Gibberellins in immature seeds and dark-grown shoots of Pisum sativum

Gibberellins (GAs) A₁₇, A₁₉, A₂₀, A₂₉, A₄₄, 2OH-GA₄₄ (tentative) and GA₂₉-catabolite were identified in 21-day-old seeds of Pisum sativum cv. Alaska (tall). These GAs are qualitatively similar to those in the dwarf cultivar Progress No. 9 with the exception of GA₁₉ which does not accumulate in Progress seeds. There was no evidence for the presence of 3-hydroxylated GAs in 21 day-old Alaska seeds. Dark-grown shoots of the cultivar Alaska contein GA₁, GA₈, GA₂₀, GA₂₉, GA₈-catabolite and GA₂₉-catabolite. Dark-grown shoots of the cultivar Progress No.9 contain GA₈, GA₂₀, GA₂₉ and GA₂₉-catabolite, and the presence of GA₁ was strongly indicated. Quantitation using GAs labelled with stable isotope showed the level of GA₁ in dark-grown shoots of the two cultivars to be almost identical, whilst the levels of GA₂₀, GA₂₉ and GA₂₉-catabolite were significantly lower in Alaska than in Progress No. 9. The levels of these GAs in dark-grown shoots were 10²- to 10³-fold less than the levels in developing seeds. The 2-epimer of GA₂₉ is present in dark-grown-shoot extracts of both cultivars and is not thought to be an artefact.Abbreviations cv cultivar - GA_n gibberellin A_n - GC gas chromatography - GC-MS combined gas chromatographymass spectrometry - HPLC high-pressure liquid chromatography - KRI Kovats retention index - MeTMSi methyl ester trimethylsilyl ether     

Voiceprint identification and its application to sociological studies of wild Japanese monkeys (Macaca fuscata yakui)

Japanese monkeys often exchange the particular vocal sound, “coo,” especially when they feed or move as a group. It was considered that the “coo” sound had no positive social meaning, perhaps because the “coo” sound network and its function were hidden behind other behavioral observations. For identification of the vocalizer only from hearing the “coo” sound, three phonetic values, i.e., the “fundamental,” “duration,” and “formants,” plus other characteristics were used as indices of voiceprints. The results indicated that these were effective for identifying the vocalizer in two-thirds of the adults in the study troop which was composed of 12 adults and 16 immature members. The “coo” sound exchange network among the troop members (adults) was drawn on the basis of the voiceprint identification. The network showed three characteristics as follows: (1) matriarchs of the kin-groups frequently exchanged “coo” sounds with each other; (2) the other females exchanged “coo” sounds mostly within their own kin-groups; and (3) males seldom participated in the “coo” sound exchange. This suggests that “coo” sound exchange plays a central role for the matriarch of kin-groups in binding each kin-group and, ultimately, in binding all members together into an organized troop.     

Environmental effects on zein chromatograms of maize inbred lines revealed by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography

Summary Alcohol soluble seed storage proteins (zeins and alcohol soluble glutelins) of maize (Zea mays L.) were separated by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (RP-HPLC). The objectives were to assess the reproducibility of chromatographic profiles using seed of inbred lines that had been produced in different locations and years. Reproducible differences between sources were seen but these were restricted to proteins that contributed 2% or less to an inbred profile. The majority of variation (93% for peak percent area; 99.8% for elution time) was between inbreds. RP-HPLC can therefore provide distinctive phenotypic profiles that are largely characteristic of genotype. Such qualitative and quantitative data will be valuable for studies of taxonomy, evolution, genetics, and germplasm identification.     

Characterization of messenger RNA by direct translation from agarose gels

A method for characterizing nanogram quantities of poly(A)-containing messenger RNAs that have been fractionated according to size by electrophoresis through agarose gels has been developed. The mRNAs from Friend leukemia cells were identified by the protein products they encode, as determined by slicing the agarose gel and directly translating the enclosed mRNA with an extract from rabbit reticulocytes that had been treated with micrococcal nuclease. A number of parameters which affect the efficiency of translation in this system have been examined. These include the sensitivity of the in vitro translational system to RNA, the agarose concentration, the incubation temperature, and the addition of either exogeneous tRNA or RNasin. The procedure is rapid, simple, reproducible, and applicable for the fractionation and characterization of mRNAs from any source.     

Redescription of Heterodea zeae,the Corn Cyst Nematode,with SEM Observations

Heterodera zeae, the corn cyst nematode, is redescribed and illustrated with comparative details and measurements of females, cysts, and larvae from Maryland, USA; and India. Scanning electron micrographs o f specimens from the United States are also presented. Revised measurements for the larval stylet and new diadnostic characters, especially in the cyst cone, for H. zeae are given. The relationship of H. zeae to close species is discussed.     

反相高效液相色谱分析种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质鉴定大麦品种(英文)

本文采用反相高效液相色谱(reversedphase high-performance liquid chromatography,RP-HPLC)技术分析了中国种植的24个不同大麦品种的种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质。首先,根据所获得的色谱图的相似性可以将供试品种分成10组,每组各有自己的共同特征色谱峰;其次,再依据各组内不同品种间色谱图的定性或定量上的差异可以将它们分别区别和鉴定;这表明大麦种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质的异质性较强,其组成随基因型的不同而有所变异。因此,应用RP-HPLC技术分析大麦种子醇溶贮藏蛋白质可以准确、快速地对大麦品种进行鉴定。     

Molecular Diagnosis of Meloidogyne Species

Genetic variation within nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of Meloidogyne species and host races has been evaluated for the development of root-knot nematode molecular diagnostics. This review summarizes the distinctive features of several useful DNA-based assays for plant-parasitic nematodes, focusing upon the direct application of these procedures for Meloidogyne detection, identification, and systematics.     

A meristic, morphometric and biochemical investigation of Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus (Latrobe)

Juvenile Atlantic menhaden, Brevoortia tyrannus , were collected from estuarine waters of the Atlantic coast of the United States. Those collected north of latitude 40°N had lower numbers of total and trunk vertebrae, ventral scutes and interhaemal spines, and shallower heads, smaller eyes, shorter predorsal lengths, and lower frequencies of the fastest allele observed at the transferrin locus than those collected south of Long Island. Although the evidence is still inconclusive, the potential for at least two subpopulations still exists: one which spawns in the spring and early summer and is responsible for the primary recruitment in the northern North Atlantic area, and one which spawns in the autumn and winter and contributes the majority of recruitment in the middle and southern North Atlantic areas of the United States.     

Discrimination between closely related Triticeae species using genomic DNA as a probe

Summary Labelled total genomic DNA was used as a probe in combination with blocking DNA to discriminate between taxonomically closely related species in the genera Hordeum and Secale. Discrimination was possible both by Southern hybridization to size-fractionated restriction enzyme digests of genomic DNA and by in situ hybridization to chromosome preparations. To distinguish between two species (e.g. H. vulgare and H. bulbosum), genomic DNA from one species was used as the labelled probe, while unlabelled DNA from the other species was applied at a much higher concentration as a block. The blocking DNA presumably hybridized to sequences in common between the block and the labelled probe, and between the block and DNA sequences on the membrane or chromosomes in situ. If so, mainly species-specific sequences would remain as sites for probe hybridization. These species-specific sequences are dispersed and represent a substantial proportion of the genome (unlike many cloned, species-specific sequences). Consequently, rapid nonradioactive methods detected probe hybridization sites satisfactorily. The method was able to confirm the parentage of hybrid plants. It has potentially wide application in plant breeding for the detection of alien DNA transfer, and it can be easily adapted to many species.