Initial Stages Of Maturation Research Articles

Changes of Xanthoxin Levels during Fruit Development in Sweet Cherries

Xanthoxin (XAN) in the pulp and seeds of sweet cherry fruit (Prunus avium L.) was identified and quantified by using deuterium-labeled internal standard. The high concentration of total XAN in the pulp was observed in the early stage of fruit development which subsequently declined and remained at a low level until the initial stage of fruit maturation but increased toward harvest. Total XAN concentrations in seeds were high in the immature seed and decreased significantly with seed maturation. Total XAN levels in the immature seeds were approximately 10-times higher than the levels in fruit pulp. This study is the first elucidation of XAN in a non-climacteric fruit.

05/00569 Geochemistry of oil in fluid inclusions in a middle Proterozoic igneous intrusion: implications for the source of hydrocarbons in crystalline rocks

Reefal carbonate deposits in South China preserve a record of community structure and environmental change across the Frasnian-Famennian boundary and through the Late Devonian, detailing a regional response to one of the largest mass extinction events in Earth history. The Upper Devonian (Frasnian to Famennian) limestone outcrops in the Maoying area of northern Ziyun County, South China, record a carbonate platform depositional setting with some patch reef development. The Upper Devonian carbonate deposits in Maoying area are distinctive from those in correlative sections in Dushan County with rare argillaceous limestone and dolomitic limestone as well as less dolostone. Exposures to the south in the Guilin area of northeastern Guangxi Province are similar to those seen in the study area. Upper Devonian carbonates in the Maoying area are divided into two lithologic groups, reef limestones or dolostone beds, composed of five lithologically distinctive intervals. The Upper Devonian strata have a cumulative thickness of 530 m. The Upper Devonian reefs in the Maoying area were developed on a shell pavement of brachiopod- and bivalve-shell shoal packstones and evolved into patch reefs in the interior of the carbonate platform. Patch-reef development was limited to early Frasnian time. Reef-building organisms are dominated by massive and tabular stromatoporoids, Amphipora sp., Stachyodes sp., and coral Thamnopora sp., while brachiopods and algae accumulated between stromatoporoid skeletal frameworks. Three evolutionary stages of the Frasnian patch reefs, including an initial development stage, maturity stage and demise stage, can be recognized according to sedimentary structures and fossil assemblage characteristics. The Frasnian strata overlying the patch reefs represent a well-bedded back-reef depositional setting and are mainly composed of Amphipora floatstone and packstone containing a few bulbous stromatoporoids and small fasciculate corals. Famennian strata are characterized by laminated limestone and fenestrate limestone that are interbedded with infrequent mudstone and argillaceous limestone horizons. A prominent microbialite bed developed in the laminated limestone of the Famennian carbonate platform consists of stromatolite and thrombolite framestone. This bed can be correlated, in horizon and age, with microbial reefs and mounds in the Famennian offshore carbonate platform in the Huanan Epeiric Sea (such as Famennian microbial reefs and mounds in Guilin). This represents a biogenic carbonate formation characterized by microbial fabrics that accumulated in a nearshore carbonate platform setting after the global Frasnian/Famennian biotic extinction event, which promoted the growth of microbialites during the latest Devonian in South China.

Monitoring gene expression along pear fruit development, ripening and senescence using cDNA microarrays

In order to elucidate the molecular events associated with pear ( Pyrus communis L. cv. Rocha) fruit development and climacteric ripening, high-density cDNA microarrays were constructed. cDNA clones (1364 total) were isolated from a fruit cDNA library and from a subtractive library and arrayed. The expression of these ESTs was monitored from early fruit development, through ripening, until complete fruit senescence, allowing a global coverage of the entire fruit life. A comparison was made with fruit that failed to ripe (FR) due to precocious harvesting. Based on the similarities in transcript expression profiles ESTs were grouped in different clusters. Transcripts encoding kinases and phosphatases were induced specifically during early developmental stages of pear fruit. Another set of genes was activated at the onset of the climacteric period when fruit softening rates also increased. Among these were transcripts encoding for cell wall modifications and pigment and aroma biosynthesis. Transcripts putatively involved in defence response, oxidative stress, primary and secondary metabolism, signalling and transcription regulation were also isolated. According to our results main changes in expression profiles occur in two phases: the cessation of growth and entrance in the initial maturation stages (pre-climacteric), and the entrance into the climacteric period.

