Development of the jamming avoidance response and its morphological correlates in the gymnotiform electric fish,Eigenmannia

The electric fish, Eigenmannia, will smoothly shift the frequency of its electric organ discharge away from an interfering electric signal. This shift in frequency is called the jamming avoidance response (JAR). In this article, we analyze the behavioral development of the JAR and the anatomical development of structures critical for the performance of the JAR. The JAR first appears when juvenile Eigenmannia are approximately 1 month old, at a total length of 13–18 mm. We have found that the establishment of much of the sensory periphery and of central connections precedes the onset of the JAR. We describe three aspects of the behavioral development of the JAR: (a) the onset and development of the behavior is closely correlated with size, not age; (b) the magnitude (in Hz) of the JAR increases with size until the juveniles display values within the adult range (10–20 Hz) at a total length of 25–30 mm; and (3) the JAR does not require prior experience or exposure to electrical signals. Raised in total electrical isolation from the egg stage, animals tested at a total length of 25 mm performed a correct JAR when first exposed to the stimulus. We examine the development of anatomical areas important for the performance of the JAR: the peripheral electrosensory system (mechano- and electroreceptors and peripheral nerves); and central electrosensory pathways and nuclei [the electrosensory lateral line lobe (ELL), the lateral lemniscus, the torus semicircularis, and the pacemaker nucleus]. The first recognizable structures in the developing electrosensory system are the peripheral neurites of the anterior lateral line nerve. The afferent nerves are established by day 2, which is prior to the formation of receptors in the epidermis. Thus, the neurites wait for their targets. This sequence of events suggests that receptor formation may be induced by innervation of primordial cells within the epidermis. Mechanoreceptors are first formed between day 3 and 4, while electroreceptors are first formed on day 7. Electroreceptor multiplication is observed for the first time at an age of 25 days and correlates with the onset of the JAR. The somata of the anterior lateral line nerve ganglion project afferents out to peripheral electroreceptors and also send axons centrally into the ELL. The first electroreceptive axons invade the ELL by day 6, and presumably a rough somatotopic organization and segmentation within the ELL may arise as early as day 7. Axonal projections from the ELL to the torus develop after day 18. Within the torus semicircularis, giant cells are necessary for the performance of the JAR. Giant cell numbers increase exponentially during development and the onset of the JAR coincides with a minimum of at least 150 giant cells and the attainment of a total length of at least 15 mm and at least 150 giant cells. Pacemaker and relay cells comprise the adult Eigenmannia pacemaker nucleus. The growth and differentiation of these cell types also correlates with the onset of the JAR in developing animals. We describe a gradual improvement of sensory abilities, as opposed to an explosive onset of the mature JAR. We further suggest that this may be a rule common in most developing behavioral systems. © 1992 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Formation of gluconic acid at low pH-values by free and immobilized Aspergillus niger cells during citric acid fermentation

Summary A recently developed immobilization method, characterized by the adsorption of the mycelia onto a glass-carrier in a fixed-bed reactor, was applied for citric acid production by Aspergillus niger ATCC 9142, and compared with conventional culture techniques.In a fixed-bed reactor and in a stirred fermenter a rapid gluconic acid production started immediately after nitrate exhaustion, though the pH was below 2.5 During a second production phase a comparatively small amount of citric acid was formed.In surface and shaken-flask cultures nearly no gluconic acid could be found, whereas citric acid yields were significantly higher than in the fixed-bed reactor and in the stirred fermenter.Manganese (0.8×10^–7 Mol×dm^–3 after 6 days incubation) from the stainless steel parts of the vessel seemed to be responsible for both gluconic acid production and small citric acid yields in the stirred fermenter and in the fixed-bed reactor.     

Antibacterial and antimycotic effect of a newly discovered secretion from larvae of an endoparasitic insect,Pimpla turionellae L. (Hym.)

Three analogues of the peptidyl pheromone, pheromone of Saccharomyces kluyveri, synthesized based on the amino acid sequence proposed by Sato et al. (Agric Biol Chem 45:1531–1533, 1981) were tested for both shmoo-inducing and agglutinability-inducing actions. Purified natural pheromone of the yeast showed the highest activity among the peptides tested. When methionine in the peptides was oxidized, the activity decreased significatly. Pheromone of S. kluyveri induced sexual agglutinability in a cells of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, and shmoo in a cells of S. cerevisiae and S. kluyveri. a Pheromone of S. kluyveri had no agglutinability-inducing action on cells of S. cerevisiae. a Cells of S. kluyveri inactivated only pheromone of the same species, but a cells of S. cerevisiae inactivated pheromones of both S. cerevisiae and S. kluyveri.     

