bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inconsistencies in measurement of fish condition: a comparison of four indices of fat reserves for Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus)
Authors: McPherson Lindsay R. , Slotte Aril , Kvamme Cecilie , Meier Sonnich , Marshall C. Tara
Published: October 2010

McPherson, L. R., Slotte, A., Kvamme, C., Meier, S., and Marshall, C. T. 2011. Inconsistencies in measurement of fish condition: a comparison of four indices of fat reserves for Atlantic herring (Clupea harengus). – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68: 52–60. Condition is often equated to the magnitude of fat reserves, which can be represented by biochemical, bioenergetic, or morphometric indices. Biochemical indices are technically more demanding, but are direct measures of fat, in contrast to morphometric indices which are easier to measure but are only surrogates of physiological status or condition. This study compared Fulton's K (K), a common morphometric index, with two bioenergetic indices, mesenteric fat and muscle fat content, measured by a commercial fatmeter in Atlantic herring. Fatmeter values and K were also compared with a biochemical measurement of muscle fat. The relationship between K and mesenteric fat was inconsistent and often non-existent. The relationship between K and fatmeter values was stronger for fish with inactive gonads, and the biochemical measure displayed a much stronger correlation with fatmeter values than with K. Studies need explicitly to define condition and ideally validate it against a benchmark, such as a biochemical index.
Protein and Quality Characterization of Triticale Translocation Lines in Breadmaking
Authors: Jonnala Ramakanth S. , MacRitchie Finlay , Herald Thomas J. , Lafiandra Domenico , Margiotta Benedetta , Tilley Michael
Published: October 2010

Introduction of high molecular weight glutenin subunits (HMW‐GS) from the Glu‐D1d locus of wheat into triticale restores the genetic constitution of high molecular weight glutenin loci to that of wheat and subsequently improves the breadmaking quality of triticale. One means of achieving such restoration of the genetic constitution is through the use of translocation lines. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the performance of translocations 1A.1D and 1R.1D with HMW‐GS 5+10 and 2+12 in terms of physical dough tests and baking quality using four different sets of triticale lines, GDS7, Trim, Rhino, and Rigel. In general, significantly lower milling quality (flour yield), very low mixing times with lower loaf volume were typical of all the triticales studied except 1A.1D 5+10 lines, when compared to hard wheat flour (Pegaso). Among the lines studied, significantly higher loaf volume, mixograph dough development time (MDDT), and maximum resistance to extension (Rmax) were observed with 1A.1D 5+10 lines indicating that translocation of the Glu‐D1d allele with HMW‐GS 5+10 was beneficial in terms of improving the quality attributes. Although pure triticale flour from these lines did not possess the functional characteristics for good quality bread, the translocation 1A.1D that contains HMW glutenin subunits 5+10 showed significant improvement in quality characteristics, and could reasonably be expected to yield commercially satisfactory bread loaves when combined with bread wheat flour. Significantly higher UPP, Rmax, and MDDT values along with a lower gliadin‐to‐glutenin ratio in 1A.1D 5+10 of GDS7 and Rigel sets indicate that the molecular weight distribution was shifted to higher molecular weights, resulting in greater dough strength associated with 5+10 subunits.
Plant-Parasitic Nematodes Are Potential Pathogens ofMiscanthus×giganteusandPanicum virgatumUsed for Biofuels
Authors: Mekete Tesfamariam , Reynolds Kimberly , Lopez-Nicora Horacio D. , Gray Michael E. , Niblack Terry L.
Published: October 2010

A survey of Miscanthus × giganteus and switchgrass plots throughout the midwestern and southeastern United States was conducted to determine the occurrence and distribution of plant-parasitic nematodes associated with these biofuel crops. During 2008, rhizosphere soil samples were collected from 24 Miscanthus × giganteus and 38 switchgrass plots in South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois. Additional samples were collected from 11 Miscanthus × giganteus and 10 switchgrass plots in Illinois, Kentucky, Georgia, and Tennessee the following year. The 11 dominant genera recovered from the samples were Pratylenchus, Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, Longidorus, Heterodera, Hoplolaimus, Tylenchorhynchus, Criconemella, Paratrichodorus, Hemicriconemoides, and Paratylenchus. Populations of Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, and Pratylenchus were common and recorded in 90.5, 83.8, and 91.9% of the soil samples from Miscanthus × giganteus, respectively, and in 91.6, 75, and 83.3% of the soil samples from switchgrass, respectively. Prominence value (PV) (PV = population density × √frequency of occurrence/10) was calculated for the nematodes identified. Helicotylenchus had the highest PV (PV = 384) and was followed by Xiphinema (PV = 152) and Pratylenchus (PV = 72). Several of the nematode species associated with the two biofuels crops were plant parasites. Of these, Pratylenchus penetrans, P. scribneri, P. crenatus, Helicotylenchus pseudorobustus, Hoplolaimus galeatus, X. americanum, and X. rivesi are potentially the most damaging pests to Miscanthus × giganteus and switchgrass. Due to a lack of information, the damaging population thresholds of plant-parasitic nematodes to Miscanthus × giganteus and switchgrass are currently unknown. However, damage threshold value ranges have been reported for other monocotyledon hosts. If these damage threshold value ranges are any indication of the population densities required to impact Miscanthus × giganteus and switchgrass, then every state surveyed has potential for yield losses due to plant-parasitic nematodes. Specifically, Helicotylenchus, Xiphinema, Pratylenchus, Hoplolaimus, Tylenchorhynchus, Criconemella, and Longidorus spp. were all found to have population densities within or above the threshold value ranges reported for other monocotyledon hosts.
Drippy Pod of White Lupine: A New Bacterial Disease Caused by a Pathovar of Brenneria quercina
Authors: Lu Shi-En , Gross Dennis C.
Published: October 2010

