Riding out the storm: depleted fat stores and elevated hematocrit in a small bodied endotherm exposed to severe weather.

In the mid-continental grasslands of North America, climate change is increasing the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events. Increasingly severe storms and prolonged periods of elevated temperatures can impose challenges that adversely affect an individual's condition and, ultimately, survival. However, despite mounting evidence that extreme weather events, such as heavy rain storms, can impose short-term physiological challenges, we know little regarding the putative costs of such weather events. To determine the consequences of extreme weather for small endotherms, we tested predictions of the relationships between both severe precipitation events and wet bulb temperatures (an index that combines temperature and humidity) prior to capture with body composition and hematocrit of grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) caught during the breeding season at the Konza Prairie Biological Station, Kansas, USA, between 2014 and 2016. We measured each individual's fat mass, lean mass and total body water using quantitative magnetic resonance in addition to their hematocrit. Individuals exposed to storms in the 24 hours prior to capture had less fat reserves, more lean mass, more water and higher hematocrit than those exposed to moderate weather conditions. Furthermore, individuals stored more fat if they experienced high wet bulb temperatures in the week prior to capture. Overall, the analysis of these data indicate that extreme weather events take a physiological toll on small endotherms, and individuals may be forced to deplete fat stores and increase erythropoiesis to meet the physiological demands associated with surviving a storm. Elucidating the potential strategies used to cope with severe weather may enable us to understand the energetic consequences of increasingly severe weather in a changing world.

Modeling Aceria tosichella biotype distribution over geographic space and time.

The wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella Keifer, one of the most destructive arthropod pests of bread wheat worldwide, inflicts significant annual reductions in grain yields. Moreover, A. tosichella is the only vector for several economically important wheat viruses in the Americas, Australia and Europe. To date, mite-resistant wheat genotypes have proven to be one of the most effective methods of controlling the A. tosichella-virus complex. Thus, it is important to elucidate A. tosichella population genetic structure, in order to better predict improved mite and virus management. Two genetically distinct A. tosichella lineages occur as pests of wheat in Australia, Europe, North America, South America and the Middle East. These lineages are known as type 1 and type 2 in Australia and North America and in Europe and South America as MT-8 and MT-1, respectively. Type 1 and type 2 mites in Australia and North America are delineated by internal transcribed spacer 1 region (ITS1) and cytochrome oxidase I region (COI) sequence differences. In North America, two A. tosichella genotypes known as biotypes are recognized by their response to the Cmc3 mite resistance gene in wheat. Aceria tosichella biotype 1 is susceptible to Cmc3 and biotype 2 is virulent to Cmc3. In this study, ITS1 and COI sequence differences in 25 different populations of A. tosichella of known biotype 1 or biotype 2 composition were characterized for ITS1 and COI sequence differences and used to model spatio-temporal dynamics based on biotype prevalence. Results showed that the proportion of biotype 1 and 2 varies both spatially and temporally. Greater ranges of cropland and grassland within 5000m of the sample site, as well as higher mean monthly precipitation during the month prior to sampling appear to reduce the probability of occurrence of biotype 1 and increase the probability of occurrence of biotype 2. The results suggest that spatio-temporal modeling can effectively improve A. tosichella management. Continual integration of additional current and future precipitation and ground cover data into the existing model will further improve the accuracy of predicting the occurrence of A. tosichella in annual wheat crops, allowing producers to make informed decisions about the selection of varieties with different A. tosichella resistance genes.

Spatiotemporal Distribution and Environmental Drivers of Barley yellow dwarf virus and Vector Abundance in Kansas.

Several aphid species transmit barley yellow dwarf, a globally destructive disease caused by viruses that infect cereal grain crops. Data from >400 samples collected across Kansas wheat fields in 2014 and 2015 were used to develop spatiotemporal models predicting the extent to which landcover, temperature and precipitation affect spring aphid vector abundance and presence of individuals carrying Barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). The distribution of Rhopalosiphum padi abundance was not correlated with climate or landcover, but Sitobion avenae abundance was positively correlated with fall temperature and negatively correlated to spring temperature and precipitation. The abundance of Schizaphis graminum was negatively correlated with fall precipitation and winter temperature. The incidence of viruliferous (+BYDV) R. padi was positively correlated with fall precipitation but negatively correlated with winter precipitation. In contrast, the probability of +BYDV S. avenae was unaffected by precipitation but was positively correlated with fall temperatures and distance to forest or shrubland. R. padi and S. avenae were more prevalent at eastern sample sites where ground cover is more grassland than cropland, suggesting that grassland may provide over-summering sites for vectors and pose a risk as potential BYDV reservoirs. Nevertheless, land cover patterns were not strongly associated with differences in abundance or the probability that viruliferous aphids were present.

