Identification of Genes Directly Involved in Shell Formation and Their Functions in Pearl Oyster, Pinctada fucata

Mollusk shell formation is a fascinating aspect of biomineralization research. Shell matrix proteins play crucial roles in the control of calcium carbonate crystallization during shell formation in the pearl oyster, Pinctada fucata. Characterization of biomineralization-related genes during larval development could enhance our understanding of shell formation. Genes involved in shell biomineralization were isolated by constructing three suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) libraries that represented genes expressed at key points during larval shell formation. A total of 2,923 ESTs from these libraries were sequenced and gave 990 unigenes. Unigenes coding for secreted proteins and proteins with tandem-arranged repeat units were screened in the three SSH libraries. A set of sequences coding for genes involved in shell formation was obtained. RT-PCR and in situ hybridization assays were carried out on five genes to investigate their spatial expression in several tissues, especially the mantle tissue. They all showed a different expression pattern from known biomineralization-related genes. Inhibition of the five genes by RNA interference resulted in different defects of the nacreous layer, indicating that they all were involved in aragonite crystallization. Intriguingly, one gene (UD_Cluster94.seq.Singlet1) was restricted to the ‘aragonitic line’. The current data has yielded for the first time, to our knowledge, a suite of biomineralization-related genes active during the developmental stages of P.fucata, five of which were responsible for nacreous layer formation. This provides a useful starting point for isolating new genes involved in shell formation. The effects of genes on the formation of the ‘aragonitic line’, and other areas of the nacreous layer, suggests a different control mechanism for aragonite crystallization initiation from that of mature aragonite growth

Societal-level versus individual-level predictions of ethical behavior: a 48-society study of collectivism and individualism

Is the societal-level of analysis sufficient today to understand the values of those in the global workforce? Or are individual-level analyses more appropriate for assessing the influence of values on ethical behaviors across country workforces? Using multi-level analyses for a 48-society sample, we test the utility of both the societal-level and individual-level dimensions of collectivism and individualism values for predicting ethical behaviors of business professionals. Our values-based behavioral analysis indicates that values at the individual-level make a more significant contribution to explaining variance in ethical behaviors than do values at the societal-level. Implicitly, our findings question the soundness of using societal-level values measures. Implications for international business research are discussed

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates of the Sava River

The objective of this chapter is to present the data on aquatic macroinvertebrate communities along the Sava River, based on investigation performed during 2011 and 2012 at 12 sampling sites within the sector between Vrhovo (Slovenia) and Belgrade (confluence to the Danube). During our study 227 macroinvertebrate taxa were recorded in the Sava River. Having in mind that upper stretch of the Sava River was not covered by this work (alpine and subalpine stretch), as well as based on the review of previous works on the macroinvertebrate fauna of the Sava River, more than 300 species will be confirmed for the Sava River. The data on the distribution of aquatic macroinvertebrates revealed five different stretches—alpine, subalpine, Upper Sava plain, Middle Sava and Lower Sava. Physical habitat degradation, pollution and pressure caused by biological invasions were found to be the main factors of endangerment of aquatic macroinvertebrate fauna diversity. There is an obvious need for further investigation of the Sava River in order to complete the data on aquatic macroinvertebrates and to provide the basis for accurate assessment of environmental status of the river.Milačić R, Ščančar J, Paunović M, editors. The Sava River. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 2015. p. 335-59