Drippy pod is a unique bacterial disease of Mediterranean white lupine (Lupinus albus) that first appeared in commercial fields in Eastern Washington State in the mid-1980s. The disease is most noticeable in the field as water-soaked lesions on lupine pods that produce an abundance of whitish-colored ooze with a sticky and foamy consistency. As the disease progresses, yellowing of lupine plants occurs with ooze characteristically dripping down the infected pods and stems and solidifying. A gram-negative rod-shaped bacterium with facultative anaerobic growth was repeatedly isolated from infected lupine tissues, and subsequently confirmed by Koch's postulates to infect lupines. Physiological and biochemical tests, including the API 20E and 50CHE strip assays, showed a highly uniform phenotype for the lupine strains that was distinctive for the genus Brenneria and most closely resembled the oak pathogen Brenneria quercina. Furthermore, sequence analyses of the 16S rDNA gene and the 16S-23S intergenic region of lupine strains revealed the highest similarity (>97%) to the corresponding regions of B. quercina and less similarity to the next closest species, B. salicis. Fatty acid profiling demonstrated that lupine strains were qualitatively similar in composition to Brenneria spp., and supported placement of the drippy pod bacterium in the species B. quercina. Oak strains of B. quercina, however, did not incite drippy pod disease on lupine. Consequently, the lupine strains that cause bacterial drippy pod disease were classified as B. quercina pv. lupinicola pv. nov.
Quantifying the Within-Field Temporal and Spatial Dynamics of Bean pod mottle virus in Soybean
Authors: Byamukama E. , Robertson A. E. , Nutter F. W.
Published: October 2010

The prevalence and incidence of Bean pod mottle virus (BPMV) have been reported to be on the increase in the United States but little is known about the temporal and spatial dynamics of this virus within soybean (Glycine max) fields. A quadrat-based sampling method was developed to quantify the within-field spread of BPMV in soybean in 2006 and 2007. Twenty-five 30-cm-long quadrats were established within each row of soybean in field plots consisting of six rows, each 7.6 m long and spaced 0.76 m apart. Four treatments were used to influence the temporal and spatial dynamics of BPMV epidemics. Treatments were: (i) establishment of a point source of BPMV inoculum within soybean plots; (ii) lambda-cyhalothrin insecticide applied at the V1 and R2 growth stages; (iii) establishment of a BPMV inoculum point source, plus the application of foliar insecticide sprays at the V1 and R2 growth stages; and (iv) a nontreated, noninoculated control. All quadrats (census) were sampled beginning 25 days after planting; sampling continued every 8 to 11 days until plants were senescent. Sap from leaf samples was extracted and tested for BPMV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The incidence of BPMV per treatment was plotted against time to produce BPMV incidence curves for temporal analyses. In addition, positions of BPMV-positive quadrats were mapped for spatial analyses. BPMV was detected within soybean plots on the first sampling date in 2006 (30 May) and on the second sampling date in 2007 (21 June). The rate of BPMV temporal spread within treatments ranged from 0.11 to 0.13 logits/day in 2006 and from 0.05 to 0.07 logits/day in 2007. Doubling times for BPMV incidence among treatments ranged from 5.4 to 6.4 days in 2006 and from 10.0 to 14.1 days in 2007. Soybean plots that had the earliest dates of BPMV detection within quadrats (x) also had the highest BPMV incidence (y) at the end of the growing season (R2 = 66.5 and 70.4% for 2006 and 2007, respectively). Spatial analyses using ordinary runs, black-white join-counts, and spatial autocorrelation revealed highly aggregated spatial patterns of BPMV-infected quadrats over time. Bean leaf beetle population densities were linearly related to BPMV incidence (P < 0.0001) in both years, indicating that BPMV epidemics were greatly influenced by bean leaf beetle population density. To our knowledge, this is the first study to quantify the seasonal temporal and spatial dynamics of BPMV spread within soybean.
Meloidogyne Virulence Locus Molecular Marker for Characterization of Selected Mi-Virulent Populations of Meloidogyne spp. Is Correlated with Several Genera of Betaproteobacteria
Authors: Cortada Laura , Sakai Hiromichi , Verdejo-Lucas Soledad , Mizukubo Takayuki
Published: October 2010

Resistance to root-knot nematodes in tomato is conferred by the Mi resistance gene to the three most important species of Meloidogyne: M. arenaria, M. incognita, and M. javanica. Nevertheless, the Mi gene is unable to inhibit the reproduction of selected and naturally Mi-virulent populations of root-knot nematodes. As pathogenicity assays are time consuming, molecular markers were developed for the easy identification of Mi-virulent populations of Meloidogyne. The sequence characterized amplified region-Meloidogyne virulence locus (MVC) molecular marker is reported to differentiate Mi-avirulent and naturally Mi-virulent from selected Mi-virulent populations. This marker was used to compare acquired virulence in populations of M. javanica from Spain. The original populations used to develop the MVC marker were included as control for reference. Results showed that this marker did not amplify genomic DNA extracted from single juveniles or females of any of the populations tested either from Spain or Japan. In silico analyses performed with the recently published complete genome of M. incognita, indicated that the MVC marker is not correlated to a MVC or to any eukaryotic organism but to several betaproteobacteria genus from the family Comamonadaceae.
A Novel Member of the Genus Nepovirus Isolated from Cucumis melo in Japan
Authors: Tomitaka Yasuhiro , Usugi Tomio , Yasuda Fumitoshi , Okayama Hiroshi , Tsuda Shinya
Published: October 2010

