RNase activities in blood serum of several vertebrates

Résumé Les activités de la RNase ont été déterminées dans le sérum sanguin de 15 espèces de Vertebrés appartenant aux trois groupes définis parBarnard. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les activités de la RNase n'offrent pas de différences (exception faite pour le cobaye), ce qui exclut l'existence d'une relation directe, simple entre RNase pancréatique et sérique. On relève l'interêt phylogénétique de ces protéines et de l'origine de la RNase sérique.     

Hormonal influence on metastatic spread of the Yoshida sarcoma

Zusammenfassung Es wird über die Verbreitung des metastatischen Yoshida-Sarkoms bei Ratten berichtet, die das Sarkom in den Schwanz geimpft erhielten. Die geimpften Tiere wurden mit Testosteron, Cortison und Östrogen behandelt. Die einfache Einpflanzung des Sarkoms ist nicht genügend, um die Verbreitung der Geschwulst zu veranlassen.     

Litter production and decomposition in a terra-firme forest of Central Amazonia

Summary Chemical and biological aspects of litter production and decomposition were studied in three distinct areas of the Central Amazon. Litter production was measured during three years, employing the litter trap technique, with adapted conical collectors. Leaf litter decomposition was studied in experiments, over five-month-periods with repetitions for the dry and wet seasons, using the nylon-mesh bag technique. The greatest litter production took place during the drier period of the year, mainly from June to October, while decomposition processes were more accentuated in the wet season: in the plateau site, one-half, of the litter disappears, according to a mathematical model, in about, 218 days under dry season conditions as against 32 days in the wet season. In the rainy season, weight reduction and mineral losses from decomposing leaves occurred more rapidly, owing to the intense biological activity on the material during this period. Particularly noticeable was the intense activity of termites in organic matter breakdown and mineral removal, and the extensive root penetration in the decomposing leaves, which removed some minerals but increased the amounts of other. Leaching effects were also quite noticeable in this period. During the rainy season, in the latosol sites, termites were responsible for more than 40% of the removal of decomposing leaves. While intense biological activity appears to be the major factor responsible for weight reduction and loss of many minerals, as well as for the accumulation of some other minerals (mainly zinc iron and aluminium) in the decomposing material, leaching seems to be the major factor responsible for the loss of certain minerals such as potassium, boron and copper.     

Senataxin, the ortholog of a yeast RNA helicase, is mutant in ataxia-ocular apraxia 2

Ataxia-ocular apraxia 2 (AOA2) was recently identified as a new autosomal recessive ataxia. We have now identified causative mutations in 15 families, which allows us to clinically define this entity by onset between 10 and 22 years, cerebellar atrophy, axonal sensorimotor neuropathy, oculomotor apraxia and elevated alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Ten of the fifteen mutations cause premature termination of a large DEAxQ-box helicase, the human ortholog of yeast Sen1p, involved in RNA maturation and termination.     

Ephippia of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) from the Oligocene Tremembé palaeolake,Brazil

Ephippia of Cladocera (Crustacea: Branchiopoda) are found in the Oligocene deposits of Tremembé Formation (Taubaté Basin, Southeast Brazil). Thirty specimens from a short stratigraphic interval of a 115-m section of a core drilled in Taubaté city, São Paulo state, have been studied. Based on the morphology, we assumed that they might belong to two diferent species of Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) which lived either in the Tremembé palaeolake or in some surrounding temporary waters. Our find represents the oldest record of fossil ephippia in South America and the second record of Daphnia (Ctenodaphnia) in the former Gondwana. A tentative palaeolimnological interpretation is proposed based on the ephippia occurrences, allied to ostracod and lithological data.     

Ant–herbivore interactions in an extrafloral nectaried plant: are ants good plant guards against curculionid beetles?

Extrafloral nectary drinking ants are known as effective plant guards, but some herbivores may circumvent ant attacks by foraging on different plant parts or presenting adaptations to avoid ant predation. Here we experimentally investigated the effect of Camponotus blandus on the florivory of the extrafloral nectaried shrub Banisteriopsis malifolia; and a possible spatial segregation between ants and herbivores (leaves and flowers). Flower buds are attacked by Anthonomus weevils. Results revealed no significant influence of C. blandus on the reduction of florivory. Adult Anthonomus are hard-bodied and were immune to ant bites; larvae are endophytic, so protected from ants. Ants and adult beetles were concentrated in different plant parts (leaves and flowers, respectively) so restraining the probability of encounters. Our results indicate that the system C. blandus–Anthonomus–B. malifolia is not stable, as ants receive extrafloral nectar, but are unable to protect the plant against weevils.     

Phyllostomid bats flying in daylight: a case from the Neotropics

Bats (Chiroptera), one of the most diverse groups in terms of taxonomy, morphology and ecology, are known for their nocturnal behaviour of flight and feeding. Although there is no consensus on the evolution of nocturnality in bats, many authors mention risk of predation, overheating, competition and mobbing by non-competitor species as arguments to justify nocturnal instead of daytime flight in bats. Herein we describe the first records of three genera of phyllostomid bats flying, foraging and drinking water during daytime in the Brazilian Amazon. All taxa were recorded drinking water, and some Phyllostomus sp. individuals were recorded foraging on termites, alongside birds. Risk of dehydration and overheating in roosts, as well as low competition in daytime, may explain the emergence of phyllostomid bats before sunset.     

The FN3 and BRCT motifs in the exomer component Chs5p define a conserved module that is necessary and sufficient for its function

Chs5p is a component of the exomer, a coat complex required to transport the chitin synthase Chs3p from the trans-Golgi network to the plasma membrane. The Chs5p N-terminal region exhibits fibronectin type III (FN3) and BRCT domains. FN3 domains are present in proteins that mediate adhesion processes, whereas BRCT domains are involved in DNA repair. Several fungi—including Schizosaccharomyces pombe, which has no detectable amounts of chitin—have proteins similar to Chs5p. Here we show that the FN3 and BRCT motifs in Chs5p behave as a module that is necessary and sufficient for Chs5p localization and for cargo delivery. The N-terminal regions of S. cerevisiae Chs5p and S. pombe Cfr1p are interchangeable in terms of Golgi localization, but not in terms of exomer assembly, showing that the conserved function of this module is protein retention in this organelle and that the interaction between the exomer components is organism-specific.