Male and female contributions to heterosis in lifetime performance of mice

Summary Six straightbred lines of mice, some of their F₁ crosses and a synthetic line were used to evaluate male and female contributions to heterosis in lifetime performance measured on females. Females from each straightbred line or F₁ crosses were pair-mated randomly at day 42 with either a male of the corresponding genetic group or from a synthetic line, and pairs were maintained for 155 days (lifetime). Each mother was allowed to rear all young born alive until day 18 when the young were discarded. Data were analyzed using a model in which the group mean of lifetime performance was expressed as the sum of (additive direct) genetic and environmental effects for each of the male and female genetic groups used for mating. Comparison of group means for lifetime performance revealed that estimates of F₁ heterosis due to male and female averaged 10 and 9% for number of parturitions during lifetime, 7 and 28% for total number of young born alive, 6 and 31% for total body weight of young born alive, 8 and 33% for total number of young raised to day 18, 9 and 43% for total body weight of young raised to weaning, and 8 and 8% for days from first mating to last parturition. The male's contribution to heterosis in lifetime performance was smaller than female's contribution for productive traits (total number of young born alive and at day 18, and total body weight of young born alive and at day 18), and was nearly equal in reproductive traits (number of parturitions during lifetime and days from first mating to last parturition).Animal Research Centre Contribution No. 1098     

Stimulation of prostaglandin synthesis in cultured rat synovial cells by a factor derived from polymorphonuclear leukocytes

Stimulation of synovial cell prostaglandin production by a factor obtained from casein-induced peritoneal polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells has been investigated. Both the extract and short time cultured medium of rat peritoneal PMN cells stimulate prostaglandin (PG)E2 production as well as collagenase production in the culture of rat synovial cells. PGE2 production by the cells in the presence of the PMN factor is much faster (5 to 24 hr) than collagenase production (24 hr or later, Biomedical Res. 3, 506-516, 1982). This stimulating factor is confirmed to be derived from PMN cells, based on the purification of the cells from peritoneal exudate cells by the Ficoll-Urographin method. Elution profile of the factor on gel filtration has indicated that both PGE2 and collagenase productions by synovial cells are stimulated by the same effluent fractions corresponding to molecular weights of 15,000 - 20,000 daltons and 30,000 - 40,000 daltons. These results suggest that PMN cells are involved in PG production as well as collagenase production in the inflamed tissue by stimulating connective tissue cells such as synovial cells.     

Chimpanzee predation in the Mahale mountains from August 1979 to May 1982

Fifty-four episodes of predatory behavior of wild chimpanzees were recorded in Mahale, western Tanzania, from August 1979 to May 1982. The chimpanzees most frequently hunt in two seasons, during May, and from August to December. Longer-term fecal analysis indicates that predation frequency is significantly higher in the dry than in the rainy season. The seasonality of predation might be the result of the sum of various ecological factors, at least one of which is the birth season of the prey species. Most of the prey are juvenile blue duiker, bushbuck, bushpig, red colobus, and red-tailed monkeys. Sex difference is recognized in the prey selection and in the hunting method employed. Apparent local difference in the predatory behavior between Mahale and Combe chimpanzees (in Mahale,females hunt more frequently, and blue duiker is the most frequent prey) can be understood in terms of the difference either in the observation methods or in the faunal diversity and density. Other aspects of predatory behavior also are reported.     

Demographic study of a large-sized unit-group of chimpanzees in the mahale mountains,Tanzania: A preliminary report

Long-term demographic observations on a large-sized unit-group of chimpanzees in the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania, are summarized. The unit-group, the M group, contains over 100 individuals, which makes it the largest unit-group ever reported. The age-sex composition, natality, mortality and transfers of the M group are analyzed. An attempt is made to illustrate an age-sex pyramid of the group by estimating the ages of all the individuals in the group. The results reveal that: (1) the mortality rate of the male infants within 1 year almost doubled that of female infant; (2) adult male to adult female ratio of the M group is considerably higher than any other unit-groups elsewhere; and (3) the M group contains a relatively large number of old animals over 40 years of age, suggesting that the longevity of wild chimpanzees might be greater than estimated so far.     

