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10-hydroxy-2E-decenoic acid (10HDA) does not promote caste differentiation in Melipona scutellaris stingless bees. Sci Rep 2021; 11:9882. [PMID: 33972627 PMCID: PMC8110752 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89212-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Accepted: 04/16/2021] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
In bees from genus Melipona, differential feeding is not enough to fully explain female polyphenism. In these bees, there is a hypothesis that in addition to the environmental component (food), a genetic component is also involved in caste differentiation. This mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated and may involve epigenetic and metabolic regulation. Here, we verified that the genes encoding histone deacetylases HDAC1 and HDAC4 and histone acetyltransferase KAT2A were expressed at all stages of Melipona scutellaris, with fluctuations between developmental stages and castes. In larvae, the HDAC genes showed the same profile of Juvenile Hormone titers-previous reported-whereas the HAT gene exhibited the opposite profile. We also investigated the larvae and larval food metabolomes, but we did not identify the putative queen-fate inducing compounds, geraniol and 10-hydroxy-2E-decenoic acid (10HDA). Finally, we demonstrated that the histone deacetylase inhibitor 10HDA-the major lipid component of royal jelly and hence a putative regulator of honeybee caste differentiation-was unable to promote differentiation in queens in Melipona scutellaris. Our results suggest that epigenetic and hormonal regulations may act synergistically to drive caste differentiation in Melipona and that 10HDA is not a caste-differentiation factor in Melipona scutellaris.
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Travenzoli NM, Cardoso DC, Werneck HDA, Fernandes-Salomão TM, Tavares MG, Lopes DM. The evolution of haploid chromosome numbers in Meliponini. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0224463. [PMID: 31648276 PMCID: PMC6812824 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0224463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2019] [Accepted: 10/14/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
It is thought that two evolutionary mechanisms gave rise to chromosomal variation in bees: the first one points to polyploidy as the main cause of chromosomal evolution, while the second, Minimum Interaction Theory (MIT), is more frequently used to explain chromosomal changes in Meliponini and suggests that centric fission is responsible for variations in karyotype. However, differences in chromosome number between Meliponini and its sister taxa and in the karyotype patterns of the Melipona genus cannot be explained by MIT, suggesting that other events were involved in chromosomal evolution. Thus, we assembled cytogenetical and molecular information to reconstruct an ancestral chromosome number for Meliponini and its sister group, Bombini, and propose a hypothesis to explain the evolutionary pathways underpinning chromosomal changes in Meliponini. We hypothesize that the common ancestor shared by the Meliponini and Bombini tribes possessed a chromosome number of n = 18. The karyotype with n = 17 chromosomes was maintained in Meliponini, and variations of haploid numbers possibly originated through additional Robertsonian fissions and fusions. Thus, the low chromosome number would not be an ancestral condition, as predicted by MIT. We then conclude that Robertsonian fission and fusions are unlikely to be the cause of chromosomal rearrangements that originated the current karyotypes in Meliponini.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natália Martins Travenzoli
- Laboratório de Citogenética de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, CEP, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Danon Clemes Cardoso
- Laboratório de Genética Evolutiva e de Populações, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, CEP, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Hugo de Azevedo Werneck
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, CEP, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Tânia Maria Fernandes-Salomão
- Laboratório de Genética Evolutiva e de Populações, Departamento de Biodiversidade, Evolução e Meio Ambiente, Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto, CEP, Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Mara Garcia Tavares
- Laboratório de Biologia Molecular de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, CEP, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
| | - Denilce Meneses Lopes
- Laboratório de Citogenética de Insetos, Departamento de Biologia Geral, Universidade Federal de Viçosa, CEP, Viçosa, Minas Gerais, Brazil
