Multiple quantitative trait locus analysis of bovine chromosome 6 in the Israeli Holstein population by a daughter design

Nine Israeli Holstein sire families with 2978 daughters were analyzed for quantitative trait loci effects on chromosome 6 for five milk production traits by a daughter design. All animals were genotyped for 2 markers. The three families with significant effects were genotyped for up to 10 additional markers spanning positions 0-122 cM of BTA6. Two sires were segregating for a locus affecting protein and fat percentage near position 55 cM with an estimated substitution effect of 0.18% protein, which is equivalent to one phenotypic standard deviation. This locus was localized to a confidence interval of 4 cM. One of these sires was also heterozygous for a locus affecting milk, fat, and protein production near the centromere. The hypothesis of two segregating loci was verified by multiple regression analysis. A third sire was heterozygous for a locus affecting milk and protein percentage near the telomeric end of the chromosome. Possible candidates for the major quantitative gene near position 55 cM were determined by comparative mapping. IBSP and SSP1 were used as anchors for the orthologous region on human chromosome 4. Twelve genes were detected within a 2-Mbp sequence. None of these genes have been previously associated with lactogenesis.     

Feedback inhibition of the unfolded protein response by GADD34-mediated dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha

Phosphorylation of the alpha subunit of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha) on serine 51 integrates general translation repression with activation of stress-inducible genes such as ATF4, CHOP, and BiP in the unfolded protein response. We sought to identify new genes active in this phospho-eIF2alpha-dependent signaling pathway by screening a library of recombinant retroviruses for clones that inhibit the expression of a CHOP::GFP reporter. A retrovirus encoding the COOH terminus of growth arrest and DNA damage gene (GADD)34, also known as MYD116 (Fornace, A.J., D.W. Neibert, M.C. Hollander, J.D. Luethy, M. Papathanasiou, J. Fragoli, and N.J. Holbrook. 1989. Mol. Cell. Biol. 9:4196-4203; Lord K.A., B. Hoffman-Lieberman, and D.A. Lieberman. 1990. Nucleic Acid Res. 18:2823), was isolated and found to attenuate CHOP (also known as GADD153) activation by both protein malfolding in the endoplasmic reticulum, and amino acid deprivation. Despite normal activity of the cognate stress-inducible eIF2alpha kinases PERK (also known as PEK) and GCN2, phospho-eIF2alpha levels were markedly diminished in GADD34-overexpressing cells. GADD34 formed a complex with the catalytic subunit of protein phosphatase 1 (PP1c) that specifically promoted the dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha in vitro. Mutations that interfered with the interaction with PP1c prevented the dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha and blocked attenuation of CHOP by GADD34. Expression of GADD34 is stress dependent, and was absent in PERK(-)/- and GCN2(-)/- cells. These findings implicate GADD34-mediated dephosphorylation of eIF2alpha in a negative feedback loop that inhibits stress-induced gene expression, and that might promote recovery from translational inhibition in the unfolded protein response.     

Purification and properties of pyrophosphatase of Acinetobacter johnsonii 210A and its involvement in the degradation of polyphosphate

Inorganic pyrophosphatase (E.C. 3.6.1.1) of Acinetobacter johnsonii210A was purified 200-fold to apparent homogeneity. The enzyme catalyzedthe hydrolysis of inorganic pyrophosphate and triphosphate to orthophosphate.No activity was observed with other polyphosphates and a wide variety oforganic phosphate esters. The molecular mass of the enzyme was estimatedto be 141 kDa by gelfiltration. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gelelectrophoresis indicated a subunit composition of six identical polypeptideswith a molecular mass of 23 kDa. The cation Mg² was required foractivity, the activity with Mn², Co² and Zn² was 48, 48 and 182% of the activity observed with Mg², respectively. The enzyme was heat-stable and inhibited by fluoride and iodoacetamide. The analysis of the kinetic properties of the enzyme revealed an apparent K_m for pyrophosphate of 0.26 mM. In A. johnsonii 210A, pyrophosphatase may be involved in the degradation of high-molecular polyphosphates under anaerobic conditions: (i) it catalyses the further hydrolysis of pyrophosphate and triphosphate formed from high-molecular weight polyphosphates by the action of exopolyphosphatase, and (ii) it abolishes the inhibition of polyphosphate: AMP phosphotransferase-mediated degradation by pyrophosphate and triphosphate.     

