Larval interspecific competition in two flea species parasitic on the same rodent host

Abstract.  1. The fleas Xenopsylla conformis and Xenopsylla ramesis exploit the same rodent host, Meriones crassus , and replace each other between two different habitats situated at the opposite sides of a steep precipitation gradient. It was hypothesised that the reason for this paratopic distribution is competition between larvae of the two species for food resources.
2. This hypothesis was tested by studying the performance of larvae of the two species in terms of their developmental success in mixed-species and single-species treatments under different air temperatures, relative humidities, substrate textures, and food abundance.
3. The number of individuals of X. conformis that survived until emergence depended significantly on the presence of competing species, being, in general, lower in mixed-species compared with single-species treatments. The decrease in developmental success of X. conformis in mixed-species treatments was found mainly during food shortage. In contrast, presence of the competitor did not affect the number of X. ramesis that survived until emergence. No effect of the presence of the competitor on duration of development or sex ratio was found in either species.
4. The results of this study, together with the results of our previous studies, provide an explanation for the paratopic distribution of X. conformis and X. ramesis that exploit the same host species.     

苯醚威作用于印鼠客蚤的组织学研究

【目的】通过研究苯醚威对印鼠客蚤 Xenopsylla cheopis (Rothschild,1903)的早 3 龄幼虫和未吸血新羽化成虫的组织学变化,探讨其灭蚤机理,为鼠疫媒介蚤种的防治提供基础资料。【方法】以微量点滴法将苯醚威施药于印鼠客蚤早3龄幼虫和未吸血新羽化成虫,采用组织学、显微摄影及统计学方法观察组织变化。【结果】经苯醚威作用后,印鼠客蚤的早 3 龄幼虫的表皮增厚、卵巢芽生殖细胞萎缩、睾丸芽精原细胞间质减少;未吸血新羽化成虫的睾丸塞消失快、唾液腺细胞破坏严重、中肠上皮细胞萎缩。【结论】(1)苯醚威通过干扰印鼠客蚤幼虫的变态,引起幼虫表皮、生殖芽异常改变,不能发育为成虫而死亡;(2)苯醚威可加速印鼠客蚤新羽化雄性成虫的睾丸塞吸收;(3)苯醚威可破坏印鼠客蚤新羽化成虫的唾液腺细胞,并引起中肠上皮细胞萎缩。     

A role for a Hevea latex lectin-like protein in mediating rubber particle aggregation and latex coagulation

An in vitro aggregation of washed lutoid membrane and rubber particles, respectively, prepared from the bottom (lutoid) fraction and rubber layer of centrifuged fresh latex, leading to the formation of rubber coagulum necessary for a latex coagulation was demonstrated. A Triton X-100 extract of washed lutoid membrane proteins, isolated and prepared from the bottom fraction of centrifuged fresh latex was examined for its role in the latex coagulation process. It induced agglutination of rabbit erythrocytes, indicating the presence of a lectin-like protein. Hevea latex lectin-like protein (HLL) was purified to homogeneity by active chitin binding separation, followed by DEAE-Sepharose chromatography. Its M(r) analyzed by SDS-PAGE was 17 kDa, whereas that determined by gel filtration was 267 kDa. The HLL had a pI value of 7.2. Several glycoproteins were shown to inhibit the HLL-induced hemagglutination. The hemagglutinin activity of HLL was enhanced by Ca(2+). Of most interest was the finding that HLL strongly induced aggregation of the Hevea latex rubber particles (RP). This strong RP aggregation leads to latex coagulation, indicating the possibility that it is involved in the formation of the coagulum that plugs the latex vessel ends and stops the flow of latex upon tapping. In addition, the purified HLL also induced aggregation of RP taken from several other non-Hevea latex producing plants. This might indicate either a common or universal role of this lectin-like protein in RP aggregation and hence latex coagulation. This paper, for the first time, provides clear and unequivocal evidence for either a key biological role or physiological function of an endogenous latex lectin-like protein in the sequential process of latex coagulation.     

巴西橡胶树死皮病相关基因HbMyb1的结构分析及表达

对与死皮病有密切关系的HbMybl基因进行了克隆和结构分析。该基因含有一个344bp的内含子和2个外显子。利用Genome Walker的方法获得了1．2kb的5′前年序列核心启动子,分析表明该启动子可能是富含GC和依赖于起始子(Inr)的非典型启动子。Southern杂交分析表明,HbMybl在橡胶树基因组中为2个拷贝。HbMybl在树皮中表达最强,在叶片中最弱。     

巴西橡胶成龄无性系茎段的试管微繁技术研究

巴西橡胶成龄无性系茎段组织培养在生产中有很大的潜在应用价值,但一直是橡胶树组织培养的难点,至今国内外鲜有成功的报道.本研究以在中国热带地区大面积推广种植的巴西橡胶树优良品种热研7-33-97不同生长时期成龄树茎段为外植体,进行无性系试管微繁技术研究.研究结果表明不同生长时期的茎段在自然条件中受污染程度不同,茎段真菌污染率为稳定期＞淡绿期＞古铜期,细菌污染率为淡绿期＞稳定期＞古铜期.不同生长时期的成龄树茎段需要通过不同的灭菌方法才能显著提高外植体的利用率,外植体灭菌方法显著影响橡胶成龄树茎段的组织培养效率;与稳定期相比,古铜期和淡绿期茎段在组织培养过程中诱导丛生芽萌芽快、萌芽多,是较优的外植体材料;古铜期和淡绿期茎段在激素配比为4.0～5.0 mg/L6-BA+0.5 mg/L GA3的条件下能很好的诱导抽出丛生芽;丛生芽在激素配比为2.0 mg/L 6-BA+0.5 mg/LNAA,1.0 mg/t 6-BA+1.0 mg/L KT+0.5 mg/L NAA或0.5 mg/L 6-BA+1.5 mg/L KT+0.5 mg/L NAA的条件下能很好的诱导丛生芽抽出健壮的芽条;丛生芽抽出的健壮芽条在激素配比为0.5 mg/L IBA+0.5 mg/L IAA的条件下能较好的抽根成苗.外植体生长时期、激素种类和浓度配比都是影响巴西橡胶成龄无性系茎段的试管微繁的重要因素.     

