Labidocera aestiva and L. scotti in Tamiahua Lagoon,Veracruz, Mexico

Labidocera aestiva and L. scotti were found in the Tamiahua Lagoon, Veracruz, Mexico. Fleminger (1957) found that the populations of these species may overlap geographically, although L. aestiva has affinity to the Carolinian province and L. scotti to the Caribbean province. This study describes the seasonal behavior and succession of this species in the Tamiahua Lagoon, a brackish water system with a high marine influence. A qualitative and quantitative analysis of samples was made in March, July, and September 1985 and January 1986. L. aestiva was found in temperatures below 26 °C in a wide salinity range. At temperatures above 26 °C and up to 32 °C, L. aestiva was present also with euryhaline character. In the Tamiahua Lagoon these two species did not overlap during this study. Both species are considered temporary inhabitants of this estuarine system in the Western Gulf of Mexico.     

Crop/Weed gene flow:Cucurbita argyrosperma Huber andC. fraterna L. H. Bailey (Cucurbitaceae)

A mixed population of Cucurbita at Vado El Mow in northern Tamaulipas, Mexico showed an anomalous pattern of fruit bitterness. Some domesticated plants (C. argyrosperma andC. moschata) expressed cucurbitacin bitterness whereas some sympatric free-living plants produced non-bitter fruits. This reversal of typical cucurbitacin expression suggested gene flow between crop and weed at the site. Isozyme analysis provided little insight as to taxa involved in gene exchange, although progeny from a single free-living plant carried IDH allozymes that are associated with Mexican landraces ofC. pepo. Synthetic hybridization revealed that fertile F, hybrids are produced from crosses involvingC. fraterna as the pistillate parent andC. argyrosperma as the staminate parent. Interspecific crop/weed hybrids can produce viable progeny upon self-pollination or backcrossingto either parent, andF₂ families display normal allozyme segregation. Hybrid fertility, as indicated by pollen stainability, increases in progeny produced by backcrossingfrom theC. argyrosperma parent. Interspecific hybridfertility represents a potential for crop/weed gene flow that would be realized under natural conditions if pollen flow occurs betweenC. fraterna andC. argyrosperma in the fields of Tamaulipas. Oligolectic “squash bees” (Teponapis), efficientCucurbita pollen vectors, are present at the site. Thus, it is likely that natural interspecific crop/weed hybridization has occurred at Vado El Moro and this might at least partially explain the anomalous distribution of fruit bitterness among extant populations at the site.     

Traditional production system of the root of jalapa,Ipomoea purga (convolvulaceae), in Central Veracruz,Mexico

We describe the traditional production system of the root of jalapa, Ipomoea purga, in Xico, Veracruz, Mexico. The results are based on open interviews with the producers to gather information on the development of this crop in the area, and observation of the production system. The production cycle is carried out between July and February. We found that seed scarification is the key to the success of the productive system, obtaining a maximum of 95% seed germination in eight days. This activity, as well as seed collection and the driving of stakes into the ground for plant support, requires a considerable input of man-power. It is an intensive farming process, the cultivated area per farmer varies between 300 m² and 1000 m¹, and the yield ranges between 1.5 and 2.7 tons per hectare of fresh roots; when dried they lose up to 75% of their weight. Smoke-dried roots are exported for sale.     

Role of anaerobic ciliates in planktonic food webs: abundance, feeding, and impact on bacteria in the field

We studied the dynamics of two populations of anaerobic ciliates, Plagiopyla sp. and Metopus sp., and of their potential prey, heterotrophic and phototrophic purple bacteria, in Lake Cisó throughout a 1-year cycle. The abundance of both ciliates was very low (less than 2 individuals per ml). During mixing, Plagiopyla ciliates exhibited high clearance rates (about 100 nl ciliate h), its integrated abundance increased with a net doubling time of 47 days, and its potential doubling times, as calculated from the number of bacteria consumed, ranged between 5 and 8 days. During stratification, the activity of Plagiopyla ciliates was reduced and the population decreased; this was related to the higher amounts of sulfide present. The impact of predation by the Plagiopyla population on bacterioplankton was found to be insignificant, less than 0.1% of bacterial biomass consumed per day. Thus, anaerobic ciliates cannot control the bacterioplankton in Lake Cisó because of both the low abundance over the period studied and the low feeding rates during certain periods. A review of available field studies suggests that this conclusion can be extrapolated to most other anoxic systems.     

