Evolution of the 28S ribosomal RNA gene in anurans: regions of variability and their phylogenetic implications

Fifteen restriction sites were mapped to the 28S ribosomal RNA gene of individuals representing 54 species of frogs, two species of salamanders, a caecilian, and a lungfish. Eight of these sites were present in all species examined, and two were found in all but one species. Alignment of these conserved restriction sites revealed, among anuran 28S rRNA genes, five regions of major length variation that correspond to four of 12 previously identified divergent domains of this gene. One of the divergent domains (DD8) consists of two regions of length variation separated by a short segment that is conserved at least throughout tetrapods. Most of the insertions, deletions, and restriction-site variations identified in the 28S gene will require sequence-level analysis for a detailed reconstruction of their history. However, an insertion in DD9 that is coextensive with frogs in the suborder Neobatrachia, a BstEII site that is limited to representatives of two leptodactylid subfamilies, and a deletion in DD10 that is found only in three ranoid genera are probably synapomorphies.      

Characterization of cross-bridge elasticity and kinetics of cross-bridge cycling during force development in single smooth muscle cells

Force development in smooth muscle, as in skeletal muscle, is believed to reflect recruitment of force-generating myosin cross-bridges. However, little is known about the events underlying cross-bridge recruitment as the muscle cell approaches peak isometric force and then enters a period of tension maintenance. In the present studies on single smooth muscle cells isolated from the toad (Bufo marinus) stomach muscularis, active muscle stiffness, calculated from the force response to small sinusoidal length changes (0.5% cell length, 250 Hz), was utilized to estimate the relative number of attached cross-bridges. By comparing stiffness during initial force development to stiffness during force redevelopment immediately after a quick release imposed at peak force, we propose that the instantaneous active stiffness of the cell reflects both a linearly elastic cross-bridge element having 1.5 times the compliance of the cross-bridge in frog skeletal muscle and a series elastic component having an exponential length-force relationship. At the onset of force development, the ratio of stiffness to force was 2.5 times greater than at peak isometric force. These data suggest that, upon activation, cross-bridges attach in at least two states (i.e., low-force-producing and high-force-producing) and redistribute to a steady state distribution at peak isometric force. The possibility that the cross-bridge cycling rate was modulated with time was also investigated by analyzing the time course of tension recovery to small, rapid step length changes (0.5% cell length in 2.5 ms) imposed during initial force development, at peak force, and after 15 s of tension maintenance. The rate of tension recovery slowed continuously throughout force development following activation and slowed further as force was maintained. Our results suggest that the kinetics of force production in smooth muscle may involve a redistribution of cross-bridge populations between two attached states and that the average cycling rate of these cross-bridges becomes slower with time during contraction.     

Excess amino acid polymorphism in mitochondrial DNA: contrasts among genes from Drosophila, mice, and humans

Recent studies of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in mammals and Drosophila have shown an excess of amino acid variation within species (replacement polymorphism) relative to the number of silent and replacement differences fixed between species. To examine further this pattern of nonneutral mtDNA evolution, we present sequence data for the ND3 and ND5 genes from 59 lines of Drosophila melanogaster and 29 lines of D. simulans. Of interest are the frequency spectra of silent and replacement polymorphisms, and potential variation among genes and taxa in the departures from neutral expectations. The Drosophila ND3 and ND5 data show no significant excess of replacement polymorphism using the McDonald-Kreitman test. These data are in contrast to significant departures from neutrality for the ND3 gene in mammals and other genes in Drosophila mtDNA (cytochrome b and ATPase 6). Pooled across genes, however, both Drosophila and human mtDNA show very significant excesses of amino acid polymorphism. Silent polymorphisms at ND5 show a significantly higher variance in frequency than replacement polymorphisms, and the latter show a significant skew toward low frequencies (Tajima's D = -1.954). These patterns are interpreted in light of the nearly neutral theory where mildly deleterious amino acid haplotypes are observed as ephemeral variants within species but do not contribute to divergence. The patterns of polymorphism and divergence at charge-altering amino acid sites are presented for the Drosophila ND5 gene to examine the evolution of functionally distinct mutations. Excess charge-altering polymorphism is observed at the carboxyl terminal and excess charge-altering divergence is detected at the amino terminal. While the mildly deleterious model fits as a net effect in the evolution of nonrecombining mitochondrial genomes, these data suggest that opposing evolutionary pressures may act on different regions of mitochondrial genes and genomes.      