An unusual virus was isolated from a Japanese Cucumis melo cv. Prince melon plant showing mild mottling of the leaves. The virus had a broad experimental host range including at least 19 plant species in five families, with most infected plants showing no symptoms on inoculated and uninoculated systemically infected leaves. The virus particles were spherical, approximately 28 nm in diameter, and the coat protein (CP) had an apparent molecular mass of about 55 kDa. The virus possessed a bi-partite genome with two RNA species, of approximately 8,000 and 4,000 nucleotides. Both genome components for the new virus were sequenced. Amino acid sequence identities in CP between the new virus and previously characterized nepoviruses were found to be low (less than 27%); however, in phylogenetic reconstructions the closest relationship was revealed between the new virus and subgroup A nepoviruses. These results suggest that the new virus represents a novel member of the genus Nepovirus. A new name, Melon mild mottle virus, has been proposed for this new virus.
Interaction Between Diplodia pinea and D. scrobiculata in Red and Jack Pine Seedlings
Authors: Santamaría O. , Smith D. R. , Stanosz G. R.
Published: October 2010

Sphaeropsis sapinea sensu lato is a conifer fungal pathogen that causes shoot blight and stem cankers. Recently, the former S. sapinea has been divided into two species, Diplodia pinea and D. scrobiculata. The aims of the study were to determine the contribution of each species in disease development on red and jack pines by means of co-inoculations and molecular identifications, and to evaluate how the presence of each species affects the development and aggressiveness of the other. Symptom severity (distance below the inoculation site at which necrotic needles were observed) and identification length (the maximum distance from inoculation site from which either D. pinea or D. scrobiculata was identified using molecular methods) were recorded 4 weeks after inoculating wounded seedlings with agar plugs colonized by these pathogens. The results suggested that D. pinea was much more aggressive on both hosts than D. scrobiculata. When a seedling was co-inoculated with these pathogens, the symptom development appeared to be mainly due to D. pinea. The presence of D. pinea also interfered with the establishment of D. scrobiculata in the plant tissue. However, D. scrobiculata showed antagonism toward D. pinea. When both pathogens co-occurred in a single seedling, symptom severity caused by D. pinea was less than when D. pinea alone was present.
Some physical drivers of changes in the winter storm tracks over the North Atlantic and Mediterranean during the Holocene
Authors: Brayshaw David James , Hoskins Brian , Black Emily
Published: October 2010

The winter climate of Europe and the Mediterranean is dominated by the weather systems of the mid-latitude storm tracks. The behaviour of the storm tracks is highly variable, particularly in the eastern North Atlantic, and has a profound impact on the hydroclimate of the Mediterranean region. A deeper understanding of the storm tracks and the factors that drive them is therefore crucial for interpreting past changes in Mediterranean climate and the civilizations it has supported over the last 12 000 years (broadly the Holocene period). This paper presents a discussion of how changes in climate forcing (e.g. orbital variations, greenhouse gases, ice sheet cover) may have impacted on the ‘basic ingredients’ controlling the mid-latitude storm tracks over the North Atlantic and the Mediterranean on intermillennial time scales. Idealized simulations using the HadAM3 atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) are used to explore the basic processes, while a series of timeslice simulations from a similar atmospheric GCM coupled to a thermodynamic slab ocean (HadSM3) are examined to identify the impact these drivers have on the storm track during the Holocene. The results suggest that the North Atlantic storm track has moved northward and strengthened with time since the Early to Mid-Holocene. In contrast, the Mediterranean storm track may have weakened over the same period. It is, however, emphasized that much remains still to be understood about the evolution of the North Atlantic and Mediterranean storm tracks during the Holocene period.
Palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in the Southern Levant: synthesis, challenges, recent developments and perspectives
Authors: Rambeau Claire M. C.
Published: October 2010

Palaeoenvironmental research in the Southern Levant presents a series of challenges, partly due to the unequal distribution of palaeoenvironmental records and potential archives throughout the region. Our knowledge of climatic evolution, during the last approximately 25 000 years, is of crucial importance to understand cultural developments. More local, well-dated, multi-proxy studies are much needed to obtain an accurate picture of environmental change in respect of the Late Pleistocene and the Holocene. This contribution reviews the current state of knowledge regarding Late Quaternary palaeoenvironmental changes in the Southern Levant, including some examples of more recent developments in palaeoenvironmental reconstruction in Israel and the Dead Sea area, and introduces the major challenges researchers face in the region. It also presents the first results of a new case study in Jordan, based on an analysis of peaty deposits located in the mountain slopes east of the Dead Sea. Such new studies help refine our knowledge of local environmental changes in the Southern Levant and especially the more arid areas, for which little information is presently available. More material suitable for palaeoenvironmental research, for example extensive tufa and travertine series, still awaits consideration in Jordan, opening up exciting perspectives for future research in the area.
The domestication of water: water management in the ancient world and its prehistoric origins in the Jordan Valley
Authors: Mithen Steven
Published: October 2010

