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Phylogeny of Formicidae and position of Ponerinae Bayesian analysis of the combined data set (ALL_DATA) yielded a phylogeny that is broadly congruent with the results of Moreau et al. (2006) and Brady et al. (2006) for subfamily-level relationships within Formicidae (Fig. 2), with strong support for a sister relationship between Leptanillinae and monophyletic poneroid and formicoid groups. The phylogeny differs from these earlier studies primarily in its inclusion of Martialinae, which is inferred as sister to the rest of Formicidae as in Rabeling et al. (2008). A thorough investigation of the sister group of Ponerinae is outside the scope of this study, but Ponerinae was inferred to be sister to a clade consisting of Paraponera (Paraponerinae) + Tatuidris (Agroecomyrmecinae), with strong support in the MrBayes analysis (BPP = 1.00 for entire clade, BPP = 0.99 for Paraponera + Tatuidris) but much lower support in the RAxML bootstrap analysis (BS = 0.42 for the entire clade, BS = 0.43 for Paraponera + Tatuidris). This relationship was inferred by Moreau et al. (2006), and also by Brady et al. (2006) when their analyses included non-ant outgroups. In contrast, the analysis of Rabeling et al. (2008) reconstructed Ponerinae as sister to the formicoid subfamilies, as did the Formicidae-only analysis of Brady et al. (2006) under certain rootings. Given that these latter studies were unable to reject several alternate rootings of the phylogeny of Formicidae, the sister group of Ponerinae remains unresolved pending additional data. Future sampling of additional non-ant vespoid outgroups and leptanillines, and inclusion of additional genes, may provide better resolution of the basal relationships in Formicidae, including a firmer elucidation of the sister group of Ponerinae.

