Endocrine disruptors (EDs) are known to have harmful effects on the human endocrine system; special effort is actually given to the exposure during pregnancy. Humans are usually exposed to a mixture of EDs, which may potentiate or antagonize each other, and the combined effect may be difficult to estimate. The main phthalate monoesters monoethyl-, mono-n -butyl-, monoisobutyl-, monobenzyl-, mono-(2-ethylhexyl)-, mono-(2- ethyl-5-hydroxyhexyl)- and mono-(2-ethyl-5-oxohexyl) phthalate were determined in 18 maternal (37th week of pregnancy) and cord plasma samples using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Previously determined levels of selected bisphenols, parabens and steroids were also considered in this study. In cord blood, there were significantly higher mono-n-butyl phthalate levels than in maternal blood (p=0.043). The results of multiple regression models showed that maternal plasma phthalates were negatively associated with cord plasma androstenedione, testosterone and dehydroepiandrosterone and positively associated with estradiol and estriol. For estriol, a cumulative association was also observed for Σbisphenols. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first pilot study evaluating the effect of prenatal exposure by multiple EDs on newborn steroidogenesis. Our results confirmed phthalate accumulation in the fetal area and disruption of fetal steroidogenesis. This preliminary study highlights the negative impacts of in utero EDs exposure on fetal steroidogenesis., L. Kolatorova, J. Vitku, A. Vavrous, R. Hampl, K. Adamcova, M. Simkova, A. Parizek, L. Starka, M. Duskova., and Obsahuje bibliografii
a1_Phyllosilicates are classified into the following groups: 1 - Neutral 1:1 structures: the kaolinite and serpentine group. 2 - Neutral 2:1 structures: the pyrophyllite and talc group. 3 - High-charge 2:1 structures, non-expansible in polar liquids: illite and the dioctahedral and trioctahedral micas, also brittle micas. 4 - Low- to medium-charge 2:1 structures, expansible phyllosilicates in polar liquids: smectites and vermiculites. 5 - Neutral 2:1:1 structures: chlorites. 6 - Neutral to weak-char ge ribbon structures, so-called pseudophyllosilicates or hormites: palygorskite and sepiolite (fibrous crystalline clay minerals ). 7 - Amorphous clay minerals. Order-disorder states, polymorphism, polytypism, and inters tratifications of phyllosilicates are influenced by several factors: 1) a chemical micromilieu acting during the crystallization in any environment, including the space of clay pseudomorphs after original rock-forming silicates or volcanic glasses; 2) the accepted thermal energy; 3) the permeability. The composition and properties of parent rocks and minerals in the weathering crusts, the elevation, and topography of source areas and climatic conditions control the in tensity of weathering, erosion, and there sulting assemblage of phyllosilicates to be transported after erosion. The enormously high accumulation of phyllosilicates in the sedimentary lithosphere is primarily conditioned by their high up to extremely high chemical stability in water-rich environments (expressed by index of corrosion, IKO). Clastic material eroded fro m weathering crusts and transported in rivers contains overwhelming amounts of phyllosilicates inherited from original rocks. In geological literature, the newly formed phyllosilicates crystallizing in weathering crusts including soils as dominating global source of argillaceous lutite accumulations in the sedimentary lithosphere have been overestimate for a long time., a2_The dissolution of silicates in different dense rocks under conditions of weathering and the crystallization of newly formed phyllosilicates has been strongly and for long periods influenced by chemical microenvironments within each clay pseudomorph. Coarser fragments of eroded argillaceous rocks and crystals of phyllosilicates from different bedrocks and soils are very sensitive to impacts and pressure from fragments of co-transported harder and denser rocks and minerals in turbulent fluvial and similar currents. This is the most important mechanical phenomenon supporting the enormous accumulation of lutite rocks rich in phyllosilicates in the sedimentary lithosphere. The summarized new observations and interpre tations are stressed in eleven key poin ts. Erosion and water transportation of detrital material are explained in the terms of hydration, softening, swelling, physical disintegration, grinding, milling, abrasion, delamination, dispersi on, and sorting. The deposition of phyllosilicates in different fluid dynamics of streams is expressed by Re and Fr numbers and explained as unflocculated and floccu lated suspensions. Phyllosilicates an d accompanying detrital minerals in recent marine muds covering vast areas of seas and oceans as well as in lacustrine muds correspond with those transpor ted in fluvial suspensions., Jiří Konta., and Obsahuje bibliografické odkazy
Insect pests cause billions of dollars in crop losses and there is the ever-present threat of insecticide resistance, pesticide pollution of food and environmental damage. New ways of controlling insect pests are urgently needed. Arginine kinase (AK) is a phosphotransferase, which plays a critical role in cellular energy metabolism in invertebrates. It only presents in invertebrates and may be a suitable chemotherapeutic target in the control of pests. In this study, we cloned and characterized the full-length AK gene from Phyllotreta striolata, one of the most destructive beetle pests worldwide. Furthermore, we constructed a dsRNA targeting AK and used RNAi to control the beetle. The feeding bioassays indicated that minute quantities of dsRNA greatly impaired the beetle's development. Ingestion of dsRNA not only significantly retarded the development and increased the mortality of adults, it also greatly reduced fecundity and fertility, suggesting that RNAi targeting AK is a potential and attractive tool for controlling insect pests.
