<Emphasis Type="Italic">O</Emphasis>-fucose modifications of epidermal growth factor-like repeats and thrombospondin type 1 repeats: unusual modifications in unusual places

Recent discoveries revealing that carbohydrate modifications play critical roles in a wide variety of biological processes have brought wide recognition to the field of glycobiology. Growing attention has focused on the function of unusual O-linked carbohydrate modifications such as O-fucose. O-fucose modifications have been described in several different protein contexts, including epidermal growth factor-like repeats and thrombospondin type 1 repeats. The O-fucose modifications on thrombospondin type 1 repeats have only recently been described, but the site of modification occurs in a region proposed to play a role in cell adhesion. O-fucose modifications on epidermal growth factor-like repeats have been described as important players in several signal transduction systems. For instance, Notch, a cell-surface signaling receptor required for many developmental events, bears multiple O-fucose saccharides on the epidermal growth factor-like repeat of its extracellular domain. The O-fucose moieties serve as a substrate for the β1,3 N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase activity of Fringe, a known modifier of Notch function. The alteration of O-fucose structures by Fringe influences the ability of Notch ligands to activate the receptor and provides a means to regulate Notch signaling. Thus, O-fucose and Fringe provide a clear example of how carbohydrate modifications can have direct functional consequences on the proteins they modify. RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author.     

What leads from <Emphasis Type="Italic">dead-end?</Emphasis>

The 129 mouse strain develops congenital testicular germ cell tumors (TGCTs) at a low frequency. TGCTs in mice resemble the testicular tumors (teratomas) that occur in human infants. The genes that cause these tumors in 129 have not been identified. The defect at the Ter locus increases TGCT incidence such that 94% of 129-Ter/Ter males develop TGCTs. The primary effect of the Ter mutation is progressive loss of primordial germ cells (PGCs) during embryonic development. This results in sterility in adult Ter/Ter mice on all mouse strain backgrounds. However, on the 129 background, Ter causes tumor development in addition to sterility. Therefore, Ter acts as a modifier of 129-derived TGCT susceptibility genes. Ter was identified to be a mutation that inactivates the Dead-end1 (Dnd1) gene. In this perspective, I discuss the possible areas of future investigations to elucidate the mechanism of TGCT development due to Dnd1 inactivation. Received 29 September 2006; received after revision 29 January 2007; accepted 19 February 2007     

Effect of interrupting retino-hypothalamic connections on the melanophore response inXenopus laevis

Résumé On a estimé possible que les axones rétinohypothalamiques décrits chez certains amphibiens jouent un rôle dans le contrôle neuro-endocrinien de la pars intermedia de l'hypophyse. Mais si on sectionne chez desXenopus cette voie supposée, ces animaux peuvent néanmoins modifier la couleur de leur peau lorsqu'on les place sur les terrains différents. Il n'est donc pas vraisemblable que ces connections fassent partie d'un arc réflexe contrôlant la sécrétion de l'hormone mélanotrophique.     

Meiotic consequences of a combined treatment fast neurons-FUDR inVicia faba

Résumé Des graines sèches deVicia faba ont été irradiées par les neutrons rapides. Un lot a été traité par un analogue d'une base pyrimidique: FUDR. Ces graines sont semées et les plantes sont cultivées jusqu'à la floraison. Les bourgeons floraux sont alors fixés. On a pu mettre en évidence que le lot traité par FUDR après irradiation montre une fréquence plus élevée d'aberrations chromosomiques en méïose. La proportion des différents types d'aberrations chromosomiques a été étudiée. Cette recherche confirme la possibilité de modifier les effets des neutrons rapides par la FUDR en post traitement.     

Blockade of the hydrosmotic effect of vasopressin by cytochalasin B

Résumé La cytochalasine B dissocie les effets hydrosmotique et natriférique de la Pitressine sur la vessie de crapaud, en bloquant le transport d'eau sans pour autant modifier la stimulation du transport de sodium. Les interactions possibles entre le macrolide, les microfilaments et les altérations de perméabilité sont discutées.     

Effect of sulpiride on prolactin release by rat pituitaries in vitro

Résumé La sulpiride stimule la libération de la prolactine de l'hypophise après 4 h d'incubation. L'addition d'extraits hypothalamiques l'inhibe, mais la sulpiride ajoutée en même temps aux extraits hypothalamiques permet l'inversion de cet effet d'inhibition. Il semble evident que la sulpiride peut modifier la libération de la prolactine en agissant directement sur l'hypophise du rat, in vitro.     

