Alcaloides du Strychnos tchibangensis

The structure of a new bisindole alkaloid has been elucidated by chemical correlation and analysis of ¹³C NMR spectra.     

Competitive strategies between Anastrepha fraterculus and Anastrepha obliqua (Diptera: Tephritidae) regulating the use of host fruits

Interspecific competition between individuals of different species can result in reductions in their fecundity, growth or survival, reflecting differential exploitation of resources that become intensified due to spatial co-occurrence, ecological similarity and increased population densities. As two species cannot occupy the same niche, coexistence is only possible if the available resources are used in non-overlapping manners such as niche partitioning or the use of refuges. Among agricultural insect pests, such as fruit flies of the family Tephritidae, competitive interactions can result in competitive displacement, host changes, or the expansion or restriction of the numbers of hosts utilized that can have negative consequences for human agricultural activities. We evaluated the competitive interactions between two fruit fly species of the genus Anastrepha, Anastrepha obliqua (Macquart, 1835) and Anastrepha fraterculus (Wiedmann, 1830), on their respective preferred hosts (mangoes and guava). Experiments of larval competition and competition for ovipositioning sites by adult females were performed to compare the parameters of larval development time, numbers of pupae and emerged adults and numbers of ovipositions in the presence or absence of interspecific competition. We observed that the interactions between those species were asymmetrical and hierarchical, and our results suggest a competitive displacement of A. fraterculus by A. obliqua when those two species are present on the same fruit, whether mangoes or guavas.     

Structural basis for preferential binding of non-ortho-substituted polychlorinated biphenyls by the monoclonal antibody S2B1

Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) are a family of 209 isomers (congeners) with a wide range of toxic effects. In structural terms, they are of two types: those with and those without chlorines at the ortho positions (2, 2', 6 and 6'). Only 20 congeners have no ortho chlorines. Three of these are bound by the aryl hydrocarbon receptor and are one to four orders of magnitude more toxic than all others. A monoclonal antibody, S2B1, and its recombinant Fab have high selectivity and nanomolar binding affinities for two of the most toxic non-ortho-chlorinated PCBs, 3,4,3',4'-tetrachlorobiphenyl and 3,4,3',4',5'-pentachlorobiphenyl. To investigate the basis for these properties, we built a three-dimensional structure model of the S2B1 variable fragment (Fv) based on the high-resolution crystallographic structures of antibodies 48G7 and N1G9. Two plausible conformations for the complementarity-determining region (CDR) H3 loop led to two putative PCB-binding pockets with very different shapes (models A and B). Docking studies using molecular mechanics and potentials of mean force (PMF) indicated that model B was most consistent with the selectivity observed for S2B1 in competition ELISAs. The binding site in model B had a deep, narrow pocket between V(L) and V(H), with a slight constriction at the top that opened into a wider pocket between CDRs H1 and H3 on the antibody surface. This binding site resembles those of esterolytic antibodies that bind haptens with phenyl rings. One phenyl ring of the PCB fits into the deep pocket, and the other ring is bound in the shallower one. The bound PCB is surrounded by the side chains of TyrL91, TyrL96 and TrpH98, and it has a pi-cation interaction with ArgL46. The tight fit of the binding pocket around the ortho positions of the bound PCBs indicates that steric hindrance of ortho chlorines in the binding site, rather than induced conformational change of the PCBs, is responsible for the selectivity of S2B1.     

珠江三角洲池塘养殖中多氯联苯的环境归趋

对珠江三角洲4个不同地方的养殖池塘中水样,泥样和不同种类的鱼样分析,结果表明水产养殖中多氯联苯的分布和归趋在不同分配相中有很大差别,水相中含量较低(8.0～2 4 .0 3ng·L- 1 ) ,沉积相中较高(7.32～36 .2 3ng·g- 1 ,干重) ,特别是工业活动频繁的地方,而乡村相对较低。鱼类不同食性对多氯联苯的积累及其同分异构体的分布有很大影响,肉食性鱼类比草食性鱼类积累更多的多氯联苯.其中代表性同分异构体有IUPAC 118,138,81/ 87,15 3,180 ,5 2 ,4 9,99,4 4。珠江三角洲水产养殖中多氯联苯对生态环境的影响相对较低。     

Adenosine amine congener mitigates noise-induced cochlear injury

Hearing loss from noise exposure is a leading occupational disease, with up to 5% of the population at risk world-wide. Here, we present a novel purine-based pharmacological intervention that can ameliorate noise-induced cochlear injury. Wistar rats were exposed to narrow-band noise (8–12 kHz, 110 dB SPL, 2–24 h) to induce cochlear damage and permanent hearing loss. The selective adenosine A₁ receptor agonist, adenosine amine congener (ADAC), was administered intraperitoneally (100 μg/kg/day) at time intervals after noise exposure. Hearing thresholds were assessed using auditory brainstem responses and the hair cell loss was evaluated by quantitative histology. Free radical damage in the organ of Corti was assessed using nitrotyrosine immunohistochemistry. The treatment with ADAC after noise exposure led to a significantly greater recovery of hearing thresholds compared with controls. These results were upheld by increased survival of sensory hair cells and reduced nitrotyrosine immunoreactivity in ADAC-treated cochlea. We propose that ADAC could be a valuable treatment for noise-induced cochlear injury in instances of both acute and extended noise exposures.     

