A strong immune response in young adult honeybees masks their increased susceptibility to infection compared to older bees

Honeybees, Apis mellifera, show age-related division of labor in which young adults perform maintenance (“housekeeping”) tasks inside the colony before switching to outside foraging at approximately 23 days old. Disease resistance is an important feature of honeybee biology, but little is known about the interaction of pathogens and age-related division of labor. We tested a hypothesis that older forager bees and younger “house” bees differ in susceptibility to infection. We coupled an infection bioassay with a functional analysis of gene expression in individual bees using a whole genome microarray. Forager bees treated with the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. survived for significantly longer than house bees. This was concomitant with substantial differences in gene expression including genes associated with immune function. In house bees, infection was associated with differential expression of 35 candidate immune genes contrasted with differential expression of only two candidate immune genes in forager bees. For control bees (i.e. not treated with M. anisopliae) the development from the house to the forager stage was associated with differential expression of 49 candidate immune genes, including up-regulation of the antimicrobial peptide gene abaecin, plus major components of the Toll pathway, serine proteases, and serpins. We infer that reduced pathogen susceptibility in forager bees was associated with age-related activation of specific immune system pathways. Our findings contrast with the view that the immunocompetence in social insects declines with the onset of foraging as a result of a trade-off in the allocation of resources for foraging. The up-regulation of immune-related genes in young adult bees in response to M. anisopliae infection was an indicator of disease susceptibility; this also challenges previous research in social insects, in which an elevated immune status has been used as a marker of increased disease resistance and fitness without considering the effects of age-related development.

Honeybees have a highly developed form of social biology in which tasks are distributed among workers according to their age, with younger bees performing housekeeping tasks (“house bees”) before switching to foraging duties when they grow older. This division of labor is vital to colony function and survival. Pathogens are known to be partly responsible for the current decline in honeybee populations around the world, but we understand little about the responses of different types of worker bee to infection. In this study, we infected house and forager bees with an insect pathogen. We measured bee survival rate and the expression of genes that regulate the immune system. More immune genes were up regulated in house bees than foragers in response to infection, but foragers were more resistant to the pathogen than house bees. We found that development from the house to forager stages resulted in increased expression of genes that regulate the production of antimicrobial proteins. The inference is that parts of the immune system are activated during development, resulting in greater resistance to infectious disease in forager bees. Our study provides new insights into the functioning of the honeybee immune system and its interaction with social organisation.

Electrochemical and spectroscopic investigation of the reduction of dimethylglyoxime at mercury electrodes in the presence of cobalt and nickel

Voltammograms (polarograms) obtained from solutions of cobalt and nickel containing dimethylglyoxime (dmgH(2)) are widely used for the trace determination of these metals. Detailed electrochemical and spectroscopic studies on the reduction process observed in the analytically important ammonia buffer media at mercury dropping, hanging, and pool electrodes are all consistent with an overall 10-electron reduction process, in which both the dmgH(2) ligand and cobalt ions are reduced in the adsorbed state:  Co(II) + 2dmgH(2) ⇌ (solution) [Co(II)(dmgH)(2)] + 2H(+); [Co(II)(dmgH)(2)] + Hg ⇌ (electrode) [Co(II)(dmgH)(2)](ads)Hg; and [Co(II)(dmgH)(2)](ads)Hg + 10e(-) + 10H(+) → Co(Hg) + 2[2,3-bis(hydroxylamino)butane]. The limited solubility of the nickel complex in aqueous media restricts the range of studies that can be undertaken with this system, but an analogous mechanism is believed to occur. Low-temperature voltammetric studies in dichloromethane at a frozen hanging mercury drop electrode and in situ electron spin resonance electrochemical measurements on more soluble analogues of the dimethylglyoxime complexes are consistent with an initial one-electron reduction step being available in the absence of water. Deliberate addition of water to acetone solutions enables the influence of the aqueous environment on voltammograms and polarograms to be examined. The results of the present study are compared with the wide range of mechanisms proposed in other studies.

