Anti-Auxin Activity of Xyloglucan Oligosaccharides: the R?le of Groups other than the Terminal {alpha}-L-Fucose Residue

The quantitatively major nonasaccharide (XG9) derived from xyloglucanby digestion with cellulase exhibits anti-auxin activity inthe pea stem segment straight-growth bioassay; the most effectiveconcentration of XG9 is c. 10^–9 M. Previous work had shownthat XG9 owes its biological activity to the presence of a terminal-L-fucopyranose residue. In order to investigate to what extentthe remainder of the XG9 molecule is essential for activity,several fucose-containing compounds were tested for their abilityto mimic the anti-auxin effect of XG9. A fucose-containing pentasaccharideof xyloglucan (XG5; probable structure FucGalXylGlcGlc) was,at 10^–8 M, about as effective an anti-auxin as 10^–9M XG9; unlike XG9, XG5 did not diminish in effectiveness at10^–7 M. The human milk trisaccharide, 2'-fucosyl-lactose[L-fucopyranosyl--(12)-D-galactopyranosyl-ß-(14)-D-glucose],whose FucGal unit is identical with that of XG9, inhibited auxin-inducedelongation over a wide range of concentrations centred on about10^–8 M. 2'-Fucosyl-lactose at 10^–8 M was about aseffective an anti-auxin as 10^–9 M XG9. Free L-fucose andmethyl--L-fucopyranoside were unable to inhibit auxin-inducedgrowth at any concentration tested (10^–10 M to 10^–6M) and neither compound interfered with the inhibition causedby 10^–9 M XG9 when co-incubated at concentrations up to10^–4 M. The results confirm the essential r?le of an -linkedterminal fucose residue in the anti-auxin activity of XG9 andshow that the sub-terminal galactose residue may also be required.Possible reasons why high concentrations of XG9 fail to antagonizeauxin-induced growth while high concentrations of XG5 and 2'-fucosyl-lactosecontinue to do so are discussed. Key words: Anti-auxin, oligosaccharin, fucose     

The metabolism of photosynthetically fixed carbon by isolated chloroplasts from Codium fragile (Chlorophyta: Siphonales) and by Elysia viridis (Mollusca: Sacoglossa)

The metabolism of photosynthetically fixed ¹⁴C by isolated chloroplasts from Codium fragile is compared with that by Elysia viridis (which contains C. fragile chloroplasts). There are marked differences between the two in the formation and subsequent metabolism of both soluble and insoluble products. Less than 6% of the carbon fixed by the isolated chloroplasts during a 15 min pulse of ¹⁴C-bicarbonate in the light is released into the medium over the succeeding 24 h. During photosynthesis glycollate and glucose monophosphate are the only labelled compounds released; after the pulse very little glycollate is released and over 24 h only glucose monophosphate and an unidentified compound are found in the medium. In E. viridis photosynthetically fixed carbon can be recovered from compounds of all major classes found in animals. Soon after the pulse, hexoses are the most heavily labelled compounds, but two hours later amino acids are more heavily labelled than hexoses. The unidentified compound is not found in the animals. E. viridis can absorb and metabolize exogenous glycollate and glucose. Earlier authors' suggestions that glucose is the compound which moves from the chloroplast to the animal cell are discussed, and it is proposed that both glucose monophosphate and glucose are formed outside the chloroplast from triose phosphate exported from it.     

Genetic variation and reproductive mode in populations of Simocephalus vetulus (Branchiopoda: Cladocera) from the East Midlands of England

SUMMARY. 1. Five populations of the cladoceran Simocephalus vetulus (O. F. Muller) examined by enzyme electrophoresis at four to five loci revealed high levels of genetic variation.
2. The one intermittent population had genotype frequencies in Hardy Weinberg equilibrium, the three permanent populations showed deviations from equilibrium of varying magnitude. The fifth population was fixed for a single clone, and was possibly recently derived from a single ephippial hatchling.
3. Laboratory breeding experiments confirmed that this species is a cyclic parthenogen.     

The role of photosynthesis in the nutrition of the mollusc Elysia viridis

Experiments were carried out on the changes in weight, chlorophyll content and photo-synthetic capacity of Elysia viridis over periods of up to 8 weeks when incubated in light or dark, with and without its source of chloroplasts, the seaweed Codium fragile. It was concluded that photosynthesis is of considerable importance in the nutrition of the animal. Animals starved in the dark lost weight much more rapidly than those starved in the light. Rates of photosynthesis are of the right order to account for these differences in weight. The animal seems to have an annual life-cycle, an important consideration in analysing the results of long term experiments carried out on animals collected at different times of the year.     