Photosynthetic gas exchange response of poplars to steady-state and dynamic light environments

The steady-state and dynamic photosynthetic response of two poplar species (Populus tremuloides and P. fremontii) to variations in photon flux density (PFD) were observed with a field portable gas exchange system. These poplars were shown to be very shade intolerant with high light saturation (800 to 1300 mol photons m^–2 s^–1) and light compensation (70 to 100 mol m^–2 s^–1) points. Understory poplar leaves showed no physiological acclimation to understory light environments. These plants become photosynthetically induced quickly (10 min). Activation of Rubisco was the primary limitation for induction, with stomatal opening playing only a minor role. Leaves maintained high stomatal conductances and stomata were unresponsive to variations in PFD. Leaves were very efficient at utilizing rapidly fluctuating light environments similar to those naturally occurring in canopies. Post-illumination CO₂ fixation contributed proportionally more to the carbon gain of leaves during short frequent lightflecks than longer less frequent ones. The benefits of a more dynamic understory light environment for the carbon economy of these species are discussed.     

Dissimilatory Fe(III) Reduction by the Marine Microorganism Desulfuromonas acetoxidans

The ability of the marine microorganism Desulfuromonas acetoxidans to reduce Fe(III) was investigated because of its close phylogenetic relationship with the freshwater dissimilatory Fe(III) reducer Geobacter metallireducens. Washed cell suspensions of the type strain of D. acetoxidans reduced soluble Fe(III)-citrate and Fe(III) complexed with nitriloacetic acid. The c-type cytochrome(s) of D. acetoxidans was oxidized by Fe(III)-citrate and Mn(IV)-oxalate, as well as by two electron acceptors known to support growth, colloidal sulfur and malate. D. acetoxidans grew in defined anoxic, bicarbonate-buffered medium with acetate as the sole electron donor and poorly crystalline Fe(III) or Mn(IV) as the sole electron acceptor. Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) and siderite (FeCO₃) were the major end products of Fe(III) reduction, whereas rhodochrosite (MnCO₃) was the end product of Mn(IV) reduction. Ethanol, propanol, pyruvate, and butanol also served as electron donors for Fe(III) reduction. In contrast to D. acetoxidans, G. metallireducens could only grow in freshwater medium and it did not conserve energy to support growth from colloidal S⁰ reduction. D. acetoxidans is the first marine microorganism shown to conserve energy to support growth by coupling the complete oxidation of organic compounds to the reduction of Fe(III) or Mn(IV). Thus, D. acetoxidans provides a model enzymatic mechanism for Fe(III) or Mn(IV) oxidation of organic compounds in marine and estuarine sediments. These findings demonstrate that 16S rRNA phylogenetic analyses can suggest previously unrecognized metabolic capabilities of microorganisms.     

Papillomavirus L1 capsids agglutinate mouse erythrocytes through a proteinaceous receptor.

Virus-like particles (VLPs) composed of L1 derived from bovine papillomavirus type 1 (BPV-1), several human papillomavirus types, or cottontail rabbit papillomavirus (CRPV) agglutinated mouse but not human or rat erythrocytes. Treatment of mouse erythrocytes with trypsin prevented hemagglutination (HA) by BPV-1. Sera from rabbits immunized with native CRPV VLPs, which protect against experimental CRPV infection, exhibited high titers of antibodies that inhibited CRPV VLP HA activity, while sera from rabbits immunized with denatured CRPV VLPs or native BPV VLPs, which do not protect against CRPV infection, were not inhibitory. Testing for HA inhibition is a rapid and simple method for examining the serological relatedness of papillomaviruses and measuring protective antibody titers after VLP vaccination.     

