Fragen und Aufgaben der Vogelsprachkunde

Ohne ZusammenfassungIII.) Nachtigall, Kuckuck, Tannenmeise.S. Journ. f. Ornithologie 1917, Festschrift für Reichenow.     

Heterogeneity of neural tube defects in Europe: the significance of site of defect and presence of other major anomalies in relation to geographic differences in prevalence.

In the period 1980-1987, neural tube defects were two to three times more prevalent in populations covered by EUROCAT registries in the United Kingdom and Ireland (UKI) than in Continental Europe and Malta (CEM). 1864 NTD cases in a total population of 580,000 births in UKI and 455 cases in a population of 380,000 births in CEM were analysed to find if there were differences in the ratio of prevalence rates between UKI and CEM according to site of the defect and association with non-central nervous system (CNS) anomalies. The prevalence rate ratio was high for anencephaly with accompanying spina bifida, iniencephaly, and upper spina bifida, and low for encephalocele, lower spina bifida, and anencephaly without other neural tube defects. There was a greater female excess for anencephaly with accompanying spina bifida, iniencephaly, and upper spina bifida than for other defects in both geographic areas. There was a female excess for encephalocele in UKI but a male excess in CEM. Certain sites (anencephaly with accompanying spina bifida, iniencephaly, and encephalocele) were more likely to have accompanying non-CNS anomalies. The prevalence rate ratio of multiply malformed NTD was in general lower than for isolated NTD but showed the same pattern by site. The prevalence rate ratio was high for multiply malformed anencephaly with accompanying spina bifida, iniencephaly, and upper spina bifida. The sex ratio was similar between isolated and multiply malformed cases when site of the defect is taken into account. It is concluded that the geographic prevalence pattern and sex ratio differ according to site of NTD but do not differ substantially according to whether NTD is isolated or associated with non-CNS anomalies.     

Suborganellar Localization and Molecular Characterization of Nonproteolytic Degraded Leukoplast Pyruvate Kinase from Developing Castor Oil Seeds

Several genes involved in the ability of Synechococcus sp. PCC 7942 to grow under different CO2 concentrations were mapped in the genomic region of rbcLS (the operon encoding the large and small subunits of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase). Insertion of a cartridge encoding kanamycin resistance within open reading frame (ORF) 78, designated ccmJ, located 7 kb upstream of rbcLS, resulted in a kanamycin-resistant, high-CO2-requiring mutant, M3, which does not contain normal carboxysomes. ccmJ shows significant homology to csoS1 encoding a carboxysomal shell polypeptide in Thiobacillus neopolitanus. Analysis of the polypeptide pattern of a carboxysome-enriched fraction indicated several differences between the wild type and the mutant. The amount of the ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase subunits was considerably smaller in the carboxysomal fraction of the mutant when compared to the wild type. On the basis of the sequence analyses, ORF286 and ORF466, located downstream of ccmJ, were identified as chlL and chlN, respectively, which are involved in chlorophyll biosynthesis in the dark.     

Plasmid analysis of Australian strains of Salmonella enteritidis

Using an in-well lysis technique, 73 Australian strains of Salmonella enteritidis were shown to possess a large plasmid, similar in size to that possessed by a reference phage type 4 strain. Restriction analysis of the large plasmid from nine strains using EcoRI, HindIII and PstI suggested that these plasmids are similar to or the same as the 38 MDa plasmid described in strains of this species from other parts of the world.     

Expansion of GARP-Expressing CD4+CD25−FoxP3+ T Cells and SATB1 Association with Activation and Coagulation in Immune Compromised HIV-1-Infected Individuals in South Africa

Virologica Sinica - Although antiretroviral treatment lowers the burden of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-related disease, it does not always result in immunological recovery. This manifests as...     

