Fine Structure of the Neogregarine Farinocystis tribolii Weiser, 1953. Developmental Stages in Merogony.

SYNOPSIS. The fine structure of schizonts and free merozoites of the neogregarine Farinocystis tribolii Weiser, and their development in the fat body of larval Tribolium castaneum were studied.
The surface of a multinucleate schizont and that of a uninucleate merozoite is covered by a double-layered membrane. Rhoptries and micronemes are present. The cytoplasm is packed with ribosomes and also contains dark bodies. Mitochondria are of the vesicular type. The spherical nucleus of the schizont and merozoite contains a large nucleolus. The anterior end of the merozoite has a typical conoidal complex composed of a conoid and a polar ring with 22 subpellicular mirotubules projecting from it.
New findings are a membranous septum across the body of the merozoite at 2/3 of its length below the nucleus and a highly osmiophilic spiral structure in the perinuclear space close to the Golgi complex. In addition, we found some "developmental stages" of the latter structure.     

Abnormal Epidermal Keratinization in the repeated epilation mutant mouse

Repeated epilation (Er) is a radiation-induced, autosomal, incomplete dominant mutation in mice which is expressed in heterozygotes but is lethal in the homozygous condition. Many effects of the mutation occur in skin: the epidermis in Er/Er mice is adhesive (oral and nasal orifices fuse, limbs adhere to the body wall), hyperplastic, and fails to undergo terminal differentiation. Skin from fetal +/+, Er/+ and Er/Er mice at ages pre- and postkeratinization examined by light, scanning, and transmission electron microscopy showed marked abnormalities in tissue architecture, differentiation, and cell structure; light and dark basal epidermal cells were separated by wide intercellular spaces, joined by few desmosomes, and contained phagolysomes. The numbers of spinous, granular, and superficial layers were highly variable within any given region and among various regions of the body. In some areas, 2-8 layers of granular cells, containing large or diminutive keratohyalin granules, extended to the epidermal surface; in others, the granular layers were covered by several layers of partially keratinized or nonkeratinized cells. In rare instances, a single or small group of cornified cells was present among the granular layers but was not associated with the epidermal surface. Both the granular and nonkeratinized/partially keratinized upper epidermal layers Er/Er skin gave positive immunofluorescence with antiserum to the histidine-rich, basic protein, filaggrin. Proteins in epidermal extracts from +/+, Er/+ and Er/Er mice were separated and identified by radio- and immunolabeling techniques. The Er/Er extract was missing a 26.5- kdalton protein and had an altered ratio of bands in the keratin region. The 26.5-kdalton band was histidine-rich and cross-reacted with the antiserum to rat filaggrin. Several high molecular weight bands present in both Er/Er and +/+ extracts also reacted with the antiserum. These are presumed to be the precursors of filaggrin and to account for the immunofluorescence om Er/Er epidermis even though the product protein is absent. The morphologic and biochemical data indicated that the genetic defect has a general and profound influence on epidermal differentiation, including alteration of two proteins (filaggrin and keratin) important in normal terminal differentiation, tissue architecture, and cytology. Identification of epidermal abnormalities at early stages of development (prekeratinization) and defective structure of other tissues and gross anatomy suggest that the mutation is responsible for a defect in same regulatory step important in many processes of differentiation and development.     

The mutation rates of di-, tri- and tetranucleotide repeats in Drosophila melanogaster

