We report here that a meiosis-specific gene of Schizosaccharomyces pombe denoted mcp6+ (meiotic coiled-coil protein) encodes a protein that is required for the horsetail movement of chromosomes at meiosis I. The mcp6+ gene is specifically transcribed during the horsetail phase. Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-tagged Mcp6 appears at the start of karyogamy, localizes to the spindle-pole body (SPB...

Field horsetail is a perennial, rhizomatous weed with summer-growing fern-like foliage and sporelating stems. It likes moist, free-draining sandy soils and gravel riverbeds and flood plains. Glasshouse experiments on 10-month old potted field horsetail plants showed excellent efficacy of imazapyr, amitrole, metsulfuron, picloram and combinations of picloram with metsulfuron or triclopyr, all at...

The formation of healthy gametes requires pairing of homologous chromosomes (homologs) as a prerequisite for their correct segregation during meiosis. Initially, homolog alignment is promoted by meiotic chromosome movements feeding into intimate homolog pairing by homologous recombination and/or synaptonemal complex formation. Meiotic chromosome movements in the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyc...

ince the early 1970s, scientific evidence has shown that silicon is an essential nutrient for higher animals, including humans. Its role in human physiology is not fully defined, but it appears to be required for optimal growth and development of bone, cartilage, and connective tissues. Both metabolic and structural roles have been proposed. In bone, silicon is localized in active growth areas ...

The extent of near-surface permafrost, or perennially frozen ground within 3m of the surface, was estimated for the Mackenzie River delta by determining its association with riparian vegetation communities in the field, and by subsequently mapping these vegetation communities using SPOT-5 data and the supervised maximum-likelihood classification technique. Near-surface permafrost was absent ben...

This article incorporates findings from the first phase of a Hospice U-shaped Modeling Project conducted by Simione Consultants that were presented on July 14 at the 17th Annual NAHC Financial Management Conference & Exposition in San Diego, CA, by Robert Simione and Theresa M. Forster. SPECIAL NOTE: The National Association for Home Care & Hospice (NAHC) and its affiliated Hospice Association ...

To determine whether recombination and/or sister-chromatid cohesion affect the timing of meiotic prophase events, the horsetail stage and S phase were analyzed in Schizosaccharomyces pombe strains carrying mutations in the cohesin genes rec8 or rec11, the linear element gene rec10, the pairing gene meu13, the double-strand-break formation genes rec6, rec7, rec12, rec14, rec15, and mde2, and the...

BACKGROUND In Europe, extracts of Equisetum arvense (common horsetail) have a long tradition in the treatment of inflammatory disorders. To understand the molecular basis for its use, we investigated the immunomodulatory capacity of a standardized commercially available common horsetail extract on human primary lymphocyte function in vitro. METHODS The standardized extract of Equisetum arvens...