0000000000089189
AUTHOR
Ana Rodrigo
Lyophilization of lepidopteran midguts: a preserving method for Bacillus thuringiensis toxin binding studies
Binding assays with brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) from insect midguts are commonly used in the study of the interactions between Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins and their receptors. Collaboration between laboratories often require that frozen insect samples are sent in dry ice. Because of customs restrictions and delays, sample thawing is always a risk and often the biological material becomes ruined during shipping. We have tested lyophilization as an alternative method for preserving insect midguts for binding studies with B. thuringiensis Cry toxins. For this purpose, BBMV were prepared from both frozen and lyophilized midguts from three lepidopteran species: Spodoptera exigua,…
Dinosaur bonebed amber from an original swamp forest soil
AbstractDinosaur bonebeds with amber content, yet scarce, offer a superior wealth and quality of data on ancient terrestrial ecosystems. However, the preserved palaeodiversity and/or taphonomic characteristics of these exceptional localities had hitherto limited their palaeobiological potential. Here we describe the amber from the Lower Cretaceous dinosaur bonebed of Ariño (Teruel, Spain) using a multidisciplinary approach. Amber is found in both a root layer with amber strictly in situ and a litter layer namely composed of aerial pieces unusually rich in bioinclusions, encompassing 11 insect orders, arachnids, and a few plant and vertebrate remains, including a feather. Additional palaeont…