C-banding pattern on the chromosomes of the Japanese house shrew,Suncus murinus riukiuanus,and its implication

Summary The C-band on the chromosomes of the Japanese house shrew,Suncus murinus riukiuanus (Insectivora), was studied. Various types of C-banding pattern were found in the genome of this subspecies. Such banding patterns could be useful for an understanding of autosome and sex-chromosome polymorphisms withinS. murinus.Acknowledgment. The authors are very grateful to Prof. T. Wasano of Fukuoka University for his encouragement, Dr K. Ogawa of Fukuoka University, the Nohara family for help in collecting specimens, and Prof. E.W. Jameson, Jr, University of California, Dr J.W. Bickham and his students of Texas A & M University for comments.     

Effects of an insect growth regulator,ZR-2646 on egg fertility in the fleshfly,Sarcophaga bullata

Summary Topical application of an insect growth regulator, ZR-2646 on adult females ofSarcophaga bullata affects the viability of the eggs. The compound is most effective if applied at the time of ovulation.The work was supported by the National Research Council of Canada.I am grateful to Dr G.B. Staal, Zoecon Corporation, Palo Alto, California, for the gift of ZR-2646.     

Multiple forms of monoamine oxidase in developing Xenopus

Zusammenfassung Das Isoenzymmuster der Monoaminoxidase verändert sich während der frühen Entwicklung der Larven vonXenopus laevis. Die Anzahl elektrophoretischer Banden verkleinert sich während der Entwicklung von vier auf eine.

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The author was supported by a grant from the Cleveland State University Faculty Research Committee. The author would like to express his thanks toJohn Y. Pun the president of Bionix (El Cerrito, California) for the use of the apparatus.     

Effects of precocene II and juvenile hormone III on the activity of neurosecretory A-cells inOncopeltus fasciatus

Summary Application of precocene II, topically or by contact method, appears to inhibit the synthetic activity of neurosecretory A-cells of the pars intercerebralis ofOncopeltus fasciatus. Treatment of precocene-treated insects with JH III apparently stimulates the secretory activity of these cells.Supported by National Research Council of Canada grant No. A4669.We thank Dr G. B. Staal, Zoecon Corporation, Palo Alto, California, for the gift of precocene II.     

The mutagenic mode of action of benzimidazole

Summary By using a bacterial mutant strain with a known restricted reversion pattern, it has been shown that benzimidazole induces an unidirectional base change also in vivo. The in vitro demonstrated strict GA transition has thus been confirmed.Acknowledgments. I thank Th. Thurnher for his technical assistance. My thanks go furthermore to Dr Charles Yanofsky (Stanford University, California, USA), who generously supplied hisEscherichia coli strains.     

Activation and specificity of alkaline phosphatase of a mineralizing collagen-rich system

Summary Alkaline phosphatase from tibia tendon ofMeleagris gallopavo L. was highly purified. The enzyme activation by different ions was measured. Mg²⁺ showed a high activation with a broader spectrum of phosphomonoester hydrolization. The in vivo Mg²⁺ concentration was an optimum for in vitro activation.Dedicated to Prof. Dr. G. Pfefferkorn on the occasion of his 65^th birthday.We thank Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft for support.     

Precocene-induced metamorphosis in the desert locustSchistocerca gregaria

Summary 50–100% of the 2nd, 3rd and 4th instar nymphs ofSchistocerca gregaria exposed to precocene 2 by contact method metamorphosed precociously from the instar treated. The corpora allata of the precocious adults were degenerate. Topical application of a juvenile hormone analogue (ZR-512) induced in the precocious adults the colouration characteristic of sexually mature adults.This research was supported by the N.S.E.R.C. grant No.A4669.We thank Dr G. B. Staal, Zoecon Corporation, Palo Alto, California, for the generous gift of precocene 2 and ZR-512, M. Hota for rearing the insects, R. G. Long, for the photographs, and Jann Aitken for technical assistance.     

Effect of ACTH on the zona reticularis of the rat adrenal cortex: An ultrastructural stereologic study

Summary The effects of ACTH on the rat adrenalzona reticularis were investigated by stereologic methods. It was found that thezona reticularis cell responsiveness to ACTH is similar to that of thezona fasciculata elements. This excludes that thezona reticularis of the adult rat can only function as the site of destruction of worn-out elements migrating from the adrenal outer zones.Acknowledgment. We wish to thank Mr.G. Gottardo for his skilled technical assistance. This work was partly supported by a contract with the CNR No. C.T.73.00663.04.     

Photo-orientation in the larvae of the waxmothGalleria mellonella L. reared under constant dark and constant light conditions

Zusammenfassung Larven vonG. mellonella sind negativ phototaktisch. Der Grad der Photonegativität verändert sich während 24 h. Durch Dauerdunkel und Dauerlicht wird das phototaktische Verhalten der Larven reziprok verändert. Wahrscheinlich handelt es sich um eine endogene Photoorientierungsrhythmik.

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I am grateful to Prof. Dr.G. Birukow for extending all the facilities for this work and for his kind advice. I am also indebted to the Alexander-von-Humboldt-Stiftung for award of post-doctoral fellowship.     

Attraction of the male house fly to cuticular hydrocarbons and feces of several other dipteran species

Zusammenfassung Männchen vonMusca domestica werden von Kohlenwasserstoffextrakten aus der Cuticula weiblicherMusca domestica, M. autumnalis undHaematobia irritan angelockt (gleiche oder ähnliche Pheromone), nicht aber von entsprechenden Extrakten ausStomoxys calitrans, Glossina morsitans, G. austeni, Fannia canicularis undCochliomyia hominivorax.

