Epsilonematidae (Nematoda) from a cold-water coral environment in the Porcupine Seabight, with a discussion on the status of the genus Metaglochinema Gourbault & Decraemer, 1986

Thirteen species of nematodes from the family Epsilonematidae Steiner, 1927 were found to be associated with a cold-water coral reef in the Porcupine Seabight. Among them, four species were already known from various locations such as Chile and Papua New Guinea. Three new species are described here: Glochinema trispinatumsp. n. is recognized by three dorsal thorns in the pharyngeal region. This species was also recovered from the Antarctic shelf. Epsilonema multispiralumsp. n. is characterised by a multispiral amphid consisting of 3.25 coils. Bathyepsilonema lopheliaesp. n. is characterised by its body length, the position and relative width of the amphids and the nature of the cuticular ornamentation. Within the subfamily Glochinematinae Lorenzen, 1974, the number and arrangement of ambulatory setae is considered not to be of diagnostic importance. The former species Metaglochinema strigosumGourbault & Decraemer, 1993 is therefore classified under the genus GlochinemaLorenzen, 1974. The original genus diagnosis of Metaglochinema, now a monotypic genus, is adjusted. The geographic distribution of epsilonematid nematodes is briefly discussed.     

Persistent Effects of Short-term, High Exposure to Chlorine Gas on Physiology and Growth of Pinus ponderosa andPseudotsuga menziesii

Following a single acute exposure to chlorine gas, persistenteffects on epicuticular waxes, cuticular transpiration, treegrowth and mortality were studied in foliage of Pinus ponderosaand Pseudotsuga menziesii for three growing seasons. Chlorinegas exposure caused foliar injury to both exposed foliage andfoliage that flushed after exposure (P < 0.05). The tendencyto form films of water rather than droplets was greater in directlyexposed foliage (P < 0.001). Rates of cuticular transpirationwere higher for directly and indirectly exposed foliage of Pinusponderosa up to 1 year after exposure and up to 6 months afterexposure for directly exposed Pseudotsuga menziesii(P < 0.001),after which P. menziesii needles defoliated. Total water content(TWC) and relative water content were significantly correlatedwith foliar injury (P < 0.05). TWC was lower for directlyexposed foliage up to 1 year after exposure (P < 0.001).There was no persistent negative effect on F_v/F_m ratios after1 year. Exposure to chlorine gas did not affect needle lengthor annual shoot increment growth, but exposure was correlatedwith increased bud production. Needle longevity of foliage thatflushed 2 months after exposure was reduced significantly (P< 0.001). Annual stem increment growth for both species decreasedover at least three growing seasons following chlorine gas exposure(P < 0.001), and depended on distance from the spill site.Cone production was lower for exposed Pinus ponderosa treescompared to controls (P < 0.05), and tree mortality was higherwithin approx. 50 m of the release site forPseudotsuga menziesii. Growth responses for both conifers agreed well with predictedpatterns of carbon allocation after defoliation caused by chlorinegas exposure. Copyright 2001 Annals of Botany Company Pinus ponderosa, Pseudotsuga menziesii, conifers, chlorine gas, leaf wettability, cuticular transpiration, water relations, growth, mortality     

Crosslinking of microsomal proteins identifies P-9000, a protein that is co-transported with phaseolin and phytohemagglutinin in bean cotyledons

Developing cotyledons of the common bean, Phaseolus vulgaris L., transport within their secretory system (endoplasmic reticulum and Golgi apparatus) the abundant vacuolar proteins, phaseolin and phytohemagglutinin. To identify proteins that may play a role in vacuolar targeting, we treated cotyledon microsomal fractions with a bifunctional crosslinking reagent, dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate), isolated protein complexes with antibodies to phaseolin and phytohemagglutinin, and analysed the polypeptides by sodium dodecylsulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. This allowed us to identify a protein of M_r=9000 (P-9000) that was crosslinked to both phaseolin and phytohemagglutinin. P-900 is abundantly present in the endoplasmic reticulum. The aminoterminus of P-9000 shows extensive sequence identity with the amino-terminus of PA1 (M_r=11 000), a cysteine-rich albumin whose processing products accumulate in the vacuoles of pea (Pisum sativum L.) cotyledons. Like PA1, P-9000 is synthesized as a pre-proprotein that is posttranslationally processed into smaller polypeptides. The possible functions of P-9000 are discussed.Abbreviations DSP dithiobis(succinimidyl propionate) - EDTA ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid - ER endoplasmic reticulum - kDa kilodalton - M_r relative molecular mass - PHA phytohemagglutinin - SDS sodium dodecylsulfate - PAGE polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis     

Common antigenic determinants in the glycoproteins of plants,molluscs and insects

An antiserum raised against -fructosidase isolated from the cell walls of suspension-cultured carrot cells cross-reacts with many plant proteins and hemocyanin ofHelix pomatia. The shared epitope appears to be a small complex glycan with a (1–2)-linked xylose residue attached to the -linked mannose residue of the core of an asparagine-linked oligosaccharide. There is strong cross-reactivity with the proteins of many seed plants, molluscs and insects, and no cross-reactivity with the proteins of fungi, algae, mosses, ferns, or any of the vertebrates tested. Xylose-containing glycans appear to increase the immunogenicity of the proteins to which they are attached, and we suggest that they may be responsible for some allergic responses of people that are repeatedly exposed to plant or insect proteins.     

