Skulpturuntersuchungen an Pollen der GattungenTriticum L. undAegilops L.

Zusammenfassung Die Exineskulptur von 42 Arten der GattungenTriticum L. undAegilops L. wurde rasterelektronenmikroskopisch untersucht. In beiden Gattungen wurden sowohl scabrate als auch areolate Skulpturen festgestellt, wobei eine unterschiedliche Zahl von Spinulae an der Bildung der Areolen beteiligt sein kann. Die Skulpturen des einzelnen Pollenkorns zeigen oft eine gewisse Variationsbreite. Die einfacheren Skulpturtypen der GattungTriticum wurden bei den diploiden und den durch ein G-Genom charakterisierten Arten beobachtet, während sich die hexaploiden Weizen durch besonders komplexe Areolenbildungen auszeichnen. Die durch das B-Genom gekennzeichneten tetraploiden Weizen nehmen eine Mittelstellung ein. Bei der GattungAegilops herrschen ebenfalls areolate Exinebildungen vor, die bei der SektionVertebrata durch einfachere, bei der SektionComopyrum durch komplexere Areolen gekennzeichnet sind. Die übrigen Sektionen dieser Gattung zeigen keine einheitliche Tendenz.

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Investigations in pollen sculpturing ofTriticum L. andAegilops L.

Summary The exine sculpturing of 42 species of the generaTriticum andAegilops has been investigated with the aid of SEM. Scabrate und areolate sculpturing has been found in both genera. Thereby the areoles may be composed of different numbers of spinules. The single pollen frequently shows some variation in the sculpture type. The most simple sculpture types of the genusTriticum has been observed in diploid species and those, which are characterized by the G-genome. The hexaploid wheats possess the most complex areoles. The exine type of the tetraploid species, characterized by the B-genome, is intermediate. Areolate exine types also prevail in the genusAegilops. The exine of the sectionVertebrata possesses more simple types of areoles, whereas the sectionComopyrum is characterized by more complex areoles. The other sections of this genus do'nt show uniform tendency.

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Triticum L. Aegilops L.

42 , Triticum L. Aegilops L. . , , , , . . Triticum , G, . , B . Aegilops , Vertebrata , Comopyrum . .

     

Cytokine induction by immunostimulatory DNA in porcine PBMC is impaired by a hairpin forming sequence motif from the genome of Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2)

Porcine Circovirus type 2 (PCV2) can cause postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome (PMWS) in young pigs with severe immunosuppression as a major characteristic of the disease complex. Despite the dramatic involvement of the immune system, the interaction between PCV2 and the host is until date not well understood. The DNA genome of PCV2 contains sequences that in synthetic form (oligodeoxyribonucleotides; ODNs) can act immunomodulatory on porcine peripheral blood mononuclear cells (poPBMCs) in vitro. One such sequence (ODN PCV2/1) acts inhibitory on interferon (IFN)-α production induced by immunostimulatory DNA but not that induced by RNA, and the inhibitory activity is dependent on secondary structure formation. In the present study, the characteristic of ODN PCV2/1 was examined further by altering the nucleotide sequence to disrupt hairpin structure formation but still enable multimer structures through G-tetrads. This modification resulted in loss of IFN-α-inhibitory activity of the ODN and thus indicated the importance of hairpin structures. In addition, ODN PCV2/1 was compared to another inhibitory ODN (IRS 869) previously used in human and murine cells. In contrast to ODN PCV2/1, ODN IRS 869 did not inhibit IFN-α production induced by class A ODN 2216 but was a more efficient inhibitor of IFN-α production induced by plasmid DNA than ODN PCV2/1. In cultures induced by the RNA stimulator Poly I:C, however, a strong synergistic IFN-α stimulatory effect was seen in combination with ODN IRS 869. These results indicate that ODN PCV2/1 and ODN IRS 869 function through separate mechanisms to affect cytokine production by immune cells. The effect of ODN PCV2/1 was studied further by monitoring the expression of mRNA for IFN-α, IL-12p40, IL-10, IL-6, IFN-γ, IL-1β, TGF-β, and TNF-α in cultures of poPBMC stimulated with ODN 2216 or Poly I:C. Results from qPCR analyses showed that ODN PCV2/1 clearly inhibited the expression of IFN-α, IL-12p40, IL-10 and IL-6 when induced by ODN 2216, but did not seem to affect any of the cytokines examined when induced by Poly I:C. Initial studies using confocal microscopy and fluorochrome labelled ODNs indicate that ODN 2216 and ODN PCV2/1 co-localize in subpopulations of poPBMC.     