Regulation of LH synthesis and release by GnRH and gonadal steroids in masu salmon

The roles of salmon GnRH (sGnRH) and gonadal steroid hormones in regulation of LH synthesis and release were examined in primary pituitary cell cultures of masu salmon (Oncorhynchus masou). Pituitaries were taken from fish at four reproductive stages: in March (initiation of sexual maturation); May (early maturation); July (pre-spawning); and September (spawning period). Amounts of LHβ subunit mRNA in the pituitary cells were determined by real-time PCR, and LH levels in the medium were determined by RIA. sGnRH and gonadal steroids including estradiol-17β (E2), testosterone (T) and 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT) were added to the cultures to examine their direct effects on LH response. sGnRH had no significant effect on LHβ mRNA levels at any stages, although a stimulatory trend was noted in March. In contrast, E2 and T considerably increased LHβ subunit mRNA levels in March and May during initial stages of maturation, and the effects were less pronounced in July and September. On the other hand, sGnRH stimulated LH release at all stages in the males and the effects were most prominent in July and September. E2 and T also stimulated LH release in July and September, but their effects were weaker than that of sGnRH. The present results indicate that sGnRH and gonadal steroids directly regulate LH synthesis and release in masu salmon pituitary cells: sGnRH mainly stimulates LH release in the late stage of sexual maturation; whereas, E2 and T are effective in stimulating LH synthesis at earlier stages of maturation.

Lateralization of motor functions in early human ontogenesis

This study was aimed at testing the hypothesis about the development of lateralization of frontal motor control (FMC) as a source of preference of the right hand human in early ontogeny. The sample consisted of 108 children aged from 8 months (the initial stage of maturation of inhibitory control in reaching) to 11 months (the definitive stage). The main results showed the following: (1) at the population level, the preference of the right hand in the performance of tests that require a definite level of development of FMC appears only at the age of 11 months, i.e., synchronously with development of frontal inhibitory control of reaching; (2) the preference of the right hand is substantially stronger in 11-month-old children with a higher level of development of inhibitory motor control as compared to other children of the same age; (3) the preference of the right hand is most evident for those movements that require inhibitory control (i.e., controlled reaching). On the whole, the data obtained show that the appearance of a preference for the right hand in the second half-year of the life of an infant is caused by the development of cortical inhibitory control over motor acts (FMC), associated with the maturation of the frontal neocortex.

Improving tolerance of somatic emrbyos of Picea glauca to flash desiccation with a cold treatment (desiccation after cold acclimation)

Controlled mild desiccation of mature white spruce somatic embryos prior to germination improves the quality of the germinated embryos. More severe desiccation results in increased injury and death but is desirable for long-term storage of embryos and production of desiccated artificial seed. A method was developed to improve desiccation tolerance in somatic embryos using a temperature treatment. Culture plates with embryos at four stages of development were subjected to temperatures of 1, 5, 10, or 20°C for periods of 0, 1, 2, 4, or 8 wk duration. After the temperature treatment, the embryos were harvested and air-dried for 2h under a laminar flow hood. Dried embryos were placed directly on germination medium and the quality of the germinants was assessed after 4 wk. The initial maturation stage of the embryo and the temperature and duration of the treatment had a significant effect on the quality of the germinants. Most treatments caused marked differential survival of organs. The optimal response was obtained with embryos that had been grown for 51 d (cotyledonary stage) on maturation medium and that were subsequently exposed to a temperature of 5°C for 8 wk prior to air drying. This treatment produced 58% undamaged germinants with normal cotyledons, hypocotyls, and roots. Only 1% of the untreated air-dried embryos germinated normally.

