Soil Patches of Inorganic Nitrogen in Subtropical Brazilian Plant Communities with Araucaria angustifolia

One-year old tubers of two hybrid calla lily (calla) cultivars (Zantedeschia ‘Pot of Gold’ and ‘Majestic Red’) were inoculated with the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF), Glomus intraradices, or not, and grown at three different rates of phosphorus (P) supply to asses the effects of AMF-inoculation on plant development (time of shoot emergence and flowering), flowering (number, length and rate of flowering), and tuber biomass and composition over two growing cycles (2002, 2003). Tubers and flowers of calla responded differently to AMF inoculation. Differences in mycorrhizal responsiveness between cultivars was related to differences in P requirements for flower and tuber production, and the influence of P supply on resource allocation to different reproductive strategies. Inoculation increased shoot production and promoted early flowering, particularly in 2003. Inoculated plants also produced larger tubers than non-inoculated plants, but only increased the number of flowers per plant in 2003. High P supply also increased tuber biomass, but decreased the number of flowers per plant in 2002. Plants grown at a moderate P-rate, produced the most flowers in 2003. For ‘Majestic Red’, benefits from AMF were primarily in terms of tuber yield and composition, and AMF effects on marketable flower production could potentially have negative impact on production strategies for growers. Inoculation of ‘Pot of Gold’ primarily influenced flower production and aspects of tuber quality that caused detectable enhancement of tuber yield and flowering in the second growing cycle following inoculation (2003). The results of this study show that the responses of calla to AMF are partially a function of how nutrient supply alters resource allocation to sexual and vegetative reproduction. Whether AMF-induced changes in resource allocation to flowering and tubers significantly alters commercial productivity and quality of calla depends on the crop production goals (e.g. tubers, cut flowers or potted plants). The U.S. Government’s right to retain a non-exclusive, royalty free licence in and to any copyright is acknowledged.     

Characteristics of the translation of thymosin alpha 1 precursor mRNA by cell-free wheat germ system. Evidence for the acetylation of thymosin alpha 1 precursor

At the optimal concentrations of Mg2+ and K+ to translate total thymus PolyA+-RNA, the purified thymosin alpha 1 precursor mRNA saturate the protein synthetic activity at lower concentration than the total thymus mRNAs. The polyamine spermidine increases the translation rate of the messenger, which is modulated by magnesium, rather than improve the yield in full-length chains of thymosin alpha 1 precursor. As other eukariotic mRNAs, this messenger presents the "cap" modification at the 5'-end terminal position. The incorporation of [3H]acetate into the translation product of the messenger, shows an evidence for the acetylation of the thymosin alpha 1 precursor during its biosynthesis in vitro.     

Binding of hyaluronic acid to lymphoid cell lines is inhibited by monoclonal antibodies against Pgp-1

Recent biochemical and sequence data suggest a possible relationship between Pgp-1 (identical to CD44/Hermes 1/p85) and a hyaluronic acid-binding function. Here, we have studied the hyaluronic acid-binding activity of a series of murine hematopoietic cell lines using several assays: cell aggregation by hyaluronic acid, binding of fluorescein-conjugated hyaluronic acid, and cell adhesion to hyaluronic acid-coated dishes. Certain Pgp-1-positive T and B cell lines show hyaluronic acid binding that is highly specific and is not competed for by other glycosaminoglycans. Monoclonal antibodies against Pgp-1, but not antibodies against other major cell surface glycoproteins, inhibited hyaluronic acid-induced cell aggregation and cell adhesion to hyaluronic acid-coated dishes. Additionally, some anti-Pgp-1 antibodies inhibited binding of fluorescein-hyaluronic acid to hyaluronic acid-binding lines. We found no Pgp-1-negative lines that bound, but many Pgp-1-positive cell lines did not bind hyaluronic acid. Two Pgp-1-positive thymomas that did not bind hyaluronic acid were induced by phorbol ester to bind hyaluronic acid with the same specificity as other hyaluronic acid-binding lines. Normal hematopoietic cells, including those which express high levels of Pgp-1, such as bone marrow myeloid cells and splenic lymphocytes, showed no detectable hyaluronic acid-binding activity. We discuss several models that might account for these observations: (1) the hyaluronic acid receptor is Pgp-1, but it normally exists in an inactive state; (2) hyaluronic acid receptors are a subset of a family of molecules recognized by anti-Pgp-1 antibodies; (3) the hyaluronic acid receptor is not Pgp-1, but is closely associated with Pgp-1 on the surface of cells which express hyaluronic acid-binding activity.     

