Structure and development of the ovule and seed in Aristolochiaceae, with particular reference to Saruma

All members of Aristolochiaceae have anatropous, bitegmic, crassinucellate ovules, which are endostomic except in Saruma and Asarum arifolium where ovules are amphistomic. The outer integument is two cell-layered and the inner integument is three cell-layered. The chalazal megaspore is the functional one. All these conditions appear to be plesiomorphic for the order Piperales, which consists of five families, Aristolochiaceae, Hydnoraceae, Lactoridaceae, Piperaceae and Saururaceae. The embryo sac in Aristolochiaceae is eight-nucleate and corresponds to the Polygonum type; a hypostase is frequently present in this family. The seed coat of Aristolochia s.l., Asarum, Saruma and some Thottea species consists primarily of a two cell-layered testa, and a three cell-layered tegmen. In some species the cells of the outer epidermis become radially elongated, forming reticulate wall thickenings. Cells of the inner layer of the testa have crystals and thickened inner walls. The three layers of the tegmen are tangentially elongated, and become cross fibres at maturity, as fibres of the outer and inner layers are parallel to the seed axis, whereas those of the middle layer are perpendicular to it. This type of seed coat anatomy is synapomorphic for Aristolochiaceae. In addition, the gross morphology of the seed and elaiosome histology are remarkably similar in Asarum and Saruma, thus supporting a sister-group relationship between them. Embryological and seed characters do not supply any synapomorphy that support a close relationship between Aristolochiaceae, Hydnoraceae and Lactoridaceae. Instead, some seed features such as the absence of seed appendages and the collapsed cells of endotesta may indicate a close relationship of Lactoris with Piperaceae plus Saururaceae, although this is the subject of further analysis.     

IN VITRO MORPHOGENESIS OF AMPHIBIAN ERYTHROBLASTS

Non-mammalian vertebrate erythrocytes are flattened nucleated ellipsoids containing marginal bands (MBs) of microtubules that assemble during cellular morphogenesis. Earlier work suggested that pointed erythroid cells containing pointed MBs were intermediate stages in terminal differentiation, rather than aberrant forms, but direct evidence was lacking. Here we report on morphogenesis in individual post-cytokinetic amphibian erythroblasts in culture. Daughter cells remained adjacent in pairs, and developed pointed morphology over 1–2 h in the following sequence: (a) ends opposite the cytokinetic furrow became pointed, producing a spheroidal singly-pointed stage; (b) furrow ends usually became pointed, yielding doubly-pointed cells; (c) furrow-end points disappeared, producing a second singly-pointed stage that was flattening. Over a longer term, the single points sometimes disappeared, yielding a flattened discoid. These observations support the hypothesis that pointed cells are normal intermediates in a biogenetic program in which post-mitotic centrosomes organize MBs while occupying the singly-pointed ends of differentiating erythroblasts.     

Ex utero monkey embryogenesis from blastocyst to early organogenesis

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Comparative analysis of P2Y4 and P2Y6 receptor architecture in native and transfected neuronal systems

Although extensive studies provided molecular and pharmacological characterization of metabotropic P2Y receptors for extracellular nucleotides, little is still known about their quaternary structure. By the use of transfected cellular systems and SDS-PAGE, in our previous work we established the propensity of P2Y₄ receptor to form dimeric interactions. Here we focused on endogenously expressed P2Y₄ and P2Y₆ subtypes, comparing their oligomeric complexes under Blue Native (BN) gel electrophoresis. We provided evidence that P2Y₄ and P2Y₆ receptors form high order complexes in native neuronal phenotypes and that the oligomers can be disaggregated down to the dimeric P2Y₄ or to the dimeric and monomeric P2Y₆ receptor. Moreover, dimeric P2Y₄ and monomeric P2Y₆ proteins display selective microdomain partitioning in lipid rafts from specialized subcellular compartments such as synaptosomes. Ligand activation by UTP shifted the oligomerization of P2Y₆ but not of P2Y₄ receptor, as analysed by BN electrophoresis. Finally, whereas transfected P2Y₄ and P2Y₆ proteins homo-interact and posses the appropriate domains to associate with all P2Y_1,2,4,6,11 subtypes, in naive PC12 cells the endogenous P2Y₄ forms hetero-oligomers only with the P2Y₆ subunit. In conclusion, our results indicate that quaternary structure distinguishing P2Y₄ from P2Y₆ receptors might be crucial for specific ligand activation, membrane partitioning and consequent functional regulation.     

