bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Survey of transposable elements from rice genomic sequences
Authors: Turcotte Kime , Srinivasan Sujatha , Bureau Thomas 
Published: August 2010

Summary Oryza sativa L. (domesticated rice) is a monocotyledonous plant, and its 430 Mb genome has been targeted for complete sequencing. We performed a high‐resolution computer‐based survey for transposable elements on 910 Kb of rice genomic DNA sequences. Both class I and II transposable elements were present, contributing 19.9% of the sequences surveyed. Class II elements greatly outnumbered class I elements (166 versus 22), although class I elements made up a greater percentage (12.2% versus 6.6%) of nucleotides surveyed. Several Mutator‐like elements (MULEs) were identified, including rice elements that harbor truncated host cellular genes. MITEs (miniature inverted‐repeat transposable elements) account for 71.6% of the mined transposable elements and are clearly the predominant type of transposable element in the sequences examined. Moreover, a putative Stowaway transposase has been identified based on shared sequence similarity with the mined MITEs and previously identified plant mariner‐like elements (MLEs). Members of a group of novel rice elements resembling the structurally unusual members of the Basho family in Arabidopsis suggest a wide distribution of these transposons among plants. Our survey provides a preview of transposable element diversity and abundance in rice, and allows for comparison with genomes of other plant species.
BOTERO1 is required for normal orientation of cortical microtubules and anisotropic cell expansion in Arabidopsis
Authors: Bichet Adeline , Desnos Thierry , Turner Simon , Grandjean Olivier , Höfte Herman 
Published: August 2010

SummaryMutants at the BOTERO1 locus are affected in anisotropic growth in all non‐tip‐growing cell types examined. Mutant cells are shorter and broader than those of the wild type. Mutant inflorescence stems show a dramatically reduced bending modulus and maximum stress at yield. Our observations of root epidermis cells show that the cell expansion defect in bot1 is correlated with a defect in the orientation of the cortical microtubules. We found that in cells within the apical portion of the root, which roughly corresponds to the meristem, microtubules were loosely organized and became much more highly aligned in transverse arrays with increasing distance from the tip. Such a transition was not observed in bot1. No defect in microtubule organization was observed in kor‐1, another mutant with a radial cell expansion defect. We also found that in wild‐type root epidermal cells, cessation of radial expansion precedes the increased alignment of cortical microtubules into transverse arrays. Bot1 roots still show a gravitropic response, which indicates that ordered cortical microtubules are not required for differential growth during gravitropism. Interestingly, the fact that in the mutant, these major changes in microtubule organization cause relatively subtle changes in cell morphology, suggest that other levels of control of growth anisotropy remain to be discovered. Together, these observations suggest that BOT1 is required for organizing cortical microtubules into transverse arrays in interphase cells, and that this organization is required for consolidating, rather than initiating, changes in the direction of cell expansion.
Identification of symbiosis‐regulated genes in Eucalyptus globulus–Pisolithus tinctorius ectomycorrhiza by differential hybridization of arrayed cDNAs
Authors: Voiblet Catherine , Duplessis Sébastien , Encelot Nathalie , Martin Francis 
Published: August 2010

SummaryEctomycorrhiza development alters gene expression in the fungal and plant symbionts. The identification of a large number of genes expressed exclusively or predominantly in the symbiosis will contribute greatly to the understanding of the development of the ectomycorrhizal symbiosis. We have constructed a cDNA library of 4‐day‐old Eucalyptus globulus–Pisolithus tinctorius ectomycorrhiza and sequenced 850 cDNAs cloned randomly or obtained through suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH). Based on the absence of a database match, 43% of the ectomycorrhiza ESTs are coding for novel genes. At the developmental stage analysed (fungal sheath formation), the majority of the identified sequences represented ‘housekeeping’ proteins, i.e. proteins involved in gene/protein expression, cell‐wall proteins, metabolic enzymes, and components of signalling systems. We screened arrayed cDNAs to identify symbiosis‐regulated genes by using differential hybridization. Comparisons of signals from free‐living partners and symbiotic tissues revealed significant differences in expression levels (differential expression ratio >2.5) for 17% of the genes analysed. No ectomycorrhiza‐specific gene was detected. The results successfully demonstrate the use of the cDNA array and SSH systems as general approaches for dissecting symbiosis development, and provide the first global picture of the cellular functions operating in ectomycorrhiza.
ISOLATION OF A SINGLE COMPONENT OF FISH INSULIN FROM A BONITO‐TUNA‐SWORDFISH INSULIN MIXTURE AND ITS COMPLETE AMINO‐ACID SEQUENCE
Authors: Neumann P. , Humbel R. E. 
Published: August 2010

