Oviposition preferences of Maculinea alcon as influenced by aphid (Aphis gentianae) and fungal (Puccinia gentianae) infestation of larval host plants

Abstract 1. The influence of infestation of the larval host plant Gentiana cruciata on the egg‐laying preferences of the xerophilous ecotype of Alcon Blue butterfly (Maculinea alcon) was studied in a semi‐dry grassland area (Aggtelek Karst Region, Northern Hungary). 2. We examined whether oviposition patterns of females differed when G. cruciata stems were uninfested compared with when they were infested by an aphid (Aphis gentianae) or a rust (Puccinia gentianae) species. 3. Females laid more than 90% of their eggs on fertile, uninfested G. cruciata stems, although these stems comprised only ～ 50% of the total stems available. Stems infested by aphids were similar to uninfested ones in properties that had a strong correlation with egg numbers, and yet there were significantly fewer eggs on infested stems than on intact ones. 4. Females never laid eggs on parts of Gentiana stems infested by aphids, and the presence of Lasius paralienus ants, which have a mutualistic interaction with Aphis gentianae, did not increase the repulsive effect of aphids. Infection of Gentiana by Puccinia did not influence the egg‐laying behaviour of females, even though the flowers and buds of infested stems exhibited a delayed development. 5. Aphid infestation can influence butterfly oviposition patterns through both direct and indirect effects. The presence of aphids directly excluded oviposition, but our data also indicated the possibility of an indirect effect of aphid infestation. Stems that had no aphids at the last egg counting, but were infested prior to it, had significantly fewer eggs than those that were never infested.     

Recolonization history and large-scale dispersal in the open sea: the case study of the North Atlantic cod, Gadus morhua L.

Most studies of the genetic structure of Atlantic cod have focused on small geographical scales. In the present study, the genetic structure of cod sampled on spawning grounds in the North Atlantic was examined using eight microsatellite loci and the Pan I locus. A total of 954 cod was collected from nine different regions: the Baltic Sea, the North Sea, the Celtic Sea, the Irish Sea and Icelandic waters during spring 2002 and spring 2003, from Norwegian waters and the Faroe Islands (North and West spawning grounds) in spring 2003, and from Canadian waters in 1998. Temporal stability among spawning grounds was observed in Icelandic waters and the Celtic Sea, and no significant difference was observed between the samples from the Baltic Sea and between the samples from Faroese waters. F -statistics showed significant differences between most populations and a pattern of isolation-by-distance was described with microsatellite loci. The Pan I locus revealed the presence of two genetically distinguishable basins, the North-west Atlantic composed of the Icelandic and Canadian samples and the North-east Atlantic composed of all other samples. Permutation of allele sizes at each microsatellite locus among allelic states supported a mutational component to the genetic differentiation, indicating a historical origin of the observed variation. Estimation of the time of divergence was approximately 3000 generations, which places the origin of current genetic pattern of cod in the North Atlantic in the late Weichselian (Wisconsinian period), at last glacial maximum.  © 2008 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2008, 94 , 315–329.     

Quantitative trait loci for root-penetration ability and root thickness in rice: comparison of genetic backgrounds.

Drought is the major abiotic stress limiting rice (Oryza sativa) production and yield stability in rainfed lowland and upland ecosystems. Root systems play an important role in drought resistance. Incorporation of root selection criteria in drought resistance improvement is difficult due to lack of reliable and efficient screening techniques. Using a wax-petrolatum layer system simulated to compacted soil layers, root traits were evaluated in a doubled haploid (DH) population derived from the cross between 'IR64' and 'Azucena'. Twelve putative QTLs (quantitative trait loci) were detected by interval mapping comprising four QTLs for root-penetration ability, four QTLs for root thickness, two QTLs for penetrated root number, and two QTLs for total root number. These QTLs individually explained 8.4% to 16.4% of the phenotypic variation. No QTL was detected for maximum penetrated root length by interval mapping. One QTL located between RG104 and RG348 was found to influence both root-penetration ability and root thickness. QTLs for root-penetration ability and root thickness were compared across two populations, 'IR64'-'Azucena' and 'CO39'-'Moroberekan', and different testing conditions. The identified consistent QTLs could be used for marker-assisted selection for deep and thick roots with high root-penetration ability in rice.     

