Catecholaminergic contributions to the neuronal machinery of the olfactory bulb: aftoradiographic, immunohistochemical and evoked feild potential studies

aftographic exeperiments on the localization of radiolabelednoradrenaline, dopamine and dopa, as well as immunohistochemicalstudies on hydroxylase-like activity, are summarized and comparedin both rat and turtle olfactory bulbs. Evoked field potentialstudies on effects of dopamine are also discussed. The histochemicalstudies suggest that dopaminergic periglomerular neurons arethe most significant cellular component of the catecholaminergicsystem in the olfactory bulb of both species. Scattered fluorescentcell group was also present in the internal plexiform layerand superficial granule cell layer of the turtle olfactory bulb.Other fibres, not related to intrinsic bulbar neuronal cellbodies, were also labeled, mostly in the granule cell layerbut also in the external plexiform layer. These might belongto a centrifugal catecholaminergic system from brain stem neurons.In the in vitro turtle olfactory bulb, dopamine and apomorphinedepressed the amplitude of field potentials evoked by a singlevolley in the olfactory nerve or lateral olfactory tract, andreduced the depression and latency of reponses when paired volleywere delivered. It is suggested that catecholaminergic systemsplay a key role in modulating mitral cell activity through actionsin both superficial (glomerular) and deep (granule) layers.This may involve direct actions, or other, non-catecholaminergicinterneurons.     

Amino acid replacements resulting from super-suppression of nonsense mutants of iso-1-cytochrome c from yeast

The eight class I, set 1 super-suppressor genes, SUP2, SUP3, SUP4, SUP5, SUP6, SUP7, SUP8 and SUP11 are not closely linked and map at distinct loci throughout the genome of yeast. Each of these suppressors causes the production of 5 to 10% of the normal amount of iso-1-cytochrome c when it is individually coupled to the ochre (UAA) mutant cy1-2. All eight iso-1-cytochromes c contain a residue of tyrosine at position 20 which corresponds to the site of the ochre codon. Several of these super-suppressors also were shown to act on cy1-9, but at a much lower efficiency. It was shown that iso-1-cytochrome c from one of the suppressed cy1-9 strains contains a tyrosine at position 2, which corresponds to the site of the ochre codon in this mutant. It is suggested that the gene product of the eight super-suppressors is tyrosine transfer RNA.     

Foraging interactions between Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans breeding on Marion Island and long-line fisheries in the southern Indian Ocean

Wandering Albatrosses Diomedea exulans are frequently killed when they attempt to scavenge baited hooks deployed by long-line fishing vessels. We studied the foraging ecology of Wandering Albatrosses breeding on Marion Island in order to assess the scale of interactions with known long-line fishing fleets. During incubation and late chick-rearing, birds foraged further away from the island, in warmer waters, and showed high spatial overlap with areas of intense tuna Thunnus spp. long-line fishing. During early chick-rearing, birds made shorter foraging trips and showed higher spatial overlap with the local Patagonian Toothfish Dissostichus eleginoides long-line fishery. Tracks of birds returning with offal from the Toothfish fishery showed a strong association with positions at which Toothfish long-lines were set and most diet samples taken during this stage contained fishery-related items. Independent of these seasonal differences, females foraged further from the islands and in warmer waters than males. Consequently, female distribution overlapped more with tuna long-line fisheries, whereas males interacted more with the Toothfish long-line fishery. These factors could lead to differences in the survival probabilities of males and females. Non-breeding birds foraged in warmer waters and showed the highest spatial overlap with tuna long-line fishing areas. The foraging distribution of Marion Island birds showed most spatial overlap with birds from the neighbouring Crozet Islands during the late chick-rearing and non-breeding periods. These areas of foraging overlap also coincided with areas of intense tuna long-line fishing south of Africa. As the population trends of Wandering Albatrosses at these two localities are very similar, it is possible that incidental mortality during the periods when these two populations show the highest spatial overlap could be driving these trends.     

Characterization of the structural proteins of the murine coronavirus strain A59 using monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies reacting with the A59 strain of mouse hepatitis virus (MHV-A59) were characterized and those specific to the E2 major envelope glycoprotein were studied in detail. Antibodies were tested for their ability to neutralize viral infectivity (N+ characteristic) and prevent viral-induced cell-to-cell fusion (F+ characteristic). All four possible combinations of activities reflecting E2 functions were found, i.e., N+F+, N-F-, N+F-, and N-F+. In addition, competitive binding studies with these monoclonal antibodies revealed two nonoverlapping antigenic regions. The first region, designated A, was recognized by antibodies which included each of the four functional types. Region B was identified by a single monoclonal antibody with N-F- activities. The existence of antibodies which only neutralize virus or only block viral-induced fusion implies that the structures on E2 which serve as targets for neutralization and which induce fusion are not identical. The critical determinants for neutralization and fusion must be closely related topographically on E2 since both N+F- and N-F+ antibodies recognize the same antigenic region.