The influence of iodine-labelling on the non-specific fixation of immunoglobulins to tissues

Résumé On recherche si le marquage au radio-iode peut dénaturer les immunoglobulines au point d'en modifier la fixation non spécifique aux tissus (affinité non spécifique). Des 4 techniques de marquage essayées, 2 ne modifient pas cette propriété, tandis que les 2 autres augmentent nettement la proportion d'immunoglobulines fixées.

---

---

Supported by the Swiss National Funds for Scientific Research.     

Mucopolysaccharides in experimental hepatic fibrosis

Résumé L'intoxication chronique au tétrachlorure de carbone produit dans le tissu hépatique du rat une forte augmentation des hexosamines et des sulfates liés sans modifier la teneur en acides uroniques. Ces modifications sont parallèles au processus de fibrilogénèse. Ces données indiquent l'accumulation pathologique d'un matériel de type glycosaminoglycan sulfaté.     

‘Handedness’ in mice: Some behavioural correlates

Résumé Nous avons observé que les souris manifestent une préférence pour l'usage de l'une ou de l'autre de leurs pattes antérieures. Cette préférence ne dépend ni de la capacité d'apprendre ni de la tendence à prendre l'une ou l'autre pour tourner. On peut modifier cette préférence par des lésions corticales.     

Etat hygrométrique,coloration et résistance chez l'imago deLocusta migratoria migratorioides (R.F.)

Summary This investigation centres on the direct relationship between atmospheric humidity and the proportion of green and brown forms inLocusta ph.solitaria, on the ability of the brown forms to adjust their colours to the tints of their surroundings, and on the survival capacity of unfedsolitaria andgregaria adults.     

Variance to mean ratio and the spatial distribution of animals

Summary Biological and statistical aspects of the application of variance to mean ratio to describe spatial distribution of animals are discussed. It is shown that the parameterb inTaylor's power laws ²=a m ^b shows intra-specific variation depending on the distribution of the constituent units of the population.a andb are only parameters of a very empirical way of describing the relation between variance and mean, which itself is an indicator for spatial distribution. Hence,a andb depend on the distribution behaviour of the animals, and not vice versa.Acknowledgments: The work was developed whilst I was at the Department of Entomology, University of Nairobi. I am grateful to ProfessorT. R. Odhiambo for his interest. I thank the referee for comments.     

Importance sélective des différences d'activité entre mâlesebony etsauvage,dans les populations artificielles deDrosophila melanogaster

Summary (1) In homozygous state, the geneebony noticeably diminishes the sexual activity of the males.(2) The lower activity on the part of the malese is responsible for the non-random breeding in the cross betweene and +.(3) The degree of sexual isolation which results from this, depends not only on the genic, but also on the cytoplasmic context which accompanies theebony gene.(4) Results of previous experiments seem to indicate that in heterozygous state, theebony mutation increases instead of diminishing the activity.(5) Attention is drawn to the selective importance of these differences and the role they can play in artificial populations whereebony is made to compete with its normal allel.     

Modulation of connexin signaling by bacterial pathogens and their toxins

Inherent to their pivotal tasks in the maintenance of cellular homeostasis, gap junctions, connexin hemichannels, and pannexin hemichannels are frequently involved in the dysregulation of this critical balance. The present paper specifically focuses on their roles in bacterial infection and disease. In particular, the reported biological outcome of clinically important bacteria including Escherichia coli, Shigella flexneri, Yersinia enterocolitica, Helicobacter pylori, Bordetella pertussis, Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Citrobacter rodentium, Clostridium species, Streptococcus pneumoniae, and Staphylococcus aureus and their toxic products on connexin- and pannexin-related signaling in host cells is reviewed. Particular attention is paid to the underlying molecular mechanisms of these effects as well as to the actual biological relevance of these findings.     

Beta-carotene affects gene expression in lungs of male and female <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bcmo1</Emphasis><Superscript>−/−</Superscript> mice in opposite directions

Molecular mechanisms triggered by high dietary beta-carotene (BC) intake in lung are largely unknown. We performed microarray gene expression analysis on lung tissue of BC supplemented beta-carotene 15,15′-monooxygenase 1 knockout (Bcmo1 ^−/−) mice, which are—like humans—able to accumulate BC. Our main observation was that the genes were regulated in an opposite direction in male and female Bcmo1 ^−/− mice by BC. The steroid biosynthetic pathway was overrepresented in BC-supplemented male Bcmo1 ^−/− mice. Testosterone levels were higher after BC supplementation only in Bcmo1 ^−/− mice, which had, unlike wild-type (Bcmo1 ^+/+) mice, large variations. We hypothesize that BC possibly affects hormone synthesis or metabolism. Since sex hormones influence lung cancer risk, these data might contribute to an explanation for the previously found increased lung cancer risk after BC supplementation (ATBC and CARET studies). Moreover, effects of BC may depend on the presence of frequent human BCMO1 polymorphisms, since these effects were not found in wild-type mice.     

