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VAGUE SUPPOSITION. "A combination of the biochemical characteristics of the pathway and the special morphological features of the poison gland" are thought to confer the protection against formic acid in ants and beetles. https://lnkd.in/ehPdgcC View in LinkedIn

RATIO HYPOTHESES. "The toxic effects of formic acid on the secretory cells are apparently avoided by a 20:1 equilibrium at the last step...a carrier system appears to transport formic acid across the membrane of the glandular cells into the glandular lumen." (Page 443). No mention of how toxicity in the poison sac, or on the body and spiracles of the ant during spraying, is avoided. https://lnkd.in/eC6G2BW View in LinkedIn

CHEMICAL NEUTRALIZATION? "Contact of hexadecanol with the venom could convert it partially into formate and acetate. The additional presence of chemicals other than formic acid is important for protection against self-intoxication." https://lnkd.in/e5qesEy View in LinkedIn

FULL GAMMUT. "Associations between bacteria and their accessory elements (viruses, plasmids and transposons) range from antagonistic to mutualistic." https://lnkd.in/eq8c8PC View in LinkedIn

HYPOTHESIS. Formicine ants' "convoluted glands (but not the venom reservoir) invariably contain microgram quantities of hexadecanol, hexadecyl formate and hexadecyl acetate in varying proportions. They also suggested that the molecules involved could possibly form ordered mono-layers of closely packed molecules (Langmuir-Blodgett films), hence inhibiting evaporation and acting as insulators or protecting cells against corrosive venom compounds." https://lnkd.in/e5qesEy View in LinkedIn

SELFISH TO ALTRUISTIC. "Although plasmids seem to behave like selfish genetic elements, they at times also carry metabolic genes and may thus be directly beneficial to future hosts." https://lnkd.in/exyreqd View in LinkedIn

ACID PROTECTION. "The convoluted gland leading to the poison gland of formicine ants is lined with hexadecanol and its formate and acetate, and may protect the gland from formic acid corrosion." https://lnkd.in/e8TW9gg View in LinkedIn

AUTONOMOUS REPLICATION. "Plasmids are DNA molecules that can replicate independently of chromosomal DNA in a cell. This ability allows them to “collect” and move genes, such as through lateral gene transfer, and is a factor that allows prokaryotic genomes to evolve over time." https://lnkd.in/eRhnEZd View in LinkedIn

UNKNOWN MECHANISM. "The tissues of the poison sac and the ejaculatory duct resist the action of such a strong acid and that the mechanism of that resistance is quite unknown." https://lnkd.in/ev_AHuh View in LinkedIn

MOLECULAR REPLICONS. "Bacterial plasmids are nucleotide sequences floating in the cytoplasm of bacteria. These molecules replicate independently from the main chromosomal DNA and are not essential to the survival or replication of their host. Plasmids are thought to be part of the bacterial domain’s mobilome, a sort of genetic commonwealth which most, if not all, bacterial cells can pull from, incorporate and express." https://lnkd.in/e8wKCHY View in LinkedIn