The ancient civilizations were dependent upon sophisticated systems of water management. The hydraulic engineering works found in ancient Angkor (ninth to thirteenth century AD), the Aztec city of Tenochtitlan (thirteenth to fifteenth century AD), Byzantine Constantinople (fourth to sixth century AD) and Nabatean Petra (sixth century BC to AD 106) are particularly striking because each of these is in localities of the world that are once again facing a water crisis. Without water management, such ancient cities would never have emerged, nor would the urban communities and towns from which they developed. Indeed, the ‘domestication’ of water marked a key turning point in the cultural trajectory of each region of the world where state societies developed. This is illustrated by examining the prehistory of water management in the Jordan Valley, identifying the later Neolithic (approx. 8300–6500 years ago) as a key period when significant investment in water management occurred, laying the foundation for the development of the first urban communities of the Early Bronze Age.
Land use, water and Mediterranean landscapes: modelling long-term dynamics of complex socio-ecological systems
Authors: Barton C. Michael , Ullah Isaac I. , Bergin Sean
Published: October 2010

The evolution of Mediterranean landscapes during the Holocene has been increasingly governed by the complex interactions of water and human land use. Different land-use practices change the amount of water flowing across the surface and infiltrating the soil, and change water’s ability to move surface sediments. Conversely, water amplifies the impacts of human land use and extends the ecological footprint of human activities far beyond the borders of towns and fields. Advances in computational modelling offer new tools to study the complex feedbacks between land use, land cover, topography and surface water. The Mediterranean Landscape Dynamics project (MedLand) is building a modelling laboratory where experiments can be carried out on the long-term impacts of agropastoral land use, and whose results can be tested against the archaeological record. These computational experiments are providing new insights into the socio-ecological consequences of human decisions at varying temporal and spatial scales.
Water cycle changes over the Mediterranean: a comparison study of a super-high-resolution global model with CMIP3
Authors: Jin Fengjun , Kitoh Akio , Alpert Pinhas
Published: October 2010

Water cycle components over the Mediterranean for both a current run (1979–2007) and a future run (2075–2099) are studied with the Japan Meteorological Agency’s 20 km grid global climate model. Results are compared with another study using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 3 ensemble model (hereafter, the Mariotti model). Our results are surprisingly close to Mariotti’s. The projected mean annual change rates of precipitation (P) between the future and the current run for sea and land are −11 per cent and −10 per cent, respectively, which are not as high as Mariotti’s. Projected changes for evaporation (E) are +9.3 per cent and −3.6 per cent, compared with +7.2 per cent and −8.1 per cent in Mariotti’s study, respectively. However, no significant difference in the change inP–Eover the sea body was found between these two studies. The increasedEover the eastern Mediterranean was found to be higher than that in the western Mediterranean, but thePdecrease was lower. The net moisture budget,P–E, shows that the eastern Mediterranean will become even drier than the western Mediterranean. The river model suggests decreasing water inflow to the Mediterranean of approximately 36 per cent (excluding the Nile).
A model-based assessment of the effects of projected climate change on the water resources of Jordan
Authors: Wade A. J. , Black E. , Brayshaw D. J. , El-Bastawesy M. , Holmes P. A. C. , Butterfield D. , Nuimat S. , Jamjoum K.
Published: October 2010

This paper is concerned with the quantification of the likely effect of anthropogenic climate change on the water resources of Jordan by the end of the twenty-first century. Specifically, a suite of hydrological models are used in conjunction with modelled outcomes from a regional climate model, HadRM3, and a weather generator to determine how future flows in the upper River Jordan and in the Wadi Faynan may change. The results indicate that groundwater will play an important role in the water security of the country as irrigation demands increase. Given future projections of reduced winter rainfall and increased near-surface air temperatures, the already low groundwater recharge will decrease further. Interestingly, the modelled discharge at the Wadi Faynan indicates that extreme flood flows will increase in magnitude, despite a decrease in the mean annual rainfall. Simulations projected no increase in flood magnitude in the upper River Jordan. Discussion focuses on the utility of the modelling framework, the problems of making quantitative forecasts and the implications of reduced water availability in Jordan.
Neural stem cell‐like gene expression in a mouse ependymoma cell line transformed by human BK polyomavirus
Authors: Aizawa Takako , Hasegawa Koichi , Ohkumo Tsuyoshi , Haga Seiichi , Ikeda Kazuhiko , Yoshikawa Kazuaki
Published: October 2010

Ependymomas often show characteristics similar to those of neural stem cells in vivo and in vitro. However, few ependymoma cell lines that exhibit neural stem cell‐like properties have been reported. In this study, we have characterized a novel cell line, designated Vn19, established from ependymoma that arose in mice inoculated intracerebrally with human BK polyomavirus. Transplanted Vn19 cells in nude mice ubiquitously expressed viral large T antigen in the nucleus and coexpressed neuronal and glial marker proteins in vivo. Remarkably, individual Vn19 cells in dispersed cultures simultaneously expressed marker proteins of neural stem cells (nestin, Bmi1, CD133), neurons (βIII tubulin, neurofilament‐M) and glial cells (glial fibrillary acidic protein, A2B5, S100β, O4). Ubiquitous and homogenous expression of these multilineage marker proteins was also observed in cloned Vn19 cells. The Vn19 cells formed neurosphere‐like aggregates when cultured in the presence of growth factors. Quantitative RT‐PCR analysis revealed that expression of mRNA for nestin, neurofilament‐H and glial fibrillary acidic protein significantly increased in Vn19 cells cultured under growth factor‐deprived conditions. Among MAGE (melanoma antigen) family genes, MAGE‐A (A1‐8), MAGE‐B (B1‐3), MAGE‐D1, MAGE‐E1, MAGE‐G1 (necdin‐like 2) and MAGE‐H1 were expressed in the Vn19 cells, in which neither necdin nor MAGEL2 was detectable. These results suggest that this murine ependymoma cell line recapitulates the gene expression profile in ependymal cells undergoing malignant transformation. (Cancer Sci 2011; 102: 122–129)
Seasonal changes in a cactus‐hoverfly (Diptera: Syrphidae) network
Authors: MARTÍNEZ‐FALCÓN ANA P. , ÁNGELES MARCOS‐GARCÍA M. , DÍAZ‐CASTELAZO CECILIA , RICO‐GRAY VICTOR
Published: October 2010

