Heat treatment results in a loss of transgene-encoded activities in several tobacco lines.

Heat treatment (37 degrees C) of transgenic tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plants led to a reversible reduction or complete loss of transgene-encoded activities in about 40% of 10 independent transformants carrying the luciferase-coding region fused to the 355 cauliflower mosaic virus or the soybean small subunit promoter and the nopaline synthase promoter driving the neomycin phosphotransferase gene, whereas the other lines had temperature-tolerant activities. Temperature sensitivity or tolerance of transgene-encoded activities was heritable. In some of the lines, temperature sensitivity of the transgene-encoded activities depended on the stage of development, occurring in either seedlings (40% luciferase and 50% neomycin phosphotransferase) or adult plants (both 40%). The phenomenon did not correlate with copy numbers or the homo- or hemizygous state of the transgenes. In lines harboring a temperature-sensitive luciferase activity, reduction of bioluminescence was observed after 2 to 3 h at 37 degrees C. Activity was regained after 2 h of subsequent cultivation at 25 degrees C. Irrespective of the reaction to the heat treatment, the level of luciferase RNA was slightly increased at 37 degrees C. Only in lines showing temperature sensitivity of transgene-encoded activities was the amount of luciferase and neomycin phosphotransferase strongly reduced. In sterile culture, heat treatment for 15 d did not cause visible damage or changes in plant morphology. In all plants tested a slight induction of the heat-shock response was observed at 37 degrees C.     

The karyotype of Alligator mississippiensis,and chromosomal mapping of the ZFY/X homologue,Zfc

Comparative mapping studies of X-linked genes in mammals have provided insights into the evolution of the X chromosome. Many reptiles including the American alligator, Alligator mississippiensis, do not appear to possess heteromorphic sex chromosomes, and sex is determined by the incubation temperature of the egg during embryonic development. Mapping of homologues of mammalian X-linked genes in reptiles could lead to a greater understanding of the evolution of vertebrate sex chromosomes. One of the genes used in the mammalian mapping studies was ZFX, an X-linked copy of the human ZFY gene which was originally isolated as a candidate for the mammalian testis-determining factor (TDF). ZFX is X-linked in eutherians, but maps to two autosomal locations in marsupials and monotremes, close to other genes associated with the eutherian X. The alligator homologue of the ZFY/ZFX genes, Zfc, has been isolated and described previously. A detailed karyotype of A. mississippiensis is presented, together with chromosomal in situ hybridisation data localising the Zfc gene to chromosome 3. Further chromosomal mapping studies using eutherian X-linked genes may reveal conserved chromosomal regions in the alligator that have become part of the eutherian X chromosome during evolution.     

On feeding and nutrition in Fungiacava eilatensis (Bivalvia, Mytilidae), a commensal living in fungiid corals

The enlarged inhalant siphon of Fungiacava eilatensis opens into the coelenteron of species of fungiid corals with which it lives in commensal association. Material consisting of mucus, zooxanthellae, nematocysts, plankton and inorganic matter, is taken exclusively from the coelenteron. The very mobile foot possibly assists in food collection and in the removal of pseudofaeces; but, with large ctenidia, the bivalve is a typical ciliary feeder. Experiments with labelled zooxanthellae reveal that these are taken into the gut of Fungiacava with subsequent metabolic incorporation of products derived from them. The other prime source of food must be phytoplankton carried in with the feeding currents of the coral, itself carnivorous so that there is no competition for food between commensal and host. The Fungia zooxanthella– Fungiacava association operates as a "Troika" the productivity of which is autoregulated in proportion to the number of bivalves present. The inorganic wastes of the bivalve (as well as those of the coral) are utilized by the zooxanthellae, resultant increase in the algal component becoming available as food to the bivalve. Losses in the cycle are balanced by intake of exogenous food.     

Paleomicrobiology: Revealing Fecal Microbiomes of Ancient Indigenous Cultures

Coprolites are fossilized feces that can be used to provide information on the composition of the intestinal microbiota and, as we show, possibly on diet. We analyzed human coprolites from the Huecoid and Saladoid cultures from a settlement on Vieques Island, Puerto Rico. While more is known about the Saladoid culture, it is believed that both societies co-existed on this island approximately from 5 to 1170 AD. By extracting DNA from the coprolites, followed by metagenomic characterization, we show that both cultures can be distinguished from each other on the basis of their bacterial and fungal gut microbiomes. In addition, we show that parasite loads were heavy and also culturally distinct. Huecoid coprolites were characterized by maize and Basidiomycetes sequences, suggesting that these were important components of their diet. Saladoid coprolite samples harbored sequences associated with fish parasites, suggesting that raw fish was a substantial component of their diet. The present study shows that ancient DNA is not entirely degraded in humid, tropical environments, and that dietary and/or host genetic differences in ancient populations may be reflected in the composition of their gut microbiome. This further supports the hypothesis that the two ancient cultures studied were distinct, and that they retained distinct technological/cultural differences during an extended period of close proximity and peaceful co-existence. The two populations seemed to form the later-day Taínos, the Amerindians present at the point of Columbian contact. Importantly, our data suggest that paleomicrobiomics can be a powerful tool to assess cultural differences between ancient populations.