In a recent study, we reported that the combined average mutation rate of 10 di-, 6 tri-, and 8 tetranucleotide repeats in Drosophila melanogaster was 6.3 x 10(-6) mutations per locus per generation, a rate substantially below that of microsatellite repeat units in mammals studied to date (range = 10(-2)-10(-5) per locus per generation). To obtain a more precise estimate of mutation rate for dinucleotide repeat motifs alone, we assayed 39 new dinucleotide repeat microsatellite loci in the mutation accumulation lines from our earlier study. Our estimate of mutation rate for a total of 49 dinucleotide repeats is 9.3 x 10(-6) per locus per generation, only slightly higher than the estimate from our earlier study. We also estimated the relative difference in microsatellite mutation rate among di-, tri-, and tetranucleotide repeats in the genome of D. melanogaster using a method based on population variation, and we found that tri- and tetranucleotide repeats mutate at rates 6.4 and 8.4 times slower than that of dinucleotide repeats, respectively. The slower mutation rates of tri- and tetranucleotide repeats appear to be associated with a relatively short repeat unit length of these repeat motifs in the genome of D. melanogaster. A positive correlation between repeat unit length and allelic variation suggests that mutation rate increases as the repeat unit lengths of microsatellites increase.      

长春净月潭地区土壤跳虫的生态分布

土壤动物直接参与土壤形成,它与土壤微生物的相互配合,对植物凋落物的分解起着十分重要的作用。土壤跳虫是土壤动物中最重要的类群之一。关于它的生态分布,目前国内报道不多。东北师范大学和日本九州大学合作,对长春净月潭地区的土壤跳虫进行了初步调查。     

小鼠网织红细胞微观流变学特性的研究

按Bishop方法,在小鼠血液里诱导生成大量网织红细胞,然后提取网织红细胞,对其电泳率、渗透脆性、膜的流动性、细胞的变形能力和取向性进行了系统研究。研究结果表明网织红细胞在转变为成熟红细胞的短短时间内,其微观流变学特性发生了明显的变化：电泳率变小、渗透脆性变好、膜的流动性变大、细胞的变形能力变强、取向性变好,最终发育成具有全面功能的成熟红细胞。     

RNA interference identifies a calcium-dependent protein kinase involved in Medicago truncatula root development

Changes in cellular or subcellular Ca2+ concentrations play essential roles in plant development and in the responses of plants to their environment. However, the mechanisms through which Ca2+ acts, the downstream signaling components, as well as the relationships among the various Ca2+-dependent processes remain largely unknown. Using an RNA interference-based screen for gene function in Medicago truncatula, we identified a gene that is involved in root development. Silencing Ca2+-dependent protein kinase1 (CDPK1), which is predicted to encode a Ca2+-dependent protein kinase, resulted in significantly reduced root hair and root cell lengths. Inactivation of CDPK1 is also associated with significant diminution of both rhizobial and mycorrhizal symbiotic colonization. Additionally, microarray analysis revealed that silencing CDPK1 alters cell wall and defense-related gene expression. We propose that M. truncatula CDPK1 is a key component of one or more signaling pathways that directly or indirectly modulates cell expansion or cell wall synthesis, possibly altering defense gene expression and symbiotic interactions.     

Computational identification and characterization of novel genes from legumes

The Fabaceae, the third largest family of plants and the source of many crops, has been the target of many genomic studies. Currently, only the grasses surpass the legumes for the number of publicly available expressed sequence tags (ESTs). The quantity of sequences from diverse plants enables the use of computational approaches to identify novel genes in specific taxa. We used BLAST algorithms to compare unigene sets from Medicago truncatula, Lotus japonicus, and soybean (Glycine max and Glycine soja) to nonlegume unigene sets, to GenBank's nonredundant and EST databases, and to the genomic sequences of rice (Oryza sativa) and Arabidopsis. As a working definition, putatively legume-specific genes had no sequence homology, below a specified threshold, to publicly available sequences of nonlegumes. Using this approach, 2,525 legume-specific EST contigs were identified, of which less than three percent had clear homology to previously characterized legume genes. As a first step toward predicting function, related sequences were clustered to build motifs that could be searched against protein databases. Three families of interest were more deeply characterized: F-box related proteins, Pro-rich proteins, and Cys cluster proteins (CCPs). Of particular interest were the >300 CCPs, primarily from nodules or seeds, with predicted similarity to defensins. Motif searching also identified several previously unknown CCP-like open reading frames in Arabidopsis. Evolutionary analyses of the genomic sequences of several CCPs in M. truncatula suggest that this family has evolved by local duplications and divergent selection.