Developmental Changes in the Bombyxin-and Insulin-like Immunoreactive Neurosecretory System in the Wax Moth, Galleria mellonella

Four medial neurosecretory cells (MNC) and 4 lateral neurosecretory cells (LNC) in each brain hemisphere, and one pair of cells in each thoracic ganglion (TG) of Galleria larva react with antibodies against bombyxin and insulin. Material secreted from the MNC and LNC is released mainly in the corpora allata, and that from the TG through the ventral median nerves. Intrinsic secretory cells of the corpora cardiaca (CC) also contain bombyxin-like, but not insulin-like material. The immunoreactivities all disappear during molts and reappear with resumption of feeding. In the MNC and TG they reappear for less than a day, but in cells of the CC immunoreactivity reappears for the whole feeding period. Before pupation, the LNC become temporarily immunopositive towards the end of feeding period, and the MNC and TG during the wandering period, i.e. at the time of prothoracic gland stimulation. Immunoreactivity disappears during the pupal molt. In pupae it is present in the 4 pairs of MNC and 1–2 pairs of LNC 12–48 hr after ecdysis, and in cells of the CC from 12 hr after ecdysis until the end of the pupal instar. In adult, immunoreactivity is restricted to 2 pairs of the LNC and to CC cells.     

Repair of ultraviolet radiation damage in xeroderma pigmentosum cells belonging to complementation group F

DNA-repair characteristics of xeroderma pigmentosum belonging to complementation group F were investigated. The cells exhibited an intermediate level of repair as measured in terms of (1) disappearance of T4 endonuclease-V-susceptible sites from DNA, (2) formation of ultraviolet-induced strand breaks in DNA, and (3) ultraviolet-induced unscheduled DNA synthesis during post-irradiation incubation. The impaired ability of XP3YO to perform unscheduled DNA synthesis was restored, to half the normal level, by the concomitant treatment with T4 endonuclease V and ultraviolet-inactivated Sendai virus. It is suggested that xeroderma pigmentosum cells of group F may be defective, at least in part, in the incision step of excision repair.     

Receptors for Dolichos biflorus agglutinin: New cell surface markers on a spontaneous leukemia

$\text{Dolichos biflorus}$ agglutinin (DBA), which is specific for terminal α-N-acetylgalactosamine, bound to a spontaneous leukemia cell of $\text{GRS}\text{A}$ mice, but not to lymphoid cells of the host. The DBA receptors were isolated from the leukemia cell labeled with [³H]-galactose after detergent solubilization and affinity chromatography on DBA-agarose. The major component of the receptors migrated as a glycoprotein of apparent molecular weight 100,000 upon SDS gel electrophoresis. Alkaline treatment degraded the glycoproteins, releasing oligosaccharides of molecular weight around 1,000.     

Tori lines mitigate seabird bycatch in a pelagic longline fishery

Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries - Albatross bycatch has been increasing over the past decade in the US tuna longline fishery of the central North Pacific. A controlled field...     

Spatial covariation of fish population vital rates in a stream network

Animal populations are spatially structured in heterogeneous landscapes, in which local patches with differing vital rates are connected by dispersal of individuals to varying degrees. Although there is evidence that vital rates differ among local populations, much less is understood about how vital rates covary among local patches in spatially heterogeneous landscapes. In this study, we conducted a nine-year annual mark–recapture survey to characterize spatial covariation of survival and growth for two Japanese native salmonids, white-spotted charr Salvelinus leucomaenis japonicus and red-spotted masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou ishikawae, in a headwater stream network composed of distinctly different tributary and mainstem habitats. Spatial structure of survival and growth differed by species and age class, but results provided support for negative covariation between vital rates, where survival was higher in the tributary habitat but growth was higher in the mainstem habitat. Thus, neither habitat was apparently more important than the other, and local habitats with complementary vital rates may make this spatially structured population less vulnerable to environmental change (i.e. portfolio effect). Despite the spatial structure of vital rates and possibilities that fish can exploit spatially distributed resources, movement of fish was limited due partly to a series of low-head dams that prevented upstream movement of fish in the study area. This study shows that spatial structure of vital rates can be complex and depend on species and age class, and this knowledge is likely paramount to elucidating dynamics of spatially structured populations.     