Enzymatic isolation of chondrocytes from immature rabbit articular cartilage and maintenance of phenotypic expression in culture.

The studies included here identify factors affecting cartilage digestion by crude bacterial collagenase (cCGN) and describe a cartilage digestion medium that maximizes both tissue digestion rate and viable cell yield. The basal digestion medium contained 100 mM NaCl, 3 mM K2HPO4, 1 mM CaCl2, 1 mM MgSO4, 10 mM NaHCO3, 60 mM sorbitol, 5 mg/ml of dextrose, 1 mg/ml of albumin, and 2 mg/ml of cCGN in 25 mM HEPES at pH 7.2. Approximately 45% of articular cartilage tissue was digested in this basal medium in 6 h at 37 degrees C, yielding 6.8 x 10(6) viable cells per g tissue digested. The addition of 30 microM tosyllysylchloromethane (TLCM) increased the fraction of tissue digested in 6 h to 68% (p less than 0.05) and doubled viable cell yields to 13.6 x 10(6) per g tissue digested (p less than 0.05). Withholding Mg, decreasing NaCl to 70 mM, and adding 30 mM KCl increased fractional tissue digestion to 81% (p less than 0.01) and doubled viable cell yield yet again (to 29.9 x 10(6) viable cells per g tissue digested). Supplementation with TLCM increased the rate of cartilage digestion and the yield of viable cells regardless of cCGN source or lot. Additional trypsin (0.25%) inhibited tissue digestion and decreased cell yield; this effect was reversible with the addition of TLCM. The cartilage digestion medium developed in these studies (low Mg with added K and TLCM) was very effective in digesting articular, scapular, rib, and growth plate cartilage, as well as in yielding a large number of viable chondrocytes. These cells grew well in culture and maintained their chondrocytic characteristics, secreting predominantly type II collagen and large macromolecular forms of chondroitin sulfate-rich proteoglycans.

Differential effects of parathyroid hormone on protein phosphorylation in two osteoblastlike cell populations isolated from neonatal mouse calvaria.

To further understand the mechanism of PTH effects on bone and bone cells, we have analyzed the effect of PTH on specific protein phosphorylation in cells isolated from neonatal mouse calvaria. Four populations of cells (I-IV), isolated by sequential digestion with chromatographically purified bacterial collagenase isozymes and neutral proteinase, were cultured overnight. Alkaline phosphatase activity was greater than acid phosphatase activity in all four populations. PTH stimulated cyclic AMP production in all four populations, although the effect was greatest in populations II and III. Cultured cells were treated with PTH for up to 15 minutes. Cytosolic and membrane fractions were obtained and assayed for in vitro protein phosphorylation. No hormonal effects were found in membrane fractions. In cytosol fractions, treatment of the population II cells for 10-15 minutes with 0.1 microM PTH decreased the subsequent protein phosphorylation of an 85,000 Mr protein. In contrast, PTH treatment increased in vitro phosphorylation of both the 85,000 and 35,000 Mr proteins in population III cells. Phosphorylation of the 35,000 Mr protein was cyclic AMP-dependent. All of the phosphoproteins appeared to be phosphorylated solely on serine or threonine residues except the 85,000 Mr protein which may also contain significant amounts of phosphotyrosine. Therefore, some of the effects of PTH are cyclic AMP-mediated and other effects may be mediated through tyrosine phosphorylation. These data indicate that PTH has differential effects on in vitro protein phosphorylation in two separable populations of isolated neonatal mouse calvarial cells and support a hypothesis that multiple osteoblastlike cells exist in vivo.

Utilization of FPLC-purified bacterial collagenase for the isolation of cells from bone.

Crude bacterial collagenase is essential for the enzymatic isolation of cells from the membranous bone of neonatal mouse calvaria. We have employed the newly developed methodology of fast protein liquid chromatography (FPLC) to separate and quantify the isozymes of collagenase so that their role in the enzymatic isolation of cells might be determined. FPLC resolved as many as six protein peaks in less than 30 min using a single anion exchange column and separated collagenase isozymes into two classes. The Class I isozymes had a preference for the substrate Azocoll, a denatured collagen substrate, and the Class II isozymes had a preference for Hexapeptide, a synthetic substrate. Two preparations of chromatographically purified collagenase (CGN-A and CGN-B) were tested for their ability to release viable cells from bone. Both preparations of purified collagenase completely digested the calvaria in 120 min. The total cell yield obtained with CGN-A was 0.34 million cells per calvarium. The yield obtained with CGN-B was 1.01 million cells per calvarium. Each preparation of purified collagenase was analyzed using FPLC. CGN-A contained only Class I collagenase isozymes, whereas CGN-B contained a mixture of both Class I and Class II isozymes. The collagenase isozymes of CGN-B were separated by FPLC and then combined in a 4:1 ratio of Class II: Class I isozymes. Utilization of FPLC-separated collagenase isozymes for the cell isolation increased the total cell yield to 1.50 million cells/calvarium. We have concluded that there are many combinations of collagenase isozymes that will completely digest the extracellular matrix of bone. However, only a combination which favors the Class II isozymes will result in a low rate of cell destruction and high cell yields.

