wsp Gene sequences from the Wolbachia of filarial nematodes

Wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria are widespread in arthropods and are also present in filarial nematodes. Almost all filarial species so far examined have been found to harbor these endosymbionts. The sequences of only three genes have been published for nematode Wolbachia (i.e., the genes coding for the proteins FtsZ and catalase and for 16S rRNA). Here we present the sequences of the genes coding for the Wolbachia surface protein (WSP) from the endosymbionts of eight species of filaria. Complete gene sequences were obtained from the endosymbionts of two different species, Dirofilaria immitis and Brugia malayi. These sequences allowed us to design general primers for amplification of the wsp gene from the Wolbachia of all filarial species examined. For these species, partial WSP sequences (about 600 base pairs) were obtained with these primers. Phylogenetic analysis groups these nematode wsp sequences into a coherent cluster. Within the nematode cluster, wsp-based Wolbachia phylogeny matches a previous phylogeny obtained with ftsZ gene sequences, with a good consistency of the phylogeny of hosts (nematodes) and symbionts (Wolbachia). In addition, different individuals of the same host species (Dirofilaria immitis and Wuchereria bancrofti) show identical wsp gene sequences.

(FAB07_002) From the 'Curry to the 'Weal: Aboriginal town camps and compounds of the back-blocks

My involvement with Aboriginal people began in 1972 in my final year of architecture, when a small group of students were asked to advise on some Aboriginal building projects in Mt Isa and Cloncurry. This led to my Doctoral research and grew into the Aboriginal Environments Research Centre now well established at the university of Queensland. Although the personnel of this Centre have completed over 140 field trips in the last 20 years, it is a set of data collected largely from the first ten field trips in 1972-76 that will be presented in this paper.

The Indotriradites dolianitii Morphon, a distinctive group of miospore species from the Lower Carboniferous of Gondwana

An emended diagnosis and generic reallocation are proposed for the trilete miospore Indotriradites dolianitii (Daemon, 1974) Loboziak et al., comb. nov. A new species, I. daemonii Loboziak et al., sp. nov., from Viséan strata of Western Gondwana, is erected. These two species, together with I. zosteriformis (Playford et Satterthwait) Playford, 1991 from the Viséan of Australia, belong to a cohesive morphological miospore category, here termed the Indotriradites dolianitii Morphon, which is evidently restricted to the Lower Carboniferous of Gondwana.

Radiizonates arcuatus, a distinctive new miospore species from the Lower Carboniferous of Western Gondwana

A new species of trilete zonate miospores, Radiizonates arcuatus, is established for Lower Carboniferous Western Gondwanan forms hitherto ascribed misguidedly to Radiizonates genuinus (Jushko) Loboziak and Alpern (1978), a Russian Lower Carboniferous species. The latter binomen is, moreover, not a valid combination and is more correctly designated as Vallatisporites genuinus (Jushko) Byvsheva, 1980. R. arcuatus is, from records to date, confined to westerly parts of Gondwana (Brazil, North Africa and Middle East), in which it is characteristic of Early Carboniferous strata, albeit with some slightly older and slightly younger occurrences.

Sections of some spores from the Lower Carboniferous of Spitsbergen

Sections of four lower Carboniferous dispersed-spore species, Labiadensites fimbriatus (Waltz) Hacquebard and Barss, Cristatisporites echinatus Playford, Camptozonotriletes velatus (Waltz) Playford, and Spinozonotriletes uncatus Hacquebard, are discussed and illustrated.

What are the economic prospects of developing aquaculture in Queensland to supply the low price white fillet market? Lessons from the US channel catfish industry

The farming of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) is the largest (by volume and value) and most successful (in terms of market impact) aquaculture industry in the United States of America. Farmed channel catfish is the most consumed (in terms of volume per capita) fish fillet in the U.S. market. Within Australia, it has long been suggested by researchers and industry that silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) and possibly other endemic teraponid species possess similar biological attributes for aquaculture as channel catfish and may have the potential to generate a similar industry. The current teraponid industry in Australia, however, shows very little resemblance to the catfish industry, either in production style or market philosophy. A well established budget framework from the literature on U.S. channel catfish farming has been adapted for cost and climate conditions of the Burdekin region, Queensland, Australia. Breakeven prices for the hypothetical teraponid farms were found to be up to 50% higher than those published for catfish farms however were much lower than those reported for silver perch production in Australia using current, endemic styles of production. The breakeven prices for the hypothetical teraponid farms were most sensitive (in order of significance) to feed prices, production rates, interest rates, fingerling prices and electricity prices. At equivalent feed costs the costs of production between the hypothetical catfish farms in the Mississippi, U.S. and the hypothetical teraponid farms in the Burdekin, Australia were remarkably similar. The cost of feeds suitable for teraponid production in Australia are currently around double that of catfish feeds in the U.S. Issues currently hindering the development of a large scale teraponid industry in Australia are discussed.

