Ventral neural tube cells differentiate into hepatocytes in the chick embryo

A population of ventral neural tube cells has recently been shown to migrate out of the hind brain neural tube via the vagus nerve and contribute to the developing gastrointestinal tract. Since liver is also innervated by the vagus nerve, we sought to determine if these cells also migrate into the liver. Ventral neural tube cells in the caudal hindbrain of chick embryos were tagged with a replication-deficient retroviral vector containing the LacZ gene on embryonic day 2. Embryos were processed for detection of labeled cells on embryonic day 5 and 11. Labeled cells were seen in the liver on both days and identified as hepatocytes. Previously, it was believed that all hepatocytes develop from the gut endoderm. Results of the present study show an additional source for the formation of liver cells. Received 25 August 1998; received after revision 5 November 1998; accepted 5 November 1998     

Cytochemically rich neuroglia invest metacercariae in the brain ofPhoxinus phoxinus L.

Summary Histochemical determination of neuroglia investing parasites in naturally infected fish depends upon recognition of the highly soluble or diffusible nature of the cytoplasm.Acknowledgment. M.R.L. Johnston advised me during the course of this work.     

Mutations in SEC63 cause autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease

Mutations in PRKCSH, encoding the beta-subunit of glucosidase II, an N-linked glycan-processing enzyme in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), cause autosomal dominant polycystic liver disease. We found that mutations in SEC63, encoding a component of the protein translocation machinery in the ER, also cause this disease. These findings are suggestive of a role for cotranslational protein-processing pathways in maintaining epithelial luminal structure and implicate noncilial ER proteins in human polycystic disease.     

Microbial control of diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella L. （Lepidoptera： Yponomeutidae） using bacteria （Xenorhabdus nematophila） and its metabolites from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae

Cells and cell-free solutions of the culture filtrate of the bacterial symbiont, Xenorhabdus nematophila taken from the entomopathogenic nematode Steinernema carpocapsae in aqueous broth suspensions were lethal to larvae of the diamondback moth Plutella xylostella. Their application on leaves of Chinese cabbage indicated that the cells can penetrate into the insects in the absence of the nematode vector. Cell-free solutions containing metabolites were also proved as effective as bacterial cells suspension. The application of aqueous suspensions of cells of X.nematophila or solutions containing its toxic metabolites to the leaves represents a possible new strategy for controlling insect pests on foliage.     

Thiamine derivatives bind messenger RNAs directly to regulate bacterial gene expression

Although proteins fulfil most of the requirements that biology has for structural and functional components such as enzymes and receptors, RNA can also serve in these capacities. For example, RNA has sufficient structural plasticity to form ribozyme and receptor elements that exhibit considerable enzymatic power and binding specificity. Moreover, these activities can be combined to create allosteric ribozymes that are modulated by effector molecules. It has also been proposed that certain messenger RNAs might use allosteric mechanisms to mediate regulatory responses depending on specific metabolites. We report here that mRNAs encoding enzymes involved in thiamine (vitamin B(1)) biosynthesis in Escherichia coli can bind thiamine or its pyrophosphate derivative without the need for protein cofactors. The mRNA-effector complex adopts a distinct structure that sequesters the ribosome-binding site and leads to a reduction in gene expression. This metabolite-sensing regulatory system provides an example of a 'riboswitch' whose evolutionary origin might pre-date the emergence of proteins.     

Construction of some hypergroups from combinatorial structures

Jajcay‘s studies( 1993 ; 1994) on the automorphism groups of Cayley maps yielded a new product of groups, which he called, rotary product. Using this product, we define a hyperoperation ⊙ on the group Syme (G) , the stabilizer of the identity e ∈ G in the group Sym (G) . We prove that ( Syme (G) , ⊙) is a hypergroup and characterize the subhypergroups of this hypergroup.Finally, we show that the set of all subhypergroups of Syme ( G ) constitute a lattice under ordinary join and meet and that the minimal elements of order two of this lattice is a subgroup of Aut (G) .     

Phylogenetic relationships of native and introduced Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera:Aleyrodidae) from China and India based on mtCOI DNA sequencing and host plant comparisons

Phylogenetic relationships for Bemisia tabaci were reconstructed by analysis of a ～780 bp fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (mtCOI) gene with an emphasis on geographic range and distribution among eight eudicot plant families that are common hosts of B. tabaci worldwide to elucidate key phylogeographic linkages between populations extant in China (n=31) and India (n=34). Bootstrap values for the Maximum Parsimony tree were highly robust for all major nodes involving the major Asian clade, subgroups, and sister groups within, at 92%—100%. Between-clade distances for the Southeast Asia and three other major clades, e.g. from sub-Sahara Africa, North Africa-Mediterranean, and the Americas, were approximately >16% divergent. Two major Asian subgroups (I, II) were resolved, which represented populations indigenous to the region, comprising two (I a, I b) and five (II a—e) sister groups, respectively, which diverged by 11%. Two distinct populations from sunflower in Hyderabad grouped separately within the two Asian subgroups. All other populations grouped uniquely within Asian subgroup II or I. The “B” biotype was identified in 23 collections from China at 97.3%—99.5% nucleotide identity with “B” biotype reference sequences; it was not identified in collections from India. The majority of haplotypes were associated with 3—4 plant families, with one exception that for sister group IId (sesame, India), it might be monophagous. Thus, B. tabaci from the southeastern and near eastern regions of the Asian continent comprise of a large number of ancestral, richly divergent, mostly polyphagous populations. This region is therefore hypothesized to constitute an important Old World center of diversification for the B. tabaci complex, together with sub-Saharan Africa.     

半素环的一个交换性条件

本文推广了中国魏宗宣的结果:如果条件[x~my~n-xy~nx,x]=O或[x~sy~t-yx~sy,x]=O.成立,则半素环R是可交换的。其中m,n,s,t是正整数,任意x,y∈R.     

Biogenic amino acid methionine-based corrosion inhibitors of mild steel in acidic media

N,N-Diallyl methionine ethyl ester hydrochloride 5 underwent alternating copolymerization with SO_2 via the Butler cyclopolymerization protocol in dimethyl sulfoxide(DMSO) to give water-soluble cycloterpolymer 6 with a ～1:1 molar ratio of sulfide and sulfoxide groups as a result of oxygen transfer from DMSO. Half of the sulfide groups in 6, upon oxidation with H_2O_2, afforded polymer sulfoxide 7 and polymer sulfone 8. The solution properties of these polymers were determined via a viscometric technique. The thermal stability of these polymers was determined by thermogravimetric analysis. The inhibition efficiency obtained from gravimetric mass loss, potentiodynamic polarization, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques agreed well with each other. The corrosion efficiencies increase with increasing concentration of the polymers. At a polymer concentration of 175 mM, the maximum inhibition efficiency of copolymer compounds 6–8 was determined to be 92%, 97%, and 95%, respectively. The synthesized polymer compounds acted as mixed-type inhibitors. Polymer compound 7 adsorbed onto the metal surface via chemisorption and physisorption and obeyed Langmuir, Temkin, and Freundlich adsorption isotherms. Analyses by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy indicated that the adsorbed polymers formed a thin film on the metal surface and prevented further corrosive attack.