126 Porphyra Birdiae Neefus et Mathieson (Bangiales, Rhodophyta): A New Species from the Northwest Atlantic

Recent studies combining biochemical, molecular, and traditional morphological and ecological traits have shown that some currently recognized species of the red algal genus Porphyra are actually "form species" or "complexes" comprising several morphologically similar but genetically distinct taxa. Conflicting reports of chromosome numbers and differences in DNA sequences reported for Porphyra purpurea (Roth) C. Agardh have raised suspicion that more than one taxon has been confused under this name in the Northwest Atlantic. We have identified one of these cryptic taxa and have recently described it as a new species, Porphyra birdiae . Like P. purpurea (Roth) C. Agardh, it has an ovate to broadly elongate, foliose blade with reproductive areas segregated by a distinct line into male and female sectors. While reproductive specimens have historically been confused with P. purpurea , non-reproductive specimens of P. birdiae have been incorrectly identified as P. umbilicalis Kützing. Although P. birdiae is morphologically similar to both of these species, sequences of SSU (nuclear small subunit rRNA gene) and rbc L (plastid ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase large subunit gene) indicate that it is not closely related to either one. Based on rbc L sequences, P. birdiae is closely related to P. aestivalis Lindstrom et Fredericq, a proposed new species from Alaska.     

Stromal upregulation of lateral epithelial adhesions: Gene expression analysis of signalling pathways in prostate epithelium

Background  

Stromal signalling increases the lateral cell adhesions of prostate epithelial cells grown in 3D culture. The aim of this study was to use microarray analysis to identify significant epithelial signalling pathways and genes in this process.     

Essential role for TrkB receptors in hippocampus-mediated learning

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and its receptor TrkB regulate both short-term synaptic functions and long-term potentiation (LTP) of brain synapses, raising the possibility that BDNF/TrkB may be involved in cognitive functions. We have generated conditionally gene targeted mice in which the knockout of the trkB gene is restricted to the forebrain and occurs only during postnatal development. Adult mutant mice show increasingly impaired learning behavior or inappropriate coping responses when facing complex and/or stressful learning paradigms but succeed in simple passive avoidance learning. Homozygous mutants show impaired LTP at CA1 hippocampal synapses. Interestingly, heterozygotes show a partial but substantial reduction of LTP but appear behaviorally normal. Thus, CA1 LTP may need to be reduced below a certain threshold before behavioral defects become apparent.     

Cellular tumorigenicity in nude mice. Role of susceptibility to natural killer cells

The athymic nude mouse is a useful animal model for assaying the neoplastic growth potential in vivo of animal cells transformed in vitro. Despite the demonstrated absence of thymus-dependent immunological functions, however, the nude mouse has now been shown to reject transplants of certain highly malignant heterologous tumors. In addition, a few transformed mammalian cell lines that exhibit all or most of the cellular phenotypes usually associated with malignancy fail to grow as tumors when injected into nude mice. In a continuing study to identify the in vitro phenotypes associated with tumor-forming ability in vivo, we investigated the role of cellular susceptibility to the naturally occurring, thymus-independent lymphocytes (natural killer or NK cells) in determining tumor induction by animal cells in nude mice. A representative collection of animal cells (ranging from normal human diploid cell strains to highly tumorigenic clonal cell lines, either transformed in vitro or derived from experimental tumors) was tested to see if the ability of cells to form tumors is consistently correlated with their susceptibility to NK cell-mediated lysis measured in vitro with splenic leukocytes from nude mice. If the physiological role of the NK cells in vivo were to recognize, and possibly to destroy, incipient tumor cells in situ, a direct association between cellular tumorigenicity and susceptibility to NK activity, might be expected. If, on the other hand, the formation of growing tumors by animal cells in nude mice depended on their ability to escape the cytolytic activity of NK cells, cellular tumorigenicity would be associated with cellular resistance to NK cells. Results obtained in this study failed to confirm either of these associations. Thus, cellular suscepbibility to NK cells, at least as determined by direct cytotoxicity assay in vitro, is not a useful predictive indicator of cellular tumorigenicity in nude mice.     

Algal pigment diversity in coastal sediments from Kerguelen (sub-Antarctic Islands) reflecting local dominance of green algae,euglenoids and diatoms

Summary High Performance Liquid Chromatography analysis of algal pigments from inter- and subtidal (deep and shallow) sediments from the Kerguelen Islands showed clear differences in the pigment composition at the different stations. High concentrations of chlorophyll c and fucoxanthin were present at all locations, indicating significant diatom densities, chlorophyll b was detected at all sites. At one station the other green algal pigments were also present; here green algae contributed more to chlorophyll a concentrations than diatoms, as estimated by using pigment ratios and microscopic observations. At another location chlorophyll b was associated with a high concentration of diadinoxanthin, indicating an abundance of euglenoids. This indicates that chemotaxonomy can be powerful tool in microphytobenthos studies since enumeration of living cells are difficult as many algae are attached to sediment particles (epipsammic algae). Ways of diagenesis, carotenoid degradation and the role of grazing are briefly mentioned. Phaeophorbide a-like pigments were the most significant chlorophyll a degradation products, with concentrations up to 110 g · g^–1 dry weight sediment, i.e. 10 times the chlorophyll a concentration. Some taxonomic estimations, based on pigments ratios, and their limits, are discussed.     

