Population Changes of Heterodera glycines and Soybean Yields Resulting from Soil Treatment with Alachlor,Fenamiphos, and Ethoprop

The population dynamics of Heterodera glycines as influenced by alachlor, fenamiphos, and ethoprop alone and in herbicide-nematicide combinations were studied in the field. Numbers of H. glycines juveniles and eggs were higher at midseason and harvest where nematicides were applied. Fenamiphos alone or in combination with alachlor provided better control of H. glycines and greater seed yields than treatments with ethoprop. Numbers of H. glycines eggs at harvest in 1980 were positively correlated with numbers of juveniles at planting in 1981 and negatively related to seed yield in 1981.     

Immunomorphological analysis of G2-chalone localization during the process of rat epidermis histogenesis

The appearance of G2-chalone in the cytoplasm of the intermediate cell layer and partly in the periderm of 17-day-old rat embryo epidermis has been demonstrated by the indirect method of Coons using a monospecific antiserum. G2-chalone was absent from the basal cell layer of 17--21-day-old embryos and of the newborn rats. It was found in all the epidermal layers in 2--5-day-old postnatal rats, while in 6--9-day-old animals it was primarily detected in the cytoplasm of spinous and basal cells. Thus the localization of epidermal G2-chalone typical for defined tissue becomes stabilized at the end of epidermis histogenesis.     

Immunochemical subfractionation of a microsomal fraction of rat liver with antibody-coated Staphylococcus aureus cells

The procedure for immunochemical adsorption of vesicles with specific antigen on their outer surfaces was improved. When microsomal vesicles were mixed with Staphylococcus aureus cells coated with the antibody against NADPH-cytochrome c reductase, more than 90% of the enzyme activity was adsorbed on the cell, whereas, only about 10% of the activity was adsorbed on cells coated with the same amount of anti-ovalbumin antibody. NADH-cytochrome c reductase and aldehyde dehydrogenase activities were adsorbed on the cell to the same extent as was NADPH-cytochrome c reductase activity. Under this condition, there was no adsorption of the activities of the marker enzymes of lysosomes and Golgi apparatus, whereas large amounts of the activities of the plasma membrane enzymes were adsorbed. The specific activity of NADPH-cytochrome c reductase in the adsorbed vesicles from the microsomal fractions increased considerably. In contrast, marker enzymes of the Golgi or of the plasma membranes could be enriched in unadsorbed vesicles from the Golgi fractions.     

Acid proteinase activity in fish--I. Comparative study of extraction of cathepsins B and D from Mujil auratus

Acid catheptic activity was measured in crude extracts of muscle, liver, heart, spleen and gonads from the fishes Mujil auratus, Sparus aurata and Lightonatus mormyrus. The spleen was the organ which showed the highest activity. A comparative study of the seven most commonly used extraction methods was made. Some were modified to account for the characteristics of the fish organs and the activity extracted from them. The Siebert method resulted as the best extraction method only if 1 mM EDTA was present in the medium. The activity from Mujil auratus muscle was strongly inhibited by iodoacetate, N-ethylmaleimide, p-hydroxy mercuribenzoate, and diazo-acetyl-DL-norleucine methyl ester. The results indicated the presence of a carboxyl-proteinase and a thiol-proteinase. According to inhibition studies, the levels of proteinase and amidase activities shown by different organs of Mujil auratus were re-examined. The spleen extract showed the maximum activity for both cathepsins, but muscle extract accounted for more than 95% of total catheptic activity.     

Residue Glu83 plays a major role in negatively regulating α-synuclein amyloid formation

α-Synuclein (α-syn) amyloid filaments are the major ultrastructural component of pathological inclusions that define several neurodegenerative disorders, including Parkinson disease and other disorders that are collectively termed synucleinopathies. Since the aggregation of α-syn is associated with the etiology of these diseases, defining the molecular elements that influence this process may have important therapeutics implication. The deletions of major portions of the hydrophobic region of α-syn (Δ74-79 and Δ71-82) impair the ability to form amyloid. However, mutating residue E83 to an A restored the ability of these proteins to form amyloid. Additionally supporting an inhibitory role of residue E83 on amyloid formation, mutating this residue to an A enhanced amyloid formation in the presence of small molecule inhibitors, such as dopamine and EGCG. Our data, therefore, suggest that the presence and placement of the highly charged E83 residue plays a significant inhibitory role in α-syn amyloid formation and these findings provide important insights in the planning of therapeutic agents that may be capable of preventing α-syn amyloid formation.     

Sex-biased dispersal promotes adaptive parental effects

Background  

In heterogeneous environments, sex-biased dispersal could lead to environmental adaptive parental effects, with offspring selected to perform in the same way as the parent dispersing least, because this parent is more likely to be locally adapted. We investigate this hypothesis by simulating varying levels of sex-biased dispersal in a patchy environment. The relative advantage of a strategy involving pure maternal (or paternal) inheritance is then compared with a strategy involving classical biparental inheritance in plants and in animals.     

Segregation Distortion of Marker Nuclear Genes in Alloplasmic and Isoplasmic Lines of Barley

Inheritance of barley nuclear genes responsible for various morphological marker traits was studied in hybrid populations F₂ and F_a. Nine marker genes showed deviation from Mendelian monogenic inheritance depending on the cross direction and maternal cytoplasm. Segregation biases to both recessive mutant and dominant normal phenotypes were observed. Mechanisms of the segregation bias related to cytoplasm substitution in iso- and alloplasmic lines are discussed.     

The phospholipid-bound fatty acids of fowl and turkey spermatozoa

The composition of the phospholipid-bound fatty acids in the spermatozoa of the turkey, Meleagris gallopavo, and fowl, Gallus domesticus, was studied. The types of fatty acids were similar in the two birds. The ratio of polyunsaturated : saturated fatty acids was generally low but slightly higher in the turkey than in the fowl. The significance of the findings in relation to the origin of the semen collected in these gallinaceous birds and the greater difficulty of freezing turkey spermatozoa was discussed.