The Use of “Use Value”: Quantifying Importance in Ethnobotany

Economic Botany - The Use of “Use Value”: Quantifying Importance in Ethnobotany. Use value (UV) is an index widely used to quantify the relative importance of useful plants. It combines...     

A Dominant Negative Heterozygous G87R Mutation in the Zinc Transporter, ZnT-2 (SLC30A2), Results in Transient Neonatal Zinc Deficiency

Zinc is an essential mineral, and infants are particularly vulnerable to zinc deficiency as they require large amounts of zinc for their normal growth and development. We have recently described the first loss-of-function mutation (H54R) in the zinc transporter ZnT-2 (SLC30A2) in mothers with infants harboring transient neonatal zinc deficiency (TNZD). Here we identified and characterized a novel heterozygous G87R ZnT-2 mutation in two unrelated Ashkenazi Jewish mothers with infants displaying TNZD. Transient transfection of G87R ZnT-2 resulted in endoplasmic reticulum-Golgi retention, whereas the WT transporter properly localized to intracellular secretory vesicles in HC11 and MCF-7 cells. Consequently, G87R ZnT-2 showed decreased stability compared with WT ZnT-2 as revealed by Western blot analysis. Three-dimensional homology modeling based on the crystal structure of YiiP, a close zinc transporter homologue from Escherichia coli, revealed that the basic arginine residue of the mutant G87R points toward the membrane lipid core, suggesting misfolding and possible loss-of-function. Indeed, functional assays including vesicular zinc accumulation, zinc secretion, and cytoplasmic zinc pool assessment revealed markedly impaired zinc transport in G87R ZnT-2 transfectants. Moreover, co-transfection experiments with both mutant and WT transporters revealed a dominant negative effect of G87R ZnT-2 over the WT ZnT-2; this was associated with mislocalization, decreased stability, and loss of zinc transport activity of the WT ZnT-2 due to homodimerization observed upon immunoprecipitation experiments. These findings establish that inactivating ZnT-2 mutations are an underlying basis of TNZD and provide the first evidence for the dominant inheritance of heterozygous ZnT-2 mutations via negative dominance due to homodimer formation.     

A comparative ethnobotany of Khevsureti,Samtskhe-Javakheti,Tusheti, Svaneti,and Racha-Lechkhumi,Republic of Georgia (Sakartvelo), Caucasus

Background

The Republic of Georgia (Sakartvelo in Georgian language) is part of the Caucasus biodiversity hotspot, and human agricultural plant use dates bat at least 6000 years. However, little ethnobiological research has been published from the region since the 1940s. Given the lack of recent research in the region, the present study we report on plant uses in Skartvelo (Republic of Georgia), Caucasus. We hypothesized that, (1) given the long tradition of plant use, and the isolation under Soviet rule, plant use both based on homegardens and wild harvesting would be more pronounced in Georgia than in the wiser region, (2) the Soviet occupation would have had broad influence on plant use, and (3) there would still be incidence of knowledge loss despite wide plant use.

Methods

Fieldwork was conducted in Khevsureti, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Tusheti, Svaneti, and Racha in July–August 2013, July–August 2014, and September–October 2015. Interviews using semi-structured questionnaires were conducted with 170 participants (80 women and 90 men) after obtaining their oral prior informed consent. All interviews were carried out in the participants’ homes and gardens by native speakers of Georgian and its local dialects (Svan, Tush, Khevsur, Psav), or, where participants spoke these as their native language, Armenian, Russian, or Greek.

Results

In the present study we encountered 480 plant species belonging to 249 genera of 95 families being used in the research region. The highest number of species and of unique species were reported from the remote Tusheti-Khevsureti region. Informant consensus and number of use reports were highest for each region in the food and medicinal use categories. Of the 480 plants being used in the research region 282 species were exclusively wild-harvested, 103 were grown in homegardens, and 84 were both grown in gardens and sourced in the wild.

Conclusions

Plant species, and uses, found in our study, both for Georgia in general, as well as for its regions, showed clear relations to the wider Caucasus - Asia Minor - Balkans cultural complex. However, plant use in Georgia was much more diverse than reported in other studies from Eurasia.

     

Description of oviparous females and alate males of Macrosiphum dzhibladzeae Barjadze, 2010 (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from Georgia

The hitherto unknown oviparous females and alate males of M. dzhibladzeae Barjadze, 2010, living on Euphorbia macroceras Fish. & Mey. and Euphorbia sp. (Euphorbiaceae), are described from resort Bakhmaro (Chokhatauri district, Guria region, Western Georgia). The life cycle of this species is established. Apterous and alate viviparous females and oviparous females of M. dzhibladzeae are compared to the same morphs of morphologically similar M. meixneri Börner, 1950. A key is provided to Euphorbia-feeding Macrosiphum spp. based on males.     

Redescription of Neoamphorophora ledi (Wahlgren, 1938) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) from Japan

Apterous viviparous females of Neoamphorophora ledi (Wahlgren, 1938) living on Rhododendron degronianum Carr. (Ericaceae) on Honshu island, Japan, are redescribed and the hitherto unknown alate viviparous females are here described. Rhododendron degronianum is a new host plant species for this aphid. This species is recorded for aphid fauna of Eastern Palearctic for the first time. Keys to species of Neoamphorophora based on apterous and alate viviparous females are given. A key to aphid genera with swollen siphunculi living on species of Rhododendron worldwide based on apterous viviparous females is also provided.     

Description of fundatrices of Zelkovaphis caucasica (Hemiptera: Aphididae: Eriosomatinae) and its life cycle

Fundatrices of Zelkovaphis caucasica (Dzhibladze 1960) are described and illustrated. A key to the fundatrices of the genus Zelkovaphis species is given. A transfer experiment was carried out to establish the life cycle of Z. caucasica. In addition, the life cycle of this species was studied in field conditions. The secondary host plant was established as Carex capitata.     

The hypogean invertebrate fauna of Georgia (Caucasus)

Information about the cave invertebrates of Georgia, Caucasus, is summarised, resulting in 43 troglo- and 43 stygobiont taxa reported from 64 caves. Species distribution analyses were conducted for 61 caves harbouring 58 invertebrate taxa, with the majority of caves (39) located in Apkhazeti (north-western Georgia). In 22 caves from central-west Georgia (Samegrelo, Imereti and Racha-Lechkhumi regions of west Georgia) 31 taxa are reported. Composition of cave fauna differed strongly between the caves in Apkhazeti and the central-west of Georgia. Only two taxa of the total 86 were shared, resulting in negligible similarity (Sørensen-Dice coefficient S_s=4.8%). Rarefaction indicated an increase in number of species with additional sampling could increase species richness from 58 to 76 for caves in Apkhazeti and from 31 to 69 for caves in central-west Georgia. These findings suggest that the low invertebrate species richness observed in caves of western Georgia is the result of insufficient sampling. A pairwise approach to analysing species co-occurrence showed ten positive spatial associations in 7 out of 86 cave species, all from Kveda Shakurani and Tsebelda caves. The species co-occurring in the same microhabitat require further study to understand their relationships.