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Cardoso-Júnior CAM, Silva RP, Borges NA, de Carvalho WJ, Walter SL, Simões ZLP, Bitondi MMG, Ueira Vieira C, Bonetti AM, Hartfelder K. Methyl farnesoate epoxidase (mfe) gene expression and juvenile hormone titers in the life cycle of a highly eusocial stingless bee, Melipona scutellaris. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2017; 101:185-194. [PMID: 28800885 DOI: 10.1016/j.jinsphys.2017.08.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2017] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
In social insects, juvenile hormone (JH) has acquired novel functions related to caste determination and division of labor among workers, and this is best evidenced in the honey bee. In contrast to honey bees, stingless bees are a much more diverse group of highly eusocial bees, and the genus Melipona has long called special attention due to a proposed genetic mechanism of caste determination. Here, we examined methyl farnesoate epoxidase (mfe) gene expression, encoding an enzyme relevant for the final step in JH biosynthesis, and measured the hemolymph JH titers for all life cycle stages of Melipona scutellaris queens and workers. We confirmed that mfe is exclusively expressed in the corpora allata. The JH titer is high in the second larval instar, drops in the third, and rises again as the larvae enter metamorphosis. During the pupal stage, mfe expression is initialy elevated, but then gradually drops to low levels before adult emergence. No variation was, however, seen in the JH titer. In adult virgin queens, mfe expression and the JH titer are significantly elevated, possibly associated with their reproductive potential. For workers we found that JH titers are lower in foragers than in nurse bees, while mfe expression did not differ. Stingless bees are, thus, distinct from honey bee workers, suggesting that they have maintained the ancestral gonadotropic function for JH. Hence, the physiological circuitries underlying a highly eusocial life style may be variable, even within a monophyletic clade such as the corbiculate bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos Antônio Mendes Cardoso-Júnior
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Renato Pereira Silva
- Departmento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - Naiara Araújo Borges
- Departmento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - Washington João de Carvalho
- Departmento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - S Leal Walter
- Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology, College of Biological Sciences University of California at Davis, One Shields Ave., Davis, CA 95616, USA.
| | - Zilá Luz Paulino Simões
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirãp Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Marcia Maria Gentile Bitondi
- Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirãp Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-901 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
| | - Carlos Ueira Vieira
- Departmento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - Ana Maria Bonetti
- Departmento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Av. Pará 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.
| | - Klaus Hartfelder
- Departamento de Biologia Celular, Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, 14049-900 Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
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Cardoso-Júnior CAM, Fujimura PT, Santos-Júnior CD, Borges NA, Ueira-Vieira C, Hartfelder K, Goulart LR, Bonetti AM. Epigenetic modifications and their relation to caste and sex determination and adult division of labor in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. Genet Mol Biol 2017; 40:61-68. [PMID: 28257527 PMCID: PMC5409779 DOI: 10.1590/1678-4685-gmb-2016-0242] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/31/2016] [Accepted: 01/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Stingless bees of the genus Melipona, have long been considered an
enigmatic case among social insects for their mode of caste determination, where in
addition to larval food type and quantity, the genotype also has a saying, as
proposed over 50 years ago by Warwick E. Kerr. Several attempts have since tried to
test his Mendelian two-loci/two-alleles segregation hypothesis, but only recently a
single gene crucial for sex determination in bees was evidenced to be
sex-specifically spliced and also caste-specifically expressed in a
Melipona species. Since alternative splicing is frequently
associated with epigenetic marks, and the epigenetic status plays a major role in
setting the caste phenotype in the honey bee, we investigated here epigenetic
chromatin modification in the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. We
used an ELISA-based methodology to quantify global methylation status and western
blot assays to reveal histone modifications. The results evidenced DNA
methylation/demethylation events in larvae and pupae, and significant differences in
histone methylation and phosphorylation between newly emerged adult queens and