1. We analysed a cacti‐syrphid community focusing on the exploitation of decaying cacti resources by the flies, i.e. if exploitation exhibited a nested topology as a structural pattern, or whether it was temporally random. If availability of cactus resources was predictable during the rainy season, it would then be exploited by a more structured community, or as resource availability would be unpredictable during the dry season, we should expect it to be exploited by a random community.

2. We registered 12 Copestylum species (9 in dry and 11 in rainy season). Four cactus species were recorded per season, three were shared between seasons.

3. The community of Copestylum larvae in the rainy season was not randomly assembled but highly nested, revealing a highly structured pattern of resource use. It exhibited a random organization for the dry season. The high nestedness value obtained for the rainy season suggests that factors along with competition must play a major role in determining community structure.

4. Succession in the cacti‐syrphid community mediated by microorganisms involved in necrosis is an important factor structuring nested subsets. The studied networks were small, which may limit the power of the analysis, and strong conclusions could also be limited.
Intra‐floral resource partitioning between endemic and invasive flower visitors: consequences for pollinator effectiveness
Authors: JUNKER ROBERT R. , BLEIL RICHARD , DAEHLER CURTIS C. , BLÜTHGEN NICO
Published: October 2010

1. Sympatric flower visitor species often partition nectar and pollen and thus affect each other's foraging pattern. Consequently, their pollination service may also be influenced by the presence of other flower visiting species. Ants are solely interested in nectar and frequent flower visitors of some plant species but usually provide no pollination service. Obligate flower visitors such as bees depend on both nectar and pollen and are often more effective pollinators.

2. In Hawaii, we studied the complex interactions between flowers of the endemic tree Metrosideros polymorpha (Myrtaceae) and both, endemic and introduced flower‐visiting insects. The former main‐pollinators of M. polymorpha were birds, which, however, became rare. We evaluated the pollinator effectiveness of endemic and invasive bees and whether it is affected by the type of resource collected and the presence of ants on flowers.

3. Ants were dominant nectar‐consumers that mostly depleted the nectar of visited inflorescences. Accordingly, the visitation frequency, duration, and consequently the pollinator effectiveness of nectar‐foraging honeybees (Apis mellifera) strongly decreased on ant‐visited flowers, whereas pollen‐collecting bees remained largely unaffected by ants. Overall, endemic bees (Hylaeus spp.) were ineffective pollinators.

4. The average net effect of ants on pollination of M. polymorpha was neutral, corresponding to a similar fruit set of ant‐visited and ant‐free inflorescences.

5. Our results suggest that invasive social hymenopterans that often have negative impacts on the Hawaiian flora and fauna may occasionally provide neutral (ants) or even beneficial net effects (honeybees), especially in the absence of native birds.
Matching thirty years of ecosystem monitoring with a high resolution microfossil record
Authors: HAUPTFLEISCH ULF , EINARSSON ÁRNI , ANDERSEN THORBJøRN J. , NEWTON ANTHONY , GARDARSSON ARNTHOR
Published: October 2010

1. Monitoring of the ecosystem of Lake Mývatn, Iceland, since 1975 has revealed extreme fluctuations in important food web components, such as chironomids and cladocerans, with amplitudes of several orders of magnitude and a period of 5–8 years. This study uses sediment cores from the lake to examine if the food web fluctuations appear in the microfossil record of the sediment.

2. Dating was achieved by means of a combination of 137Cs and volcanic tephra and was fine‐tuned by wiggle‐matching of chironomid microfossil and monitoring data.

3. Cladocera exuviae and chironomid egg capsules in the uppermost 34 cm of sediment were compared with the monitoring record that consisted of 30 years of window trap catches of flying chironomids and a 16‐year record of chydorid Cladocera caught in activity traps.

4. The observed chironomid and cladoceran population fluctuations were reflected in the sediment record of chironomid eggs and of the exuviae of three of seven cladocerans: Alonella nana, Alona rectangula and Eurycercus lamellatus, which also had the most extreme fluctuations in the monitoring data (3–4 orders of magnitude). Chydorus sphaericus, and to some extent Alona quadrangularis and Acroperus harpae, showed regular fluctuations in the core that the monitoring did not reveal. Density of subfossil chironomid eggs correlated positively with that of larval head capsules but not with other microfossils.

