Evidence that a New Antibiotic Flavone Glycoside Chemically Defends the Sea Grass Thalassia testudinum against Zoosporic Fungi

Significantly fewer thraustochytrid protists (zoosporic fungi) were observed in association with healthy leaf tissue of the marine angiosperm Thalassia testudinum than in association with sterilized samples that were returned to the collection site for 48 h. In support of the hypothesis that sea grass secondary metabolites were responsible for these differences, extracts of healthy T. testudinum leaf tissues inhibited the growth of the co-occurring thraustochytrid Schizochytrium aggregatum and deterred the attachment of S. aggregatum motile zoospores to an extract-impregnated substrate. By using S. aggregatum for bioassay-guided chemical fractionation, a new flavone glycoside was isolated and structurally characterized as luteolin 7-O-beta-d-glucopyranosyl-2"-sulfate. Whole-leaf tissue concentrations of this metabolite (4 mg/ml of wet leaf tissue) inhibited S. aggregatum attachment, and a significantly lower concentration (270 mug/ml) reduced thraustochytrid growth by 50%, suggesting that natural concentrations are at least 15 times greater than that needed for significant microbiological effects. These results offer the first complete chemical characterization of a sea grass sulfated flavone glycoside and provide evidence that a secondary metabolite chemically defends T. testudinum against fouling microorganisms.     

DNA polymorphism in lycopersicon and crossing-over per physical length.

Surveys in Drosophila have consistently found reduced levels of DNA sequence polymorphism in genomic regions experiencing low crossing-over per physical length, while these same regions exhibit normal amounts of interspecific divergence. Here we show that for 36 loci across the genomes of eight Lycopersicon species, naturally occurring DNA polymorphism (scaled by locus-specific divergence between species) is positively correlated with the density of crossing-over per physical length. Large between-species differences in the amount of DNA sequence polymorphism reflect breeding systems: selfing species show much less within-species polymorphism than outcrossing species. The strongest association of expected heterozygosity with crossing-over is found in species with intermediate levels of average nucleotide diversity. All of these observations appear to be in qualitative agreement with the hitchhiking effects caused by the fixation of advantageous mutations and/or "background selection" against deleterious mutations.     

Molecular weight averages and 13C NMR intensities provide evidence for branching in proanthocyanidin polymers

Molecular weight distributions for several proanthocyanidin polymers (condensed tannins) have previously been shown to be characterized by DP_w/DP_n > 2, where DP denotes the degree of polymerization. Molecular weight ratios of the size observed experimentally are expected if a few percent of the units form trifunctional branch points. An independent assessment of the extent of branching can be obtained from analysis of intensities of resonances in the ¹³C NMR spectra. Similar branch contents are deduced from DP_w/DP_n and from the spectral analysis. In the case of the Chinese quince (Chaenomeles chinensis) polymer, about 3% of the epicatechin units form trifunctional branch points.     

Social Behavior in the Leaf-Nosed Bat,Carollia perspicillata

Social and behavioral interactions as well as individual roosting positions were followed in a colony of Carollia perspicillata under seminaturalistic captive conditions. Nearest neighbor and grid analyses were used to define the composition of basic social units and mapping data permitted an analysis of the compositional stability of these units. Correlations between female reproductive cycles and individual roosting patterns provided insight into the function of Carollia social groups and indicate that optimal strategies to enhance reproductive success are probably being used.     

Structure and function of the ankle dorsiflexor muscles in young and moderately active men and women.

The aim was to investigate determinants of ankle dorsiflexor muscle (DF) strength and size in moderately active young men and women (n = 30; age 20-31 yr). Concentric (Con) and eccentric (Ecc) strength were measured isokinetically. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to determine the muscle cross-sectional area (CSA). Multiple biopsies were obtained from the tibialis anterior muscle to determine total numbers, areas (Area I and II) and proportions (Prop I and II) of type I and II fibers, respectively, and relative contents of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms MHC1, MHC2a, and MHC2x. Women had lower Con and Ecc strength (24 and 27%; P < 0.01), smaller CSA (19%; P < 0.001), lower Ecc DF specific strength (strength/CSA) (10%; P < 0.01), and smaller Area I and Area II (21 and 31%; P < 0.01) than men. Prop I, MHC1, estimated total number of fibers, and Con DF specific strength were similar for both sexes. Con DF strength was up to 72% determined by CSA and Prop I, and Ecc DF strength was up to 81% determined by CSA, Prop I, and sex; variables other than CSA explained at most 9%. Body weight and fiber areas explained >50% of the variation in CSA. In conclusion, CSA was the predominant determinant of DF strength, CSA was to a great extent determined by the body weight and the sizes of muscle fibers, and sex differences in Ecc specific strength require further study.     

The Chlamydomonas IDA7 Locus Encodes a 140-kDa Dynein Intermediate Chain Required to Assemble the I1 Inner Arm Complex

To identify new loci that are involved in the assembly and targeting of dynein complexes, we have screened a collection of motility mutants that were generated by insertional mutagenesis. One such mutant, 5B10, lacks the inner arm isoform known as the I1 complex. This isoform is located proximal to the first radial spoke in each 96-nm axoneme repeat and is an important target for the regulation of flagellar motility. Complementation tests reveal that 5B10 represents a new I1 locus, IDA7. Biochemical analyses confirm that ida7 axonemes lack at least five I1 complex subunits. Southern blots probed with a clone containing the gene encoding the 140-kDa intermediate chain (IC) indicate that the ida7 mutation is the result of plasmid insertion into the IC140 gene. Transformation with a wild-type copy of the IC140 gene completely rescues the mutant defects. Surprisingly, transformation with a construct of the IC140 gene lacking the first four exons of the coding sequence also rescues the mutant phenotype. These studies indicate that IC140 is essential for assembly of the I1 complex, but unlike other dynein ICs, the N-terminal region is not critical for its activity.