Physiological studies of the warehouse staining fungus, Baudoinia compniacensis

Baudoinia compniacensis, the fungus responsible for highly conspicuous black growth on walls and other surfaces in the vicinity of distillery warehouses and commercial bakeries, has been little studied, in part because its isolation and cultivation have long been considered difficult. In the present study, basic details regarding the physiology of this organism are elucidated for the first time. It is able to utilize ethanol as a carbon source, but not other simple alcohols; glucose is also well utilized, as is the ethanol breakdown product acetate. Inorganic and many organic nitrogen sources support growth well, but urea does not. Though strongly inhibited by salt concentrations over 2 m, B. compniacensis can survive considerably higher concentrations. The fungus does not ordinarily survive temperatures of 52 °C or higher when moisture is present, but can be pre-adapted to survive this temperature by prior heat or ethanol exposure. Sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) analysis of cellular proteins reveals that heat and ethanol pre-adaptation appear to induce formation of putative heat shock proteins.     

广东省叶围烟煤菌研究

本文简要介绍了叶围烟煤菌的研究概况,报道了采自广东省境内的叶围烟煤菌5科11属29种,其中23种为我国新记录种．所有标本保存于广东省微生物研究所。     

Trehalose accumulation in Baudoinia compniacensis following abiotic stress

Baudoinia compniacensis is a microfungus recently described as the principal agent of fouling known as “warehouse staining”, affecting building exteriors, fixtures and vegetation surfaces in areas proximate to distillery aging warehouses, commercial bakeries and other areas subject to low-level ethanol vapour exposure. The surfaces most affected tend to be highly exposed and undergo extreme diurnal temperature fluctuations. In previous work, we have demonstrated the existence of heat-inducible putative chaperone proteins that may also be induced by low-level exposures to ethanol vapour (e.g., <10 ppm). The present study investigated the cellular accumulation of trehalose, a disaccharide identified in some microorganisms to be important in the protection of cell components during adverse stress conditions, such as thermal stress. Following heat shock at 45 °C, we observed a 2.5-fold accumulation of trehalose relative to unheated controls maintained at 26 °C. Peak trehalose concentrations of 10 mg g⁻¹ dry wt were seen at 90 min after heat treatment, followed by a gradual return to post-treatment by 150 min. Exposure of B. compniacensis cells to ethanol resulted in a similar increased accumulation of trehalose compared to unexposed controls. These findings imply that trehalose may be important in the tolerance of this fungus to abiotic stresses, such as heat and solvent exposure, and suggest future research directions for the control and prevention of warehouse staining.     

Evolution of SIVsm in humanized mice towards HIV-2

Through the accumulation of adaptive mutations, HIV-2 originated from SIVsm. To identify these evolutionary changes, a humanized mouse model recapitulated the process that likely enabled this cross-species transmission event. Various adaptive mutations arose, as well as increased virulence and CD4⁺ T-cell decline as the virus was passaged in humanized mice.     

中国叶围煤污菌初探——Ⅲ.黄瓜叶围煤污菌的研究

对山东省黄瓜(Cucumis sativus L.)叶围煤污菌种群组成、分布、演替和对黄瓜的生理影响的研究结果表明;8个地市黄瓜叶面真菌有15属21种,其中属煤污菌的有6属10种:链格孢(Alternaria alternata Karst.),出芽短梗霉[Aureobasidium pullulans(deBary)Arn.],芽枝状枝孢[Cladosporium cladosporioides(Fres.)de Vries]尖孢枝孢(C.oxysporum Berk.＆Curt.)大孢枝孢(C.macarocarpum Preuss),多主枝孢[C.herbarum(Pers.)Link.],球孢枝孢(C.sphaerospermum Perz.),灰腐质霉(Humicola grisea Traaen.),紫附球菌(Epicoccum purpurascens Ehrenb.ex Wallr.)和弯孢霉[Curvularia lunala (Walk.)Boed.].链格孢和枝孢霉(Cladosporium spp.)是各地区主要种群.黄瓜叶面真菌的种类和密度与苗龄、叶面可溶性糖和氨基酸组分含量成极显著正相关.随着苗龄的增长,真菌的密度和种类增多.用两个主要种群的分生孢子悬浮液接种黄瓜叶面,形成明显的煤污,导致叶面光合作用降低,呼吸作用升高,气孔阻力增大,蒸腾作用下降.穗状德氏霉(Drechsleraspicifer R.Nelson)和核茎点霉(Phoma pulaminum Speg.)是国内的新记录.     