5. This study shows a reasonably good correspondence between the fossil records of chironomids and cladocerans on the one hand and biomonitoring data on the other. The results pave the way for an extension of the food web history to much earlier time intervals of the ecosystem, allowing the study of long‐term variation in the food web dynamics, including the impact of climatic variation and other external forcing. The results also indicate the usefulness of chironomid egg capsules in palaeolimnological studies.
The first vitellogenin receptor from a Lepidopteran insect: molecular characterization, expression patterns and RNA interference analysis
Authors: Shu Y. H. , Wang J. W. , Lu K. , Zhou J. L. , Zhou Q. , Zhang G. R.
Published: October 2010

The vitellogenin receptor (VgR) belongs to the low‐density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR) superfamily, and is an important carrier for the uptake of vitellogenin (Vg) into developing oocytes of all oviparous species. The first full‐length message for a VgR from a Lepidopteran insect was cloned and sequenced from the ovary of Spodoptera litura Fabricius (GenBank accession no. GU983858). The coding region consisted of 5370 bp flanked by a 49 bp 5′‐untranslated region (UTR) and a 177 bp 3′‐UTR, which encoded a 1798‐residue protein with a predicted molecular weight (MW) of 201.69 kDa. S. litura VgR (SlVgR)comprised two ligand binding sites with four LDLR class A repeats in the first domain and seven in the second domain, an epidermal growth factor‐like domain containing an LDLR class B repeat and a YWXD motif, a transmembrane domain and a cytoplasmic domain. A phylogenetic relationship placed SlVgR as a separate group from the other insects. SlVgR messenger RNA (mRNA) was specifically expressed in the ovarian tissues. The developmental expression patterns showed that VgR mRNA was first transcribed in 6th day female pupae and the maximum level of VgR mRNA appeared in 36‐h‐old adults. Immunoblot analysis detected an ovary‐specific VgR protein with a MW of ∼200 kDa, whose development profiles were consistent with VgR mRNA expression patterns. RNA inteference (RNAi) specifically disrupted the VgR gene by injection of 3 or 5 µg VgR double‐stranded RNA per insect in 4th or 6th day pupae. RNAi of SlVgR led to a phenotype characterized by high Vg accumulation in the haemolymph, low Vg deposition in the ovary and the failure of insect spawning. These results mean that VgR is critical for binding Vg and transporting it into the oocytes of the insect ovary, thus playing an important role in insect reproduction.
Antifungal mechanisms by which a novel Pseudomonas aeruginosa phenazine toxin kills Candida albicans in biofilms
Authors: Morales Diana K. , Jacobs Nicholas J. , Rajamani Sathish , Krishnamurthy Malathy , Cubillos‐Ruiz Juan R. , Hogan Deborah A.
Published: October 2010

Pseudomonas aeruginosa produces several phenazines including the recently described 5‐methyl‐phenazine‐1‐carboxylic acid (5MPCA), which exhibits a novel antibiotic activity towards pathogenic fungi such as Candida albicans. Here we characterize the unique antifungal mechanisms of 5MPCA using its analogue phenazine methosulphate (PMS). Like 5MPCA, PMS induced fungal red pigmentation and killing. Mass spectrometry analyses demonstrated that PMS can be covalently modified by amino acids, a process that yields red derivatives. Furthermore, soluble proteins from C. albicans grown with either PMS or P. aeruginosa were also red and demonstrated absorbance and fluorescence spectra similar to that of PMS covalently linked to either amino acids or proteins in vitro, suggesting that 5MPCA modification by protein amine groups occurs in vivo. The red‐pigmented C. albicans soluble proteins were reduced by NADH and spontaneously oxidized by oxygen, a reaction that likely generates reactive oxygen species (ROS). Additional evidence indicated that ROS generation precedes 5MPCA‐induced fungal death. Reducing conditions greatly enhanced PMS uptake by C. albicans and killing. Since 5MPCA was more toxic than other phenazines that are not modified, such as pyocyanin, we propose that the covalent binding of 5MPCA promotes its accumulation in target cells and contributes to its antifungal activity in mixed‐species biofilms.
The group A Streptococcus small regulatory RNA FasX enhances streptokinase activity by increasing the stability of the ska mRNA transcript
Authors: Ramirez‐Peña Esmeralda , Treviño Jeanette , Liu Zhuyun , Perez Nataly , Sumby Paul
Published: October 2010

Small RNA molecules play key regulatory roles in many bacterial species. However, little mechanistic data exists for the action of small regulatory RNAs in the human pathogen group A Streptococcus (GAS). Here, we analysed the relationship between a putative GAS sRNA and production of the secreted virulence factor streptokinase (SKA). SKA promotes GAS dissemination by activating conversion of host plasminogen into the fibrin‐degrading protease plasmin. Homologues of the putative sRNA‐encoding gene fibronectin/fibrinogen‐binding/haemolytic‐activity/streptokinase‐regulator‐X (fasX) were identified in four different pyogenic streptococcal species. However, despite 79% fasX nucleotide identity, a fasX allele from the animal pathogen Streptococcus zooepidemicus failed to complement a GAS fasX mutant. Using a series of precisely constructed fasX alleles we discovered that FasX is a bona‐fide sRNA that post‐transcriptionally regulates SKA production in GAS. By base‐pairing to the 5′ end of ska mRNA, FasX enhances ska transcript stability, resulting in a ∼10‐fold increase in SKA activity. Our data provide new insights into the mechanisms used by small regulatory RNAs to activate target mRNAs, and enhances our understanding of the regulation of a key GAS virulence factor.
The customised growth potential: an international research tool to study the epidemiology of fetal growth
Authors: Gardosi Jason , Figueras Francesc , Clausson Britt , Francis Andre
Published: October 2010

Gardosi J, Figueras F, Clausson B, Francis A. The customised growth potential: an international research tool to study the epidemiology of fetal growth. Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology 2010.