Persistence of Functional Chloroplasts in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Elysia viridis</Emphasis> (Opisthobranchia,Sacoglossa)

SEVERAL species of sacoglossan mollusc retain in the cells of their digestive diverticula large numbers of chloroplasts derived from their food plants (mostly siphonaceous algae). These associations are capable of photosynthesis^1–4. In freshly collected Elysia viridis (Montagu) (which obtains chloroplasts from Codium fragile (Sur.) Hariot) the net rate of fixation is approximately 40% of that in the intact seaweed and the chlorophyll content, g^?1 fresh weight, is similar in animal derived material and seaweed (Trench, Boyle and Smith, in preparation). This report describes an experiment showing that E. viridis can retain functional chloroplasts for at least 3 months when starved in the light and at least one month when starved in the dark.     

UNDERSTANDING DOCTORS' ETHICAL CHALLENGES AS ROLE VIRTUE CONFLICTS

This paper argues that doctors' ethical challenges can be usefully conceptualised as role virtue conflicts. The hospital environment requires doctors to be simultaneously good doctors, good team members, good learners and good employees. I articulate a possible set of role virtues for each of these four roles, as a basis for a virtue ethics approach to analysing doctors' ethical challenges. Using one junior doctor's story, I argue that understanding doctors' ethical challenges as role virtue conflicts enables recognition of important moral considerations that are overlooked by other approaches to ethical analysis.     

The effect of the taxon and geographic range size of host eucalypt species on the species richness of gall-forming insects

Abstract This field study was designed to test whether the taxonomic group and geographic range size of a host plant species, usually found to influence insect species richness in other parts of the world, affected the number of gall species on Australian eucalypts. We assessed the local and regional species richness of gall-forming insects on five pairs of closely related eucalypt species. One pair belonged to the subgenus Corymbia, one to Monocalyptus, and three to different sections of Symphyomyrtus. Each eucalypt pair comprised a large and a small geographic range species. Species pairs were from coastal or inland regions of eastern Australia. The total number of gall species on eucalypt species with large geographic ranges was greater than on eucalypt species with small ranges, but only after the strong effect of eucalypt taxonomic grouping was taken into account. There was no relationship between the geographic range size of eucalypt species and the size of local assemblages of gall species, but the variation in insect species composition between local sites was higher on eucalypt species with large ranges than on those with small ranges. Thus the effect of host plant range size on insect species richness was due to greater differentiation between more widespread locations, rather than to greater local species richness. This study confirms the role of the geographic range size of a host plant in the determination of insect species richness and provides evidence for the importance of the taxon of a host plant.     

The feral goats of Kielderhead Moor

Herds of feral goats are present along the high ground of the Scottish Borders at the College, Hindhope, Kielderhead Moor (the study area), Bewcastle Fell and Roan Fell.
In the study area the nannies remained solitary, or in the company of their yearlings on the steep ground below the high moor throughout the winter. After the birth of their kids in March two female herds were formed each with a herd billy which came from the two male herds which were present through the winter on the high moor. The male herds left the study area in the spring and their ranges are not known. The two female herds maintained separate ranges on the high moor until the end of August when they combined into one large herd and were joined by a strange herd of billies which had not previously been seen.
After the first three or four days of its life the kid is left in a hiding place for most of the day whilst its mother ranges widely grazing with the herd. The kids join the herd when they are about six weeks old.
The Kielderhead Moor goats had a recruitment rate of 0–29/nanny/year and the females have a further expectation of life of 3–7 years. Figures for the billies are unreliable as disappearances of males from the moor are more likely to be the result of emigration than of deaths. While the herds of nannies have fairly restricted home ranges there is some evidence to suggest that many of the billies wander freely along the Borders.
In the early part of the summer the sheep and goats are eating very similar proportions of the plants present on the moor. Later on in the season there is a divergence with the sheep eating less Calluna while the goats eat less Eriophorum , but as the Trichophorum becomes available both animals include this in their diet.     

Bacteriological Studies of the Effects of Cow's Milk on Dental Plaque and Dental Caries in Rats

The effects of liquid milk and skim milk powder on the bacterial composition of rat dental plaque and dental caries were examined in two separate experiments. First, groups of rats fed a cariogenic diet plus one or other of three types of liquid milk had. after 28 d. similar plaque flora. Those rats receiving reconstituted spray-dried skim milk had a significantly higher incidence of dental caries than those receiving either pasteurized and homogenized milk or ultra-heat treated milk. The differences in caries scores may be related to differences in inorganic phosphate and calcium levels of the milks. Secondly, rats fed a diet containing 65% phosphate-free sucrose plus 32% spray-dried skim milk in powder form had a significantly lower dental caries score than did rats receiving a diet containing 65% sucrose plus 32% autoclaved roller-dried skim milk powder. At the end of this experiment, the plaque flora had changed significantly and the difference in caries incidence was related to the reduction in the percentage of potentially cariogenic bacteria.
These results indicate that the mechanism by which milk reduces dental caries incidence may be (a) by remineralizing incipient carious lesions or (b) by mediating changes in the bacterial composition of dental plaque.