Translational repression mediates activation of nuclear factor kappa B by phosphorylated translation initiation factor 2

Numerous stressful conditions activate kinases that phosphorylate the alpha subunit of translation initiation factor 2 (eIF2alpha), thus attenuating mRNA translation and activating a gene expression program known as the integrated stress response. It has been noted that conditions associated with eIF2alpha phosphorylation, notably accumulation of unfolded proteins in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), or ER stress, are also associated with activation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kappaB) and that eIF2alpha phosphorylation is required for NF-kappaB activation by ER stress. We have used a pharmacologically activable version of pancreatic ER kinase (PERK, an ER stress-responsive eIF2alpha kinase) to uncouple eIF2alpha phosphorylation from stress and found that phosphorylation of eIF2alpha is both necessary and sufficient to activate both NF-kappaB DNA binding and an NF-kappaB reporter gene. eIF2alpha phosphorylation-dependent NF-kappaB activation correlated with decreased levels of the inhibitor IkappaBalpha protein. Unlike canonical signaling pathways that promote IkappaBalpha phosphorylation and degradation, eIF2alpha phosphorylation did not increase phosphorylated IkappaBalpha levels or affect the stability of the protein. Pulse-chase labeling experiments indicate instead that repression of IkappaBalpha translation plays an important role in NF-kappaB activation in cells experiencing high levels of eIF2alpha phosphorylation. These studies suggest a direct role for eIF2alpha phosphorylation-dependent translational control in activating NF-kappaB during ER stress.     

Elapsed time from breast cancer detection to first adjuvant therapy in a Canadian province, 1999–2000

BackgroundA number of studies have examined time intervals between care steps in breast cancer diagnosis and treatment. The objective of this study was to document the elapsed time from first clinical or mammographic detection of breast abnormality to initiation of first adjuvant therapy in women with invasive breast cancer in Nova Scotia and to examine the effect of age, disease stage and place of residence on these intervals.MethodsAll dates were abstracted from patient charts and the Oncology Patient Information System. Eligible women were those with invasive breast cancer detected by Sept. 1, 1999, who were referred to 1 of 2 provincial cancer treatment centres by Sept. 1, 2000. All time intervals were calculated in days, and only patients experiencing both care events defining an interval were included in the analysis of time to event for that interval. We used proportional hazards regression analysis to evaluate the influence of patient age, disease stage and place of residence on times between care events.ResultsA total of 776 new diagnoses of breast cancer were reported to the Nova Scotia Cancer Registry over the study period. Of the 776, 467 met the inclusion criteria, and 364 patients were eligible for analysis. The overall median time from clinical or mammographic detection of breast cancer to initiation of first adjuvant therapy was 91 days (interquartile range 72–123 days). Disease stage was the strongest predictor of elapsed time: the median interval from disease detection to initiation of first adjuvant therapy for patients with stage I disease was 118 days, as compared with 85 days for those with stage II disease and 75 days for those with stage III disease (adjusted hazard ratio [HR] 2.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.6–2.8). Patients aged 70 years or more at diagnosis experienced longer elapsed times (median interval 98 days) than did younger patients (93 days for those aged 50–69 years and 82 days for those aged 49 years or less) (adjusted HR 1.6, 95% CI 1.1–2.4).InterpretationWomen aged 70 or more and those with stage I breast cancer experienced longer elapsed times from disease detection to initiation of first adjuvant therapy than did younger women and those with more advanced disease. These findings may have implications for the design of interventions to minimize intervals between steps in breast cancer care and should be validated within the Canadian context. Future investigation exploring the full spectrum of breast cancer care may lead to a more complete understanding of processes and gaps in the current system.Time intervals for isolated care steps in the diagnosis and management of breast cancer have been evaluated in a number of publications from Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom. These studies have focused on time to first surgical intervention,¹ time to pathological confirmation of invasive disease² or a composite interval spanning onset of symptoms to initiation of first treatment, which, in the vast majority of cases, is surgical intervention.^3,4,5,6 The spectrum of care for potentially curable breast cancer, however, extends from initial detection to completion of all adjuvant therapies and has become increasingly complex and multidisciplinary. Patients interact with a sequence of various health care professionals and undergo a series of procedures at various medical facilities or in different areas of a large hospital. Most patients are referred for 1 or more adjuvant therapies (radiation, chemotherapy or hormonal therapy), all of which have been shown to reduce the risk of locally recurrent or metastatic disease and to improve overall survival in appropriately selected patients.^7,8,9 Although the time from referral to initiation of adjuvant therapy is a critical component in breast cancer care, it has not been included in previous analyses of elapsed times in breast cancer care.The first objective of our study was to document elapsed times from date of mammographic or clinical detection of breast abnormality to initiation of first adjuvant therapy for women with invasive breast cancer. Our second objective was to examine the influence of age, disease stage and place of residence at the time of diagnosis on this elapsed time.     