AChE及M1 受体在柄袋沙蠋胚胎和 幼虫中的免疫组化定位

采用免疫组织化学S-ABC法和兔抗鼠抗体研究了乙酰胆碱酯酶(AChE)及M1受体在柄袋沙蠋(Arenicola brasiliensis)胚胎和幼虫的分布.结果表明,ACNE及M1受体在柄袋沙蠋胚胎和幼虫中分布非常广泛,从未受精卵开始,直至研究的5刚毛节幼虫均有分布,但不同发育阶段分布的情况不同.卵裂期主要分布于细胞膜...     

巴西橡胶树鲨烯合酶基因的克隆与序列分析

鲨烯合酶(SQS )是植物甾醇和三萜化合物生物合成途径中的关键酶。以巴西橡胶树为试验材料,提取胶乳总 RNA,利用 RT-PCR 以及 RACE 的方法克隆橡胶树鲨烯合酶 cDNA 编码区片段,并进行序列分析。结果表明：橡胶树鲨烯合酶 cDNA 编码区为1239 bp,编码413个氨基酸,命名为 HbSQS 。荧光定量分析表明鲨烯合酶基因在不同组织里表达水平存在明显差异,且受乙烯调控。     

Mixture design of starchy substrates hydrolysis by an immobilized glucoamylase from Aspergillus brasiliensis

Starch has great importance in human diet, since it is a heteropolymer of plants, mainly found in roots, as potato, cassava and arrowroots. This carbohydrate is composed by a highly-branched chain: amylopectin; and a linear chain: amylose. The proportion between the chains varies according to the botanical source. Starch hydrolysis is catalyzed by enzymes of the amilolytic system, named amylases. Among the various enzymes of this system, the glucoamylases (EC 3.2.1.3 glucan 1,4-alpha-glucosidases) are the majority because they hydrolyze the glycosidic linkages at the end of starch chains releasing glucose monomers. In this work, a glucoamylase secreted in the culture medium, by the ascomycete Aspergillus brasiliensis, was immobilized in Dietilaminoetil Sepharose-Polyethylene Glycol (DEAE-PEG), since immobilized biocatalysts are more stable in long periods of hydrolysis, and can be recovered from the final product and reused for several cycles. Glucoamylase immobilization has shown great thermal stability improvement over the soluble enzyme, reaching 66% more activity after 6?h at 60?°C, and 68% of the activity after 10 hydrolysis cycles. A simplex centroid experimental mixture design was applied as a tool to characterize the affinity of the immobilized enzyme for different starchy substrates. In assays containing several proportions of amylose, amylopectin and starch, the glucoamylase from A. brasiliensis mainly hydrolyzed the amylopectin chains, showing to have preference by branched substrates.     

Yield components in Hevea brasiliensis– theoretical considerations

Abstract A theoretical analysis of yield components of Hevea brasiliensis is attempted in this paper. The effect of the major yield components, i.e. initial flow rate per unit length of tapping cut, length of the cut, percentage rubber content and plugging index on rubber yield is represented by the formula Variation in yield within and between clones can be ascribed to variation to any one of the above components. The importance of high growth rate for maintaining high yield throughout the life cycle of the tree is theoretically elucidated. While the present contention of a theoretical maximum yield of 9.5 t ha^?1 with a stand of 350 trees is questioned, the theoretical possibility of attaining that yield by increasing the stand per ha to 600 is analysed.     

Time dependent K+ currents through plasmalemma of laticifer protoplasts from Hevea brasiliensis

The purpose of our work was to investigate the functioning of K⁺ channels in protoplasts of laticifers of Hevea brasiliensis Muell. Arg., anastomosed into a network devoid of large central vacuoles, after tapping stress. Physiological functions such as proton pump activity and uptake of sucrose (a rubber precursor) were maintained, when the voltage-clamp method was used in vivo to record the whole-cell K⁺ current during the stress response.
A time-dependent inward current was induced in 50 m M KCl and rapidly inactivated (about 100 ms). The activation potential of this inward K⁺ channel was not closely dependent on E_k. This would be coherent with the 'valve model' of Schroeder and Fang (1991, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88: 11583–11587) involving the activation of a H⁺-pump accounting for the K⁺ uptake observed in laticiferous cells under stress. The activation half-time of outward currents was clearly voltage dependent: from about 350 to 60 ms for 125 and 155 mV, respectively. Time-dependent outward current sensitivity to 5 m M BaCl₂ or CaCl₂ or to 5 μ M Erythrosin B showed that the K⁺ channels could be Ca²⁺-dependent. Because of the positive values of the activation potential of the outward current, the possibility opens that an action potential exists, these cells being specialized for stress response.