Does peripheral dislodgement contribute to heterozygote deficiencies in blue mussels?

Differential loss of heterozygous individuals that move to the periphery of mussel aggregations, where they are at greater risk for dislodgement, has been proposed as an explanation for observed heterozygote deficiencies in blue mussels. To test the dislodgement hypothesis, correlations between heterozygosity and mussel motility, as well as characteristics of byssogenesis and byssal thread attachment strengths, were determined in a wild and a farmed population of blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) from New Hampshire, USA. Although both populations exhibited a heterozygote deficit as measured by three microsatellite loci, no relationship was found between heterozygosity and increased motility in either population. Similarly, no relationship was found between heterozygosity and byssogenesis or attachment strength. Hence, differential dislodgement is highly unlikely as a possible contributor to the loss of heterozygous individuals.     

黄连-姜黄水煎剂治疗豚鼠皮肤真菌感染

目的 建立石膏样毛癣菌感染皮损豚鼠动物模型并观察黄连-姜黄复方水煎剂的疗效.方法 于32只豚鼠背部建立石膏样毛癣菌感染皮损128处,分四组:(A)100%浓度复方水煎剂治疗组;(B)200%浓度复方水煎剂治疗组;(C)2%硝酸咪康唑软膏治疗组;(D)空白对照组.于感染第4天开始用药,分别于用药第0、3、7、10天做真菌镜检、培养并测量皮损直径.结果 A、B、C组治疗效果均明显好于D组(P<0.01),2%硝酸咪康唑软膏及复方水煎剂均对皮肤石膏样毛癣菌有治疗作用;B、C组治疗效果明显好于A组(P<0.01);B组治疗效果好于C组(P<0.05),治疗过程中无一例出现皮肤刺激症状.结论 黄连一姜黄复方水煎剂对皮肤石膏样毛癣菌有明显治疗作用,无刺激性,具有临床应用前景.     

Calcium localization pattern in clover root hair cells associated with infection process: Studies with aureomycin

Summary Localized regions of calcium were shown to change in clover root hair cells after infection withRhizobium trifolii as shown with the Ca⁺⁺ binding antibiotic, chlorotetracycline. Some root hairs from the immature zone showed increased calcium fluorescence distributed through most of the cell. These root hair had a morphology with a notched side wall, typical of cells infected by bacteria. The maturing root hairs that show a growing infection thread or start of an infection thread, have a similar increased calcium fluorescence, especially around the area of origin of infection thread and tip of the root hair cell.Kettering contribution no. 722.     

The material cost and stickiness of capture threads and the evolution of orb-weaving spiders

Prey capture threads are essential to the operation of spider orb-webs because they prevent insects that have been intercepted from escaping before a spider can subdue them. The volume of material invested in a web's capture threads is related to spider weight and is the same for primitive orb-weavers that produce cribellar capture thread and modern orb-weavers that produce adhesive capture thread. However, as adhesive capture thread achieves greater stickiness relative to its volume, adhesive orb-webs have a greater total stickiness and, consequently, a greater prey capture potential than cribellate orb-webs. These differences appear to have favoured the transition from cribellate to adhesive capture threads and the success of adhesive orb-weavers, which include 95% of all orb-weaving species. Differences in the thread economy and the total stickiness of webs constructed by spiders of different weights also suggest that adhesive orb-weavers should grow more rapidly and be capable of attaining a larger size than cribellate orb-weavers.     

The effects of capture spiral composition and orb-web orientation on prey interception

Cribellar prey capture threads found in primitive, horizontal orb-webs reflect more light, including ultraviolet wavelengths, than viscous threads found in more derived, vertical orb-webs. Low web visibility and vertical orientation are each thought to increase prey interception and may represent key innovations that contributed to the greater diversity of modern, araneoid orb-weaving spiders. This study compares prey interception rates of cribellate orb-webs constructed by Uloborus glomosus (Uloboridae) with viscous orb-webs constructed by Leucauge venusta (Tetragnathidae) and Micrathena gracilis (Araneidae). We placed sectors of cribellar and viscous threads side by side in frames that were oriented either horizontally or vertically. The webs of both U. glomosus and L. venusta intercepted more prey when vertically oriented. In each orientation L. venusta webs intercepted more insects than did U. glomosus. Although this is consistent with the greater visibility of cribellar threads, the more closely spaced capture spirals of L. venusta may have contributed to this difference. Micrathena gracilis webs intercepted more prey than did U. glomosus webs, although web orientation did not affect the performance of this araneoid species. The stickier and more closely spaced capture spirals of M. gracilis may have enhanced the interception rates of this species and accounted for the greater number of smaller dipterans retained in its webs. The tendency for these slow, weak flight insects to be blown into both horizontal and vertical webs may account for similar interception rates of horizontal and vertical M. gracilis webs. These observations support the enhanced prey interception of vertically oriented orb-webs, but offer only qualified support for the contributions of lower visibility viscous capture threads.     