Tissue-specific differences in activation of atypical protein kinase C and protein kinase B in muscle, liver, and adipocytes of insulin receptor substrate-1 knockout mice

Insulin receptor substrates (IRSs) 1 and 2 are postulated to control the activation of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)-dependent signaling factors, namely, atypical protein kinase C (aPKC) and protein kinase B (PKB)/Akt, which mediate metabolic effects of insulin. However, it is uncertain whether aPKC and PKB are activated together or differentially in response to IRS-1 and IRS-2 activation in insulin-sensitive tissues. Presently, we examined insulin activation of aPKC and PKB in vastus lateralis muscle, adipocytes, and liver in wild-type and IRS-1 knockout mice, and observed striking tissue-specific differences. In muscle of IRS-1 knockout mice, the activation of both aPKC and PKB was markedly diminished. In marked contrast, only aPKC activation was diminished in adipocytes, and only PKB activation was diminished in liver. These results suggest that IRS-1 is required for: 1) activation of both aPKC and PKB in muscle; 2) aPKC, but not PKB, activation in adipocytes; and 3) PKB, but not aPKC, activation in liver. Presumably, IRS-2 or other PI3K activators account for the normal activation of aPKC in liver and PKB in adipocytes of IRS-1 knockout mice. These complexities in aPKC and PKB activation may be relevant to metabolic abnormalities seen in tissues in which IRS-1 or IRS-2 is specifically or predominantly down-regulated.     

Spontaneous neural activity is required for the establishment and maintenance of the olfactory sensory map

We have developed a genetic approach to examine the role of spontaneous activity and synaptic release in the establishment and maintenance of an olfactory sensory map. Conditional expression of tetanus toxin light chain, a molecule that inhibits synaptic release, does not perturb targeting during development, but neurons that express this molecule in a competitive environment fail to maintain appropriate synaptic connections and disappear. Overexpression of the inward rectifying potassium channel, Kir2.1, diminishes the excitability of sensory neurons and more severely disrupts the formation of an olfactory map. These studies suggest that spontaneous neural activity is required for the establishment and maintenance of the precise connectivity inherent in an olfactory sensory map.     

Effect of feeding program during rearing and age at first insemination on performances during subsequent reproduction in young rabbit does

An experiment was performed to study the effect of the feeding program and age at first mating on body growth, feed intake, reproductive performance, and culling of rabbit does over three parities, using 155 does of a strain of New Zealand white rabbits. Three treatments were applied. Ad libitum feeding until first insemination at 14.5 wk (AL-14.5) or 17.5 wk of age (AL-17.5), and restrictive feeding from five wk of age until first insemination at 17.5 wk of age (R-17.5). At first insemination, the BW of AL-14.5 and R-17.5 was similar (3 907 vs. 3 791 +/- 46 g, respectively), whereas AL-17.5 does were heavier (4 390 +/- 46 g, P < 0.001). During reproduction, performance of AL-17.5 was not improved compared to AL-14.5 and R-17.5 does. Al-17.5 does showed a lower feed intake during the first gestation (-25%) and first parity (-10%) than R- 17.5, resulting in weight loss (-6%) during the first gestation and decreased litter weights (-19%) and litter growth (-14%) in the first parity. Extended first mating by three wk (17.5 vs. 14.5 wk) but similar BW at first mating did not affect feed intake and BW development during the first three parities. However, the number of live born kits and weight at first kindling, and litter growth in the first parity were improved in R-17.5 (+23%, +18%, and +14%, respectively). Reproductive performance can be improved by restricted feeding during rearing and extended first insemination to 17.5 wk of age. However, the culling rate was not affected by the rearing strategy.