Identification of significant regions of transcription factor DP-1 (TFDP-1) involved in stability/instability of the protein

We previously reported the identification of DP-1 isoforms (α and β), which are structurally C-terminus-deleted ones, and revealed the low-level expression of these isoforms. It is known that wild-type DP-1 is degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system, but few details are known about the domains concerned with the protein stability/instability for the proteolysis of these DP-1 isoforms. Here we identified the domains responsible for the stability/instability of DP-1. Especially, the DP-1 “Stabilon” domain was a C-terminal acidic motif and was quite important for DP-1 stability. Moreover, we propose that this DP-1 Stabilon may be useful for the stability of other nuclear proteins when fused to them.     

Semen cryopreservation in golden‐headed lion tamarin,Leontopithecus chrysomelas

Wild animal genetic resource banking (GRB) represents a valuable tool in conservation breeding programs, particularly in cases involving endangered species such as the golden‐headed lion tamarin (Leontopithecus chrysomelas). Thus, we aimed to assess a sperm freezing protocol for golden‐headed lion tamarins using two different exenders: BotuBOV® (BB) and Test Yolk Buffer® (TYB). Ejaculates were collected by penile vibrostimulation from animals housed at São Paulo Zoological Park Foundation, São Paulo, Brazil, and after immediate analysis, two aliquots were diluted in BB and TYB. Postthawing samples were evaluated for total and progressive motility, plasma membrane and acrosome integrities, mitochondrial activity, susceptibility to oxidative stress, and sperm–egg‐binding. No differences between BB and TYB were found for most seminal parameters, except for acrosome integrity and susceptibility to oxidative stress (in both cases BB showed higher values). However, in spite of these differences and regardless of the extender used, postthaw sperm motility and viability with the described protocol were encouraging (on average >50% and >80%, respectively), indicating that sperm cryopreservation may be a short‐term measure for the conservation of golden‐headed lion tamarins.     

Hatchery selection promotes boldness in newly hatched brown trout (Salmo trutta): implications for dominance

By using newly hatched (approximately 2 weeks old) brown trout(Salmo trutta) from six families of wild and six families ofsea-ranched origin (seventh generation), we tested the hypothesesthat (1) the hatchery environment selects for increased boldness,and (2) boldness predicts dominance status. Sea-ranched troutspend their first 2 years in the hatchery before being releasedinto the wild at the onset of seaward migration. Trout werepresented with a novel object (tack) and with food (brine shrimp),and their responses were measured and scored in terms of boldness.Siblings with increasing difference in boldness were then pairedin dyadic contests. Fish of sea-ranged origin were on averagebolder than were fish of wild origin, and bolder individualswere more likely to become dominant regardless of origin. Boldnesswas not related to RNA levels, indicating that bold behaviorwas not a consequence of higher metabolism or growth rate. Neitherwas size a predictor of bold behavior or the outcome of dyadiccontests. These results are consistent with studies on olderlife stages showing increased boldness toward predators in hatchery-selectedfish, which suggests that behavioral consequences of hatcheryselection are manifested very early in life. The concordancebetween boldness and dominance may suggest that these behaviorsare linked in a risk prone-aggressive phenotype, which may bepromoted by hatchery selection. However, we also found significantvariation in behavioral and growth-related traits among families,suggesting that heritable variation has not been exhausted bysea-ranching procedures.     

Effects of iodine deficiency on mental and psychomotor abilities

The allometric relationships between canine base area, first molar and summed molar crown area, and the glabella–opisthocranion distance, and the direct allometric relationships between canine and molar size have been established in five primate taxa. Separate sex and combined sex ‘intraspecific’, and ‘interspecific’ regression and ‘best fit’ allometry coefficients were computed. This analysis showed that for any increase in glabella–opisthocranion length, the rate of increase in canine size exceeds the rate of increase in molar area, and ‘best fit’ solutions indicate that canine base area is positively allometric when related directly to molar crown area. These results were compared with data available for the ‘gracile’ australopithecine, A. africanus, and two ‘robust’ australopithecine taxa, A. boisei and A. robustus. The differences in canine and molar size which occur between the ‘gracile’ taxon and the two ‘robust’ taxa do not correspond to any of the trends in the comparative allometric models. Data on glabella–opisthocranion length for the fossils, meagre though they are, show that while the proportional increase in molar crown area between the taxa corresponds to comparative allometry models, the reduced canine size in the ‘robust’ taxa is against comparative allometric trends. These results indicate that, at least in terms of canine/molar proportions, the differences between the ‘gracile’ and ‘robust’ australopithecines are not merely allometric and may indicate significant dietary or behavioural differences.     

