The direct antiviral cytotoxicity by bovine lymphocytes is not restricted by genetic incompatibility of lymphocytes and target cells.

Experiments were designed to determine if in the ox a requirement for genetic compatibility between antiviral cytotoxic cells and target cells was needed for cytotoxicity to occur. Unrelated bovine animals were immunized with vaccinia or IBR virus (a herpesvirus), and PBL were collected at various times for measurement of their cytotoxicity against autologous or heterologous uninfected or virus-infected fibroblasts. In all instances, cytotoxicity was expressed against heterologous as well as autologous targets and in most cases there was no evidence of enhanced killing of autologous cells. The cytotoxicity was shown to be direct, presumably T cell mediated, and was not attributable to ADCC. The likelihood of the animals under investigation sharing histocompatibility antigens was considered extremely remote but was not formally excluded.     

Spawning seasons of Rasbora tawarensis (Pisces: Cyprinidae) in Lake Laut Tawar,Aceh Province,Indonesia

Background  

Rasbora tawarensis is an endemic freshwater fish in Lake Laut Tawar, Aceh Province, Indonesia. Unfortunately, its status is regarded as critical endangered with populations decreasing in recent years. To date no information on the spawning activities of the fish are available. Therefore, this study provides a contribution to the knowledge on reproductive biology of R. tawarensis especially on spawning seasons as well as basic information for conservation of the species.     

Ultrastructure of free neuromasts of Bathygobius fuscus (gobiidae) and canal neuromasts of Apogon cyanosoma (apogonidae)

Light and electron microscopic observations were made on the lateral line organs of the free neuromasts of the goby Bathygobius fuscus and the canal neuromasts of the cardinal fish Apogon cyanosoma. As in other lateral line systems, each neuromast consists of hair cells, supporting cells and mantle supporting cells, the whole being covered by a cupula. In B. fuscus the free neuromasts are mounted on papillae and have hair cells with stereocilia up to 2.5 μm long and a single kinocilium at least 25 μm long. Each neuromast is covered by a vane-like cupula that can be divided into two regions. The central region over the sensory area contains columns of myelin-like figures. These figures are absent from the outer region covering the mantle. The canal neuromasts of A. cyanosoma are diamond-shaped with up to 1,500 hair cells. The cupula is unusual in having a channel that lies over the sensory region. The hair cells have up to 45 stereocilia, the tallest reaching 2.5 μm, and a kinocilium at least 5 μm long. Tip links are shown for the first time between rows of stereocilia of the hair cells of lateral line neuromasts. The presence of tip links has now been demonstrated for all acousticolateral hair cell systems.     

Potassium retention in membraneless thymus lymphocyte nuclei

Nonionic detergents, Triton X-100 and Brij 58, removed lipoid membranes of suspended thymus lymphocytes within 5 minutes. The mobilization and solubilization of cytoplasmic and nuclear proteins occurred much faster (less than 5 minutes) with Triton X-100 treatment than with Brij 58 treatment (less than 10 minutes). In Triton X-100 treated cells the loss of K+ was complete within 5 minutes whereas with Brij 58 treatment the K+ loss was not complete after 10 minutes. Thus, the high concentration of K+ and the low concentration of Na+ in the nuclei can remain near normal for minutes in the absence of membrane structures. If the ions were in free solution within the cells, disruption of membrane integrity should lead to equilibration of the ions with external media within seconds. The decrease of K+ in the Brij 58 treated cells with exposure time was correlated with the solubilization of the proteins. These results support the view that K+ and Na+ are not freely dissolved in the cellular water, but are co-compartmentalized with proteins inside the living cell.     

Bodyplan diversification in crinoid-associated myzostomes (Myzostomida, Protostomia)

Abstract. When free-living organisms evolve into symbiotic organisms (parasites, commensals, or mutualists), their bodyplan is often dramatically modified as a consequence. The present work pertains to the study of this process in a group of marine obligate symbiotic worms, the Myzostomida. These are mainly ectocommensals and are only associated with echinoderms, mostly crinoids. Their usual textbook status as a class of the Annelida is generally accepted, although recent molecular phylogenetic studies have raised doubts on their relationships with other metazoans, and the question of their status remains open. Here, we reconstruct the evolution of their bodyplans by mapping 14 external morphological characters (analyzed using scanning electron microscopy) onto molecular phylogenies using maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) optimality criteria. Rooted MP, ML, and Bayesian phylogenetic trees were obtained by analyzing the nucleotide sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I, 18S rDNA, and 16S rDNA genes, separately and in combination. Representatives of 34 species distributed among seven extant genera were investigated. Our character evolution analyses, combined with recent ontogenetic and ultrastructural evidence, indicate that the organism at the base of the myzostome tree would have had six body segments and five pairs of polychaete-type parapodia, and that two lineages emerged from it: one comprising parasites, with large females and dwarf males, which gave rise to the extant Pulvinomyzostomum and Endomyzostoma species, and a second lineage comprising simultaneously hermaphroditic ectocommensals, from which all other extant myzostome taxa probably evolved.     

Ion requirements for taurocholate transport by ileal brush border membrane vesicles.

The ion requirements for intestinal taurocholate transport were studied using vesicles prepared from the brush borders of guinea pig small intestines. For each experimental electrolyte, parallel uptake experiments were performed with vesicles from jejunal and ileal brush border membranes to differentiate between uptake by passive fluxes and non-specific binding and uptake by the ileal bile salt active transport system. Uptake of taurocholate prior to the addition of electrolyte was the same for vesicles prepared from jejunal and ileal tissue. During the presence of a sodium gradient (extravesicular concentration greater than intravesicular), only ileal vesicles displayed the enhanced uptake which is characteristic of the overshoot phenomenon. When NaCl was replaced by KCl or LiCl, the overshoot was not observed. Replacement of NaCl with NaCNS, Na₂SO₄, or NaSO₃C₂H₄OH, however, resulted in no significant difference in the initial uptake values observed in either the jejunal or ileal vesicles. This pattern of taurocholate transport independence of relative anion permeability differs from the pattern observed by others for the Na⁺ dependent transport of D-glucose by intestinal brush border membrane vesicles. This difference may be attributed in part to the fact that, unlike the situation with glucose, the binding of a taurocholate anion and a sodium cation by the hypothetical carrier would result in an electroneutral addition.