Enamel thickness,microstructure and development in Afropithecus turkanensis

Afropithecus turkanensis, a 17-17.5 million year old large-bodied hominoid from Kenya, has previously been reported to be the oldest known thick-enamelled Miocene ape. Most investigations of enamel thickness in Miocene apes have been limited to opportunistic or destructive studies of small samples. Recently, more comprehensive studies of enamel thickness and microstructure in Proconsul, Lufengpithecus, and Dryopithecus, as well as extant apes and fossil humans, have provided information on rates and patterns of dental development, including crown formation time, and have begun to provide a comparative context for interpretation of the evolution of these characters throughout the past 20 million years of hominoid evolution. In this study, enamel thickness and aspects of the enamel microstructure in two A. turkanensis second molars were quantified and provide insight into rates of enamel apposition, numbers of cells actively secreting enamel, and the time required to form regions of the crown. The average value for relative enamel thickness in the two molars is 21.4, which is a lower value than a previous analysis of this species, but which is still relatively thick compared to extant apes. This value is similar to those of several Miocene hominoids, a fossil hominid, and modern humans. Certain aspects of the enamel microstructure are similar to Proconsul nyanzae, Dryopithecus laietanus, Lufengpithecus lufengensis, Graecopithecus freybergi and Pongo pygmaeus, while other features differ from extant and fossil hominoids. Crown formation times for the two teeth are 2.4-2.6 years and 2.9-3.1 years respectively. These times are similar to a number of extant and fossil hominoids, some of which appear to show additional developmental similarities, including thick enamel. Although thick enamel may be formed through several developmental pathways, most Miocene hominoids and fossil hominids with relatively thick enamel are characterized by a relatively long period of cuspal enamel formation and a rapid rate of enamel secretion throughout the whole cusp, but a shorter total crown formation time than thinner-enamelled extant apes.     

Direct interaction of post-synaptic density-95/Dlg/ZO-1 domain-containing synaptic molecule Shank3 with GluR1 alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid receptor

A class of scaffolding protein containing the post-synaptic density-95/Dlg/ZO-1 (PDZ) domain is thought to be involved in synaptic trafficking of alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) receptors during development. To clarify the molecular mechanism of AMPA receptor trafficking, we performed a yeast two-hybrid screening system using the cytoplasmic tail of the GluR1 subunit of AMPA receptor as a bait and identified a synaptic molecule, Shank3/ProSAP2, as a GluR1 subunit-interacting molecule. Shank3 is a PDZ domain-containing multidomain protein and is predominantly expressed in developing neurons. Using the glutathione S-transferase pull-down assay and immunoprecipitation technique we demonstrated that the GluR1 subunit directly binds to the PDZ domain of Shank3 via its carboxyl terminal PDZ-binding motif. We raised anti-Shank3 antibody to investigate the expression of Shank3 in cortical neurons. The pattern of Shank3 immunoreactivity was strikingly punctate, mainly observed in the spines, and closely matched the pattern of post-synaptic density-95 immunoreactivity, indicating that Shank3 is colocalized with post-synaptic density-95 in the same spines. When Shank3 and the GluR1 subunit were overexpressed in primary cortical neurons, they were also colocalized in the spines. Taken together with the biochemical interaction of Shank3 with the GluR1 subunit, these results suggest that Shank3 is an important molecule that interacts with GluR1 AMPA receptor at synaptic sites of developing neurons.     

Turing bifurcations with a temporally varying diffusion coefficient

This paper is concerned with the possibility of Turing bifurcations in a reaction-diffusion system in which the diffusion coefficient of one species varies periodically in time. This problem was introduced and investigated numerically by Timm and Okubo (J. Math. Biol. 30, 307, 1992) in the context of predator-prey interactions in plankton populations. Here, I consider the simple case in which the temporal variation in diffusivity has a square-tooth form, alternating between two constant values, with a period that is long compared with the time scale of the kinetics. The analysis is valid for any set of reaction kinetics. I derive explicit expressions for the Floquet multipliers that determine the stability of the steady state, and thereby obtain the conditions for diffusion driven instability to occur. These conditions imply that, depending on the kinetics, the homogeneous equilibrium may be either more or less stable than when the diffusion coefficient is a constant equal to the mean of the variable diffusivity. I go on to consider the form of the solution when diffusion driven instability does occur, and I use perturbation theory to determine the effect of a small temporal variation in the diffusion coefficient on the spatial wavelength of the pattern that results from diffusion driven instability.     