A population analysis of Robertsonian and Ag-NOR polymorphisms in brown trout (Salmo trutta)

An analysis of Robertsonian polymorphism and variation in the number of active NORs has been carried out in several populations of brown trout (Salmo trutta) from Northwestern Spain. The karyotype of this species appears to be soundly established, and essentially no variation has been found in chromosome number. Interindividual and interpopulation variation in arm number was detected, with figures ranging between 100 and 102 among individuals, and between 100.10 and 100.80 among populations. This variation in arm number is solely attributable to the polymorphism of the short arm of the main NOR-bearing pair 11, which can appear from acrocentric to metacentric in different individuals. Most populations analyzed showed the standard distribution of active NORs previously observed in this species. The Miño drainage basin, and specially the Chamoso population, showed a multi-chromosomal distribution of active NORs, with several new locations, always telomeric. In most cases no concordance was observed between previously detected rDNA sites in S. trutta and the new Ag-NOR locations. This fact suggests a transposition mechanism rather than an activation of silent rDNA sites to explain this multichromosomal NOR pattern.     

Rye chromosome arm 3RS encodes a homodimeric inhibitor of insect α-amylase

A new inhibitor of insect -amylase, designated RDAI-1, has been purified from rye (Secale cereale L.) endosperm. RDAI-1 is homologous to wheat homodimeric inhibitors. This homology is supported by their similar N-terminal amino-acid sequences, inhibitory activities towards amylases from Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera) and human saliva, and aggregative properties in gel-filtration chromatography. The gene encoding RDAI-1, IdhaR1, is located on the short arm of chromosome 3R, which is homoeologous with wheat chromosome arms 3BS and 3DS, where the genes for homodimeric inhibitors have been previously mapped.     

Comparison of superovulatory response of mature outbred mice treated with FSH or PMSG and developmental potential of embryos produced

A superovulatory treatment for mice based on FSH administration was compared with a standard one based on PMSG. Our aim was to determine if a mean number of embryos recovered per donor could be increased and if in vitro or in vivo viability was affected by the hormonal treatment used. Thus, female Swiss mice were subjected to 2 superovulatory treatments, and the 1-cell and 2-cell stage embryos were cultured in 2 different media to the blastocyst stage or were transferred to pseudopregnant recipients. The data show that despite a lower mating percentage (52% with FSH vs 66% with PMSG), the FSH-treated mice provided twice the number of total embryos (53.4 vs 24.5) with a similar percentage of morphologically normal embryos (74% for FSH vs 69% for PMSG). We also found that in vitro culture results can be influenced by the source of gonadotropins depending on the culture medium used. A culture medium such as CZB which prevents the 2-cell block, provided the same developmental rates regardless of hormonal treatment used. However, with M-16 medium, which does not prevent this blockage, only 39% of the 2-cell FSH-derived embryos and 49% of the PMSG-derived 2-cell embryos developed into blastocysts (P<0.05). FSH-derived embryos resulted in a higher percentage of pregnant recipients (73 vs 56%) than PMSG-derived embryos, but the number of alive fetuses and the number of implantations per pregnant recipient was affected only by the kind of culture system used before transfer. The results show that FSH can provide very good superovulatory response in mice, thus reducing the number of donors needed for a given experiment and providing embryos of at least the same quality as those derived from the standard PMSG treatment.     

Pool sequencing of natural HLA-DR,DQ, and DP ligands reveals detailed peptide motifs,constraints of processing,and general rules

We have approached the problem of MHC class II ligand motifs by pool sequencing natural peptides eluted from HLA-DR, DQ, and DP molecules. The results indicate surprisingly clear patterns, although not quite as clear as with natural class I ligands. The most striking feature is a highly dominant Proline at position 2. We interpret this to be a consequence of aminopeptidase N-like activity in processing. Another general aspect is the existence of three to four hydrophobic or aromatic anchors, whereby the first and the last are separated by five to eight residues. The peptide motifs for HLA-DR1, DR5, DQ7, and DPw4 are allele-specific and differ by spacing and occupancy of anchors. The anchors tend to be flanked by clusters of charged residues, and small residues, especially Ala, are frequent in the motif centers. These detailed motifs allow one to interpret most previous (DR-) motifs as fitting one or more of the anchors or conserved clusters. The relative motif symmetry suggests the possibility of bidirectional binding of peptides in the class II groove.