Linking anti-predator behaviour and habitat quality: group effect in nest defence of a passerine bird

In habitats where the density of breeding individuals is higher, breeding success has been shown to increase with the number of close conspecific and heterospecific neighbours. However, the mechanisms linking habitat quality, group size of prey individuals and offspring defence are poorly known. In this field study, we examined the relationships between habitat quality and parental nest defence behaviour in the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca). We found that mobbing is more intense in unmanaged forests where birds breed in more dense and diverse communities than in heavily managed young forests where heterospecific densities are lower. We also found that the mobbing activities of pied flycatchers breeding in unmanaged mature boreal forests attracted more neighbouring prey individuals than in nearby managed forests. This study shows that habitat quality-mediated effects might be responsible for the decreased group size of mobbing birds in managed forests, which may lead to less effective communal defence.     

Cellulose depolymerization to glucose and other water soluble polysaccharides by shear deformation and high pressure treatment

The simultaneous action of shear deformation and high pressure (SDHP) creates changes in the structure of wood and its main components (cellulose, hemicelluloses, lignin). The formation of water and alkali soluble polysaccharides under SDHP action, proceeds in seconds in the solid state, without the use of any reagents and solvents. Therefore, SDHP seems to be a technologically safe method and friendly to the environment. The amorphization of cellulose crystallites and depolymerization of cellulose chains were observed under a wide range of pressures (1–6 GPa), both for cellulose samples and the cellulose part of wood. Similar depolymerization occurs in the hemicellulose part of wood. The decomposition of polysaccharides under SDHP causes the formation of the water soluble part, whose content increases with pressure and the applied shear deformation. A maximum solubility of 40% and 55% was registered at 6 GPa following treatment of cellulose and birch wood samples. A higher output in the case of wood can be explained by a specific role of lignin under SDHP, which acts as a ‘grinding stone’ during cellulose and hemicelluloses destruction. As shown by high-performance size exclusion chromatography, the water soluble fraction obtained from cellulose contained glucose (2.6%), cellobiose (9.6%), cellotriose (16.6%) and other higher water soluble oligomers (71%). Almost complete dissolution (98%) of the treated cellulose sample can be achieved by extraction with 10% NaOH solution. The SDHP treated birch wood was subjected to submerged fermentation (with Trichoderma viride), and a 13% output of proteins was obtained. In this case, the water soluble part played the role of the so called ‘start sugars’. Abbreviations: ASF, alkali soluble fraction; DP, degree of polymerization; EC, energy consumption; HP, high pressure; LMWS, low molecular weight sugars; MC, moisture content; MCC, microcrystalline cellulose; SD, shear deformation, SDHP, shear deformation under high pressure; SS, shear strength; WSF, water soluble fraction This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

The 172-kb genomic DNA region of the O. rufipogon yld1.1 locus: comparative sequence analysis with O. sativa ssp. japonica and O. sativa ssp. indica

Common wild rice (Oryza rufipogon) plays an important role by contributing to modern rice breeding. In this paper, we report the sequence and analysis of a 172-kb genomic DNA region of wild rice around the RM5 locus, which is associated with the yield QTL yld1.1. Comparative sequence analysis between orthologous RM5 regions from Oryza sativa ssp. japonica, O. sativa ssp. indica and O. rufipogon revealed a high level of conserved synteny in the content, homology, structure, orientation, and physical distance of all 14 predicted genes. Twelve of the putative genes were supported by matches to proteins with known function, whereas two were predicted by homology to rice and other plant expressed sequence tags or complementary DNAs. The remarkably high level of conservation found in coding, intronic and intergenic regions may indicate high evolutionary selection on the RM5 region. Although our analysis has not defined which gene(s) determine the yld1.1 phenotype, allelic variation and the insertion of transposable elements, among other nucleotide changes, represent potential variation responsible for the yield QTL. However, as suggested previously, two putative receptor-like protein kinase genes remain the key suspects for yld1.1. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Induced Variations in Brassinosteroid Genes Define Barley Height and Sturdiness,and Expand the Green Revolution Genetic Toolkit

