Ultrastructure of Nitrobacter agilis Grown Under Autotrophic and Heterotrophic Conditions

Nitrobacter agilis, grown through seven transfers heterotrophically in the absence of nitrite, was examined in the electron microscope. The ultrastructure of such cells closely resembled that of autotrophically grown N. agilis. It was thus futher established that the organisms growing heterotrophically were indeed N. agilis and, therefore, that N. agilis is a facultative autotroph. Acetate incorporation into poly-beta-hydroxybutyrate was confirmed cytologically.     

Outer Layers of the Azotobacter vinelandii Cyst

Ruthenium red stained a capsule external to the exine of the Azotobacter cyst. The central body is therefore surrounded by three layers, the intine, the exine, and the capsule, all containing acid mucopolysaccharide. Vesicles that appear to originate from the contracting cell membrane of the central body may account for the lipid content of the intine. The exine is composed of laminated sheets that tend to fragment into hexagonal pieces.     

Impact of foraging byMonochamus titillator [Col.: Cerambycidae] on within-tree populations ofDendroctonus frontalis [Col.: Scolytidae]

The impact of foraging byMonochamus titillator (Fab.) on within-tree populations ofDendroctonus frontalis Zimm. was described. Total population estimates forD. frontalis and inner bark area foraged byM. titillator were computed for 89 loblolly pine,Pinus taeda L., sampled over a 3 year period. Frequency histograms were prepared for the surface area of habitat infested, area foraged byM. titillator, and within-tree populations ofD. frontalis. These data were used to calculate the proportion of area foraged byM. titillator, the proportionalD. frontalis mortality for the entire tree, and the proportional mortality occurring in the foraged area. Histograms showing the variation of these components were prepared and described using nonlinear mathematical models. Ca. 20% of the infested surface area was foraged byM. titillator. Mortality toD. frontalis on a per tree basis was ca. 14%. Mortality in the area foraged byM. titillator was ca. 70%. These estimates were highly variable between individual trees and a procedure for predicting the probability of a given level of foraging and mortality was described. Sources of variation influencing foraging byM. titillator and mortality toD. frontalis were investigated. Variation between years and season followed similar trends with both foraging and mortality increasing from the base to the top of the infested bole. Variation between tree size-class was highly significant. Larger size-class trees had substantially greater foraging and mortality than did the smaller size-classes. Mortality within the foraged area was also found to be greater at the extremes of the infested bole.

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Résumé L’impact de l’activité deMonochamus titillator (Fab.) sur les populations à l’intérieur de l’arbre deDendroctonus frontalis Zimm. est décrit. Le total des évaluations de population deD. frontalis dans des zones à l’intérieur du tronc attaquées parM. titillator a été soumis à l’ordinateur pour 89 pins,Pinus taeda L., échantillonnés pendant 3 ans. Les histogrammes de fréquence ont été établis pour la surface de l’habitat infesté, la surface explorée parM. titillator et pour les populations deD. frontalis présentes dans l’arbre. A partir de ces données on a calculé la part de surface utilisée parM. titillator, la mortalité deD. frontalis extrapolée pour l’arbre entier et la mortalité se produisant dans la surface exploitée. Les histogrammes traduisant les variations de ces composantes ont été dressés en ayant recours à des modèles mathématiques non linéaires. Environ 20% de la surface infestée a été exploitée parM. titillator; la mortalité du scolyte fut d’environ 14% dans l’arbre et de 70% dans la zone attaquée parM. titillator. Ces évaluations sont très variables d’un arbre à l’autre et on a mis au point un procédé pour prévoir la probabilité d’un taux donné d’activité alimentaire du cerambycide et de mortalité du scolyte. Les causes de cette variabilité ont été étudiées. La variation suivant les années et les saisons suit les mêmes tendances à savoir l’augmentation à la fois de l’activité alimentaire et de la mortalité de la base au sommet du pin attaqué. La variation selon les classes de taille des arbres est hautement significative: les arbres les plus gros présentent une exploitation et une mortalité beaucoup plus importantes que les arbres plus petits. La mortalité du scolyte dans la zone attaquée par le cerambycide est également plus élevée aux extrémités du pin infesté.

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Texas Agricultural Experiment Station No.TA15244.     

