A seascape genetic analysis of a stress-tolerant coral species along the Western Australian coast

Coral Reefs - Genetic diversity and connectivity are key factors in determining a population’s resilience to future disturbance. This is especially relevant to corals, which are in global...     

Childhood leukemia in Ukraine after the Chornobyl accident

Radiation and Environmental Biophysics - This population-based ecological study analyzes the prevalence of childhood leukemia in Ukraine before and after the Chornobyl nuclear power plant accident,...     

Erratum: “CTAB-PEG DNA Extraction from Fungi with High Contents of Polysaccharides”

Molecular Biology - The original article can be found online at DOI: 10.1134/S0026893318040088 Page 622, in Reagents and Solutions should read 20 mg/mL proteinase K; Page 622, in Reagents...     

Molecular evolution of adomet synthetase by DNA recombination with a novel Separate-Mixing method

We describe a new approach to in vitro DNA recombination termed the Separate-Mixing method in this study. The reaction process of this method consists of two stages: at the first stage the reaction was implemented in two parallel teams, which generated random recombination by template-switching of growing poly-nucleotides from primers in the presence of unidirectional single-stranded DNA fragments used as templates, and then both teams were mixed together for further extension and recombination of DNA sequences at the second stage. Due to this particular strategy, the reaction process was also accompanied by two other processes of DNA shuffling and StEP simultaneously. Two AdoMet synthetase genes, sam2 from Saccharomyces cerevisiae and metK from Escherichia coli, which have only 56% homology on the DNA level, were used for recombination with the Separate-Mixing method. DNA recombination was available after a single round of reaction. When 10 randomly selected recombinants were sequenced, an unshuffled parental clone was not found, nor was unexpected insertion, deletion, or rearrangement detected. An evolved gene, sam’, was obtained after screening and selection, which could obviously increase the accumulation of AdoMet in S. cerevisiae. Published in Russian in Molekulyarnaya Biologiya, 2006, Vol. 40, No. 3, pp. 546–553. This article was submitted by the authors in English.     

Transformation of recalcitrant turfgrass cultivars through improvement of tissue culture and selection regime

Tissue culture techniques, medium composition, pH value and targeted tissues, agroinfection and co-culture conditions, selection process were optimized for efficient turfgrass transformation. A highly regenerable callus lines were produced in callus induction medium modified from N6 basal medium. Six-week-old calluses were cultured on Pre-regeneration medium I for 4 days and then subjected to Agrobacterium tumefaciens. After co-cultivation at 20±1 °C in a 16 h light/8 h darkness for 3 days, the calluses were cultured on non-selective Pre-regeneration medium II supplemented with 400 mg l⁻¹ l-cysteine for 7 days. Plantlets were regenerated on the Regeneration medium without selection pressure. A selection pressure was given to the regenerated plantlets when they were rooted on the Plantlet rooting medium. Roots appeared within 8–12 days in putative transformed plantlets. Resistant plants obtained were phenotypically normal and fully fertile. Chemical and molecular analyses confirmed that foreign genes were successfully introduced into the genome of perennial ryegrass or tall fescue. The transformation efficiency can attain 23.3% in perennial ryegrass.     

Phosphatidylglycerol Degradation is One Crucial Reason for the Decrease of its Concentration in Wheat Leaves under Phosphate Deprivation Stress

Phosphatidylglycerol (PG) is of crucial importance for the organization and function of thylakoid membranes. The reason for a decrease of PG concentration in plants under phosphate deprivation stress still remains unclear. By comparing PG concentration and PG hydrolase activity of wheat leaves at different developmental stages, we show that when the first leaves are fully developed, the PG concentration and PG hydrolase activity in phosphate-deficient plants were similar to those of the controls. With age, there was a significant decrease in PG concentration combined with an increase in PG hydrolase activity for phosphate-deficient plants. The close correlation between the decrease in PG concentration and the increase in PG hydrolases activities suggests that PG hydrolysis was the most important factor responsible for the decrease in its concentration. The main hydrolysis products of PG are phosphatidic acid (PA), diacylglycerol (DAG) and free fatty acid (FFA). The application of an inhibitor, n-butanol, which blocks the formation of PA via the PLD pathway, to the in vitro enzyme reaction mixture may restrict PA and DAG production. Neomycin sulfate, a PLC inhibitor, was shown to exhibit significant inhibition in DAG generation. These results suggest that both PLD and PLC were responsible for PG degradation in the leaves of phosphate-deficient wheat. The possible role of PLA activity for PG degradation is also discussed.     

When David and Goliath share a home: Compound nesting of Pyramica and Platythyrea ants

We documented a commensal association between two phylogenetically distant ant subfamilies (Ponerinae and Myrmicinae). The host (Platythyrea conradti) and its tiny guest (Pyramica maynei) nest in the same hollow branches in West African forests. Brood chambers are adjacent but separate, and the guest scavenges on prey remains of the host, which may benefit from improved nest hygiene. Two mated dealate queens of Pyramica were collected in one small Platythyrea nest, suggesting that they can hunt (non-claustral foundation) in the safe environment provided. An experiment showed that the guest can survive alone and was able to hunt collembolans. Received 14 March 2006; revised 18 May 2006; accepted 24 May 2006.