Customised centiles based on individual fetal growth potential enhance our ability to differentiate between physiological and pathological smallness. A series of studies in different maternity populations has found striking similarities in the way fetal growth varies with maternal and pregnancy related characteristics, and has established the clear advantages of this method over generic, population‐based birthweight or fetal weight standards. The method opens up many new avenues for the retrospective study of risk factors and fetal growth. The findings quantify the strength of association between fetal growth restriction and perinatal outcome, and therefore also highlight the clinical imperative to improve antenatal detection of the at‐risk fetus. Applied prospectively as customised charts, the concept improves the detection of fetal growth restriction and reduces the need for unnecessary investigations.
Favourable prognostic value of antibodies anti‐HSP20 in patients with cystic echinococcosis: a differential immunoproteomic approach
Authors: VACIRCA D. , PERDICCHIO M. , CAMPISI E. , DELUNARDO F. , ORTONA E. , MARGUTTI P. , TEGGI A. , GOTTSTEIN B. , SIRACUSANO A.
Published: October 2010

Seeking biomarkers reflecting disease development in cystic echinococcosis (CE), we used a proteomic approach linked to immunological characterisation for the identification of respective antigens. Two‐dimensional gel electrophoresis (2‐DE) of sheep hydatid fluid, followed by immunoblot analysis (IB) with sera from patients with distinct phases of disease, enabled us to identify by mass spectrometry heat shock protein 20 (HSP20) as a potential marker of active CE. Using IB, antibodies specific to the 34 kDa band of HSP20 were detected in sera from 61/95 (64%) patients with CE, but not in sera from healthy subjects. IB revealed anti‐HSP20 antibodies in a higher percentage of sera from patients with active disease than in sera from patients with inactive disease (81 vs. 24%; P = 10−4). These primary results were confirmed in a long‐term follow‐up study after pharmacological and surgical treatment. Herewith anti‐HSP20 antibody levels significantly decreased over the course of treatment in sera from patients with cured disease, relative to sera from patients with progressive disease (P = 0·017). Thus, during CE, a comprehensive strategy of proteomic identification combined with immunological validation represents a promising approach for the identification of biomarkers useful for the prognostic assessment of treatment of CE patients.
Comparison of seasonal variations in water‐use efficiency calculated from the carbon isotope composition of tree rings and flux data in a temperate forest
Authors: MICHELOT ALICE , EGLIN THOMAS , DUFRÊNE ERIC , LELARGE‐TROUVERIE CAROLINE , DAMESIN CLAIRE
Published: October 2010

Tree‐ring δ13C is often interpreted in terms of intrinsic water‐use efficiency (WUE) using a carbon isotope discrimination model established at the leaf level. We examined whether intra‐ring δ13C could be used to assess variations in intrinsic WUE (Wg, the ratio of carbon assimilation and stomatal conductance to water) and variations in ecosystem WUE (Wt, the ratio of C assimilation and transpiration) at a seasonal scale. Intra‐ring δ13C was measured in 30‐ to 60‐µm‐thick slices in eight oak trees (Quercus petraea). Canopy Wg was simulated using a physiologically process‐based model. High between‐tree variability was observed in the seasonal variations of intra‐ring δ13C. Six trees showed significant positive correlations between Wg calculated from intra‐ring δ13C and canopy Wg averaged over several days during latewood formation. These results suggest that latewood is a seasonal recorder of Wg trends, with a temporal lag corresponding to the mixing time of sugars in the phloem. These six trees also showed significant negative correlations between photosynthetic discrimination Δ calculated from intra‐ring δ13C, and ecosystem Wt, during latewood formation. Despite the observed between‐tree variability, these results indicate that intra‐ring δ13C can be used to access seasonal variations in past Wt.
Physiological and morphological adaptations in relation to water use efficiency in Mediterranean accessions of Solanum lycopersicum
Authors: GALMÉS JERONI , CONESA MIQUEL ÀNGEL , OCHOGAVÍA JOAN MANUEL , PERDOMO JUAN ALEJANDRO , FRANCIS DAVID M. , RIBAS‐CARBÓ MIQUEL , SAVÉ ROBERT , FLEXAS JAUME , MEDRANO HIPÓLITO , CIFRE JOSEP
Published: October 2010

The physiological traits underlying the apparent drought resistance of ‘Tomàtiga de Ramellet’ (TR) cultivars, a population of Mediterranean tomato cultivars with delayed fruit deterioration (DFD) phenotype and typically grown under non‐irrigation conditions, are evaluated. Eight different tomato accessions were selected and included six TR accessions, one Mediterranean non‐TR accession (NTRM) and a processing cultivar (NTRO). Among the TR accessions two leaf morphology types, normal divided leaves and potato‐leaf, were selected. Plants were field grown under well‐watered (WW) and water‐stressed (WS) treatments, with 30 and 10% of soil water capacity, respectively. Accessions were clustered according to the leaf type and TR phenotype under WW and WS, respectively. Correlation among parameters under the different water treatments suggested that potential improvements in the intrinsic water‐use efficiency (AN/gs) are possible without negative impacts on yield. Under WS TR accessions displayed higher AN/gs, which was not due to differences in Rubisco‐related parameters, but correlated with the ratio between the leaf mesophyll and stomatal conductances (gm/gs). The results confirm the existence of differential traits in the response to drought stress in Mediterranean accessions of tomato, and demonstrate that increases in the gm/gs ratio would allow improvements in AN/gs in horticultural crops.
The 13C/12C isotopic signal of day‐respired CO2 in variegated leaves of Pelargonium × hortorum
Authors: TCHERKEZ GUILLAUME , MAUVE CAROLINE , LAMOTHE MARLENE , LE BRAS CAMILLE , GRAPIN AGNES
Published: October 2010