Siblings with renal tubular acidosis and nerve deafness. The first family in Japan

Summary Two siblings with renal tubular acidosis (RTA) and nerve deafness were examined. It was found by ammonium chloride and bicarbonate loading tests that the 6-year-old brother had a hybrid type of RTA and his 4-year-old sister, a distal type of RTA. Enzyme activity and amount of enzyme protein of carbonic anhydrase isoenzyme I and II in red blood cells, measured using an immunoadsorbent method, were normal in both cases. Although this indicated that the RTAs of these patients are not generated by the carbonic anhydrase deficiency, an investigation with renal tissue is necessary to arrive at a final conclusion.     

Chemical ionization and electron impact mass spectra of oligosaccharides derived from sphingoglycolipids

Chemical ionization (CI) mass spectra with isobutane and ammonia for the oligosaccharides obtained from sphingoglycolipids were compared with their electron impact (EI) mass spectra. The oligosaccahride moieties were liberated from the parent glycolipids and were further reduced with sodium borohydride. They were analyzed as their permethyl peracetyl and pertrimethylsilyl derivatives. In the CI spectra, peaks corresponding to QM+ and/or [M-59]+ were observed in all of the peracetylated oligosaccharides examined. In CI with ammonia as the reagent, H+ was transferred to nitrogen-containing saccharides to produce [MH]+ and NH4 was transferred to nitrogen-free saccharides to yield [M+NH4]+ as QM+. Non-reducing ends yielded very intense peaks in CI spectra. On the other hand, the reduced end, glucitol, produced rather prominent peaks in EI spectra. Fragment ions due to cleavage of glycosidic bonds were major ones under the CI conditions, and they could be used for elucidating the sugar sequence in the oligosaccharides. An additional characteristic feature in the CI spectra was that ions due to scission of hexosaminyl glycosidic linkages were observed with very high intensities.     

Electroantennogram responses of the European corn borer,Ostrinia nubilalis,to (Z)- and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetates

Antennal responses of male European corn borer moths, Ostrinia nubilalis, to their two pheromone components, (Z)- and (E)-11-tetradecenyl acetates (tda), were studied. The electroantennogram (EAG) response was highest when the ventral side and lowest when the dorsal side of the antenna faced the air stream carrying the chemical stimulus. Repetitive stimulation with one of the isomers resulted in adaptation which affected the amplitude of response in subsequent tests of both (Z)- and (E)-11-tda. This suggested that the receptors for the two tda isomers are either identical or highly interactive. Mixtures of the two pheromone components did not elicit higher responses than the major component, (Z)-11-tda. A significant difference was observed between London and New York strains of this insect in their relative responses to (Z)- and (E)-11-tda. EAG responses of hybrids of these two strains resembled those for the New York strain.     

The age distribution of neutralizing antibodies against varicella-zoster virus in healthy individuals

A seroepidemiological survey of varicella was made in the Nagoya area by the neutralization (NT) test. Of 1,473 recorded cases of varicella, 81.4% were under 6 years old and 9.6% were under one year old; of the 168 recorded cases under one year old, about 30% were under 5 months old. Examination of 11 pairs of mother and cord sera and 13 pairs of mother and infant sera showed that transfer of NT antibody was in general good, even in babies that were small for their age or smnall at birth after 28 weeks gestation. The transferred maternal antibody decreased rapidly, becoming undetectable in babies of 4 months old. Then with increase in age the percentgage of seropositive children gradually increased, being 53.3% at 4 to 5 years old, and 100% in those of over 9 years old, with a temporary decrease in young adults in their twenties.     

Assignment of proximal histidyl imidazole exchangeable proton NMR resonances to individual subunits in hemoglobins A,Boston, Iwate and Milwaukee

The proton nmr spectra of the synthetic valency hybrids, α₂(β⁺CN)₂, (α⁺CN)₂β₂ of hemoglobin A and the natural valency hybrids of the mutant hemoglobins Boston, Iwate and Milwaukee have led to the unambiguous assignment of the two proximal histidyl imidazole exchangeable proton signals at 64 and 76 ppm to individual α and β subunits, respectively. New single non-exchangeable proton resonances detected in the extreme downfield region of the spectra of Hbs Boston and Iwate are tentatively assigned to the coordinated tyrosine of the mutated α chains.