Maintenance of genetic variation in plants and pathogens involves complex networks of gene-for-gene interactions

The RPP13 [recognition of Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis (previously known as Peronospora parasitica)] resistance (R) gene in Arabidopsis thaliana exhibits the highest reported level of sequence diversity among known R genes. Consistent with a co-evolutionary model, the matching effector protein ATR13 (A. thaliana-recognized) from H. arabidopsidis reveals extreme levels of allelic diversity. We isolated 23 new RPP13 sequences from a UK metapopulation, giving a total of 47 when combined with previous studies. We used these in functional studies of the A. thaliana accessions for their resistance response to 16 isolates of H. arabidopsidis. We characterized the molecular basis of recognition by the expression of the corresponding ATR13 genes from these 16 isolates in these host accessions. This allowed the determination of which alleles of RPP13 were responsible for pathogen recognition and whether recognition was dependent on the RPP13/ATR13 combination. Linking our functional studies with phylogenetic analysis, we determined that: (i) the recognition of ATR13 is mediated by alleles in just a single RPP13 clade; (ii) RPP13 alleles in other clades have evolved the ability to detect other pathogen ATR protein(s); and (iii) at least one gene, unlinked to RPP13 in A. thaliana, detects a different subgroup of ATR13 alleles.

Comparing estimates of the effects of air pollution on human mortality obtained using different regression methodologies

Studies using regression techniques report their results using a variety of statistics. Evaluation of the consistency of findings, such as in a metaanalysis, requires calculating the statistical estimates of the effect reported in each study in a comparable manner. In this paper, we consider multiple linear regression, multiple Poisson regression, and logistic regression estimates. We present results that are needed to calculate, on a common basis, the slope of the regression function at a specified value, the elasticity function of the regression function at a specified value, the relative risk at a specified value, and the odds ratio at a specified value. We apply these results to studies of the association of daily mortality in an area to the daily air pollution level of ozone and PM10. We calculate the estimated slope of the number of deaths per billion population associated with an increase of 1 ppb of ozone level in studies of daily mortality in three urban areas. These studies, in Los Angeles, New York, and St. Louis, produced very comparable results on a common basis, especially when compared to the coefficients as reported. We also calculated the estimated elasticity function of the daily mortality and daily PM10 level for eight areas and found that the elasticities varied within a factor of roughly two, much less than the variability in the coefficients as reported.

Nonparametric estimation of the limiting availability

The point availability of a repairable system is the probability that the system is operating at a specified time. As time increases, the point availability converges to a positive constant called the limiting availability. Baxter and Li (1994a) developed a technique for constructing nonparametric confidence intervals for the point availability. However, nonparametric estimators of the limiting availability have not previously been studied in the literature. In this paper, we consider two separate cases: (1) the data are complete and (2) the data are subject to right censorship. For each case, a nonparametric confidence interval for the limiting availability is derived. Applications and simulation studies are presented.

Astigmatism in Bangladeshi and white school entrants in East London: a prospective comparative study

A prospective comparative study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of significant astigmatism in school entrants living in the same area of East London. Thirty-one Bangladeshi and thirty-one white school entrants were refracted in two local state schools. In the Bangladeshi group, 7 right and 5 left eyes had more than 1 dioptre of astigmatism. Most of this astigmatism was with the rule. In the white group, 1 left eye had more than 1 dioptre of astigmatism. This study has shown a statistically significant incidence of astigmatism in an ethnic group in East London. This difference between two racial groups living in the same area of East London has not previously been documented. In our study, Bangladeshi school entrants may be at greater risk of amblyopia if their refractive error is not identified and corrected.

