Nocturnal pollinators such as moths have received less attention than diurnal insects. To elucidate whether nocturnal moths are important pollinators, we observed both the diurnal and nocturnal visitors to the flowers of Uncaria rhynchophylla (Rubiaceae) in a warm-temperate forest in central Japan. The diurnal visitors included various taxonomic groups (e.g., bees, hoverflies and butterflies). The nocturnal visitors were exclusively moths (Geometridae, Erebidae, Noctuidae and Crambidae). Pollen grains of U. rhynchophylla were attached to both diurnal and nocturnal visitors. Although diurnal flower visitors carried pollen grains of other plant species, nocturnal moths did not carry heterospecific pollen grains. These results suggest that nocturnal moths, as well as diurnal insects, are important pollinators of U. rhynchophylla., Daichi Funamoto, Shinji Sugiura., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Seven new species of chewing lice in the genus Resartor Gustafsson et Bush, 2017 are described and illustrated. They are: Resartor albofulvus sp. n. ex Heterophasia desgodinsi desgodinsi (Oustalet); Resartor apimimus sp. n. ex Heterophasia picaoides wrayi (Ogilvie-Grant); Resartor aterrimus sp. n. ex Minla ignotincta mariae La Touche; Resartor extraneus sp. n. ex Lioparus chrysotis swinhoii (Verreaux); Resartor guangxiensis sp. n. ex Trochalopteron milnei sinianum Stresemann; Resartor longisuturalis sp. n. ex Actinodura cyanouroptera wingatei (Ogilvie-Grant); Resartor seminudus sp. n. ex Leiothrix argentauris tahanensis (Yen). All species differ in the shape of the head, shape of the male genitalia and abdominal chaetotaxy. A checklist and a key to the species of Resartor are provided., Daniel Roland Gustafsson, Xingzhi Chu, Sarah Elizabeth Bush, Fasheng Zou., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Following their first appearance, the invasive fishes Pseudorasbora parva and Perccottus glenii have been in Lithuania for several decades. However, until recently, information relating to their distribution and secondary spread was limited. For this reason, suitable habitats for these fish species were surveyed for their presence across the entire country. Additionally, all previously reported records on the presence of these species were summarized. Results revealed P. glenii to be widely distributed within the country with abundant populations in habitats suitable for the species. The recent distribution of P. parva is restricted to only a few water bodies. It was shown that both species are associated with human mediated transfer, while no natural dispersal of these invasive species was observed. The results of this study suggest that the invasion of Lithuanian inland waters by P. parva and P. glenii is still ongoing, and their occurrence in numerous water bodies, which are still devoid of these species, now seems probable. Demonstrated vectors of P. parva and P. glenii introductions in Lithuania highlight the importance of controlling and screening human activities related to aquaculture, recreational angling and the ornamental fish trade in order to restrict further P. glenii and P. parva expansion in this region.
Extracellular DNA (ecDNA) activates immune cells and is involved in the pathogenesis of diseases associated with inflammation such as sepsis, rheumatoid arthritis or metabolic syndrome. DNA can be cleaved by deoxyribonucleases (DNases), some of which are secreted out of cells. The aim of this experiment was to describe plasma DNase activity in relation to extracellular DNA in adult rats, to analyse potential sex differences and to prove whether they are related to endogenous testosterone. Adult Lewis rats (n=28) of both sexes were included in the experiment. Male rats were gonadectomized or sham-operated and compared to intact female rats. Plasma ecDNA and DNase activity were measured using fluorometry and single radial enzyme diffusion assay, respectively. Concentrations of nuclear ecDNA and mitochondrial ecDNA were determined using real-time PCR. Females had 60% higher plasma DNase activity than males (p=0.03). Gonadectomy did not affect plasma DNase aktivity in males. Neither the concentration of total ecDNA, nor nuclear or mitochondrial DNA in plasma differed between the groups. No significant correlations between DNase aktivity and ecDNA were found. From previous studies on mice, it was expected, that male rats will have higher DNase activity. In contrast, our study in rats showed the opposite sex difference. This sex difference seems not to be caused by endogenous testosterone. Interestingly, no sex differences were observed in plasma ecDNA suggesting a complex or missing association between plasma ecDNA and DNase. The observed sex difference in plasma DNase aktivity should be taken into account in animal models of ecDNAassociated diseases.
Sex-related differences were observed not only in human but
also in experimental hypertension. The aim of our study was to
compare blood pressure (BP) of aged male and female
heterozygous transgenic rats (TGR) harboring Ren-2 mouse
gene, with their normotensive Hannover Sprague-Dawley
(HanSD) controls. At the age of 9 months, systolic (SBP) and
diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were measured by a direct
puncture of carotid artery in rats awaking from isoflurane
anesthesia. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive species (TBARS)
formation was monitored as indicator of lipid peroxidation
damage in heart, kidney and liver, whereas intracellular content
of reduced glutathione was determined in the same organs as
the main intracellular antioxidant. Furthermore, plasma
triglycerides and total cholesterol as well as high-density
lipoprotein (HDL) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) fractions of
cholesterol were measured. As compared to HanSD rats, we
found significantly elevated BP only in male TGR (MAP: 123±1
vs. 171±5, SBP: 150±2 vs. 208±7, and DBP: 99±3 vs.
140±4 mm Hg), but not between TGR and HanSD females, which
were both normotensive. We also did not find any significant
differences in TBARS and reduced glutathione in the three above
mentioned organs as well as in plasma cholesterol or its HDL and
LDL fractions between transgene-negative HanSD and TGR
animals of either sex. However, we found significant sex
differences in TBARS, glutathione and plasma lipids in both rat
strains. Our results confirmed that aged TGR exhibit a marked
sexual BP dimorphism, which does not seem to be dependent on
oxidative stress or abnormal cholesterol metabolism.
