Changes is genes coding for laccases 1 and 2 may contribute to deformation and reduction of wings in apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo, Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) from the isolated population in Pieniny National Park (Poland).

2015 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kinga Łukasiewicz ◽  
Grzegorz Węgrzyn
Keyword(s):  
Salivary Glands ◽  
National Park ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Isolated Population ◽  
Concomitant Reduction ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Apollo Butterfly ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Number Of Individuals ◽  
Parnassius Apollo

An isolated population of apollo butterfly (Parnassius apollo, Lepidoptera: Papilionidae) occurs in Pieniny National Park (Poland). Deformations and reductions of wings in a relatively large number of individuals from this population is found, yet the reasons for these defects are unknown. During studies devoted to identify cause(s) of this phenomenon, we found that specific regions of genes coding of enzymes laccases 1 and 2 could not be amplified from DNA samples isolated from large fractions of malformed insects while expected PCR products were detected in almost all (with one exception) normal butterflies. Laccases (p-diphenol:dioxygen oxidoreductases) are oxidases containing several copper atoms. They catalyse single-electron oxidations of phenolic or other compounds with concomitant reduction of oxygen to water. In insects, their enzymatic activities were found previously in epidermis, midgut, Malpighian tubules, salivary glands, and reproductive tissues. Therefore, we suggest that defects in genes coding for laccases might contribute to deformation and reduction of wings in apollo butterflies, though it seems obvious that deficiency in these enzymes could not be the sole cause of these developmental improperties in P. apollo from Pieniny National Park.

scholarly journals Modelling spreading of an infection using time series by a novel family of models; fitting the time series of the confirmed cases of COVID-19 in China

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (s1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Babak Jamshidi ◽  
Shahriar Jamshidi Zargaran ◽  
Mansour Rezaei
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Time Series ◽  
Communicable Disease ◽  
Time Series Models ◽  
Cumulative Number ◽  
The Novel ◽  
New Family ◽  
Two Samples ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Number Of Individuals

AbstractIntroductionTime series models are one of the frequently used methods to describe the pattern of spreading an epidemic.MethodsWe presented a new family of time series models able to represent the cumulative number of individuals that contracted an infectious disease from the start to the end of the first wave of spreading. This family is flexible enough to model the propagation of almost all infectious diseases. After a general discussion on competent time series to model the outbreak of a communicable disease, we introduced the new family through one of its examples.ResultsWe estimated the parameters of two samples of the novel family to model the spreading of COVID-19 in China.DiscussionOur model does not work well when the decreasing trend of the rate of growth is absent because it is the main presumption of the model. In addition, since the information on the initial days is of the utmost importance for this model, one of the challenges about this model is modifying it to get qualified to model datasets that lack the information on the first days.

scholarly journals Progression of Watermelon Bud Necrosis Virus Infection in Its Vector, Thrips palmi

Cells ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 392
Author(s):  
Amalendu Ghosh ◽  
Priti ◽  
Bikash Mandal ◽  
Ralf G. Dietzgen
Keyword(s):  
Virus Infection ◽  
Salivary Glands ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Necrosis Virus ◽  
Posterior Portion ◽  
Thrips Palmi ◽  
Thrips Species ◽  
Anterior Midgut

Thrips are important pests of agricultural, horticultural, and forest crops worldwide. In addition to direct damages caused by feeding, several thrips species can transmit diverse tospoviruses. The present understanding of thrips–tospovirus relationships is largely based on studies of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) and Western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis). Little is known about other predominant tospoviruses and their thrips vectors. In this study, we report the progression of watermelon bud necrosis virus (WBNV) infection in its vector, melon thrips (Thrips palmi). Virus infection was visualized in different life stages of thrips using WBNV-nucleocapsid protein antibodies detected with FITC-conjugated secondary antibodies. The anterior midgut was the first to be infected with WBNV in the first instar larvae. The midgut of T. palmi was connected to the principal salivary glands (PSG) via ligaments and the tubular salivary glands (TSG). The infection progressed to the PSG primarily through the connecting ligaments during early larval instars. The TSG may also have an ancillary role in disseminating WBNV from the midgut to PSG in older instars of T. palmi. Infection of WBNV was also spread to the Malpighian tubules, hindgut, and posterior portion of the foregut during the adult stage. Maximum virus-specific fluorescence in the anterior midgut and PSG indicated the primary sites for WBNV replication. These findings will help to better understand the thrips–tospovirus molecular relationships and identify novel potential targets for their management. To our knowledge, this is the first report of the WBNV dissemination path in its vector, T. palmi.

