Basal dinosauriform and theropod dinosaurs from the mid–late Norian (Late Triassic) of Poland: implications for Triassic dinosaur evolution and distribution

The rise of dinosaurs during the Triassic is a widely studied evolutionary radiation, but there are still many unanswered questions about early dinosaur evolution and biogeography that are hampered by an unevenly sampled Late Triassic fossil record. Although very common in western North America and parts of South America, dinosaur (and more basal dinosauriform) remains are relatively rare in the Upper Triassic deposits of Europe, making any new discoveries critically important. One of the most diverse dinosauriform assemblages from Europe comes from the Por?ba site in Poland, a recently described locality with exposures of the Zb?szynek Beds, which have a palynomorph assemblage characteristic for the mid–late Norian in the biostratigraphic schemes of the Germanic Basin. Using a synapomorphy‐based approach, we evaluate several isolated dinosauriform specimens from Por?ba. This assemblage includes a silesaurid, a herrerasaurid and remains of another type of theropod (potentially a neotheropod). The Por?ba herrerasaurid is the first record of this rare group of primitive dinosaurs from Europe and one of the youngest records worldwide, whereas the silesaurid is the youngest record of a silesaurid from Europe. These findings indicate that silesaurids persisted alongside true dinosaurs into the mid–late Norian of Europe and that silesaurid–herrerasaurid–neotheropod assemblages (which are also known from the Norian of North America, at low latitudes) were more widespread geographically and latitudinally than previously thought. Silesaurid–herrerasaurid–neotheropod assemblages may have been a common ecological structuring of dinosaurs during their early evolution, and their widespread distribution may indicate weak palaeolatitudinal controls on early dinosaur biogeography during the latest Triassic.     

Pattern of follicular development in high fecundity Olkuska ewes during the estrous cycle

Folliculogenesis was studied daily in the 18 oestrous cycles in six prolific Olkuska ewes from October to December using transrectal ultrasonography to record the number and size of all ovarian follicles > or =2 mm in diameter. Blood samples were taken once a day and were analyzed for concentrations of FSH, LH, estradiol and progesterone. Follicular and hormonal data were analyzed for associations between different stages of development of the follicular waves and concentrations of FSH and estradiol. The first wave during which at least one follicle reached maximum diameter of > or =4 mm after ovulation, was defined as a wave 1, and the following waves were numbered sequentially. Waves 1, 2, 3, 4 and the ovulatory one emerged on days: -2 to 4, 4 to 8, 6 to 11, 10 to 12 and 11 to 15, respectively. The mean number of follicles per wave that reached diameter of > or =4 mm was 4.15 +/- 1.1 and 16.62 +/- 8.6 follicles per estrous cycle of a total 299 follicles were observed. Significantly more follicles (p> or =0.05) emerged on days 2, 8 and 13 than in other days. Serum FSH concentrations fluctuated from 0.11 ngml(-1) on day 2 to preovulatory maximum 1.81 ngml(-1) on day 17 of the estrous cycle. The emergence of follicular waves was associated with elevations of FSH concentrations in blood serum. The mean increase in FSH concentration was followed by the recruitment of follicles of the next wave. The mean daily FSH concentration and the mean number of follicles emerging each day were negatively correlated. The length of the interwave interval (4.4 +/- 1.6 days) did not differ significantly from the interval between pulses of FSH (4.8 +/- 0.3 days). The mean serum estradiol concentrations showed fluctuations until day 14 and then gradually increased from 5.47 +/- 0.3 pgml(-1) to reach a peak 13.14 +/- 0.2 pgml(-1) on the day before ovulation. To summarize, the growth of ovarian follicles during the estrous cycle in high fecundity Olkuska sheep exhibited a distinct wave-like pattern. Ovarian follicles emerged from the pool of 2 mm follicles. The preovulatory follicles originated from the large follicle population were present in the ovary at the time of luteal regression. The initial stages of the growth of the largest follicles appears to be controlled primarily by increases in FSH secretion.     

Choline-containing bacteriophage receptors in Streptococcus pneumoniae.