A chromosome bin map of 2148 expressed sequence tag loci of wheat homoeologous group 7

The objectives of this study were to develop a high-density chromosome bin map of homoeologous group 7 in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), to identify gene distribution in these chromosomes, and to perform comparative studies of wheat with rice and barley. We mapped 2148 loci from 919 EST clones onto group 7 chromosomes of wheat. In the majority of cases the numbers of loci were significantly lower in the centromeric regions and tended to increase in the distal regions. The level of duplicated loci in this group was 24% with most of these loci being localized toward the distal regions. One hundred nineteen EST probes that hybridized to three fragments and mapped to the three group 7 chromosomes were designated landmark probes and were used to construct a consensus homoeologous group 7 map. An additional 49 probes that mapped to 7AS, 7DS, and the ancestral translocated segment involving 7BS also were designated landmarks. Landmark probe orders and comparative maps of wheat, rice, and barley were produced on the basis of corresponding rice BAC/PAC and genetic markers that mapped on chromosomes 6 and 8 of rice. Identification of landmark ESTs and development of consensus maps may provide a framework of conserved coding regions predating the evolution of wheat genomes.     

Chromosome bin map of expressed sequence tags in homoeologous group 1 of hexaploid wheat and homoeology with rice and Arabidopsis

A total of 944 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) generated 2212 EST loci mapped to homoeologous group 1 chromosomes in hexaploid wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). EST deletion maps and the consensus map of group 1 chromosomes were constructed to show EST distribution. EST loci were unevenly distributed among chromosomes 1A, 1B, and 1D with 660, 826, and 726, respectively. The number of EST loci was greater on the long arms than on the short arms for all three chromosomes. The distribution of ESTs along chromosome arms was nonrandom with EST clusters occurring in the distal regions of short arms and middle regions of long arms. Duplications of group 1 ESTs in other homoeologous groups occurred at a rate of 35.5%. Seventy-five percent of wheat chromosome 1 ESTs had significant matches with rice sequences (E < or = e(-10)), where large regions of conservation occurred between wheat consensus chromosome 1 and rice chromosome 5 and between the proximal portion of the long arm of wheat consensus chromosome 1 and rice chromosome 10. Only 9.5% of group 1 ESTs showed significant matches to Arabidopsis genome sequences. The results presented are useful for gene mapping and evolutionary and comparative genomics of grasses.     

Baseline Levels of Potentially Toxic Elements in Pampas Soils

The soils of the Pampas are thought to be generally non-contaminated but there is growing evidence of trace element accumulation at some specific sites. The goal of this study was to measure the current levels of the main Potentially Toxic Elements (PTE) in the top horizon and in specific soil profiles so that we would establish the baseline concentrations of these elements. Eighty-eight top soils and three soil profiles were sampled. The samples were acid digested. Arsenic, boron, barium, cadmium, cobalt, chromium, copper, lead, manganese, mercury, molybdenum, nickel, silver, selenium and zinc were determined with inductively coupled argon plasma emission spectrometry (ICPES).

All of the values found are within the normal range for uncontaminated soils as reported from several continents. Elements with high environmental risk potential are lower than the admissible range of the European Union and some of them are orders of magnitude lower than those of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US-EPA) 501 levels. Potentially Toxic Elements contents increased with depth or showed a maximum concentration at the B2 horizon. This is related to the parent material and the pedogenetic processes but not to recent contamination. Soil profiles showed higher concentrations of PTE in clayey horizons. However, these relationships did not appear in top soil samples in any soil Great Group studied. The shown data establishes a baseline for PTE concentrations for Pampas soils.     

The tumor suppressor PTEN regulates T cell survival and antigen receptor signaling by acting as a phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphatase

The tumor suppressor gene PTEN encodes a 55-kDa enzyme that hydrolyzes both protein phosphotyrosyl and 3-phosphorylated inositol phospholipids in vitro. We have found that the latter activity is physiologically relevant in intact T cells. Expression of active PTEN lead to a 50% loss of transfected cells due to increased apoptosis, which was completely prevented by coexpression of a constitutively active, membrane-bound form of protein kinase B. A mutant of PTEN selectively lacking lipid phosphatase activity, but retaining protein phosphatase activity, had no effects on cell number. Active (but not mutant) PTEN also decreased TCR-induced activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase ERK2 (extracellular signal-related kinase 2), as seen after inhibition of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase. Our data indicate that PTEN is a phosphatidylinositol 3-phosphatase in T cells, and we suggest that PTEN may play a role in the regulation of T cell survival and TCR signaling by directly opposing phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase.     

