Priming immunization against cholera toxin and E. coli heat-labile toxin by a cholera toxin short peptide-beta-galactosidase hybrid synthesized in E. coli.

A synthetic oligodeoxynucleotide encoding for a small peptide was employed for the expression of this peptide in a form suitable for immunization. The encoded peptide, namely, the region 50-64 of the B subunit of cholera toxin (CTP3), had previously been identified as a relevant epitope of cholera toxin. Thus, multiple immunizations with its conjugate to a protein carrier led to an efficient neutralizing response against native cholera toxin. Immunization with the resulting fusion protein of CTP3 and beta-galactosidase, followed by a booster injection of a sub-immunizing amount (1 microgram) of cholera toxin, led to a substantial level of neutralizing antibodies against both cholera toxin and the heat-labile toxin of Escherichia coli.     

Stationary underwater prey missed by reef herons,Egretta gularis: head position and light refraction at the moment of strike

Summary This paper attempts to verify the importance of spatial positioning of the eyes of reef heronsEgretta gularis schistacea, when coping with light refraction at the air-water interface. The herons' striking of prey, while their approach angle was restricted, was observed. (a) The herons' capture success in the restricted situation was markedly lower than in the unrestricted situation. (b) The points of strike (STR) in unsuccessful strikes differed from those of successful strikes, and from those of the unrestricted situation. (c) The larger the difference between the observed and the predicted ratio of prey depth to apparent prey depth, the higher the probability of missing a prey. These results support predictions of a model presented elsewhere (Katzir and Intrator 1987) that a heron will attempt to reach spatial positions at which prey's real depth and apparent depth are linearly correlated.     

白细胞介素－2中枢镇痛作用途径的探讨

抗ＩＬ－２受体α亚基的单克隆抗体不能阻断ＩＬ－２的中枢镇痛作用,以及丧失与ＩＬ－２受体β亚基结合能力的ＩＬ－２突变体仍具有提高大鼠痛阈的能力,这表明ＩＬ－２的中枢镇痛作用并不是通过ＩＬ－２受体所介导,亦表示ＩＬ－２的免疫和镇痛作用是通过不同的受体途径实现的。加之内源性阿片肽与ＩＬ－２分子有着共同的抗原决定基和结构相似性,提示ＩＬ－２可以与阿片受体直接结合产生中枢镇痛效应。从放射免疫法测定的ＩＬ－２侧脑室注射后不同时间大鼠脑内不同核团的内源性阿片肽含量,推测ＩＬ－２的中枢镇痛作用可能还与弓状核、室旁核、蓝斑等核团的β－ＥＰ和ＬＥＫ有关。     

Monitoring the persistence of Laccaria bicolor as an ectomycorrhizal symbiont of nursery-grown Douglas fir by PCR of the rDNA intergenic spacer

The large-scale inoculation of selected beneficial ectomycorrhizal fungi in forest nurseries has generated renewed interest in the ecology of these symbiotic fungi. However, information on the dissemination and persistence of introduced symbionts is scarce due to the limitation of the current identification methods. To identify ectomycorrhizal fungi on single root tips, we investigated the polymorphism of the PCR-amplified ribosomal DNA intergenic spacer (IGS) from a wide range of ectomycorrhizal fungi. To investigate the reliability of this molecular approach in large-scale surveys, the dissemination and persistence on Douglas fir seedlings of the introduced Laccaria bicolor S238N were assessed in a forest nursery in the Massif Central (France). Several hundred ectomycorrhizas and fruiting bodies were sampled from plots where control and L. bicolor inoculated-Douglas fir seedlings were grown for 1.5 years. PCR typing of mycorrhizas indicated that trees inoculated with L. bicolor S238N remained exclusively colonized by that isolate (or sexually derived isolates) for the entire test period. In contrast, control seedlings were infected by indigenous isolates of Laccaria laccata and Thelephora terrestris. The molecular evidence for the persistence of the introduced mycobiont despite the competition from indigenous isolates of the same species provides further illustration of the potential of exotic species for large-scale microbial application.