Mitochondrial DNA sequences of the Afro-Arabian spiny-tailed lizards (genus Uromastyx; family Agamidae): phylogenetic analyses and evolution of gene arrangements

Approximately 1.7 kbp of mitochondrial DNA were sequenced from 29 individuals assignable to 11 Uromastyx species or subspecies and two other agamids. U. ocellata and U. ornata had an insertion between the glutamine and isoleucine tRNA genes, which could be folded into a stable stem-and-loop structure, and the insertion for U. ornata additionally retained a sequence similar to the glutamine tRNA gene. This corroborates the role of tandem duplication in reshaping mitochondrial gene arrangements, and supports the idea that the origin of light-strand replication could be relocated within mitochondrial genomes. Molecular phylogeny from different tree-building methods consistently placed African and Arabian taxa in mutually monophyletic groups, excluding U. hardwickii inhabiting India and Pakistan. Unlike previous studies based on morphology , U. macfadyeni did not cluster with morphologically similar Arabian taxa, suggesting convergent evolution to be responsible for the morphological similarities. Divergence times estimated among the Uromastyx taxa, together with geological and palaeontological evidence, suggest that the Uromastyx agamids originated from Central Asia during the Eocene and colonized Africa after its connection with Eurasia in the early Miocene. Their radiation may have been facilitated by repeated aridification of North Africa since the middle Miocene, and geological events such as the expansion of the Red Sea and the East African Rift Valley.  © 2005 The Linnean Society of London, Biological Journal of the Linnean Society , 2005, 85 , 247–260.     

老挝北部宾夕法尼亚纪的一个新(筳)类动物群

作者报道了一个小型■类动物群,包括Eostaffella? sp., Pseudoendothyra sp., Staffella pseudosphae-roidea Dutkevich, Neostaffella ( N.)sp ., Profusulinella bona Grozdilova et Lebedeva以及P.cf .prisca (Depart) ,此动物群是在老挝北部琅勃拉邦省西南部的Thong Phiang Vilay村附近的石灰岩山中发现的。根据Profusulinella bona和P.cf. prisca的出现,该动物群的时代可归到晚石炭世宾夕法尼亚纪巴什基尔期或莫斯科期最早期。这是在老挝北部对该时代■类动物群的首次报道。当前■类动物群证明琅勃拉邦地区和泰国北部的黎地区在地质上有重要的关系,表明老挝北部地区从地质构造上属于印度支那板块的边缘。     

Cell Cycle-associated Changes of Guanylate Cyclase Activity in Synchronized Tetrahymena: a Possible Involvement of Calmodulin in its Regulation1

Guanylate cyclase activity decreased during the division phase of heat-shock synchronized Tetrahymena pyriformis, strain GL. However, when Ca²⁺ was removed by EGTA to negate the effects of the Ca²⁺-binding protein (calmodulin), which is required for the full activity of guanylate cyclase in this organism, no significant change in the enzymatic activity was observed throughout the cell cycle. On the other hand, the reduced guanylate cyclase activity at division phase was associated with a decreased level of calmodulin content. These results suggest that fluctuations in guanylate cyclase activity during the cell cycle would be dependent on the concentration of calmodulin.     

Analysis of lichen substances including triterpenoids by high performance liquid chromatography with a differential refractive index detector and a photodiode array detector

A new method for analysis of lichen triterpenoids was established using high performance liquid chromatography with the combination of a differential refractive index detector (RID) and a photodiode array detector (PDA). It is proved that this method was convenient to detect and identify aromatic and aliphatic lichen substances; it enabled quantitative analysis of substances having no or less absorption of ultraviolet rays such as triterpenoids. In addition, they can be measured in high accuracy compared with the TLC method.     