A single insulin component has been isolated by ion‐exchange chromatography on CM‐cellulose from a commercially available mixture of tuna, bonito, and swordfish insulin. The biological activity of this component is in the range of 17 i.u./mg as determined with the rat adipose tissue assay. This fish insulin ha s been reduced and aminoethylated. The two chain derivatives were separated by column chromatography on IRC‐50. The A and B chain derivatives contain 21 and 30 amino acids, respectively. The two chain derivatives were digested with trypsin and the resulting peptides separated by high voltage paper electrophoresis, paper chromatography, and, in some cases, by ion‐exchange chromatography and gel filtration. Certain tryptic peptides were further digested with chymotrypsin. The amino‐acid sequences of the resulting peptides were determined by a modified “dansyl”‐Edman technique and by the use of aminopeptidase M, carboxypeptidase A and B, and citrus carboxypeptidase. The complete amino‐acid sequence of chains A and B is given.
THE CONFORMATION OF THE HIGH‐SULPHUR PROTEINS OF WOOL. II. DIFFERENCE SPECTRA OF KERATEINE‐B
Authors: Bhatnagar G. M. , Crewther W. G. 
Published: August 2010

A high‐sulphur metakeratin fraction obtained from wool was reduced electrolytically to the thiol form in the presence of minimal amounts of 2‐mercaptoethanol. Incorporation of urea in solutions at pH 9.2 of the kerateine obtained in this manner gave rise to a large negative difference spectrum at a wavelength of about 240 nm with two small negative spectral peaks at wavelengths near 280 nm. Studies on model compounds showed that the major peak at 240 nm was due largely to an increase in the pKa; values of thiol groups in the protein. The peaks near 280 nm cannot be accounted for on a similar basis and indicate that the kerateine assumes an ordered state which is disordered on the addition of urea.
CHARACTERIZATION OF A HUMAN PATHOLOGICAL IMMUNOGLOBULIN FRAGMENTING DURING PURIFICATION
Authors: Brackenridge C. J. 
Published: August 2010

A pathological immunoglobulin GI (Po), briefly characterized in plasma before purification, was found to fragment during salt precipitation to material resembling the Fab and Fc components of papain proteolysis. Termed (Fab)s and (Fc)s fragments, they were studied by a variety of physicochemical and immunological procedures as a pseudoglobulin mixture and after isolation by ion‐exchange chromatography.The (Fab)s fragment was almost identical in composition to the analogous IgC products arising from papain, plasmin, and trypsin attack. Except for a low half‐eystine content, comparative amino acid analyses and tryptic peptide mapping indicated that the (Fc)s fragment was closely related to the proteins elaborated in heavy chain disease. Experiments with papain digests showed that the Fab fragment possessed more antigenic determinants than (Fab)s whereas the Fc and (Fc)s fragments were immunologically indistinguishable.Quantitative end‐group determinations revealed that each Po fragment contained a single free N‐terminal residue. A tridecapeptide sequence was established for the (Fab)s fragment and a hexapeptide sequence for (Fc)s at their N‐termini. Comparisons with known structural data suggested that the (Fab)s sequence was due to I chains. The location of the hexapeptide was tentatively assigned to the N‐terminal section of the Fc component of tryptic proteolysis.
Fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder: a potential problem?
Authors: Wilke William S , Gota Carmen E , Muzina David J 
Published: August 2010