Signal peptidase I overproduction results in increased efficiencies of export and maturation of hybrid secretory proteins in Escherichia coli

Summary The effects of 25-fold overproduction ofEscherichia coli signal peptidase I (SPase I) on the processing kinetics of various (hybrid) secretory proteins, comprising fusions between signal sequence functions selected from theBacillus subtilis chromosome and the mature part of TEM-β-lactamase, were studied inE. coli. One precursor (pre[A2d]-β-lactamase) showed an enhanced processing rate, and consequently, a highly improved release of the mature enzyme into the periplasm. A minor fraction of a second hybrid precursor (pre[Al3i]-β-lactamase), which was not processed under standard conditions of SPase I synthesis, was shown to be processed under conditions of SPase I overproduction. However, this did not result in efficient release of the mature β-lactamase into the periplasm. In contrast, the processing rates of wild-type pre-β-lactamase and pre(A2)-β-lactamase, already high under standard conditions, were not detectably altered by SPase I overproduction. These results demonstrate that the availability of SPase I can be a limiting factor in protein export inE. coli, in particular with respect to (hybrid) precursor proteins showing low (SPase I) processing efficiencies.     

The root-knot nematode resistance gene (Mi) in tomato: construction of a molecular linkage map and identification of dominant cDNA markers in resistant genotypes

A dominant allele at the Mi locus on chromosome 6 of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) confers resistance to three species of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne). The resistance, which is associated with a localized necrotic response, was originally introduced into tomato from the wild species Lycopersicon peruvianum. As a step towards the molecular cloning of Mi, we have identified closely linked DNA markers from both cDNA and genomic DNA libraries as restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). DNA from tomato populations segregating for nematode resistance was analyzed to generate a high-resolution genetic map of this region. Additional information on gene order was obtained by comparing the size of the introgressed L. peruvianum chromosomal segment within a collection of nematode-resistant tomato lines. Among the four cDNA markers that are tightly linked to Mi, three are dominant, i.e. L. peruvianum-specific. One cDNA marker corresponds to a gene family comprising 20-30 members, one of which is diagnostic for all nematode-resistant genotypes tested. The presence of non-homologous sequences around the Mi gene may contribute to the suppression of recombination in this region of the genome in crosses heterozygous for Mi. The potential of 'walking' from closely linked markers to Mi is discussed.     

Gastro-intestinal helminths of donkeys in Burkina Faso

Thirty adult donkeys from Burkina Faso were necropsied and their gastro-intestinal worm burdens counted and determined. The strongylids were the most abundant species with a prevalence of 100% for Strongylus vulgaris. Four species of Strongylus, two of Triodontophorus and six of the Cyathostominae were recovered. All of the animals were also infested with habronematid nematodes, but oxyurid and ascaridid nematodes were found in low numbers. In addition to the nematodes, the paramphistomid trematode Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus and the anoplocephalid cestode Anoplocephala magna occurred in varying numbers. Faecal egg-counts from 131 donkeys ranged between 100 and 9,200 for strongylid eggs.     

Mammomonogamus laryngeus (Railliet, 1899) infections in cattle from Sri Lanka

During one year 1249 male cattle were examined for Mammomonogamus laryngeus infections in the slaughterhouse at Kandy, Sri Lanka. The overall prevalence was 40% with only light monthly variations (34 to 52%). The infection rate was highest (47%) in 2 to 2.5 year old animals. In infected animals an average of 6.4 parasite pairs was found with higher numbers in older animals. The majority of worms were located on the posterior side of the epiglottis. Lesions observed were mucosal plugs at the site where the parasites were attached to the mucosa and moderate to severe erosions and ulcers in other zones.     

Degradation of some phenols and hydroxybenzoates by the imperfect ascomycetous yeastsCandida parapsilosis andArxula adeninivorans: evidence for an operative gentisate pathway

The imperfect ascomycetous yeastsCandida parapsilosis andArxula adeninivorans degraded 3-hydroxybenzoic acid via gentisate which was the cleavage substrate. 4-Hydroxybenzoic acid was metabolized via protocatechuate. No cleavage enzyme for the latter was detected. In stead of this NADH- and NADPH-dependent monooxygenases were present. In cells grown at the expense of hydroquinone and 4-hydroxygenzoic acid, enzymes of the hydroxyhydroquinone variant of the 3-oxoadipate pathway were demonstrated, which also took part in the degradation of 2,4-dihydroxybenzoic acid byC. parapsilosis.Abbreviations HHQ Hydroxyhydroquinone (1,2,4-trihydroxybenzene) - GSH reduced Glutathione