Different effects of age on reproductive performance in relation to breeding stage in Bull-headed Shrikes

The difference in the reproductive performance of males and females of the Bull-headed Shrike (Lanius bucephalus) according to age class, i.e. yearling and adult, was studied, and the age-related difference was examined according to parental feeding behavior. The clutch initiation date was not affected by the age class. Females that paired with an adult male laid more eggs per clutch than those paired with a yearling male. The age class of males affected the mass of nestlings at 6 days old, and the age class of females affected the mass of nestlings at 12 days old. The effects of the age of either parent independently were observed at different breeding stages. A change in the degree of nestling feeding peformed by the male and female parents occurred at some point between when the broods were 6 days and 12 days old. It is likely that this caused an effect of age at different stages of the breeding cycle. The effects of the age of the male parent are consistent with accounts of age-related reproduction in raptors where males provide resources to offspring. Individual improvements in foraging skills and/or courtship feeding rate are suggested to be possible explanations. Electronic Publication     

The Role of Respiratory Microbiota in Lung Cancer

Recently, the impact of microorganisms on tumor growth and metastasis has attracted great attention. The pathogenesis and progression of lung cancer are related to an increase in respiratory bacterial load as well as changes in the bacterial community because the microbiota affects tumors in many ways, including canceration, metastasis, angiogenesis, and treatment. The microbiota may increase tumor susceptibility by altering metabolism and immune responses, promoting inflammation, and increasing toxic effects. The microbiota can regulate tumor metastasis by altering multiple cell signaling pathways and participate in tumor angiogenesis through vascular endothelial growth factors (VEGF), endothelial cells (ECs), inflammatory factors and inflammatory cells. Tumor angiogenesis not only maintains tumor growth at the primary site but also promotes tumor metastasis and invasion. Therefore, angiogenesis is an important mediator of the interaction between microorganisms and tumors. The microbiota also plays a part in antitumor therapy. Alteration of the microbiota caused by antibiotics can regulate tumor growth and metastasis. Moreover, the microbiota also influences the efficacy and toxicity of tumor immunotherapy and chemotherapy. Finally, the effects of air pollution, a risk factor for lung cancer, on microorganisms and the possible role of respiratory microorganisms in the effects of air pollution on lung cancer are discussed.     

Habitat quality of estuarine nursery grounds: Integrating non-biological indicators and multilevel biological responses in Solea senegalensis

Estuaries are highly valuable ecosystems that provide various goods and services to society, such as food provision and supporting nursery habitats for various aquatic species. Estuarine habitat quality assessment is thus critical in managing both ecological and economic value. In this work, various biological and non-biological indicators of habitat quality in estuarine nursery areas were determined, encompassing local environmental conditions, chemical contamination, anthropogenic pressures, juvenile Solea senegalensis condition, biomarkers response to contamination and juvenile density. The various indicators provided an integrated view on habitat quality and their responses were broadly concordant. Nursery quality assessment based on anthropogenic pressure indicators and fish biomarker responses were very similar, signaling nursery areas with higher anthropogenic pressure in Tejo and Ria de Aveiro estuaries. Yet, favorable environmental conditions across all sites could have contributed to lessen the potential hazardous biological effects of exposure to anthropogenic stressors, resulting in soles’ fairly good condition and generally high juvenile density. Nevertheless, a mismatch between high juvenile density and high estuarine contribution to adult coastal populations was observed in areas with higher anthropogenic pressures. Although a causal relationship cannot be established, the results emphasize the need to fully understand how the estuarine period spent in estuaries and local processes determine the quantity and quality of juveniles exported to marine adult populations, which is critical to achieve the full potential of the fish production service of estuaries and coastal stock replenishment.     

Direct and indirect effects of microbiota-derived metabolites on neuroinflammation in multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS) and experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) are highly influenced by changes in the microbiota and of microbiota-derived metabolites, including short chain fatty acids, bile acids, and tryptophan derivatives. This review will discuss the effects of microbiota-derived metabolites on neuroinflammation driven by central nervous system-resident cells and peripheral immune cells, and their influence on outcomes of EAE and MS.     

Behavioral role differentiation in the primitively eusocial waspBelonogaster juncea juncea (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

With a view toward describing behavioral variability among individuals of the primitively eusocial speciesBelonogaster juncea juncea, we recorded the time-activity budget spent on five behavioral categories (foraging, building, feeding, inactivity, and reproduction) by 52 individuals belonging to four postemergence colonies. A principal-components analysis coupled with a hierarchical cluster analysis enabled us to discern four behavioral roles. The reproductive role is reserved to one individual (functional monogyny) and the workers’ role is differentiated into foragers, builders, and guards. The foragers are females that spend the most time (82.6% of their time) foraging, supplying the nest with prey load and liquid matter. The builders are individuals (with 41.5% of their time off the nest) that tend to bring pulp into the nest and then undertake building activities. The guards are those females that spend the most time (79.7% of their time) being inactive on the nest.     