Sooty mangabeys and rhesus macaques exhibit significant divergent natural killer cell responses during both acute and chronic phases of SIV infection

A correlation between NK cells and rate of disease progression in HIV-1-infected individuals has been documented. The role NK cells play in disease outcome can optimally be studied in SIV-infected disease susceptible rhesus macaques (RM) and SIV-infected disease resistant sooty mangabeys (SM). In this study, three main subsets of CD16⁺CD56⁻, CD16^−/dimCD56⁺ and CD16⁻CD56⁻ NK cells have been identified with the predominant CD16⁺CD56⁻ subset being primarily responsible for cytolytic activity in both species. Cross-sectional studies revealed a significant decline in the frequency and function of this cytolytic subset in SIV-infected RM while an increase occurred in SIV-infected SM. Longitudinal studies revealed that an earlier NK response during acute infection occurred in all SIV-infected SM and in select SIV-infected RM that eventually controlled viral load set point during chronic infection, suggesting that early NK activity and continued maintenance of this cell lineage may indirectly contribute to disease resistance.     

山西省夏县和沁水县发现银脸长尾山雀

正在进行环保部生物多样性监测示范项目的鸟类野外调查期间,曾分别于2016年4月14日和27日在山西省夏县太宽河省级自然保护区王家河管护站附近林区(35°6′20.48″N,111°29′59.14″E,海拔1 163 m),4月15日、25日和26日以及5月25日在山西省沁水县历山国家级自然保护区下川保护站附近林区(35°26′31.28″N,112°1′46.25″E,海拔1 633 m)多次观察并拍摄到银脸长尾山雀(Aegithalos fuliginosus),经查阅相关文献(郑作     

Sooty Falcon Falco concolor reproduction and population dynamics on the islands in the Sea of Oman

Knowledge of demographic parameters affecting population dynamics is critical to the formulation of effective conservation strategies. Sooty Falcon Falco concolor is a little‐studied, Near‐threatened species; estimates of global population size and trend for this species are uncertain. They lay eggs during mid‐summer and sometimes nest in colonies. This unusual breeding ecology suggests that demographic parameters driving their population growth rate may differ from those of most other falcons. We studied Sooty Falcon reproduction at breeding aggregations on Fahal Island and the Daymaniyat islands in the Sea of Oman during 2007–2014, modelled population growth and identified important life history parameters using elasticity analysis. The mean (± se) clutch and brood size was 2.83 ± 0.06 and 2.11 ± 0.07, respectively. Overall, 11.7% of nests failed between the egg and nestling stages, and the failure rate differed significantly between Fahal and the Daymaniyats, and across years. The mean proportion of eggs that hatched annually was 0.66 ± 0.02, and broods were significantly smaller on the Daymaniyats than on Fahal. Falcons on Fahal Island had a higher rate of hatching, a higher rate of nests that produced at least one chick, and produced more chicks per nest than on the Daymaniyats. We suggest that Fahal's proximity to the mainland gives breeding Sooty Falcons access to a more plentiful and stable source of food, especially during the period between arrival from the wintering grounds and the onset of the autumn migration of prey birds, resulting in the better reproductive rates for falcons on Fahal Island, relative to those on the Daymaniyat Islands. The annual asymptotic population growth rate (λ) was 0.87 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.75–0.99), suggesting a declining population, although Sooty Falcons enjoyed a slightly higher population growth rate on Fahal than on the Daymaniyats. Because our study population is on the edge of the breeding range and is isolated from other breeding areas, measures to improve reproductive success of Sooty Falcons breeding on the islands in the Sea of Oman could be important for conservation of Sooty Falcons in Oman.     

Identifying mammalian predators from bite marks: a tool for focusing wildlife protection

Dead Sooty Shearwater, Puffinus griseus, chicks and adults were collected from seven colonies on South Island, New Zealand in the 1993–96 breeding seasons. An estimated 97% of 118 deaths were from predation. Thirty‐four definite predator bite pairs were identified on 27 carcasses. Twenty‐one (78%) of the carcasses had bite pairs with intercanine distances < 9.5 mm which suggests that Stoats (Mustela erminea) were the principal predators. One chick was killed by a feral House Cat (Felis catus), and it is likely that feral Ferrets (M. furo) were responsible for a proportion of the deaths. Nearly three quarters of definite Stoat bite pairs were identified in the head region. The analyses of bite marks offers cheap and statistically reliable identification of predators provided carcasses are collected fresh and flesh is removed to examine tooth punctures in bone.