PUF proteins are a conserved family of RNA binding proteins that regulate RNA stability and translation by binding to specific sequences in 3'-untranslated regions. Drosophila PUMILIO and C. elegans FBF are essential for self-renewal of germline stem cells, suggesting that a common function of PUF proteins may be to sustain mitotic proliferation of stem cells. Here, we show that PUF-8, the C. e...

Background: Weedy non-native species have long been predicted to be more phenotypically plastic than native species. Question: Are weedy non-native species more plastic than natives? Organisms: Fourteen perennial plant species: Acer platanoides, Acer saccharum, Bromus inermis, Bromus latiglumis, Celastrus orbiculatus, Celastrus scandens, Elymus repens, Elymus trachycaulus, Plantago major, Plant...

Abstract. A seasonal investigation of the occurrence of metacercariae in cyprinoid fish was conducted at the Kwae Noi Bamroongdan Dam, Phitsanulok Province, northern Thailand during December 2008-August 2009. A total 361 cyprinoid fish from 10 species were examined by artificial digestion method evaluating for metacercariae. The metacercariae determined were Haplorchis taichui, Haplorchis pumil...

Germline stem cells play a pivotal role in gametogenesis; yet little is known about how they are formed, how they divide to self-renew, and how these processes are genetically controlled. Here we describe the self-renewing asymmetric division of germline stem cells in the Drosophila ovarian germline, as marked by the spectrosome, a cytoplasmic structure rich in membrane skeletal proteins. The o...

Though theory predicts consistency of warning signals in aposematic species to facilitate predator learning, variation in these signals often occurs in nature. The strawberry poison frog Dendrobates pumilio is an exceptionally polytypic (populations are phenotypically distinct) aposematic frog exhibiting variation in warning color and brightness. In the Solarte population, males and females bot...

The taxonomy of the genus Platypygus Loew is summarized, previously described species are reviewed based on examination of types, and a key to known species of the genus worldwide is presented. All previously described species are diagnosed and illustrated. The male genitalia of P. ridibundus (Costa) and female genitalia of P. americanus Melander are described for the first time. Some character...