The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) is a conserved, multisubunit E3 ubiquitin (Ub) ligase that is active both in dividing and in postmitotic cells. Its contributions to life are especially well studied in the domain of cell division, in which the APC/C lies at the epicenter of a regulatory network that controls the directionality and timing of cell cycle events. Biochemical and ...

When Guinea yam, Dioscorea rotundata Poir, was inoculated with Pratylenchus coffeae and Scutellonema bradys together, there was a 53% suppression of top growth, but when plants were inoculated separately there was a 29% suppression with P. coffeae and a 21% suppression with S. bradys. The reproduction of S. bradys was greatly inhibited when both nematode species were together on the same plant ...

1. Cyclical swimming behaviour of the cercariae of the digenetic trematode, Proterometra macrostoma, involves a highly regular alternating swim-sink sequence. During periods of swimming the cercariae are propelled upward through the water by alternating lateral contractions of the tail. Following each burst of swimming the cercariae passively drift downward. 2. Suction electrode recordings from...

The response of pea (Pisum sativum) genotypes to ascochyta blight disease and the effect of disease severity on yield components were evaluated in a 4-year trial under field conditions. Peas were inoculated with Ascochyta pinodes, the anamorph of Mycosphaerella pinodes, or with Phoma pinodella separately and with a mixture of both species. Mean infection ratings of all inoculation treatments we...

An in-depth study of the secondary metabolites contained in the Caribbean sponge Smenospongia aurea led to the isolation of smenamide A (1) and B (2), hybrid peptide/polyketide compounds containing a dolapyrrolidinone unit. Their structures were elucidated using high-resolution ESI-MS/MS and homo- and heteronuclear 2D NMR experiments. Structures of smenamides suggested that they are products of...