Biochemical characterization of a strictly specific beta-galactosidase from the digestive juice of the palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum larvae

A beta‐galactosidase from the digestive juice of the palm weevil Rhynchophorus palmarum L. larvae was purified by chromatography on ion exchange, gel filtration, and hydrophobic interaction columns. The preparation was shown to be homogeneous on polyacrylamide gel. Beta‐galactosidase was a monomeric protein with a molecular weight of 62 kDa based on its mobility in sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and 60 kDa based on gel filtration. Maximal enzyme activity occurred at 55°C and pH 5.0. The purified beta‐galactosidase was stable at 37°C and its pH stability was in the range of 4.6–6.0. Beta‐galactosidase was highly specific for the beta‐d ‐galactosyl residue and beta‐(1‐4) linkage. The catalytic efficiency (V_max/K_m) values for p‐nitrophenyl‐beta‐d ‐galactopyranoside, beta‐d ‐galactosyl(1‐4)‐d ‐glucose (lactose), beta‐d ‐galactosyl(1‐4)‐d ‐galactose and beta‐d ‐galactosyl(1‐4)‐beta‐d ‐galactosyl(1‐4)‐d ‐glucose were, respectively, 72.95, 10.97, 20.74 and 12.73. 5,5‐Dithio‐bis(2‐nitrobenzoate) and sodium dodecyl sulfate inhibited completely the beta‐galactosidase activity. The enzyme was capable of catalyzing transgalactosylation reactions. The yield of galactosylation of 2‐phenylethanol (43%), catalyzed by the beta‐galactosidase in the presence of lactose as galactosyl donor, is higher than those reported previously with conventional sources of beta‐galactosidases. In addition, the optimum pH is different for the hydrolysis (pH 5.0) and transgalactosylation reactions (pH 6.0).     

Gender role conflict and the process and outcome of dream work with men.

The current study evaluated how men with variable levels of gender role conflict responded to single-session, therapist-facilitated dream work using the C. E. Hill (1996, 2004) model of dream work. Overall, men reported positive benefits from participating in the dream session, similar to data in other studies. Men who reported higher gender role conflict on the Gender Role Conflict Scale discussed related gender role conflict themes during dream work, although gender role conflict was not related to session outcome. Reasons for these results are explored, and ideas for future research are suggested. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrostatic forces involved in orienting Anabaena ferredoxin during binding to Anabaena ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase: site-specific mutagenesis, transient kinetic measurements, and electrostatic surface potentials.

Transient absorbance measurements following laser flash photolysis have been used to measure the rate constants for electron transfer (et) from reduced Anabaena ferredoxin (Fd) to wild-type and seven site-specific charge-reversal mutants of Anabaena ferredoxin:NADP+ reductase (FNR). These mutations have been designed to probe the importance of specific positively charged amino acid residues on the surface of the FNR molecule near the exposed edge of the FAD cofactor in the protein-protein interaction during et with Fd. The mutant proteins fall into two groups: overall, the K75E, R16E, and K72E mutants are most severely impaired in et, and the K138E, R264E, K290E, and K294E mutants are impaired to a lesser extent, although the degree of impairment varies with ionic strength. Binding constants for complex formation between the oxidized proteins and for the transient et complexes show that the severity of the alterations in et kinetics for the mutants correlate with decreased stabilities of the protein-protein complexes. Those mutated residues, which show the largest effects, are located in a region of the protein in which positive charge predominates, and charge reversals have large effects on the calculated local surface electrostatic potential. In contrast, K138, R264, K290, and K294 are located within or close to regions of intense negative potential, and therefore the introduction of additional negative charges have considerably smaller effects on the calculated surface potential. We attribute the relative changes in et kinetics and complex binding constants for these mutants to these characteristics of the surface charge distribution in FNR and conclude that the positively charged region of the FNR surface located in the vicinity of K75, R16, and K72 is especially important in the binding and orientation of Fd during electron transfer.     

Active female courtship behavior and male nutritional contribution to female fecundity in Bruchidius dorsalis (Fahraeus) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae)

Mating behavior and the male's contribution to female fecundity were studied in the bean weevil Bruchidius dorsalis (Fahraeus) (Coleoptera: Bruchidae) in comparison with two other species, Callosobruchus chinensis (which infests stored beans) and Kytorhinus sharpianus (which feeds on wild legumes). Only females of B. dorsalis showed multiple mating and characteristic precopulatory behavior that appeared to solicit the male's nutritious secretion. In contrast, all females of the other two species did not copulate multiply and did not show such precopulatory behavior. In B. dorsalis, the decrement of male body weight just after copulation indicated that seminal fluid weighing as much as approximately 7% of the male's body weight was transferred to the female. Fecundity was more than eight times higher in females that had copulated ten times than in females that had copulated only once, indicating that males paid most of the nutritional cost of egg production. These facts suggest that the sex role is reversed in B. dorsalis. Received: May 22, 1998 / Accepted: July 19, 1999     

Density functional studies on herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase–substrate interactions: The role of Tyr-172 and Met-128 in thymine fixation

The enzyme herpes simplex virus type 1 thymidine kinase (HSV1 TK) salvages thymidine into the DNA metabolism of the virus. In the active site, the thymine ring of the nucleoside binds in a pocket, formed by two residues, Tyr-172 and Met-128, in a sandwich-type orientation. To investigate the nature of the thymine–enzyme pocket interactions, we have carried out density functional theory calculations with gradient-corrected exchange-correlation functionals of models of the thymine–HSV1 TK adduct. Our calculations indicate that the role of Met-128 in the substrate fixation is purely steric and hydrophobic, while the substrate–Tyr-172 interaction is essentially electrostatic in nature. These findings are completely consistent with the available catalytic properties of mutants on the 128 position. Proteins 31:453–459, 1998. © 1998 Wiley-Liss, Inc.