Distribution of a Fatty Acid cyclase enzyme system in plants

Extracts from tissues of 24 plant species were tested for the enzyme that catalyzes the conversion of 13-l-hydroperoxy-cis-9,15-trans-11-octadecatrienoic acid to the cyclic fatty acid 12-oxo-cis-10,15-phytodienoic acid. The enzyme was detected in 15 of the 24 tissues examined, and was demonstrated in seedlings, leaves, and fruits.     

Lipoxygenase and hydroperoxide lyase in germinating watermelon seedlings

Lipoxygenase (EC 1.13.1.13) was found in seedlings of Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. and Nakai (watermelon). The enzyme has pH optima of 4.4 and 5.5 and is inhibited by 0.2 mM nordihydroguaiaretic acid. It is present in two functional units with estimated molecular weights of 120,000 and 240,000, respectively.     

Physical mapping of three fruit ripening genes：Endopolygalacturonase,ACC oxidase and ACC synthase from apple（Malus x domestica） in an apple rootstock A106（Malus sieboldii

The apple rootstock,A106(Malus sieboldii),had 17 bivalents in pollen mother cells at meiotic metaphase 1,and 17 chromosomes in a haploid pollen cell.Karyotypes were prepared from root-tip cells with 2n=34 chromosomes,Seven out of 82 karyotypes(8.5%) showed one pari of satellites at the end of the short arm of chromosome 3.C-bands were shown on 6 pairs of chromosomes 2,4,6,8,14,and 16 near the telomeric regions of short arms.Probes for three ripening-related genes from Malus x domestica:endopolygalacturonase(EPG,0.6kb),ACC oxidase(1.2kb),and ACC synthase(2kb)were hybridized in situ to metaphase chromosomes of A106.Hybridization sites for the EPG gene were observed on the long arm of chromosome 14 in 15 out of 16 replicate spreads and proximal to the centromere of chromosomes 6 and 11.For the ACC oxidase gene,hylridization sites were observed in the telomeric region of the short arm of chromosomes 5 and 11 in 87% and 81% of 16 spreads respectively,proxiaml to the centromere of chromosome 1 in 81% of the spreads,and on the long arm of chromosome 13 in 50% of the spreads. Physical mapping of three fruit ripening genes in an apple rootstock A106.Twenty five spreads were studied for the ACC synthase gene and hybridization sites were observed in the telomeric region of the short arm of chromosome 12 in 96% of the spreads.chromosomes 9 and 10 in 76% of the spreads,and chromosome 17 in 56% of the spreads.     

Trisomy 17 in a baboon (Papio hamadryas) with polydactyly, patent foramen ovale and pyelectasis

Trisomy 13 in humans is the third most common autosomal abnormality at birth, after trisomy 21 and trisomy 18. It has a reported incidence of between 1:5,000 and 1:30,000 live births. It is associated with multiple abnormalities, many of which shorten lifespan. We describe here the first reported case of a baboon (Papio hamadryas) with trisomy of chromosome 17, which is homologous to human chromosome 13. The trisomic infant was born to a consanguineous pair of baboons and had morphological characteristics similar to those observed in human trisomy 13, including bilateral polydactyly in the upper limbs, a patent foramen ovale, and pyelectasis. Molecular DNA analysis using human chromosome 13 markers was consistent with the affected infant inheriting two copies of chromosome 17 derived from the same parental chromosome. This trisomy was, therefore, due to either an error in meiosis II or the result of postzygotic nondisjunction. The parental origin, however, could not be determined.     

Transmission of Megatrypanum Trypanosomes to Cervus dama by Tabanidae1

Four fallow deer, Cervus dama, became infected with Trypanosoma (Megatrypanum) sp. by oral application of triturated guts from tabanids collected in an area with deer but without any cattle; four control calves remained negative. Upon challenge with triturated guts from tabanids from an area with pastured cattle, the four calves became infected with Trypanosoma (M.) theileri. The prepatent period in deer was five days or less. Haematopota spp. and Tabanus spp. were identified as vectors of the deer trypanosomes. It is concluded that the trypanosomes of C. dama belong to a Megatrypanum species that is not identical with T. theileri.     

Symmetry breakage in the vertebrate embryo: When does it happen and how does it work?