scholarly journals The Genes raw and ribbon Are Required for Proper Shape of Tubular Epithelial Tissues in Drosophila

Genetics ◽  
1997 ◽  
Vol 147 (1) ◽  
pp. 243-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Jack ◽  
Guy Myette
Keyword(s):  
Embryonic Development ◽  
Salivary Glands ◽  
Cell Shape ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Dorsal Closure ◽  
Epithelial Tissues ◽  
Cell Rearrangement

Abstract The products of two genes, raw and ribbon (rib), are required for the proper morphogenesis of a variety of tissues. Malpighian tubules mutant for raw or rib are wider and shorter than normal tubules, which are only two cells in circumference when they are fully formed. The mutations alter the shape of the tubules beginning early in their formation and block cell rearrangement late in development, which normally lengthens and narrows the tubes. Mutations of both genes affect a number of other tissues as well. Both genes are required for dorsal closure and retraction of the CNS during embryonic development. In addition, rib mutations block head involution, and broaden and shorten other tubular epithelia (salivary glands, tracheae, and hindgut) in much same manner as they alter the shape of the Malpighian tubules. In tissues in which the shape of cells can be observed readily, rib mutations alter cell shape, which probably causes the change in shape of the organs that are affected. In double mutants raw enhances the phenotypes of all the tissues that are affected by rib but unaffected by raw alone, indicating that raw is also active in these tissues.

scholarly journals Theobroma bicolor Humb. & Bonpl. (Sterculiaceae, "Cuapataxtle") en el Municipio de Ayutla de los Libres, Guerrero. Composición Florística de los huertos y aspectos etnobotánicos

2017 ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Beatriz Rendón-Aguilar ◽  
Graciela González Soto ◽  
María Isabel Oble-Delgadillo ◽  
Virginia Ojeda-Cornejo ◽  
Rosa Elvira Parra-Padilla ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Relative Density ◽  
Floristic Composition ◽  
The Political ◽  
Indigenous Species ◽  
Commercial Activity ◽  
Traditional Management ◽  
Fruit Species ◽  
Political Center ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Number Of Individuals

This research had the next objectives: 1] to describe the floristic composition of the orchards where T. bicolor is growing on, in the municipio of Ayutla de los Libres, Guerrero; 2] to describe ethnobotanical aspects related with the uses of T. bicolor and 3] to report the presence of T. bicolor in the state of Guerrero, specifically in the municipio of Ayutla de los Libres. Nine orchards located in different communities and associated to different ethnical composition were sampled. Number of species per sampled area, number of individuals per species and relative density of each species were obtaind. Description of uses of T. bicolor was obtained through interviews applied to farmers (mestizos and indigenous). Species richness, kind of species and relative density show high heterogenity among orchards. Those near the cabecera municipal show variable floristic composition and relative densities of man y fruit species and cuapataxtle are high. Orchards far from the cabecera municipal also show variable floristic composition but relative densities of almost all the species present there are low. The conclusion is that the variability in floristic composition, as well as the differences in relative densities of many species reflect the idea of traditional management, location of orchards respect to the political center of Ayutla and the importance of nearness to places of commercial activity.

scholarly journals Molecular Analysis of Ammonia-Oxidizing Bacteria of the β Subdivision of the Class Proteobacteria in Compost and Composted Materials

1999 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 396-403 ◽  
Author(s):  
George A. Kowalchuk ◽  
Zinaida S. Naoumenko ◽  
Piet J. L. Derikx ◽  
Andreas Felske ◽  
John R. Stephen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizer ◽  
Ammonia Oxidizing Bacteria ◽  
Nitrogen Transformations ◽  
Rt Pcr ◽  
Gene Encoding ◽  
Specific Pcr ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Gradient Gel Electrophoresis ◽  
Almost All

ABSTRACT Although the practice of composting animal wastes for use as biofertilizers has increased in recent years, little is known about the microorganisms responsible for the nitrogen transformations which occur in compost and during the composting process. Ammonia is the principle available nitrogenous compound in composting material, and the conversion of this compound to nitrite in the environment by chemolithotrophic ammonia-oxidizing bacteria is an essential step in nitrogen cycling. Therefore, the distribution of ammonia-oxidizing members of the β subdivision of the class Proteobacteriain a variety of composting materials was assessed by amplifying 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and 16S rRNA by PCR and reverse transcriptase PCR (RT-PCR), respectively. The PCR and RT-PCR products were separated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) and were identified by hybridization with a hierarchical set of oligonucleotide probes designed to detect ammonia oxidizer-like sequence clusters in the genera Nitrosospira and Nitrosomonas. Ammonia oxidizer-like 16S rDNA was detected in almost all of the materials tested, including industrial and experimental composts, manure, and commercial biofertilizers. A comparison of the DGGE and hybridization results after specific PCR and RT-PCR suggested that not all of the different ammonia oxidizer groups detected in compost are equally active. amoA, the gene encoding the active-site-containing subunit of ammonia monooxygenase, was also targeted by PCR, and template concentrations were estimated by competitive PCR. Detection of ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in the composts tested suggested that such materials may not be biologically inert with respect to nitrification and that the fate of nitrogen during composting and compost storage may be affected by the presence of these organisms.