Karyologie und ökologisch-morphologische Differenzierung vonPeumus boldus (Monimiaceae,Laurales)

The karyotype analysis ofPeumus boldus reveals a remarkable differentiation of chromosomes in size and form. C-banding pattern and interphase nuclei are discribed and compared with other genera. The great variation in leaf-shape and growth-form is continuous and correlated with the very diverse habitats of the species. The recognition of infraspecific taxa is therefore not recommended. The lower leaf surface is very uniform within the monotypic genus and ± similar with that ofSiparuna. The different evolutionary strategies ofPeumus and related genera are discussed and show a different eco-systematic situation than inMollinedia andSiparuna.

     

Changes in Free Amino Acid Levels in Developing Human Foetal Brain Regions

The levels of free amino acids were determined in human foetal brain regions during prenatal development. Variation in the distribution of amino acids and their rate of change in five segments of the CNS at different stages of ontogeny was observed. Striking developmental changes were found in the levels of aspartic acid in medulla-pons and spinal cord, glycine in the spinal cord, gamma-aminobutyric acid in the cerebral cortex, glutamic acid in the cerebral cortex, midbrain, and spinal cord, and taurine in the medulla-pons and spinal cord. At a late gestational period, glutamic acid was found most abundantly over all the brain regions, whereas the level of taurine was highest at an early gestational stage but not in spinal cord.     

Leaf flavonoids of eupomatiaceae

The leaf flavonoids of Eupomatia bennettii and E. laurina were examined and five flavonoid compounds were detected. The most distinctive of these compounds were two methylated flavones: 7-O-methylapigenin and 7,3′-di-O-methylluteolin (velutin). The flavonoids of Eupomatiaceae are most similar to those of the Winteraceae and this similarity may be indicative of a phylogenetic relationship between the two families.     

Die Epidermisskulptur als Gattungsmerkmal bei primitiven Angiospermen

Stereoscan investigations of more than 350 leaf epidermis samples fromAnnonaceae, Myristicaceae andMonimiaceae reveal that primary and secondary cuticular sculptures in some cases are stable markers on the generic level. A comparison betweenAsimina andDeeringothamnus shows the two genera to be systematically distinct but apparently closely related.

     

中华蜜蜂越冬期抗寒生理生化指标研究

本文研究活框饲养和原始饲养中华蜜蜂Apis cerana cerana Fabricius越冬期的抗寒生理生化指标变化,为中蜂抗寒生理机制和科学饲养管理提供理论依据。结果表明,两种饲养方式蜜蜂的体重、蛋白质和甘油含量均由越冬初期开始上升,越冬中后期达到最高而后下降;游离水和糖原含量均在越冬中后期出现下降;除原始饲养中蜂的CAT酶外,两种饲养方式中蜂的越冬期超氧化物歧化酶(SOD)、过氧化氢酶(CAT)和过氧化物酶(POD)酶活均在越冬中期降到最低,而总抗氧化能力呈逐渐升高趋势。但活框饲养中蜂越冬期游离水(P<0.05)和糖原含量(P>0.05)均低于原始饲养中蜂,甘油含量显著高于原始饲养中蜂(P<0.05);活框饲养中蜂与原始饲养中蜂的3种抗氧化酶活性在不同时期存在显著差异,活框饲养中蜂总抗氧化能力显著高于原始饲养中蜂(P<0.05)。蜜蜂在自然越冬时通过降低体内游离水含量,增加甘油含量来增加抗寒能力,并贮备大量糖原和蛋白质供越冬期能量消耗;同时,其体内的抗氧化酶在越冬期间发挥协同作用,减少低温刺激造成的氧化应激反应。