Asymmetric development of the vertebrate embryo has fascinated embryologists for over a century. Much has been learned since the asymmetric Nodal signaling cascade in the left lateral plate mesoderm was detected, and began to be unraveled over the past decade or two. When and how symmetry is initially broken, however, has remained a matter of debate. Two essentially mutually exclusive models prevail. Cilia-driven leftward flow of extracellular fluids occurs in mammalian, fish and amphibian embryos. A great deal of experimental evidence indicates that this flow is indeed required for symmetry breaking. An alternative model has argued, however, that flow simply acts as an amplification step for early asymmetric cues generated by ion flux during the first cleavage divisions. In this review we critically evaluate the experimental basis of both models. Although a number of open questions persist, the available evidence is best compatible with flow-based symmetry breakage as the archetypical mode of symmetry breakage.     

Dietary variation and food hardness in sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys): Implications for fallback foods and dental adaptation

We present information on food hardness and monthly dietary changes in female sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys) in Tai Forest, Ivory Coast to reassess the hypothesis that thick molar enamel is parsimoniously interpreted as a response to consumption of hard foods during fallback periods. We demonstrate that the diet of sooty mangabeys varies seasonally, but that one food—Sacoglottis gabonensis—is the most frequently consumed food every month and year round. This food is the hardest item in the sooty diet. Given that this species has among the thickest enamel within the primate order, a plausible conclusion is that thick enamel in this taxon evolved not in response to seasonally critical function or fallback foods, but rather to the habitual, year round processing of a mechanically protected foodstuff. These data serve as a caution against de rigueur interpretations that reliance on fallback foods during lean periods primarily explains the evolution of thick enamel in primates. Am J Phys Anthropol 154:413–423, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Application of a panel of antiganglioside monoclonal antibodies to cytologic specimens.

The cytologic evaluation of poorly differentiated tumors frequently poses a diagnostic dilemma as to the tissue of origin. To assess the diagnostic utility of monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) in these situations, we applied a panel of three highly purified MAbs specific for tumor-associated ganglioside epitopes to a diverse series of cytologic specimens. The panel was composed of DMAb-3, reactive with the epitope GalNAc beta 1-4 (NeuAc alpha 2-3)Gal- of GM2; DMAb-7, reactive with the epitope (NeuAc alpha 2-8NeuAc alpha 2-3)Gal beta 1-4(Glc or GlcNAc)- of GD3 and 3'8'-LD1; and DMAb-20, reactive with the epitope GalNAc beta 1-4(NeuAc alpha 2-8NeuAc alpha 2-3)Gal- of GD2. The cytologic material consisted of air-dried Cytospin preparations prepared predominantly from fine needle aspirates and stained with the ABC immunohistochemical method. Positive reactivity was recognized when greater than 5% of tumor cells stained with the antibody; lesser reactivity was called negative. DMAb-3 stained 9/14 (64%) glial tumors, 4/13 (31%) nonglial central nervous system tumors, 1/21 (5%) melanomas, 7/38 (18%) non-small cell carcinomas (NSCC), 1/15 (7%) small cell carcinomas (SCC), 0/9 (0%) lymphomas/leukemias, 2/10 (20%) sarcomas, 1/7 (14%) miscellaneous tumors and 2/2 (100%) reactive fluids. DMAb-7 recognized 14/14 (100%) glial tumors, 9/13 (69%) non-glial central nervous system tumors, 19/22 (86%) melanomas, 19/43 (44%) NSCC, 5/15 (33%) SCC, 2/9 (22%) lymphomas/leukemias, 6/10 (60%) sarcomas, 1/7 (14%) miscellaneous tumors and 4/4 (100%) reactive fluids. DMAb-20 stained 6/14 (43%) glial tumors, 2/13 (15%) nonglial central nervous system tumors, 1/21 (5%) melanomas, 4/38 (10%) NSCC, 0/15 (0%) SCC, 0/9 (0%) lymphomas/leukemias, 1/10 (10%) sarcomas, 1/7 (14%) miscellaneous tumors and 1/3 (33%) reactive fluids. The GD3-reactive DMAb-7 recognized a large portion of many tumor types and thus is not diagnostically useful alone. DMAb-3 and DMAb-20 were more selective and showed the strongest reactivity for glial tumors and minimal reactivity for melanomas, small cell carcinomas, and lymphomas or leukemias. DMAb-3 and DMAb-20 may be useful as components of a larger panel of MAbs in distinguishing between poorly differentiated tumors in samples derived from the central nervous system.