Mate preference in males of the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora, changes seasonally with the change in female UV color

We initially investigated whether females of the cabbage butterfly, Pieris rapae crucivora, exhibit a seasonal change in ultraviolet wing color, which is a key stimulus for mate recognition by conspecific males, and whether and how a seasonal change affects the mating behavior of the males. We found that female UV wing color changes seasonally, the color being more pronounced in summer than in spring or autumn. We also demonstrated that male mate preference changes seasonally, concomitantly with the change in female UV color. Specifically, males appearing in summer exhibit a mating preference for summer-form females over spring- or autumn-form females, while those appearing in spring or autumn exhibit no seasonal preference, thereby facilitating more effective mate location. Our results suggest that this field of study will require more strictly controlled experimental investigation in which the seasonal change in UV color is considered when UV-influenced mating behaviors such as mate choice are investigated.     

Crystal structure of MutS2 endonuclease domain and the mechanism of homologous recombination suppression

DNA recombination events need to be strictly regulated, because an increase in the recombinational frequency causes unfavorable alteration of genetic information. Recent studies revealed the existence of a novel anti-recombination enzyme, MutS2. However, the mechanism by which MutS2 inhibits homologous recombination has been unknown. Previously, we found that Thermus thermophilus MutS2 (ttMutS2) harbors an endonuclease activity and that this activity is confined to the C-terminal domain, whose amino acid sequence is widely conserved in a variety of proteins with unknown function from almost all organisms ranging from bacteria to man. In this study, we determined the crystal structure of the ttMutS2 endonuclease domain at 1.7-angstroms resolution, which resembles the structure of the DNase I-like catalytic domain of Escherichia coli RNase E, a sequence-nonspecific endonuclease. The N-terminal domain of ttMutS2, however, recognized branched DNA structures, including the Holliday junction and D-loop structure, a primary intermediate in homologous recombination. The full-length of ttMutS2 digested the branched DNA structures at the junction. These results indicate that ttMutS2 suppresses homologous recombination through a novel mechanism involving resolution of early intermediates.     

Anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) irreversibly inhibited by methanol

Methanol inhibition of anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) activity was characterized. An enrichment culture entrapped in a polyethylene glycol gel carrier was designed for practical uses of wastewater treatment. Batch experiments demonstrated that anammox activity decreased with increases in methanol concentration, and relative activity reached to 29% of the maximum when 5 mM methanol was added. Also, batch experiments were conducted using anammox sludge without immobilization. Anammox activity was evaluated by quantifying ¹⁴N¹⁵N (²⁹N) emission by combined gas chromatography-quadrupole mass spectrometry, and the anammox activity was found to be almost as sensitive to methanol as in the earlier trials in which gel carriers were used. These results indicated that methanol inhibition was less severe than previous studies. When methanol was added in the influent of continuous feeding system, relative activity was decreased to 46% after 80 h. Although the addition was halted, afterwards the anammox activity was not resumed in another 19 days of cultivation, suggesting that methanol inhibition to anammox activity was irreversible. It is notable that methanol inhibition was not observed if anammox activity was quiescent when substrate for anammox was not supplied. These results suggest that methanol itself is not inhibitory and may not directly inhibit the anammox activity.     

A cell-free preparation of human neutrophils catalyzing NADPH-dependent conversion of leukotriene B4

The sonicate of human neutrophils converted leukotriene B4 to a polar product in aerobic condition in the presence of NADPH at a rate comparable to that of the intact cells. NADH could scarcely replace NADPH. The conversion was not observed in anaerobic conditions and was inhibited by carbon monoxide (CO/O2 = 4/1) or by 1 mM p-chlormercuribenzoate, while it was not affected by 1 mM KCN, 5 mM NaN3, 200 micrograms/ml catalase, 100 mM mannitol, and 10 micrograms/ml superoxide dismutase. These observations suggest that the myeloperoxidase-H2O2-halide system and active oxygen species are not involved in the reaction. The activity was observed in the 100,000xg supernatant from the homogenate, in which cytochrome P-450 was not detected.     

Protein phosphorylation in intact pig leukocytes

The phosphorylation of proteins in intact pig polymorphonuclear leukocytes loaded with H3(32)PO4 was investigated by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis and subsequent autoradiography. The incorporation of 32P into at least 17 proteins began to increase and into one to decrease, relative to resting cells, upon exposure of the cells to phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. These changes in the autoradiographic patterns were accompanied by changes in the protein patterns obtained by staining with Coomassie brilliant blue, including the appearance, the acidic shift and the increase or decrease of the intensity of the spots. Among these proteins, Mr = 64 000, 31 000, 22 000, 21 000, 18 000 and 13 000 proteins were correlated well with the superoxide anion production of the cells in respect to the time-courses and the dose-responses. By taking the effects of EGTA into consideration, the phosphorylation of Mr 64 000 and 21 000 proteins, of which the latter was identified as the light chain of myosin, seemed to be involved in the signal-transmission mechanism of the induction of the NADPH oxidase responsible for the 'respiratory burst'. These two proteins were also phosphorylated in the cells stimulated by NaF or oil droplets opsonized with IgG.     