Cocultivation studies with cells of patients bearing fragile X chromosomes

Summary Fourteen cocultivation studies were carried out with cells of four patients with fragile X, one obligate and two possible female heterozygotes, two female controls, and a rabbit. In all cocultivations the number of fragile X chromosomes was sharply reduced in the patient cells. The strongest effect was caused by the animal cells. A distinct difference between the two controls in the reducing ability was observed. No such difference was found between the obligate and possible heterozygotes on the one hand and the controls on the other. To test the influence of the residual serum in the mixed blood cultures, the serum of a patient's blood sample was replaced by the serum of a control. The frequency of fragile X chromosomes was not decreased by this procedure. Therefore a soluble factor is supposed to exist which is produced by normal or heterozygote cells in culture and which reduces the expression of fragile sites in patient cells.     

On the phospholipid metabolism of glial cell primary cultures

Primary cultures prepared from newborn rat brain, consisted after 16 or 17 days mainly of astrocytes and of oligodendrocytes. 1-Alkenyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (lysoplasmalogen) was used as substrate for studies on the metabolism of ethanolamine-glycerophospholipids. After 3 hr incubation two main products were observed: a) 1-alkenyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine (=ethanolamine plasmalogen) and b) 1-alkenyl-2-acyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine (=choline plasmalogen). The acylation rate reached saturation at about 10 nmol substrate/mg cell protein with aV _max of 30 nmol×mg cell protein^–1×3 hr^–1. This acylated compound amounted to almost 60% of all radioactivity internalized, whereas the second product, choline plasmalogen, came to 20%. Unchanged substrate was found within the cells only in small amounts, even at maximum substrate internalization. These results were discussed in comparison with those obtained with 1-alkyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoethanolamine under the same conditions (25).     

Role of Carboxydobacteria in Consumption of Atmospheric Carbon Monoxide by Soil

The carbon monoxide consumption rates of the carboxydobacteria Pseudomonas (Seliberia) carboxydohydrogena, P. carboxydovorans, and P. carboxydoflava were measured at high (50%) and low (0.5 μl liter⁻¹) mixing ratios of CO in air. CO was only consumed when the bacteria had been grown under CO-autotrophic conditions. As an exception, P. carboxydoflava consumed CO also after heterotrophic growth on pyruvate. At low cell densities the CO consumption rates measured at low CO mixing ratios were similar in cell suspensions and in mixtures of bacteria in soil. CO consumption observed in natural soil (loess, eolian sand, chernozem) as well as in suspensions or soil mixtures of carboxydobacteria showed Michaelis-Menten kinetics. The K_m values for CO of the carboxydobacteria (K_m = 465 to 1,110 μl of CO liter⁻¹) were much higher than those of the natural soils (K_m = 5 to 8 μl of CO liter⁻¹). Considering the difference of the K_m values and the observed V_max values, carboxydobacteria cannot contribute significantly to the consumption of atmospheric CO.     

Substitution of the flavin chromophore with lipophilic side chains: A novel membrane redox label

Summary The synthesis of amphiphilic flavins substituted with C₁₈-hydrocarbon sidechains in positions 3, 5, 7, 8 and 10 is described. 3-, 7-, and 10-amphiflavins were obtained by new total syntheses. Furthermore, 3-amphiflavin was obtained by C₁₈-alkylation of natural flavin in the oxidized state, whereas 5-amphi(dihydro)flavin was obtained by alkylation under reducing conditions.In the course of these studies, a novel, selective oxidation reaction was found taking place with the 8-methyl group of natural flavins. In this way lumiflavin and riboflavin derivatives could be converted directly to flavin-8-nor-8-carboxylic acids or the corresponding alkyl esters.The new flavin derivatives lend themselves for incorporation into lipid vesicles, thus yielding the basis for model studies of anisotropic flavin chemistry and redox transfer through membranes, as described in the concomitant paper (Schmidt, W., Hemmerich, P. 1981).J. Membrane Biol. 59:129. The new flavins are characterized by means of absorption, fluorescence, and proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.     

Metabolism of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid in cell suspension cultures of soybean (Glycine max L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

Cell suspension cultures of soybean (Glycine max L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) incorporated 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) into a metabolite fraction which was insoluble in ethanol, water, and hot sodium dodecylsulphate. Further treatment with hot dimethylformamide solubilized a material which by the following criteria appeared to consist of 2,4-D derivatives covalently bound to lignin: i) co-chromatography of radioactivity and of UV-absorbing material upon gel permeation chromatography; ii) spectral similarity with authentic lignins (IR- and UV-spectra, phloroglucinol reaction), 2,4-D appeared to be incorporated as the intact molecule, as shown by comparison of ring- and sidechain-labeled 2,4-D and by detection of monohydroxylated and intact 2,4-D as the major radioactive products of acid hydrolysis. The same compounds were released from the metabolite material which could not be solubilized in dimethylformamide. The incorporation of xenobiotics or their metabolites into lignin, followed by deposition in the cell wall, is suggested as a general pathway for local excretion and detoxification by plant cells.Abbreviations 2,4-D 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - 4-OH-2,5-D 4-hydroxy-2,5-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid - SDS sodium dodecylsulphate - DMF dimethylformamide