The ecoresponsive genome of Daphnia pulex

We describe the draft genome of the microcrustacean Daphnia pulex, which is only 200 megabases and contains at least 30,907 genes. The high gene count is a consequence of an elevated rate of gene duplication resulting in tandem gene clusters. More than a third of Daphnia's genes have no detectable homologs in any other available proteome, and the most amplified gene families are specific to the Daphnia lineage. The coexpansion of gene families interacting within metabolic pathways suggests that the maintenance of duplicated genes is not random, and the analysis of gene expression under different environmental conditions reveals that numerous paralogs acquire divergent expression patterns soon after duplication. Daphnia-specific genes, including many additional loci within sequenced regions that are otherwise devoid of annotations, are the most responsive genes to ecological challenges.     

Axonal proteins of presynaptic neurons during synaptogenesis

Changes occur in the synthesis and axonal transport of neuronal proteins in dorsal-root ganglia axons as a result of contact with cells from the spinal cord during synapse formation. Dorsal-root ganglia cells were cultured in a compartmental cel culture system that allows separate access to neuronal cell bodies and their axons. When cells from the ventral spinal cord were cultured with the dorsal-root ganglia axons, synapses were established within a few days. Metabolic labeling and two-dimensional electrophoresis revealed that four of more than 300 axonal proteins had changed in their expression by the time synapses were established. The highly selective nature of these changes suggests that the proteins involved may be important in the processes of axon growth and synapse formation and their regulation by the regional environment.     

A method of preparing mesocosms for assessing complex biotic processes in soils

Equipment and handling methods for the preparation of soil mesocosms were developed. The mesocosms were used to investigate the interrelationships between mesofauna and microflora in a coniferous forest soil. Soil monoliths were taken from the ground, defaunated by deep-freezing, wrapped in nets to control reimmigration of different faunal size-classes, and replanted in the field for 8 months. in a practical test the technique described here proved to be an inexpensive field method for producing a replicated series of mesocosm in a short time. Deep-freezing is appropriate for defaunating soil monoliths. The fine nets effectively exluded meso-and macrofauna. No significant differences were found in the abundance of Enchytraeids and Collembola between recolonized mesocosms and the undisturbed control at the end of the study period. In contrast, oribatid mite abundace was still greatly reduced in the recolonized esocosms. Dominance structure and species composition of the more dominant oribatid species in the different treatments were apparently similar. To compensate for the low colonization ability of oribatids, a reintroduction of selected animal size-classes to defaunated monoliths is recommended.     

Cotton management in a compacted subsurface microirrigated coastal plain soil of the southeastern US

A loamy sand Acrisol (Aquic Hapludult) that had been microirrigated for 6 years became so severely compacted that it had root limiting values of soil cone index in the Ap horizon and a genetic hardpan below it. Deep and surface tillage systems were evaluated for their ability to alleviate compaction. Deep tillage included subsoiling or none. Both deep tillage treatments were also surface tilled by disking, chiseling, or not tilling. Subsoiling was located in row or between rows to avoid microirrigation tubes (laterals) that were buried under every other mid row or every row. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) was planted in 0.96-m wide rows. Cotton yield was improved by irrigation from 485 to 1022 kg ha⁻¹ because both 2001 and 2002 were dry years. Tillage loosened the soil by an average of 0.5–1.3 MPa; but compacted zones remained outside tilled areas. Subsoiling improved yield by 131 kg ha⁻¹ when performed in row where laterals were placed in the mid rows; but subsoiling did not improve yield when it was performed in mid rows. For subsurface irrigation management in these soils, the treatment with laterals buried under every other mid row was able to accommodate in-row subsoiling which improved yield; and this treatment was just as productive as and had been shown to be less expensive to install than burying laterals under every row.     

Inheritance of congenital cataracts and microphthalmia in the Miniature Schnauzer

Congenital cataracts and microphthalmia in the Miniature Schnauzer were inherited as an autosomal recessive trait. Eighteen matings of affected X affected Miniature Schnauzers resulted in 87 offspring with congenital cataracts and microphthalmia (49 males/38 females). Two matings of congenital cataractous and microphthalmic Miniature Schnauzers (2 females) X a normal Miniature Schnauzer (1 male) yielded 11 clinically normal Miniature Schnauzers (7 males/4 females). Eighteen matings of congenital cataractous and microphthalmic Miniature Schnauzers (6 males) X carrier Miniature Schnauzers (9 females) produced 81 offspring; 39 exhibited congenital cataracts and microphthalmia (20 males/19 females) and 42 had clinically normal eyes (17 males/25 females).     

Rabies-like inclusions in dogs

Inclusion bodies, indistinguishable from rabies inclusion bodies (Negri bodies), were found in the brains of 8 nonrabid dogs. The inclusions were compared to Negri bodies present in neurons of rabies-positive animals and examined for the presence of rabies virus by a combination of immunoperoxidase staining (7 cases), fluorescent antibody (FA) staining (1 case), and transmission electron microscopy (4 cases). Positive immunoperoxidase staining for rabies was obtained in brain tissues from FA rabies-positive animals. All brain tissues from the 7 dogs stained by the immunoperoxidase method and the brain from the 1 dog stained by the FA method were negative for rabies. Rabies virus was not found in inclusion-containing neurons in the cases examined by transmission electron microscopy. These results emphasize the importance of FA testing and mouse inoculation for the diagnosis of rabies.     

Hydatid Echinococcosis (Echinococcus granulosus) in a Laboratory Colony of Pig‐Tailed Macaques (Macaca nemestrina)

Several cases of hydatid echinococcosis were diagnosed in a laboratory colony of 19 pig‐tailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) at the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Germany. Three hydatid cysts were found in the liver of an euthanized animal. The diagnosis of an Echinococcus granulosus infection was confirmed by histopathology and the results of a specific polymerase chain reaction. The serum of five of 14 other monkeys tested for Echinococcus antibodies using a genus‐specific enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was positive or weakly positive; none of the animals, however, showed specific reactions in an E. multilocularis‐specific ELISA. On ultrasonographic examination, alterations in the liver were found in four of the serologically positive monkeys, and two animals showed clinical signs such as progressive anorexia, apathy and icterus. The monkeys had most probably acquired the E. granulosus infection in their breeding colony in Slovenia.