Shoot regeneration from tissue-cultured leaves of the American cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon)

A method for shoot regeneration from leaf explants in two cultivars of cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon Ait.) is described. Modified Anderson's medium supplemented with combinations of thidiazuron (TDZ) with or without 1 M NAA (-naphthaleneacetic acid) was used to optimize shoot regeneration. The effect of light or dark incubation was also determined. Maximum regeneration was obtained in the light in the presence of 10 M TDZ and 1 M NAA. While this medium was suitable for leaf explants obtained from shoot cultures, regeneration did not occur from leaves collected from greenhouse-grown plants. Elongation of the regenerated shoot tips did not occur until explants were transferred to growth regulator-free medium at which time only a minority of shoots elongated. Elongated shoots could be dissected away from leaf tissue, rooted easily, and acclimitized to ambient conditions.Abbreviations NAA -naphthaleneacetic acid - TDZ 1-phenyl-3-(1,2,3-thiadiazol-5-yl) urea     

Vegetation differences caused by pine vole mound building in subalpine plant communities in the Spanish Pyrenees

The influence of mediterranean pine vole (Microtus (Terricola) duodecimcostatus) mound-building activity in two Western Spanish Pyrenees plant communities (Mesobromion erecti and Festucion eskiae-Nardion strictae) were studied. The plants colonizing the gaps in these areas are different in the two cases considered. The plant composition of surrounding plant communities seems to be the main factor in revegetation. Mound-building activity changes the species' relative frequency and life-form spectrum, decreases the monocytyledonous/dicotyledonous ratio and increases diversity by diminishing the presence of dominant plant species.Abbreviations ME Mesobromion erecti - FN Festucion eskiae-Nardion strictae - (monocots) Monocotyledonous - (dicots) Dicotyledonous     

Immunochemical and immunohistological expression of Lewis histo-blood group antigens in small intestine including individuals of the Le(a+b+) and Le(a−b−) nonsecretor phenotypes

Histological samples and total non-acid glycosphingolipids were prepared from small intestine of human cadavers with the Le(a+b+) and Le(a–b–) nonsecretor phenotypes and contrasted with the more common Lewis phenotypes. Glycolipid fractions were analysed by thin-layer chromatography and tested for Lewis activity with monoclonal antibodies reactive to Lewis epitopes. Paraffin-embedded small intestine sections were also fluorescently immunostained with anti-Lewis antibodies. Unlike the common Lewis positive phenotypes, we were immunochemically able to demonstrate the copresence of large amounts of Le^a and Le^b glycolipids in the Le(a+b+) sample. In addition we demonstrated increased formation of extended Lewis structures in this phenotype. By immunohistochemistry Le^a, Le^b and type 1 precursor chain epitopes could be demonstrated in the brush border. These results show that the expression of the Le(a+b+) phenotype at the erythrocyte phenotyping level parallels the small intestinal expression of this phenotype, and the patterns of Lewis antigen expressions are unique to this phenotype. By immunohistochemistry and immunochemistry we also demonstrated the presence of trace amounts of Lewis active glycoconjugates in the small intestine of the Le(a–b–) nonsecretor and Le(a+b–) samples. In the Le(a–b–) nonsecretor Le^a and Le^b activity was absent and type 1 precursor was present in brush border, while Le^b activity was immunohistologically demonstrated in the Golgi apparatus of the deep glands. Trace amounts of both Le^a and Le^b glycolipids were identified in this sample. In parallel trace Le^b activity could also be detected in the glycolipids of the Le(a+b–) sample and could be immunohistologically demonstrated to be fully expressed in occasional cells in the deep glands of the small intestine, a pattern quite dissimilar to that of the Le(a–b–) nonsecretor. The results in this paper show that the expression of Lewis glycoconjugates in the small intestine parallel the expression of Lewis erythrocyte phenotypes. However, inappropriate Lewis activity is also seen in individuals of other phenotypes and the mechanisms by which these Lewis antigens are made appears to be different for different phenotypes.Abbreviations FITC fluorescein isothiocyanate - HPLC high-performance liquid chromatography - NeuAc N-acetyl-d-neuraminic acid - RBC red blood cell - TLC thin-layer chromatography - TRITC tetramethyl rhodamine isothiocyanate     

The use of constitutive nuclear oncoproteins to count neurons in the enteric nervous system of the guinea pig

Immunohistochemical double labelling of the enteric nervous system of the guinea pig ileum was performed with a monoclonal antibody (anti-MYC 033) directed against a peptide sequence of the human c-Myc protein together with antibodies directed against either the neuron-specific antigens neuron-specific enolase or PGP 9.5 or the glia-specific marker S-100 to demonstrate that anti-MYC 033 labelled the nuclei of all enteric neurons but not glia. This strategy was also employed to demonstrate that another anti-c-Myc monoclonal anti-body, anti-MYC 070, labelled the nuclei of all neurons and glia, as well as perhaps all other cells in these preparations. A polyclonal antiserum raised against a peptide sequence of the human c-Fos protein (anti-FOS 4) was shown to label the identical nuclei as anti-MYC 033. The ganglionic density of nuclei labelled by anti-FOS 4 was found to be similar to previous measures of the ganglionic density of neurons. Double labelling with anti-MYC 033 and an antiserum directed against vasoactive intestinal polypeptide was performed to reexamine the ganglionic density of neurons that express this neuropeptide. Our results suggest that the ganglionic density of these neurons might be less than previously determined.     