A second pathway for regeneration of adult exocrine and endocrine pancreas. A possible recapitulation of embryonic development

Substantial regeneration of both the endocrine and exocrine pancreas occurs after a 90% partial pancreatectomy in the young adult rat. We have reported previously that replication of preexisting islet and exocrine cells is enhanced 3- to 4-fold. Here, we report a second pathway of regeneration, that of proliferation and differentiation of precursor cells in the ductal epithelium. As shown with in vivo pulse labeling using 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine, an expansion of the ductal epithelium occurs. Proliferation is seen first in the common pancreatic duct and sequentially in smaller ducts of the ductal tree as focal areas of proliferation small ductules form. By 60 h after pancreatectomy, only these focal areas show heavy 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine staining. These proliferating ductules comprise 12.8% of the pancreatic volume at 3 days after pancreatectomy but are uncommon at 7 days after pancreatectomy. Coincident with the appearance and disappearance of these regions was a 3.5-fold increased growth of the pancreatic remnant compared with its equivalent of sham animals. These small ductules differentiate into new pancreatic islets and exocrine tissue, forming new lobules of pancreas that are indistinguishable from the preexisting ones. This second pathway of rapid regeneration recapitulates embryonic development in its pattern of ductal proliferation and subsequent differentiation. Furthermore, these studies provide evidence of the presence of precursor/stem cells in the adult pancreas.

Glucagon-like peptide-I-(7-37) suppresses hyperglycemia in rats

Glucagon-like peptide-(GLP) I-(7-37) is an endogenous hormone that has recently been demonstrated to be a potent insulin secretagogue. In these studies, GLP was administered during oral and intravenous (IV) glucose tolerance tests (OGTT and IVGTT, respectively) to determine whether this peptide could enhance postprandial insulin levels and thus reduce glycemic excursions. Surprisingly, during OGTT, GLP administration did not augment insulin secretion; however, GLP administration resulted in significantly lower glycemic excursions. In fasted rats, glycemic excursions were significantly reduced 10 and 20 minutes after receiving GLP (P < .001). Fed rats that received GLP had virtually no initial increase in plasma glucose level after administration of oral glucose. During IVGTT, glucose alone increased insulin levels eightfold, while administration of both glucose and GLP resulted in a 15-fold increase (P < .001). These IVGTT data support previous studies that show GLP to be a potent and glucose-dependent insulin secretagogue. Furthermore, all of these studies suggest that GLP reduces postprandial glycemic excursion and thus may be useful in the treatment of non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Prolactin synthesis in bovine pituitary: no evidence for regulation by estrogen in vivo

Protein synthesis in bovine pituitaries was measured by incubation of tissue slices with radioactive amino acids, followed by gel electrophoresis. PRL and GH syntheses were estimated by determining the amount of radioactivity comigrating with standards of these hormones. Pituitary tissue removed from adult animals demonstrated a high percentage of PRL synthesis regardless of the sex of the donor animal. PRL constituted 13--17% of the newly synthesized protein in pituitary slices from both male and female animals. In addition, the reproductive state of the female did not influence the percentage of PRL synthesis. Reduction of in vivo estrogen levels by adrenalectomy and ovariectomy did not result in any change in the percentage of PRL synthesis. The percentage of PRL synthesis observed in pituitaries from fetuses or bull calves was much lower than that observed in the adult animals (5--6% of the newly synthesized protein). Estrogen administration to bull calves did not result in any changes in the percentage of PRL synthesis. These studies suggest that estrogen may not play a physiological role in the regulation of PRL synthesis in the bovine. The percentage of GH synthesis was 5--6% in steers and cows, and above 10% in bulls, bull calves, and fetuses.

Effect of ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate and vitamin D on bone mineralization

Administration of large quantities of ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate to growing chicks resulted in a decrease in percent bone ash and an increase in percent osteoid. The degree of inhibition of bone mineral accumulation was a function of both duration and quantity of ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonic acid administration. The inhibition of bone mineral accumulation could be partially corrected with administration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. Administration of high levels of ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate also resulted in inhibition of intestinal calcium absorption. This could be reversed or prevented by the administration of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3.