Reduced plant height and culm robustness are quantitative characteristics important for assuring cereal crop yield and quality under adverse weather conditions. A very limited number of short-culm mutant alleles were introduced into commercial crop cultivars during the Green Revolution. We identified phenotypic traits, including sturdy culm, specific for deficiencies in brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling in semidwarf mutants of barley (Hordeum vulgare). This set of characteristic traits was explored to perform a phenotypic screen of near-isogenic short-culm mutant lines from the brachytic, breviaristatum, dense spike, erectoides, semibrachytic, semidwarf, and slender dwarf mutant groups. In silico mapping of brassinosteroid-related genes in the barley genome in combination with sequencing of barley mutant lines assigned more than 20 historic mutants to three brassinosteroid-biosynthesis genes (BRASSINOSTEROID-6-OXIDASE, CONSTITUTIVE PHOTOMORPHOGENIC DWARF, and DIMINUTO) and one brassinosteroid-signaling gene (BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 [HvBRI1]). Analyses of F2 and M2 populations, allelic crosses, and modeling of nonsynonymous amino acid exchanges in protein crystal structures gave a further understanding of the control of barley plant architecture and sturdiness by brassinosteroid-related genes. Alternatives to the widely used but highly temperature-sensitive uzu1.a allele of HvBRI1 represent potential genetic building blocks for breeding strategies with sturdy and climate-tolerant barley cultivars.The introduction of dwarfing genes to increase culm sturdiness of cereal crops was crucial for the first Green Revolution (Hedden, 2003). The culms of tall cereal crops were not strong enough to support the heavy spikes of high-yielding cultivars, especially under high-nitrogen conditions. As a result, plants fell over, a process known as lodging. This caused losses in yield and grain-quality issues attributable to fungal infections, mycotoxin contamination, and preharvest germination (Rajkumara, 2008). Today, a second Green Revolution is on its way, to revolutionize the agricultural sector and to ensure food production for a growing world population. Concurrently, global climate change is expected to cause more frequent occurrences of extreme weather conditions, including thunderstorms with torrential rain and strong winds, thus promoting cereal culm breakage (Porter and Semenov, 2005; National Climate Assessment Development Advisory Committee, 2013). Accordingly, plant architectures that resist lodging remain a major crop-improvement goal and identification of genes that regulate culm length is required to enhance the genetic toolbox in order to facilitate efficient marker-assisted breeding. The mutations and the corresponding genes that enabled the Green Revolution in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and rice (Oryza sativa) have been identified (Hedden, 2003). They all relate to gibberellin metabolism and signal transduction. It is now known that other plant hormones such as brassinosteroids are also involved in the regulation of plant height. Knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the effects of the two hormones on cell elongation and division has mainly come from studies in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana; Bai et al., 2012). Mutant-based breeding strategies to fine-tune brassinosteroid metabolism and signaling pathways could improve lodging behavior in modern crops (Vriet et al., 2012) such as barley (Hordeum vulgare), which is the fourth most abundant cereal in both area and tonnage harvested (http://faostat.fao.org).A short-culm phenotype in crops is often accompanied by other phenotypic changes. Depending on the penetrance of such pleiotropic characters, but also the parental background and different scientific traditions and expertise, short-culmed barley mutants were historically divided into groups, such as brachytic (brh), breviaristatum (ari), dense spike (dsp), erectoides (ert), semibrachytic (uzu), semidwarf (sdw), or slender dwarf (sld; Franckowiak and Lundqvist, 2012). Subsequent mutant characterization was limited to intragroup screens and very few allelism tests between mutants from different groups have been reported (Franckowiak and Lundqvist, 2012). Although the total number of short-culm barley mutants exceeds 500 (Franckowiak and Lundqvist, 2012), very few have been characterized at the DNA level (Helliwell et al., 2001; Jia et al., 2009; Chandler and Harding, 2013; Houston et al., 2013). One of the first identified haplotypes was uzu barley (Chono et al., 2003). The Uzu1 gene encodes the brassinosteroid hormone receptor and is orthologous to the BRASSINOSTEROID-INSENSITIVE1 (BRI1) gene of Arabidopsis, a crucial promoter of plant growth (Li and Chory, 1997). The uzu1.a allele has been used in East Asia for over a century and is presently distributed in winter barley cultivars in Japan, the Korean peninsula, and China (Saisho et al., 2004). Its agronomic importance comes from the short and sturdy culm that provides lodging resistance, and an upright plant architecture that tolerates dense planting.Today, more than 50 different brassinosteroids have been identified in plants (Bajguz and Tretyn, 2003). Most are intermediates of the complex biosynthetic pathway (Shimada et al., 2001). Approximately nine genes code for the enzymes that participate in the biosynthetic pathway from episterol to brassinolide (Supplemental Fig. S1). Brassinosteroid deficiency is caused by down-regulation of these genes, but it can also be associated with brassinosteroid signaling. The first protein in the signaling network is the brassinosteroid receptor encoded by BRI1 (Li and Chory, 1997; Kim and Wang, 2010). In this work, we show how to visually identify brassinosteroid-mutant barley plants and we describe more than 20 relevant mutations in four genes of the brassinosteroid biosynthesis and signaling pathways that can be used in marker-assisted breeding strategies.     

