The molecular organization of the beta-globin complex of the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus

Recombinant DNA clones have been isolated that contain 80 kb of the beta-globin complex from the deer mouse, Peromyscus maniculatus. Comparisons of this complex with that from the laboratory mouse, Mus domesticus (with an order 5'-Hbby, Hbb-bhO, Hbb-bhl, Hbb-bh2, Hbb-bh3, Hbb-bl, Hbb-b2 3') highlight organizational trends in the beta-globin complex since the two species diverged. Unlike other mammals studied thus far, the deer mouse possesses three adult genes. Partial sequence analysis indicates that each of the three adult genes is intact and hence may be functional. Hybridization of one of the two Mus pseudogenes, Hbb-bh3, to genomic blots from Peromyscus reveals that it has a homologous counterpart in Peromyscus. Homologous genes to the two gamma-like Mus genes, Hbb-bhO and Hbb-bhl, are also found in Peromyscus. The strong hybridization between the Hbb-bhl genes and significant nucleotide similarity between the Hbb-bhO genes suggest that both pairs are important for the ontogeny of these mice although no known product has been identified for the Hbb-bhO genes. The presence of Hbb-bhO and Hbb-bhl in Peromyscus suggests that the duplication that created this related gene set occurred before the two lineages diverged. A single gene for Hbb-y has been isolated from Peromyscus. The adult region in Peromyscus has undergone significant divergence from the same region in Mus, having three rather than two adult genes, the acquisition of at least 15 kb of extra DNA relative to Mus, and possibly the loss of the Hbb-bh2 pseudogene. The nonadult region of the complex, in contrast, contains the same set of genes apparently distributed over the same amount of DNA as in the Mus beta- globin complex. This observation suggests that the embryonic region of the complex is more evolutionarily stable than the adult region.      

Complications following silicone injections for augmentation of the contours of the face

We report 5 patients who have had severe inflammatory reactions following the injection of liquid silicone for augmentation of the facial contour. We offer an approach to the treatment of this complication which, although not resulting in complete resolution, has at least markedly ameliorated these patients' signs and symptoms.     

Uses of the rectus femoris myocutaneous flap.

The rectus femoris myocutaneous flap is quite useful for definitive immediate coverage of complex wounds within its territorial arc. We describe 4 cases to illustrate the capabilities of this flap. The indications for, the anatomy of, and the surgical technique for transfer, as well as the functional sequelae in two nonparaplegic patients are discussed.     

Cloning and expression of the uracil–DNA glycosylase inhibitor (UGI) from bacteriophage PBS-1 and crystallization of a uracil–DNA glycosylase–UGI complex

The uracil-DNA glycosylase inhibitory protein (UGI) from the bacterio-phage PBS-l has been cloned and overexpressed. The nucleotide sequence is identical to that for the previously described PBS-2 inhibitor. The recombinant PBS-l UGI inhibits the uracil-DNA glycosylase from herpes simplex virus type-l (HSV-l UDGase), and a complex between the HSV-l UDGase and PBS-l UGI has been crystallized. The crystals have unit cell dimensions a = 143.21 Å, c = 40.78 Å and are in a polar hexagonal space group. There is a single complex in the asymmetric unit with a solvent content of 62% by volume and the crystals diffract to 2.5Å on a synchrotron radiation source. © 1995 Wiley-Liss, Inc.