Hensen's node,but not other biological signallers,can induce supernumerary digits in the developing chick limb bud

Summary The purpose of this study was to determine whether the organizer regions of early avian and amphibian embryos could induce supernumerary (SN) wing structures to develop when they were grafted to a slit in the anterior side of stage 19–23 chick wing buds. Supernumerary digits developed in 43% of the wings that received anterior grafts of Hensen's node from stage 4–6 quail or chick embryos; in addition, 16% of the wings had rods of SN cartilage, but not recognizable SN digits. The grafted quail tissue did not contribute to the SN structures. When tissue anterior or lateral to Hensen's node or lateral pieces of the area pellucida caudal to Hensen's node were grafted to anterior slits, the wings usually developed normally. No SN structures developed when Hensen's nodes were grafted to posterior slits in chick wing buds. Wings developed normally when pieces of the dorsal lip of the blastopore from stage 10–11.5 frog (Xenopus laevis and Rana pipiens) embryos were grafted to anterior slits. No SN digits developed when other tissues that have limb-inducing activity in adult urodele amphibians [chick otic vesicle, frog (Rana pipiens) lung and kidney] or that can act as heteroinductors in neural induction (rat kidney, lung, submaxillary gland and urinary bladder; mouse liver and submaxillary gland) were grafted to anterior slits in chick wing buds. SN digits also failed to develop following preaxial grafts of chick optic vesicles. These results suggest that although the anteroposterior polarity of the chick wing bud can be influenced by factors other than the ZPA (e.g., Hensen's node, retinoids), the wing is not so labile that it can respond to a wide variety of inductively-active tissues.     

Truncatella angustata associated with grapevine trunk disease in northern Iran

In recent years, grapevine trunk diseases have gained growing attentions due to worldwide incidence of the disease. In a survey on fungal agents associated with grapevine trunk diseases in northern Iran, wood samples were collected from grapevines having the symptoms of declination. Isolation was made using routine plant pathology methods. A coelomycetous fungus with appendage-bearing conidia was recovered from symptomatic tissues. Based on morphological and cultural characteristics, the causal agent of the disease was identified as Truncatella angustata. The identity of the species was further confirmed by sequence data of internal transcribed spacer-rDNA region. A phylogeny inferred using sequence data obtained in this study, together with the sequences from GenBank, clustered our isolates together with T. angustata known from other host plant species. Pathogenicity tests performed on detached shoots of grapevines led to the same symptoms as observed in field conditions. This is first study on the pathogenicity of T. angustata on grapevine in Iran and first report on the occurrence of T. angustata on grapevine in Iran.     

In Vivo Quantitative Imaging Provides Insights into Trunk Neural Crest Migration

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A new Bennettitalean trunk with unilacunar five-trace nodal structure from the Upper Cretaceous of Hokkaido, Japan

A new species of Bucklandia is described based on a permineralized fossil trunk that was obtained from sediments of Upper Cretaceous age from Hokkaido, Japan. The quality of preservation is exquisite, and anatomical and morphological features are preserved at the cellular level. The specimen is clearly bennettitalean because of the cycadeoidean-type arrangement of vascular bundles in the petiole. However, this specimen is unique among previously described progymnosperms and gymnosperms in possessing a unilacunar five-trace type of nodal structure. The fossil thus contributes to a more complete understanding of the variation of nodal structure in bennettitalean trunks.     