Mosaic RNA Phage VLPs Carrying Domain III of the West Nile Virus E Protein

The virus-neutralising domain III (DIII) of the West Nile virus glycoprotein E was exposed on the surface of RNA phage AP205 virus-like particles (VLPs) in mosaic form. For this purpose, a 111 amino acid sequence of DIII was added via amber or opal termination codons to the C-terminus of the AP205 coat protein, and mosaic AP205-DIII VLPs were generated by cultivation in amber- or opal-suppressing Escherichia coli strains. After extensive purification to 95 % homogeneity, mosaic AP205-DIII VLPs retained up to 11–16 % monomers carrying DIII domains. The DIII domains appeared on the VLP surface because they were fully accessible to anti-DIII antibodies. Immunisation of BALB/c mice with AP205-DIII VLPs resulted in the induction of specific anti-DIII antibodies, of which the level was comparable to that of the anti-AP205 antibodies generated against the VLP carrier. The AP205-DIII-induced anti-DIII response was represented by a significant fraction of IgG2 isotype antibodies, in contrast to parallel immunisation with the DIII oligopeptide, which failed to induce IgG2 isotype antibodies. Formulation of AP-205-DIII VLPs in alum adjuvant stimulated the level of the anti-DIII response, but did not alter the fraction of IgG2 isotype antibodies. Mosaic AP205-DIII VLPs could be regarded as a promising prototype of a putative West Nile vaccine.     

794. IRIS FURSEORUM

A new juno iris for the Flora of Afghanistan, Iris furseorum T. Hall & Seisums, is described and illustrated. It was collected in N.E. Afghanistan by Paul and Polly Furse in 1966 and has been maintained in cultivation.     

Oxidative stress is markedly elevated in lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase-deficient mice and is paradoxically reversed in the apolipoprotein E knockout background in association with a reduction in atherosclerosis.

Complete lecithin:cholesterol acyltransferase (LCAT) deficiency is a rare cause of severe hypoalphalipoproteinemia, but the affected subjects are surprisingly not particularly prone to premature coronary heart disease. We studied oxidative stress in lcat-/- mice and their cross-breed with apolipoprotein-E knockout mice (apoE-/-xlcat-/-) by measuring vascular ring superoxide production and plasma phospholipid (PL)-bound F2-isoprostane levels and their relationship with aortic atherosclerosis. Compared with wild type control (lcat+/+), lcat-/- and lcat+/- mice showed a 4.9- (p = 0.003) and a 2.1-fold (p = 0.04) increase in plasma PL-F2-isoprostane levels, respectively. There was also a 3.6- (p < 0.0001) and 2.9-fold (p = 0.003) increase in the area under the curve for the aortic ring superoxide excursion by lucigenin-derived chemiluminescence. A comparison of apoE-/-xlcat+/+ mice with wild type control mice showed a more modest 2.1- (p = 0.04) and 2.2-fold (p < 0.00001) increase in these respective markers. Surprisingly, the apoE-/-xlcat-/- mice showed a paradoxical normalization in both oxidation markers. Furthermore, by fast protein liquid chromatography separation, we observed an associated retention and redistribution of serum paraoxonase activities to the non-high density lipoprotein fractions in both the apoE-/-xlcat-/- and apoE-/-xlcat+/- mice. Aortic atherosclerotic lesions in male apoE-/-xlcat-/- and apoE-/-xlcat+/- mice were reduced by 52 (p = 0.02) and 24% (p = 0.46), respectively. Our data suggest that LCAT-deficient mice are associated with an increased oxidative stress that is paradoxically reversed in a hyperlipidemic background, possibly due to the redistribution of paraoxonase. This modulation of oxidative stress may in part contribute to the reduced atherosclerosis seen in the apoE-/- xlcat-/- mice.