Cryptosporidium fayeri n. sp. (Apicomplexa: Cryptosporidiidae) from the Red Kangaroo (Macropus rufus)

The morphology and infectivity of the oocysts of a new species of Cryptosporidium from the faeces of the red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) are described. Oocysts are structurally indistinguishable from those of Cryptosporidium parvum. Oocysts of the new species are passed fully sporulated, lack sporocysts, and measure 4.5-5.1 microm (mean=4.9) x 3.8-5.0 microm (mean=4.3 microm) with a length to width ratio 1.02:1.18 (mean 1.14) (n=50). Oocysts were not infectious for neonate ARC Swiss mice. Multi-locus analysis of numerous unlinked loci demonstrated this species to be distinct (90.64%-97.88% similarity) from C. parvum. Based on biological and molecular data, this Cryptosporidium infecting marsupials is proposed to be a new species Cryptosporidium fayeri n. sp.     

BACE1 inhibitors: A head group scan on a series of amides

A series of amides bearing a variety of amidine head groups was investigated as BACE1 inhibitors with respect to inhibitory activity in a BACE1 enzyme as well as a cell-based assay. Determination of their basicity as well as their properties as substrates of P-glycoprotein revealed that a 2-amino-1,3-oxazine head group would be a suitable starting point for further development of brain penetrating compounds for potential Alzheimer’s disease treatment.     

Maternal care and infant development in <Emphasis Type=Italic>Callimico goeldii</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type=Italic>Callithrix jacchus</Emphasis>

Callimico goeldii gives birth to single offspring, whereas other callitrichids, including Callithrix jacchus, twin. This study compares maternal effort and infant development in C. goeldii and C. jacchus; it is the first study to look at nursing frequency. Infants were observed from birth for 7 weeks in two captive groups each of C. goeldii and C. jacchus. C. goeldii mothers physiologically invested the same or less than C. jacchus mothers. C. goeldii mothers gained the same amount of weight during pregnancy in absolute terms as did the smaller C. jacchus. This results in a smaller gain in proportion to maternal weight but an equivalent proportional gain on a per fetus basis. C. goeldii mothers nursed their infants less based on duration of nursing bouts compared with C. jacchus mothers. C. goeldii mothers transported their infants exclusively through the first 2 weeks of life, which is longer than C. jacchus mothers, who exclusively transported infants only during the first week of life. As maternal infant carriage declined, other group members transported offspring in both species. C. goeldii infants engaged in independent locomotive sequences later in development and tasted solid foods less frequently than C. jacchus infants when compared at equivalent ages. A single, opportunistic milk sample obtained from a C. goeldii mother when her infant was 48 days old indicates that C. goeldii milk contains gross energy from crude protein within the range of variation observed in Callithrix milk. Despite the similarities in milk quality and prenatal effort in individual fetuses, C. goeldii infants gain weight faster from 0 to 18 months than do C. jacchus infants. A reduction in litter size allows C. goeldii mothers to spend more time carrying their infant and to delay weaning, thereby allowing accelerated infant and juvenile growth rates compared with C. jacchus.     

Oxygen supply and the placenta limit thermogenic responses in fetal sheep

The aim of this study was to assess the individual effects of cooling, increased oxygenation, and umbilical cord occlusion on nonshivering thermogenesis in utero. A cooling coil was placed around eight fetal sheep of 132-145 days gestation; thermistors were placed in the fetal esophagus and maternal iliac artery, vascular catheters and a tracheal catheter were inserted, and a snare was placed loosely around the umbilical cord. The next day cold water was circulated through the coil for 5 h. During the 1st h of cooling alone, fetal core temperature fell 2.79 degrees C, but indexes of brown fat activity increased only slightly. After ventilation with O2, plasma free fatty acid concentration (FFA) rose 7.4-fold to 244 +/- 42 mu eq/l, glycerol concentration rose fourfold to 376 +/- 85 microM, and the difference between brown fat and core temperature widened to 0.60 +/- 0.10 degrees C. Ventilation with N2-enriched air did not evoke similar responses. After snaring the umbilical cord while ventilation was continued, FFA rose to 554 +/- 95 mu eq/l, glycerol rose to 684 +/- 76 microM, and the temperature difference widened to 0.77 +/- 0.13 degrees C. Whole-body O2 consumption peaked at 19.6 ml.min-1.kg-1 of fetal tissue. We conclude that fetal thermogenic responses are limited in part by O2 delivery to brown fat and are augmented by occlusion of the umbilical cord.     

Callus formation from leaf mesophyll protoplasts of Malus Xdomestica Borkh. cv. Greensleeves

Large yields (1.85 × 10⁷/g.f.wt.) of viable protoplasts were obtained from leaves of axenic shoot cultures of Malus Xdomestica Borkh. cv. Greensleeves. Protoplasts cultured in liquid or agarose semi-solidified KM8P medium underwent cell wall regeneration and colony formation.Protoplast-derived cell colonies developed to callus on semi-solid KM8 medium. This is the first report of callus formation from mesophyll protoplasts of apple.Abbreviations BAP 6-benzylaminopurine - K kinetin - Z zeatin - GA₃ gibberellic acid - IBA 3-indole butyric acid - NAA 1-naphthalene acetic acid - IAA 3-indole acetic acid - ABA abscisic acid - f.wt. fresh weight - MS Murashige and Skoog (1962)     

Isolation and culture of mesophyll protoplasts from Rosa hybrida

After 1 h plasmolysis in CPW13M solution, highly viable (>75%) protoplasts were isolated from leaves of axenic shoot cultures of Rosa hybrida L. cv. Abraham Darby using an enzyme mixture containing 1.0% (w/v) Hemicellulase, 0.1% (w/v) Macerozyme, 1.0 (w/v) Cellulase RS, 0.05% (w/v) Pectolyase Y23 and 1.0% (w/v) PVP-10 and from cv. Marie Pavié using an identical mixture but with Cellulase RS and Pectolyase Y23 at 0.7% (w/v) and 0.1% (w/v), respectively. With both cvs., sustained protoplast division was achieved after plating in agarose beads with modified KM8p medium containing 1.0% (w/v) polyvinylpyrrolidone (mol. wt. 10 000; PVP-10), 8.91 μM naphthaleneacetic acid (NAA) and 4.44 μM 6-benzyladenine (BA). Protoplast-derived callus gave rise to roots after transfer to SH medium containing 14 μM 2,4-D. This revised version was published online in June 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Modelling the growth and protein production by insect cells following infection by a recombinant baculovirus in suspension culture

A mathematical model has been developed to describe the growth and infection of insect cells by recombinant baculoviruses. The model parameters were determined from a series of independent experiments involving batch suspension culture. The profiles generated by the model for cell growth, virus production and protein production agree with those observed in experiments. Presently, the model simulates only systems where cells are not growth-limited. The model is useful in aiding the design and optimization of large-scale systems for production of biological insecticides as well as recombinant proteins and in delineating those areas which are limiting the process and require further, more fundamental, investigation.