Purine metabolism during white spruce somatic embryo development: salvage of adenine, adenosine, and inosine

Contribution of the adenine, adenosine and inosine salvage to the purine nucleotide and nucleic acid biosynthesis during white spruce ( Picea glauca) somatic embryo maturation was estimated by in situ assays using [8- 14C]adenine, [8- 14C]adenosine and [8- 14C]inosine. The salvage of adenine and adenosine was high during the initial stages of embryo maturation, characterized by rapid cell proliferation, but it declined upon further embryo development. Inosine salvage activity was always much lower than that observed for adenine and adenosine. Consistent with these results, activities of adenine phosphoribosyltransferase (APRT) and adenosine kinase (AK) measured in the embryo extracts in vitro were much higher than the activity of inosine kinase (IK) during all stages of embryo development. Utilization of adenosine and inosine for nucleotide and nucleic acid synthesis was found to be regulated by the enzymes AK and IK, as the pattern of their activities was very similar to the activity of adenosine and inosine salvage, estimated with exogenously supplied precursors. However, little correlation between salvage of adenine and activity of APRT was found throughout somatic embryo maturation. As no adenosine nucleosidase activity was found in white spruce embryos, adenosine, but not adenine, seems to be the major end product of adenylate catabolism and becomes the predominant substrate for purine salvage in vivo. Thus, adenosine salvage appeared to have the most important role in white spruce embryos. Studies on the metabolic fate of [8- 14C]adenine and [8- 14C]adenosine suggest that turnover of adenine nucleotides is rapid, as some of them are utilized for nucleic acid synthesis. In contrast, most of [8- 14C]inosine taken up by the embryos seems to be directly catabolized by the conventional purine catabolic pathway via ureides in all stages of embryo maturation.

Alteration of goat sperm ecto-phosphoprotein phosphatase activity and its distribution on the sperm surface during epididymal maturation.

Phosphoprotein phosphatase (ecto-PPase) of goat epididymal sperm outer surface showed a significant increase in its activity at the initial stage of epididymal sperm maturation (up to the proximal corpus region) followed by a sharp fall towards the terminal phase of the maturation event. PPase activity showed nearly the same profile when estimated in intact cells as well as in isolated sperm plasma membrane. The ecto-PPase was purified to apparent homogeneity by using various biochemical fractionation procedures, such as solubilization with Triton X-100, sephadex gel filtration chromatography, concanavalin A-sepharose affinity chromatography and diethylaminoethyl-cellulose ion-exchange chromatography. The isolated PPase has a molecular mass of approximately 36 kDa and an isoelectric point of 5.95. Sperm surface topography of the enzyme was investigated using fluorescein isothiocyanate-conjugated antibody of the purified PPase. The immunofluorescent studies have demonstrated that the isolated PPase is localized on the external surface of viable sperm. Immunocytochemical studies also revealed a marked topographical alteration of ecto-PPase during epididymal transit of the male gametes. Immunoreactivity was observed all over the surface of caput sperm, but was restricted primarily to the anterior tip of the head in the corpus sperm and to the posterior part of the head in cauda sperm cells. The maturation-dependent decrease in PPase activity was also confirmed by immunofluorescent studies. This remarkable maturation-dependent modification of ecto-PPase activity, as well as its distribution on sperm surface, suggest that the ecto enzyme may play an important role in sperm function by regulating the phosphorylation states of the membrane-associated and reproductive fluid phosphoprotein substrates.

Modeling the maternal-age dependency of reproductive failure and genetic fitness.

The offspring of older parents are at a higher risk of suffering low birth weights and congenital birth defects that result from mutations and chromosomal anomalies. When the defect is paternal in origin, it often can be shown that the primary lesion arose during mitotic proliferation of the spermatogonial germ cell population. By contrast, germline mosaicism is seldom invoked to explain the age dependency of maternally derived aberrations because germline proliferation in the ovary is already completed during fetal development. Age-dependent defects of maternal origin might, however, be explained in part by the progressive loss of oocytes during the mother's reproductive life. A large number of oocytes undergo the initial stages of maturation each month, but typically only one completes maturation and is ovulated while the majority are discarded, probably by an apoptotic mechanism. Here we explore the possibility that the monthly choice of oocytes to undergo maturation is influenced by subtle phenotypic characters of those oocytes that may bear genetic defects such as trisomy 21. We have generated a mathematical model to describe the loss kinetics for such mutant oocytes relative to the overall pool of resting oocytes, and we assess evolutionary strategies that would favor their utilization faster than, at the same rate as, or slower than the normal oocytes. This formulation reveals that the slower-rate scheme would effectively diminish the utilization of mutant oocytes in young mothers but would increase the risk of related birth defects for older mothers. Accordingly, we propose that natural selection should have favored the delayed utilization of defective oocytes in a primitive high-mortality culture, but that this evolutionary strategy would be outmoded for modern society, because it would lead to an increased frequency of birth defects for older mothers.