线栓法制备不同体重KM小鼠局灶性脑缺血/再灌注模型的建立及评价

目的线栓法制备小鼠脑缺血/再灌注模型,并探讨影响该模型稳定性的因素。方法 KM小鼠100只,雌雄各半,体重20～39 g,分别将雌雄KM小鼠随机分为假手术组(n=20)和不同体重实验组(n=80)。其中实验组按小鼠体重分为以下8组:A组(♂,20～24 g)、B组(♂,25～29 g)、C组(♂,30～34 g)、D组(♂,35～39g),E组(♀,20～24 g)、F组(♀,25～29 g)、G组(♀,30～34 g)、H组(♀,35～39 g),每组10只。线栓栓塞法制备局灶性脑缺血/再灌注模型,选用单丝尼龙线(直径0.128～0.180 mm),液体石蜡处理浸泡后,从右侧颈总动脉进线,阻塞大脑中动脉血流,再灌注时拔出线栓,并对模型进行评价,采用的主要观察指标是神经功能损伤评分和2,3,5-三苯基氯化四氮唑(TTC)染色。结果同假手术相比,不同体重实验组小鼠脑缺血再灌注后,出现神经行为功能异常,TTC染色脑组织显示出明显的梗塞灶。与C、D组相比,A、B两组行为学评分以及梗死灶体积显著性增加(P<0.01);与G、H组相比,E、F两组的行为学评分以及梗死灶体积也显著性增加(P<0.01,P<0.05)。雄性KM小鼠与雌性相比,成模率较高且死亡率相对较低。此外,A组与E组相比,其行为学评分显著增加(P<0.01);B组与F组相比,小鼠行为学评分以及脑梗塞体积显著增加(P<0.01)。结论体重在25 g左右的雄性KM小鼠制备模型成功率较高,死亡率较低,适合建立小鼠局灶性脑缺血/再灌注模型。     

Fine structural analysis on triad spinning spigots of an orb‐web spider's capture threads

Capture threads of the golden orb‐web spider Nephila clavata are produced from the silks of a pair of triad spinning units composed of a flagelliform gland (FLG) and two aggregate glands (AGG). In N. clavata, arrangement of the triad spigots is closely related to coating an axial supporting fiber with sticky aqueous droplets on a continuous and consistent basis for capture thread production. The central spigot of FLG and peripherally located AGG spigots are aligned along a single plane, and both have bullet‐type spigots with flexible segments. In particular, the pear‐shaped spigot of the AGG with a wide‐aperture nozzle provides not only sufficient luminal space for controlling transient storage of the aqueous gluey substance but also an effective spatial system that thoroughly coats the axial fibers with a viscous aqueous solution.     

Endophytic colonisation of Bacillus subtilis in the roots of Robinia pseudoacacia L

The endophytic colonisation of Bacillus subtilis strain GXJM08, isolated from roots of Podocarpus imbricatus B1. Enum. P1. Jav., in roots of the leguminous plant Robinia pseudoacacia L. was investigated. Ultrastructure observations showed that B. subtilis caused morphological changes in the root hair and colonised the plant through infected root hairs. The structure of the infection thread was similar to that of rhizobia, but the structure of infected cells was different. B. subtilis is also different from rhizobia and plant pathogens in terms of the formation of a peribacteroid membrane and the mode of penetration through the host cell wall. Our results provide a basis for studying development of the mutualistic symbiotic relationship between B. subtilis and plants, and a basis for studying the mechanism of the B. subtilis–plant interaction.     

Effects of Environmental Factors on Byssal Thread Formation in Some Members of the Family Mytilidae from the Sea of Japan

The ability to attach repeatedly to a substrate (glass, boulders, sand) in three common mussel species of the upper sublittoral zone of the Sea of Japan, Grayan's mussel Crenomytilus grayanus, the Korean mussel Mytilus coruscus, and northern horse mussel Modiolus modiolus, was studied under experimental conditions. It was found that during 120 h of the experiment C. grayanus and M. modiolus produced more byssal threads than M. coruscus. A decrease in the water temperature from 20 to 0°C slowed the rate of production of byssal threads down to full passivity in some experimental mollusks. This was more typical of M. coruscus and less typical of C. grayanus. Renewed threads differed in their length, thick, size of the adhesive plate, and strength. M. coruscus formed the shortest, thickest, and strongest threads with rather a large adhesive disk. The observed differences are discussed from the position of morphophysiological adaptations of species for colonization of different natural substrata under contrasting conditions of the upper sublittoral zone.