon assignment using allelic variation at 15 microsatellite loci. Three genetically differentiated D. galeata subgroups emerged independent of the type of statistical analysis applied. Thus, Bayesian clustering, discriminant analysis based on results from factorial correspondence analysis, and UPGMA clustering consistently showed that populations from two neighbouring lakes were genetically separated from a mixture of genotypes found in other lakes, which formed another two subgroups. Clonal diversity was high in all D. galeata populations, and most samples showed no deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, indicating that clonal selection had little effect on the genetic diversity. Overall, populations did not cluster by geographical origin. Further studies will show if the observed pattern can be explained by natural colonization processes or by recent anthropogenic impact on predominantly artificial lakes.     

Analysis of the Behavior of Mitochondria in the Ovaries of the Earthworm Dendrobaena veneta Rosa 1839

We examined six types of cells that form the ovary of the earthworm Dendrobena veneta ogonia, prooocytes, vitellogenic oocytes, trophocytes, fully grown postvitellogenic oocytes and somatic cells of the gonad. The quantitative stereological method revealed a much higher “volume density” of mitochondria in all of the types of germ-line cells except for the somatic cells. Fluorescent vital stain JC-1, however, showed a much higher oxidative activity of mitochondria in the somatic cells than in the germ-line cells. The distribution of active and inactive mitochondria within the studied cells was assessed using the computer program ImageJ. The analysis showed a higher luminosity of inactive mitochondria in all of the types of germ-line cells and a higher luminosity of active mitochondria in somatic cells. The OXPHOS activity was found in somatic cells mitochondria and in the peripheral mitochondria of the vitellogenic oocytes. The detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) revealed a differentiated distribution of ROS in the different cell types. The amount of ROS substances was lower in somatic cells than in younger germ-line cells. The ROS level was also low in the cytoplasm of fully grown postwitellogenic oocytes. The distribution of the MnSOD enzyme that protects mitochondria against destructive role of ROS substances was high in the oogonia and in prooocytes and it was very high in vitellogenic and postvitellogenic oocytes. However, a much lower level of this protective enzyme was observed in the trophocytes and the lowest level was found in the cytoplasm of somatic cells. The lower mitochondrial activity and higher level of MnSOD activity in germ-line cells when compared to somatic cells testifies to the necessity of the organisms to protect the mitochondria of oocytes against the destructive role of the ROS that are produced during oxidative phosphorylation. The protection of the mitochondria in oocytes is essential for the transfer of healthy organelles to the next generation.     

A Small Motor Cortex Lesion Abolished Ocular Dominance Plasticity in the Adult Mouse Primary Visual Cortex and Impaired Experience-Dependent Visual Improvements

It was previously shown that a small lesion in the primary somatosensory cortex (S1) prevented both cortical plasticity and sensory learning in the adult mouse visual system: While 3-month-old control mice continued to show ocular dominance (OD) plasticity in their primary visual cortex (V1) after monocular deprivation (MD), age-matched mice with a small photothrombotically induced (PT) stroke lesion in S1, positioned at least 1 mm anterior to the anterior border of V1, no longer expressed OD-plasticity. In addition, in the S1-lesioned mice, neither the experience-dependent increase of the spatial frequency threshold (“visual acuity”) nor of the contrast threshold (“contrast sensitivity”) of the optomotor reflex through the open eye was present. To assess whether these plasticity impairments can also occur if a lesion is placed more distant from V1, we tested the effect of a PT-lesion in the secondary motor cortex (M2). We observed that mice with a small M2-lesion restricted to the superficial cortical layers no longer expressed an OD-shift towards the open eye after 7 days of MD in V1 of the lesioned hemisphere. Consistent with previous findings about the consequences of an S1-lesion, OD-plasticity in V1 of the nonlesioned hemisphere of the M2-lesioned mice was still present. In addition, the experience-dependent improvements of both visual acuity and contrast sensitivity of the open eye were severely reduced. In contrast, sham-lesioned mice displayed both an OD-shift and improvements of visual capabilities of their open eye. To summarize, our data indicate that even a very small lesion restricted to the superficial cortical layers and more than 3mm anterior to the anterior border of V1 compromised V1-plasticity and impaired learning-induced visual improvements in adult mice. Thus both plasticity phenomena cannot only depend on modality-specific and local nerve cell networks but are clearly influenced by long-range interactions even from distant brain regions.     

Cadmium and copper toxicity to tench <Emphasis Type="Italic">Tinca</Emphasis><Emphasis Type="Italic">tinca</Emphasis> (L.) larvae after a short-term exposure

At the onset of swimbladder inflation, Tinca tinca larvae were exposed for 24 h to cadmium or copper at 0.0 (control concentration), 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 mg dm⁻³ at 22°C. From then larvae were reared at 25°C for 9 days in un-supplemented water. Both metals resulted in a significantly reduced growth, survival, and retarded swimbladder inflation in a dose-response manner. The highest Cd and Cu concentration delayed the onset of exogenous feeding (live artemia nauplii) for 2 or 1 days, respectively, comparing to the control concentration. Our results demonstrate a highly toxic effect of Cd and Cu in the studied period of larval ontogeny, when fish seem especially sensitive. Although, at low concentrations and long exposure period, Cu is considered more toxic to fish than Cd, our study revealed the reverse effect for first-feeding larvae of both metals at high concentrations and short exposure.     

