Correlation between rainfall in the dry season and the occurrence of the white rice borer (Scirpophaga innotata Wlk.) in Java

The amount of rain which falls sporadically in the relatively dry season at the time that the white rice borer is diapausing as a full grown larva in the rice stubble, has a very important influence on the size of population of the borers in the following wet season when rice is grown. If this dry season is wet or very wet (according to our standard, based on the figures of rainfall and borer damage over 26 years in five regions of Eastern Java), no damage can be expected in the following planting season. If the dry season is really dry or very dry, outbreaks of borers may occur (in the period under survey this occurred in nine out of fourteen years). We have tried to give an outline of a method of prediction of borer damage in the planting season, based on the rainfall dates of the foregoing dry season.

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Zusammenfassung Der Weisse Reisbohrer (Scirpophaga innotata Wlk.) kommt nur in Gebieten vor, wo jährlich eine ausgeprägte Regen- und Trockenzeit (Monsun) auftritt. Am Ende der Regenzeit gehen die vollerwachsenen Raupen, die im Stengel der reifenden Reispflanze leben, in Diapause. Während der folgenden relativ trockenen Jahreszeit, wenn nur gelegentlich Regenschauer fallen, ruhen die Raupen in der Stoppel. Bald nachdem die ersten heftigen Regenfälle der neuen Regenzeit einsetzen, verpuppen sich die Larven und alle Falter schlüpfen gemeinsam zum Stoppelflug.Dieser Zünsler ist in gewissen Gebieten Javas einer der Hauptschädlinge des Reises, obwohl sein Auftreten sehr unregelmäßig ist. Jahrelang war man allgemein der Auffassung, daß relativ reichlicher Regenfall während der Trockenzeit die Reisbohrerpopulation erheblich vermindere und daß in diesem Falle keine schweren Schäden durch Reisbohrerbefall erwartet werden können.Während eines Zeitraums von 26 Jahren (1915–1940) wurden in fünf Gebieten Ost-Javas sowolhl der Niederschlag wie der Bohrerschaden untersucht und Berechnungen der jährlichen Niederschlagsmenge in der Trockenzeit und des Bohrerschadens verglichen. Dies erhärtete die alte Auffassung, daß nach einer relativ feuchten oder sehr feuchten Trockenzeit kein Bohrerbefall von Bedeutung während des Beobachtungszeitraumes auftritt. Dagegen folgten in neun von 14 Jahren mit einer trockenen oder sehr trockenen Trockenzeit schwere oder ziemlich schwere Ausbrüche der Weißen Reisstengelbohrer während der folgenden feuchten Jahreszeiten. Obwohl auch andere Faktoren von einiger Bedeutung sein dürften, wird geschlossen, daß die Niederschlagsmenge während der Trockenzeit einen sehr entscheidenden Einfluß auf die Möglichkeit des Auftrétens einer Reisbohrer Kalamität im darauffolgenden Jahre hat. Diesen Daten entsprechend wird auf der Grundlage der Niederschlagszahlen in der vorangegangenen Trockenzeit ein Prognose-Schema entwickelt, wann Bohrerschaden zu erwarten ist.

     

Herpes simplex virus 1 alpha regulatory protein ICP0 interacts with and stabilizes the cell cycle regulator cyclin D3.

The herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV-1) infected-cell protein 0 (ICP0) has the characteristics of a promiscuous transactivator of genes introduced into cells by infection or transfection. To identify cellular proteins interacting with ICP0, we used a domain of exon II of ICP0 that is known to be crucial for regulatory function of the protein as bait in the yeast two-hybrid screen. Our results were as follows. (i) A cDNA in a positive yeast colony was found to encode cyclin D3, a cell cycle regulator of G1 phase. (ii) A purified chimeric protein consisting of glutathione S-transferase (GST) fused to cyclin D3 specifically formed complexes with ICP0 contained in HSV-1-infected cell lysate. (iii) To enhance the expression of cyclin D3, the gene was inserted into the viral genome and overexpressed in infected cells. The overexpressed cyclin D3 colocalized with ICP0 in nuclear structures characteristic of ND10 and which earlier have been reported to contain ICP0. (iv) The accumulation of cyclin D3 protein in Vero cells infected with an alpha0 deletion mutant was reduced relative to that of cells infected with wild-type virus or a recombinant virus in which the deleted alpha0 sequences were restored. (v) Lysates of Spodoptera frugiperda Sf9 cells doubly infected with baculoviruses genetically engineered to express cyclin D3 and cyclin-dependent kinase 4 (CDK4) phosphorylated GST fused to retinoblastoma protein (GST-pRb) but did not phosphorylate the GST-alpha0(20-241) or GST-alpha0(543-768) fusion protein or immunoprecipitated ICP0 proteins. Moreover, the chimeric GST-ICP0(exon II) protein shown to bind cyclin D3 had no effect on the activity of the kinase on GST-pRb when added to mixtures of lysates of Sf9 cells which coexpressed cyclin D3 and CDK4. These results indicate that ICP0 interacts with, colocalizes with, and stabilizes the cyclin D3 cell cycle regulator and does not affect its interaction with the cyclin-dependent kinase.     

