SOME ASPECTS OP PTERIDINE BIOSYNTHESIS IN AMPHIBIANS by Hamilton Lee Stackhouse Bright fluorescing unconjugated pteridines have been extracted from amphibians; yet the biological function of these compounds in vertebrates is not completely understood. There is some evidence, indicating that they can act as pigments, co-factors, and growthpromoting substances. Pteridine biosynthesis is unknown b...

Isolates of Teratosphaeriaceae have frequently been found in the integument of attine ants, proving to be common and diverse in this microenvironment. The LSU phylogeny of the ant-isolated strains studied revealed that they cluster in two main lineages. The first was associated with the genus Xenopenidiella whereas the other represented two ant-isolated lineages sister to the taxa Penidiella ag...

The plant life cycle includes diploid sporophytic and haploid gametophytic generations. Female gametophytes (embryo sacs) in higher plants are embedded in specialized sporophytic structures (ovules). Here, we report that two closely related mitogen-activated protein kinases in Arabidopsis thaliana, MPK3 and MPK6, share a novel function in ovule development: in the MPK6 mutant background, MPK3 i...

Genetic networks provide new mechanistic insights into the diversity of species morphology. In this study, we have integrated the MGI, GEO, and miRNA database to analyze the genetic regulatory networks under morphology difference of integument of humans and mice. We found that the gene expression network in the skin is highly divergent between human and mouse. The GO term of secretion was highl...

Female diurnal velvet-ants are among the insects most strongly protected against predation. These protections include an exceedingly hard and tightly fitting integument, powerful legs rapid running ability, aposematic color, warning stridulation, odor, and, famously, legendarily stings. Small to medium-sized were rarely injured or killed in tests potential predators. Velvet-ant stings painful, ...