Fine needle aspiration cytology diagnosis of a cutaneous granular cell tumor in a 7-year-old child. A case report

BACKGROUND: Granular cell tumors are neoplasms of uncertain histogenesis, although a neural origin is favored. Most reports on the cytologic features of granular cell tumors have been on lesions from the breast or respiratory tract. However, there are only a few reports on fine needle aspiration (FNA) cytologic diagnosis of cutaneous or soft tissue granular cell tumors. CASE: A 7-year-old girl presented with a skin lesion on her right forearm of one year's duration. The FNA smears showed sheets and clusters of oval to polygonal cells with an abundant amount of granular cytoplasm. Many single, scattered cells with similar morphology were seen in the background. Immunostaining for S-100 protein showed granular cytoplasmic positivity. The tumor was diagnosed as a benign granular cell tumor. The histopathology report on the excised lesion confirmed the FNA diagnosis. CONCLUSION: The cytopathologic features of granular cell tumors presenting as skin lesions are distinctive enough to allow a correct diagnosis on FNA cytology.     

Structural and functional analyses of the wheat genomes based on expressed sequence tags (ESTs) related to abiotic stresses.

To gain insights into the structure and function of the wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) genomes, we identified 278 ESTs related to abiotic stress (cold, heat, drought, salinity, and aluminum) from 7671 ESTs previously mapped to wheat chromosomes. Of the 278 abiotic stress related ESTs, 259 (811 loci) were assigned to chromosome deletion bins and analyzed for their distribution pattern among the 7 homoeologous chromosome groups. Distribution of abiotic stress related EST loci were not uniform throughout the different regions of the chromosomes of the 3 wheat genomes. Both the short and long arms of group 4 chromosomes showed a higher number of loci in their distal regions compared with proximal regions. Of the 811 loci, the number of mapped loci on the A, B, and D genomes were 258, 281, and 272, respectively. The highest number of abiotic stress related loci were found in homoeologous chromosome group 2 (142 loci) and the lowest number were found in group 6 (94 loci). When considering the genome-specific ESTs, the B genome showed the highest number of unique ESTs (7 loci), while none were found in the D genome. Similarly, considering homoeologous group-specific ESTs, group 2 showed the highest number with 16 unique ESTs (58 loci), followed by group 4 with 9 unique ESTs (33 loci). Many of the classified proteins fell into the biological process categories associated with metabolism, cell growth, and cell maintenance. Most of the mapped ESTs fell into the category of enzyme activity (28%), followed by binding activity (27%). Enzymes related to abiotic stress such as beta-galactosidase, peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and trehalose-6-phosphate synthase were identified. The comparison of stress-responsive ESTs with genomic sequences of rice (Oryza sativa L.) chromosomes revealed the complexities of colinearity. This bin map provides insight into the structural and functional details of wheat genomic regions in relation to abiotic stress.     

Cytoplasmic colloid inclusions in thyroid lesions: a cytomorphological study based on fine needle aspiration

INTRODUCTION: Intracytoplasmic lumens (ICL) with or without magenta material and transgressing vessels are features of Hürthle cell neoplasms (HCN). After detection of intracytoplasmic colloid inclusions (CIs) including targetoid (magenta) body-like structures in the Hürthle cells (HC) in a case of Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT), we reviewed cases of HT, thyroid neoplasms, hyperplastic nodules (HN) and colloid goitres to determine the frequency of these structures. Further, an attempt was made to find out the significance of CIs. METHODS: FNA smears of 120 HT, 101 colloid goitres, 11 HN, and 76 neoplastic goitres were examined. The presence of CIs and empty ICL were noted in epithelial cells in these lesions. An attempt was made to find out the difference between HT with and without CIs in respect of various cytomorphologic features. The groups were compared using the Fisher's exact test of probability. RESULTS: The CIs were present in 36 (30.0%) of HT, 26 (34.2%) of neoplastic goitres, 3 (27.3%) of HN, and 4 (4.0%) colloid goitres. As compared to colloid goitres, CIs were present in a significant higher number of cases in HN (P = 0.0202), neoplastic goitres (P < 0.0001), and HT (P < 0.0001). Among neoplasms the frequency of CIs in HCN (75.0%) was significantly higher than that of papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) (33.3%, P = 0.0466), and follicular neoplasm (14.3%, P = 0.0083). The CIs were more frequent in HC in HT and HCN but in follicular cells (FC) in other lesions. The HT cases with CIs differed significantly from those without CIs in respect of HC and their cellularity, cellularity of reactive lymphoid cells, extracellular colloid and empty ICL. CONCLUSION: Care should be taken not to diagnose HT cases with an excessive Hürthle cell component and CIs, and PTC cases with Hürthlization and CIs, as HCN in FNA smears. Based on review of the literature and our findings, it is suggested that the Hürthle cell metaplasia in HT is a survival response of FC and the presence of CIs in Hürthle cell may represent their limited ability to synthesize colloid.