164 research outputs found
Complete genome sequences of Betanodavirus from Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer)
The complete RNA-1 and RNA-2 genome sequences of Betanodavirus were obtained from Australian barramundi (Lates calcarifer). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that the sequences have closest homology to the red spotted grouper nervous necrosis virus (RGNNV) species and share between 91 and 98% homology with the other two published complete/near-complete sequences of isolates from Australian fish
A New Genus and Species of Cryptogonimid from Lutjanus Spp. (Pisces: Lutjanidae) on the Great Barrier Reef and New Caledonia
Lobosorchis tibaldiae n. gen. and n. sp. (Digenea: Cryptogonimidae) is described from the intestine, pyloric ceca, and rectum of 2 species of Lutjanus (Pisces: Lutjanidae), Lutjanus carponotatus and Lutjanus fulviflamma, from the Great Barrier Reef, Queensland, Australia, and New Caledonia. The genus is tentatively placed in the Neochasminae and is distinguished within the Cryptogonimidae by the combination of follicular testes, oral spines, and vitelline follicles restricted to the anterior region of the body not extending posteriorly to the ventral sucker
High-intensity cardiac infections of Phthinomita heinigerae n. sp. (Digenea: Aporocotylidae) in the orangelined cardinalfish, Taeniamia fucata (Cantor), off Heron Island on the Great Barrier Reef.
We report a new species of aporocotylid trematode (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) from the heart of the orangelined cardinalfish, Taeniamia fucata (Cantor), from off Heron Island on the southern Great Barrier Reef. We used an integrated approach, analysing host distribution, morphology, and genetic data from the internal transcribed spacer 2 of the ribosomal DNA, to circumscribe Phthinomita heinigerae n. sp. This is the first species of Phthinomita Nolan & Cribb, 2006 reported from the Apogonidae; existing species and known 'types' are recorded from species of the Labridae, Mullidae, and Siganidae. The new species is distinguished from its 11 congeners in having a body 2977-3539 long and 16.5-22.4 times longer than wide, an anterior testis 6.2-8.2 times longer than wide and 8.3-13.0 times longer than the posterior testis, a posterior testis whose width is 35-56% of the body width, and an ovary positioned 11-13% of the body length from the posterior end, and is entirely anterior to the posterior margin of the anterior testis. In addition, 2-34 base differences (0.4-7.0% sequence divergence over 485 base positions) were detected among the ITS2 sequence representing P. heinigerae n. sp. and the 14 representing other Phthinomita species/molecular types. Prevalence and intensity of infection with P. heinigerae n. sp. was relatively high within the heart tissue of T. fucata, with 19 of 20 fish examined from off Heron Island infected (95%) with 7-25 adult worms (arithmetic mean 16.6). Infections by these parasites accounted for an occupation of 7-30% of the total estimated heart volume.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2016.05.00
Self-trapping at the liquid vapor critical point
Experiments suggest that localization via self-trapping plays a central role
in the behavior of equilibrated low mass particles in both liquids and in
supercritical fluids. In the latter case, the behavior is dominated by the
liquid-vapor critical point which is difficult to probe, both experimentally
and theoretically. Here, for the first time, we present the results of
path-integral computations of the characteristics of a self-trapped particle at
the critical point of a Lennard-Jones fluid for a positive particle-atom
scattering length. We investigate the influence of the range of the
particle-atom interaction on trapping properties, and the pick-off decay rate
for the case where the particle is ortho-positronium.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures, revtex4 preprin
Dollfustrema durum n. sp. and Heterobucephalopsis perardua n. sp. (Digenea: Bucephalidae) from the giant moray eel, Gymnothorax javanicus (Bleeker) (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), and proposal of the Heterobucephalopsinae n. subfam.
