Isolation of a cytomegalovirus from salivary glands of white-lipped marmosets (Saguinus fuscicollis).

Minced salivary glands from seven white-lipped marmosets (Saguinus fuscicollis and Saguinus nigricollis) and one cotton-topped marmoset (Saguinus oedipus) were cocultivated with marmoset cell cultures. A viral agent, designated SSG, was isolated from two Saguinus fuscicollis. Slowly progressing foci of rounded, vacuolated, refractile cells were first observed at 40-43 days incubation. Electron microscopy revealed intranuclear herpesvirus nucleocapsids and intracytoplasmic and extracellular enveloped particles. Infected cells stained with hematoxylin and eosin contained eosinophilic intranuclear and cytoplasmic inclusion bodies. SSG could be passaged in cell cultures only using viable whole cells; infectious cell-free virus was not detected in either culture supernatants or cell lysates. SSG replicated in marmoset fibroblastic but not in marmoset epithelioid or human fibroblastic cell cultures. Plasma antibodies to SSG were detected by indirect immunofluorescence assays in 16 of 56 (28.6%) adult wild-caught marmosets but were absent in 40 colony-born, hand-reared marmosets. Antigenic cross-reactivity of SSG with a rhesus monkey (Macaca mulatta) cytomegalovirus (bidirectional) and with a human cytomegalovirus (unidirectional) was also demonstrated by indirect immunofluorescence assays. SSG was identified as a herpesvirus by morphology and was classified as a cytomegalovirus by its site of isolation, biologic properties in vitro, and antigenic characteristics.     

The effects of mefloquine on Escherichia coli.

Mefloquine, a quinoline-4-methanol antimalarial drug, also possesses bactericidal activity. Mefloquine causes rapid loss of bacterial viability, cell and spheroplast lysis, cessation of macromolecular synthesis, release of macromolecular constituents, and inhibition of the oxidation of NADH by isolated $\text{E. coli}$ membranes. Results are consistent with the hypothesis that mefloquine is a membrane-active drug.     

Sexual maturation among members of a transported troop of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Data on the sexual maturation of a transported natural troop of Japanese macaques were collected during the 1973–74 and 1974–75 breeding seasons. Analysis of the data revealed that the sexual maturation of many monkeys was delayed one to two years. It is suggested that the delay of sexual maturation is related to a failure of the pubescent-aged monkeys to attain appropriate weight levels after transportation. This study was partially supported by a University of Oregon, Department of Anthropology PHS Biomedical Science Grant 50-262-1112.     

Acetogenium kivui,a new thermophilic hydrogen-oxidizing acetogenic bacterium

Hydrogen-oxidizing acetogenic bacteria in pure culture are presently represented by the two mesophilic species, Acetobacterium woodii and Clostridium aceticum. From Lake Kivu we have isolated a Gram negative, chemolithotrophic, thermophilic anaerobe (LKT-1) that oxidizes hydrogen and reduces carbon dioxide to acetic acid. It is a non-motile, non-sporeforming rod, about 0.7m in width and 2–7.5m in length, often occuring in pairs or chains. The cell wall has a banded appearance; the surface layer contains a regular array of particles with six-fold rotational symmetry. No outer membrane is present. The temperature optimum for growth is 66°C, and the pH optimum is 6.4. Organic growth substrates include glucose, mannose, fructose, pyruvate, and formate; acetate is the principal product. The doubling time for growth on hydrogen and carbon dioxide is about 2h. Vitamins are neither required nor stimulatory. Yeast extract and Trypticase enhance the final yield but do not affect the growth rate. Cysteine or sulfide are required and cannot be replaced by thioglycolate or dithiothreitol. LKT-1 was mass cultured on hydrogen and carbon dioxide in a 24.1 fermentor with a yield of 34g (wet weight) of cells. The DNA base composition as determined by buoyant density is 38 mol % guanine plus cytosine. LKT-1 appears only distantly related to physiologically similar bacteria. A new genus Acetogenium is proposed, and the species is Acetogenium kivui.     

