This study evaluated the effects of purified paper wasp Ropalidia marginata venoms on various biomolecules in the blood serum of albino mice. Changes in the concentration of some important macromolecules, i.e., protei...This study evaluated the effects of purified paper wasp Ropalidia marginata venoms on various biomolecules in the blood serum of albino mice. Changes in the concentration of some important macromolecules, i.e., proteins, free amino acids, uric acid, cholesterol, pyruvic acid, total lipids and glucose were noted down. These alterations were measured after intraperitoneal injection of 40% and 80% 24-hour LD50 purified Ropalidia marginata venom toxin. Serum total protein levels were found to decrease to 78% after 6 hrs, while serum free amino acid levels were significantly increased to 117% 6 hrs after venom injection compared to control. It was also found that serum uric acid levels increased to 138% after 8 hrs of venom injection compared to control. The increase in serum cholesterol i.e. (101% and 106%) and pyruvic acid increased significantly to a maximum value of 106% after 6 hrs of treatment at 40% LD<sub>50</sub>. Glycogen levels in the gastrocnemius muscle were found to decrease significantly (p-0.05) to 43% and 92% at LD<sub>50</sub> after injection of purified Ropalidia marginata venom after 8 h and 80% at LD<sub>50</sub> compared to control. Moreover, up to 71% and 81% were obtained at 10 hrs of treatment with the same dose. In the present study, the purified toxins significantly changed the levels of biomolecules in blood serum, indicating their wider effects on cellular physiology due to toxic effects and stress on the animal. These toxins can be good antigens and stimulate immune responses in experimental mice.展开更多
Although much work has focused on non-social personality traits such as activity, exploration, and neophobia, there is a growing appreciationthat social personality traits play an important role in group dynamics, dis...Although much work has focused on non-social personality traits such as activity, exploration, and neophobia, there is a growing appreciationthat social personality traits play an important role in group dynamics, disease transmission, and fitness and that social personality traits maybe linked to non-social personality traits. These relationships are important because behavioral syndromes, defined here as correlated behavioral phenotypes, can constrain evolutionary responses. However, the strength and direction of relationships between social and non-socialpersonality traits remain unclear. In this project, we examine social and non-social personality traits, and the relationships between them, in thepaper wasp Polistes fuscatus. With a novel assay, we identify 5 personality traits, 2 non-social (exploration and activity), and 3 social (aggression, affiliation, and antennation) personality traits. We also find that social and non-social personality traits are phenotypically linked. We find apositive correlation between aggression and activity and a negative correlation between affiliation and activity. We also find a positive correlation between exploration and activity. Our work is an important step in understanding how phenotypic linkage between social and non-socialbehaviors may influence behavioral evolution. As a burgeoning model system for the study of genetic and neurobiological mechanisms of socialbehavior, Polistes fuscatus has the potential to add to this work by exploring the causes and consequences of individual behavioral variation.展开更多
文摘This study evaluated the effects of purified paper wasp Ropalidia marginata venoms on various biomolecules in the blood serum of albino mice. Changes in the concentration of some important macromolecules, i.e., proteins, free amino acids, uric acid, cholesterol, pyruvic acid, total lipids and glucose were noted down. These alterations were measured after intraperitoneal injection of 40% and 80% 24-hour LD50 purified Ropalidia marginata venom toxin. Serum total protein levels were found to decrease to 78% after 6 hrs, while serum free amino acid levels were significantly increased to 117% 6 hrs after venom injection compared to control. It was also found that serum uric acid levels increased to 138% after 8 hrs of venom injection compared to control. The increase in serum cholesterol i.e. (101% and 106%) and pyruvic acid increased significantly to a maximum value of 106% after 6 hrs of treatment at 40% LD<sub>50</sub>. Glycogen levels in the gastrocnemius muscle were found to decrease significantly (p-0.05) to 43% and 92% at LD<sub>50</sub> after injection of purified Ropalidia marginata venom after 8 h and 80% at LD<sub>50</sub> compared to control. Moreover, up to 71% and 81% were obtained at 10 hrs of treatment with the same dose. In the present study, the purified toxins significantly changed the levels of biomolecules in blood serum, indicating their wider effects on cellular physiology due to toxic effects and stress on the animal. These toxins can be good antigens and stimulate immune responses in experimental mice.
基金supported by the University of Michigan,National Geographic Society,and the National Science Foundation Grants IOS 1557564 and 2134910。
文摘Although much work has focused on non-social personality traits such as activity, exploration, and neophobia, there is a growing appreciationthat social personality traits play an important role in group dynamics, disease transmission, and fitness and that social personality traits maybe linked to non-social personality traits. These relationships are important because behavioral syndromes, defined here as correlated behavioral phenotypes, can constrain evolutionary responses. However, the strength and direction of relationships between social and non-socialpersonality traits remain unclear. In this project, we examine social and non-social personality traits, and the relationships between them, in thepaper wasp Polistes fuscatus. With a novel assay, we identify 5 personality traits, 2 non-social (exploration and activity), and 3 social (aggression, affiliation, and antennation) personality traits. We also find that social and non-social personality traits are phenotypically linked. We find apositive correlation between aggression and activity and a negative correlation between affiliation and activity. We also find a positive correlation between exploration and activity. Our work is an important step in understanding how phenotypic linkage between social and non-socialbehaviors may influence behavioral evolution. As a burgeoning model system for the study of genetic and neurobiological mechanisms of socialbehavior, Polistes fuscatus has the potential to add to this work by exploring the causes and consequences of individual behavioral variation.