Genotype-specific response of cultured broccoli (Brassica oleracea var. italica) anthers to cytokinins

Anther culture medium was prepared with different types and concentrations of cytokinins to gain greater insight into the control of embryo formation during Brassica oleracea L. var. italica (broccoli) anther culture. The independent addition of the four cytokinins tested had widely divergent effects dependent upon cytokinin concentration and the genetic background of the test plants. All cytokinins were generally inhibitory at high concentrations, however, individual plants showed significant stimulation of embyro formation at typical physiological levels. The influence of cytokinins was highly cultivar-specific, some lines were stimulated, others inhibited and still other test lines were largely unaffected. Although the addition of cytokinins was needed for embryo formation for some plants, in no instance were cytokinins able to replace the inductive effect of high-temperature treatments.     

Distribution of airway narrowing during hyperpnea-induced bronchoconstriction in guinea pigs

Increasing minute ventilation of dry gas shifts the principal burden of respiratory heat and water losses from more proximal airway to airways farther into the lung. If these local thermal transfers determine the local stimulus for bronchoconstriction, then increasing minute ventilation of dry gas might also extend the zone of airway narrowing farther into the lung during hyperpnea-induced bronchoconstriction (HIB). We tested this hypothesis by comparing tantalum bronchograms in tracheostomized guinea pigs before and during bronchoconstriction induced by dry gas hyperpnea, intravenous methacholine, and intravenous capsaicin. In eight animals subjected to 5 min of dry gas isocapnic hyperpnea [tidal volume (VT) = 2-5 ml, 150 breaths/min], there was little change in the diameter of the trachea or the main stem bronchi up to 0.75 cm past the main carina (zone 1). In contrast, bronchi from 0.75 to 1.50 cm past the main carina (zone 2) narrowed progressively at all minute ventilations greater than or equal to 300 ml/min (VT = 2 ml). More distal bronchi (1.50-3.10 cm past the main carina; zone 3) did not narrow significantly until minute ventilation was raised to 450 ml/min (VT = 3 ml). The estimated VT during hyperpnea needed to elicit a 50% reduction in airway diameter was significantly higher in zone 3 bronchi [4.3 +/- 0.8 (SD) ml] than in zone 2 bronchi (3.5 +/- 1.1 ml, P less than 0.012).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Jasmonic acid spraying does not induce tuberisation in short-day-requiring potato species kept in non-inducing conditions

The potato species Solanum andigena (Juz. and Buk.) and Solanum demissum (Lindl.) that both require short days for tuberisation were kept in either long days (16 h light), or short days (8 h light) with a 30-min night break mid-way through the dark period. Tuberisation of these species was inhibited under both conditions. Repeated spraying of these plants with up to 100 μM jasmonic acid did not induce them to tuberise even though jasmonic acid was shown to be taken up and transported within the plant. This result argues against jasmonic acid itself being the transported tuber-inducing signal, although it does not exclude a role for jasmonic acid later in tuber formation and development once induction has taken place.     

Identification of the Shiga toxin A-subunit residues required for holotoxin assembly.

Recent X-ray crystallographic analyses have demonstrated that the receptor-binding (B) subunits of Shiga toxin (STX) are arranged as a doughnut-shaped pentamer. The C terminus of the enzymatic (A) subunit presumably penetrates the nonpolar pore of the STX B pentamer, and the holotoxin is stabilized by noncovalent interactions between the polypeptides. We identified a stretch of nine nonpolar amino acids near the C terminus of StxA which were required for subunit association by using site-directed mutagenesis to introduce progressive C-terminal deletions in the polypeptide and assessing holotoxin formation by a receptor analog enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, immunoprecipitation, and a cytotoxicity assay. Tryptophan and aspartic acid residues which form the N-terminal boundary, as well as two arginine residues which form the C-terminal boundary of the nine-amino-acid sequence, were implicated as the stabilizers of subunit association. Our model proposes that residues 279 to 287 of the 293-amino-acid STX A subunit penetrate the pore while the tryptophan, aspartic acid, and 2 arginine residues interact with other charged or aromatic amino acids outside the pore on the planar surfaces of the STX B pentamer.     

Anti-predator defences of a web-building spider, Holocnemus pluchei (Araneae, Pholcidae)

Anti-predator defence behaviour of Holocnemus pluchei (Araneae, Pholcidae) was studied in the laboratory and the field. Bouncing, in which this web-building spider moves its body rapidly up and down while keeping its legs on the silk, was the most frequent response to disturbance. Less often, H. pluchei left the web when disturbed. Experiments were carried out to determine the types of stimuli that elicited bouncing and leaving the web: tactile stimulation (striking the spider with a brush) and air movement (blowing on the spider) elicited bouncing and leaving the web, but there was no evidence that chemical stimuli from potential predators were important. Tactile stimulation elicited stronger responses than air movement. There were no evident differences in how H. pluchei responded to tactile stimulation in the laboratory and the field.     

Incidence of acute symptomatic toxoplasma retinochoroiditis in south London according to country of birth.

OBJECTIVE--To determine the incidence of acute symptomatic toxoplasma retinochoroiditis presenting to ophthalmologists for patients born in Britain and elsewhere. DESIGN--Population based, cross sectional study. SETTING--11 districts in south Greater London. SUBJECTS--All patients presenting to NHS ophthalmologists with symptoms due to acute toxoplasma retinochoroiditis in 1992-3. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE--Intraocular inflammation in association with a retinochoroidal scar, active adjoining retinitis, and IgG serum antibodies to toxoplasma. RESULTS--The estimated incidence of acute symptomatic retinochoroiditis for all people born in Britain was 0.4/100,000/year. If a mean of two symptomatic episodes per lifetime is assumed, 100 people born in Britain may be affected each year, about a fifth of the estimated 500-600 congenitally infected people born each year. CONCLUSIONS--A substantial proportion of people with acute symptomatic toxoplasma retinochoroiditis were born outside the country, and the number born in Britain was smaller than the number previously estimated to develop retinochoroidal lesions due to congenital toxoplasmosis. These findings suggest that prenatal screening for toxoplasmosis in Britain may be of limited benefit.