Evidence for "twisted plane" undulations in golden hamster sperm tails

Motile spermatozoa from the golden hamster have been arrested by rapid freezing and then fixed with glutaraldehyde at low temperature after substitution with ethylene glycol. As far as can be judged, the flagellar waveforms thus stabilized are similar to those seen in living sperm; in contrast, fixation in glutaraldehyde, without prior freezing, induces agonal changes in flagellar conformation. The characteristics waveform after freeze substitution contains three bends. Approx. half of these flagella are entirely planar. The rest are three dimensional, with the third bend displaced in a regular way from the plane containing the proximal two bends. From the geometry of these flagella, it is concluded that the plane of action of a given bending cycle undergoes a clockwise twist (from a forward viewpoint) as the cycle is succeeded by new bending cycles. This "twisted plane" undulation is quite different from helical movement. The twisting seems to occur abruptly, between cycles, as if each bending cycle has a preferred plane of action. The mechanism underlying the twisting is uncertain. However, on the basis of the angular displacements between the preferred planes, and the findings from electron microscopy, the following idea is presented as a working hypothesis: that, if the most proximal plane of bending is topographically determined by peripheral doublet 1, then successive distal planes of action are influenced predominantly by doublets 2, 3, etc., in clockwise sequence. The merits and weaknesses of this hypothesis are discussed.     

Papillomavirus capsid mutation to escape dendritic cell-dependent innate immunity in cervical cancer

Infection with oncogenic human papillomaviruses (HPVs), typified by HPV type 16 (HPV16), is a necessary cause of cervical cancer. Prophylactic vaccination with HPV16 L1 virus-like particles (VLPs) provides immunity. HPV16 VLPs activate dendritic cells and a potent neutralizing immunoglobulin G (IgG) response, yet many cervical cancer patients fail to generate detectable VLP-specific IgG. Therefore, we examined the role of the innate recognition of HPV16 L1 in VLP-induced immune responses and its evasion during carcinogenesis. Nonconservative mutations within HPV16 L1 have been described in isolates from cervical cancer and its precursor, high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN). We determined the effect of mutations in L1 upon in vitro self-assembly into VLPs and their influence upon the induction of innate and adaptive immune responses in mice. Several nonconservative mutations in HPV16 L1 isolated from high-grade CIN or cervical carcinoma prevent self-assembly of L1 VLPs. Intact VLPs, but not assembly-defective L1, activate dendritic cells to produce proinflammatory factors, such as alpha interferon, that play a critical role in inducing adaptive immunity. Indeed, effective induction of L1-specific IgG1 and IgG2a was dependent upon intact VLP structure. Dendritic cell activation and production of virus-specific neutralizing IgG by VLPs requires MyD88-dependent signaling, although the L1 structure that initiates MyD88-mediated signaling is distinct from the neutralizing epitopes. We conclude that innate recognition of the intact L1 VLP structure via MyD88 is critical in the induction of high-titer neutralizing IgG. Tumor progression is associated with genetic instability and L1 mutants. Selection for assembly-deficient L1 mutations suggests the evasion of MyD88-dependent immune control during cervical carcinogenesis.     

Variation in the ribosomal internal transcribed spacers and 5.8S rDNA among five species of Acropora (Cnidaria; Scleractinia): patterns of variation consistent with reticulate evolution

The ITS sequences of Acropora spp. are the shortest so far identified in any metazoan and are among the shortest seen in eukaryotes; ITS1 was 70-80 bases, and ITS2 was 100-112 bases. The ITS sequences were also highly variable, but base composition and secondary structure prediction indicate that divergent sequence variants are unlikely to be pseudogenes. The pattern of variation was unusual in several other respects: (1) two distinct ITS2 types were detected in both A. hyacinthus and A. cytherea, species known to hybridize in vitro with high success rates, and a putative intermediate ITS2 form was also detected in A. cytherea; (2) A. valida was found to contain highly (29%) diverged ITS1 variants; and (3) A. longicyathus contained two distinct 5.8S rDNA types. These data are consistent with a reticulate evolutionary history for the genus Acropora.