Protein at 69 kDa Expressed During the Initial Maturation Stage of Buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum) Seed Development

Protein at 69 kDa Expressed During the Initial Maturation Stage of Buckwheat (<i>Fagopyrum esculentum</i>) Seed Development

Kinetics of moisture loss and fat absorption during frying for different varieties of plantain

This study compares the behaviour of four varieties of green plantain at their initial stage of maturity during the frying process. A variety traditionally used for the manufacture of thin plantain chips (Dominico Hartón commun) and three other varieties found in Latin America (Bouroukou, Bluggoe and FHIA 21) were used. The varieties were characterised by measuring initial moisture content, total sugar content, reducing sugar content, starch content and apparent density. Moisture loss and fat uptake kinetics during frying were assessed at different temperatures (145, 165 and 185°C). With all four varieties, the time required to produce a final moisture content of 40 g kg−1 (wb) was about 90 s at 165°C and 185°C. Use of a lower temperature (145°C) extended the processing time to 150 s. On the other hand, temperature had very little effect on fat content, which proved to be essentially determined by the variety of plantain. Fat content for final water content levels of 40 g kg−1 (wb) ranged from 300 g kg−1 (wb) for Bouroukou to 450 g kg−1 (wb) for Bluggoe regardless of the processing temperature. © 1999 Society of Chemical Industry

Third‐Party Logistics: Is There a Future?

In this article, the authors describe the results of a study on strategies of third‐party logistics (TPL) providers. The size of the TPL industry and the different requirements placed on logistics as opposed to basic services, such as transportation or public warehousing, justify the need to treat TPL as a separate industry. The authors describe three waves of entrants into the TPL industry and a taxonomy for value creation by logistics providers. Empirical findings for a strategic segmentation of the industry are presented. The strategic segmentation is connected to the waves of entrants and the taxonomy by an evaluation of required skills of TPL players. The TPL industry will soon reach an initial stage of maturity, but further changes are to be expected.

Sulphur-radical control on petroleum formation rates

Most petroleum is formed through the partial decomposition of kerogen (an insoluble sedimentary organic material) in response to thermal stress during subsurface burial in a sedimentary basin1,2. Knowing the mechanisms and kinetics of this process allows the determination of the extent and timing of petroleum formation, which, in turn, are critical for evaluating the potential for petroleum occurrences within a sedimentary basin. Kinetic models of petroleum generation are derived mainly from pyrolysis experiments1,2, in which it is usually assumed that formation rates are controlled by the strength of the bonds within the precursor compounds: this agrees with the observation that petroleum formation rates increase with increasing sulphur content of thermally immature kerogen2,3,4, C–S bonds being weaker than C–C bonds. However, this explanation fails to account for the overall composition of petroleum. Here I argue, on the basis of pyrolysis experiments, that it is the presence of sulphur radicals, rather than the relative weakness of C–S bonds, that controls petroleum formation rates. My findings suggest that the rate of petroleum formation depends critically on the concentration of sulphur radicals generated during the initial stages of thermal maturation. The proposed mechanism appears to provide a realistic explanation for both the overall composition of petroleum and the observed variation in formation rates.

Oocyte maturation in rabbits: effects of calmodulin inhibitors.

Oocyte maturation in mammals follows a highly conserved pattern of release from arrest through to the extrusion of the first polar body and formation of the second metaphase spindle. Oscillations in cytoplasmic calcium concentration precede the events of maturation in many species. These calcium ions interact with and activate calcium-binding proteins, including calmodulin, within the cell. Thus, it was of interest to us to examine whether calcium acted through calmodulin in the initial stages of maturation in rabbit oocytes or whether calmodulin was required for continuation through metaphase I no to metaphase II. Using the calmodulin inhibitor W-7 we found a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the percentage of oocytes that underwent germinal vesicle breakdown. Calmidazolium did not prevent germinal vesicle breakdown; however, it caused a significant (p < 0.05) decrease in the proportion of oocytes with fully elaborated spindles and taxol-induced cytoplasmic asters. Both inhibitors caused a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in the proportion of oocytes that extruded their first polar bodies. The kinase inhibitor 6-DMAP caused a significant reduction in the proportion of oocytes with spindles and condensed chromatin, indicating the necessity for phosphorylation events in the resumption of meiosis. In rabbit oocytes calmodulin may play a role in the release from prophase arrest, and it is necessary for spindle preservation and continuation through metaphase I to metaphase II. The varying effects of the two inhibitor stems from their different binding sites on the calmodulin molecule thus causing a differential effect on its downstream effectors.

