Effects of CuDIPS and tween 80 on SJL/J tumorigenesis

Plasma copper and zinc levels were measured in SJL/J mice, an inbred strain characterized by a high, spontaneous incidence of reticulum cell sarcoma (RCS). The changes with age in mean concentrations of these metals were consistent with a physiological response that is required for remission of neoplasia. Treatment of SJL/J mice with a copper complex, Cu(II)(3,4-diisopropylsalicylate)₂ (Cu 3,5-DIPS), dissolved in a 10% Tween 80-saline solution revealed a decrease in survival and decline in the incidence of RCS at 52 wk of age. The toxic effects of Cu 3,5-DIPS therapy appeared to be related to the intraperitoneal route of administration and to extracellular deposition of collagen. The inhibitory effect on tumor development was not related to Cu 3,5-DIPS. Rather, Tween 80 was found to be the factor of importance.     

Changes in coral reef communities among the Florida Keys, 1996–2003

Hard coral (Scleractinia and Milleporina) cover data were examined from 37 sites surveyed annually from 1996 to 2003 in the Florida reef tract, USA. Analyses of species numbers and total cover showed that site-to-site differences were generally very much greater than differences among times within sites. There were no significant differences among different geographical areas within the reef tract (Upper, Middle and Lower Keys). Large-scale changes documented included a reduction in species numbers and total cover on both deep and shallow offshore reefs between 1997 and 1999 followed by no recovery in cover, and only scant evidence of any recovery in species numbers by 2003. These changes coincided with bleaching events in 1997 and 1998, and the passage of Hurricane Georges through the Lower Keys in 1998. The lack of recovery among offshore reefs suggests that they were no longer resilient. Multivariate analyses revealed that some sites showed relatively little temporal variation in community composition, essentially random in direction, while others showed relatively large year-on-year changes. There was little evidence of any major region-wide changes affecting assemblage composition, or of any events that had impacted all of the sampling sites in any single year. Instead, different sites exhibited differing patterns of temporal variation, with certain sites displaying greater variation than others. Changes in community composition at some sites are interpreted in the light of knowledge of events at those sites and the relative sensitivities of species to various stressors, such as changes in cover of Acropora palmata and Millepora complanata at Sand Key following the bleaching events and hurricane in 1998, and declines in Montastraea annularis at Smith Shoal following a harmful algal bloom in 2002. For most sites, however, it is impossible to determine the causes of observed variation.     

Routes to 4-hydroxynonenal: fundamental issues in the mechanisms of lipid peroxidation

Although investigation of the toxicological and physiological actions of alpha/beta-unsaturated 4-hydroxyalkenals has made great progress over the last 2 decades, understanding of the chemical mechanism of formation of 4-hydroxynonenal and related aldehydes has advanced much less. The aim of this review is to discuss mechanistic evidence for these non-enzymatic routes, especially of the underappreciated intermolecular pathways that involve dimerized and oligomerized fatty acid derivatives as key intermediates. These cross-molecular reactions of fatty acid peroxyls have also important implications for understanding of the basic initiation and propagation steps during lipid peroxidation and the nature of the products that arise.     

Misshapen decreases integrin levels to promote epithelial motility and planar polarity in Drosophila

Complex organ shapes arise from the coordinate actions of individual cells. The Drosophila egg chamber is an organ-like structure that lengthens along its anterior–posterior axis as it grows. This morphogenesis depends on an unusual form of planar polarity in the organ’s outer epithelial layer, the follicle cells. Interestingly, this epithelium also undergoes a directed migration that causes the egg chamber to rotate around its anterior–posterior axis. However, the functional relationship between planar polarity and migration in this tissue is unknown. We have previously reported that mutations in the Misshapen kinase disrupt follicle cell planar polarity. Here we show that Misshapen’s primary role in this system is to promote individual cell motility. Misshapen decreases integrin levels at the basal surface, which may facilitate detachment of each cell’s trailing edge. These data provide mechanistic insight into Misshapen’s conserved role in cell migration and suggest that follicle cell planar polarity may be an emergent property of individual cell migratory behaviors within the epithelium.     

Isolation and identification of eight microsatellite loci in the Cherokee darter (Etheostoma scotti) and their variability in other members of the genera Etheostoma, Ammocrypta, and Percina

The Cherokee darter Etheostoma scotti is a federally threatened fish endemic to the Etowah River system of northwest Georgia. In order to analyse the population structure and genetic diversity of this fish, eight tetranucleotide microsatellite genetic markers were developed. The marker set was applied to 13 additional darter species to test cross-species amplification and polymorphism. Successful amplification was obtained for all eight loci in each of the 13 other species of darters, with between seven and eight polymorphic loci per species.     

