Identification of a Gene Involved in the Control of the Root System Development in Arabidopsis thaliana

Genetic and molecular genetic analysis of a lethal root mutant of Arabidopsis thaliana was carried out. The mutant was obtained from a collection created earlier by means of insertion mutagenesis. The mutation was found to be recessive. It was caused by an insertion of the T region of vector pLD3 used for transformation of germinating seeds when creating the collection of insertion mutants. A 118-bp DNA fragment flanking the left border of the insertion was isolated using the TAIL PCR technique, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Computer analysis of this DNA region demonstrated that it was located in exon 32 of the YUP8H12R.44 gene in chromosome 1.     

Cytogenetic consequences of chronic irradiation in rodent populations inhabiting the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace zone

Chromosome instability in bone-marrow cells and ⁹⁰Sr accumulation in the bone tissue are studied in rodents (Apodemus (Sylvaemus) uralensis Pall., 1811 and Apodemus agrarius Pall., 1771)* inhabiting the Eastern Ural Radioactive Trace (EURT) zone (Kyshtym radiation accident 1957) and adjacent areas of the Urals. Intensive mutagenic process in both species from impact plots (soil pollution by ⁹⁰Sr, 2322–16690 kBq/m²) is found. Significant positive correlation of the frequency of aberrant cells and the concentration of ⁹⁰Sr is shown. Possible causes of the lack of resistance to long-term mutagenic factors (over 100 generations in the 50 years since the accident), such as migration of animals and the specific configuration of the EURT zone (an extended narrow territory with a sharply falling gradient of radionuclide pollution), which considerably decrease the probability that certain changes will be fixed and inherited in a series of generations of rodents, are discussed.     

Phylogenetic analyses reveal reliable morphological markers to classify mega‐diversity in Onthophagini dung beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Scarabaeinae)

Based largely on homoplastic characters of external morphology, the current systematics of the tribe Onthophagini and allied dung beetle lineages is unstable, contradictory, and thus inefficient. A number of recently proposed molecular phylogenies conflict strongly with each other and with formal classification, and none of them provides new tools for the improvement of dung beetle systematics. We explored the source of these inconsistencies by performing an independent, morphology‐based phylogenetic analysis of the “Serrophorus complex”, one of the most systematically confusing knots among the onthophagines, that involves 52 species from various genera of Onthophagini and allied tribes. The phylogenetic pattern revealed conflicts with existing classifications and with most of the earlier molecular phylogenies. However, it was largely congruent with the molecular phylogeny (Evolution 2005, 59 , 1060), using the largest gene sampling thus far. All current competing phylogenetic hypotheses were evaluated against each other, and the degree of their biogeographic plausibility was used as an additional evaluative criterion. Of the 91 morphological characters involved in our analyses, traits belonging to the endophallic sclerites of the aedeagus had a very strong phylogenetic signal. Terminology of these endophallic characters was established and their morphology was studied in detail, illustrated, and presented as a tool for further practical use. The enormous variety of shapes of the lamella copulatrix within the Onthophagini and allies present a methodological problem in character coding for phylogenetic analyses. Based on the performance of alternative coding approaches, it is argued that a seemingly less informative absence/presence coding scheme would be a better choice. The phylogenetic structure of the Serrophorus complex has been largely resolved, and some taxonomic changes improving its systematics are recommended.
© The Willi Hennig Society 2011.     

Spatiotemporal patterns of macrophage migration inhibitory factor (Mif) expression in the mouse placenta

Background  

Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) has special pro-inflammatory roles, affecting the functions of macrophages and lymphocytes and counter-regulating the effects of glucocorticoids on the immune response. The conspicuous expression of MIF during human implantation and early embryonic development also suggests this factor acts in reproductive functions. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate Mif expression by trophoblast and embryo placental cells during mouse pregnancy.     

Isolation of the specific endonuclease BamH1 in the multicyclic cultivation of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens

The present article deals with the study of the multicyclic process of the cultivation of B. amyloliquefaciens in a liquid medium prepared from natural raw materials and with obtaining restrictase Bam H1 from the biomass with different microbiological characteristics. The selected medium has been found to be suitable for the realization of the multicyclic cultivation process on an industrial scale. The tendency towards a drop in the level of nonspecific nucleases simultaneously with a decrease in the specific growth rate has been revealed. A simplified scheme for the purification of the restricting endonuclease is proposed.