Maturity in Male Mud Crabs, Scylla serrata, and the Use of Mating Scars as a Functional Indicator

ABSTRACT Based on information from commercial catches of mud crabs (Scylla serrata) in northern Australia, 3 stages in male maturity were identified. The first transition between these stages occurred from 90-110-mm carapace width (CW), as immature crabs attained physiological maturity. This initial stage of maturity was characterized by small-clawed crabs. The second transition took place between 140 and 160-mm CW as adolescent males developed the large-clawed morphometry. Functional maturity was quantified by the presence of mating scars on the front ambulatory legs and sternum of a male. Although some adolescent crabs mated, functional maturity was far more prevalent among adult crabs, especially those in late intermolt. This is attributed to late intermolt, adult males having a greater competitive advantage during mating. The minimum legal size-limits enforced throughout Australia will protect immature males, but do not necessarily ensure that they reach the adult stage or mate successfully.

Reproduction in the piranha Serrasalmus spilopleura, a neotropical fish with an unusual pattern of sexual maturity

Reproduction in female Serrasalmus spilopleura (Characiformes, Characidae) from the Itumbiara reservoir (18°28′ S, 48°36′ W), Paranaiba River, Brazil, was examined with emphasis on the relationship between condition factors and coelomic fat, the annual reproductive cycle and the unusual dynamics of its sexual maturity. The condition factor and coelomic fat index follow a similar pattern along the stages of reproductive cycle. Variations in the condition factor along the reproductive cycle were assigned to variations in the fat contents of the carcass. Serrasalmus spilopleura exhibits characteristics of partial spawning fish and reproduces throughout the year. Sexual maturity occurs at 17.8 cm standard length. Resting and totally spent females were not captured. Females cycle from partially spent to intermediate/advanced maturation without going into the totally spent or resting stages. The initial maturation stage is restricted to fish of intermediate size. Once the initial maturation stage has started the fish remains there for a considerable period of its lifetime before entering in the intermediate maturation stage, an uncommon sexual maturity pattern. The long duration of the initial maturation stage was responsible for the females not returning to the resting stage after spawning.

Analysis of deletions and thermosensitive mutations in Rous sarcoma virus gag protein p10.

Rous sarcoma virus protein p10 is a gag component of the virion present in stoichiometric amount but of unknown function. To characterize this protein, a series of mutants of p10 with linker insertions or deletions was generated by site-directed mutagenesis of a cloned proviral DNA. The deletions and two of the linkers insertions, which disrupted proline pairs, reduced the yield of virus particles upon transfection. These two linker insertion mutants were moreover thermosensitive for this phenotype, producing fewer virus particles at 41 degrees C than at 36 degrees C. Examination of the intracellular viral proteins demonstrated that for all mutants, the amount of gag precursor was similar to the wild-type level. Moreover, the amount of mature gag CA that could be detected by this analysis was similar between each of the mutants and the wild type. This finding suggests that the transport of gag to the membrane and the initial stages of maturation were not affected by the mutations. The virus particles contained normal amounts of active reverse transcriptase, showing that the gag-pol polyprotein was incorporated and cleaved properly. Viral RNA was quantitatively and qualitatively similar in mutant and wild-type virions. However, the infectivity of the mutants virions differed; one of the thermosensitive linker insertions that had no effect on particle production at 36 degrees C was nevertheless noninfectious at that temperature. Together, these data suggest that the p10 protein is involved in a late steps of virus maturation, possibly budding, and perhaps also in an early event of viral infection.

Host cell factors controlling vimentin organization in the Xenopus oocyte.