Life history shifts and alterations in the early development of parasitic wasps

Summary

In insects, the regulation of embryonic development has been intensively studied in model species like Drosophila melanogaster. Previous comparative studies have suggested that the developmental processes documented in Drosophila well describe embryogenesis of holometabolous insects generally. However, there have been few attempts to take into account how life history has influenced insect embryogenesis or to characterize early development of species with life histories fundamentally different from flies. Our studies of advanced insects in the order Hymenoptera suggest that punctuated shifts in life history can profoundly influence these events. In particular, alterations associated with the evolution of endoparasitism argue that departures from the fly paradigm may occur commonly among insects that develop under conditions different from typical terrestrial species.     

Chromosome‐level genome assembly for the horned‐gall aphid provides insights into interactions between gall‐making insect and its host plant

The aphid Schlechtendalia chinensis is an economically important insect that can induce horned galls, which are valuable for the medicinal and chemical industries. Up to now, more than twenty aphid genomes have been reported. Most of the sequenced genomes are derived from free‐living aphids. Here, we generated a high‐quality genome assembly from a galling aphid. The final genome assembly is 271.52 Mb, representing one of the smallest sequenced genomes of aphids. The genome assembly is based on contig and scaffold N50 values of the genome sequence are 3.77 Mb and 20.41 Mb, respectively. Nine‐seven percent of the assembled sequences was anchored onto 13 chromosomes. Based on BUSCO analysis, the assembly involved 96.9% of conserved arthropod and 98.5% of the conserved Hemiptera single‐copy orthologous genes. A total of 14,089 protein‐coding genes were predicted. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that S. chinensis diverged from the common ancestor of Eriosoma lanigerum approximately 57 million years ago (MYA). In addition, 35 genes encoding salivary gland proteins showed differentially when S. chinensis forms a gall, suggesting they have potential roles in gall formation and plant defense suppression. Taken together, this high‐quality S. chinensis genome assembly and annotation provide a solid genetic foundation for future research to reveal the mechanism of gall formation and to explore the interaction between aphids and their host plants.     

The hypothesis of sympatric speciation as the dominant generator of endemism in a global hotspot of biodiversity

Allopatric or sympatric speciation influence the degree to which closely related species coexist in different manners, altering the patterns of phylogenetic structure and turnover among and between communities. The objective of this study was to examine whether phylogenetic community structure and turnover in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest permit conclusions about the dominant process for the formation of extant angiosperm richness of tree species. Therefore, we analyzed phylogenetic community structure (MPD, MNTD) as well as taxonomic (Jaccard similarity) and phylogenetic turnover (betaMPD, betaMNTD) among and between 49 tree communities distributed among three different habitat types. Mean annual precipitation and mean annual temperature in each survey area were estimated. Phylogenetic community structure does not differ between habitat types, although MPD reduces with mean annual temperature. Jaccard similarity decreases and betaMNTD increases with spatial distance and environmental differences between study sites. Spatial distance explains the largest portions of variance in the data, indicating dispersal limitation and the spatial aggregation of recently formed taxa, as betaMNTD is related to more recent evolutionary events. betaMPD, that is related to deep evolutionary splits, shows no spatial or environmental pattern, indicating that older clades are equally distributed across the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. While similarity pattern indicates dispersal limitations, the spatial turnover of betaMNTD is consistent with a high degree of sympatric speciation generating extant diversity and endemism in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest. More comprehensive approaches are necessary to reduce spatial sampling bias, uncertainties regarding angiosperm diversification patterns and confirm sympatric speciation as the dominant generator for the formation of extant species diversity in the Brazilian Atlantic Forest.     

哺乳动物毛色形成机制与影响因素

哺乳动物拥有丰富多彩的毛色,对于多种多样的动物毛色,影响其形成的可能原因较多,遗传物质与环境的相互作用不可忽视。本文针对调控黑色素细胞形成及褐黑色素、真黑色素合成的相关基因,分析了哺乳动物毛色形成的可能机制,并对研究不同毛色动物的同种动物遗传差异的方法进行了讨论。     

In vitro induction of multiple shoots and plant regeneration inVigna

Summary Cotyledonary nodes, excised cotyledons, and hypocotyl segments of six varieties ofVigna mungo andV. radiata have been tested for their morphogenic potential on media containing a range of hormonal combinations including benzyladenine, kinetin, thidiazuron (TDZ), and zeatin. Multiple shoots developed on cotyledonary node explants in all varieties tested on basal medium containing cytokinin. Presence of both the cotyledons, either full or half, resulted in a maximum number of shoots produced. Shoot bud regeneration was achieved via meristem formation on excised cotyledons on Murashige-skoog basal medium with B₅ vitamins supplemented with TDZ. Mature plants had normal phenotypes.V. mungo var. PS1 andV. radiata var. Pusa 105 were found to be the most responsive varieties for shoot regneration. The histology ofin vitro organogenesis was studied.