Previous research on hooting in male scops owls, Otus scops, has shown that heavier males produce overall lower-frequency hoots, and that males alter, and attend to, hoot frequency during territorial contests. We examined how hoot frequency relates to, and possibly affects, male fitness. We quantified the reproductive success of 20 breeding pairs, and documented the phenotypic attributes of both the female and the male, including acoustic variables characterizing male hoots. We investigated whether male body condition, skeletal size and hoot frequency are predictors of the pair's reproductive success. Paired males in good condition did not breed earlier or produce more and heavier fledglings; however, paired males with lower-frequency hoots did breed earlier and produce more and heavier fledglings, even when the effect of interindividual variation in body condition on hoot characteristics was controlled for. Since males with lower-pitch hoots did not have access to better females, we suggest that this relationship might be a product of their increased competitive ability during territorial establishment, where males with lower-pitch hoots acquire better territories, leading to the production of fitter offspring. This also suggests that, in scops owls, males with lower-pitch hoots than expected from their body condition are currently under positive selection from intrasexual competition pressure. (C) 2009 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dispersal is a key life-history trait because it influences population dynamics and population genetic structure. From a behavioural perspective, the study of natal dispersal requires some understanding of the mechanisms that affect individual movements, because movements of an animal form a path that is continuous throughout its life. Our aim was to investigate juvenile dispersal strategies in the western marsh harrier Circus aeruginosus, between fledging and first breeding attempt (from 1 to 4 years later, depending on the sex and individual). Using radio tracking, we monitored dispersing juvenile harriers and their home-range size variations within a sedentary population in central western France from 2001 to 2007. Juvenile dispersal strategy was mainly characterized by a very high natal philopatry (i.e. birds that remained within the study area) and short-distance dispersal. All but one bird (out of 39) remained within the study area between their first winter and their first spring, and 96.0% during their first spring. The distance moved at 2 years of age was significantly larger for males than for females (3800 +/- SD 3593 m and 935 +/- SD 481 m for seven males and six females, respectively), in contrast to most bird species studied so far. Home-range size was not sex biased and significantly decreased with age. In addition, non-breeding birds had larger home ranges (1603 +/- SD 2128 ha) than breeders (349 +/- SD 185 ha). Using data obtained from other populations, juvenile marsh harrier dispersal strategies appeared to be determined by migratory status (migratory birds dispersing farther) and demographic parameters (juvenile survival or fecundity).

Three new calixarenes were synthesized with the purpose of having ligands able to complex Cu(I). Among them, a new calixarenic ditopic podand incorporating at the upper rim two dipyrrolyl groups and, at the lower rim, two bipyridine groups was prepared. The new macrocycles fixed in cone conformation formed complexes with Cu(I) but with different stoichiometries. Moreover, the crystal structure of an intermediate calixarene was determined by X-ray crystallography.

La nidification de la Cigogne blanche Ciconia ciconia a ete notee pour la premiere fois a l'ile d'Oleron (Charente-Maritime) au printemps 2005.

The low-fidelity DNA polymerases thought to be specialized in DNA damage processing are frequently misregulated in cancers. We show here that DNA polymerase kappa (polκ), prone to replicate across oxidative and aromatic adducts and known to function in nucleotide excision repair (NER), is downregulated in colorectal tumour biopsies. Contrary to the replicative polδ and polα, for which only activating domains were described, we identified an upstream 465-bp-long repressor region in the promoter of POLK. We also found an activating 237-bp region that includes stimulating protein-1 (SP1) and cyclic AMP-responsive element (CRE)-binding sites. Mutations at one CRE-binding site led to a dramatic 80% decrease in promoter activity. Alterations of the SP1-binding site also affected, to a lesser extent, the transcription. Gel shift assays confirmed the role played by CRE/SP1 recognition sequences. Moreover, ectopic expression of SP1 or CRE-binding protein (CREB) protein favoured polκ transcription. Finally, we found that polκ downexpression in colorectal biopsies correlated with a decreased level of CREB and SP1 transcripts. This work shows that the promoter of POLK is cis-controlled and suggests that silencing of CREB and SP1 proteins could contribute to downregulation of this repair polymerase in colorectal tumours.