Analysis of spatial and temporal gene expression patterns in blastula and gastrula stage chick embryos

Studies on the genetic basis of rostral-caudal specification, neural induction, and head development require knowledge of the relevant gene expression patterns. Gaps in our understanding of gene expression have led us to examine the detailed spatiotemporal expression patterns of 19 genes implicated in early development, to learn more about their potential role in specifying and patterning early developmental processes leading to head formation. Here, we report the expression patterns of these markers in blastula- and gastrula-stage chick embryos, using whole-mount in situ hybridisation. Nodal, Fgf8, Bmp7, Chordin, Lim1, Hnf3beta, Otx2, Goosecoid, Cerberus, Hex, Dickkopf1, and Crescent are all already expressed by the time the egg is laid. When the primitive streak has reached its full length, a later group of genes, including Ganf, Six3, Bmp2, Bmp4, Noggin, Follistatin, and Qin (BF1), begins to be expressed. We reassess current models of early rostral patterning based on the analysis of these dynamic spatiotemporal expression patterns.     

Monogenic inheritance of trunk banding patterns in Barbus tetrazona

The Sumatra barb Barbus tetrazona exhibits two trunk banding patterns: a four-banded and a five-banded pattern characteristic of B. t. tetrazona and B. t. partipentazona , respectively. Segregation patterns in the progenies from 11 different matings suggest monogenic inheritance of trunk banding in this species.     

肝素钠对肢体缺血/再灌注损伤大鼠肠系膜微循环的保护作用

目的:通过观察肝素钠对肢体缺血/再灌注(LI/R)过程中肠系膜微循环的动态变化和血液流变性的影响,探讨肝素减轻LI/R损伤的可能机制,为LI/R损伤的防治提供理论依据。方法:实验采用本室常规方法复制大鼠LI/R模型,正常雄性Wistar大鼠20只,随机分为2组(n=10):肝素组(H组)和单纯缺血/再灌注组(I/R组),两组动物均于再灌注损伤后2h时动态观察肠系膜微血管管径、血流速度、白细胞黏附、白微栓及微血管壁的完整性(管周出血)等情况,同时测定各组动物血液流变学指标和血清中P-选择素和细胞间粘附分子1(ICAM-1)的值。结果:肠系膜微动、静脉管径扩张,血流速度减慢,微血管中大量白细胞贴壁、粘附,白微栓形成增多,与I/R组比较,H组大鼠肠系膜微动脉血流速度(AFV)和微静脉血流速度(VFV)显著下降(P0.01);血浆黏度(ηp)、全血低切还原黏度(Lηre)、全血高切还原黏度(Hηre)、红细胞压积(Hct)、红细胞聚集指数(EAI)、血沉方程K值(ESRK)、红细胞刚性指数(TK)均显著下降(P0.01);红细胞变形指数(EDI)显著升高(P0.01);血清中P-选择素、ICAM-1水平均显著下降(P0.01)。结论:肝素可能通过降低血清中P-选择素和ICAM-1的水平而改善肢体缺血/再灌注损伤大鼠的全身微循环状态。     

太行山南麓低山丘陵区栓皮栎直径变化及其与环境因子的关系

使用周长传感器(Circumference DC2)研究了太行山南麓低山丘陵上栓皮栎人工林树干直径的日变化及其影响因子.结果表明:在季节性干旱期间,栓皮栎树干的直径变化周期性明显,直径收缩与液流启动时间基本一致,直径最小值滞后于液流速率最大值3 ～4 h;栓皮栎直径日最大收缩量(MDS)呈现低-高-低的变化趋势,与累积液流通量和叶片水势日差值极显著相关,与土壤含水量呈显著的二次方程关系.MDS值受气象因子变化的影响,与温度日差值、蒸汽压亏缺日差值和相对湿度日差值显著相关,而与太阳辐射日差值的相关性不显著.连续降水后,土壤水分不再是栓皮栎直径变化的限制因子,MDS值与累积液流通量、叶片水势、土壤含水量和气象因子差值的相关性均不显著.季节性干旱期和雨季的土壤含水量和温度是影响树干直径日变化的主要因子.     

神经干复合动作电位实验的软件设计

本文描述神经干复合动作电位实验的软件设计及其主要特点,友好的人机界面和简便的波形处理,并给出了实际实验结果,由于软件设计在智能化仪器中的重要作用,所以应加以仔细考虑。