In leaves, although it is accepted that CO2 evolved by dark respiration after illumination is naturally 13C‐enriched compared to organic matter or substrate sucrose, much uncertainty remains on whether day respiration produces 13C‐depleted or 13C‐enriched CO2. Here, we applied equations described previously for mesocosm CO2 exchange to investigate the carbon isotope composition of CO2 respired by autotrophic and heterotrophic tissues of Pelargonium×hortorum leaves, taking advantage of leaf variegation. Day‐respired CO2 was slightly 13C‐depleted compared to organic matter both under 21% O2 and 2% O2. Furthermore, most, if not all CO2 molecules evolved in the light came from carbon atoms that had been fixed previously before the experiments, in both variegated and green leaves. We conclude that the usual definition of day respiratory fractionation, that assumes carbon fixed by current net photosynthesis is the respiratory substrate, is not valid in Pelargonium leaves under our conditions. In variegated leaves, total organic matter was slightly 13C‐depleted in white areas and so were most primary metabolites. This small isotopic difference between white and green areas probably came from the small contribution of photosynthetic CO2 refixation and the specific nitrogen metabolism in white leaf areas.
Auxin depletion in barley plants under high‐temperature conditions represses DNA proliferation in organelles and nuclei via transcriptional alterations
Authors: OSHINO TAKESHI , MIURA SHINYA , KIKUCHI SYUNSUKE , HAMADA KAZUKI , YANO KENTARO , WATANABE MASAO , HIGASHITANI ATSUSHI
Published: October 2010

Many plant species are susceptible to high‐temperature (HT) injury during reproductive development. We recently demonstrated that HT represses the expression of YUCCA auxin biosynthesis genes and reduces endogenous auxin in the developing anthers of barley and Arabidopsis. Here, we show that DNA proliferation in mitochondria, chloroplasts and nuclei of developing panicles is inhibited with increasing temperatures in barley. Following DNA proliferation suppression, terminal abnormalities were observed in the organelles of anther wall cells, including mitochondrial swelling and overdevelopment of chloroplasts. Comprehensive transcriptome analyses using both reproductive organs and vegetative tissues showed high and positive pairwise correlations between the expression profiles of auxin‐induced genes, DNA replication‐related genes and mitochondrial‐related genes. In contrast, the expression profiles of auxin‐repressed protein genes and photosynthesis‐/chloroplast‐related genes were negatively correlated with those of the previously mentioned genes. Under HT conditions, the former was repressed and the latter was up‐regulated in the developing panicles. Furthermore, application of exogenous auxin promoted the expression of DNA replication‐related genes under HT conditions, inducing anther cell proliferation. These suggest that compromised auxin biosynthesis/IAA level under HT condition results in nuclear and organellar DNA proliferation arrest due to co‐transcriptional alterations.
An in vitro model of pig liver xenotransplantation—pig complement is associated with reduced lysis of wild‐type and genetically modified pig cells
Authors: Hara Hidetaka , Campanile Nathalie , Tai Hao‐Chih , Long Cassandra , Ekser Burcin , Yeh Peter , Welchons Dan , Ezzelarab Mohamed , Ayares David , Cooper David K. C.
Published: October 2010

Hara H, Campanile N, Tai H‐C, Long C, Ekser B, Yeh P, Welchons D, Ezzelarab M, Ayares D, Cooper DKC. An in vitro model of pig liver xenotransplantation—pig complement is associated with reduced lysis of wild‐type and genetically modified pig cells. Xenotransplantation 2010; 17: 370–378. © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

Abstract: Background: After pig liver transplantation in humans, the graft will produce pig complement (C). We investigated in vitro the lysis of wild‐type (WT), α1,3‐galactosyltransferase gene‐knockout (GTKO), and CD46 transgenic (CD46) pig peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) caused by human anti‐pig antibodies (Abs) + pig C.

Methods: Human serum IgM/IgG binding to WT and GTKO PBMC was determined by flow cytometry, and lysis of pig PBMC by a C‐dependent cytotoxicity assay using (i) human serum (human Abs + C), (ii) GTKO pig serum (anti‐Gal Abs + pig C), (iii) heat‐inactivated human serum (human Abs) + rabbit C, or (iv) human Abs + pig C (serum).

Results: Binding of human IgM and IgG to GTKO PBMC was less than to WT PBMC (P < 0.05). In the presence of human Abs, lysis of WT and GTKO PBMC by rabbit C was 87 and 13%, respectively (WT vs. GTKO, P < 0.01), but was only 37 and 0.4% in the presence of pig C (WT vs. GTKO, P < 0.05). Human/rabbit C‐induced lysis was greater than pig C‐induced lysis for both WT and GTKO PBMC. CD46 pig PBMC reduced rabbit/human C‐ and pig C‐mediated lysis (P < 0.05).

Conclusions: Pig livers, particularly from GTKO and CD46 pigs, are likely to have an immunologic advantage over other organs after transplantation into humans. In the absence of pig antibodies directed to human tissues, pig complement is unlikely to cause problems after liver xenotransplantation, especially if GTKO/CD46 pigs are used as the source of the livers.