Previous studies have recorded Spironucleus torosus Poynton et Morrison, 1990 from several species of gadoid fishes, including the only freshwater gadoid, the burbot Lota lota (L.). Two morphologically different isolates of S. torosus have been described (elongate and pyriform). Both have been found in saltwater, while only the elongate has been found in freshwater. To address the conspecificity of the two morphs of S. torosus, and to identify the source of S. torosus in burbot in Norway, we have sequenced the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene from 43 isolates of S. torosus from six species of gadoid fishes sampled at 15 localities in Norway, Sweden and the Baltic Sea. Phylogenetic analyses of the SSU rRNA gene sequence data recovered two major clades, one containing mainly isolates from burbot, while the other contained isolates from marine gadoid fishes only. The genetic distance (based on 25 nucleotide substitutions in 789 base pairs) separating the two assemblages was not large enough to consider the two groups separate species. Spironucleus torosus isolated from burbot displayed limited genetic variation in the small subunit ribosomal RNA (SSU rRNA) gene along the post-Pleistocene migration route of its host. The present study is the first report of S. torosus in tusk Brosme brosme (Ascanius), whiting Merlangius merlangus (L.), and fourbeard rockling Enchelyopus cimbrius (L.).
Phylogenetic relationships within the suborder Trypanosomatina were inferred from the kinetoplast DNA minicircle conserved region sequences. Trees built using distancc-matrix (Neighbor-Joining) and maximum parsimony methods showed that the minicircle conserved regions (CRs) provide a sensitive and specific molecular marker suitable for phylogenetic analyses of subspecies and strains of trypanosomalid flagellates, as testified by the subdivision of the genus Leishmania into the subgenera Leishmania, Viannia and Sauroleishmania. However, since Phytomonas and monogenetic parasites of insects represent the earliest diverging groups, the CRs do not seem to be useful for inference of relationships among major lineages of the order Kinetoplastida.
Microsporidia are a group of obligate intracellular unicellular eukaryotes that can parasitize a wide variety of other eukaryotes ranging from protists to invertebrates and vertebrates. In this study, we examined the microsporidium Nosema sp. isolated from the mulberry pest, Hemerophila atrilineata Butler, 1881, named herein ''Nosema sp. HA''. The fresh spores were long oval in shape, 3.8 ± 0.4 μm in length and 1.9 ± 0.3 μm in width. Analysis of tissue infection of silkworm, Bombyx mori Linnaeus, 1758, indicated that the midgut, Malpighian tubules, muscle, fat body, silk glands, hemocytes, nerve tissue and gonads of silkworm were infected with Nosema sp. HA. The complete rRNA gene sequence of this microsporidium contained 4 305 base pairs (GenBank Accession JN882299), including the large subunit rRNA (2 492 bp), the internal transcribed spacer (187 bp), the small subunit rRNA (1 232 bp), the intergenic spacer (279 bp) and the 5S region (115 bp). The organization of the rRNA gene is 5'-LSU-ITS-SSU-IGS-5S-3'. Phylogenetic analysis, comparison of sequence identities and the arrangement in the rRNA gene subunits suggested that this isolate is separate from other Nosema species.