THE PONTIA DAPLIDICE-ED USA HYBRID ZONE IN NORTHWESTERN ITALY

The pierid butterflies Pontia daplidice and P. edusa, parapatrically distributed in southern Europe, have very similar morphologies and life histories, but show fixed differences at four allozyme markers. We sampled these allozymes in a 28-population transect north of Genoa in Italy, through the hybrid zone where these taxa meet. We used the numerical techniques developed for hybrid zone analysis to study the patterns of genetic differentiation and their underlying evolutionary causes. The hybrid zone is characterized by a very short and steep central region, flanked by broad tails of introgression extended up to 100 km in either direction. From mean two-locus disequilibium of D = 0.148 (maximum-likelihood two-unit support limits 0.139-0.153), and after accounting for minor differences in the center locations of the single-locus clines, which act to bias the dispersal estimate, we estimated a dispersal rate of σ = 4.4 (3.7-5.5) km/gen^1/2. The effective selection needed to maintain the steep central portion is strong, 0.47 < s? < 0.64, when combined over potential intrinsic (genetic background) and extrinsic (ecological) sources of selection. The clines in allozyme loci showed variation that was significantly different between the most divergent shapes, and the differences are attributable to different degrees of introgression on the edusa side of the zone. The average selection acting on individual allozyme loci was high at s_???e  1.5%, but because of the narrowness of the central region of the cline, we suspect that this estimate is somewhat biased by selection on loci closely linked to the allozyme markers. A common question for taxa that show fixed allozyme differences in parapatry is whether or not they are genetically isolated. A fairly general measure of genetic isolation across hybrid zones is the time, T, that it takes a neutral allele to cross the hybrid zone and recombine into the opposite genetic background, given by T = (β/σ)², where β is the barrier strength of the hybrid zone. Genetic isolation in the Pontia zone is weak, with T  25 generations for most allozyme markers. By this measure, populations of daplidice and edusa on opposite sides of the hybrid zone share more identical-by-descent alleles than do populations of phenotypically pure daplidice in, say, France and Morocco. Accordingly, we think it best for systematists to consider edusa as a well-marked subspecies of P. daplidice.     

Gene map for the Cyanophora paradoxa cyanelle genome.

The genes for the following proteins were localized by hybridization analysis on the cyanelle genome of Cyanophora paradoxa: the alpha and beta subunits of phycocyanin (cpcA and cpcB); the alpha and beta subunits of allophycocyanin (apcA and apcB); the large and small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (rbcL and rbcS); the two putative chlorophyll alpha-binding apoproteins of the photosystem I-P700 complex (psaA and psaB); four apoproteins believed to be components of the photosystem II core complex (psbA, psbB, psbC, and psbD); the two apoprotein subunits of cytochrome b-559 which is also found in the core complex of photosystem II (psbE and psbF); three subunits of the ATP synthase complex (atpA and atpBE); and the cytochrome f apoprotein (petA). Eighty-five percent of the genome was cloned as BamHI, BglII, or PstI fragments. These cloned fragments were used to construct a physical map of the cyanelle genome and to localize more precisely some of the genes listed above. The genes for phycocyanin and allophycocyanin were not clustered and were separated by about 25 kilobases. Although the rbcL gene was adjacent to the atpBE genes and the psbC and psbD genes were adjacent, the arrangement of other genes encoding various polypeptide subunits of protein complexes involved in photosynthetic functions was dissimilar to that observed for known chloroplast genomes. These results are consistent with the independent development of this cyanelle from a cyanobacterial endosymbiont.     

Psoriasis patients are enriched for genetic variants that protect against HIV-1 disease

An important paradigm in evolutionary genetics is that of a delicate balance between genetic variants that favorably boost host control of infection but which may unfavorably increase susceptibility to autoimmune disease. Here, we investigated whether patients with psoriasis, a common immune-mediated disease of the skin, are enriched for genetic variants that limit the ability of HIV-1 virus to replicate after infection. We analyzed the HLA class I and class II alleles of 1,727 Caucasian psoriasis cases and 3,581 controls and found that psoriasis patients are significantly more likely than controls to have gene variants that are protective against HIV-1 disease. This includes several HLA class I alleles associated with HIV-1 control; amino acid residues at HLA-B positions 67, 70, and 97 that mediate HIV-1 peptide binding; and the deletion polymorphism rs67384697 associated with high surface expression of HLA-C. We also found that the compound genotype KIR3DS1 plus HLA-B Bw4-80I, which respectively encode a natural killer cell activating receptor and its putative ligand, significantly increased psoriasis susceptibility. This compound genotype has also been associated with delay of progression to AIDS. Together, our results suggest that genetic variants that contribute to anti-viral immunity may predispose to the development of psoriasis.