Screening the immunotoxicity of different food preservative agents on the model organism Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae.

Immunotoxic effects of sodium benzoate (SB, E211), sodium nitrate (SNa, E251), and sodium nitrite (SNi, E250), a few of the most common food preservatives, on the model organism Galleria mellonella L. (Lepidoptera: Pyralidae) larvae were investigated in this study. The last instar larvae were used for all experimental analyses. For this purpose, median lethal doses of SB, SNa, and SNi were applied to the larvae by the force-feeding method. We found that force-feeding G. mellonella larvae with SB, SNa, and SNi significantly reduced the larval total hemocyte counts, prohemocyte, and granulocyte ratios but increased plasmatocyte, spherulocyte, and oenocyte ratios, as well as the hemocyte mitotic indices and micronucleus frequency. The spreading ability of hemocytes and hemocyte-mediated immune responses were lower in the SB, SNa-, and SNi-treated larval groups compared to controls. Apoptotic indices were higher in all larval groups treated with food preservatives, but increments in necrotic indices were only significantly higher in SNi-treated larvae compared to controls. Our research shows that SB, SNa, and SNi have immunotoxic and cytotoxic potential on G. mellonella larvae. Thus, we suggest that G. mellonella larvae can be used as preliminary in vivo models to screen the immunotoxic effects of food preservative agents.

Phylogeography of the red-bellied lizard, Darevskia parvula in Turkey.

The groups of red-bellied lizards had a small distribution area in the Pontic zone. The several studies performed on these lizard groups are based on taxonomy and systematics. Although there were several taxonomic or systematic researches on some species of this group, the phylogeographical pattern and species disturbing boundaries of this group is still not clear. In the present study, we aimed to resolve the taxonomic and phylogenetic relationships of the red-bellied lizards in Turkey, based on two combined mitochondrial gene fragments and one protein-coding nuclear gene (rag1). Also, we evaluated ecological niches differentiations among red-bellied lizard groups. The mitochondrial DNA genes were found to be highly polymorphic in this group. One hundred and one variable nucleotide sites were detected on the combined gene sequences. According to phylogenetic trees based on the maximum likelihood (ML) and Bayesian inference (BI), the red-bellied lizards group have three species groups; Darevskia parvula, D. adjarica and unnamed Darevskia sp. (candidate species for Darevskia genus). This situation was supported by high bootstrap and posterior probability values in the trees of mitochondrial DNA gene fragments. However, no genetic variation was detected according to nuclear DNA (rag1) sequence. Because the species groups have no overlaps in terms of their ecological niches, ecological niche modelling (ENM) results revealed differences among the groups of D. parvula, D. adjarica, and unnamed Darevskia sp. Besides, we detected no geographical overlaps among three species groups, since there were geographical isolation zones among the species groups of red-bellied lizard.

Phylogenetic relationships of Podarcis siculus (Rafinesque-Schmaltz, 1810) and Podarcis tauricus (Pallas, 1814) in Turkey, based on mitochondrial DNA.

The Italian wall lizard and the Balkan wall lizard have a series of taxonomic revisions. However, their phylogenetic relationships still remain uncertain in Turkey. In the present study, we have assessed taxonomic relationships, both of Podarcis siculus and Podarcis tauricus through estimation of phylogenetic relationships among 43 and 42 specimens, respectively, using mtDNA (16 S rRNA and cytb) from great main populations in Turkey. The genetic distances among the populations of P. siculus in Turkey were very low and they were ranged from 0.2 to 1.6% in 16 S rRNA while they were ranged from 0.0% to 3.3% in cytb. On the other hand, the p-distances among the populations of P. tauricus were ranged from 0.0 to 0.6% in 16 S rRNA while they were 0.2% cytb in Turkey. Finally, most of the topologically identical trees of phylogenetic analyses and p-distances showed that monophyly was found in extant populations of P. siculus and P. tauricus. The nominate subspecies, P. s. siculus and P. t. tauricus are representatives of these lizards in Turkey.

Phylogenetic relationships of D. rudis (Bedriaga, 1886) and D. bithynica(Mehely, 1909) based on microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA in Turkey.

The spiny-tailed lizard of the genus Darevskia have a series of taxonomic revisions, but still their phylogenetic relationships remain uncertain. In the present study, we have assessed taxonomic relationships among Darevskia bithynica and Darevskia rudis populations through estimation of phylogenetic relationships among 96 specimens using microsatellite DNA (Du215, Du281, Du323 and Du418 loci) and 53 specimens using mtDNA (16S rRNA and cytb) from main populations in Turkey. Although D. b. bithynica and D. r. mirabilis were separated based on the PCoA analysis at low level from other D. rudis and D. bithynica populations, the distance values of Nei's genetic distance, Nei's unbiased genetic distance, Fst and Linear Fst were not high among taxa in microsatellite DNA. On the other hand, our phylogenetic analyses (NJ, ML, MP and BI) did not separate D. rudis and D. bithynica populations. Finally, most of the topologically identical trees of phylogenetic analyses and microsatellite results showed that the extant populations of D. rudis and D. bithynica were found to be polytomy. Based on our molecular phylogenetic study, D. rudis complex is still ongoing revisions.

Taxonomic relationships among Turkish water frogs as revealed by phylogenetic analyses using mtDNA gene sequences.

We assessed taxonomic relationships among Turkish water frogs through estimation of phylogenetic relationships among 62 adult specimens from 44 distinct populations inhabiting seven main geographical regions of Turkey using 2897 bp sequences of the mitochondrial Cytb, 12S rRNA and 16S rRNA genes with equally-weighted parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian methods of inference. Monophyletic clade (Clade A) of the northwesternmost (Thrace) samples is identified as Pelophylax ridibundus. The other clade (Clade B) consisted of two monophyletic subclades. One of these contains specimens from southernmost populations that are regarded as an unnamed species. The other subclade consists of two lineages, of which one corresponds to P. caralitanus and another to P. bedriagae. Taxonomic relationships of these two species are discussed and recognition of P. caralitanus as a subspecies of P. bedriagae is proposed.