Effects of ramet clipping and nutrient availability on growth and biomass allocation of yellow nutsedge

A glasshouse experiment was conducted to examine how the interactions of nutrient availability and partial ramet clipping affect growth, reproduction and biomass allocation of Cyperus esculentus, an invasive sedge. The plants sprouting from tubers were grown at low and high nutrient levels, and were subject either to no clipping, one, two or three clippings, with each clipping cutting half of the existing ramets at soil level. Our results show that nutrient availability and clipping frequency tended to independently affect most of growth, reproduction and biomass allocation parameters of Cyperus esculentus examined in the present study. Increased supply of nutrients led to an increase in plant productivity and its associated traits. All of the traits, except for the number of ramets, displayed a decreasing pattern with increasing clipping frequency, indicating that Cyperus esculentus had undercompensatory responses to ramet clipping. It is likely that the patterns of plants response to clipping are species specific, and depend on morphological characters of species. Its susceptibility to ramet clipping can offer opportunities for controlling this invasive species through mechanical methods such as mowing. Clipping had little effects on biomass allocation; however, root weight fraction increased with increasing clipping frequency. While nutrient availability and clipping frequency had no influence on leaf carbon concentration at harvest, both of them increased leaf nitrogen concentration, and hence reduced leaf C/N ratio.     

Processing and Secretion of Lysosomal Acid α-Glucosidase In Tetrahymena Wild Type and Secretion-Deficient Mutant Cells

ABSTRACT. The proteolytic processing and secretion of a lysosomal enzyme, acid α-glucosidase, was studied by pulse-chase labeling with [³⁵S]methionine in Tetrahymena thermophila CU-399 cells treated with ammonium chloride. This cell secreted a large amount of acid α-glucosidase into the cultured medium during starvation. the secretion was found to be repressed by addition of ammonium chloride (NH₄Cl). Acid α-glucosidase was produced as a precursor form (108 kDa) and then processed to a mature polypeptide (105 kDa) within 60 min. This mature enzyme was secreted into the media within 2-3 h after chase, whereas the precursor form was not secreted by either control cells or NH₄Cl-treated cells. NH₄Cl did not affect the processing of the precursor acid α-glucosidase. Processing profile of this enzyme was apparently indistinguishable from that of the mutant MS-1 defective in lysosomal enzyme secretion. Furthermore, the purified extracellular (CU-399) and intracellular (MS-1) acid a-glucosidases were the same in molecular mass (105 kDa) and enzymatic properties. They contained no mannose 6-phosphate residues in N-linked oligosaccharides. These results suggested that unlike mammalian cells, Tetrahymena acid α-glucosidase may be transferred to lysosomes by a mannose 6-phosphate receptor-independent mechanism, and also that low pH was not essential for the proteolytic processing of precursor polypeptide.     

The relationship between aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase activity and DNA adducts measured by 32P-postlabelling assay in lymphocytes of lung cancer patients

We have investigated the correlation between DNA adduct levels and aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase (AHH) activity in peripheral lymphocyte samples obtained from 42 lung cancer patients. DNA adducts and AHH activity were determined by the ³²P-postlabelling technique and the fluorometric method, respectively. The mean +/- SD of DNA adduct level was 0.88 +/- 0.37 (ranged from 0.22 to 1.90) per 10⁸ nucleotides. The geometric means of non-induced and 3-methylcholanthrene (MC)-induced AHH activity, as well as AHH inducibility (MC-induced AHH activity/non-induced AHH activity) were 0.029, 0.228 pmol min^-1 10^-6 cells, and 7.776, respectively. There was no statistically significant correlation between DNA adduct levels and non-induced or MC-induced AHH activity. A tendency of positive correlation was found between DNA adduct levels and AHH inducibility for the all subjects (n = 42, r = 0.25, p = 0.11). Such a positive correlation reached statistical significance in the subjects with squamous cell carcinoma (n = 13, r = 0.70, p < 0.01). In addition, similar correlation of DNA adducts with AHH inducibility was also observed in the GSTM1 present genotype (n = 17, r = 0.44, p = 0.07) and GSTP1-AA genotype (n = 29, r = 0.37, p = 0.05) individuals. These findings suggest that DNA adduct levels are mediated by CYP1A1 enzyme, and AHH inducibility may be a more relevant indicator than specific AHH activity for explaining the variation of DNA adduct levels in lymphocytes.