Trends in the population of the Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat Lasiorhinus krefftii in Epping Forest National Park, Central Queensland

1994 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Doug G. Crossman ◽  
Christopher N. Johnsow ◽  
Alan B. Horsup
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Absolute Size ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Prolonged Drought ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Absolute ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Almost All

The Northern Hairy-nosed Wombat Lasiorhinus krefftii now survives only in Epping Forest National Park, central Queensland. The species was formerly more widespread in the Epping Forest region than at present. Its decline appears to have occurred in three distinct episodes of contraction, two of which were associated with prolonged drought. Indirect monitoring of abundance suggests that the population was stable from 1974 to 1981, when cattle were excluded from the Park, but has increased since 1983. A trapping programme between 1985 and 1989 suggests that the absolute size of the population may be about 70. The population contains approximately equal numbers of males and females; almost all females breed; and a large and apparently increasing proportion of the population consists of young animals. Further increases in density and range within Epping Forest National Park appear possible. Removal of some animals for translocation should be attempted when it is clear that such removals will not jeopardize the stability and vigour of the Epping Forest population.

An apparent case of nonsymmetrical and sustained strand-specific hemimethylation in the Dc8 gene of carrot

Genome ◽  
1998 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuanxiang Zhou ◽  
Clint W Magill ◽  
Jane M Magill ◽  
Ronald J Newton
Keyword(s):  
Pcr Amplification ◽  
Daucus Carota L ◽  
Template Strand ◽  
Bisulfite Treatment ◽  
Base Sequences ◽  
Pcr Products ◽  
Specific Amplification ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Methylation Patterns

The Dc8 gene of carrot (Daucus carota L.) shows differential expression during embryo development. Changes in methylation patterns of a segment of about 500 bp (from base + 120 to base -446) of Dc8 allele 6 were investigated by treating genomic DNA, extracted from embryogenic callus at different stages of development, with sodium bisulfite to modify nonmethylated cytosines. Following asymmetric (strand-specific) amplification, base sequences for samples from each developmental stage were determined for each strand directly from the PCR products or from cloned PCR products. Different methylation patterns were detected in the two strands. The 5' to 3' sense (coding) strand was almost completely nonmethylated, whereas almost all the cytosines in the 3' to 5' (template) strand were methylated. By 71 days after transfer to embryo-inducing medium, few methylcytosines remained; those that were present were generally near the TATA box or in a region beyond -300. The cytosines that were methylated were not limited to CG or CNG sequences. The difference in the extent of methylation between the two complementary strands implies either that there is a mechanism for strand-specific methylation, or that complementary sequences can differ greatly in sensitivity to bisulfite treatment or PCR amplification.

Prey selectivity of wolves in Banff National Park. I. Prey species

1993 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 130-139 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Huggard
Keyword(s):  
National Park ◽  
Prey Type ◽  
Prey Selectivity ◽  
Functional Responses ◽  
Encounter Rates ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Habitat Overlap ◽  
Banff National Park ◽  
Mountain Goats ◽  
Number Of Individuals

I examined the components generating selectivity in wolves preying on five ungulate species in Banff National Park, Alberta. Overall selectivity for elk and deer species, and apparent avoidance of bighorn sheep and mountain goats, were due primarily to lower habitat overlap of wolves with the latter two species, and therefore lower encounter rates. For social ungulates, I argue that the herd should be considered the unit of encounter, with encounter rates proportional to the number of herds rather than the number of individuals. However, large herds predictably associated with certain areas may be visited intentionally by wolves, increasing effective encounter rates. Foraging theory suggests that all ungulate prey should be equally profitable to wolves upon encounter and therefore the factors affecting encounter rates are critical in determining prey selectivity. A simple model incorporating different habitat overlap, herd sizes, and predictable herds predicts qualitatively different functional responses of wolves to changes in density of the different prey types. The model also demonstrates how apparent selectivity for a prey type can result from the different ways in which prey are encountered.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document