Structure determination of feline panleukopenia virus empty particles

Various crystal forms of the single-stranded DNA, feline panleukopenia virus (FPV), a parvovirus, have been grown of both full virions and empty particles. The structure of empty particles crystallized in an orthorhombic space group P2₁2₁2₁, with unit cell dimensions a = 380.1 Å, b = 379.3 Å, and c = 350.9 Å, has been determined to 3.3 Å resolution. The data were collected using oscillation photography with synchrotron radiation. The orientations of the empty capsids in the unit cell were determined using a self-rotation function and their positions were obtained with an R-factor search using canine parvovirus (CPV) as a model. Phases were then calculated, based on the CPV model, to 6.0 Å resolution and gradually extended to 3.3 Å resolution by molecular replacement electron density averaging. The resultant electron density was readily interpreted in terms of the known amino acid sequence. The structure is contrasted to that of CPV in terms of host range, neutralization by antibodies, hemagglutination properties, and binding of genomic DNA. © Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

High Endemicity with Clonorchis sinensis Metacercariae in Fish from Yongjeon-cheon (Stream) in Cheongsong-gun,Gyeongsangbuk-do,Korea

The infection status with Clonorchis sinensis metacercariae (CsMc) was examined in freshwater fishes from Yongjeon-cheon (a branch of Nakdong-gang) located in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, the Republic of Korea (Korea). A total of 750 fishes in 19 species were examined by the artificial digestion method for 2 years (2019 and 2020). CsMc were detected in 378 (51.4%) out of 735 fishes in 14 species (73.7%), and the infection intensity was 666 per fish infected. In 2019, CsMc were found in 172 (68.0%) out of 253 fishes in 10 species, and the infection intensity was 565 per fish infected. In 2020, CsMc were detected in 206 (62.2%) out of 331 fishes in 10 species, and the infection intensity was 751 per fish infected. The other zoonotic trematode, ie. Metagonimus spp., Centrocestus armatus, Echinostoma spp. and Clinostomum complanatum, metacercariae were also detected in fishes from the survey streams, but their endemicities were relatively low. Conclusively, it was first confirmed that CsMc are highly endemic in fishes from Yongjeon-cheon in Cheongsong-gun, Gyeongsangbuk-do, Korea.     

An avian equivalent of make-up?

We report that a long-distance migrating shorebird, the red knot, makes a complete switch from commonly occurring monoester preen waxes to a much rarer class of higher-molecular-weight diester waxes at the time of take-off to the high arctic breeding grounds. The cold arctic climate would have required a lowering of wax-viscosity, and thus, a shift in the reverse direction. We propose that a sexually selected need for a brilliant plumage has lead to this conter-intuitive temporary shift from monoesters to diester waxes. The difficulty of application of the diester preen waxes under cold conditions would ensure the reliability of the quality-signalling function of this most probably sexually selected trait.     

实验用鱼类的水环境及其标准化

由于近年实验用鱼作为新兴模式动物在国内外生命科技界发展迅速,因此实验用鱼的标准化特别是对其水环境的标准化已经成为实验用鱼类研究发展的必然趋势。本文分析和综述了实验用鱼类所需的水源及供水要求、水质和水环境的技术指标特点和对鱼类的影响,以期为斑马鱼、剑尾鱼等水生动物的实验动物化研究提供必要的资料。     

Atomic contacts in protein structures. A detailed analysis of atomic radii, packing, and overlaps

A rigorous quantitative assessment of atomic contacts and packing in native protein structures is presented. The analysis is based on optimized atomic radii derived from a set of high-resolution protein structures and reveals that the distribution of atomic contacts and overlaps is a structural constraint in proteins, irrespective of structural or functional classification and size. Furthermore, a newly developed method for calculating packing properties is introduced and applied to sets of protein structures at different levels of resolution. The results show that limited resolution yields decreasing packing quality, which underscores the relevance of packing considerations for structure prediction, design, dynamics, and docking.     

Spiggin levels are reduced in male sticklebacks infected with Schistocephalus solidus

Using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based technique, Schistocephalus solidus infection was shown to considerably reduce levels of spiggin in the kidney of male three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus from an oligotrophic upland lake. These results suggested a graduated effect of the infection on the reproductive physiology of male three-spined sticklebacks.     

Do vine species in neotropical forests see the forest or the trees?