The sterrhine loopers Timandra griseata and T. comae have been treated as distinct species since 1994. However, morphological differences between the taxa are minor and therefore their status has often been disputed. Here, we present a molecular phylogenetic study, which separates T. griseata and T. comae into different clades. Altogether, 43 Timandra specimens from eight European countries were studied. The phylogeny is based on a comparative sequence analysis of mitochondrial genes coding for the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1). Nevertheless, a single individual of both species was assigned to the "wrong" clade. The symplesiomorphy of T. griseata and T. comae is considered to be a result of introgressive hybridization. Conditions that could lead to the hybridization of T. griseata and T. comae are discussed, as well as the likely distribution history of these taxa in Northern Europe. Results of the current analysis are in favour of retaining the species status of T. griseata and T. comae.
We present a phylogenetic analysis of snow voles by combining all published cytochrome b sequences of 47 species of Microtus, Blanfordimys, Neodon and Chionomys and a new sequence from Chionomys gud. By applying powerful, modern approaches to phylogenetic reconstruction such as maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference methods (BI), we provide new information on the relationships between Chionomys and Microtus. Both phylogenetic analysis methods showed that the genus Microtus is paraphyletic with respect to Blanfordimys, Neodon and Microtus gregalis. The BI topology recovered strong support for the monophyly of Chionomys + Microtus gregalis, while th monophyly of Chionomys was supported only by the ML analysis. The two Chionomys lineages (defined by molar morphology and karyological features), “nivalis” (C. nivalis) and “roberti” (C. gud and C. roberti), were strongly supported by cytochrome b analysis.
The extensive genus Erebia is divided into several groups of species according to phylogenetic relatedness. The species Erebia medusa was assigned to the medusa group and E. epipsodea to the alberganus group. A detailed study of the morphology of their copulatory organs indicated that these species are closely related and based on this E. epipsodea was transferred to the medusa group. Phylogenetic analyses of the gene sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) and mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 1 (ND1) confirm that E. medusa and E. epipsodea are closely related. A possible scenario is that the North American species, E. episodea, evolved after exclusion/isolation from E. medusa, whose current centre of distribution is in Europe., Martina Šemeláková, Peter Pristaš, Lubomír Panigaj., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The phylogenetic relationships among Palaearctic species of the ant genus Tetramorium and its social parasites of the genera Strongylognathtus, Anergates and Teletomyrmex, were investigated electrophoretically at 21 presumptive enzyme loci. The data set comprising 33 species was analysed with distance (UPGMA, Neighbor-joining and least squares statistics) and parsimony methods (independent allele, minimum turnover and mutation coding) in order to rule out analysis-dependent effects. Several groupings were consistently resolved by all procedures. Observed branching patterns support the placement of the three parasite genera and their hosts into the Palaearctic species group of Tetramorium (tribe Tetramoriini). The genus Strongylognathus forms a monophyletic group in which the slave-makers of the S. huberi group constitute the sister group of the inquilines S. testaceus and S. karawajewi (S. testaceus group). Most species of the S. huberi group show very low genetic differentiation. However, little consensus has been found with regard to which Tetramorium species are the closest relatives of Strongylognathus.
According to the electrophoretic data, social parasitism in Palaearctic tetramoriine ants has evolved independently at least twice. Though inquilinism once arose from slave-making ancestors in Strongylognathus, the extreme inquilines Anergates atratulus and Teleutomyrmex schneideri are clearly set apart from the Strongylognathus clade in phylogenetic analyses. Thus, extreme inquilinism cannot be regarded as the endpoint of a single parasitic lineage in the Tetramoriini. In these highly advanced inquilines, evolutionary rates at allozyme loci appear to be higher than those of their Tetramorium hosts. The results do not unambiguously reveal whether Anergates and Teleutomyrmex arose jointly or independently from Tetramorium ancestors. However, a combined analysis using all available evidence supports the former hypothesis. The finding that the Tetramorium parasites are not the closest relatives of their respective host species is discussed in relation to current theories for the evolution of social parasitism.