Wilke WS, Gota CE, Muzina DJ. Fibromyalgia and bipolar disorder: a potential problem? Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 514–520. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Objective:  To screen patients with fibromyalgia for bipolar disorder and to determine if there were any clinical clues, other than the Mood Disorders Questionnaire (MDQ), which might suggest a diagnosis of comorbid bipolar disorder.Methods:  A total of 128 consecutive new fibromyalgia patients referred to a tertiary care center rheumatology practice were enrolled and assessed using a standard clinical protocol that included the completion of four screening questionnaires: (i) MDQ for bipolar disorder, (ii) Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) for depression, (iii) Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) for daytime sleepiness, and (iv) Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire Disability Index (FIQ‐DI) to assess for functional capacity.Results:  A quarter of the fibromyalgia subjects, 25.19%, had a positive screen for bipolar disorder (MDQ ≥ 7); 78.12% were clinically depressed (BDI ≥ 10); and 52.13% reported daytime sleepiness (ESS ≥ 10). Fibromyalgia subjects who screened positive for bipolar disorder had more severe depression than those with a negative screen [median BDI: 26.0 (19.0, 32.0) versus 15.0 (9.0, 24.0), p < 0.001].Conclusions:  We report a high prevalence of positive testing for bipolar disorder in this fibromyalgia cohort. Clinical data and questionnaire instruments other than nonspecific high depression severity failed to identify these patients. Since the norepinephrine serotonin reuptake inhibitors duloxetine and milnacipran have been recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of fibromyalgia, and because patients with bipolar disorder may experience destabilization of mood when treated with such agents, patients with fibromyalgia should be systematically screened for bipolar disorder prior to treatment.
An update on the ABCC transporter family in plants: many genes, many proteins, but how many functions?
Authors: Wanke D. , Üner Kolukisaoglu H. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractThe ABCC subfamily of the ATP binding cassette (ABC) transporters, which were formerly known as multidrug resistance‐related proteins (MRPs), consists of closely related members found in all eukaryotic organisms. Although more than a decade of intensive research has elapsed since the first MRP protein was functionally characterised in Arabidopsis thaliana, knowledge of this particular transporter family is still limited in plants. Although ABCC proteins were originally defined as vacuolar pumps of glutathione‐S (GS) conjugates, evidence, as well as speculation, on their endogenous functions inside the cell ranges from detoxification and heavy metal sequestration, to chlorophyll catabolite transport and ion channel regulation. The characterisation of knockout mutants in Arabidopsis has been pivotal for elucidation of different roles of ABCC transporters. However, a functional annotation for the majority of these transport proteins is still lacking, even in this model plant. On the one hand, this problem seems to be caused by functional redundancy between family members, which might lead to physiological complementation by a highly homologous gene in the mutant lines. On the other hand, there is growing evidence that the functional diversity of ABCC genes in Arabidopsis and other plants is far greater than previously assumed. For example, analysis of microarray expression data supports involvement of ABCC transporters in the response to biotic stress: particular changes in ABCC transcript levels are found, which are pathogen‐specific and evoke distinct signalling cascades. Current knowledge about plant ABCC transporters indicates that novel and unexpected functions and substrates of these proteins are still waiting to be elucidated.
Expression, localisation and phylogeny of a novel family of plant‐specific membrane proteins
Authors: Kasaras A. , Kunze R. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractIn a screen for senescence‐associated genes in Arabidopsis thaliana, a novel, highly up‐regulated membrane protein was identified. It is a member of an uncharacterised, strictly plant‐specific gene family and was named AtDMP1 (Arabidopsis thaliana DUF679 domain membrane protein 1). The AtDMP proteins are predicted to have four transmembrane spans, with cytosolic amino‐ and carboxy‐termini. In this study, we investigated the phylogenetic distribution of DMP proteins, their tissue‐specific expression and subcellular localisation in A. thaliana. The Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and Physcomitrella patens genomes in dicots contain only a single DMP gene copy, whereas there are five to 13 DMP genes and 11–16 in monocots, many of which supposedly result from recent gene duplications. The ubiquitous occurrence of DMP proteins in green plants and their absence from other kingdoms suggest a role in plant‐specific processes. In A. thaliana, expression of nine out of ten DMP genes was detected. The expression patterns were found to be markedly tissue‐ and development‐specific; thus, functional redundancy of most proteins is unlikely. The occurrence of several AtDMPs in tissues undergoing senescence (AtDMP1, ‐3, ‐4), dehiscence (AtDMP7) or abscission (AtDMP2, ‐4, ‐7) suggests involvement of DMPs in different types of programmed cell death. AtDMP‐eGFP fusion proteins were found to localise either to the endoplasmic reticulum, the tonoplast or, under certain conditions, to both membrane systems. Further investigations are in progress to elucidate functions of the AtDMP proteins.
The Arabidopsis sugar transporter (AtSTP) family: an update
Authors: Büttner M. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractThe Arabidopsis sugar transporter (AtSTP) family is one of the best characterised families within the monosaccharide transporter (MST)‐like genes. However, several aspects are still poorly investigated or not yet addressed experimentally, such as post‐translational modifications and other factors affecting transport activity. This mini‐review summarises recent advances in the AtSTP family as well as objectives for future studies.
High‐Speed Video Analysis Reveals Individual Variability in the Courtship Displays of Male Golden‐Collared Manakins
Authors: Fusani Leonida , Giordano Marta , Day Lainy B. , Schlinger Barney A. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractThe males of the Golden‐collared manakin (Manacus vitellinus), a passerine bird of the Neotropical region, perform elaborate courtship displays that are among the most spectacular in the animal kingdom. During a 7‐mo long breeding season, male manakins aggregate in leks of up to 12 individuals, and each male clears a small ‘court’ on the forest floor where he spends several hours per day performing his displays either with or without the presence of a female. Like males of other manakin species, males of M. vitellinus produce loud mechanical sounds with their wings during the displays. The elaborate displays of the manakins are thought to be the result of sexual selection, which is particularly intense in lekking species in which females choose their mate mainly on the basis of behavioural and morphological features. However, we know little about differences in display between male manakins which may be related to individual differences in reproductive success. A quantitative, detailed analysis of the courtship displays has been difficult because the birds’ movements are too fast to be studied with standard video recording techniques. For the first time, we recorded the displays of male Golden‐collared manakins in the forest of Panama with a high‐speed camera that allows a time resolution 5–40 times higher than that of a standard video camera. We found that several elements of the displays differed significantly between individuals. In addition, the slow‐motion analysis revealed the features of the displays that had not been described in previous studies. Individually different features of the displays may form the basis for female choice and will allow testing hypotheses about the evolution of the manakin displays by sexual selection and their importance for speciation mechanisms in the genus Manacus.
Thermal Behaviour of Honeybees During Aggressive Interactions
Authors: Stabentheiner Anton , Kovac Helmut , Schmaranzer Sigurd 
Published: August 2010