Improved random spatial phase modulation for speckle elimination

An improved version of the random spatial phase modulator (RSPM) reported recently by one of us is described. Using the improved RSPM, a theoretical value of the SNR of several thousand can be achieved. Experimental results are presented verifying that speckle can be completely eliminated using RSPM. The measured SNR exceeds 100, and there is no visually detectable difference between images obtained with RSPM laser light and those with white light even for an optical system of f/600. The effective decorrelation distances for different diffusers and their dependence on the aperture of the RSPM are investigated. An application of RSPM to coherent spatial filtering is demonstrated.

Stimulation of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1alpha-hydroxylase by phosphate depletion

The ability of low phosphorus diets to stimulate the activity of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1alpha-hydroxylase was tested in the chick. Feeding low phosphorus diets for 2 weeks resulted in a marked increase in enzyme activity relative to chicks fed a normal phosphorus diet. Stimulation of the 25-hydroxyvitamin D3-1alpha-hydroxylase activity by low phosphorus diets, however, was not as great as that observed with a low calcium diet. The low phosphorus and low calcium diets probably results from increased 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 synthesis, whereas the stimulation by phosphate deprivation is only partly the result of increased 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 production.

Biological activity of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2 in the chick

1,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D2 has been prepared from 25-hydroxyvitamin D2 using rachitic chick kidney mitochondria. This metabolite was highly purified by Sephadex LH-20 chromatography and by preparative high-pressure liquid chromatography. Its purity was assessed by analytical high-pressure liquid chromatography which revealed no other 254-nm absorbing material and by mass spectrometry. The concentration of dilute solutions of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2 was determined by high-pressure liquid chromatography and deflection of the 254-nm column monitor. The 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D2 was then shown to be 1/5 to 1/10 as active as 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 in the chick while it had previously been shown to be equal in activity in the rat. Thus, discrimination against the vitamin D2 side chain by the chick persists in the metabolically active 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D compounds.

Metabolism and biologica

24R,24,25-Dihydroxyvitamin D3 is capable of inducing a minimal intestinal calcium transport response in chicks when compared to an equal amount of 25-hydroxyvitamin D3. 1,24,25-Trihydroxyvitamin D3 is also less active than 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, and its activity is much shorter lived than that of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3. A comparison of the metabolism of 25-hydroxy[26,27-3H]vitamin D3 and 24,25-dihydroxy[26,27-3H]vitamin D3 in the rat and chick shows that 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and 1,24,25-trihydroxyvitamin D3 disappear at least 10 times more rapidly from the blood and intestine of chicks. Furthermore, examination of the excretory products from both of these species demonstrates that chicks receiving a single dose of 24,25-dihydroxy[26,27-3H]vitamin D3 excrete 66% of the total radioactivity by 48 hours, whereas rats receiving the same dose excrete less than one-half that amount. These results demonstrate that 24,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 is considerably less biologically active in the chick than in the rat, probably due to more rapid metabolism and excretion.

Action of 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 and a diphosphonate on calcium metabolism in rats

The effect of 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol (1,25-(OH)2D3) on Ca balance, 45Ca kinetics, and bone morphology has been studied in control rats and rats given disodium ethane-1-hydroxy-1,1-diphosphonate (EHDP), 10 mg P/kg sc per day. This large dose of EHDP is known to inhibit bone mineralization and intestinal calcium absorption and to depress the endogenous production of 1,25-(OH)2D3. In conctrol rats, 1,25-(OH)2D3 increased intestinal calcium absorption. However, in contrast to the enhanced calcium absorption that results from an augmentation of dietary calcium, the 1,25(OH)2D3-induced augmentation of calcium absorption does not lead to a rise in calcium retention, the intestinal effect being matched by an increased excretion of urinary calcium. The EHDP-induced decrease of intestinal calcium absorption could be completely prevented by the concomitant administration of 1,25-(OH)2D3 but not the inhibition of bone mineralization. Therefore, in contrast to the impairment of calcium absorption, that of bone mineralization brought about by large doses of EHDP cannot be merely attributed to a decreased production of 1,25-(OH)2D3.