Pathogenicity of Bacteria Symbiotically Associated with Insect Pathogenic Nematodes against the Greater Wax Moth,Galleria Mellonella (L.)

The bacterial symbionts isolated from the entomopathogenic nematodes were compared for their pathogenicity to last instar larvae of G. mellonella at both Phases I and II. Most bacterial symbionts at Phase I cause 100% mortality within 2-3 days post-injection with 1 times; 10 3 cells/larva. The pathogenicity of Phase I decreased in the following order: Xenorhabdus nematopbilus, Flavimonas oryzihabitans, Photorhabdus luminescens and Xenorhabdus bovienii with LD 50 values of 40, 55, 70 and 170 cells/larva. The injection of Phase II of the bacterial symbionts did not give 100% mortality even after 4 days post-injection. The time mortality response of G. mellonella larvae to both phases of the bacterial symbiont was significantly different usually at the two highest concentrations tested. The significancy in case of Phase I was in the following order from lowest to highest, F . oryzihabitans , X . nematophilus , P. luminescens and X. bovienii . It was 20.57, 23.96, 23.99 and 53.76 h, respectively. Also, F. oryzihabitans gave the lowest LT 50 value for its Phase II form. It was 36.85 h, and this is followed by X. bovienii , X. nematophilus , and P. luminescens , the LT 50 values of which were 69.29, 74.08 and 74.49 h, respectively. The results suggest that there is a direct correlation between toxin concentration and rate of killing the larvae. On the other hand, there is an inverse correlation between the LT 50 values and the injected concentration.     

Microsatellite markers uncover cryptic species of Odontotermes (Termitoidae: Termitidae) from Peninsular Malaysia

Termites from the genus Odontotermes are known to contain numerous species complexes that are difficult to tell apart morphologically or with mitochondrial DNA sequences. We developed markers for one such cryptic species complex, that is, Odontotermes srinakarinensis sp. nov. from Maxwell Hill Forest Reserve (Perak, Malaysia), and characterised them using a sample of 41 termite workers from three voucher samples from the same area. We then genotyped 150 termite individuals from 23 voucher samples/colonies of this species complex from several sites in Peninsular Malaysia. We analysed their population by constructing dendograms from the proportion of shared-alleles between individuals and genetic distances between colonies; additionally, we examined the Bayesian clustering pattern of their genotype data. All methods of analysis indicated that there were two distinct clusters within our data set. After the morphologies of specimens from each cluster were reexamined, we were able to separate the two species morphologically and found that a single diagnostic character found on the mandibles of its soldiers could be used to separate the two species quite accurately. The additional species in the clade was identified as Odontotermes denticulatus after it was matched to type specimens at the NHM London and Cambridge Museum of Zoology.     

Hemocyanin gene family evolution in spiders (Araneae), with implications for phylogenetic relationships and divergence times in the infraorder Mygalomorphae

Hemocyanins are multimeric copper-containing hemolymph proteins involved in oxygen binding and transport in all major arthropod lineages. Most arachnids have seven primary subunits (encoded by paralogous genes a–g), which combine to form a 24-mer (4 × 6) quaternary structure. Within some spider lineages, however, hemocyanin evolution has been a dynamic process with extensive paralog duplication and loss. We have obtained hemocyanin gene sequences from numerous representatives of the spider infraorders Mygalomorphae and Araneomorphae in order to infer the evolution of the hemocyanin gene family and estimate spider relationships using these conserved loci. Our hemocyanin gene tree is largely consistent with the previous hypotheses of paralog relationships based on immunological studies, but reveals some discrepancies in which paralog types have been lost or duplicated in specific spider lineages. Analyses of concatenated hemocyanin sequences resolved deep nodes in the spider phylogeny and recovered a number of clades that are supported by other molecular studies, particularly for mygalomorph taxa. The concatenated data set is also used to estimate dates of higher-level spider divergences and suggests that the diversification of extant mygalomorphs preceded that of extant araneomorphs. Spiders are diverse in behavior and respiratory morphology, and our results are beneficial for comparative analyses of spider respiration. Lastly, the conserved hemocyanin sequences allow for the inference of spider relationships and ancient divergence dates.     