Somatic expansion of the (CAG) n repeat in Huntington disease brains

The mutation causing Huntington disease (HD) has been identified as an expansion of a polymorphic (CAG) _n repeat in the 5 part of the huntingtin gene. The specific neuropathology of HD, viz. selective neuronal loss in the caudate nucleus and putamen, cannot be explained by the widespread expression of the gene. Since somatic expansion is observed in affected tissue in myotonic dystrophy, we have studied the length of the (CAG) _n repeat in various regions of the brain. Although we have not found clear differences when comparing severely and mildly affected regions, we have observed a minor increase in repeat length upon comparison of affected brain samples with cerebellum or peripheral blood. Hence, although further somatic amplification seems to occur in affected areas of the brain, the differences between affected and unaffected regions are too small to make this mechanism an obvious candidate for the cause of differential neuronal degeneration in HD.     

Lipid specificity for the reconstitution of well-coupled ATPase proteoliposomes and a new method for lipid isolation from photosynthetic membranes

The lipid specificity for the enzymatic and proton-translocating functions of a reconstituted thermophilic ATPase complex has been investigated. The proteoliposomes were prepared from the ATPase complex of the thermophilic cyanobacterium Synechococcus 6716 and various lipids and lipid mixtures extracted from this organism and from a related mesophilic strain. Some commercial lipids were used as well. An improved method of lipid extraction from chlorophyll-containing membranes is presented. This method is based on acetone extraction and additional chlorophyll separation and results in higher yields, less chlorophyll contamination and a simpler procedure than the conventional methods based on chloroform/methanol extraction. The lipids of Synechococcus 6716 thus extracted were fractionated by thin-layer chromatography. The fatty acyl chain composition of the separated lipids was analyzed by gas chromatography. The coupling quality of the reconstituted ATPase proteoliposomes made of different lipids was tested by a membrane-bound fluorescent probe and uncoupler stimulation of ATP hydrolysis. None of the separated lipids alone was able to produce a well-coupled system. The best results were obtained with the native lipid mixture. The minimum requirement was the combination of a typical bilayer-forming lipid and the non-bilayer (hexagonal II structure)-forming monogalactosyldiacylglycerol. Lipids from the mesophilic Synechococcus 6301 and commercial lipids (also mesophilic) produced poorly coupled vesicles but significant improvement was obtained when thermophilic monogalactosyldiacylglycerol was included. Both the reconstituted and solubilized ATPase complex have a sharp temperature optimum at 50 degrees C. The effect of reconstitution and measurement temperatures on the yield of well-coupled vesicles from different lipid sources was also studied.     

Detection of a yeast polyphosphate fraction localized outside the plasma membrane by the method of phosphorus-31 nuclear magnetic resonance

Non-penetrating cations, like UO2+(2) and Eu3+, are bound to the outside of yeast cells in a reversible fashion. Binding of these ions was attended with a decrease of the 31P NMR polyphosphate signal. Subsequent addition of EDTA to the suspension restored the original spectrum. These experiments confirm the localization of a polyphosphate fraction outside the plasma membrane of yeast.     

Histochemistry and cytochemistry of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase

Histochemistry and cytochemistry of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase has found many applications in biomedical research. However, up to several years ago, the methods used often appeared to be unreliable because many artefacts occurred during processing and staining of tissue sections or cells. The development of histochemical methods preventing loss or redistribution of the enzyme by using either polyvinyl alcohol as a stabilizer or a semipermeable membrane interposed between tissue section and incubation medium, has lead to progress in the topochemical localization of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. Optimization of incubation conditions has further increased the precision of histochemical methods. Precise cytochemical methods have been developed either by the use of a polyacrylamide carrier in which individual cells have been incorporated before staining or by including polyvinyl alcohol in the incubation medium. In the present text, these methods for the histochemical and cytochemical localization of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase for light microscopical and electron microscopical purposes are extensively discussed along with immunocytochemical techniques. Moreover, the validity of the staining methods is considered both for the localization of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity in cells and tissues and for cytophotometric analysis. Finally, many applications of the methods are reviewed in the fields of functional heterogeneity of tissues, early diagnosis of carcinoma, effects of xenobiotics on cellular metabolism, diagnosis of inherited glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, analysis of steroid-production in reproductive organs, and quality control of oocytes of mammals. It is concluded that the use of histochemistry and cytochemistry of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase is of highly significant value in the study of diseased tissues. In many cases, the first pathological change is an increase in glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity and detection of these early changes in a few cells by histochemical means only, enables prediction of other subsequent abnormal metabolic events. Analysis of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency in erythrocytes has been improved as well by the development of cytochemical tools. Heterozygous deficiency can now be detected in a reliable way. Cell biological studies of development or maturation of various tissues or cells have profited from the use of histochemistry and cytochemistry of glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase activity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)     

Growth hormone releasing factor: comparison of two analogues and demonstration of hypothalamic defect in growth hormone release after radiotherapy.

Human pancreatic growth hormone releasing factor (hpGHRF(1-40] stimulates the release of growth hormone in normal subjects and some patients with growth hormone deficiency. A study comparing the shorter chain amidated analogue hpGHRF(1-29) with an equivalent dose of hpGHRF(1-40) in seven normal subjects showed no significant difference in growth hormone response between the two preparations. Six patients with prolactinomas were also tested; these patients had received megavoltage radiotherapy previously but had developed growth hormone deficiency as shown by insulin induced hypoglycaemia. In all six patients 200 micrograms hpGHRF(1-40) or hpGHRF(1-29)NH2 produced an increase in the serum growth hormone concentration. These data suggest that hpGHRF(1-29)NH2 may be useful for testing the readily releasable pool of growth hormone in the pituitary and that cases of hypothalamo-pituitary irradiation resulting in growth hormone deficiency may be due to failure of synthesis or delivery of endogenous GHRF from the hypothalamus to pituitary cells.