Choline-containing teichoic acid seems to be essential for the adsorption of bacteriophage Dp-1 to pneumococci. This conclusion is based on the following observations: In contrast to pneumococci grown in choline-containing medium, cells grown in medium containing ethanolamine or other submethylated aminoalcohols instead of choline were found to be resistant to infection by Dp-1. Live choline-grown bacteria and heat- or UV-inactivated cells and purified cell walls prepared from these cells were capable of adsorbing phage Dp-1; ethanolamine-grown pneumococci or cell wall preparations were unable to do so. Adsorption of Dp-1 to choline-containing cell walls was competitively inhibited by phosphorylcholine and by several choline-containing soluble cell surface components, such as the Forssman antigen and the teichoic acid-glycan complexes formed by autolytic cell wall degradation. Cell walls prepared from pneumococci grown in ethanolamine or phosphorylethanolamine were inactive. Electron microscopic studies with pneumococci that had segments of choline-containing cell wall material amid ethanolamine-containing regions indicated that the Dp-1 phage particles adsorbed exclusively to the choline-containing surface areas. We suggest that the choline residues of the pneumococcal teichoic acid are essential components of the Dp-1 phage receptors in this bacterium.     

The etiology of multiple sclerosis: genetic evidence for the involvement of the human endogenous retrovirus HERV-Fc1

We have investigated the role of human endogenous retroviruses in multiple sclerosis by analyzing the DNA of patients and controls in 4 cohorts for associations between multiple sclerosis and polymorphisms near viral restriction genes or near endogenous retroviral loci with one or more intact or almost-intact genes. We found that SNPs in the gene TRIM5 were inversely correlated with disease. Conversely, SNPs around one retroviral locus, HERV-Fc1, showed a highly significant association with disease. The latter association was limited to a narrow region that contains no other known genes. We conclude that HERV-Fc1 and TRIM5 play a role in the etiology of multiple sclerosis. If these results are confirmed, they point to new modes of treatment for multiple sclerosis.     

Carbohydrate storage and use in an alpine population of the perennial herb, Oxytropis sericea

I tested hypotheses for ecological roles of storage carbohydrates in perennating organs (roots and branches) of alpine Oxytropis sericea, a leguminous herb. In naturally growing plants, total nonstructural carbohydrates achieved their maximal concentration in the fall, declined during winter, and reached minimal levels immediately after growth initiation in the spring. Experimental manipulation of carbon sink-source relations through shading of leaves of reproductive plants revealed that the normally unused portion of these carbohydrates is largely available for withdrawal. In another experiment, plants subjected to carbohydrate depletion through shading suffered decreased leaf growth after winter dormancy and had a lower probability of flowering and decreased inflorescence biomass. The dependence of reproductive growth on stored carbohydrates, however, was limited to its initial stages, because accumulation of storage carbohydrates occurred simultaneously with inflorescence expansion, flowering, and fruiting. Moreover, the whole-plant photosynthetic rate, estimated from gas exchange measurements also peaked at the time of inflorescence growth. To address whether stored reserves allow compensatory regrowth following defoliation, plants were subjected to experimental removal of leaves and inflorescences. Defoliated O. sericea partly regrew the lost leaves but withdrawal of stored carbohydrates was limited. Similarly, in a second defoliation experiment where infructescences were left intact, the plants used little stored carbohydrate and only partly compensated for fruit growth. However, carbohydrate accumulation was negatively affected by defoliation. While the ecological importance of stored nonstructural carbohydrates cannot be attributed to any function in isolation, winter respiration, leaf regrowth after winter, and early reproductive growth in O. sericea all depend to a significant extent on stored reserves. Maintaining a large storage pool may protect these functions in years when carbon status is less favorable than during this study. Received: 13 May 1998 / Accepted: 24 November 1998     

The pgdA gene encodes for a peptidoglycan N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase in Streptococcus pneumoniae

