Genetic diversity and climatic determinants of tree frogs in Israel

Summary Allozymic variation in proteins encoded by 27 loci was analyzed electrophoretically in 218 adult specimens, mostly males, representing 8 populations, 5 central and 3 marginal, of lemon yellow treefrogs, Hyla arborea savignyi, in Israel along two transects of increasing aridity: (a) north to south and (b) west to east. The results indicate that (a) Of the 27 loci examined, 5 are monomorphic in all 8 populations; 9 are locally and weakly polymorphic; 6 are regionally and weakly polymorphic; and 7 are regionally and strongly polymorphic; (b) In the populations studied, no alternative fixations were found in any of the 27 loci, except in the Wasit population. The commonest allele predominates across all populations, except Wasit, central as well as marginal; (c) Clinal patterns associated with increasing aridity southwards and eastwards occur in polymorphism, P, heterozygosity, H, and in allele frequencies of Ldh-1, Fum, Got-1, and Sdh; (d) For habitat generalists, treefrogs have above average number of alleles per locus, A, and polymorphism, P, while the heterozygosity, H, is average. All three estimates A, P, and H exhibit wide geographic variation decreasing progressively southwards and eastwards; (e) Central populations harbor more genic variation then marginal populations; (f) Genic similarity between populations is high; (g) Significant gametic phase disequilibria were found in several tests in 2 populations; (h) P, H, and allozymic variation in several gene loci are significantly correlated and predictable by environmental variables, primarily those related to water; (i) Morphological and allozymic variations are uncorrelated.The spatial patterns and environmental correlates and predictors of genic variation in Hyla arborea savignyi in Israel suggest that (i) protein polymorphisms are largely adaptive and are molded primarily by climatic selection rather than by stochastic processes or neutrality, and (ii) the environmental variation model seems to be the best predictor of genic variation in treefrogs.     

海南植物增补（三）

本文继续报道海南岛新记录的植物,计24个新记录种,4个新记录属。1个新记录科,其中指叶瓶蕨在我国是首次发现。本文引用的标本,全部收藏在中国科学院华南植物研究所标本室(SCBI)。     

Phosphorylation-dependent regulation of phospholipase A2 by G-proteins and Ca2+ in HL60 granulocytes.

We studied the regulation of arachidonic acid (AA) release by guanosine 5'-O-(3-thiotriphosphate (GTP gamma S) and Ca2+ in electropermeabilized HL60 granulocytes. Stimulation of AA release by GTP gamma S and Ca2+ was mediated by phospholipase A2 (PLA2) and required the presence of MgATP (EC50: 100-250 microM). The nucleotide effects were Ca(2+)-dependent (maximal effects detected at 1 microM free cation). UTP and ATP gamma S, which stimulate AA release in intact HL60 granulocytes with potencies and efficacies similar to those of ATP, were ineffective in supporting the effects of GTP gamma S in electropermeabilized cells. Pretreatment with pertussis toxin affected stimulation of AA release by ATP in intact cell, without altering the nucleotide effects in permeabilized cells. We observed the protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation of PLA2 in permeabilized HL60 granulocytes, together with a correlation between the effects of phorbol esters and staurosporine on this reaction and on AA release. ATP-independent activation of PLA2 by GTP gamma S and/or Ca2+ was measured in subcellular fractions prepared from HL60 granulocytes. These data appear consistent with a model in which PLA2 activity in resting HL60 granulocytes is subjected to an inhibitory constraint that prevents its activation by Ca2+ and G-proteins. Removal of this constraint, either by the protein kinase C-dependent phosphorylation of the enzyme in vivo or physical disruption of the regulatory assembly (e.g. by N2 cavitation), allows its activation by Ca2+ and G-proteins.     

Monte Carlo studies of a model for lipid-gramicidin A bilayers.

This paper presents results of Monte Carlo simulations of a full bilayer of 200 lipid chains and one gramicidin A dimer. Simulations are described for systems with lipid chains of 14, 16, and 18 carbons, respectively. Using accepted potential functions to calculate interactions between all non-hydrogen atoms a Monte Carlo configuration sampling is generated from which order parameter profiles are calculated and specific configurations are displayed. Results are compared with experimental data for lipid-gramicidin bilayers.     