A self-organized vortex array of hydrodynamically entrained sperm cells

Many patterns in biological systems depend on the exchange of chemical signals between cells. We report a spatiotemporal pattern mediated by hydrodynamic interactions. At planar surfaces, spermatozoa self-organized into dynamic vortices resembling quantized rotating waves. These vortices formed an array with local hexagonal order. Introducing an order parameter that quantifies cooperativity, we found that the array appeared only above a critical sperm density. Using a model, we estimated the hydrodynamic interaction force between spermatozoa to be approximately 0.03 piconewtons. Thus, large-scale coordination of cells can be regulated hydrodynamically, and chemical signals are not required.     

Induction of Phlorotannins and Gene Expression in the Brown Macroalga Fucus vesiculosus in Response to the Herbivore Littorina littorea

Mechanisms related to the induction of phlorotannin biosynthesis in marine brown algae remain poorly known. Several studies undertaken on fucoid species have shown that phlorotannins accumulate in the algae for several days or weeks after being exposed to grazing, and this is measured by direct quantification of soluble phenolic compounds. In order to investigate earlier inducible responses involved in phlorotannin metabolism, Fucus vesiculosus was studied between 6 and 72 h of grazing by the sea snail Littorina littorea. In this study, the quantification of soluble phenolic compounds was complemented by a Quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR) approach applied on genes that are potentially involved in either the phlorotannin metabolism or stress responses. Soluble phlorotannin levels remained stable during the kinetics and increased significantly only after 12 h in the presence of grazers, compared to the control, before decreasing to the initial steady state for the rest of the kinetics. Under grazing conditions, the expression of vbpo, cyp450 and ast6 genes was upregulated, respectively, at 6 h, 12 h and 24 h, and cyp450 gene was downregulated after 72 h. Interestingly, the pksIII gene involved in the synthesis of phloroglucinol was overexpressed under grazing conditions after 24 h and 72 h. This study supports the hypothesis that phlorotannins are able to provide an inducible chemical defense under grazing activity, which is regulated at different stages of the stress response.     

Biliary Cystadenoma in a Rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Biliary tumors are rarely diagnosed in rabbits, and there are very few published case reports of this disease within this group of animals. This case involves an approximately 6-year-old spayed female pet rabbit that was referred for an abdominal mass noted on survey full-body radiographs obtained during an examination after presenting for acute onset anorexia. Otherwise, the patient had an unremarkable history, and physical examination abnormalities were limited to a slightly distended abdomen. Laboratory evaluation revealed an isolated elevation in gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase. Ultrasonography documented a 5.4-cm multicystic, intrahepatic mass with hyperechoic septations. The mass was surgically resected and described histopathologically as a proliferation of ectatic duct structures with a simple epithelial lining, supporting a diagnosis of biliary cystadenoma. The rabbit recovered without incident and was doing well 15 months postsurgery. The case is presented with a review of all reported cases and discussion of the potential origins of this unusual tumor in the rabbit. Surgery is recommended in rabbits that are diagnosed with a biliary tumor.     