Simultaneous measurement of bone resorption and collagen synthesis in neonatal mouse calvaria.

A tissue culture technique which permits the simultaneous measurement of collagen synthesis and bone resorption has been developed. Cultured neonatal mouse calvaria undergo resorption when stimulated by a number of agents including parathyroid hormone, vitamin D, and prostaglandin E2. Mouse calvaria are of sufficient size to measure the extent of proline incorporation into collagenase-digestible protein. Four chemically diverse stimulators of bone resorption were tested for their effect on collagen synthesis. For each stimulator tested, the dose-response relationships for the stimulation of resorption and the inhibition of collagen synthesis were found to coincide.

Enzymatic isolation of cells from neonatal calvaria using two purified enzymes from Clostridium histolyticum.

The enzymatic isolation of cells with bacterial collagenase has proved to be a powerful technique for the study of a wide variety of tissues. Unfortunately, for some applications such as the isolation of cells from membranous bone, the cellular damage that results from the exposure of the cells to cytotoxic contaminants of bacterial collagenase has limited the usefulness of this approach. The use of chromatographically purified collagenase alone is often ineffective or very slow to release cells from tissue. We have found that two enzymes are necessary and sufficient to isolate cells from neonatal mouse calvaria: purified collagenase and neutral protease. These two enzymes can be chromatographically purified on a preparative scale to yield 100 mg amounts of each enzyme. The purified enzymes can be recombined in amounts which will digest calvaria at the same rate as the crude bacterial collagenase from which they were derived. The cells that are isolated using the purified enzymes are undamaged, as indicated by the measurement of their equilibrium density on gradients of Ficoll and sodium metrizoate. Cells isolated with crude collagenase never reach an equilibrium density upon isopyknic centrifugation, whereas cells isolated with the purified enzymes reach an equilibrium density of 1.074 g/ml in 90 min.

Responsiveness of vitamin D-deficient fetal rat limb bones to parathyroid hormone in culture.

Radii and ulnae from 19-day fetal rats from normal or vitamin D-deficient mothers were treated with 25-hydroxyvitamin D3, 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3, or parathyroid hormone in vitro. Both sets of bones resorbed in response to all three agents. Statistical analysis indicated a purely additive model for the effects of vitamin D status and the bone-resorbing agents, with no evidence for interaction. The results suggest that the impaired calcemic response to parathyroid hormone seen in vitamin D-deficient animals in vivo is not the result of a specific unresponsiveness of vitamin D-deficient bone to parathyroid hormone.

Isolation of osteoclasts from fetal rat long bones.

Cell isolates containing multinucleate osteoclasts were obtained from longitudinally split fetal rat long bones by treatment with testicular hyaluronidase. The total yield of osteoclasts and the osteoclast enrichment of the isolate were increased if the intact bones were first cultured for 72 h. Even greater enhancement was obtained if the bones were treated with 1,25-dihydroxycholecalciferol [1,25(OH)2D3] during the culture period. This technique resulted in a cell population containing approximately 15% osteoclasts in yields greater than 50 osteoclasts per long bone. The yield of osteoclasts and the percentage of osteoclasts correlated well with the extent of bone resorption induced by 1,25(OH)2D3. The effectiveness of several isolation procedures was compared using the 1,25(OH)2D3-treated long bones. Conventional digestion with 1 mg/ml crude collagenase gave a much poorer yield of osteoclasts than simply agitating the split long bones. Hyaluronidase plus EDTA was not significantly different from EDTA alone. Even with milder procedures, however, the isolated osteoclasts were damaged as judged by their failure to exclude trypan blue. The osteoclasts are obviously very fragile cells. The isolation technique coupled with May-Grunwald-Giemsa staining permitted reliable determination of the median number of nuclei per osteoclast. This parameter was the same in uncultured bones or in bones cultured for 72 h in control media. Treatment with 1,25(OH)2D3 increased the nuclear number. At lower levels of bone resorption, nuclear number did not increase, but it was significantly greater in more highly resorbed bones.