Questions: Is the occurrence of vine species in neotropical rain forests primarily determined by properties of the forest (environmental factors), by properties of the trees (tree species or tree size) or are vines randomly distributed? Location: Maya Biosphere Reserve, Guatemala. Methods: In five 1‐ha plots that span variation from unlogged forest to forest impacted by recurrent human disturbance we recorded the presence of all climbing vine species on every tree. The presence of all free standing vine species and 11 environmental variables were recorded in 100‐m² subplots. The relationship of host tree diameter and host tree identity on single tree vine species richness was investigated by GLM modelling. Partial redundancy analyses were used to partition the variation in vine species composition on two sources: environmental factors and tree species identity. Results: Single tree vine richness increased with increasing host tree DBH and differed significantly among host species. For climbing vines, the ratio of variation in subplot presence explained by tree species and by environmental variables was ca. 4:1 (in the most disturbed logged plots slightly lower), for free standing vines this ratio varied from 1:2 in the most disturbed logged plots to 9:1 in reserve plots, while a ratio of ca. 1:1 was found for all plots analysed together. Conclusion: Different tree species have different probabilities of being infested by vines. Vines see both the forest and the trees; the environment is more important in earlier developmental stages, properties of individual trees become more important from the time vines start to climb.     

Intermittent drying of bioproducts--an overview

Unlike the conventional practice of supplying energy for batch drying processes at a constant rate, newly developed intermittent drying processes employ time-varying heat input tailored to match the drying kinetics of the material being dried. The energy required may be supplied by combining different modes of heat transfer (e.g. convection coupled with conduction or radiation or dielectric heating simultaneously or in a pre-selected sequence) in a time-varying fashion so as to provide optimal drying kinetics as well as quality of the bioproduct. This is especially important for drying of heat-sensitive materials (such as foods, pharmaceutical, neutraceutical substances, herbs, spices and herbal medicines). Intermittent heat supply is beneficial only for materials which dry primarily in the falling rate period where internal diffusion of heat and moisture controls the overall drying rate. Periods when little or no heat is supplied for drying allow the tempering period needed for the moisture and heat to diffuse within the material. As the moisture content increases at the surface of the biomaterial during the tempering period, the rate of drying is higher when heat input is resumed. It is possible to control the heat input such that the surface temperature of the product does not exceed a pre-determined value beyond which thermal damage of the material may occur. This process results in reduction in the use of thermal energy as well as the mass of air used in convective drying. Thus, the thermal efficiency of such a process is higher. The quality of the product, as such color and ascorbic acid content, is also typically superior to that obtained with a continuous supply of heat. However, in some cases, there will be a nominal increase in drying time. In the case of microwave-assisted and heat pump drying, for example, the capital cost of the drying system can also be reduced by drying in the intermittent mode.

This paper provides an overview of the basic process, selected results from experiments and mathematical models for a variety of biomaterials dried in a wide assortment of dryers. It begins with a classification of intermittent drying processes that may be applied e.g. time-varying temperature, air flow rate, operating pressure as well as heat input by different modes and in different temporal variations. The beneficial effects of improving the quality of dried bioproducts by different intermittent processes are also included and discussed.     

白洋淀轮虫多样性及群落结构的初步研究

于2006年12月、2007年3～5月调查了白洋淀9个采样点的轮虫种类组成、数量及优势种,并对轮虫群落的多样性指数和群落相似性系数进行了测算,综合评价了白洋淀水质及富营养化状况.本次共发现轮虫41种,平均丰度为607～5024 ind./L,优势种为蒲达臂尾轮虫Brachionus budapesllensis、长肢多肢轮虫Polyarthra doli-choptera、角突臂尾轮虫B.angularis、矩形龟甲轮虫Keratella quadrata等,均为耐污性种类,各样点轮虫群落具较高相似性.从轮虫群落Margalef多样性指数看,白洋淀水质属中度污染和严重污染状况.     

Sarcocystis cruzi: comparative studies confirm natural infections of buffaloes

Controversy exists concerning whether cattle and water buffalo sustain infections with cysts of distinct arrays of species in the genus Sarcocystis. In particular, morphologically similar parasites have been alternately ascribed to Sarcocystis cruzi or to Sarcocystis levinei, depending on their occurrence in cattle or water buffalo. We used light and transmission electron microscopy, genetic analysis, and experimental infections of definitive canine hosts to determine whether consistent differences could be identified from parasites derived from several natural infections of each host, examining several tissue types (esophagus, skeletal muscles, and heart). Cysts derived from cattle and water buffalo shared similar structure; variation among 18S rRNA sequences did not segregate consistently according to intermediate host type; parasites derived from cattle and water buffalo induced similar outcomes in the canine definitive host. One cattle specimen harbored unusually large (macroscopic) sarcocysts which nonetheless conformed to previously reported ultrastructural and genetic features of S. cruzi. Finding no consistent basis to differentiate between them, we conclude that the parasites infecting each host and tissue type correspond to S. cruzi. In our sample, no phylogenetically distinct taxon was sampled which might correspond to a distinct taxon previously described as S. levinei. Either that taxon was missed by our sampling effort, or it may represent a junior synonym to S. cruzi, which would then cycle between dogs and a broader range of intermediate bovine hosts than was previously considered.