Oocysts of Isospora ernsti n. sp. and Isospora blagburni n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) from the black-capped bulbul,Pycnonotus xanthopygos

Oocysts of Isospora ernsti n. sp. and Isospora blagburni n. sp. are described from the black-capped bulbul Pycnonotus xanthopygos from Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, Illinois. The bird came from southwestern Africa seven years earlier. I. ernsti oocysts are ellipsoidal to bluntly ovoid, 28–38 × 23–31m (mean 34 × 28 m) and have a single-layered oocyst wall. Micropyle, oocyst residuum and polar granules are absent. Sporocysts are elongate ovoid, 24–30 × 11–16 m (mean 27×13 m). Stieda and substiedal bodies and sporocyst residuum are present. I. blagburni oocysts are spherical to subspherical. 21–28 × 19–26 m (mean 25 × 23 m) and have a single oocyst wall. Sporocysts are ovoid and 17–23 × 10–13 m (mean 20 × 12 m). Stieda and substiedal bodies and sporocyst residuum are present.     

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons physically intercalate into duplex regions of denatured DNA

We have investigated the physical binding of pyrene and benzo[a]pyrene derivatives to denatured DNA. These compounds exhibit a red shift in their absorbance spectra of 9 nm when bound to denatured calf thymus DNA, compared to a shift of 10 nm when binding occurs to native DNA. Fluorescence from the hydrocarbons is severely quenched when bound to both native and denatured DNA. Increasing sodium ion concentration decreases binding of neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons to native DNA and increases binding to denatured DNA. The direct relationship between binding to denatured DNA and salt concentration appears to be a general property of neutral polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Absorption measurements at 260 nm were used to determine the duplex content of denatured DNA. When calculated on the basis of duplex binding sites, equilibrium constants for binding of 7,8,9,10-tetrahydroxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydro-benzo[a]pyrene to denatured DNA are an order of magnitude larger than for binding to native DNA. The effect of salt on the binding constant was used to calculate the sodium ion release per bound ligand, which was 0.36 for both native and denatured DNA. Increasing salt concentration increases the duplex content of denatured DNA, and it appears that physical binding of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons consists of intercalation into these sites.     

Using Attachment Theory and Social Support Theory to Examine and Measure Pets as Sources of Social Support and Attachment Figures

Companion animals are increasingly being recognized by society as beneficial to our health and considered by many owners as authentic and affectional family members. Human relationship theories help us to understand the emotional and supportive aspect of the human– companion animal bond. This study uses attachment theory, social support theory, and the concept of the hierarchical nature of attachment relationships to further understand and measure human–animal attachment. In study 1,161 university-student pet owners completed a modified multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) that included pets as a source of support, and we pre-tested a 60-item pet attachment measure. Results showed that students perceived their pets as distinctive sources of social support, at similar levels to their significant others, family, and friends. Principal components analysis of the 60-item measure reduced it to 31 items, and revealed four pet attachment components: (a) Proximity maintenance and interaction, (b) Emotional attachment behaviors, (c) Emotional support given and received, and (d) Emotional and monetary value. The scale was named the Emotional and Supportive Attachment to Companion Animals Scale (ESACA) (Cronbach’s α = 0.96). In study 2, 83 university students completed an attachment hierarchy scale and the ESACA. Companion animals were included in pet owners’ attachment hierarchies and ranked higher than siblings but lower than romantic partners, parents, and close friends. Those who indicated higher attachment to their companion animals ranked them higher in their attachment hierarchy than those less attached. This study supports and extends previous research that has used aspects of attachment theory and social support theory when exploring the human–animal bond. Many companion animal owners perceive their pets as additional sources of emotional support, fulfilling the four features of an attachment relationship and including them in their hierarchy of important attachment relationships.     

The formation of covalent adducts between benzo[a]pyrenediol epoxide and RNA: structural analysis by mass spectrometry