The role of conjugative transposons in the <Emphasis Type="Italic">Enterobacteriaceae</Emphasis>

Although widely studied in Gram-positive Streptococci and in the Gram-negative Bacteroides, there is a scarcity of information on the occurrence and nature of conjugative transposon-like elements in the well-studied Enterobacteriaceae. In fact, some of the major reviews on conjugative transposons prior to 1996 failed to mention their occurrence in this group. Recently, their presence has been reported in Salmonella, Vibrio and Proteus species, and in some cases such as the SXT element in Vibrio and the IncJ group element CTnR391, there has been some molecular characterization. The elements thus far examined appear to be larger than the common Gram-positive conjugative transposons and to be mosaic in structure, with genes derived from several sources. Recent evidence suggests that in the Enterobacteriaceae the elements may be related to enteric pathogenicity islands. The evolution, distribution and role of these elements in the Enterobacteriaceae is discussed.     

The clostridial mobilisable transposons

Mobilisable transposons are transposable genetic elements that also encode mobilisation functions but are not in themselves conjugative. They rely on coresident conjugative elements to facilitate their transfer to recipient cells. Clostridial mobilisable transposons include Tn4451 and Tn4452 from Clostridium perfringens, and Tn4453a and Tn4453b from Clostridium difficile, all of which are closely related, and Tn5398 from C. difficile. The Tn4451 group of elements encodes resistance to chloramphenicol and is unusual in that transposition is dependent upon a large resolvase protein rather than a more conventional transposase or integrase. This group of elements also encodes the mobilisation protein TnpZ that, by acting at the RS_A or oriT site located on the transposon, and in the presence of a coresident conjugative element, promotes the movement of the nonreplicating circular intermediate and of plasmids on which the transposon resides. The erythromycin resistance element Tn5398 is unique in that it encodes no readily identifiable transposition or mobilisation proteins. However, the element is still capable of intraspecific transfer between C. difficile isolates, by an unknown mechanism. The detailed analysis of these mobilisable clostridial elements provides evidence that the evolution and dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes is a complex process that may involve the interaction of genetic elements with very different properties. RID="*" ID="*"Corresponding author.     

The evolutionary history ofDrosophila buzzatii. V. Differential survivorship onOpuntia betweenD. buzzatii andD. serido

Summary Survival time ofDrosophila buzzatii adults on anOpuntia (prickly pear) medium was significantly longer than that of its nearest relativeD. serido. A significant difference was also found betweenD. buzzatii adults from two experimental populations, one of them fed onOpuntia rots for more than two years and another one kept on standardDrosophila medium for the same period of time. These results suggest that adult selection may be taking place in cactiphilicDrosophila in their natural habitats and could be responsible for the niche differentiation betweenD. buzzatii andD. serido.This work has been supported by the Comisión Asesora de investigación Científica y Técnica, Spain, by funds to project 4514/79 awarded to the third author.     

An immune response-dependent mechanism for the vertical transmission of an entomopathogen

Summary An exceptionally efficient mechanism for the vertical transmission of a parasitic gregarine is dependent on the insect host's immune response. Gametocysts ofAscogregarina chagasi on the genital accessory glands of adult female sand flies (Lutzomyia longipalpis) become encapsulated through hemocyte-mediated immune reactions. Oocysts ofA. chagasi, ejected into the lumen of the glands owing to pressure exerted by this capsule, become glued to eggshells and are subsequently ingested by larvae. InL. longipalpis with an experimentally suppressed encapsulation reaction, fewer accessory glands contained oocysts ofA. chagasi.     

Ammotragus lervia: Progenitor of the domesticated sheep or specialized offshoot of caprine evolution?

Summary Data on haemoglobin do not support suggestions that the aoudadAmmotragus lervia is close to a hypothetical ancestor to the genusOvis in general or to the domesticated sheepOvis aries in particular.Ammotragus haemoglobin is more like that from the domestic goatCapra hircus than that from the domestic sheepOvis aries, but also shows some unique characteristics, perhaps more specialized than primitive.