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The authors thankDr. P. A. Langley, University of Bristol, for his geneous aid in providing cuticular washes and feces of tsetse flies;Dr. C. M. Jones, USDA, for face fly samples;Dr. R. L. Harris, USDA, for horn fly samples;Dr. B. G. Hightower and R. R. Grabbe, USDA, for screwworm samples andDr. W. M. Rogoff, USDA, for little house fly samples.     

Ecdysteroids inLimulus larvae

Summary Free ecdysteroids were extracted from intermolt and premolt larvae ofLimulus polyphemus in the first posthatch stage, purified by TLC and HRLC, and assayed by RIA and theLimulus bioassay 20-hydroxyecdysone appears to be a principal ecdysteroid and occurs at least 3 times higher a concentration in premolt vs intermolt animals.Supported by NSF grant GB-40620.Acknowledgments. We are indebted to Prof. G. R. Wyatt for the antibody, Prof. K. Nakanishi for use of his laboratory for HRLC separations, and to Dr David King for the³H-ecdysone and for performing radio-TLC analyses.     

In situ accumulation of marine algal exudate by a polychaete worm (Schizobranchia insignis)

Summary For the first time, heterotrophic accumulation of dissolved carbon by a soft-bodied marine invertebrate under in situ conditions has been demonstrated. The polychaete wormSchizobranchia insignis Bush concentrated¹⁴C-labelled dissolved carbon (DC) exudated by the large brown alga,Macrocystis integrifolia Bory, 14 times over the killed controls. Our evidence suggests that algal exudate may be a significant nutritional supplement to some invertebrates cohabitating withM. integrifolia.This study was supported by Operating Grant No. A6966 to PVF from the National Research Council of Canada.We are grateful to MrG. F. Cota, Dalhousie University, Halifax, for his contributions to the field experiments.     

Paraensine,a new indolopyridoquinazoline alkaloid fromEuxylophora paraënsis Hub.

Riassunto Dalla corteccia dellaEuxylophora paraënsis Hub. viene isolata la paraensina (I) che si rivela essere il primo alcaloide di tipo indolopiridochinazolinico a contenere una unità isoprenica.

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Acknowledgments. The authors thank Prof.L. Canonica for his interest in the work. Thanks are also due to Dr.G. Severini Ricca for the NMR-spectra, and to Dr.T. Salvatori for mass spectra.     

Enhancement of haemagglutinin production in polyoma virus-infected candida by a defined medium and urethan

Zusammenfassung Das onkogene Polyomavirus kann sich im PilzC. albicans vermehren und die Virusausbeute wird durch Urethanzugabe erhöht.

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We are very grateful to Mr. G. M.Healy of the CMRL, University of Toronto, for the generous supply of media and to Mr. B.Bucz for his technical help in this work supported by a grant of the National Cancer Institute of Canada.     

Radiochemical assays of corpus allatum activity in adult female cockroaches following ovariectomy in the last nymphal instar

Summary Surgical removal of the ovaries from nymphalPeriplaneta americana results in lower than normal corpus allatum activity in the adult insect and an apparent absence of the manifestly cyclic pattern of juvenile hormone biosynthesis found in intact mated females. The results suggest that the presence of synchronously developing ovaries is necessary for the attainment of normal synthetic activity in the corpus allatum of this species.Acknowledgment. I thank Dr G. E. Pratt for his helpful advice and stimulating discussions on the subject.     

Reduction in bean common mosaic virus (BCMV) infectivity vis-a-vis crude leaf extract of some higher plants

Summary Crude leaf extracts of 17 plants were tested for their antiviral activity against BCMV. An extract ofAzadirachta indica A. Juss. was found to be most potent in reducing the infectivity of the virus.Authors are thankful to Dr R. D. Joshi for his valuable guidance and Prof. S. N. Mathur for providing lab facilities. Financial assistance by U. G. C. and C. S. I. R. is gratefully acknowledged.     

Spontaneous occurrence of aneuploidy in the male germ cells ofNaja tripidians

Zusammenfassung Es wird gezeigt, dass beiNaja tripidians die männlichen Keimzellen Variationen des Chromosomengehaltes aufweisen, und zwar eine Aneuploidie, das heisst es sind 1, 2, 3 oder 4 Chromosomen zu viel oder zu wenig, was mit der heute üblichen Auffassung von der Konstanz der Chromosomen in den Keimzellen nicht übereinstimmt.

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Acknowledgments: The author wishes to express her sincere thanks to Professor G. P.Sharma, Head of the Department of Zoology, for his valuable guidance and other facilities.     

Chromosomal translocations in 2 Italian populations ofReticulitermes lucifugus (Rossi) (Insecta,Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae)

Summary The chromosomes of 2 Italian populations ofReticulitermes lucifugus (Rossi) were studied in both spermatogonial and oogonial divisions. The diploid chromosome complement is 2=42. All the first meiotic metaphases in Sardinian males show a complex translocation arranged in chains of 4 bivalents. The Apulian males show either 21 bivalents or 19 bivalents and a chain of 2.The authors express their thanks to Prof. A. Springhetti for his kind help in supplying the materials and for criticism in preparation of this paper, and to Prof. G. Colombo for valuable advice and criticism.