The role of acroblast formation during Drosophila spermatogenesis.

Protein recycling is important for maintaining homeostasis of the Golgi and its cisternae. The Vps54 (Scat) protein, a subunit of the GARP tethering complex, is a central factor in retrograde transport to the trans-Golgi. We found the scat(1) mutant to be male sterile in Drosophila with individualization problems occurring during spermatogenesis. Another typically observed phenotype was the abnormal nuclear structure in elongated mutant cysts. When examining the structure and function of the Golgi, a failure in acrosome formation and endosome-Golgi vesicular transport were found in the scat(1) mutant. This acrosome formation defect was due to a fault in the trans-Golgi side of the acroblast ribbon. When testing a mutation in a second retrograde transport protein, Fws, a subunit of the conserved oligomeric Golgi (COG) tethering complex, the acroblast structure, was again disrupted. fws(P) caused a similar, albeit milder, acrosome and sperm individualization phenotype as the scat(1) mutant. In the case of fws(P) the cis side of the acroblast ribbon was dispersed, in-line with the intra-Golgi retrograde function of COG. Our results highlight the importance of an intact acroblast for acrosome formation, nuclear elongation and therefore sperm maturation. Moreover, these results suggest the importance of retrograde tethering complexes in the formation of a functional Golgi ribbon.

Metal and antibiotic resistance of bacteria isolated from the Baltic Sea

The resistance of 49 strains of bacteria isolated from surface Baltic Sea waters to 11 antibiotics was analyzed and the resistance of selected strains to three metal ions (Ni2+, Mn2+, Zn2+) was tested. Most isolates belonged to Gammaproteobacteria (78 %), while Alphaproteobacteria (8 %), Actinobacteria (10 %), and Bacteroidetes (4 %) were less abundant. Even though previous reports suggested relationships between resistance and the presence of plasmids or the ability to produce pigments, no compelling evidence for such relationships was obtained for the strains isolated in this work. In particular, strains resistant to multiple antibiotics did not carry plasmids more frequently than sensitive strains. A relation between resistance and the four aminoglycosides tested (gentamycin, kanamycin, neomycin, and streptomycin), but not to spectinomycin, was demonstrated. This observation is of interest given that spectinomycin is not always classified as an aminoglycoside because it lacks a traditional sugar moiety. Statistical analysis indicated relationships between resistance to some antibiotics (ampicillin and erythromycin, chloramphenicol and erythromycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline, erythromycin and tetracycline), suggesting the linkage of resistance genes for antibiotics belonging to different classes. The effects of NiSO4, ZnCl2 and MnCl2 on various media suggested that the composition of Marine Broth might result in low concentrations of Mn2+ due to chemical interactions that potentially lead to precipitation (AU)

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Metal and antibiotic resistance of bacteria isolated from the Baltic Sea.

The resistance of 49 strains of bacteria isolated from surface Baltic Sea waters to 11 antibiotics was analyzed and the resistance of selected strains to three metal ions (Ni2+, Mn2+, Zn2+) was tested. Most isolates belonged to Gammaproteobacteria (78%), while Alphaproteobacteria (8%), Actinobacteria (10%), and Bacteroidetes (4%) were less abundant. Even though previous reports suggested relationships between resistance and the presence of plasmids or the ability to produce pigments, no compelling evidence for such relationships was obtained for the strains isolated in this work. In particular, strains resistant to multiple antibiotics did not carry plasmids more frequently than sensitive strains. A relation between resistance and the four aminoglycosides tested (gentamycin, kanamycin, neomycin, and streptomycin), but not to spectinomycin, was demonstrated. This observation is of interest given that spectinomycin is not always classified as an aminoglycoside because it lacks a traditional sugar moiety. Statistical analysis indicated relationships between resistance to some antibiotics (ampicillin and erythromycin, chloramphenicol and erythromycin, chloramphenicol and tetracycline, erythromycin and tetracycline), suggesting the linkage of resistance genes for antibiotics belonging to different classes. The effects of NiSO4, ZnCl2 and MnCl2 on various media suggested that the composition of Marine Broth might result in low concentrations of Mn2+ due to chemical interactions that potentially lead to precipitation.