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Results show that secretion of aspartic proteinase Sap1p is dependent on a 12 amino acid residue propeptide. However, under conditions of simultaneous culture of Candida albicans carrying mutated and non-mutated propeptide, limited synthesis of the enzyme occurs suggesting that the recombinant enzyme maturation follows a combination of intra-and inter-molecular pathways.

Abstract: Objectives: Our goal was to document song phrases of the white‐handed gibbon (Hylobates lar), an Asian ape that produces elaborate songs, often in well‐coordinated male/female duets. We focused on the male coda, which is produced during vocal turn‐taking with one's mate, and particularly its phrases containing rapid spectral and temporal variation, to investigate if modulation rates resemble those of lip‐smacking in other nonhuman primates and human speech rhythm. Materials and methods: We produced recordings from a large population of wild gibbons. Using terminology consistent with that used to describe vocalizations in other singing species, we analyzed coda phrases, overall coda properties, coda distinctiveness across individuals, and flexibility of phrase production within song bouts. Results: Our song phrase‐level analysis showed that male codas differed between individuals and increase in complexity within song bouts by the addition of the only two male‐specific phrases of the species’ repertoire. These phrases differ from all others of the species and from vocalizations typical of the larger, nonhuman great apes, in that they contain rapid within‐phrase modulation. Their modulation rates (6.82 and 7.34 Hz) are similar to that of lip‐smacking in other nonhuman primates and speech in humans and, like human speech, are produced exclusively during exhalation. One phrase type (trills) contains multiple notes per exhalation, another characteristic similar to speech but not most primate vocalizations. Discussion: Our data highlight the complexity and flexibility of gibbon song, and show that particular phrase features likely arose from sexual selection pressures and possess similarities to human speech rhythm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: White-handed gibbons (Hylobates lar) are small Asian apes known for living in stable territories and producing loud, elaborate vocalizations (songs), often in well-coordinated male/female duets. The female great call, the most conspicuous phrase of the repertoire, has been hypothesized to function in intra-sexual territorial defense. We therefore predicted that characteristics of the great call would correlate with a caller's physical condition, and thus might honestly reflect resource holding potential (RHP). Because measurement of RHP is virtually impossible for wild animals, we used age as a proxy, hypothesizing that great call climaxes are difficult to produce and maintain over time, and that older adults will therefore perform lower quality great calls than young adults. To test this we analyzed the great call climaxes of 15 wild lar gibbon females at Khao Yai National Park, Thailand and 2 captive females at Leo Conservation Center, Greenwich, CT. Results: Findings show that call climaxes correlate with female age, as young animals (n = 8, mean age: 12.9 years) produced climaxes with a higher frequency range (delta F0), maximum F0 frequency and duty cycle than old animals (n = 9, mean age: 29.6 years). A permuted discriminant function analysis also correctly classified calls by age group. During long song bouts the maximum F0 frequency of great call climaxes' also decreased. Additional data support the hypothesis that short high notes, associated with rapid inhalation as an individual catches its breath, reflect increased caller effort. Older females produced more high notes than younger females, but the difference only approached statistical significance, suggesting that calling effort may be similar across different ages. Finally, for the first time in this species, we measured peak intensity of calls in captive females. They were capable of producing climaxes in excess of 100 dB at close range (2.7 m). Conclusions: Age and within-bout differences in the lar gibbon great call climax suggest that call features correlate with physical condition and thus the call may have evolved as an honest signal in the context of intra-sexual territorial defense and possibly also in male mate choice via sexual selection, although further testing of these hypotheses is necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aspergillus fumigatus – Virulenz und Opportunismus?The Interdisciplinary Forum on Aspergillosis, organized by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Hygiene und Mikrobiologie (DGHM) section, Eucaryotic Pathogens, and the Deutschsprachige Mykologische Gesellschaft (DmykG), was held at the Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Germany, 7–8 April 2000. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]