In vitro vegetative propagation of Chinese cabbage

Explants from cotyledons, axillary buds, inflorescence stems and flower buds of Brassica campestris ssp. pekinensis (Lour.) Olsson (Chinese cabbage, cv. Wongbok) were cultured on MS medium with growth regulators. Multiple shoots were obtained from cotyledons, axillary buds and flower buds but not from inflorescence stems. Propagation of shoots from cotyledons was more successful than from axillary buds and flower buds. The vegetative propagation rates varied amongst clones derived from cotyledons of the same cultivar and seed lot. The propagation rates of the cotyledon-derived material followed a normal distribution with an average propagation rate of 2.6 shoots per two weeks subculture when cultured on MS media plus 44.4 m benzyladenine (BA) and 14.8 m -indolebutyric acid (IBA). Shoots from three clones were cultured on MS medium with nine different concentrations of BA. The concentration of BA which promoted the highest rate of shoot propagation varied for the three clones and was in the range 44.4 to 177.6 m.     

QTL-seq identifies an early flowering QTL located near Flowering Locus T in cucumber

Key message

Next-generation sequencing enabled a fast discovery of a major QTL controlling early flowering in cucumber, corresponding to the FT gene conditioning flowering time in Arabidopsis.

Abstract

Next-generation sequencing technologies are making it faster and more efficient to establish the association of agronomic traits with molecular markers or candidate genes, which is the requirement for marker-assisted selection in molecular breeding. Early flowering is an important agronomic trait in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), but the underlying genetic mechanism is unknown. In this study, we identified a candidate gene for early flowering QTL, Ef1.1 through QTL-seq. Segregation analysis in F₂ and BC₁ populations derived from a cross between two inbred lines “Muromskij” (early flowering) and “9930” (late flowering) suggested quantitative nature of flowering time in cucumber. Genome-wide comparison of SNP profiles between the early and late-flowering bulks constructed from F₂ plants identified a major QTL, designated Ef1.1 on cucumber chromosome 1 for early flowering in Muromskij, which was confirmed by microsatellite marker-based classical QTL mapping in the F₂ population. Joint QTL-seq and traditional QTL analysis delimited Ef1.1 to an 890 kb genomic region. A cucumber gene, Csa1G651710, was identified in this region, which is a homolog of the FLOWERING LOCUS T (FT), the main flowering switch gene in Arabidopsis. Quantitative RT-PCR study of the expression level of Csa1G651710 revealed significantly higher expression in early flowering genotypes. Data presented here provide support for Csa1G651710 as a possible candidate gene for early flowering in the cucumber line Muromskij.     

Excision and transposition of two Ds transposons from the bronze mutable 4 derivative 6856 allele of Zea mays L

Summary The regulatory mutation bronze mutable 4 Derivative 6856 (bz-m4 D6856) contains a complex 6.7 kb Dissociation (Ds) element tagged with a duplication of low copy bz 3 flanking sequences (Klein et al. 1988). This creates a unique opportunity to study the transposition of a single member of the repetitive family of Ds elements. Eighteen full purple revertants (Bz alleles) of bz-m4 were characterized enzymatically and by genomic mapping. For 17 of the Bz alleles, reversion to a wild-type phenotype was caused by excision of the 6.7 kb Ds transposon. Nine of these Bz alleles retained the transposon somewhere in their genome. In this study we show that like Ac (Schwartz 1989; Dooner and Belachew 1989), the 6.7 kb Ds element can transpose within a short physical distance, both proximal and distal to its original position. Additional bz sequences have been mapped immediately distal to the mutant locus in bz-m4 D6856; genetic evidence suggests these are flanked by two additional Ds elements. The remaining Bz revertant, Bz :107, arose from excision of a more complex 13 kb Ds element.     

A rapid posttranslational myristylation of a 68-kD protein in D. discoideum

Cells incubated with [3H]myristate were shown to rapidly and specifically acylate a 68-kD protein, p68, in a developmentally-regulated manner. The fatty acid incorporated into p68 was identified as myristate, and is linked to the protein via an amide bond, apparently to an NH2-terminal glycine. The acylation of p68 in D. discoideum displays some unusual properties. Unexpectedly, myristylation of p68 is a posttranslational event and occurs in the presence of inhibitors of protein synthesis. Another unusual finding was that although p68 is a stable protein, the acyl moiety is removed with a half time of approximately 15 min.