Light and electron microscopic observations of a segmented filamentous bacterium attached to the mucosa of the terminal ileum of pigs.

Segmented filamentous bacteria were seen attached to apical villous enterocytes of the terminal ileum in 15 of 2,766 live pigs submitted for necropsy over a 6-year period. Infected pigs ranged in age from 2 to 13 weeks. All pigs except 2, however, were greater than 4 weeks old and had been weaned. All infected pigs came from conventional commercial herds with intensive, all-indoor, confinement rearing management systems. The bacteria were gram negative or gram variable and were not associated with any clinical disease. Bacteria were more commonly attached to epithelium on the dome villi in the ileum. Electron microscopic examination revealed organisms composed of a cranial segment with a nipple-like appendage and several other segments making up elongated filaments of various lengths. Each filament was divided into segments by transverse septa. The nipple-like appendage served as an attachment apparatus by indenting the enterocyte surface without physically penetrating it. Occasionally, the colonizing bacterium was itself colonized by small rod-shaped bacteria that completely surrounded the filament.     

Expression of Perilipin 2 (PLIN2) in Porcine Oocytes During Maturation

Perilipins have been reported to limit the interaction of lipases with neutral lipids within the droplets, thereby regulating neutral lipid accumulation and utilization. This study aimed to identify the location and expression of PLIN1 and PLIN2 in porcine oocytes during maturation. Quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR), immunostaining and Western blot methods were used to characterize the expression and distribution patterns of PLIN1 and PLIN2 in porcine oocytes. The results showed that PLIN1 was not detectable in porcine oocytes. PLIN2 and BODIPY 493/503‐detected neutral lipid droplets appeared identical distribution patterns and extensive colocalization in both GV and MII porcine oocytes. PLIN2 protein expression was higher in GV oocytes than that in MII oocytes (p < 0.05), although PLIN2 mRNA expression was similar in both groups. These findings suggested that PLIN2 was a major lipid droplet‐associated protein in porcine oocytes.     

Florida current volume transports from voltage measurements

The volume transport of the Florida Current is determined from the motionally induced voltage difference between Florida and Grand Bahama Island. Simultaneous measurements of potential differences and of volume transport by velocity profiling have a correlation of 0.97. The calibration factor is 25+/- 0.7 sverdrups per volt, and the root-mean-square discrepancy is 0.7 sverdrup. The induced voltage is about one-half the open-circuit value, implying that the conductance of the sediments and lithosphere is about equal to that of the water column.     

Geographical variation of solanidane aglycone glycoalkaloids in the wild potato species Solanum chacoense Bitter

The Colorado Potato Beetle is a serious pest of the cultivated potato. Natural resistance has been found in a few wild species, including Solanum chacoense Bitter, in which the resistance is attributed to the presence of leptine glycoalkaloids. Production and accumulation of these compounds within S. chacoense varies widely and appears to be inherited in a quantitative fashion, but high leptine-producing clones occur rarely. In the present study, 15 different accessions from various locations and altitudes of origin within central to northern Argentina and Paraguay were analyzed for foliar glycoalkaloid (leptine, leptinine, solanine, chaconine) content. The objective was to infer the frequency of leptine production in ecogeographically distinct S. chacoense accessions, and to ascertain any possible association between leptine levels/concentrations and ecogeographical location. Leptines were detected in 8 of the 15 accessions, and the amounts within each accession varied widely. Most of the leptine-containing accessions originated from western Argentina except two in province Córdoba in central Argentina. There was no relationship between elevational level and leptine, but there was a negative trend with total glycoalkaloids (TGA) and elevation, due to solanine and chaconine levels which decreased with increasing elevation. In addition, nine unidentified, putative glycoalkaloids were detected, in very high proportions in some individuals and accessions. This study raises interesting questions about glycoalkaloid distribution, helps provide direction for new avenues of leptine and glycoalkaloid research, and proposes a systematic, ecogeographically based method for bioprospecting genes controlling rare plant secondary compounds.