Analytical work on the fractionation of the glycan strands of Streptococcus pneumoniae cell wall has led to the observation that an unusually high proportion of hexosamine units (over 80% of the glucosamine and 10% of the muramic acid residues) was not N-acetylated, explaining the resistance of the peptidoglycan to the hydrolytic action of lysozyme, a muramidase that cleaves in the glycan backbone. A gene, pgdA, was identified as encoding for the peptidoglycan N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase A with amino acid sequence similarity to fungal chitin deacetylases and rhizobial NodB chitooligosaccharide deacetylases. Pneumococci in which pgdA was inactivated by insertion duplication mutagenesis produced fully N-acetylated glycan and became hypersensitive to exogenous lysozyme in the stationary phase of growth. The pgdA gene may contribute to pneumococcal virulence by providing protection against host lysozyme, which is known to accumulate in high concentrations at infection sites.     

Ectomycorrhizal fungal communities of native and non-native Pinus and Quercus species in a common garden of 35-year-old trees

Non-native tree species have been widely planted or have become naturalized in most forested landscapes. It is not clear if native trees species collectively differ in ectomycorrhizal fungal (EMF) diversity and communities from that of non-native tree species. Alternatively, EMF species community similarity may be more determined by host plant phylogeny than by whether the plant is native or non-native. We examined these unknowns by comparing two genera, native and non-native Quercus robur and Quercus rubra and native and non-native Pinus sylvestris and Pinus nigra in a 35-year-old common garden in Poland. Using molecular and morphological approaches, we identified EMF species from ectomycorrhizal root tips and sporocarps collected in the monoculture tree plots. A total of 69 EMF species were found, with 38 species collected only as sporocarps, 18 only as ectomycorrhizas, and 13 both as ectomycorrhizas and sporocarps. The EMF species observed were all native and commonly associated with a Holarctic range in distribution. We found that native Q. robur had ca. 120% higher total EMF species richness than the non-native Q. rubra, while native P. sylvestris had ca. 25% lower total EMF species richness than non-native P. nigra. Thus, across genera, there was no evidence that native species have higher EMF species diversity than exotic species. In addition, we found a higher similarity in EMF communities between the two Pinus species than between the two Quercus species. These results support the naturalization of non-native trees by means of mutualistic associations with cosmopolitan and novel fungi.     

A novel method for cloning of coding sequences of highly toxic proteins

Background

During standard gene cloning, the recombinant protein appearing in bacteria as the result of expression leakage very often inhibits cell proliferation leading to blocking of the cloning procedure. Although different approaches can reduce transgene basal expression, the recombinant proteins, which even in trace amounts inhibit bacterial growth, can completely prevent the cloning process.

Mafb and c-Maf Have Prenatal Compensatory and Postnatal Antagonistic Roles in Cortical Interneuron Fate and Function

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A comparative study of hourly and daily relationships between selected meteorological parameters and airborne fungal spore composition

Air sampling was conducted in Szczecin (Poland) throughout April–September 2013. The final data set included 177 daily and 4248 hourly samples. The total of 21 types of spores, which occurred in a number >10 in the season, were taken into account. The following meteorological parameters were analyzed: air temperature, relative humidity, precipitation and wind speed. Effects of individual weather parameters on hourly and daily concentrations of different fungal spore types were examined using Spearman’s rank association test, whereas effects of complex of meteorological factors on hourly and daily compositions of spore were assessed using detrended correspondence analysis (DCA) and redundancy analysis (RDA). Airborne fungal spore distribution patterns in relation to meteorological variables were determined by RDA, after DCA results detected a linear structure of the spore data. The RDA results obtained indicated that all the applied variables accounted for 20 and 22% of the total variance in the hourly and daily spore data, respectively. The results of stepwise forward selection of variables revealed all included hourly and daily meteorological variables were statistically significant. The largest amount of the total variance in the spore composition was explained by the air temperature in both cases (16%). Multivariate ordination did not show large differences between the hourly and daily relationships (with exception of wind speed impact), while the differences between simple hourly and daily correlations were more clear. Correlations between daily values of variables were in most cases higher than between hourly values of variables.