Systematics within Gyps vultures: a clade at risk

Background  

Populations of the Oriental White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis) have declined by over 95% within the past decade. This decline is largely due to incidental consumption of the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory veterinary pharmaceutical diclofenac, commonly used to treat domestic livestock. The conservation status of other Gyps vultures in southern Asia is also of immediate concern, given the lack of knowledge regarding status of their populations and the continuing existence of taxonomic uncertainties. In this study, we assess phylogenetic relationships for all recognized species and the majority of subspecies within the genus Gyps. The continuing veterinary use of diclofenac is an unknown but potential risk to related species with similar feeding habits to Gyps bengalensis. Therefore, an accurate assessment of the phylogenetic relationships among Gyps vultures should aid in their conservation by clarifying taxonomic uncertainties, and enabling inference of their respective relatedness to susceptible G. bengalensis.     

The Effects of Temperature and Body Mass on Jump Performance of the Locust Locusta migratoria

Locusts jump by rapidly releasing energy from cuticular springs built into the hind femur that deform when the femur muscle contracts. This study is the first to examine the effect of temperature on jump energy at each life stage of any orthopteran. Ballistics and high-speed cinematography were used to quantify the energy, distance, and take-off angle of the jump at 15, 25, and 35°C in the locust Locusta migratoria. Allometric analysis across the five juvenile stages at 35°C reveals that jump distance (D; m) scales with body mass (M; g) according to the power equation D = 0.35M ^{0.17±0.08 (95% CI)}, jump take-off angle (A; degrees) scales as A = 52.5M ^0.00±0.06, and jump energy (E; mJ per jump) scales as E = 1.91M ^1.14±0.09. Temperature has no significant effect on the exponent of these relationships, and only a modest effect on the elevation, with an overall Q₁₀ of 1.08 for jump distance and 1.09 for jump energy. On average, adults jump 87% farther and with 74% more energy than predicted based on juvenile scaling data. The positive allometric scaling of jump distance and jump energy across the juvenile life stages is likely facilitated by the concomitant relative increase in the total length (L _f+t; mm) of the femur and tibia of the hind leg, L _f+t = 34.9M ^0.37±0.02. The weak temperature-dependence of jump performance can be traced to the maximum tension of the hind femur muscle and the energy storage capacity of the femur''s cuticular springs. The disproportionately greater jump energy and jump distance of adults is associated with relatively longer (12%) legs and a relatively larger (11%) femur muscle cross-sectional area, which could allow more strain loading into the femur''s cuticular springs. Augmented jump performance in volant adult locusts achieves the take-off velocity required to initiate flight.     

Tin compounds inhibit the plasma cell response to metallic tin

Injection of metallic tin powder causes intense proliferation of plasma cells in draining lymph nodes of Lewis rats. Pretreatment orally with soluble tin salts prevents this response to subsequently injected metallic tin. In the present work, pretreatment with tin salts by parenteral injection was just as effective as addition to the drinking water. This new approach made the following experiments possible. Poorly soluble tin compounds were found to be inhibitory when injected parenterally. Tin salts injected parenterally into one of two rats joined in parabiotic union prevented the plasma cell response to metallic tin in both parabionts. The transfer of the inhibitory effect via the cross-circulating blood represents significant progress toward understanding the mechanisms involved. The evidence suggests the possibility that tin salts elicit an intermediary substance or process that is responsible for inhibition of the plasma cell response to metallic tin.     

Some metabolic relationships between biopterin and folate: Implications for the “methyl trap hypothesis”

Tetrahydrobiopterin and the folate coenzymes can reciprocally interact in ways that would be useful to the metabolic pathways subserved by both of these coenzymes. Thus, through one of the reactions catalyzed by methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase, 5-CH₃-H₄-folate can regenerate BH₄ from q-BH₂ and q-BH₂ can provide an escape from the methyl trap.Special issue dedicated to Dr. Louis Sokoloff     

Human B cell development. II. Subpopulations in the human fetus

In man, during fetal development the B cell populations show distinct phenotypes at different tissue sites. The pre-B and B lymphocytes of the fetal liver and bone marrow express IgM and B cell markers, B1 (CD20) and BA-1 (CD24). These "early" cells are negative with a number of other reagents, anti-IgD, RFB4 (CD22), RFB6 (CD21), and RFA-2, which on the other hand recognize peripheral B cells. These peripheral B lymphocytes in the developing fetus are heterogeneous. The diffusely distributed B cells in the earliest lymph node samples, 16 to 17 wk of gestational age, and from 16 to 21 wk in the spleen, are strongly IgM+ (IgD+,RFB4+,RFB6+, and RFA-2+) but lack T cell-associated markers such as T1 (CD5, p 67,000 dalton equivalent of murine Ly-1) and Tü-33. In fetal lymph nodes, primary nodules develop around the follicular dendritic (FD) cells from 17 wk onward, and contain a virtually pure population of B cells; B1+,BA1+,RFB4+,RFB6+,RFA-2+, which simultaneously express IgM,IgD together with T1 (CD5), a T cell-associated antigen. A sizeable subpopulation of these IgM+,T1+ cells are also positive for Tü-33, another T cell-associated marker. In the spleen, the B cells of the IgM+,IgD+,T1+ type appear in smaller numbers and only relatively late around wk 22. These cells are diffusely distributed at first, and start accumulating around the small FD cell clusters as soon as these emerge about the 23rd gestational wk. At that time, the IgM+,T1+B cells can also be washed out from the peritoneal and pleural cavities. The T1+,IgM+B cells may represent the normal equivalent cells of B chronic lymphoid leukemia and centrocytic lymphoma, and appear to be the counterpart of Ly-1+,IgM+B cells in the mouse.