Autoradiographic investigation of effects of high-dose colchicine on dentinogenesis in rat incisors

Twelve female Wistar rats received 1.5 mg/kg of colchicine (CLC) intravenously. Control animals were similarly injected with isotonic saline solution. The animals were killed 5 h, 24 h, 3 days and 7 days after injection. Ninety minutes prior to sacrifice, all animals received an intraperitoneal injection of 3H-proline. Autoradiograms of maxillary incisors showed that CLC increased the retention of the labeled precursor in the odontoblasts. It was also shown that the odontoblasts in the different sectors of the rat incisor present different sensitivities to the CLC action.     

Chemical Composition and Activity of Essential Oils of Carissa macrocarpa (Eckl.) A.DC. Cultivated in Tunisia and Its Anatomical Features

This is the first study investigating the chemical composition of essential oils (EOs) isolated from different tissues of Carissa macrocarpa (Eckl .) A.DC., their antimicrobial activity and the anatomical characters of the aerial organs and the fruits. The main EO components were pentadecanal and tetradecan‐1‐ol (31.9 and 16.5% in fresh leaf EO, respectively), (E)‐nerolidol and caryophyllene oxide (27.3 and 15.0% in fruit EO, respectively), linalool and hexahydrofarnesyl acetone (30.9 and 24.9% in stem EO, respectively), benzyl benzoate (24.3% in flower EO). The fruit EO was more active against Candida albicans (MIC = 0.46 mg/mL) compared to the reference antibiotic (17.66 mg/mL). Furthermore, at this concentration it inhibited all the Gram‐positive bacteria. Concerning the anatomical features, it is noteworthy to mention the presence of a large cluster of calcium oxalate crystals inside some parenchymatous cells. Large ducts corresponding to non articulated laticifers were identified in the cortex of leaf, stem and fruit pericarp. The laticifers categories and their distribution are taxonomically important to discriminate this species from others acclimated in different countries. Considering the obtained results, EOs of C. macrocarpa can be a good source of antimicrobial compounds, contributing to solve the problem of microbial resistance to antibiotics.     

Ecological factors affecting eruption timing of mandibular teeth in roe deer

Increasing evidence suggests that conditions in early life have important consequences for body size and fitness in mammals. As regards herbivores, teeth play a central role in the long-term performance of individuals. So far, however, patterns of teeth eruption have been scarcely investigated in relation to environmental and climatic factors experienced by herbivores. We described the eruption timing of mandibular teeth in a population of roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) located in the Apennines (Central Italy), through the analysis of 2161 jaws of fawns (1176 females and 985 males) shot in their first winter of life over three hunting seasons (2013–2015). Results showed that the percentage of juveniles exhibiting permanent teeth depends on the cohort. Among the factors that may affect both incisiviform and molariform teeth replacement timing, our findings include body mass and population density. Additional factors determining the relative speed of teeth replacement are (1) food availability for the mother during the last part of gestation, the birth period and the lactation, (2) winter temperature experienced by the mother, and (3) temperature experienced by fawns during their first summer and autumn. Besides, for the first time in literature, elevation was reported to delay front teeth replacement. A greater number of climatic factors were found to shape the eruption timing of the third molar (M₃) in comparison to that of incisiviform teeth. Also, a different pattern was found in males and females. The eruption of M₃ is, indeed, a costly and long-lasting process requesting optimal nutritional conditions and the meeting of a threshold jaw size. Our results indicate a strong correlation between environmental conditions and eruption process, i.e., between resource availability during the gestation and rearing periods and eruption timing.