Carbon dynamics in the 'grazing food chain' of a subtropical lake

Studies were conducted over a 13 month period at four pelagicsites in eutrophic Lake Okeechobee, Florida (USA), in orderto quantify carbon (C) uptake rates by size-fractionated phytoplankton,and subsequent transfers of C to zooplankton. This was accomplishedusing laboratory ¹⁴C tracer methods and natural plankton assemblages.The annual biomass of picoplankton (<2 µm), nanoplankton(2–20 µm) and microplankton (<20 µm averaged60, 389 and 100 µg C 1^–1 respectively, while correspondingrates of C uptake averaged 7, 51 and 13 µg C1^–1h^–1. The biomass of microzooplankton (40–200 µm)and macrozooplankton (<200 µm averaged 18 and 60 µgC 1^–1, respectively, while C uptake rates by these herbivoregroups averaged 2 and 3 µg C 1^–1 h^–1. Therewere no strong seasonal patterns in any of the plankton metrics.The ratio of zooplankton to phytoplankton C uptake averaged7% over the course of the study. This low value is typical ofthat observed in eutrophic temperate lakes with small zooplanktonand large inedible phytoplankton, and indicates ineffectiveC transfer in the grazing food chain. On a single occasion,there was a high density (<40 1^–1) of Daphnia lumholrzii,a large-bodied exotic cladoceran. At that time, zooplanktoncommunity C uptake was <20 µg C 1^–1 h^–1and the ratio of zooplankton to phytoplankton C uptake was near30%. If D.lumholrzii proliferates in Lake Okeechobee and theother Florida lakes where it has recently been observed, itmay substantially alter planktonic C dynamics.     

Simultaneous determination of the new anticancer agent amidox and its metabolites in rat bile and plasma by high-performance liquid chromatography

A new reversed-phase ion-pair high-performance liquid chromatography method was developed to study the first-pass hepatic metabolism of the anti cancer drug amidox in bile. Separation of the metabolites was achieved on a Spherisorb C₁₈ column after liquid-liquid extraction using a linear gradient system of heptanesulfonic acid in potassium phosphate monobasic (pH 4.0) with increasing amounts of methanol (0–40%). The method was further applied to a pharmacokinetic study of amidox in rats after 200 mg kg⁻¹ intraperitoneal administration. Using 50 μl of rat bile and 300 μl of rat plasma the limit of detection for amidox was 60 ng and 85 ng, respectively, and the assay was linear from 0.1 to 150 μg ml⁻¹. This method appears to be sensitive enough to be used in further pharmacokinetic studies of amidox in human volunteers.     

The fate of fertiliser P in soil under pasture and uptake by subterraneum clover – a field study using <Superscript>33</Superscript>P-labelled single superphosphate

Background and aims

Single superphosphate (SSP) is a major source of phosphorus (P) used in grazing systems to improve pasture production. The aim of this experiment was to determine the fate of fertiliser P in clover pastures under field conditions.

Methods

A procedure was developed to radiolabel SSP granules with a ³³P radiotracer, which was then applied to the soil surface (equivalent to ~12 kg P ha^?1) of a clover pasture. Recovery of fertiliser P was determined in clover shoots, fertiliser granules and soil fractions (surface layer: 0–4 cm and sub-surface layer: 4–8 cm).

Results

The P diffusion patterns of the ³³P-labelled SSP granules were not significantly different to those of commercial SSP granules (P?>?0.05). Recovery of fertiliser P in clover shoots was 30–35 %. A considerable proportion of the fertiliser P (~28 %) was recovered in the surface soil layer and was largely inorganic P.

Conclusions

Recovery of fertiliser P by clover plants was up to 35 % in the year of application. Much of the fertiliser P in soil fractions was inorganic P, which highlights the importance of inorganic P forms and dynamics in soils under clover pasture on a single season timeframe at these sites.