Solution structure of robustoxin, the lethal neurotoxin from the funnel-web spider Atrax robustus

The solution structure of robustoxin, the lethal neurotoxin from the Sydney funnel-web spider Atrax robustus, has been determined from 2D H-1 NMR data, Robustoxin is a polypeptide of 42 residues cross-linked by four disulphide bonds, the connectivities of which were determined from NMR data and trial structure calculations to be 1-15, 8-20, 14-31 and 16-42 (a 1-4/2-6/3-7/5-8 pattern), The structure consists of a small three-stranded, anti-parallel beta-sheet and a series of interlocking gamma-turns at the C-terminus. It also contains a cystine knot, thus placing it in the inhibitor cystine knot motif family of structures, which includes the omega-conotoxins and a number of plant and animal toxins and protease inhibitors. Robustoxin contains three distinct charged patches on its surface, and an extended loop that includes several aromatic and non-polar residues, Both of these structural features may play a role in its binding to the voltage-gated sodium channel. (C) 1997 Federation of European Biochemical Societies.

Characterization of calcium-activated chloride channels in patches excised from the dendritic knob of mammalian olfactory receptor neurons

We investigated the properties of calcium-activated chloride channels in inside-out membrane patches from the dendritic knobs of acutely dissociated rat olfactory receptor neurons. Patches typically contained large calcium-activated currents, with total conductances in the range 30-75 nS. The dose response curve for calcium exhibited an EC50 of about 26 mu M. In symmetrical NaCl solutions, the current-voltage relationship reversed at 0 mV and was linear between -80 and +70 mV. When the intracellular NaCl concentration was progressively reduced from 150 to 25 mM, the reversal potential changed in a manner consistent with a chloride-selective conductance. Indeed, modeling these data with the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation revealed a P-Na/P-Cl of 0.034. The halide permeability sequence was P-Cl > P-F > P-I > P-Br indicating that permeation through the channel was dominated by ion binding sites with a high field strength. The channels were also permeable to the large organic anions, SCN-, acetate(-), and gluconate(-), with the permeability sequence P-Cl > P-SCN > gluconaie. Significant permeation to gluconate ions suggested that the channel pore had a minimum diameter of at least 5.8 Angstrom.

Expressed sequenced tags and new genes from the cattle tick, Boophilus microplus

We used the expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) approach to study the genome of the cattle tick Boophilus microplus. One hundred and forty-two of our 234 unique ESTs were from genes not previously identified from ticks, mites or any other arachnids. The largest class of identified ESTs (29%) was from genes involved in transcription and translation. Ninety-one ESTs (39% of all ESTs) did not match any sequences in international databases; some of these may be specific to ticks. Thirteen percent of our ESTs were from ribosomal proteins and two ESTs were for genes implicated in resistance to pesticides. (C) 1998 Chapman & Hall Ltd.

The structure of quantum Lie algebras for the classical series, B-l, C-l and D-l

The structure constants of quantum Lie algebras depend on a quantum deformation parameter q and they reduce to the classical structure constants of a Lie algebra at q = 1. We explain the relationship between the structure constants of quantum Lie algebras and quantum Clebsch-Gordan coefficients for adjoint x adjoint --> adjoint We present a practical method for the determination of these quantum Clebsch-Gordan coefficients and are thus able to give explicit expressions for the structure constants of the quantum Lie algebras associated to the classical Lie algebras B-l, C-l and D-l. In the quantum case the structure constants of the Cartan subalgebra are non-zero and we observe that they are determined in terms of the simple quantum roots. We introduce an invariant Killing form on the quantum Lie algebras and find that it takes values which are simple q-deformations of the classical ones.

The haliclonacyclamines, cytotoxic tertiary alkaloids from the tropical marine sponge Haliclona sp

2D-NMR spectroscopic data is reported for the haliclonacyclamines A - D (1)-(4) and for two bismethiodide adducts (5) and (6). The structures of two new alkaloids, haliclonacyclamines C (3) and D (4), which are the 15,16-dihydro analogues of the haliclonacyclamines A (1) and B (2) are described. Revised assignments deduced by 2D-INADEQUATE spectroscopy are presented for (1) and (2). The alkene substituent in the C,, spacer group of (2) and (4) is positioned between C27-C28 by NMR, and confirmed by x-ray structural analysis for (2). Metabolite (3) has a C25-C26 double bond. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.