Effects of apical damage on plant growth and male and female reproductive investments in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ambrosia artemisiifolia</Emphasis>, a wind-pollinated plant

In wind-pollinated plants, apical damage may decrease male fitness by reducing height-dependent pollen dispersal distance, but may not affect female fitness because plant height is not always correlated with female fitness. We hypothesized that Ambrosia artemisiifolia responds to apical damage by (1) restoring plant height through compensatory growth from lateral buds, and/or (2) increasing the sex allocation to female function to compensate for the loss of male fitness. We tested these hypotheses by comparing a group of experimental removal of the apical meristem with three control groups and by field surveys on apically damaged plants. Experimental apical damage suppressed main stem growth, but promoted vertical secondary growth from lateral buds. These responses resulted in compensation of stem height in the apically damaged plants to the same height as one of three control groups. The numbers of male and female flowers and male racemes did not differ between damaged and undamaged plants, indicating that apically damaged plants did not change their sex allocation. Therefore, our results support our first hypothesis. The results of a field survey of naturalized populations also supported the first hypothesis in that plant height and the number of male racemes did not change in plants with apical damage. Consequently, our results suggest that A. artemisiifolia has a high ability of fitness compensation after apical damage by restoring height and male function. This ability may contribute to its invasiveness in disturbed habitats.     

An Experimental Test of Trade-Offs Associated with the Adaptation to Alternate Host Plants in the Introduced Herbivorous Beetle, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Ophraella communa</Emphasis>

The adaptation to alternate host plants of introduced herbivorous insects can be vital to agriculture due to the emergence of crop pests. Historically, it is assumed that there are trade-offs associated with the adaptation to new host plants; a generalist genotype that adapts to an alternate host is expected to have a relatively lower fitness on the ancestral host than a specialist genotype (physiological cost) or a relatively lower host-searching ability for the ancestral host plant (behavioral cost). In this study, we tested the costs of adaptation to a new host plant in the introduced herbivorous insect, Ophraella communa LeSage (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). In its native range (United States), O. communa feeds mostly on Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. (Asterales: Asteraceae) and cannot utilize the related species, Ambrosia trifida L. (Asterales: Asteraceae), as a host plant. On the other hand, the introduced O. communa population in Japan utilizes A. trifida extensively, and is adapting to it, both physiologically and behaviorally. We compared larval performance on the ancestral and alternate plants and adult host-searching ability between the native and introduced beetle populations. The introduced O. communa showed higher larval survival and adult feeding preference for the alternate host plant A. trifida than did the native O. communa, indicating that the introduced O. communa has rapidly adapted to the alternate host plant. However, there are no differences in either larval performance on the ancestral host A. artemisiifolia or host-searching accuracy between the native and introduced O. communa.     

Expression Profile of Three Splicing Factors in Pleural Cells Based on the Underlying Etiology and Its Clinical Values in Patients with Pleural Effusion

Splicing factors (SFs) are involved in oncogenesis or immune modulation, the common underlying processes giving rise to pleural effusion (PE). The expression profiles of three SFs (HNRNPA1, SRSF1, and SRSF3) and their clinical values have never been assessed in PE. The three SFs (in pellets of PE) and conventional tumor markers were analyzed using PE samples in patients with PE (N = 336). The sum of higher–molecular weight (Mw) forms of HNRNPA1 (Sum-HMws-HNRNPA1) and SRSF1 (Sum-HMws-SRSF1) and SRSF3 levels were upregulated in malignant PE (MPE) compared to benign PE (BPE); they were highest in cytology-positive MPE, followed by tuberculous PE and parapneumonic PE. Meanwhile, the lowest-Mw HNRNPA1 (LMw-HNRNPA1) and SRSF1 (LMw-SRSF1) levels were not upregulated in MPE. Sum-HMws-HNRNPA1, Sum-HMws-SRSF1, and SRSF3, but neither LMw-HNRNPA1 nor LMw-SRSF1, showed positive correlations with cancer cell percentages in MPE. The detection accuracy for MPE was high in the order of carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA, 85%), Sum-HMws-HNRNPA1 (76%), Sum-HMws-SRSF1 (68%), SRSF3, cytokeratin-19 fragments (CYFRA 21-1), LMw-HNRNPA1, and LMw-SRSF1. Sum-HMws-HNRNPA1 detected more than half of the MPE cases that were undetected by cytology and CEA. Sum-HMws-HNRNPA1, but not other SFs or conventional tumor markers, showed an association with longer overall survival among patients with MPE receiving chemotherapy. Our results demonstrated different levels of the three SFs with their Mw-specific profiles depending on the etiology of PE. We suggest that Sum-HMws-HNRNPA1 is a supplementary diagnostic marker for MPE and a favorable prognostic indicator for patients with MPE receiving chemotherapy.