It is currently widely accepted that genetic instability is key to cancer development. Many types of cancers arise as a consequence of a gradual accumulation of nucleotide aberrations, each mutation conferring growth and/or survival advantage. Genetic instability could also proceed in sudden bursts leading to a more drastic upheaval of structure and organization of the genome. Genetic instability, as an operative force, will produce genetic variants and the greater the instability, the larger the number of variants. We report here that the overexpression of human DNA polymerase kappa, an error-prone enzyme that is up-regulated in lung cancers, induces DNA breaks and stimulates DNA exchanges as well as aneuploidy. Probably as the result of so many perturbations, excess polymerase kappa favors the proliferation Of competent tumor cells as observed in immunodeficient mice. These data suggest that altered regulation of DNA metabolism might be related to cancer-associated genetic changes and phenotype.

A major tolerance mechanism that functions to replicate damaged genomic DNA across lesions that have escaped elimination by repair mechanism is translesion DNA synthesis (TLS). DNA polymerase kappa (Pol kappa), a specialised low-fidelity DNA polymerase which is able to perform DNA synthesis across several damaged bases, is one of the enzymes involved in the process. The mutagenic nature of Pol kappa implies that its expression must be tightly regulated to prevent the formation of excessive genetic disorders along undamaged parts of the genome. Indeed, Pol kappa overexpression, which is notably observed in lung cancer, results not only in increased spontaneous mutagenesis, but also in pleiotropic alterations such as DNA breaks, genetic exchanges and aneuploidy. This review will discuss both aspects of DNA polymerase kappa, which can be considered as a genomic supervisor participating in genome maintenance and when misregulated as a genetic instability enhancer as well.

Le regime alimentaire du Busard des roseaux Circus aeruginosus a ete etudie a partir de 555 pelotes de rejection collectees dans le Marais de Brouage (Charente-Maritime) lors de quatre hivers repartis sur une periode de 17 ans (1985-86/2001-02). Toutes annees confondues, 1074 proies (70 taxons) ont ete denombrees. Les mammiferes sont les plus nombreux (62,6 %); trois rongeurs constituent la moitie des proies. La variation interannuelle la plus importante est l'augmentation du Ragondin Myocastor coypus qui represente actuellement plus du tiers des proies.

p -Tetrakis(phenylazo)-tetra-hydroxythiacalix[4]arene shows complexing properties with neutral molecules. A complex with pyridine was crystallized and the crystal structure determined. The crystals are monoclinic, space group C2/c, a = 49.953(10), b = 21.566(4), c = 23.448(5) Å, β = 105.12(3)°, V = 24386(8) Å 3 , Z = 16. Two macrocycles are positioned in such a way that they form a cavity where two pyridine molecules are encapsulated giving a 2:2 endocomplex. 5.5 other pyridine molecules are trapped between the macrocycles, two of them giving H-bonds with the calixarenes.

Calix[8]arene substituted by styryl groups was prepared by Suzuki and Negishi type cross-coupling reactions respectively via the fully para brominated- and iodinated-octamethoxycalix[8]arene as intermediates. Single X-ray structure of the octabromo-octamethoxycalix[8]arene has been resolved.

An entry from the Cambridge Structural Database, the world’s repository for small molecule crystal structures. The entry contains experimental data from a crystal diffraction study. The deposited dataset for this entry is freely available from the CCDC and typically includes 3D coordinates, cell parameters, space group, experimental conditions and quality measures.