workers. The epigenetic dynamics seen in this stingless bee species represent a new
facet in the caste determination process in Melipona bees and
suggest a possible mechanism that is likely to link a genotype component to the
larval diet and adult social behavior of these bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carlos A M Cardoso-Júnior
- Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil.,Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Patrícia Tieme Fujimura
- Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | | | - Naiara Araújo Borges
- Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Carlos Ueira-Vieira
- Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Klaus Hartfelder
- Departamento de Biologia Celular e Molecular e Bioagentes Patogênicos, Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto, Universidade de São Paulo, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
| | - Luiz Ricardo Goulart
- Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Bonetti
- Departamento de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
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Koethe S, Bossems J, Dyer AG, Lunau K. Colour is more than hue: preferences for compiled colour traits in the stingless bees Melipona mondury and M. quadrifasciata. J Comp Physiol A Neuroethol Sens Neural Behav Physiol 2016; 202:615-27. [DOI: 10.1007/s00359-016-1115-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2016] [Revised: 07/21/2016] [Accepted: 07/22/2016] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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Pereira UDP, Bonetti AM, Goulart LR, Santos ARD, Oliveira GCD, Cuadros-Orellana S, Ueira-Vieira C. Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Melipona scutellaris, a Brazilian stingless bee. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2015; 27:3387-8. [PMID: 25703850 DOI: 10.3109/19401736.2015.1018233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Melipona scutellaris is a Brazilian stingless bee species and a highly important native pollinator besides its use in rational rearing for honey production. In this study, we present the whole mitochondrial DNA sequence of M. scutellaris from a haploid male. The mitogenome has a size of 14,862 bp and harbors 13 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 2 rRNA genes and 21 tRNA genes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulisses de Padua Pereira
- a Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia , Uberlândia , MG , Brazil .,b Department of Veterinary Preventive Medicine , Londrina State University , Londrina , PR , Brazil
| | - Ana Maria Bonetti
- a Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia , Uberlândia , MG , Brazil
| | - Luiz Ricardo Goulart
- a Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia , Uberlândia , MG , Brazil
| | | | - Guilherme Correa de Oliveira
- d Molecular and Cellular Pathology Laboratory , René Rachou Research Center-Fiocruz , Belo Horizonte , MG , Brazil
| | - Sara Cuadros-Orellana
- d Molecular and Cellular Pathology Laboratory , René Rachou Research Center-Fiocruz , Belo Horizonte , MG , Brazil
| | - Carlos Ueira-Vieira
- a Institute of Genetics and Biochemistry, Federal University of Uberlândia , Uberlândia , MG , Brazil
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Prato M, Soares AEE. Production of Sexuals and Mating Frequency in the Stingless Bee Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) (Hymenoptera, Apidae). NEOTROPICAL ENTOMOLOGY 2013; 42:474-482. [PMID: 23949986 DOI: 10.1007/s13744-013-0154-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2012] [Accepted: 07/04/2013] [Indexed: 06/02/2023]
Abstract
Queen, worker, and male production was studied for 1 year in three queenright colonies of Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille). We sampled brood combs monthly and noticed that the number of brood cells and production of individuals were similar among colonies. Although the production of queens did not vary significantly, the frequencies of workers, males, and the number of cells among the combs varied over time. The production of males was highly seasonal, occurring mostly from February to April, coinciding with the period of intense brood cells production, when colonies produced more males and less workers, resulting in a negative correlation. Although the frequency of queens has not varied in time, the seasonal availability of males affected the mating frequency and the time spent since emergence until fertilization of queens. In the T. angustula colonies studied, the population dynamics was highly seasonal and the mating success depended of male production, according to the season.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Prato
- Lab de Biologia e Genética de Abelhas, Depto Genética, FMRP-USP, Univ de São Paulo, bloco A, Av. Bandeirantes Univ de São Paulo, 3900, 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil.
