Chromosomes of the chocolate gourami: a cytogenetic anomaly

The chocolate gourami, Sphaerichthys osphromonoides, has the lowest chromosome number reported for fishes, with 2n = 16 and n = 8. Other members of the family Belontiidae have somatic numbers of 42 to 48. Chromosome instability is demonstrated by the presence of somatic abnormalities and meiotic multivalents.     

Deterministic generation of single photons from one atom trapped in a cavity

A single cesium atom trapped within the mode of an optical cavity is used to generate single photons on demand. The photon wave packets are emitted as a Gaussian beam with temporal profile and repetition rate controlled by external driving fields. Each generation attempt is inferred to succeed with a probability near unity, whereas the efficiency for creating an unpolarized photon in the total cavity output is 0.69 +/- 0.10, as limited by passive cavity losses. An average of 1.4 x 10(4) photons are produced by each trapped atom. These results constitute an important step in quantum information science, for example, toward the realization of distributed quantum networking.     

Glycopeptides from the surface of control and virus-transformed cells

Glycopeptides were removed by trypsin digestion from the surface of control cells and cells transformed by Rous sarcoma virus, murine sarcoma virus, or polyoma virus. After digestion with pronase, the glycopeptides were analyzed by gel filtration. The elution profiles suggest that there are differences in the glycopeptides from the surface of control cells and those from transformed cells.     

The effect of bacteria and bioturbation by Clymenella torquata on oil removal from sediment

Clymenella torquata, a representative of conveyor-belt feeding tube worms, was studied in laboratory microcosms for its effect on the removal of No. 2 fuel oil from sediment. Possible enhancement of microbial degradation of the oil was considered as well. Concentrations of the aromatic fraction of the oil were measured by synchronous fluorescence spectroscopy. Clymenella reduced the oil concentration of the surrounding sediment by 20 to 50% (p<0.05) in 10 days. Concentrations of oil in the worm tubes were 25 to 32% (p<0.001) less than the surrounding sediment. Sediment bacteria cultured in oil supplemented artificial sea water could use the oil as their sole C source, but did not significantly degrade the aromatic fraction.     

Competitive abilities of common field isolates and a commercial strain of Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii for clover nodule occupancy

We previously reported that commercial Rhizobium leguminosarum bv. trifolii inoculants failed to outcompete naturalized strains for nodule occupation of clover sown into an alkaline soil [Aust. J. Agric. Res. 53 (2002) 1019]. Two field isolates that dominated nodule occupancy at the field site were labeled with a PnifH-gusA marker. Marked strains were chosen on the basis that they were equally competitive and fixed similar amounts of nitrogen in comparison to their parental strain. The minitransposon insertions were cloned and sequence analysis revealed that neither lesion disrupted the integrity of any known gene. The marked strains were then used to follow nodule occupancy of Trifolium alexandrinum in competition against the commercial inoculant TA1 under a range of experimental conditions. In co-inoculation experiments in sand-vermiculite, TA1 outcompeted each marked field isolate for nodule occupancy. However, using TA1-inoculated seed sown into alkaline soil containing a marked field strain, it was demonstrated that by increasing the cell number of marked rhizobia in the soil and reducing the cell number of the commercial inoculant, the proportion of nodules occupied by TA1 was reduced. These studies indicate that the ability of the field isolates to dominate nodule occupancy in the alkaline field soils was most likely caused by poor commercial inoculant survival providing the advantage for naturalized soil rhizobia to initiate nodulation.     

Stems to GEMs: impact of stem cell technology on engineered animal models

Collectively, these presentations introduced the audience to the roles of ES cells in generating phenotypes of transgenic animals,and they provided examples where the GEMs were used to define molecular mechanisms of disease or where ES cells were used as a therapeutic modality. Points of discussion among audience members reinforced the importance of strain-associated background lesions in animal models, technological advances in imaging functional biology, opportunities for stem cell therapies, and ubiquitination in regulation of cell proliferation. The 2012 American College of Veterinary Pathologists symposium ‘‘Evolutionary Aspects of Animal Models’’ will focus on the proper selection of a relevant animal model in biomedical research as critical to investigative success. Recent work characterizing rapid evolutionary changes and differences in physiology between species questions the validity of some comparative models. Dr. Robert Hamlin will be speaking on cardiovascular disease in ‘‘Animals as Models of Human Cardiovascular Disease: Or the Search to Overcome Outdated Evolutionary Homeostatic Mechanisms.’’ Dr. Stefan Niewiesk will discuss evolutionary factors that affect modeling the human immune system in ‘‘Of Mice and Men: Evolutionarily, What Are the Best Rodent Models of the Human Immune System for Infectious Disease Research?’’ Dr. Steven Austad will consider evolution in ‘‘Evolutionary Aspects of Animal Models of Aging.’’Finally, Dr. Elizabeth Uhl will conclude the session with ‘‘Modeling Disease Phenotypes: How an Evolutionary Perspective Enhances the Questions.’’     

Neuropathologic findings of bromethalin toxicosis in the cat.

Ten random source male domestic shorthair cats, 2 to 6 years old and 3.0-4.4 kg body weight, were each given a single oral dose (1.5 mg/kg) of bromethalin (cat Nos. 1-5) or bait vehicle carrier (cat Nos. 6-10). Bromethalin-dosed cats developed a toxic syndrome characterized by ataxia, focal motor seizures, vocalization, decerebrate posture, decreased conscious proprioception, recumbency, depression, and semicoma. Bromethalin-dosed cats were euthanatized if seizure activity or hindlimb paralysis developed. Survival times were 48 hours (cat No. 1), 89 hours (cat No. 2), 90 hours (cat No. 3), and 97 hours (cat No. 4). Control cats (cat Nos. 6-10) and one bromethalin-dosed cat (cat No. 5) were euthanatized on day 20 after dosing. Spongy change (edema--characterized by the formation of vacuoles in extracellular spaces and myelin lamellae), hypertrophied fibrous astrocytes, and hypertrophied oligodendrocytes were observed in the white matter of the cerebrum, cerebellum, brain stem, spinal cord, and optic nerve of all bromethalin-dosed cats. Spongy change occasionally extended into contiguous cerebellar Purkinje cell layer and cerebral cortical gray matter. The severity of lesions varied among cats but was most pronounced in cat No. 5 (480 hours after dosing). A leukocytic inflammatory response, gitter cell (macrophage) response, or axonal degeneration was not observed in the vacuolated areas. Ultrastructural findings included separation of myelin lamellae at the interperiod lines with the formation of intramyelinic vacuoles (intramyelinic edema), rupture and coalescence of intramyelinic vacuoles into larger extracellular spaces (spongy change), and pronounced cytosolic edema of astrocytes and oligodendroglial cells.