Two new species of bucephalid trematode (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) are described from the giant moray eel, Gymnothorax javanicus (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), from off Lizard Island, Australia. We used a combined morphological and molecular-based approach targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the D1-D3 region of the large subunit (28S) of rDNA to circumscribe the species. Dollfustrema durum n. sp. is distinguished from seven congeners in having 5-6 rows of enlarged body spines circling the anterior portion of the rhynchus. From the remaining 10 species, D. durum n. sp. differs in body length, and in having a caecum that terminates posteriorly to the confluent arc formed by the vitelline follicles, gonads predominantly anterior to the pharynx, testes in tandem, an anterior testis positioned posteriorly to the vitelline follicles, and the pre-vitelline field 23-40% of the body length. Heterobucephalopsis perardua n. sp. differs from Heterobucephalopsis gymnothoracis, the type- and only other reported species, in being two to three times smaller. Heterobucephalopsis, currently considered a genus inquirendum, is confirmed as valid and is rediagnosed. Bayesian inference analysis of 28S rDNA sequences representing 28 species from nine genera and four subfamilies of bucephalid, indicates that i) subfamily classifications previously based on morphological characters are broadly robust, ii) the sequence representing H. perardua n. sp. is resolved as distinct, and basal, to sequences representing the Bucephalinae, the Prosorhynchinae, the Paurorhynchinae, and the Dolichoenterinae, iii) the Dolichoenterinae and the Prosorhynchinae are monophyletic sister clades, basal to the Bucephalinae and the Paurorhynchinae, iv) sequences representing Grammatorcynicola, Prosorhynchus, and Dollfustrema are also monophyletic, v) the Bucephalinae is paraphyletic relative to the Paurorhynchinae, and vi) the bucephaline genera Prosorhynchoides, Rhipidocotyle, and Bucephalus are each polyphyletic. The morphological and molecular differences observed among the four previously recognised subfamilies in this study lead us to propose Heterobucephalopsinae n. subfam. to accommodate the genus Heterobucephalopsis.Continued funding from the Australian Research Council and the Australian Biological Research Study to THC supported this study.This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Elsevier via http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.parint.2015.07.00
\u3ci\u3eDollfustrema durum\u3c/i\u3e n. sp. and \u3ci\u3eHeterobucephalopsis perardua\u3c/i\u3e n. sp. (Digenea: Bucephalidae) from the giant moray eel, \u3ci\u3eGymnothorax javanicus\u3c/i\u3e (Bleeker) (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), and proposal of the Heterobucephalopsinae n. subfam
Two new species of bucephalid trematode (Platyhelminthes: Digenea) are described from the giant moray eel, Gymnothorax javanicus (Anguilliformes: Muraenidae), from off Lizard Island, Australia. We used a combined morphological and molecular-based approach targeting the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS2) of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) and the D1–D3 region of the large subunit (28S) of rDNA to circumscribe the species. Dollfustrema durum n. sp. is distinguished from seven congeners in having 5–6 rows of enlarged body spines circling the anterior portion of the rhynchus. From the remaining 10 species, D. durum n. sp. differs in body length, and in having a caecum that terminates posteriorly to the confluent arc formed by the vitelline follicles, gonads predominantly anterior to the pharynx, testes in tandem, an anterior testis positioned posteriorly to the vitelline follicles, and the pre-vitelline field 23–40% of the body length. Heterobucephalopsis perardua n. sp. differs from Heterobucephalopsis gymnothoracis, the type- and only other reported species, in being two to three times smaller. Heterobucephalopsis, currently considered a genus inquirendum, is confirmed as valid and is rediagnosed. Bayesian inference analysis of 28S rDNA sequences representing 28 species from nine genera and four subfamilies of bucephalid, indicates that i) subfamily classifications previously based on morphological characters are broadly robust, ii) the sequence representing H. perardua n. sp. is resolved as distinct, and basal, to sequences representing the Bucephalinae, the Prosorhynchinae, the Paurorhynchinae, and the Dolichoenterinae, iii) the Dolichoenterinae and the Prosorhynchinae are monophyletic sister clades, basal to the Bucephalinae and the Paurorhynchinae, iv) sequences representing Grammatorcynicola, Prosorhynchus, and Dollfustrema are also monophyletic, v) the Bucephalinae is paraphyletic relative to the Paurorhynchinae, and vi) the bucephaline genera Prosorhynchoides, Rhipidocotyle, and Bucephalus are each polyphyletic. The morphological and molecular differences observed among the four previously recognised subfamilies in this study lead us to propose Heterobucephalopsinae n. subfam. to accommodate the genus Heterobucephalopsis
Trematodes of the Great Barrier Reef, Australia: emerging patterns of diversity and richness in coral reef fishes
The Great Barrier Reef holds the richest array of marine life found anywhere in Australia, including a diverse and fascinating parasite fauna. Members of one group, the trematodes, occur as sexually mature adult worms in almost all Great Barrier Reef bony fish species. Although the first reports of these parasites were made 100 years ago, the fauna has been studied systematically for only the last 25 years. When the fauna was last reviewed in 1994 there were 94 species known from the Great Barrier Reef and it was predicted that there might be 2,270 in total. There are now 326 species reported for the region, suggesting that we are in a much improved position to make an accurate prediction of true trematode richness. Here we review the current state of knowledge of the fauna and the ways in which our understanding of this fascinating group is changing. Our best estimate of the true richness is now a range, 1,100–1,800 species. However there remains considerable scope for even these figures to be incorrect given that fewer than one-third of the fish species of the region have been examined for trematodes. Our goal is a comprehensive characterisation of this fauna, and we outline what work needs to be done to achieve this and discuss whether this goal is practically achievable or philosophically justifiable
Lesioning of the Striatum Reverses Motor Asymmetry in the 6-Hydroxydopamine Rodent Model of Parkinsonism
In the rat several paradigms of grafting of adrenal
medulla into the striatum were studied following the
induction of a parkinsonian model, using a unilateral
6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) lesion of the substantia nigra
. Direct autologous grafting of adrenal medulla
into the caudate-putamen complex, a radiofrequency
lesion of the striatum alone, and a radiofrequency
lesion followed by delayed grafting of adrenal medulla
were compared by analyzing rotational behavior.
