PHYLOGENETIC PLACEMENT OF AN UNUSUAL CORAL MUSHROOM CHALLENGES THE CLASSIC HYPOTHESIS OF STRICT COEVOLUTION IN THE APTEROSTIGMA PILOSUM GROUP ANT–FUNGUS MUTUALISM

The ∼50 million-year-old fungus-farming ant mutualism is a classic example of coevolution , involving ants that subsist on asexual, fungal biomass, in turn propagating the fungus clonally through nest-to-nest transmission. Most mutualistic ants cultivate two closely related groups of gilled mushrooms, whereas one small group of ants in the genus Apterostigma cultivates a distantly related lineage comprised of the G2 and G4 groups. The G2 and G4 fungi were previously shown to form a monophyletic group sister to the thread-like coral mushroom family Pterulaceae. Here, we identify an enigmatic coral mushroom that produces both fertile and sterile fruiting structures as the closest free-living relative of the G4 fungi, challenging the monophyly of the Apterostigma -cultivated fungi for the first time. Both nonparametric bootstrap and Bayesian posterior probability support the node leading to the G4 cultivars and a free-living Pterula mushroom. These data suggest three scenarios that contradict the hypothesis of strict coevolution: (1) multiple domestications, (2) escape from domestication, (3) selection of single cultivar lineages from an ancestral mixed-fungus garden. These results illustrate how incomplete phylogenies for coevolved symbionts impede our understanding of the patterns and processes of coevolution.     

Larval survival in populations of the large copper butterfly Lycaena dispar batavus

Lycaena dispar is recorded as an early case of extinction and subsequent re-introduction in the UK. However, repeated establishment attempts have not resulted in self-sustaining populations, including those having taken place at Woodwalton Fen (Cambridgeshire, UK).
Earlier studies at Woodwalton Fen showed that the highest mortalities occurred between the egg stage and resumption of larval feeding in spring.
This study was designed; firstly, to investigate factors causing field mortality during different larval stages; secondly, to compare survival on Rumex hydrolapathum foodplants in different habitat situations; and thirdly, to compare survival in a natural population (Weerribben, The Netherlands) with the introduced Woodwalton Fen population. Experiments employed exclusion cages in order to examine the relative roles of vertebrate and invertebrate natural enemies, and survival on food-plants in open fen and waterside situations was compared.
Results suggest invertebrate predation to be the dominant mortality factor acting upon pre-diapause larvae. Over the winter diapause natural enemies do not have a significant role. However during both these stages losses still occur that are unaccounted for. Extensive winter flooding appears to increase overwintering losses. Vertebrate predators cause significant mortality of post-diapause larvae.
No significant difference was found between larval survival on open fen versus waterside plants.
Comparison of introduced and native populations reveal that overwintering survival was significantly higher in the latter; potential reasons for this difference are discussed.     

An infectious aetiology of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus? Role of the secretor status

Abstract Studies of patients with insulin-dependent diabetes and their families have shown increased incidences of HLA markers B8, B15, DR3 and DR4. While these genetic predispositions are obviously important, additional factors such as environmental influences are presumed to trigger the events leading to the development of diabetes.
Infectious triggers, in particular several viruses, have been suggested. The evidence from epidemiological and in vitro studies for a viral aetiology is summarized here. The significance of the recent finding of an increased proportion of non-secretors among patients with insulin-dependent diabetes is discussed in the context of other 'autoimmune' diseases for which infectious aetiologies have been proposed.     

Novel aliphatic epoxide hydrolase activities from dematiaceous fungi

Abstract Epoxide hydrolases were found to be constitutively expressed in dematiaceous fungi coincident with secondary metabolite pigment production in stationary or idiophase. Washed-cell preparations of two fungi, Ulodadium atrum CMC 3280 and Zopfiella karachiensis CMC 3284, exhibited affinity for 2,2-dialkylated oxiranes, for which contrasting enantioselectivities were observed, but not for aromatic styrene oxide or alicyclic cyclohexene oxide type substrates. Lyophilised preparations of soluble epoxide hydrolase activities proved to be effective catalysts for the mild hydrolysis of aliphatic epoxides.     

A kinetic perspective on extracellular electron transfer by anode-respiring bacteria

In microbial fuel cells and electrolysis cells (MXCs), anode-respiring bacteria (ARB) oxidize organic substrates to produce electrical current. In order to develop an electrical current, ARB must transfer electrons to a solid anode through extracellular electron transfer (EET). ARB use various EET mechanisms to transfer electrons to the anode, including direct contact through outer-membrane proteins, diffusion of soluble electron shuttles, and electron transport through solid components of the extracellular biofilm matrix. In this review, we perform a novel kinetic analysis of each EET mechanism by analyzing the results available in the literature. Our goal is to evaluate how well each EET mechanism can produce a high current density (>10 A m⁻²) without a large anode potential loss (less than a few hundred millivolts), which are feasibility goals of MXCs. Direct contact of ARB to the anode cannot achieve high current densities due to the limited number of cells that can come in direct contact with the anode. Slow diffusive flux of electron shuttles at commonly observed concentrations limits current generation and results in high potential losses, as has been observed experimentally. Only electron transport through a solid conductive matrix can explain observations of high current densities and low anode potential losses. Thus, a study of the biological components that create a solid conductive matrix is of critical importance for understanding the function of ARB.     

A novel adherence assay for Bordetella pertussis using tracheal organ cultures

Abstract In a novel adherence model using tracheal rings removed from Papio anubis , we have demonstrated a functional role for the fimbriae of Bordetella pertussis . When compared to wild-type strains, B. pertussis mutants specifically deficient in fimbriae adhered less well to the tracheal rings but better to Vero (Green monkey kidney) cells. In contrast, mutants deficient in filamentous haemagglutinin (FHA) production had reduced adherence to both Vero cells and the tracheal rings. These observations indicate that the fimbriae of B. pertussis , like those of many other bacterial pathogens, may play an important role in the initial stages of colonisation.     

Absence of ZnuABC-mediated zinc uptake affects virulence-associated phenotypes of uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073 under Zn(II)-depleted conditions

In an effort to uncover the role of the high-affinity Zn(II) uptake system in uropathogenic Escherichia coli CFT073, we deleted the znuB gene, which encodes for the transmembrane component of the ZnuABC transporter system. The null mutant for znuB did not grow on minimal medium unless supplemented with excess Zn(II) (50 μM ZnCl₂). In contrast, the E. coli K-12 Δ znuB cell line grew well on minimal medium that was not supplemented with Zn(II). The Δ znuB mutant was significantly deficient in the formation of biofilm under static conditions and also showed a substantially reduced migration front of swarm cells. Because motility and biofilm formation are important for E. coli CFT073 pathogenicity, we propose that the high-affinity Zn(II) uptake system may contribute to the virulence of this pathogen in the urinary tract.