Low frequency and diffusive motion in aligned phospholipid multilayers studied by pulsed NMR

Measurements of T₁, T_1?, T_1D and the FID are reported for protons in aligned stacks of Egg Yolk Lecithin (EYL)-D₂O multilayers. From the ω₁ dependence of T_1? and the ω₀ dependence of T₁ the two dispersive regions of the spectral density function were identified. The lower frequency region has a centre angular frequency of 2.2 × 10⁵ rad/s and the upper frequency region a centre angular frequency of 4 × 10⁷ rad/s.From the orientation dependence of T_1?, T_1D and the FID, the lower frequency dispersion is assigned to fluctuations in the packing density of the hydrocarbon chains in the plane of the bilayer, and the upper frequency region to the translational diffusion of the lipid molecules. Based on a similar approach to one previously described, a diffusion coefficient of 1.4 × 10^?8 cm²/s is calculated for the EYL molecules in the bilayers.     

The molecular defect in a family with mild atypical osteogenesis imperfecta and extreme joint hypermobility: Exon skipping caused by an 11-bp deletion from an intron in one COL1A2 allele

Summary We have investigated a family with an autosomal dominantly inherited connective-tissue defect causing extreme joint hypermobility, premature osteoporosis and late-onset fractures. Analysis of collagenous proteins from affected individuals showed a deletion in some 2(I) chains. Peptide mapping localized this to the CB peptide 2CB4, which covers the N-terminal one-third of the protein chain. Polymerase chain reaction amplification and sequencing of cDNA derived from this region of the mRNA identified á heterozygous deletion of the 54 by comprising exon 9. Similar analysis of the genomic DNA revealed an 11-bp deletion from bp3 to bp13 of IVS-9. This disrupts the consensus 5 splice signal (GTAAGT) and leads to exon skipping. In a family study of 13 affected and unaffected family members using both heteroduplex formation and direct analysis for the deletion, all of the affected, but no unaffected individuals, were found to carry the deletion. This generated a positive Lod score of 2.6 with the Liped programme.     

Transient expression of adheron molecules during chick retinal development.

Neuritogenesis and synapse formation are transient phenomena mediated in part by filopodial attachments (Tsui, Lankford, and Klein, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 82:8256-8260 1985). The attachments can be labeled by antisera against adherons, adhesive microparticles isolated from cell culture media (Tsui, Schubert, and Klein, J. Cell Biol. 106:2095-2108 1988). Here, two monoclonal antibodies raised against adherons have been found to recognize transiently expressed membrane antigens of developing avian retina. Early in development, monoclonal antibody (mAb) AD1 stained antigens that spanned the entire tissue. With time, immunoreactivity became restricted to optic fiber, ganglion cell, and inner plexiform layers. Immunoblots of embryonic day (E) 13 retina showed a broad band at 66-72 kD for particulate fractions and a fine band at 70 kD for soluble fractions. The particulate forms disappeared as retinas matured, but the soluble form did not. mAb AD2 initially labeled retina antigens of optic fiber, ganglion cell, and inner plexiform layers (IPL). Labeling in the plexiform layer showed discrete lamina. Immunoreactivity first appeared at E9, peaked at E15, and then disappeared shortly after hatching. In isolated cells, AD2 labeled small cell surface aggregates. Cytoarchitectural studies, using whole-mount transmission electron microscopy, showed AD2 antigen in cell surface microfilaments, including some that joined filopodia together. The adheron antigens recognized by mAbs AD1 and AD2 thus were (1) topographically restricted; (2) associated with cell surfaces; and (3) developmentally down-regulated. This pattern suggests a role in developmentally transient cell surface phenomena, such as neurite extension or junction biogenesis.     

Synchronization of the menstrual cycle through the use of an oral progestin in the rhesus monkey

This study was undertaken to demonstrate the feasibility of using oral progestins for menstrual cycle synchronization in female rhesus monkeys. After a control cycle, four subjects were treated for 21 consecutive days with 0.044 mg/kg/day of the oral progestin altrenogest. During the subsequent 6-wk period the timing and occurrence of menses and ovulation were observed. During the control cycle, the four subjects ovulated over a 6-d period; following progestin treatment all subjects menstruated within a 4-d range, and three of the four subjects ovulated within 24 h of each other. This should prove to be a sufficient degree of ovulation synchrony to allow for successful embryo transfer between females.     

