Asynchronous pupation of univoltine insects as evolutionarily stable phenology

Evolutionarily stable seasonal timing of larval feeding stages is studied theoretically for univoltine insects. In the evolutionarily stable (or ESS) population, each individual maximizes its own lifetime reproductive success by choosing the hatching and pupation dates, given the resource availability curve with a peak in the middle of a year, a higher daily mortality in the feeding stages, and the growth rate decreasing with the larval biomass in the population. If growth rate is proportional to the body size, the population at the ESS is composed of a mixture of phenotypes differing in hatching and pupation, but pupation interval over which some popation occur every day is much longer than hatching interval. If growth rate increases with the body size at a speed slower than linearly, large sized larvae should pupate earlier than small ones.     

Synthesis and biological properties of carba-analogs of heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) produced by enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli.

Analogs of a heat-stable enterotoxin (ST) that have a CH2-S linkage instead of an S-S linkage in the molecule were synthesized by conventional methods. The synthetic peptides showed toxicity, assayed as induction of fluid secretion in suckling mice, although their toxicities were hundredth that of native ST. This finding implies that ST is not recognized by its receptor protein through an exchange reaction between its disulfide linkages and thiol-groups of its receptor protein(s), but through hydrophobic or electrostatic interactions.     

Genetic population structure of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Osmunda japonica</Emphasis>, rheophilous <Emphasis Type="Italic">Osmunda lancea</Emphasis> and their hybrids

Rheophilous Osmunda lancea often hybridizes with a dryland ally, Osmunda japonica, to produce O. × intermedia, forming zonation in riverbanks and the adjacent dryland along flooding frequency clines. This study examined the genetic structure of populations consisting of O. × intermedia and the two parental species by analyzing ten nuclear DNA markers [six cleaved amplified polymorphic sequence (CAPS) markers and three simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers developed from an expressed sequence tag (EST) library, and the sequence of the glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase gene GapCp] and chloroplast DNA sequences. The results suggest that the nuclear genes of O. japonica and O. lancea are genetically differentiated despite shared polymorphism in their chloroplast DNA sequences. This discrepancy may be attributable to natural selection and recent introgression, although it is not evident if introgression occurs between O. japonica and O. lancea in the examined populations. Our findings of putative F2 hybrids in O. × intermedia support its partial reproducibility, and also suggest that formation of later-generation hybrids generates morphological variation in O. × intermedia. O. lancea plants collected from geographically distant localities were genetically very similar, and it is suggested that O. lancea originated monotopically.     

Structural analysis of the full-length gene encoding a fibronectin-binding-like protein (CadF) and its adjacent genetic loci within Campylobacter lari

Background  

The combined sequences encoding a partial and putative rpsI open reading frame (ORF), non-coding (NC) region, a putative ORF for the Campylobacter adhesin to fibronectin-like protein (cadF), a putative Cla_0387 ORF, NC region and a partial and putative Cla_0388 ORF, were identified in 16 Campylobacter lari isolates, using two novel degenerate primer pairs. Probable consensus sequence at the -35 and -10 regions were identified in all C. lari isolates, as a promoter.     

Rate of red blood cell destruction varies in different strains of mice infected with Plasmodium berghei-ANKA after chronic exposure

Background

The ATP-binding cassette (ABC) superfamily is one of the largest evolutionarily conserved families of proteins. ABC proteins play key roles in cellular detoxification of endobiotics and xenobiotics. Overexpression of certain ABC proteins, among them the multidrug resistance associated protein (MRP), contributes to drug resistance in organisms ranging from human neoplastic cells to parasitic protozoa. In the present study, the Plasmodium berghei mrp gene (pbmrp) was partially characterized and the predicted protein was classified using bioinformatics in order to explore its putative involvement in drug resistance.

Methods

The pbmrp gene from the P. berghei drug sensitive, N clone, was sequenced using a PCR strategy. Classification and domain organization of pbMRP were determined with bioinformatics. The Plasmodium spp. MRPs were aligned and analysed to study their conserved motifs and organization. Gene copy number and organization were determined via Southern blot analysis in both N clone and the chloroquine selected line, RC. Chromosomal Southern blots and RNase protection assays were employed to determine the chromosomal location and expression levels of pbmrp in blood stages.

Results

The pbmrp gene is a single copy, intronless gene with a predicted open reading frame spanning 5820 nucleotides. Bioinformatic analyses show that this protein has distinctive features characteristic of the ABCC sub-family. Multiple sequence alignments reveal a high degree of conservation in the nucleotide binding and transmembrane domains within the MRPs from the Plasmodium spp. analysed. Expression of pbmrp was detected in asexual blood stages. Gene organization, copy number and mRNA expression was similar in both lines studied. A chromosomal translocation was observed in the chloroquine selected RC line, from chromosome 13/14 to chromosome 8, when compared to the drug sensitive N clone.