Insect diversity and trophic structure differ on native and non‐indigenous congeneric rushes in coastal salt marshes

Displacement of native plant species by non‐indigenous congeners may affect associated faunal assemblages. In endangered salt marshes of south‐east Australia, the non‐indigenous rush Juncus acutus is currently displacing the native rush Juncus kraussii, which is a dominant habitat‐forming species along the upper border of coastal salt marshes. We sampled insect assemblages on multiple plants of these congeneric rushes in coastal salt marshes in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and compared the abundance, richness, diversity, composition and trophic structure between: (i) J. acutus and J. kraussii at invaded locations; and (ii) J. kraussii at locations either invaded or not invaded by J. acutus. Although J. acutus supported a diverse suite of insects, species richness and diversity were significantly greater on the native J. kraussii. Moreover, insect assemblages associated with J. kraussii at sites invaded by J. acutus were significantly different from, and more variable than, those on J. kraussii at non‐invaded sites. The trophic structure of the insect assemblages was also different, including the abundance and richness of predators and herbivores, suggesting that J. acutus may be altering consumer interactions, and may be spreading in part because of a reduction in herbivory. This strongly suggests that J. acutus is not playing a functionally similar role to J. kraussii with respect to the plant‐associated insect species assemblages. Consequently, at sites where this non‐indigenous species successfully displaces the native congener, this may have important ecological consequences for community composition and functioning of these endangered coastal salt marshes.     

Molecular modeling of a PAMAM-CGS21680 dendrimer bound to an A2A adenosine receptor homodimer

The theoretical possibility of bivalent binding of a dendrimer, covalently appended with multiple copies of a small ligand, to a homodimer of a G protein-coupled receptor was investigated with a molecular modeling approach. A molecular model was constructed of a third generation (G3) poly(amidoamine) (PAMAM) dendrimer condensed with multiple copies of the potent A_2A adenosine receptor agonist CGS21680. The dendrimer was bound to an A_2A adenosine receptor homodimer. Two units of the nucleoside CGS21680 could occupy the A_2A receptor homodimer simultaneously. The binding mode of CGS21680 moieties linked to the PAMAM dendrimer and docked to the A_2A receptor was found to be similar to the binding mode of a monomeric CGS21680 ligand.     

Comparing the reproductive biological characteristics of the alien invasive Coreopsis lanceolata to those of the non-invasive alien congener Coreopsis tinctoria

It is important to determine the characteristics associated with the success of alien species. However, there is no universal syndrome of invasion reproductive characteristics to explain the success of invasiveness has not been identified. Comparative studies on congeneric successful or non-successful alien species are beneficial for revealing the drivers of invasion success and predicting future distributions. Reproductive biological characteristics, including the mating system, phenology of flowering, floral syndrome, pollination biology and seed germination have been investigated in the invasive Coreopsis lanceolata and non-successful congener alien species Coreopsis tinctoria. The results revealed that C. lanceolata significantly attracted insect visitors by 11.67 times more than its congener, and the corolla density of C. lanceolata was positively correlated with the number of visiting insects. The high attraction of local insect bees Apis cerana guarantees the reproductive success and high seed production of C. lanceolata. Nevertheless, there was no versatile mating system, because its congener non-successful alien species C. lanceolata still successfully invaded due to the combination strategies of self-compatibility and presence of rhizomes. Furthermore, the ability of seed germination of C. lanceolata was lower than that of C. tinctoria, especially under drought and Al³⁺ stress, suggesting that germination performance can serve as a reference indicator. However, this was not an absolute trait for invasiveness. Hence, these germination traits might slow down the invasiveness of C. lanceolata in south China. These present findings highlight that the combination of self-incompatibility and rhizomes should be given attention in the risk assessment protocols for plant invasiveness.     

Systematics of the Madagascar Anelosimus spiders: remarkable local richness and endemism,and dual colonization from the Americas

Despite the alarming rates of deforestation and forest fragmentation, Madagascar still harbors extraordinary biodiversity. However, in many arthropod groups, such as spiders, this biodiversity remains mostly unexplored and undescribed. The first subsocial Madagascan species of the theridiid spider genus Anelosimus were described in 2005 when six new species were found to coexist in the Périnet forest fragment within Andasibe-Mantadia NP. However, this discovery was based only on a few specimens and the extent of this Madagascan radiation has remained unknown. We here report on a thorough survey of >350 colonies from Périnet, and three pilot surveys into additional Madagascar forests (Ambohitantely, Ranamofana, and Montagne d’Ambre). The morphological, molecular and natural history data from these surveys facilitated a revised taxonomy and phylogenetic hypothesis of Madagascan Anelosimus. This subsocial clade currently comprises six previously known (Anelosimus andasibe Agnarsson & Kuntner, 2005, Anelosimus may Agnarsson, 2005, Anelosimus nazariani Agnarsson & Kuntner, 2005, Anelosimus sallee Agnarsson & Kuntner, 2005, Anelosimus salut Agnarsson & Kuntner, 2005, Anelosimus vondrona Agnarsson & Kuntner, 2005) and 10 new species: Anelosimus ata sp. n., Anelosimus buffoni sp. n., Anelosimus darwini sp. n., Anelosimus hookeri sp. n., Anelosimus huxleyi sp. n., Anelosimus lamarcki sp. n., Anelosimus moramora sp. n., Anelosimus tita sp. n., Anelosimus torfi sp. n., Anelosimus wallacei sp. n.. With the exception of Anelosimus may and Anelosimus vondrona, all other species appear to be single forest endemics. While additional sampling is necessary, these data imply a much higher local richness and endemism in Madagascan forests than in any other comparable area globally. The phylogenetic results establish a sister clade relationship between the subsocial Anelosimus in Madagascar and the American ‘eximius group’, and between the solitary Anelosimus decaryi on Madagascar and a solitary American clade. These findings imply duplicate colonizations from America, an otherwise rare biogeographical pattern, calling for more detailed investigation of Anelosimus biogeography.