Hemoglobin and subunit multiplicity in the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) hemoglobin system

Hemoglobin (Hb) multiplicity is a commonly used index of phylogenetic differentiation and molecular adaptation in fish. Despite improvements in technologies for characterizing protein structure, our knowledge of the component composition of the Hb system in rainbow trout, Oncorhychus mykiss, has remained almost unchanged through three decades. The Hb is considered to consist of four components, of which two (HbI and HbIV) have been extensively characterised with regard to structure and function. Using a variety of molecular techniques we demonstrate the presence of at least nine different Hb fractions composed of nine (five α and four β globin) chains, and that HbI and HbIV consist of two and five individual components, respectively. These findings indicate that the published data on trout HbI and HbIV refer to mixtures of isoHbs and need to be reappraised. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Forest management and carbon sequestration in wood products

Wood products are considered to contribute to the mitigation of carbon dioxide emissions. A critical gap in the life cycle of wood products is to transfer the raw timber from the forest to the processing wood industry and, thus, the primary wood products. Therefore, often rough estimates are used for this step to obtain total forestry carbon balances. The objectives of this study were (1) to examine the fate of timber harvested in Thuringian state forests (central Germany), representing a large, intensively managed forested region, and (2) to quantify carbon stocks and the lifetime of primary wood products made from this timber. The analyses were based on the amount and assortments of actually sold timber, and production parameters of the companies that bought and processed this timber. In addition, for coniferous stands of a selected Thuringian forest district, we calculated potential effects of management, as expressed by different thinning regimes on wood products and their lifetimes. Total annual timber sale of soft- and hardwoods from Thuringian state forests (195,000 ha) increased from about 136,893 t C (~0.7 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in 1996 to 280,194 t C (~1.4 t C ha⁻¹ year⁻¹) in 2005. About 47% of annual total timber harvest went into short-lived wood products with a mean residence time (MRT) < 25 years. Thirty-one per cent of the total harvest went into wood products with an MRT of 25–43 years, and only 22% was used as construction wood and glued wood, products with the longest MRT (50 years). The average MRT of carbon in harvested wood products was 20 years. Thinning from above throughout the rotation of spruce forests would lead to an average MRT in harvested wood products of about 23 years, thinning from below of about 18 years. A comparison of our calculations with estimates that resulted from the products module of the CO2FIX model (Nabuurs et al. 2001) demonstrates the influence of regional differences in forest management and wood processing industry on the lifetime of harvested wood products. To our knowledge, the present study provides for the first time real carbon inputs of a defined forest management unit to the wood product sector by linking data on raw timber production, timber sales and wood processing. With this new approach and using this data, it should be possible to substantially improve the net-carbon balance of the entire forestry sector.     

Redox profile in liver of Leporinus macrocephalus exposed to different dissolved oxygen levels

Aquatic organisms are continuously exposed to environmental variations, which can lead to physiological and biochemical alterations. Leporinus macrocephalus, known as piavu?u, is a migratory species that may be exposed to variations in dissolved oxygen levels. Studies evaluating oxidative changes undergone by this species in these conditions are scarce. Therefore, this investigation aimed at evaluating oxidative alterations in L. macrocephalus exposed to different oxygen levels for 96?h: 6.12?±?0.18, 3.99?±?0.17, 3.22?±?0.17, 2.47?±?0.30 and 0.710?±?0.07?mg?L(-1). At the end of the experimental period, fish were euthanized and livers used to determine lipid hydroperoxides, thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, catalase, glutathione-S-transferase, superoxide dismutase and thiol groups, which are an indirect measure of reduced glutathione. Results indicated a decrease in the studied parameters in hypoxic situations, suggesting a possible metabolic depression.     

Spread of HTLV-I between lymphocytes by virus-induced polarization of the cytoskeleton

Cell contact is required for efficient transmission of human T cell leukemia virus- type 1 (HTLV-I) between cells and between individuals, because naturally infected lymphocytes produce virtually no cell-free infectious HTLV-I particles. However, the mechanism of cell-to-cell spread of HTLV-I is not understood. We show here that cell contact rapidly induces polarization of the cytoskeleton of the infected cell to the cell-cell junction. HTLV-I core (Gag protein) complexes and the HTLV-I genome accumulate at the cell-cell junction and are then transferred to the uninfected cell. Other lymphotropic viruses, such as HIV-1, may similarly subvert normal T cell physiology to allow efficient propagation between cells.     

Prevalence of chronic wasting in Dutch dairy herds with a history of chronic health problems

The prevalence of chronic wasting in cattle in March and April 2000 was studied on 218 dairy farms with a history of health problems accompanied by wasting, following reports in the media suggesting that chronic wasting was a substantial problem on Dutch dairy farms. A telephone call revealed that the health problems had resolved on 41 farms; 16 of these farms had culled all cattle. Two farmers refused co-operation. On the remaining 175 farms the animals were inspected and was completed a questionnaire. A high percentage of culling for of health reasons (on average 18.1% of young stock and adult cattle) and an increased mortality rate (4.8%) were reported on the farms visited. In only two of the 175 inspected herds, more than 20 percent of cattle were found showing signs of wasting. These two herds were identified as 'chronic wasting herds'. The prevalence of such herds was low in this study. Consequently, it is likely that there were very few 'chronic wasting herds' among the whole Dutch dairy population in March/April 2000.     

Digalacturonates from pectin degradation induce tissue responses against potato soft rot

The pathogenicity of the bacteriumErwinia carotovorasubsp.atroseptica, which causes potato soft rot, is triggered by short oligogalacturonates released by enzymic degradation of plant cell wall pectin. In the first stage unsaturated digalacturonate (uDG), produced by the action of pectate lyases, is degraded by oligogalacturonide lyase (OGL) to keto-deoxyuronate (DKI). The OGL encoding gene fromE. carotovoraand the corresponding recombinant enzyme were characterized. Measuring the changes in plant cell viability and tissue maceration during soft rot pathogenesis in tissue slices of sprouting potato tubers, it was observed that exposure to uDG and DKI, produced by recombinant OGL, killed up to 30% of the plant cells over a period of 16h. This protected the tissue against maceration byE. carotovorasubsp.atroseptica. Endogenous OGL activity was detected in extracts from sprouting tubers where it may be involved in the conversion of uDG into cell toxic compounds. The results indicate that an additional function of small, diffusable digalacturonates is to induce plant cell death during the rotting process, thus contributing to defence reactions againstE. carotovorasubsp.atroseptica.