Response of Merkel cells in the palatal rugae to the continuous mechanical stimulation by palatal plate

The aim of the present study was to investigate the responses of Merkel cells that are numerous in the palatine rugae, due to the continuous mechanical stimulation exerted by the palatal plate. Forty golden hamsters were used in this experiment. The palatal plate was made of adhesive resin and it was set on the palate of the animal. To exert a continuous pressure, a 0.8?mm elevation on the internal surface of the palatal plate was created at the middle portion of the fourth palatine ruga. Thereafter, the number of Merkel cells in the mucosa was calculated by immunohistochemical observation. Morphological changes of Merkel cells were examined by electron microscopy. There was significant difference among the control and any of the treated groups on the number of CK20 positive Merkel cells (p?<?0.05) and that numbers were decreased at the sites where continuous mechanical stimulation was exerted. Degeneration of the cytoplasm mitochondria and nerve endings, and a decrease in both the number of neurosecretory granules and cytoplasmic processes were observed. Furthermore, the presence of nuclear chromatin aggregation and fragmentation was recognized. The continuous mechanical stimulation by the palatal plate affected the responses of Merkel cells and nerve endings, thus inducing a decrease in the number of Merkel cells. A portion of these changes was also associated with the expression of apoptosis.     

Interplant volatile signaling in willows: revisiting the original talking trees

The importance of interplant volatile signaling in plant–herbivore interactions has been a contentious issue for the past 30 years. We revisit willows as the system in which evidence for interplant signaling was originally found, but then questioned. We established three well-replicated experiments with two willow species (Salix exigua and Salix lemmonii) to address whether the receipt of an interplant signal from a neighboring willow reduces herbivore damage. Additionally we tested whether this signal is volatile in nature, and whether plants signal better to themselves than they do to other individuals. In all three experiments, we found evidence that cues from a damaged neighbor reduce subsequent herbivory experienced by willows. In one experiment, we showed that bagging of clipped tissue, which prevents the exchange of volatile signals, removed the effect of neighbor wounding. This was consistent with results from the other two experiments, in which clipping potted neighbors connected only through airborne volatile cues reduced damage of receivers. In one year, we found evidence that the perception of volatile signals from genetically identical clones was more effective at reducing foliar damage to a neighbor than signals from a genetically different individual. However, this trend was not significant in the following year. In three well-replicated experiments, we found strong evidence for the importance of interplant volatile cues in mediating herbivore interactions with willows.     

Niche Separation of Methanotrophic Archaea (ANME-1 and -2) in Methane-Seep Sediments of the Eastern Japan Sea Offshore Joetsu

In this study, we investigated the diversity and spatial distribution of anaerobic methanotrophic archaea (ANMEs) in sediments of a gas hydrate field off Joetsu in the Japan Sea. Distribution of ANMEs in sediments was identified by targeting the gene for methyl coenzyme M reductase alpha subunit (mcrA), a phylogenetically conserved gene that occurs uniquely in methanotrophic and methanogenic archaea, in addition to 16S rRNA genes. Quantitative PCR analyses of mcrA genes in 14 piston core samples suggested that members of ANME-1 group would dominate AOM communities in sulfate-depleted sediments, even below the sulfate-methane interface, while ANME-2 archaea would prefer to populate in shallower sediments containing comparatively higher sulfate concentrations. These results suggest that, although the potential electron acceptors in sulfate-depleted habitats remain elusive, the niche separation of ANME-1 and -2 may be controlled by in situ concentration of sulfate and the availability in sediments.