     

Abundance of volatile organic compounds in white ash phloem and emerald ash borer larval frass does not attract Tetrastichus planipennisi in a Y‐tube olfactometer

Many natural enemies employ plant‐ and/or herbivore‐derived signals for host/prey location. The larval parasitoid Tetrastichus planipennisi Yang (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) is 1 of 3 biocontrol agents currently being released in an effort to control the emerald ash borer (EAB), Agrilus planipennis Fairmaire (Coloeptera: Burprestidae) in North America. To enhance its efficiency, allelochemicals that attract it need to be assessed. In this study, ash phloem volatile organic compounds (VOCs) of black, green, and white ash, and EAB larval frass were compared. Foraging behavior of T. planipennisi females in response to VOCs of white ash or frass from EAB larvae feeding on white ash phloem was tested using a Y‐tube olfactometer. Results indicated that the 3 ash species had similar VOC profiles. EAB larval frass generally contained greater levels of VOCs than phloem. Factor analysis indicated that the 11 VOCs could be broadly divided into 2 groups, with α‐bisabolol, β‐caryophyllene, (E)‐2‐hexenal, (Z)‐3‐hexenal, limonene, methyl benzoate, methyl indole‐3‐acetic acid, methyl jasmonate, methyl salicylate as the first group and the rest (i.e., methyl linoleate and methyl linolenate) as a second. Abundance of VOCs in white ash phloem tissue and frass, nevertheless, did not attract T. planipennisi females. The concealed feeding of EAB larvae might explain the selection for detectable and reliable virbrational signals, instead of undetectable and relatively unreliable VOC cues from phloem and frass, in short‐range foraging by T. planipennisi. Alternatively, it is possible that T. planipennisi is not amenable to the Y‐tube olfactometer assay employed.     

The influence of electrochemical gradients of Na+ and K+ upon the membrane binding and pore forming activity of the terminal complement proteins

Summary The hemolytic activity of the terminal complement proteins (C5b-9) towards erythrocytes containing high potassium concentration has been reported to be dramatically increased when extracellular Na⁺ is substituted isotonically by K⁺ (Dalmasso, A.P., et al., 1975,J. Immunol. 115:63–68). This phenomenon was now further investigated using resealed human erythrocyte ghosts (ghosts), which can be maintained at a nonlytic osmotic steady state subsequent to C5b-9 binding: (1) The functional state of C5b-9-treated ghosts was studied from their ability to retain trapped [¹⁴C]-sucrose or [³H]-inulin when suspended either in the presence of Na⁺ or K⁺. A dramatic increase in the permeability of the ghost membrane to both nonelectrolytes-in the absence of significant hemoglobin release-was observed for C5b-9 assembly in the presence of external K⁺. (2) The physical binding of the individual¹²⁵I-labeled terminal complement proteins to ghost membranes was directly measured as a function of intra- and extracellular K⁺ and Na⁺. The uptake of¹²⁵I-C7,¹²⁵I-C8, and¹²⁵I-C9 into membrane C5b-9 was unaltered by substitution of Na⁺ by K⁺. (3) The binding of the terminal complement proteins to ghosts subjected to a transient membrane potential generated by the K⁺-ionophore valinomycin (in the presence of K⁺ concentration gradients) was measured. No significant change in membrane binding of any of the C5b-9 proteins was detected under the influence of both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing membrane potentials. It can be concluded that the differential effect of Na⁺ versus K⁺ upon the erythrocyte membrane isnot due to an effect upon the binding of the complement proteins to the membraneper se, but upon the functional properties of the assembled C5b-9 pore site.     

Transport of quinolinic acid into rabbit and rat brain

The transport metabolism of [³H]quinolinic acid in the central nervous system of rabbits and rats were studied. In vitro [³H]quinolinic acid was not readily accumulated by isolated choroid plexus. After the intraventricular injection of tracer quantities of [³H]quinolinic acid, the [³H]quinolinic acid did not enter the brain as readily as concurrently injected [¹⁴C]mannitol and was not metabolized, The permeability-surface area constant for [³H]quinolinic acid at the rat blood-brain barrier was 1.5±1.3×10^–5 sec^–1 compared to 2.8±0.4×10^–5 sec^–1 for [³H]mannitol. Our results suggest that: 1) [³H]quinolinic acid is transported in the CNS by passive diffusion and 2) is not metabolized.     

