Dominance hierarchy and reproductive conflicts among subordinates in a monogynous queenless ant

In insect societies lacking morphologically specialized breedersand helpers, reproduction is often restricted to behaviorallydominant individuals. Such societies occur in about 100 speciesof ants that have secondarily lost the queen caste. All females,who are morphologically workers, can potentially mate and layeggs but only a few do so, and we demonstrate in Dinoponeraquadriceps that this is regulated by a dominance hierarchy.Six types of agonistic interactions allowed the ranking of 5-10workers in the hierarchy (n = 15 colonies). In particular, alphaand beta had characteristic behavioral profiles and were easily recognized.Only alpha mated, and workers ranking beta to delta sometimes producedunfertilized, male-destined eggs. Natural replacements (n = 19)and experimental removals (n = 15) of alpha demonstrated that betawas the individual most likely to replace alpha, although gammaand more rarely delta sometimes did, and we discuss the conflictthat occurs among high-ranking individuals over who should replacealpha. After such replacements, the new alpha behaved more aggressivelythan the overthrown alpha. Newly emerged workers tended to reachhigh ranks and displaced older high-ranking individuals downthe hierarchy. Low-ranking subordinates often prevented high-rankingindividuals from replacing alpha by biting and holding theirappendages (worker policing), which is consistent with the patternof relatedness associated with monogyny and monandry in D. quadriceps. Weinvestigated the relative importance of chemical communicationand dominance interactions to regulate reproduction. Alpha,beta, and sterile workers have different signatures of cuticularhydrocarbons, and these may provide honest information whichunderpins worker policing by low-ranking individuals.     

Biological invasions in soil: DNA barcoding as a monitoring tool in a multiple taxa survey targeting European earthworms and springtails in North America

Biological invasions are increasingly recognized as a potent force altering native ecosystems worldwide. Many of the best documented cases involve the massive invasions of North America by plant and animal taxa native to Europe. In this study, we use DNA barcoding to survey the occurrence and genetic structure of two major groups of soil invertebrates in both their native and introduced ranges: Collembola and earthworms. Populations of ten species of earthworms and five species of Collembola were barcoded from both continents. Most of these species exhibited a similar genetic structure of large and stable populations in North America and Europe, a result supporting a scenario of multiple invasions. This was expected for earthworm species involved in human economic activities, but not foreseen for Collembola species de facto unintentionally introduced. This study also establishes that invasive species surveys employing DNA barcoding gain additional resolution over those based on morphology as they allow evaluation of cryptic lineages exhibiting different invasion histories.     

Transcriptional regulation and functional properties of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis</Emphasis> Pht1;4, a high affinity transporter contributing greatly to phosphate uptake in phosphate deprived plants

Phosphate mobilization into the plant is a complex process requiring numerous transporters for absorption and translocation of this major nutrient. In the genome of Arabidopsis thaliana, nine closely related high affinity phosphate transporters have been identified but their specific roles remain unclear. Here we report the molecular, histological and physiological characterization of Arabidopsis pht1;4 high affinity phosphate transporter mutants. Using GUS-gene trap and in situ hybridization, Pht1;4 was found mainly expressed in inorganic phosphate (Pi) limiting medium in roots, primarily in the epidermis, the cortex and the root cap. In addition to this, expression was also observed at the lateral root branch points on the primary root and in the stele of lateral roots, suggesting a role of Pht1;4 in phosphate absorption and translocation from the growth medium to the different parts of the plant. Pi-starved pht1;4 plantlets exhibited a strong reduction of phosphate uptake capacity (40). This phenotype appears only related to the pht1;4 mutation as there were no obvious changes in the expression of other Pht1 family members in the mutants background. However, after 10 days of growth on phosphate deficient or sufficient medium, the Pi content in the mutants was not significantly different from that of the corresponding wild type controls. Furthermore, the mutants did not display any obvious growth defects or visible phenotypes when grown on a low phosphate containing medium. The work described here offers a first step in the complex genetic dissection of the phosphate transport system in planta.     

Direct assessment of queen quality and lack of worker suppression in a paper wasp

Assessing a conspecific's potential is often crucial to increase one's fitness, e.g. in female choice, contests with rivals or reproductive conflicts in animal societies. In the latter, helpers benefit from accurately assessing the fertility of the breeder as an indication of inclusive fitness. There is evidence that this can be achieved using chemical correlates of reproductive activity. Here, we show that queen quality can be assessed by directly monitoring her reproductive output. In the paper wasp Polistes dominulus, we mimicked a decrease in queen fertility by regularly removing brood. This triggered ovarian development and egg-laying by many workers, which strongly suggests that brood abundance is a reliable cue of queen quality. Brood abundance can be monitored when workers perform regular brood care in small size societies where each brood element is kept in a separate cell. Our results also show that although the queen was not manipulated, and thus remained healthy and fully fertile, she did not control worker egg-laying. Nevertheless, when workers laid eggs, the queen secured a near reproductive monopoly by selectively destroying these eggs, a mechanism known as 'queen policing'. By contrast, workers destroyed comparatively few queen-laid eggs, but did destroy each other's eggs.     