Ethnobotanical review of wild edible plants in Spain

This paper compiles and evaluates the ethnobotanical data currently available on wild plants traditionally used for human consumption in Spain. Forty-six ethnobotanical and ethnographical sources from Spain were reviewed, together with some original unpublished field data from several Spanish provinces. A total of 419 plant species belonging to 67 families was recorded. A list of species, plant parts used, localization and method of consumption, and harvesting time is presented. Of the seven different food categories considered, green vegetables were the largest group, followed by plants used to prepare beverages, wild fruits, and plants used for seasoning, sweets, preservatives, and other uses. Important species according to the number of reports include: Foeniculum vulgare , Rorippa nasturtium-aquaticum , Origanum vulgare , Rubus ulmifolius , Silene vulgaris , Asparagus acutifolius , and Scolymus hispanicus . We studied data on the botanical families to which the plants in the different categories belonged, overlapping between groups and distribution of uses of the different species. Many wild food plants have also been used for medicinal purposes and some are considered to be poisonous. This review highlights the rich traditional knowledge on edible plants that has remained in rural Spain. Until recently, many wild plants were used as dietary supplements. However, most of this knowledge survives only in the memory of the elderly, and will probably disappear in a few decades.  © 2006 The Linnean Society of London, Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society , 2006, 152 , 27–71.     

The 24-h time budget of a takh harem stallion (Equus ferus przewalskii) pre- and post-reintroduction

Focal animal sampling was used to determine the 24-h time budget of a takh harem stallion (Equus ferus przewalskii) during the 2 weeks prior to, and the two weeks following, reintroduction into the Hustain Nuruu Steppe Reserve, Mongolia. Both before and after release, the stallion spent approximately 47% of his time grazing, 6% standing, and 5% in recumbent rest. The biggest changes to the time budget after release were a 4-fold increase in the amount of time spent moving, and a 50% decrease in the amount of time spent resting in a standing position. During the middle of the day when the temperatures were hottest, the stallion exhibited less grazing and more standing resting behaviour than in the morning or evening hours. Recumbent rest invariably occurred in the hours before dawn.     

Problems of body-weight estimation in fossil primates

Body-weight estimates of fossil primates are commonly used to infer many important aspects of primate paleobiology, including diet, ecology, and relative encephalization. It is important to examine carefully the methodologies and problems associated with such estimates and the degree to which one can have confidence in them. New regression equations for predicting body weight in fossil primates are given which provide body-weight estimates for most nonhominid primate species in the fossil record. The consequences of using different subgroups (evolutionary “grades”) of primate species to estimate fossil-primate body weights are explored and the implications of these results for interpreting the primate fossil record are discussed. All species (fossil and extant) were separated into the following “grades”: prosimian grade, monkey grade, ape grade, anthropoid grade, and all-primates grade. Regression equations relating lower molar size to body weight for each of these grades were then calculated. In addition, a female-anthropoid grade regression was also calculated for predicting body weight infernales of extinct, sexually dimorphic anthropoid species. These equations were then used to generate the fossil-primate body weights. In many instances, the predicted fossil-primate body weights differ substantially from previous estimates.     

The dentinoenamel junction in primates

Dental characteristics figure large in primate taxonomy because teeth fossilize commonly and reflect dietary adaptations. The mammalian dentinoenamel junction (DEJ) plays a crucial role throughout odontogenesis in determining the ultimate crown configuration, being the interface between the papilla and the dental cap. The final configuration of the dentin surface reflects the epithelium more closely than does the enamel surface of the crown. Enamel deposition occurs relatively late in calcification, often causing many changes from the pattern residing in the DEJ; the genetic determination of the two surfaces also differs. Comparative study of the DEJ (and its differences from the enamel crown) is a potential adjunct to dentition-based taxonomy and may help to resolve certain cusp homologies and morphogenetic order of appearance. Primate teeth were stripped of enamel after measurement, mapping, and anatomical observations on the original crown. The dentin surfaces thus revealed differ from the enamel surfaces in several respects and shed new light on such dental problem areas as the origin of the hypocone, the affinities of lorisoids and callitrichids, the monophyly of the anthropoid grade, and human affinities.