To study vimentin filament organization in vivo we injected Xenopus oocytes, which have no significant vimentin system of their own, with in vitro-synthesized RNAs encoding Xenopus vimentins. Exogenous vimentins were localized primarily to the cytoplasmic surface of the nucleus and to the subplasma membrane "cortex." In the cortex of the animal hemisphere, wild-type vimentin forms punctate structures and short filaments. In contrast, long anastomosing vimentin filaments are formed in the vegetal hemisphere cortex. This asymmetry in the organization of exogenous vimentin is similar to that of the endogenous keratin system (Klymkowsky, M. W., L. A. Maynell, and A. G. Polson. 1987. Development (Camb.). 100:543-557), which suggests that the same cellular factors are responsible for both. Before germinal vesicle breakdown, in the initial stage of oocyte maturation, large vimentin and keratin filament bundles appear in the animal hemisphere. As maturation proceeds, keratin filaments fragment into soluble oligomers (Klymkowsky, M. W., L. A. Maynell, and C. Nislow. 1991. J. Cell Biol. 114:787-797), while vimentin filaments remain intact and vimentin is hyperphosphorylated. To examine the role of MPF kinase in the M-phase reorganization of vimentin we deleted the conserved proline of vimentin's single MPF-kinase site; this mutation had no apparent effect on the prophase or M-phase behavior of vimentin. In contrast, deletion of amino acids 19-68 or 18-61 of the NH2-terminal "head" domain produced proteins that formed extended filaments in the animal hemisphere of the prophase oocyte. We suggest that the animal hemisphere cortex of the prophase oocyte contains a factor that actively suppresses the formation of extended vimentin filaments through a direct interaction with vimentin's head domain. During maturation this "suppressor of extended filaments" appears to be inactivated, leading to the formation of an extended vimentin filament system.

Follicular steroidogenesis and oocyte maturation after superovulation of goats (Capra hircus) with gonadotrophins

Follicles were sampled at three different times after treatment with 1200 iu pregnant mares' serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) or 12 mg ovine follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and from untreated control animals. The meiotic status and protein synthesis of the oocyte from each follicle was determined and correlated with the intrafollicular concentration of oestradiol and progesterone. Significantly higher amounts of oestradiol were present in PMSG-treated animals at sponge withdrawal than in FSH-treated and control goats. Twenty hours later, both oestradiol and progesterone concentrations in the PMSG group were higher than those in the FSH group, and were equivalent to control animals at the onset of oestrus. At 18 h after the administration of human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG), oestradiol decreased markedly in all three treatment groups, whereas progesterone remained significantly higher in PMSG-treated follicles. Although these high concentrations of intrafollicular steroids were associated with a higher incidence of premature condensation of chromatin in oocytes, the two events were not causally related. Moreover, cytoplasmic maturation was not prematurely activated in these oocytes and a changed pattern of protein synthesis was observed in oocytes from all three treatment groups after the hCG injection. Whereas disturbances in follicular steroidogenesis of oestradiol and progesterone occur in vivo in goats superovulated with PMSG, they do not underlie the premature activation of the initial stages of nuclear maturation in oocytes but are associated with normal cytoplasmic maturation.

Adhesive knob formation by conidia of the nematophagous fungus Drechmeria coniospora.

We studied conidiogenesis and adhesive knob formation (maturation) by newly developed conidia of the nematophagous fungus Drechmeria coniospora. Upon conidiogenesis on infected nematodes or during saprophytic growth of the fungus in axenic cultures compact clusters of conidia developed. Less than 10% of such clustered conidia matured; mature conidia were invariably located on the periphery of the clusters. The kinetics and rate of maturation of conidia were studied in in vitro systems and in soil. In both cases adhesive knobs were formed; the rate at which knobs were formed appeared to be determined by the age of the conidia, the temperature and the soil moisture. In addition, knob formation was suppressed at increasing conidial densities. Under favorable conditions, however, over 90% of the conidia matured within a period of 3 days. The rate of knob formation was neither influenced by the presence of nematodes nor by that of exogenous nutrients, which suggests that maturation is an autonomous process. Electron-microscopical analysis indicated that budding of the conidia at the initial stage of maturation occurred simultaneously with the deposition of the sticky, adhesive layer around the wall of the developing knob. The ecological significance of the time- and spatially separated maturation of conidia after conidiogenesis is discussed with respect to survival of the conidia.