Production of MUC1 and MUC2 mucins by human tumor cell lines.

A mucus secreting, clonal derivative (HT29-SB) of the human colonic adenocarcinoma cell line HT29, and the LS174T colon cancer cell line, secrete mucin into the culture medium as a viscoelastic gel. Mab BC2, which defines a peptide epitope present in the variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) of the MUC1 core protein, reacted with this material after deglycosylation. Two high molecular weight bands were detected in TFMSA treated gel-formed mucin from HT29-SB and LS174T by western blotting (Mr 580 kDa and 420 kDa). A similar pattern of reactivity was seen with the culture supernatants from HT29-SB, the ovarian tumor cell line COLO-316, and the breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Mab CCP58 (anti-MUC2 VNTR) reacted with a 580 kDa band in gel-formed mucin produced by LS174T, but was not reactive with mucin produced by the other cell lines. The findings indicate that human colonic cell lines, in addition to breast and ovarian cell lines, may both express and secrete the MUC1 protein core, and that the LS174T cell line expresses and secretes both the MUC1 and MUC2 core proteins.     

Effector phenotype and immunologic specificity of T-cell-mediated adoptive therapy for a murine tumor that lacks intrinsic immunogenicity

The MCA 102 sarcoma has been defined by a variety of immunologic studies as a tumor lacking intrinsic immunogenicity. Nevertheless, we have recently demonstrated the feasibility of generating therapeutically effective lymphocytes for adoptive immunotherapy of this tumor. Procedures to achieve this required in vivo priming of syngeneic mice to elicit preeffector cells followed by in vitro sensitization (IVS) with tumor cells in the presence of IL-2. By selective depletion of T cell subsets in vivo, we identified the involvement of both CD4+ (L3T4+) and CD8+ (Lyt-2+) T cells in mediating tumor regression. The CD4+ cells exerted their helper function via the secretion of IL-2 because antitumor effects abrogated by depletion of CD4+ cells could be reconstituted by exogenous IL-2. In order to elicit preeffector cells with reactivity against the MCA 102 tumor, we found that in vivo sensitization could be accomplished with either the MCA 102 or MCA 106 tumor but not with the MCA 101 or MCA 105 tumor. Analysis of specificity of tumor stimulation during IVS of MCA 102 tumor-primed preeffector cells demonstrated cross-reactivity between not only the MCA 102 and MCA 106 tumors but also the MCA 105 tumor whereas the MCA 101 tumor was ineffective. In adoptive immunotherapy, transfer of IVS cells generated from MCA 102 tumor-primed and stimulated lymph node cells was able to mediate reductions of pulmonary metastases established from the MCA 102, MCA 105, and MCA 106 tumors but not from the MCA 101 tumor. We conclude that regression of the MCA 102 tumor is probably mediated through T cell recognition of a set of common tumor-associated Ag shared by several other syngeneic tumors. Immunologically, the tumor-associated Ag are characteristically different from classical tumor-specific transplantation Ag (TSTA) because immunity to TSTA on the MCA 105 or MCA 106 tumor does not cross-react with the MCA 102 tumor. Thus, this study demonstrates that Ag other than TSTA on chemically induced tumors can serve as target molecules for T cell-mediated adoptive immunotherapy.     

“人与生物圈”国际科学会议侧记

一、概况联合国教科文组织(UNESCO)于1981年9月22日至10月2日在法国巴黎召开了“人和生物圈”(MAB)成立十年科学大会和MAB第七届国际协调理事会。这次大会有67个国家、375人参加,包括科学家、政策决定者和规划管理等方面的人员以及一些有关国际组织(如FAO、ICSU、IUCN等)的代表。我国派出了以中国教科文全国委员会副主任、中国“人与生物圈”国家委员会副主席秦力生为团长、中国MAB委员会秘书长阳含熙教授为副团长的六人代表团出席了会议。