The sex steroid hormones (SSHs) such as testosterone, estradiol, progesterone, and their metabolites have important organizational and activational impacts on the brain during critical periods of brain development and in adulthood. A variety of slow and rapid mechanisms mediate both organizational and activational processes via intracellular or membrane receptors for SSHs. Physiological concentrations and distribution of SSHs in the brain result in normal brain development. Nevertheless, dysregulation of hormonal equilibrium may result in several mood disorders, including depressive disorders, later in adolescence or adulthood. Gender differences in cognitive abilities, emotions as well as the 2-3 times higher prevalence of depressive disorders in females, were already described. This implies that SSHs may play a role in the development of depressive disorders. In this review, we discuss preclinical and clinical studies linked to SSHs and development of depressive disorders. Our secondary aim includes a review of up-to-date knowledge about molecular mechanisms in the pathogenesis of depressive disorders. Understanding these molecular mechanisms might lead to significant treatment adjustments for patients with depressive disorders and to an amelioration of clinical outcomes for these patients. Nevertheless, the impact of SSHs on the brain in the context of the development of depressive disorders, progression, and treatment responsiveness is complex in nature, and depends upon several factors in concert such as gender, age, comorbidities, and general health conditions.
Acute liver failure (ALF) is a clinical syndrome with high mortality rate, resulting from widespread hepatocyte damage. Its pathophysiological background is still poorly understood and preclinical studies evaluating pathophysiology and new potential therapeutic measures are needed. The model of ALF induced by administration of thioacetamide (TAA) in Lewis rats is recommended as optimal; however, the limitation of previous studies was that they were performed predominantly in male rats. In view of the growing recognition that sex as a biological variable should be taken into consideration in preclinical research, we examined its role in the development of TAA-induced ALF in Lewis rats. We found that, first, intact male Lewis rats showed lower survival rate than their female counterparts, due to augmented liver injury documented by higher plasma ammonia, and bilirubin levels and alanine aminotransferase activity. Second, in female rats castration did not alter the course of TAA-induced ALF whereas in the male gonadectomy improved the survival rate and attenuated liver injury, reducing it to levels observed in their female counterparts. In conclusion, we found that Lewis rats show a remarkable sexual dimorphism with respect to TAA-induced ALF, and male rats display dramatically poorer prognosis as compared with the females. We showed that testosterone is responsible for the deterioration of the course of TAA-induced ALF in male rats. In most general terms, our findings indicate that in the preclinical studies of the pathophysiology and treatment of ALF (at least of the TAA-induced form) the sex-linked differences should be seriously considered., Eva Koblihová, Iveta Mrázová, Zdenka Vaňourková, Hana Maxová, Miroslav Ryska, Jiří Froněk., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Movements are involved in several routine processes and may scale up to important ecological processes such as dispersal. However, movement is affected by a wealth of factors including flight capacity and behavioural traits. Both frequently differ in the sexes, which may well affect movement. We here aim to disentangle the relative importance of sexual differences in flight capacity versus behaviour on small-scale movements under controlled laboratory conditions in the temperate-zone butterfly Lycaena tityrus. The morphology of males is typically associated with increased flight capacity in this species. Nevertheless, the flight performances of the sexes did not differ, but the mobility of the females was higher. Thus, flight capacity and patterns of movement may not be intimately associated. Rather, the costs and benefits of flight seem to differ substantially between the sexes, with females being more mobile, potentially as a risk spreading strategy, while males are territorial and thus more sedentary. Thus, predictions regarding movement based on morphology are difficult.
The expression of sexually dimorphic phenotypes from a shared genome between males and females is a longstanding puzzle in evolutionary biology. Increasingly, research has made use of transcriptomic technology to examine the molecular basis of sexual dimorphism through gene expression studies, but even this level of detail misses the metabolic processes that ultimately link gene expression with the whole organism phenotype. We use metabolic profiling in Drosophila melanogaster to complete this missing step, with a view to examining variation in male and female metabolic profiles, or metabolomes, throughout development. We show that the metabolome varies considerably throughout larval, pupal and adult stages. We also find significant sexual dimorphism in the metabolome, although only in pupae and adults, and the extent of dimorphism increases throughout development. We compare this to transcriptomic data from the same population and find that the general pattern of increasing sex differences throughout development is mirrored in RNA expression. We discuss our results in terms of the usefulness of metabolic profiling in linking genotype and phenotype to more fully understand the basis of sexually dimorphic phenotypes., Fiona C. Ingleby, Edward H. Morrow., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Helminths often occupy defined niches in the gut of their definitive hosts. In the dioecious acanthocephalans, adult males and females usually have similar gut distributions, but sexual site segregation has been reported in at least some species. We studied the intestinal distribution of the acanthocephalan Echinorhynchus borealis von Linstow, 1901 (syn. of E. cinctulus Porta, 1905) in its definitive host, burbot (Lota lota Linnaeus). Over 80% of female worms were found in the pyloric caeca, whereas the majority of males were in the anterior two-thirds of the intestine. This difference was relatively consistent between individual fish hosts. Worms from different parts of the gut did not differ in length, so site segregation was not obviously related to worm growth or age. We found proportionally more males in the caeca when a larger fraction of the females were found there, suggesting mating opportunities influence gut distribution. However, this result relied on a single parasite infrapopulation and is thus tentative. We discuss how mating strategies and/or sexual differences in life history might explain why males and females occupy different parts of the burbot gut., Arto Tuomainen, E. Tellervo Valtonen, Daniel P. Benesh., and Obsahuje bibliografii