Functional activity of RLIM/Rnf12 is regulated by phosphorylation-dependent nucleocytoplasmic shuttling

The X-linked gene Rnf12 encodes the ubiquitin ligase really interesting new gene (RING) finger LIM domain–interacting protein (RLIM)/RING finger protein 12 (Rnf12), which serves as a major sex-specific epigenetic regulator of female mouse nurturing tissues. Early during embryogenesis, RLIM/Rnf12 expressed from the maternal allele is crucial for the development of extraembryonic trophoblast cells. In contrast, in mammary glands of pregnant and lactating adult females RLIM/Rnf12 expressed from the paternal allele functions as a critical survival factor for milk-producing alveolar cells. Although RLIM/Rnf12 is detected mostly in the nucleus, little is known about how and in which cellular compartment(s) RLIM/Rnf12 mediates its biological functions. Here we demonstrate that RLIM/Rnf12 protein shuttles between nucleus and cytoplasm and this is regulated by phosphorylation of serine S214 located within its nuclear localization sequence. We show that shuttling is important for RLIM to exert its biological functions, as alveolar cell survival activity is inhibited in cells expressing shuttling-deficient nuclear or cytoplasmic RLIM/Rnf12. Thus regulated nucleocytoplasmic shuttling of RLIM/Rnf12 coordinates cellular compartments during mammary alveolar cell survival.     

Defining the Range of Pathogens Susceptible to Ifitm3 Restriction Using a Knockout Mouse Model

The interferon-inducible transmembrane (IFITM) family of proteins has been shown to restrict a broad range of viruses in vitro and in vivo by halting progress through the late endosomal pathway. Further, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in its sequence have been linked with risk of developing severe influenza virus infections in humans. The number of viruses restricted by this host protein has continued to grow since it was first demonstrated as playing an antiviral role; all of which enter cells via the endosomal pathway. We therefore sought to test the limits of antimicrobial restriction by Ifitm3 using a knockout mouse model. We showed that Ifitm3 does not impact on the restriction or pathogenesis of bacterial (Salmonella typhimurium, Citrobacter rodentium, Mycobacterium tuberculosis) or protozoan (Plasmodium berghei) pathogens, despite in vitro evidence. However, Ifitm3 is capable of restricting respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in vivo either through directly restricting RSV cell infection, or by exerting a previously uncharacterised function controlling disease pathogenesis. This represents the first demonstration of a virus that enters directly through the plasma membrane, without the need for the endosomal pathway, being restricted by the IFITM family; therefore further defining the role of these antiviral proteins.     

The Responses of Young Domestic Horses to Human-Given Cues

It has been suggested that the process of domestication, at least in some species, has led to an innate predisposition to be skilled at reading human communicative and attentional cues. Adult domestic horses (Equus caballus) are highly sensitive to subtle bodily cues when determining if a person is attending to them but they are less adept at using human communicative cues in object choice tasks. Here we provide the first study into the ontogeny of such skills in order to gain insights into the mechanisms underlying these abilities. Compared with adult horses, youngsters under the age of three could use body orientation but not more subtle cues such as head movement and open/closed eyes to correctly choose an attentive person to approach for food. Across two object choice experiments, the performance of young horses was comparable to that of adult horses – subjects were able to correctly choose a rewarded bucket using marker placement, pointing and touching cues but could not use body orientation, gaze, elbow pointing or tapping cues. Taken together these results do not support the theory that horses possess an innate predisposition to be particularly skilled at using human cues. Horses'' ability to determine whether humans are attending to them using subtle body cues appears to require significant experience to fully develop and their perhaps less remarkable use of limited cues in object choice tasks, although present at a much earlier age, is likely to reflect a more general learning ability related to stimulus enhancement rather than a specific ‘human-reading’ skill.     

Rab5 regulates internalisation of P2X4 receptors and potentiation by ivermectin

The P2X4 receptor is an ATP-gated ion channel expressed in neurons, endothelia and immune cells. Plasma membrane expression of P2X4 is regulated by dynamin-dependent endocytosis, and this study identifies a Rab5-dependent pathway of receptor internalisation. Expression of Rab5 constructs altered the distribution of P2X4 in HEK-293 cells, and both constitutive internalisation and agonist-induced desensitisation of P2X4 were increased by co-expression of wild-type Rab5 or constitutively active Rab5 (Q79L). Expression of inactive dynamin K44A and Rab5 S34N constructs abolished agonist-induced desensitisation, suggesting internalisation as the underlying mechanism. Blocking P2X4 internalisation in this way also abolished potentiation of ATP-induced currents by the allosteric modulator ivermectin. This suggests that the dynamin-Rab5 internalisation pathway is essential for the ivermectin potentiation effect. In agreement with this hypothesis, the co-expression of wild-type dynamin, wild-type Rab5 or active Rab5 (Q79L) could increase the potentiation of the ATP-induced P2X4 response by ivermectin. These findings highlight Rab5 GTPase as a key regulator of P2X4 receptor cell surface expression and internalisation.