Discrimination Amongst Leishmania by Polymerase Chain Reaction and Hybridization with Small Subunit Ribosomal DNA Derived Oligonucleotides

ABSTRACT. A method for discriminating among Leishmania is described, based upon small subunit ribosomal DNA sequence differences. The method was to amplify the entire 2.2 kb small subunit rDNA by polymerase chain reaction using conserved primers specific for the 5' and 3' termini of the small subunit ribosomal RNA, and then hybridize the product dotted onto nylon membranes with labeled oligonucleotides. The design of the hybridization probes was based upon complete small subunit rDNA sequences from L. amazonensis, L. major and L. guyanensis and partial sequences of L. mexicana, L. braziliensis, L. tropica and L. chagasi. A high degree of sequence similarity (> 99%) among species was found. However, sufficient sequence divergence occurred to permit the design of internal oligonucleotide probes specific for species complexes. This procedure successfully discriminated amongst a wide range of Leishmania isolates. The method detected as few as 10 cultured organisms and detected parasites in tissue samples from experimentally infected animals. Non-radioactive labeling showed the same specificity and sensitivity as radioactive probes.     

Anatomy of extrafloral nectaries in Fabaceae from dry‐seasonal forest in Brazil

Extrafloral nectaries (EFNs) are found in many species of Fabaceae. The aim of this work is to describe the internal morphology of the EFNs from species of Fabaceae found in areas of dry‐seasonal forest in north‐eastern Brazil. All species of Fabaceae with EFNs found were collected and samples were submitted to conventional techniques for anatomical and scanning electronic microscopy analysis. EFNs were found in 35 species, of which 32 were examined anatomically. All types have epidermal cells, secretory tissues and vascular bundles in the EFNs. Sclerenchymatous cells were found between the secretory tissues and the vascular tissues, with a few exceptions. The function of these cells is not clear; however, a role in the transportation of the sap in the nectary or with the support of the secretory tissue is possible. The nectar is released through glandular trichomes, secretory pores or even by breaking the epidermal cells and cuticle. The internal patterns found in the EFNs from different species and genera can provide important information for taxonomic and evolutionary studies in the family. © 2010 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, 2010, 163 , 87–98.     

New microsatellite resources for groupers (Serranidae)

We characterized nine microsatellite loci and identified an additional 60 genomic regions containing microsatellites in the red hind grouper, Epinephelus guttatus. The nine loci were highly polymorphic, and primers designed from red hind genomic DNA produced a strong amplification product in a test panel of 16 other groupers in the genera Epinephelus and Mycteroperca collected from across the world. Most of the amplified regions were homologous to the red hind locus and a well‐defined microsatellite repeat was generally evident. The nine loci, together with the 60 uncharacterized microsatellite‐containing regions, provide a powerful tool for ecological and evolutionary studies in groupers.     

Biological controls upon the physical taphonomy of exceptionally preserved salamanders from the Miocene of Rubielos de Mora,northeast Spain

McNamara, M.E., Orr, P.J., Manzocchi, T., Alcalá, L., Anadón, P. & Peñalver, E. 2011: Biological controls upon the physical taphonomy of exceptionally preserved salamanders from the Miocene of Rubielos de Mora, northeast Spain. Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 210–226. The middle Miocene Rubielos de Mora Konservat‐Lagerstätte of northeast Spain is hosted within profundal, finely laminated, lacustrine mudstones. The diverse biota includes abundant salamanders. Most individuals died during separate episodes and sank rapidly postmortem. Specimens are typically preserved in dorso‐ventral aspect, the most hydrodynamically stable orientation. The near‐cylindrical morphology of the body, however, allowed some carcasses to settle in or subsequently re‐orientate into, lateral orientations. Loss of skeletal elements (i.e. reduced completeness) reflects their location within the body and followed a distal to proximal trend. Two stages are identified: initial loss of a small number of phalanges, followed by loss of more proximal limb bones plus additional phalanges. Disarticulation is more complex: it occurred via several mechanisms (notably, abdominal rupture and re‐orientation of part of the body and limbs during decay) and shows no consistent pattern among specimens. The physical taphonomy of the salamanders is controlled predominantly by intrinsic biological factors, i.e. the geometry of the body and of individual skeletal elements, the orientation, inherent strength and location of specific joints and the extent to which soft tissues, particularly the skin, persist during decay. These biological factors probably control patterns of physical taphonomy of other fossil tetrapods with a similar skeletal configuration. □Articulation, completeness, Konservat‐Lagerstätten, orientation, quantitative taphonomy, salamanders.     

Where and when the earliest coccolithophores?

Gardin, S., Krystyn, L., Richoz, S., Bartolini, A. & Galbrun, B. 2012: Where and when the earliest coccolithophores? Lethaia, Vol. 45, pp. 507–523. New calcareous nannofossil analyses from the Northern Calcareous Alps of Austria are herein used to update and improve the state of knowledge about the oldest occurrence of coccolithophores reported in the literature. Previously reported Norian occurrences of coccoliths were based on an obsolete Triassic chronostratigraphy, in which the Rhaetian stage was subsumed into the Norian (‘Sevatian 2’). The oldest stratigraphical record of coccoliths spp. lies just below the Norian‐Rhaetian boundary and the first coccolith species, Crucirhabdus minutus, is recorded from the base of Rhaetian stage. The latter bio‐event is located just above the First Occurrence of the conodont Misikella posthersteni and the first occurrence of the ammonoid Paracochloceras suessi in the Steinbergkogel section (Austria), Global Stratotype Section and Point (GSSP) candidate for the Norian–Rhaetian boundary. The appearance of the coccolith Crucirhabdus minutus is seen as a robust biochronological datum that will provide useful constraints for Triassic biostratigraphy, palaeoclimatic modelling and phylogenetic reconstructions. The new calcareous nannofossil biochronology of Steinbergkogel that we present herein completes the existing biostratigraphic characterization of the Norian‐Rhaetian transition based on conodonts and ammonoids and strengthens the position of Steinbergkogel as the best GSSP proposed section for the base of the Rhaetian. The record of coccolithophores across the Norian–Rhaetian boundary at Steinbergkogel takes place along with a discernible increase in abundance of Prinsiosphaera triassica, as well as the appearance of Euconusphaera zlambachensis, which are the two most important Rhaetian pelagic carbonate producers. This succession of bio‐events is interpreted as the initiation of the pelagic carbonate production driven by the successful spreading of calcareous nannofossils in the Western Tethys during the Rhaetian. □Austria, Calcareous Alps, coccolithophores, Triassic.     

Systems analysis of primary Sjögren's syndrome pathogenesis in salivary glands identifies shared pathways in human and a mouse model

Bone tissue has an exceptional quality to regenerate to native tissue in response to injury. However, the fracture repair process requires mechanical stability or a viable biological microenvironment or both to ensure successful healing to native tissue. An improved understanding of the molecular and cellular events that occur during bone repair and remodeling has led to the development of biologic agents that can augment the biological microenvironment and enhance bone repair. Orthobiologics, including stem cells, osteoinductive growth factors, osteoconductive matrices, and anabolic agents, are available clinically for accelerating fracture repair and treatment of compromised bone repair situations like delayed unions and nonunions. Preclinical and clinical studies using biologic agents like recombinant bone morphogenetic proteins have demonstrated an efficacy similar or better than that of autologous bone graft in acute fracture healing. A lack of standardized outcome measures for comparison of biologic agents in clinical fracture repair trials, frequent off-label use, and a limited understanding of the biological activity of these agents at the bone repair site have limited their efficacy in clinical applications.