Summary The Tasty Chick Hypothesis (TCH) proposes that hatching asynchrony evolved as an antiparasite strategy. Hosts would benefit if ectoparasites aggregate more on the offspring that are of lowest reproductive value within a brood, i.e. on the last‐hatched chicks, because offspring reproductive value generally decreases with hatching rank. The poor body condition of the later‐hatched chicks would impair parasite resistance and render them especially attractive to ectoparasites. Thus, the TCH predicts a decline in chick parasite load with hatching order in avian broods. We investigated the main assumption of the TCH that junior chicks are less immunocompetent than their senior siblings. We also examine the prediction of the TCH that junior chicks bear more ectoparasites than their senior siblings. Conform to the assumption of the TCH for hosts, junior chicks in broods of the barn owl ( Tyto alba L.) showed a lower humoral immune response than their senior siblings. In contrast, the cell‐mediated immune response of senior chicks in broods of the great tit ( Parus major L.) was not significantly greater than that of their junior siblings. In line with the prediction of the TCH for the distribution of parasites among hosts, the fly Carnus haemapterus Nitzsch infested junior chicks in larger numbers than senior chicks in both barn owl and kestrel ( Falco tinnunculus L.) broods. In conflict with the TCH, ticks ( Ixodes ricinus L.) were distributed randomly with respect to hatching rank in broods of the barn owl and the great tit. Moreover, louse‐flies Crataerina melbae Rondani infested mainly senior chicks instead of junior chicks in the Alpine swift ( Apus melba L.). Summarizing, the present descriptive study indicates that the distribution of ectoparasites within‐broods is not generally governed by rank‐related variation in host defence of chicks as initially suggested by the TCH. We argue that specific aspects of the morphology, life history and ecological requirements of various ectoparasite species need more consideration as to explain the dynamics and evolution of host–parasite interactions.

Abstract C64H80O16, monoclinic, P21 (No. 4), a = 11.534(2) Å, b = 15.352(3) Å, c = 18.568(4) Å, β = 107.09(3)°, V = 3142.7 Å3, Z = 2, Rgt(F) = 0.067, wRref(F2) = 0.15, T = 223 K.

The replication of the undamaged genomic DNA requires error-free DNA polymerases delta and epsilon as part of a protein complex that acts continuously along the double helix. In contrast, when the genomic structure is perturbed, DNA replication needs to function more flexibly to bypass DNA distortions. It has been proposed that the newly discovered error prone DNA polymerases play a role in the replication of irregular structure. Here we report that one of them, the human Polkappa, is mostly localised uniformly in the nucleus of undamaged cells, but could be also concentrated in PCNA-containing replication foci. Following treatment with anti-replicative agents, the proportion of foci-containing cells was increased. These data suggest that Polkappa may function as part of the replication machinery itself and could be recruited when replicative complexes are stalled. Mutagenesis experiments also indicated that Polkappa involvement may affect the accuracy of DNA replication. The results are discussed within the context of the oncogenic process since Polkappa has been found as overexpressed in some cancers.

The synthesis of a new series of chromogenic calix[4]arene derivatives is described. p-Tetrakis(phenylazo)calix[4]arenes substituted with tertiary amide groups at the lower rim were obtained. The O-substitution of 25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy-11,23-bis(phenylazo)calix[4]arene (2) and 25,26,27,28-tetrahydroxy-5,17,11,23-tetrakis(phenylazo)calix[4]arene (3) to provide 26,28-bis{[(diethylamino)carbonyl]methoxyl}-25,27-dihydroxy-11,23-bis(phenylazo)calix[4]arene (4), 26-{[(diethylamino)carbonyl]methoxy}-25,27,28-trihydroxy- 5,11,17,23-tetrakis(phenylazo)calix[4]arene (5), 25,26,27,28-tetrakis{[(dialkylamino)carbonyl]methoxy}-5,11,17,23- tetrakis(phenylazo)calix[4]arene [alkyl = ethyl (6a), methyl (7)] and 26,28-bis{[(diethylamino)carbonyl]methoxy}-25,27-dihydroxy-5,11,17,23-tetrakis(phenylazo)calix[4]arene (8a) have been carried out by treatment of the precursors 2 and 3 with either alpha-chloro-N,N-diethylacetamide or alpha-chloro-N,N-dimethylacetamide. A potassium complex of 8 (8b) was isolated. The structures of these compounds have been studied by NMR spectroscopy. In addition, the conformations have been confirmed by single-crystal X-ray analysis in the cases of tetra-O-substituted azocalix[4]arenes (6a and 7) and bis(O-substituted) azocalix[4]arenes (8a and 8b). The resolved structures of 6a and 7 show 1,3-alternate conformations while the bis (O-substituted) analogues 8 display cone conformations, their packing showing a zigzag chain of molecules for 8a and a dimer for 8b. Moreover, the extraction properties of 6a, 6b and 8a towards different metal ions have been studied by liquid-liquid extraction and atomic absorption spectrometry and found to exhibit K+ selectivity. ((C) Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co, KGaA, 69451 Weinheim, Germany, 2002).