Cellular Expression, Developmental Regulation, and Phylogenic Conservation of PEA-15, the Astrocytic Major Phosphoprotein and Protein Kinase C Substrate

Abstract: PEA-15 has recently been identified as a major phosphoprotein in astrocytes and an endogenous substrate for protein kinase C. This 15-kDa protein exists under three molecular forms, an unphosphorylated form, N, and two phosphorylated forms, Pa and Pb. ntisera were raised against synthetic peptides corresponding to the internal sequences of the mouse protein containing the two specific phosphorylation sites and affinity-purified antibodies were used for immunoblotting. PEA-15 was found mainly in the cytosol, but its protein kinase C-phosphorylated form, Pb, was also detectable in association with the membrane and remained with the fraction that contains stabilized microtubules. Abundant in astrocytes, particularly in the hippocampus, PEA-15 was also detected in all cultured brain cell types examined, indicating a more ubiquitous distribution of the protein, further demonstrated by its detection in the eye and in the lung. Parallel to the increase in expression levels, phosphorylation of PEA-15 also increased during development. This paralleled results obtained in primary cultures, where PEA-15 levels increase with cell maturation. Finally, physiological importance of PEA-15 phosphorylation was illustrated by immunoreactivity observed in brain homogenates of different mammals, birds, amphibians, and fish.     

Gene duplication and adaptive evolution of digestive proteases in Drosophila arizonae female reproductive tracts

It frequently has been postulated that intersexual coevolution between the male ejaculate and the female reproductive tract is a driving force in the rapid evolution of reproductive proteins. The dearth of research on female tracts, however, presents a major obstacle to empirical tests of this hypothesis. Here, we employ a comparative EST approach to identify 241 candidate female reproductive proteins in Drosophila arizonae, a repleta group species in which physiological ejaculate-female coevolution has been documented. Thirty-one of these proteins exhibit elevated amino acid substitution rates, making them candidates for molecular coevolution with the male ejaculate. Strikingly, we also discovered 12 unique digestive proteases whose expression is specific to the D. arizonae lower female reproductive tract. These enzymes belong to classes most commonly found in the gastrointestinal tracts of a diverse array of organisms. We show that these proteases are associated with recent, lineage-specific gene duplications in the Drosophila repleta species group, and exhibit strong signatures of positive selection. Observation of adaptive evolution in several female reproductive tract proteins indicates they are active players in the evolution of reproductive tract interactions. Additionally, pervasive gene duplication, adaptive evolution, and rapid acquisition of a novel digestive function by the female reproductive tract points to a novel coevolutionary mechanism of ejaculate-female interaction.     

Common activation of canonical Wnt signaling in pancreatic adenocarcinoma

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDA) is an extremely aggressive malignancy, which carries a dismal prognosis. Activating mutations of the Kras gene are common to the vast majority of human PDA. In addition, recent studies have demonstrated that embryonic signaling pathway such as Hedgehog and Notch are inappropriately upregulated in this disease. The role of another embryonic signaling pathway, namely the canonical Wnt cascade, is still controversial. Here, we use gene array analysis as a platform to demonstrate general activation of the canonical arm of the Wnt pathway in human PDA. Furthermore, we provide evidence for Wnt activation in mouse models of pancreatic cancer. Our results also indicate that Wnt signaling might be activated downstream of Hedgehog signaling, which is an early event in PDA evolution. Wnt inhibition blocked proliferation and induced apoptosis of cultured adenocarcinoma cells, thereby providing evidence to support the development of novel therapeutical strategies for Wnt inhibition in pancreatic adenocarcinoma.