Wave-separation in complex systems. Application to brain-signals

A departure from single-system dynamics, that may arise in characterizing self-organized dynamics of complex systems, is dealt with by using the Karhunen-Loève expansion of the trajectory matrix to decompose an experimental signal in a sum of spectral features. For an electroencephalographic -signal, a separation of waves and extraction of additive sub-signals are achieved, each sub-signal covering a well-bounded and physiologically meaningful frequency range. From the subsignals, an attractor that vanishes on phase-randomizing the data is characterized, under conditions where none was found for the recorded signal.     

Proteomics analysis of meclofenamic acid-treated small cell lung carcinoma cells revealed changes in cellular energy metabolism for cancer cell survival

Small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) is a highly aggressive cancer with low survival rate. Although initial response to chemotherapy in SCLC patients is well-rated, the treatments applied after the disease relapses are not successful. Drug resistance is accepted to be one of the main reasons for this failure. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatment strategies for SCLC. Meclofenamic acid, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug, has been shown to have anticancer effects on various types of cancers via different mechanisms. The aim of this study was to investigate the alterations that meclofenamic acid caused on a SCLC cell line, DMS114 using the tools of proteomics namely two-dimensional gel electrophoresis coupled to MALDI-TOF/TOF and nHPLC coupled to LC-MS/MS. Among the proteins identified by both methods, those showing significantly altered expression levels were evaluated using bioinformatics databases, PANTHER and STRING. The key altered metabolism upon meclofenamic acid treatment appeared to the cellular energy metabolism. Glycolysis was suppressed, whereas mitochondrial activity and oxidative phosphorylation were boosted. The cells underwent metabolic reprogramming to adapt into their new environment for survival. Metabolic reprogramming is known to cause drug resistance in several cancer types including SCLC. The identified differentially regulated proteins in here associated with energy metabolism hold value as the potential targets to overcome drug resistance in SCLC treatment.     

A molecular perspective on the phylogeny of placental mammals based on mitochondrial 12S rDNA sequences,with special reference to the problem of the Paenungulata

Part of the 12S rDNA gene was amplified and sequenced for 11 placental mammals, 3 marsupials, and 2 monotremes. Multiple alignments for these sequences and nine additional placental sequences taken from GenBank were obtained using CLUSTAL. Phylogenetic analyses were performed using standard parsimony, transversion parsimony, and Lake's method of invariants. All of our analyses uniteLoxodontia withDugong. Procavia, in turn, is a sister group to these taxa, thus supporting the monophyly of the Paenungulata. Perissodactyls are a sister group to paenungulates when transitions and transversions are both included but not when transitions are omitted. Likewise, cetaceans are a sister group to artiodactyls on minimum length trees under standard parsimony but not under transversion parsimony. Rodent monophyly and bat monophyly also receive mixed support, as does a putative alliance between primates and lagomorphs. Interestingly, the percentage divergence between the echidna and the platypus is less than for the rat and mouse.     

Can an acoustic observatory contribute to the conservation of threatened species?

Observatories are designed to collect data for a range of uses. The Australian Acoustic Observatory (A2O) was established to collect environmental sound, including audible species calls, from 344 recorders at 86 sites around Australia. We examine the potential of the A2O to monitor near threatened, threatened, endangered and critically endangered species, based on their vocal behaviour, geographic distributions in relation to the sites of the A2O and on some knowledge of habitat use. Using IUCN and EPBC lists of threatened and endangered species, we extracted species that vocalized in the audible range, and using conservative estimates of their geographic ranges, determined whether there was a possibility of hearing them at these sites. We found that it may be possible to detect up to 171 threatened species at sites established for the A2O, and that individual sites have the potential to detect up to 40 threatened species. All 86 sites occurred in locations where threatened species could possibly be detected, and the list of detectable species included birds, amphibians, and mammals. We have incidentally detected one mammal and four bird species in the data during other work. Threatening processes to which potentially detectable species were exposed included all but two IUCN threat categories. We concluded that with applications of technology to search the audio data from the A2O, it could serve as an important tool for monitoring threatened species.