Absent spermatogenesis despite early bilateral orchidopexy in 17-ketoreductase deficiency

We describe a 26-year-old patient with 17-ketoreductase deficiency who was raised as a male from 8 months and whose left testis was brought down at the age of 2.5 years and the right testis at the age of 4. Despite the early orchidopexy and not significantly decreased serum testosterone, he was sterile, and biopsy of the testes at the age of 26 revealed absence of spermatogenesis. This case indicates that the absence of spermatogonia in previously reported patients whose testes remained undescended until a later age could not be attributed solely to cryptorchidism. We suggest that decreased intratesticular testosterone due to steroidogenic defect in the developing testis mainly contributes to the arrest of spermatogenesis.     

Spermatophore development and sperm ultrastructure inCraterostigmus tasmanianus (Chilopoda,Craterostigmomorpha)

 Spermatophore development and ultrastructure of the mature sperm of Craterostigmus tasmanianus were studied using light and electron microscopy. In C. tasmanianus, as in the Scolopendromorpha, the spermatophore develops within the vas deferens. The latter consists of three parts, each with a different morphology. The first may be involved in guiding the sperm to roll up into typical ring-like structures, while the other two, which show an evident secretory activity, secrete the acellular wall of the spermatophores. The ultrastructure of mature spermatozoa showed that a very close similarity exists between Craterostigmomorpha and Lithobiomorpha, especially regarding the organization of the connecting piece. Based on this similarity, we consider the Craterostigmomorpha together with the Scolopendromorpha, Geophilomorpha and Lithobiomorpha (=Pleurostigmophora) to be the sister group of the Scutigeromorpha. Accepted: 2 June 1996     

Coccoid Helicobacter pylori Not Culturable In Vitro Reverts in Mice

An experimental rodent model was used to demonstrate the viability of the coccoid form of Helicobacter pylori. Concentrated suspensions were prepared for the two different morphologies: at 2 days incubation for the bacillary forms and at 20 days incubation for the “dormant” forms. The strains used for incubation were two fresh isolates from humans with duodenal ulceration, and two collection strains. Five hundred microliters of culture (OD₅₅₀ = 5 Mc Farland) of Helicobacter pylori with bacillary (2-5×10⁹ CFU/ml) and coccoid (0 CFU/ml) morphology were inoculated intragastrically in BALB/c mice. The gastric mucosa of the mice was colonized by Helicobacter pylori with the administration of fresh bacillary and coccoid cultures and not with the established cultures. Helicobacter pylori was isolated at 1 week after inoculation with the administration of fresh bacillary cultures, while fresh coccoid Helicobacter pylori was recovered in mice stomachs after 2 weeks of inoculation. After colonization, histopathologic changes occurred after 1 month from inoculation; all colonized mice showed a systemic antibody response to Helicobacter pylori. These results support the thesis of the viability of coccoid Helicobacter pylori non-culturable in vitro and confirm that concentrated bacterial suspensions are able to colonize and to produce gastric alterations in this suitable animal model.     

DNA fingerprint analysis for the detection of induced mutations in mammalian cells in culture

A mutation assay in cultured mammalian cells based on the direct analysis of minisatellite DNA was developed. Band pattern variations reflect DNA alterations ranging from single base changes to complex rearrangements. By DNA fingerprinting a large number of autosomal loci throughout the human genome can be simultaneously checked, therefore minimizing the size of the samples of cell colonies to be scored in the absence of phenotypic selection. For the mutation assay chinese hamster cells (V79) were treated with Nitrosoguanidine and 14 independent colonies were isolated and expanded. DNA fingerprints were obtained after digestion of the DNA extracted from each clone with bothHinfI andHae III, and hybridisation with both 33.15 and 33.6 probes. Twelve colonies from untreated cells were also analysed. Several differences in the band pattern of treated colonies were observed when compared with untreated cells; digestion withHae III and hybridisation with 33.15 probe allowed the detection of the highest frequency of induced variants. The results suggest that minisatellite sequences are hypermutable sites that can be used to monitor the mutagenic potential of chemical agents directly at the DNA level, without phenotypic selection. Moreover, with the method herein decribed, it is possible to distinguish between true mutations and epimutations, such as those caused by changes in DNA methylation.     

A protocol to compare nestedness among submatrices

Searching for nestedness has become a popular exercise in community ecology. Significance of a nestedness index is usually evaluated using z values, and finding that a matrix is nested is typically a common result. However, nestedness is not likely to be spread uniformly within a matrix of species presence/absence per site. Selected parts of the matrix may show a degree of nestedness significantly higher (or lower) than expected from the overall pattern. Here we describe a procedure to assess if a particular submatrix (i.e., a peculiar combination of rows and columns extracted from the complete matrix) is more or less nested than expected for an assortment of sites and species taken at random from the same overall matrix. The idea is to obtain several submatrices of different sizes from the same overall matrix and to calculate their z values. A regression is then performed between z values of submatrices and their sizes. A nestedness index independent of matrix size is suggested as the deviation of the z value of a particular submatrix from that expected according to the regression line. We applied our protocol to 55 matrices with different nestedness indices under various null-models and, for purpose of demonstration, we discussed in detail a single case study regarding various animal groups of the Aegean Islands (Greece). The obtained results strongly encourage further research to focus not only on the question whether a matrix is nested or not, but also on where and why nestedness is confined.     

Species distribution,ecology, abundance,body size and phylogeny originate interrelated rarity patterns at regional scale

The most pervasive macroecological patterns concern (1) the frequency distribution of range size, (2) the relationship between range size and species abundance and (3) the effect of body size on range size. We investigated these patterns at a regional scale using the tenebrionid beetles of Latium (Central Italy). For this, we calculated geographical range size (no. of 10‐km square cells), ecological tolerance (no. of phytoclimatic units) and abundance (no. of sampled individuals) using a large database containing 3561 georeferenced records for 84 native species. For each species, we also calculated body mass and its ‘phylogenetic diversity’ on the basis of cladistic relationships. Frequency distribution of range size followed a log‐normal distribution as found in many other animal groups. However, a log‐normal distribution accommodated well the frequency distribution of ecological tolerance, a so far unexplored issue. Range size was correlated with abundance and ecological tolerance, thus supporting the hypothesis that a positive correlation between distribution and abundance is a reflection of interspecific differences in ecological specialization. Larger species tended to have larger ranges and broader ecological tolerance. However, contrary to what known in most vertebrates, not only small‐sized, but also many medium‐to‐large‐sized species exhibited great variability in their range size, probably because tenebrionids are not so strictly influenced by body size constraints (e.g. home ranges) as vertebrates. Moreover, in contrast to other animals, tenebrionid body size does not influence species abundances, probably because these detritivorous animals are not strongly regulated by competition. Finally, contrary to the assumption that rare species should be mainly found among lineages that split from basal nodes, rarity of a tenebrionid species was not influenced by the phylogenetic position of its tribe. However, lineages that split from more basal nodes had lower variability in terms of species geographical distribution, ecological tolerance and abundance, which suggests that lineages that split from more basal nodes are not only morphologically conservative but also tend to have an ecological ‘inertia’.     

OeFAD8, OeLIP and OeOSM expression and activity in cold-acclimation of Olea europaea,a perennial dicot without winter-dormancy

Planta - Cold-acclimation genes in woody dicots without winter-dormancy, e.g., olive-tree, need investigation. Positive relationships between OeFAD8, OeOSM , and OeLIP19 and olive-tree...