| | - A E E Soares
- Lab de Biologia e Genética de Abelhas, Depto Genética, FMRP-USP, Univ de São Paulo, bloco A, Av. Bandeirantes Univ de São Paulo, 3900, 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brasil
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de Sousa CS, Serrão JE, Bonetti AM, Amaral IMR, Kerr WE, Maranhão AQ, Ueira-Vieira C. Insights into the Melipona scutellaris (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) fat body transcriptome. Genet Mol Biol 2013; 36:292-7. [PMID: 23885214 PMCID: PMC3715298 DOI: 10.1590/s1415-47572013000200022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2012] [Accepted: 03/11/2013] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The insect fat body is a multifunctional organ analogous to the vertebrate liver. The fat body is involved in the metabolism of juvenile hormone, regulation of environmental stress, production of immunity regulator-like proteins in cells and protein storage. However, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved in fat body physiology in stingless bees. In this study, we analyzed the transcriptome of the fat body from the stingless bee Melipona scutellaris. In silico analysis of a set of cDNA library sequences yielded 1728 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) and 997 high-quality sequences that were assembled into 29 contigs and 117 singlets. The BLAST X tool showed that 86% of the ESTs shared similarity with Apis mellifera (honeybee) genes. The M. scutellaris fat body ESTs encoded proteins with roles in numerous physiological processes, including anti-oxidation, phosphorylation, metabolism, detoxification, transmembrane transport, intracellular transport, cell proliferation, protein hydrolysis and protein synthesis. This is the first report to describe a transcriptomic analysis of specific organs of M. scutellaris. Our findings provide new insights into the physiological role of the fat body in stingless bees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Soares de Sousa
- Laboratório de Genética, Instituto de Genética e Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, Uberlândia, MG, Brazil
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Maternity of replacement queens in the thelytokous Cape honey bee Apis mellifera capensis. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0872-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Pinto LZ, Hartfelder K, Bitondi MMG, Simões ZL. Ecdysteroid titers in pupae of highly social bees relate to distinct modes of caste development. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2002; 48:783-790. [PMID: 12770056 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-1910(02)00103-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Modifications in endocrine programs are common mechanisms that generate alternative phenotypes. In order to understand how such changes may have evolved, we analyzed the pupal ecdysteroid titers in two closely related, highly social bees: the honey bee, Apis mellifera, and a stingless bee, Melipona quadrifasciata. In both species, the ecdysteroid titers in queens reached their peak levels earlier than in workers. Titer levels at peak maxima did not differ for the honey bee castes, but in Melipona they were twofold higher in queens than in workers. During the second half of pupal development, when the ecdysteroid titers decrease and the cuticle progressively melanizes, the titer in honey bee queens remained higher than in workers, while the reverse situation was observed in Melipona. Application of the juvenile hormone analog Pyriproxyfen((R)) to spinning-stage larvae of Melipona induced queen development. Endocrinologically this was manifest in a queen-like profile of the pupal ecdysteroid titer. Comparing these data with previous results on preimaginal hormone titers in another stingless bee, we conclude that the timing and height of the pupal ecdysteroid peak may depend on the nature of the specific stimuli that initially trigger diverging queen/worker development. In contrast, the interspecific differences in the late pupal ecdysteroid titer profiles mainly seem to be related to caste-specific programs in tissue differentiation, including cuticle pigmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Z. Pinto
- Departamento de Genética, FMRP-Universidade de São Paulo, Av. Bandeirantes 3900, 14040-900, SP, Ribeirão Preto, Brazil
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Elekonich MM. Organizational and activational effects of hormones on insect behavior. JOURNAL OF INSECT PHYSIOLOGY 2000; 46:1509-1515. [PMID: 10980296 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-1910(00)00101-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
The concepts of hormone organization and activation provide a framework for thinking about the influence of hormones on development, brain, and behavior in vertebrates. There is good evidence for activational effects of hormones on the nervous system and behavior in insects, but organizational effects are almost never discussed in the insect literature. This paper explores the utility of the concepts of hormonal organization and activation of behavior in insects. We describe the two concepts as developed from studies of vertebrates, review some insect examples that appear to fit this classification scheme, and consider how explicit use of the concept of organization might benefit studies of the insect brain and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- MM Elekonich
- Department of Psychology and Department of Entomology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 320 Morrill Hall, MC118, 500 S Goodwin, IL 61801, Urbana, USA
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da Silva DL, Zucchi R, Kerr WE. Biological and behavioural aspects of the reproduction in some species of Melipona (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponinae). Anim Behav 1972; 20:123-32. [PMID: 4664920 DOI: 10.1016/s0003-3472(72)80182-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
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