Nitrogen allocation and the fate of absorbed light in 21-year-old Pinus radiata

We investigated effects of nitrogen (N) fertilizer and canopy position on the allocation of N to Rubisco and chlorophyll as well as the distribution of absorbed light among thermal energy dissipation, photochemistry, net CO2 assimilation and alternative electron sinks such as the Mehler reaction and photorespiration. The relative reduction state of the primary quinone receptor of photosystem II (QA) was used as a surrogate for photosystem II (PSII) vulnerability to photoinactivation. Measurements were made on needles from the lower, mid and upper canopy of 21-year-old Pinus radiata D. Don trees grown with (N+) and without (N0) added N fertilizer. Rubisco was 45 to 60% higher in needles of N+ trees than in needles of N0 trees at all canopy positions. Chlorophyll was approximately 80% higher in lower- and mid-canopy needles of N+ trees than of N0 trees, but only approximately 20% higher in upper-canopy needles. Physiological differences between N+ and N0 trees were found only in the lower- and mid- canopy positions. Needles of N+ trees dissipated up to 30% less light energy as heat than needles of N0 trees and had correspondingly more reduced QA. Net CO2 assimilation and the proportions of electrons used by alternative electron sinks such as the Mehler reaction and photorespiration were unaffected by N treatment regardless of canopy position. We conclude that the application of N fertilizer mainly affected the biochemistry and light-use physiology in lower- and mid-canopy needles by increasing the amount of chlorophyll and hence the amount of light harvested. This, however, did not improve photochemistry or safe dissipation, but increased PSII vulnerability to photoinactivation, an effect with likely significant consequences during sunflecks or sudden gap formation.     

Long-term culture of a cell population from Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) head kidney

In vitro cultures of native fish cell lines are of great importance, both for basic research and applied science. In particular, there is strong demand for long-term growable cell lines from breeding fish, like sturgeon. Here, we describe the culture of cells from Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) head kidney. The cells have so far been cultured over a period of 12 months (24 passages). Cytochemical and immunocytochemical examination suggests that, in vitro, the cells exhibit markers that are indicative for different cell types. In particular, fat storing cells (adipocytes) were observed, and the expression of cytokeratins and glial fibrilar acidic protein (GFAP) can be concluded on the basis of immuncytochemical analysis. The observation of different morphologies additionally underlines the heterogeneity of the cell population and matches the typical behaviour of in vitro cultures of stem/progenitor cells. Different applications can be imagined.     

Effects of water temperature and wind on year-class success of Tanner crabs in Bristol Bay, Alaska

We investigated five a priori hypotheses on factors affecting year-class success of commercially exploited Tanner crabs, Chionoecetes bairdi , in Bristol Bay, Alaska, through correlation analysis and multiple regression modelling. Estimates of recruitment from Zheng et al .' s (1998 ; Can. Spec. Publ. Fish. Aquat. Sci. 125:97–105) length-based analysis of assessment survey and commercial catch data were used to index year-class strength. This work extends results of an earlier study ( Rosenkranz et al ., 1998 ; Alaska Fish. Res. Bull. 5:18–24), which reported positive correlations between Tanner crab year-class size and north-east (NE) winds during the spring larval period, by considering the effects of nondirectional wind speed, bottom and surface water temperature, and abundance of the potential predators sockeye salmon ( Oncorhynchus nerka ) and Pacific cod ( Gadus macrocephalus ). No relationships were found between year-class size and mean wind speed or predator abundance, but positive correlations were found with bottom temperatures during gonadal development and egg incubation. Linear regression models with the independent variables NE wind and bottom temperature accounted for about half the variability in the year-class strength index ( r ²=0.50 for males, r ²=0.48 for females). Anomalously cold bottom temperatures may adversely affect the Tanner crab reproductive cycle, and NE winds may promote coastal upwelling while advecting larvae to regions of fine sediments favourable for survival upon settling. The role of Bering Sea oceanography on decadal-scale variability in Tanner crab population dynamics could not be resolved with the relatively short (∼ two decades) time series of stock assessments.