Direct grafting of adrenal medulla produced an
overall reduction in apomorphine induced turning
behavior by 43.5% when compared with controls.
Radiofrequency lesioning of the striatum without
graft showed the best improvement over control
animals with a 92% reduction in the total number of
rotations induced by apomorphine. Delayed grafting
into the caudate lesion cavity also produced a
dramatic reduction in motor asymmetry but did not
improve the behavioral outcome over that of the
lesion alone. Animals receiving only radiofrequency
lesions exhibited a band of increased tyrosine
hydroxylase like immunoreactivity bordering the
lesion cavity. Graft survival was limited in the nonlesioned
animals but appeared enhanced in the
animals whose striatum was previously lesioned.
Lesion location within the striatum influenced the
behavioral outcome. Large reductions in
apomorphine-induced rotations could result from
small lesions of the dorso-lateral striatum. These
findings indicate that selective destruction of the
caudate-putamen complex without tissue
transplantation produces a dramatic reduction in the
motor asymmetry of 6-OHDA treated rats. Suggested
explanations for the decrease in induced rotational
behavior with radiofrequency lesions include a
decrease in the number of striatal dopamine
receptors following cell destruction and lesioninduced
recovery of host dopaminergic afferents.
Striatal damage in critical areas can reverse some of
the motor behavior associated with the 6-OHDA
model and needs to be considered when evaluating
the effects of neural grafting in this model
A large scale hearing loss screen reveals an extensive unexplored genetic landscape for auditory dysfunction
The developmental and physiological complexity of the auditory system is likely reflected in the underlying set of genes involved in auditory function. In humans, over 150 non-syndromic loci have been identified, and there are more than 400 human genetic syndromes with a hearing loss component. Over 100 non-syndromic hearing loss genes have been identified in mouse and human, but we remain ignorant of the full extent of the genetic landscape involved in auditory dysfunction. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium, we undertook a hearing loss screen in a cohort of 3006 mouse knockout strains. In total, we identify 67 candidate hearing loss genes. We detect known hearing loss genes, but the vast majority, 52, of the candidate genes were novel. Our analysis reveals a large and unexplored genetic landscape involved with auditory function
Serendipitous alkylation of a Plk1 ligand uncovers a new binding channel
We obtained unanticipated synthetic byproducts from alkylation of the δ[superscript 1] nitrogen (N3) of the histidine imidazole ring of the polo-like kinase-1 (Plk1) polo-box domain (PBD)-binding peptide PLHSpT. For the highest-affinity byproduct, bearing a C[subscript 6]H[subscript 5](CH[subscript 2])[subscript 8]– group, a Plk1 PBD cocrystal structure revealed a new binding channel that had previously been occluded. An N-terminal PEGylated version of this peptide containing a hydrolytically stable phosphothreonyl residue (pT) bound the Plk1 PBD with affinity equal to that of the non-PEGylated parent but showed markedly less interaction with the PBDs of the two closely related proteins Plk2 and Plk3. Treatment of cultured cells with this PEGylated peptide resulted in delocalization of Plk1 from centrosomes and kinetochores and in chromosome misalignment that effectively induced mitotic block and apoptotic cell death. This work provides insights that might advance efforts to develop Plk1 PBD-binding inhibitors as potential Plk1-specific anticancer agents.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM60594)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant GM68762)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant CA112967
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