THE ORIGINS OF ADAPTIVE INTERSPECIFIC TERRITORIALISM

1. In order to understand fully the evolution of a behavioural trait one must not only consider whether it is adaptive in its present environment but also whether it originated as an adaptation to existing selective forces or as a fortuitous consequence of selection for a different role in other environments (i.e., as a pre-adaptation) or of selection for different traits (e.g., as a pleiotropic effect). In this paper interspecific territorialism is examined in species of humming-birds, sun-birds, tropical reef fishes, stingless bees, stomatopods, crayfish, and limpets as a means of determining its adaptiveness and its origins. 2. Humming-birds form complex assemblages with species sorted out among the available resources. Dominant species establish feeding territories where flowers provide sufficient nectar. A few large, dominant species, usually uncommon, are marauders on others' territories. Subordinate species establish territories where flowers are more dispersed or produce less nectar, or they fly a circuit from nectar source to nectar source when flowers are even more dispersed, a foraging pattern called ‘traplining’, or they steal nectar from the territorial species by being inconspicuous while foraging. Two species, Amazilia saucerottei and Selasphorus sasin, subordinate in one-to-one encounters, are able to take over rich resources by establishing several small territories within a territory of a dominant and forcing it to forage elsewhere. 3. Among humming-birds, territorial individuals attacked not only subordinate competitors but marauding humming-birds and some insects, which stayed in the territory and foraged at will, and seemingly inappropriate targets, such as non-competitors. This suggests that the stimulus for aggression is ‘any flying organism near the food resources’, regardless of its appearance. The behaviour rather than the identity of the intruder is the stimulus. 4. Sun-birds resemble humming-birds to the extent that dominants establish territories on rich nectar sources and subordinates establish territories on less rich nectar sources or steal from the territories of dominants. The diversity of foraging patterns is not so great as in humming-birds, perhaps because so few species of sun-birds have been studied. However, the advantage of territorialism has been measured in the sun-bird Nectarinia reichenowi. Individuals with territories lose much less nectar to competitors than do those without territories. 5. Field work on three species of tropical reef fishes involved a single aggressive species whose individuals attacked a wide range of species intruding on their territories. The stimulus for aggression in Pomacentrus jenkinsi seemed to be an “object moving through [its] territory”. As suggested for humming-birds, the stimulus is the behaviour rather than the identity of the intruder. 6. The relationships found in stingless bees, stomatopods, crayfish, and limpets are simpler. The dominant and subordinate species divide the resources in their habitat, the dominants' aggression preventing the subordinates from using resources that were otherwise available to them. 7. A general pattern emerges. Mutual interspecific territorialism occurs between species that (i) have different geographic ranges, (ii) occupy different habitats, or (iii) use different resources within the same habitat. Examples of two species holding separate territories on the same resources within the same habitat are rare and occur when the dominant species is rare relative to the available resources. These observations are contrary to the usual view that interspecific territorialism is an adaptation that permits co-existence of potential competitors within the same habitat. 8. Interspecific territorialism is sometimes adaptive and sometimes maladaptive, depending upon the species and the situation. 9. The general pattern of occurrence of the behaviour and the general nature of the stimulus for aggression, i.e., the behaviour rather than the identity of the intruder, suggest that interspecific territoriality is a fortuitous consequence of selection for intraspecific territorialism, the latter being not only an adaptation to the presence of conspecific competitors but a pre-adaptation to the presence of competitors of other species, should they occur.     

Phytanyl-glycerol ethers and squalenes in the archaebacteriumMethanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

Summary The lipids of a thermophilic chemolithotroph,Metbanobacterium thermoautotropbicum, have been analyzed by chromatographic techniques and identified by infrared spectrometry and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Of the total chloroform soluble lipids 79% and 21% are polar and non-polar lipids, respectively. The major components of the polar lipids are dialkyl ethers of glycerol or its derivatives. The nature of the glycerol ether alkyl groups was found to be that of the saturated tetraisoprenoid hydrocarbon phytane. The non-polar lipids of the chloroform soluble fraction consist principally of three series of C₂₀, C₂₅ and C₃₀ acyclic isoprenoid hydrocarbons, the major components being squalene and a continuous range of hydrosqualene derivatives, from dihydrosqualene up to and including decahydrosqualene. These data establish thatM. tbermoautotropbicum contains predominantly non-sapo-nifiable lipids as doHalobacterium, Halococcus, Sulfolobus andTbermoplasma. In particular, the composition of the chloroform soluble lipids ofM. tbermoautotropbicum is quite similar to that ofHalobacterium cutirubrum. The results strongly support the recent proposal, based on 16S rRNA sequence homologies, that the extreme halophiles and methanogens share a common ancestor. In addition, it is pointed out that the occurrence of phytane and related polyisoprenoid compounds in ancient sediments can no longer be considered unequivocally as indicative of past photosynthetic activity. Finally, speculations are made concerning the possible role of and evolutionary significance of the presence of squalene and hydrosqualenes in these organisms. To our knowledge this is the first report of squalene and hydrosqualenes in a strictly anaerobic microorganism.To either of whom reprint requests should be sent.     

Functional disturbances in brain following injury

It was shown previously that local cerebral glucose utilization is less than 50% of normal in all cortical areas of rat brain 3 days following a focal freeze-lesion and that this effect of trauma is significantly diminished by dexamethasone (0.25 mg/Kg/day), and by indomethacin (7.5 mg/Kg single dose). To elucidate the mechanism of action of steroids and non-steroidal antiinflammatory drugs in traumatized brain, the effects of dexamethasone and indomethacin on arachidonic acid release, malondialdehyde production and prostaglandin synthesis in the lesion area were investigated. Five seconds after a freezing lesion arachidonic acid was significantly increased in the lesion area of untreated animals. Neither dexamethasone nor indomethacin had any effect on this release. The thiobarbituric acid reaction, as an estimate of malondialdehyde and non-enzymatic free radical lipoperoxide formation from unsaturated free fatty acids showed no change in the control and lesion areas of untreated and both dexamethasone and indomethacin treated groups. There was a marked increase in PGF2 alpha, PGE2, PGD2 in the lesion area of untreated animals. Indomethacin prevented the formation of prostaglandins by more than 90% while dexamethasone had no effect. These results suggest that some components of the arachidonic acid metabolism must be involved in functional disturbances resulting from trauma while steroid action is mediated in injured brain independently from the prostaglandin cascade.     

Presence of coenzyme M derivatives in the prosthetic group (coenzyme MF430) of methylcoenzyme M reductase from Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum

2-Mercaptoethanesulfonic acid (coenzyme M), or a derivative of it, and a yellow chromophore, known as the nickel-containing tetrapyrrole factor F₄₃₀, occur in the prosthetic group of methylcoenzyme M reductase in an equimolar amount, and bound to each other; this enzyme catalyzes the final step of methane production. The prosthetic group, which is called coenzyme MF₄₃₀, was isolated from the purified enzyme and was extracted from cells. The presence of coenzyme M was confirmed by a bioassay using Methanobrevibacter ruminantium and by the use of chemical and physicochemical analyses.