Tryptophan promotes morphological and physiological differentiation in Streptomyces coelicolor.

The molecular mechanisms regulating tryptophan biosynthesis in actinomycetes are poorly understood; similarly, the possible roles of tryptophan in the differentiation program of microorganism life-cycle are still underexplored. To unveil the possible regulatory effect of this amino acid on gene expression, an integrated study based on quantitative teverse transcription-PCR (qRT-PCR) and proteomic approaches was performed on the actinomycete model Streptomyces coelicolor. Comparative analyses on the microorganism growth in a minimal medium with or without tryptophan supplementation showed that biosynthetic trp gene expression in S. coelicolor is not subjected to a negative regulation by the …

The Middle Eastern Genus Ocnerosthenus Massa, 1995 (Insecta Orthoptera: Pamphagidae).

The study of types and other specimens coming from the Middle East and original descriptions allowed us to propose the following conclusions. Five species belong to this genus inhabiting montane areas of Lebanon, Syria and Israel, O. verrucosus (Brunner, 1882), O. brunnerianus (Saussure, 1887), O. simulans (Bolivar, 1911), O. kneuckeri (Krauss, 1909) and O. lividipes (Fishelson, 1985). O. brunnerianus is distributed over the North-West of Syria. Distribution of O. simulans covers the mountains of Central-North Lebanon, O. kneuckeri lives on the mountains of Central-South Lebanon and O. lividipes on Mt. Hermon. Type locality of O. verrucosus is Syria and it seems impossible to locate it more…

New or little known birds for the Republic of Georgia (Eastern Europe)

New species of Platycleis Fieber, 1853 of the subgenus Decorana Zeuner, 1941 in the Nature Reserve of Trapani saltpans (Sicily, Italy) (Insecta Orthoptera Tettigoniidae).