Cleavage of Zearalenone by Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans to a Novel Nonestrogenic Metabolite

Zearalenone (ZON) is a potent estrogenic mycotoxin produced by several Fusarium species most frequently on maize and therefore can be found in food and animal feed. Since animal production performance is negatively affected by the presence of ZON, its detoxification in contaminated plant material or by-products of bioethanol production would be advantageous. Microbial biotransformation into nontoxic metabolites is one promising approach. In this study the main transformation product of ZON formed by the yeast Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans was identified and characterized by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) and LC-diode array detector (DAD) analysis. The metabolite, named ZOM-1, was purified, and its molecular formula, C₁₈H₂₄O₇, was established by time of flight MS (TOF MS) from the ions observed at m/z 351.1445 [M-H]⁻ and at m/z 375.1416 [M+Na]⁺. Employing nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, the novel ZON metabolite was finally identified as (5S)-5-({2,4-dihydroxy-6-[(1E)-5-hydroxypent-1-en-1-yl]benzoyl}oxy)hexanoic acid. The structure of ZOM-1 is characterized by an opening of the macrocyclic ring of ZON at the ketone group at C6′. ZOM-1 did not show estrogenic activity in a sensitive yeast bioassay, even at a concentration 1,000-fold higher than that of ZON and did not interact with the human estrogen receptor in an in vitro competitive binding assay.Zearalenone (ZON) is the main member of a growing family of biologically important “resorcylic acid lactones” (RALs), which have been found in nature. ZON is produced by several Fusarium species, which colonize maize, barley, oat, wheat, and sorghum and tend to develop ZON during prolonged cool, wet growing and harvest seasons (38). Maize is the most frequently contaminated crop plant, and therefore, ZON can be found frequently in animal feeding stuff. Occurrence, toxicity, and metabolism data of ZON were summarized by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) (5) and in recent reviews (12, 38).The potent xenohormone ZON leads to hyperestrogenism symptoms and in extreme cases to infertility problems, especially in pigs (15). Ovarian changes in pigs have been noted with toxin levels as low as of 50 μg/kg in the diet (1). Ruminants are more tolerant to ZON ingestion; however, hyperestrogenic syndrome, including restlessness, diarrhea, infertility, decreased milk yields, and abortion, have been well documented with cattle and sheep (4, 29).Because widespread ZON contamination in feed can occur in problematic years, efficient ways to detoxify are desirable. The transformation of mycotoxins to nontoxic metabolites by pure cultures of microorganisms or by cell-free enzyme preparations (3) is an attractive possibility. Microbial metabolization of ZON to alpha-ZOL and beta-ZOL cannot be regarded as detoxification, because both ZOL products are still estrogenic (14). Also, formation of ZON-glucosides and -diglucosides (8, 17) and ZON-sulfate (7) cannot be considered true detoxification but rather formation of masked mycotoxins, because the conjugates may be hydrolyzed during digestion (11, 23), releasing ZON again (2).As the estrogenic activity of ZON and its derivates can be explained by its chemical structure, which resembles natural estrogens (20), it can be expected that cleavage of the lactone undecyl ring system of ZON results in permanent detoxification.El-Sharkawy and Abul-Hajj (9) were the first to report inactivation of ZON after opening of the lactone ring by Gliocladium roseum. This filamentous fungus was capable of metabolizing ZON in yields of 80 to 90%. Also Takahashi-Ando et al. (31) described the degradation reaction of ZON with Clonostachys rosea (synonym of G. roseum). A hydrolase (encoded by a gene designated ZHD101) cleaves the lactone ring, and as recently proved (37; unpublished data) by subsequent decarboxylation of the intermediate acid, the compound 1-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-10′-hydroxy-1′E-undecene-6′-one is formed. In contrast to ZON and 17β-estradiol, which showed potent estrogenic activity, this cleavage product did not show any estrogenic activity in the human breast cancer MCF-7 cell proliferation assay (16). Further details, e.g., on the conditions of the maximum activity of ZHD101 and its exploitation in genetically modified grains, can be found in later published work of this research group (32, 33).Only a few authors reported the loss of estrogenicity in microbial metabolites of ZON, which are based on reactions other than cleavage of the lactone undecyl ring system. El-Sharkawy and Abul-Hajj demonstrated (10) that binding to rat uterine estrogen receptors requires a free 4-OH phenolic group (devoid of methylation or glycosylation). Loss of estrogenicity was, for instance, observed with 2,4-dimethoxy-ZON, one of the metabolites produced by Cunninghamella bainieri ATCC 9244B. Nevertheless, this rule cannot be generalized, as 8′-hydroxyzearalenone formed by Streptomyces rimosus NRRL 2234, despite having a free 4-phenolic hydroxyl group, did not bind to the estrogen receptor. Also, other authors reported that 8′-hydroxyzearalenone and 8′-epi-hydroxyzearalenone are nonestrogenic (13). However, so far, no practical application in feed or food detoxification has been found for the microorganisms producing these compounds.It has been shown previously that the yeast Trichosporon mycotoxinivorans has a very high capability to degrade both ochratoxin A (OTA) and ZON (22, 26, 27). When T. mycotoxinivorans is used as a feed additive preparation, microbial degradation of the mycotoxins is assumed to take place in the gastrointestinal tract of the animal after consumption of contaminated feed. The protective effect of T. mycotoxinivorans against OTA toxicity has already been shown with broiler chicken (24).In the present study we report the isolation, analytical characterization, and structure elucidation, as well as the evaluation, of the estrogenic activity of the main degradation product of ZON produced by T. mycotoxinivorans.