Modulation of carbon and nitrogen metabolism, and of nitrate reductase, in untransformed and transformed Nicotiana plumbaginifolia during CO2 enrichment of plants grown in pots and in hydroponic culture

Transformed plants of Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viv. constitutively expressing nitrate reductase (35S-NR) or β-glucuronidase (35S-GUS) and untransformed controls were grown for two weeks in a CO₂-enriched atmosphere. Whereas CO₂ enrichment (1000 μl · l⁻¹) resulted in an increase in the carbon (C) to nitrogen (N) ratio of both the tobacco lines grown in pots with vermiculite, the C/N ratio was only slightly modified when plants were grown in hydroponic culture in high CO₂ compared to those grown in air. Constitutive nitrate reductase (NR) expression per se did not change the C/N ratio of the shoots or roots. Biomass accumulation was similar in both types of plant when hydroponic or pot-grown material, grown in air or high CO₂, were compared. Shoot dry matter accumulation was primarily related to the presence of stored carbohydrate (starch and sucrose) in the leaves. In the pot-grown tobacco, growth at elevated CO₂ levels caused a concomitant decrease in the N content of the leaves involving losses in NO⁻ ₃ and amino acid levels. In contrast, the N content and composition were similar in all plants grown in hydroponic culture. The 35S-NR plants grown in air had higher foliar maximum extractable NR activities and increased glutamine levels (on a chlorophyll or protein basis) than the untransformed controls. These increases were maintained following CO₂ enrichment when the plants were grown in hydroponic culture, suggesting that an increased flux through nitrogen assimilation was possible in the 35S-NR plants. Under CO₂ enrichment the NR activation state in the leaves was similar in all plants. When the 35S-NR plants were grown in pots, however, foliar NR activity and glutamine content fell in the 35S-NR transformants to levels similar to those of the untransformed controls. The differences in NR activity between untransformed and 35S-NR leaves were much less pronounced in the hydroponic than in the pot-grown material but the difference in total extractable NR activity was more marked following CO₂ enrichment. Foliar NR message levels were decreased by CO₂ enrichment in all growth conditions but this was much more pronounced in pot-grown material than in that grown hydroponically. Since β-glucuronidase (GUS) activity and message levels in 35S-GUS plants grown under the same conditions of CO₂ enrichment (to test the effects of CO₂ enrichment on the activity of the 35S promoter) were found to be constant, we conclude that NR message turnover was specifically accelerated in the 35S-NR plants as well as in the untransformed controls as a result of CO₂ enrichment. The molecular and metabolic signals involved in increased NR message and protein turnover are not known but possible effectors include NO₃ ⁻, glutamine and asparagine. We conclude that plants grown in hydroponic culture have greater access to N than those grown in pots. Regardless of the culture method, CO₂ enrichment has a direct effect on NR mRNA stability. Received: 17 October 1996 / Accepted: 11 February 1997     

The immunoglobulin repertoire of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): definition of nine Igh-V families

An Igh-V library was constructed from the head kidney cytoplasmic RNA of an 8.5-month-old non-immunized rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, using the 5 RACE polymerase chain reaction. Six new Igh-V segments were identified, bringing to nine the number of Igh-V families actually defined in that species. A phylogenetic analysis shows that these nine Igh-V families can be classified into three major groups. The first includes the Igh-V1, Igh-V3, Igh-V4, and Igh-V7 families, and is homologous to the human and mouse Group III Igh-V families. The second includes the Igh-V5, Igh-V8, and Igh-V9 families and is more closely related to the Group I and Group II human and mouse Igh-V families. The third group includes the Igh-V2 and Igh-V6 families, which are not closely related to any other vertebrate Igh-V gene. Six Igh-J segments were characterized. They can recombine with Igh-V segments belonging to different families and there is a high level of junctional diversity between the Igh-V and Igh-J segments.The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper have been submitted to the GenBank nucleotide sequence database and have been assigned the accession numbers L28741 (Igh-V4), L28742 (Igh-V5.1), L28744 (Igh-V6), L28745 (Igh-V7), L28746 (Igh-V8), L28747 (Igh-V9), and L28805 (Igh-V5.2)     

Recent patents on the synthesis and application of silica nanoparticles for drug delivery

Drug delivery systems are designed to improve therapy efficacy as well as patient compliance. This could be accomplished by specifically targeting a medication intact to its active site, therefore reducing side-effects and enabling high local drug concentrations. Silica nanoparticles have gained ground in the biomedical field for their biocompatibility and biodegradability, being themselves inert and stable, thus enabling a variety of formulation designs for application in the pharmaceutical industry. This paper is a review of the recent patents on the applications of silica nanoparticles for drug delivery and their preparation. The review will focus on the different techniques available to obtain silica nanoparticles with variable morphology and their drug targeting applications, providing an overview of silica particles synthesis described in the literature.     

Phosphate deficiency promotes modification of iron distribution in Arabidopsis plants

Phosphate (Pi) is an essential element for plant development and metabolism. Due to its low availability and mobility in soils, it is often a limiting nutrient for their growth. This phenomenon is reinforced by the formation of insoluble complexes in the environment with many cations, affecting the solubility of both phosphate and associated ions. This interaction is investigated here for iron, a strong phosphate chelator. Depleting the medium in phosphate clearly resulted in an increase of iron content in Arabidopsis. These modifications triggered molecular responses linked with iron status (transport, homeostasis and accumulation). Interestingly, physiological modifications affecting iron storage were also observed. The accumulation of phosphate/iron complexes in the vacuoles of plants grown in Pi-rich medium disappeared in Pi-depleted medium in favor of accumulation of iron inside the chloroplasts, likely associated with ferritin.     

The cytosolic domain of human Tom22 modulates human Bax mitochondrial translocation and conformation in yeast

The role of the mitochondrial protein receptor Tom22p in the interaction of pro-apoptotic protein Bax with yeast mitochondria was investigated. Co-immunoprecipitation assays showed that human Bax interacted with different TOM subunits, including Tom22p. Expression of the cytosolic receptor domain of human Tom22 increased Bax mitochondrial localization, but decreased the proportion of active Bax. BN-PAGE showed that the cytosolic domain of Tom22 interfered with the oligomerization of Bax. These data suggest that the interaction with the cytosolic domain of Tom22 helps Bax to acquire a conformation able to interact with the outer mitochondrial membrane.