Racemic 7-r,8-t-dihydroxy-9-t,10-t-epoxy-7,8,9,10-tetrahydrobenzo[a] pyrene was reacted with yeast RNA. Modified nucleosides were isolated and resolved by high-performance liquid chromatography; nine adduct peaks were collected for analysis. The bases in these adducts were identified by comparing their retention times with those of adducts from poly(G), poly(A), and poly(C). These samples gave two major and two minor Guo adducts, four major Ado adducts, and at least four Cyd adducts. The relative efficiencies of adduct formation with the polyribonucleotides were poly(G) greater than yeast RNA greater than poly(A) greater than poly(C). Fluorescence measurements show that emission from Guo adducts is strongly quenched relative to that from Ado adducts. Liquid secondary ion mass spectrometry (LSIMS) of underivatized samples and electron-impact mass spectrometry (EIMS) of permethyl derivatives were used to confirm the base identities and establish the alkylation sites of the RNA adducts. Unique nitrogen-containing hydrocarbon fragments that were observed with all samples by EIMS establish that in each adduct analyzed the C-10 position of the hydrocarbon is linked to the exocyclic amino group of the base. This suggested that the multiple adducts formed with each base are diastereomers derived from cis/trans epoxide ring opening of the (+) and (-) enantiomers of the carcinogen. Several adducts exhibited molecular ions by both LSIMS and EIMS. Large fragments observed by EIMS usually resulted from the loss of CH3OH, CH3O., CH2O, CH3., and H. from the molecular ion. Major fragmentation pathways also resulted in formation of nucleoside, base, ribose, hydrocarbon, and base-hydrocarbon ions. Each of these major ions in turn resulted in further characteristic fragmentation patterns.     

Molecular phylogeny of Neotropical bioluminescent beetles (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) in southern and central Brazil

Bioluminescence in beetles is found mainly in the Elateroidea superfamily (Elateridae, Lampyridae and Phengodidae). The Neotropical region accounts for the richest diversity of bioluminescent species in the world with about 500 described species, most occurring in the Amazon, Atlantic rainforest and Cerrado (savanna) ecosystems in Brazil. The origin and evolution of bioluminescence, as well as the taxonomic status of several Neotropical taxa in these families remains unclear. In order to contribute to a better understanding of the phylogeny and evolution of bioluminescent Elateroidea we sequenced and analyzed sequences of mitochondrial NADH2 and the nuclear 28S genes and of the cloned luciferase sequences of Brazilian species belonging to the following genera: (Lampyridae) Macrolampis, Photuris, Amydetes, Bicellonycha, Aspisoma, Lucidota, Cratomorphus; (Elateridae) Conoderus, Pyrophorus, Hapsodrilus, Pyrearinus, Fulgeochlizus; and (Phengodidae) Pseudophengodes, Phrixothrix, Euryopa and Brasilocerus. Our study supports a closer phylogenetic relationship between Elateridae and Phengodidae as other molecular studies, in contrast with previous morphologic and molecular studies that clustered Lampyridae/Phengodidae. Molecular data also supported division of the Phengodinae subfamily into the tribes Phengodini and Mastinocerini. The position of the genus Amydetes supports the status of the Amydetinae as a subfamily. The genus Euryopa is included in the Mastinocerini tribe within the Phengodinae/Phengodidae. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The Interaction of αB-Crystallin with Mature α-Synuclein Amyloid Fibrils Inhibits Their Elongation

αB-Crystallin is a small heat-shock protein (sHsp) that is colocalized with α-synuclein (αSyn) in Lewy bodies—the pathological hallmarks of Parkinson's disease—and is an inhibitor of αSyn amyloid fibril formation in an ATP-independent manner in vitro. We have investigated the mechanism underlying the inhibitory action of sHsps, and here we establish, by means of a variety of biophysical techniques including immunogold labeling and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, that αB-crystallin interacts with αSyn, binding along the length of mature amyloid fibrils. By measurement of seeded fibril elongation kinetics, both in solution and on a surface using a quartz crystal microbalance, this binding is shown to strongly inhibit further growth of the fibrils. The binding is also demonstrated to shift the monomer-fibril equilibrium in favor of dissociation. We believe that this mechanism, by which a sHsp interacts with mature amyloid fibrils, could represent an additional and potentially generic means by which at least some chaperones protect against amyloid aggregation and limit the onset of misfolding diseases.     

Inhibition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Mycobacterium tuberculosis disulfide bond forming enzymes

In bacteria, disulfide bonds confer stability on many proteins exported to the cell envelope or beyond, including bacterial virulence factors. Thus, proteins involved in disulfide bond formation represent good targets for the development of inhibitors that can act as antibiotics or anti‐virulence agents, resulting in the simultaneous inactivation of several types of virulence factors. Here, we present evidence that the disulfide bond forming enzymes, DsbB and VKOR, are required for Pseudomonas aeruginosa pathogenicity and Mycobacterium tuberculosis survival respectively. We also report the results of a HTS of 216,767 compounds tested against P. aeruginosa DsbB1 and M. tuberculosis VKOR using Escherichia coli cells. Since both P. aeruginosa DsbB1 and M. tuberculosis VKOR complement an E. coli dsbB knockout, we screened simultaneously for inhibitors of each complemented E. coli strain expressing a disulfide‐bond sensitive β ‐galactosidase reported previously. The properties of several inhibitors obtained from these screens suggest they are a starting point for chemical modifications with potential for future antibacterial development.