Differential effects of adrenocorticotropic hormone on steroid hydroxylase activities in the inner and outer zones of the guinea pig adrenal cortex.

We have studied the effects of ACTH treatment on steroid hydroxylase activities in the inner (zona reticularis) and outer (zona fasciculata plus zona glomerulosa) zones of the guinea pig adrenal cortex. Animals received 5 or 10 U of ACTH daily for 6 days and enzyme activities were then assessed in isolated microsomal or mitochondrial preparations. In control animals, microsomal cytochrome P-450 concentrations were greater in the inner than outer zone, but mitochondrial P-450 levels were similar in the two zones. Microsomal 17 alpha-hydroxylase and mitochondrial 11 beta-hydroxylase activities were greater in the outer than inner zone, but microsomal 21-hydroxylase activity was greater in the inner zone. ACTH treatment decreased cytochrome P-450 concentrations in inner but not outer zone microsomes; mitochondrial P-450 levels were unaffected in both zones. ACTH caused a dose-dependent increase in inner zone 17 alpha-hydroxylase activity and decrease in 21-hydroxylase activity without affecting the activity of either enzyme in outer zone microsomes. ACTH also decreased 11 beta-hydroxylase activity in outer but not inner zone mitochondrial preparations. The net effect of ACTH treatment was to diminish the differences in steroid metabolism between the two zones. The results indicate that the effects of ACTH on steroid hydroxylase activities are both zone- and enzyme-dependent, suggesting the existence of multiple and independent regulatory mechanisms.     

Ocean warming has a greater effect than acidification on the early life history development and swimming performance of a large circumglobal pelagic fish

Ocean warming and acidification are serious threats to marine life; however, their individual and combined effects on large pelagic and predatory fishes are poorly understood. We determined the effects of projected future temperature and carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels on survival, growth, morphological development and swimming performance on the early life stages of a large circumglobal pelagic fish, the yellowtail kingfish Seriola lalandi. Eggs, larvae and juveniles were reared in cross‐factored treatments of temperature (21 and 25°C) and pCO₂ (500 and 985 μatm) from fertilisation to 25 days post hatching (dph). Temperature had the greatest effect on survival, growth and development. Survivorship was lower, but growth and morphological development were faster at 25°C, with surviving fish larger and more developed at 1, 11 and 21 dph. Elevated pCO₂ affected size at 1 dph, but not at 11 or 21 dph, and did not affect survival or morphological development. Elevated temperature and pCO₂ had opposing effects on swimming performance at 21 dph. Critical swimming speed (U_crit) was increased by elevated temperature but reduced by elevated pCO₂. Additionally, elevated temperature increased the proportion of individuals that responded to a startle stimulus, reduced latency to respond and increased maximum escape speed, potentially due to the more advanced developmental stage of juveniles at 25°C. By contrast, elevated pCO₂ reduced the distance moved and average speed in response to a startle stimulus. Our results show that higher temperature is likely to be the primary driver of global change impacts on kingfish early life history; however, elevated pCO₂ could affect critical aspects of swimming performance in this pelagic species. Our findings will help parameterise and structure fisheries population dynamics models and improve projections of impacts to large pelagic fishes under climate change scenarios to better inform adaptation and mitigation responses.     

Sympatric serpentine endemic Monardella (Lamiaceae) species maintain habitat differences despite hybridization

Ecological differentiation and genetic isolation are thought to be critical in facilitating coexistence between related species, but the relative importance of these phenomena and the interactions between them are not well understood. Here, we examine divergence in abiotic habitat affinity and the extent of hybridization and introgression between two rare species of Monardella (Lamiaceae) that are both restricted to the same serpentine soil exposure in California. Although broadly sympatric, they are found in microhabitats that differ consistently in soil chemistry, slope, rockiness and vegetation. We identify one active hybrid zone at a site with intermediate soil and above‐ground characteristics, and we document admixture patterns indicative of extensive and asymmetric introgression from one species into the other. We find that genetic distance among heterospecific populations is related to geographic distance, such that the extent of apparent introgression is partly explained by the spatial proximity to the hybrid zone. Our work shows that plant species can maintain morphological and ecological integrity in the face of weak genetic isolation, intermediate habitats can facilitate the establishment of hybrids, and that the degree of apparent introgression a population experiences is related to its geographic location rather than its local habitat characteristics.