Development of a Model For Estimating the Size and Dynamics of the Pet Dog Population

Abstract

A conceptual model was developed to describe the dynamics of the pet dog population. The model synthesizes existing data collected for a variety of purposes to estimate the size of the various components of the pet dog population in Washington and Iowa during 1991. The total population mortality rate was estimated as 12.4% per year. Animal shelters in Washington and Iowa handled 7.6% and euthanized 4.0% of the dog population in those two states. When these estimates were extrapolated to the entire U.S. dog population, the model predicted that the total annual turnover in owned dogs was 14.7%, or 7.71 million dogs, that 4 million dogs were handled by animal shelters, and that 2.1 million were euthanized. It was also estimated that 79% of all female dogs were spayed, that household breeding could be attributed to less than one-fifth (18.7%) of the female dogs in the reproductive pool, and that the number of owners contributing to total dog population turnover through failure to retain their dog (103,453) was approximately three times the number of owners who allowed their female dogs to be bred (32,513).     

Different Binding Modes of Spermine to A-T and G-C Base Pairs Modulate the Bending and Stiffening of the DNA Double Helix

Abstract

The influence of base composition (and sequence) on the process of interaction between synthetic polynucleotides and spermine, has been investigated using ultraviolet (including second derivative) spectroscopy, and electric dichroism.

Different binding modes of spermine to poly(dG-dC) as compared to A-T containing polynucleotides, were evidenced. An interaction with the N7 and 06 of guanine is probably partially involved in the former case while simple electrostatic interaction with the phosphate groups would dominate in the latter.

In the intermediate binding range (spermine over DNA phosphate molar ratios Sp/P of the order of 0.1 to 0.2), the complexes with poly(dA) · poly(dT) and those with poly(dA-dT) displayed an important contribution of a permanent dipole moment to the orientation mechanism, as detected by the application of bipolar pulses in electric dichroism experiments. Just prior to precipitation (at Sp/P slightly larger than 0.3), these polynucleotides show electric dichroism and relaxation times characteristics corresponding to toroidal particles formation resulting from a bending of their chains. This implies asymmetric binding to phosphate sites on A-T containing polynucleotides. At low Sp/P ratios, spermine induced a stiffening of poly (dG-dC). No influence of spermine on the orientation mechanism of this polynucleotide was detected for Sp/P values ranging from zero to 0.35. The spermine-induced bending of A-T rich regions thus appears to be essential for DNA condensation into toroidal particles.     

食品级惰性粉对三种储藏物害虫生长发育的影响

应用粉剂药膜法,一种食品级惰性粉——4号粉相应剂量处理赤拟谷盗Tribolium castaneum(Herbst)、烟草甲Lasioderma serricorne(Fabricius)、锯谷盗Oryzaephilus surinamensis(Linnaeus)的卵和1龄幼虫,赤拟谷盗、锯谷盗、烟草甲的卵平均孵化率均在97%以上,处理后卵孵化的1龄幼虫平均死亡率均在96%以上;处理3种害虫的1龄幼虫其平均死亡率均在99%以上。结果表明食品级惰性粉对3种试虫卵的孵化率几乎没有影响,但对其1龄幼虫有较好的防治效果。通过混粮法应用正交试验研究发现,惰性粉剂量和小麦含水量对赤拟谷盗F1代防治效果均有显著影响。当小麦处于安全水分时(含水量12%¹4%),10014%),100¹50 mg/kg 4号粉能有效防治赤拟谷盗F1代。     

Cloning and Expression of Genes Encoding F107-C and K88-1NT Fimbrial Proteins of Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli from Piglets

We cloned two genes coding F107-C and K88-1NT fimbrial subunits from strains E. coli C and 1NT isolated from Thua Thien Hue province, Vietnam. The mature peptide of faeG gene from strain E. coli 1NT (called faeG-1NT) is 100 % similarity with faeG gene, while the CDS of fedA gene from strain C (called fedA-C) has a similarity of 97 % with the fedA gene. Expression of the faeG-1NT and fedA-C genes in E. coli BL21 Star™ (DE3) produced proteins of ~31 and 22 kDa, respectively. The effect of IPTG concentration on the K88-1NT and F107-C fimbriae production was investigated. The results showed that 0.5 mM IPTG is suitable for higher expression of K88-1NT subunit, while 0.75 mM IPTG strongly stimulated expression of F107-C subunit. The optimal induction time for expression was also examined. Generally, highest expression of K88-1NT subunit occurred after 6 h of induction, while that of F107-C subunit is after 14 h.