AbstractWe report here on the interrelationship of aggressive behaviour and thermoregulation in honeybees. Body temperature measurements were carried out without behavioural disturbance by infrared thermography. Guard bees, foragers, drones, and queens involved in aggressive interactions were always endothermic, i.e. had their flight muscles activated. Guards made differential use of their endothermic capacity. Mean thorax temperature was 34.2–35.1°C during examination of bees but higher during fights with wasps (37°C) or attack of humans (38.6°C). They usually cooled down when examining bees whereas examinees often heated up during prolonged interceptions (maximum >47°C). Guards neither adjusted their thorax temperature (and thus flight muscle function and agility) to that of examined workers, nor to that of drones, which were 2–7°C warmer. Guards examined cool bees (<33°C) longer than warmer ones, supporting the hypothesis that heating of examinees facilitates odour identification by guards, probably because of vapour pressure increase of semiochemicals with temperature. Guards in the core of aggressive balls clinged to the attacked insects to fix them and kill them by heat (maximum 46.5°C). Bees in the outer cluster layers resembled normal guards behaviourally and thermally. They served as active core insulators by heating up to 43.9°C. While balled wasps were cooler (maximum 42.5°C) than clinging guards balled bees behaved like examinees with maximum temperatures of 46.6°C, which further supports the hypothesis that the examinees heat up to facilitate odour identification.
Repeatability of Male Mate Choice in the Mosquitofish, Gambusia holbrooki
Authors: Hoysak Drew J. , Godin Jean‐Guy J. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractMale mate choice has evolved in many species in which female fecundity increases with body size. In these species, males are thought to have been selected to favour mating with large females over smaller ones, thereby potentially increasing their reproductive success. While male mate choice is known to occur, it is less well studied than female mate choice and little is known about variation in mating preference among individual males. Here, we presented individual male eastern mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) with paired females that differed in body size, and we quantified their mate preference on two consecutive days, allowing us to assess repeatability of preferences expressed. When males were allowed to view paired stimulus females, but not to acquire chemical or tactile cues from them, they exhibited a strong preference for large females over smaller ones. However, individual males were not consistent in the strength of their preference and repeatability was not significant. When individual males were allowed to fully interact with pairs of females, the males again exhibited a preference for large females over smaller ones, as revealed by a greater number of attempted copulations with large females than with smaller ones. In the latter social context, individual male preference was significantly repeatable. These results indicate that male eastern mosquitofish from our Florida study population possess, on average, a mating preference for larger females and that this preference is repeatable when males socially interact freely with females. The significant repeatability for mating preference, based on female body size, obtained for male mosquitofish in the current study is consistent with the presence of additive genetic variation for such preferences in our study population and thus with the opportunity for the further evolution of large body size in female mosquitofish through male mate choice.
Factors Affecting Mating Tactics in the Fiddler Crab, Uca vocans hesperiae
Authors: Dyson Miranda L. 
Published: August 2010

