A major role of lobster integument is protection from microbes. Calcite and amorphous calcium carbonate are the most abundant and most acid vulnerable of the cuticle minerals. We propose that calcite is invested in neutralizing an acidifying environment modulated by the epicuticle. A minor cuticle component is carbonate apatite (CAP), proposed to play critical roles in the integument!s structur...

Skin immunity protects animals from airborne pathogen infection. Unlike mammals, arthropods, including insects, undergo periodic ecdysis to grow and develop. Newly molted insects emerge with unsclerotized thin cuticles but successfully escape pathogenic infections during the post-molt period. Here we show that prophenoloxidases (PPOs) in molting fluids remain bioactive on the integument and imp...

Based on previous studies, extreme (>99%) self-sterility in scarlet gilia (Ipomopsis aggregata) appears to be involved in late-acting ovarian self-incompatibility (OSI). Here, we confirm this suggestion by comparing structural events that follow from cross- vs. self-pollinations of I. aggregata. Growth of cross- and self-pollen tubes in the style at 11 h and growth in the ovary at 24 h was equi...

Developing Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seeds and embryos represent a complex set of cell layers and tissues that mediate the transport and partitioning of carbohydrates, amino acids, hormones, and signaling molecules from the terminal end of the funicular phloem to and between these seed tissues and eventually to the growing embryo. This article provides a detailed analysis of the sympla...

An increase in intracellular cyclic AMP concentration stimulates transepithelial Na(+) transport across the skin of the leech Hirudo medicinalis, but it is unclear how cytosolic cyclic AMP levels are elevated in vivo. In search of this external stimulus, we performed Ussing chamber experiments to test several peptide hormones and neurotransmitters for their effect on Na(+) transport across leec...

To effectively ambush prey, sit-and-wait predators must locate sites where profitable prey are likely to return. One means by which predators evaluate potential ambush sites is by recognizing high-use areas through chemical cues deposited inadvertently by their prey. However, it is unknown whether ambush predators can use chemical cues associated with past prey items in the assessment of potent...

Animals cannot synthesize carotenoid pigments de novo, and must consume them in their diet. Most mammals, including humans, are indiscriminate accumulators of carotenoids but inefficiently distribute them to some tissues and organs, such as skin. This limits the potential capacity of these organisms to benefit from the antioxidant and immunostimulatory functions that carotenoids fulfill. Indeed...