Conclusion

In this study, the pbmrp gene was sequenced and classified as a member of the ABCC sub-family. Multiple sequence alignments reveal that this gene is homologous to the Plasmodium y. yoelii and Plasmodium knowlesi mrp, and the Plasmodium vivax and Plasmodium falciparum mrp2 genes. There were no differences in gene organization, copy number, or mRNA expression between N clone and the RC line, but a chromosomal translocation of pbmrp from chromosome 13/14 to chromosome 8 was detected in RC.     

Advantage of having regulatory T cells requires localized suppression of immune reactions

The immune system of vertebrates may attack its own body and cause autoimmunity diseases. To prevent autoimmunity, regulatory T cells suppress the activity of the autoreactive effector T cells, but they also interrupt normal immune reactions against foreign antigens. In this paper, we discuss the advantage of having some regulatory T cells by considering the host's ability of coping with foreign antigens and the harm of autoimmunity. Assumptions are as follows: the immature T cells reactive to abundant self-antigens are eliminated, those reactive to rare self-antigen will become regulatory T cells, and those that fail to interact with the antigens to which they are reactive will become effector T cells. Some self-reactive immature T cells may fail to interact with their own target antigens during the limited training period, and will later become effector T cells, causing autoimmunity. Analysis suggests that, having some regulatory T cells can never be advantageous to the host, if activated regulatory T cells suppress effector T cells at any location of the body (global suppression). In contrast, producing some regulatory T cells can be beneficial, if the body is composed of many compartments and regulatory T cells suppress the immune reactions only within the same compartment (localized suppression). This requires regulatory T cells to stop circulating once they are activated by their own target self-antigens.     

Immunohistochemical detection of dysbindin at the astroglial endfeet around the capillaries of mouse brain

Dysbindin was first identified by the yeast two hybrid assay as a binding partner of dystrobrevin which is a cytoplasmic member of dystrophin glycoprotein complex. Immunolocalization of dystrobrevin in the astrocyte endfeet and endothelial cells in the rat cerebellum was reported. Therefore, we were interested in the expression and localization of dystrobrevin binding protein dysbindin in the mouse brain capillary wall and its surrounding astroglial endfeet. We examined whether the dysbindin expression is present in astroglial endfeet and/or capillary endothelial cells at light and electron microscopic levels. Using brain samples from five normal mice (C57BL/6ScSn), we prepared the anti-dysbindin antibody stained brain samples with immunoperoxidase method at light microscopic level and with immunogold method at ultrastructural level. Immunohistochemistry showed that dysbindin was located in the brain capillary at light microscopic level. Immunogold electron microscopy revealed that dysbindin signal was observed at the inside surface of plasma membrane of glial endfeet which surrounded the brain capillary endothelial cells and pericytes.     

Negative regulation of wnt11 expression by Jnk signaling during zebrafish gastrulation

Stress‐induced Sapk/Jnk signaling is involved in cell survival and apoptosis. Recent studies have increased our understanding of the physiological roles of Jnk signaling in embryonic development. However, still unclear is the precise function of Jnk signaling during gastrulation, a critical step in the establishment of the vertebrate body plan. Here we use morpholino‐mediated knockdown of the zebrafish orthologs of the Jnk activators Mkk4 and Mkk7 to examine the effect of Jnk signaling abrogation on early vertebrate embryogenesis. Depletion of zebrafish Mkk4b led to abnormal convergent extension (CE) during gastrulation, whereas Mkk7 morphants exhibited defective somitogenesis. Surprisingly, Mkk4b morphants displayed marked upregulation of wnt11, which is the triggering ligand of CE and stimulates Jnk activation via the non‐canonical Wnt pathway. Conversely, ectopic activation of Jnk signaling by overexpression of an active form of Mkk4b led to wnt11 downregulation. Mosaic lineage tracing studies revealed that Mkk4b‐Jnk signaling suppressed wnt11 expression in a non‐cell‐autonomous manner. These findings provide the first evidence that wnt11 itself is a downstream target of the Jnk cascade in the non‐canonical Wnt pathway. Our work demonstrates that Jnk activation is indispensable for multiple steps during vertebrate body plan formation. Furthermore, non‐canonical Wnt signaling may coordinate vertebrate CE movements by triggering Jnk activation that represses the expression of the CE‐triggering ligand wnt11. J. Cell. Biochem. 110: 1022–1037, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.