AbstractThe mating strategies of male fiddler crabs are variable and highly flexible within species. In this study I examine three types of mating strategy used by individual male Uca vocans hesperaie. The most common strategy, termed a ‘standard gambit’, where males approached females at their burrow entrance and initiated courtship, accounted for 63% of mating attempts and 75% of successful matings. The rarest strategy (4% of mating attempts) was the ‘dig out’, where males attempted to mate with females whose burrows they had excavated. This strategy accounted for 19% of successful matings. ‘Herding’ behaviour which involved a male attempting to herd a female into a burrow and mate, contributed 33% of mating attempts but were generally unsuccessful, accounting for only 2.6% of successful matings. Males used more than one strategy during the study period. Smaller males used the standard gambit strategy more often than herding or dig outs while larger males used the herding strategy more often. There was no relationship between male size and mating success and males did not preferentially mate with females of a certain size. The predominant strategy adopted by males over the lunar cycle depended on female behaviour. Herding behaviour was induced by female wandering which escalated at full moon. Standard gambits were the commonest strategy adopted at and around new moon. The low success rate of male mating attempts (16%) indicates a reluctance by females to mate multiply. This may lead to conflict between the sexes because in fiddler crabs there is last male sperm precedence.
Mating Behaviour of the Sperm Trading Sea Slug Chelidonura hirundinina: Repeated Sex Role Alternation Balances Reciprocity
Authors: Putz Annika , Michiels Nico K. , Anthes Nils 
Published: August 2010

AbstractIn animals with separate sexes, male fitness usually increases with the number of matings, whereas female fitness more directly depends on the amount of accessible reproductive resources. In simultaneous hermaphrodites, such differences in fitness pay‐offs between male and female sexual function can result in a preference to copulate in one particular sex role, generating conflicts over mating roles if mates share the same preference. Sperm trading, i.e. the conditional exchange of sperm between mates as found in some hermaphrodites, is often considered a possible solution for the conflict over mating roles. Conditional sperm exchange has recently been demonstrated in Chelidonura hirundinina (Opisthobranchia, Aglajidae), but its functional causes remain obscure. Based on a detailed characterization of mating in this species, we here assess two potential benefits of sperm trading, the balancing of sperm exchange between partners, and the acquisition of information about the partner’s fecundity. We found that the number of sperm droplets exchanged between partners varied more between than within pairs, supporting the first hypothesis. Moreover, larger individuals donated more sperm droplets and are known to produce more eggs. As body size is tightly linked to fecundity, a sperm recipient may use the number of received sperm droplets as an honest signal of the female quality of the sperm donor. Our findings thus help to elucidate how sperm trading may contribute to optimizing the investment of costly sperm in response to partner quality.