Monophyly of Ponerinae and its tribes and genera The monophyly of Ponerinae was strongly supported by analyses of the ALL_DATA matrix (BPP = 1.00, BS = 0.98; Fig. 3), confirming the results of previous molecular phylogenetic studies with more limited sampling of ponerine taxa (e.g., Moreau et al., 2006; Brady et al., 2006) and confirming predictions from morphological evidence. In his morphological synopsis of Ponerinae, Bolton (2003) noted two synapomorphies for the subfamily: fusion of the toruli to the frontal lobes, and the shape of the outer borders of the frontal lobes, which form ���simple short semicircles or blunt triangles and in full-face view have a distinctly pinched-in appearance posteriorly���. An examination of the inferred phylogeny of Formicidae and the subfamily-level morphological synopses of Bolton (2003) suggest an additional possible synapomorphy for Ponerinae, the loss of tergosternal fusion of the petiole (C. Schmidt and S. Shattuck, in prep), though this trait could conceivably be symplesiomorphic, with repeated evolution of a fused petiole in other poneroid lineages. All current ponerine genera not sampled in this study (Asphinctopone, Belonopelta, Boloponera, Dolioponera, Feroponera, and Promyopias) display these traits and their placements within Ponerinae and Ponerini are not in doubt, so it is highly unlikely that their inclusion in this study would have rendered Ponerinae non-monophyletic. Phylogenetic analysis of the ALL_DATA matrix (Fig. 3) strongly supported the monophyly of Platythyreini (Platythyrea) (BPP = 1.00, BS = 1.00). The status of the genus Eubothroponera as a junior synonym of Platythyrea (Brown, 1952, 1975) is here confirmed with molecular data for the first time: P. t u r n e r i, though never formally included in Eubothroponera despite its obvious close relationship to members of that former genus, is nested within Platythyrea with strong support (monophyly of Platythyrea excluding P. t u r n e r i: BPP Eubothroponera have several morphological traits that differ from most other Platythyrea species, including coarser sculpturing, denser standing pilosity but sparser pubescence, and a relatively low helcium. The latter character approximates the condition found in most Ponerini, but the results of this study imply that low helcia were independently derived in Platythyrea and Ponerini. The monophyly of the diverse tribe Ponerini was not supported in either Bayesian or ML bootstrap analyses (BPP p -value = 0.661). The non-monophyly of Ponerini stems from its inclusion of Thaumatomyrmecini (Thaumatomyrmex), a result also recovered by Brady et al. (2006). The phylogenetic position of Thaumatomyrmex has been unclear due to its bizarre structure (including pitchfork-like mandibles, widely separated frontal lobes, and unusually convex eyes; Kempf, 1975). Bolton (2003) noted that Thaumatomyrmex shares several apomorphies with Ponerini, including vestigial male mandibles and articulation of the petiole low on the anterior face of the first gastral segment, but maintained its separate tribal status. The genus lacks a principal synapomorphy of Ponerini (the narrow insertion of the clypeus between the frontal lobes, and related characters; Bolton, 2003), but this character is highly modified in Thaumatomyrmex, rendering it uninformative about the phylogenetic position of the genus. Morphological data therefore imply at least a sister relationship between Thaumatomyrmex and Ponerini, and are consistent with its placement within Ponerini. The molecular results reported here suggest that Thaumatomyrmex is simply a highly derived member of Ponerini, its strange morphological traits secondarily derived as a result of extreme prey specialization (Brand��o, 1991). Among sequenced taxa, all sampled ponerine genera were strongly inferred to be monophyletic (BPP and BS = 1.00 for all genera except Myopias, for which BPP and BS both = 0.99, and Thaumatomyrmex, for which BS = 0.99) except Pachycondyla and Odontomachus. Pachycondyla was strongly inferred to be non-monophyletic (BPP of monophyletic Pachycondyla p- value Pachycondyla species represent numerous distinct lineages which largely correspond to the boundaries of Pachycondyla ���subgenera,��� though Bothroponera, Mesoponera and Pseudoponera are themselves non-monophyletic (Bothroponera: BPP p - value = 0.768; Mesoponera: BPP p -value Pseudoponera: BPP p -value Pachycondyla is the end product of heavy synonymization at the genus level, due primarily to the work of W. L. Brown, who was in the process of revising ponerine taxonomy at the time of his death. Brown���s formal revision remains unpublished, but his numerous planned synonymizations have been published elsewhere without supporting justification (Brown, 1973; Snelling, 1981; H��lldobler and Wilson, 1990; Bolton, 1994; see also Mackay and Mackay, 2010) and in practice have been generally accepted by the scientific community. The monophyly of Pachycondyla is doubtful even in the absence of molecular data because the genus displays substantial morphological, ecological and behavioral diversity (reviewed in C. Schmidt and S. Shattuck, in prep.), is defined only by morphological symplesiomorphies such as triangular mandibles and paired metatibial spurs, and contains several lineages that show clear morphological similarities to other ponerine genera. This study confirms the extensive non-monophyly of Pachycondyla and stresses the need for a comprehensive taxonomic revision of ponerine genera (provided in C. Schmidt and S. Shattuck, in prep.). Analysis of the ALL_DATA matrix was ambiguous about Odontomachus monophyly, with three resolutions: O. coquereli Roger sister to Anochetus (BPP = 0.58, BS = 0.37), Odontomachus monophyletic (BPP = 0.29, BS = 0.41), or O. coquereli sister to Anochetus + other Odontomachus (BPP = 0.13, BS = 0.22). To further address this question, a preliminary expanded data set was produced which included sequences for six additional Anochetus taxa and 18 additional Odontomachus taxa, plus data for the mitochondrial gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI), but excluding abdA, EF 1 ��F 1, and EF 1 ��F 2 (C. Schmidt, unpublished data). Phylogenetic analyses of these data supported reciprocal monophyly of Odontomachus and Anochetus (results not shown), but some phylogenetically important Anochetus species (such as members of the A. gladiator (Mayr) and A. cato Forel species groups; Brown, 1976, 1978) were not sampled and their inclusion in future phylogenetic analyses could still reveal the nonmonophyly of either genus., Published as part of Schmidt, Chris, 2013, Molecular phylogenetics of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae), pp. 201-250 in Zootaxa 3647 (2) on pages 209-212, DOI: 10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.1, http://zenodo.org/record/28587

Schmidt, Chris (2013): Molecular phylogenetics of ponerine ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Ponerinae). Zootaxa 3647 (2): 201-250, DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.3647.2.1

Doxorubicin is one of the most effective anti-neoplastic agents, particularly against hematologic malignancies including leukemias and lymphomas. Unfortunately, its use is limited by acute and chronic cardiotoxicity. Its major metabolite has been implicated in the pathogenesis of doxorubicin-induced heart failure. The effect of doxorubicinol on myofilaments has not been characterized. The rationale for this study was that doxorubicinol had been shown to accumulate within human cardiac myocytes, depress contractility, and interact with sarcomeric proteins 'in vitro.' We hypothesized that doxorubicinol negatively impacted myofilament activation. Intramyocyte distribution, myofilament binding and effect on myofilament function were evaluated using clinically relevant concentrations. Doxorubicinol exhibited a binding pattern consistent with anisotropic bands, bound actin and myosin in isolated myofilament preparations and depressed myofilament ATPase activity and calcium sensitivity. The ATPase depressive effects were not due to inhibited thick filament strong cross bridge formation; this suggested involvement of the thin filaments in the cardiotoxic mechanism.