DNA polymerase beta is the major dRP lyase involved in repair of oxidative base lesions in DNA by mammalian cell extracts.

The repair of oxidative base lesions in DNA is a coordinated chain of reactions that includes removal of the damaged base, incision of the phosphodiester backbone at the abasic sugar residue, incorporation of an undamaged nucleotide and sealing of the DNA strand break. Although removal of a damaged base in mammalian cells is initiated primarily by a damage-specific DNA glycosylase, several lyases and DNA polymerases may contribute to the later stages of repair. DNA polymerase beta (Pol beta) was implicated recently as the major polymerase involved in repair of oxidative base lesions; however, the identity of the lyase participating in the repair of oxidative lesions is unclear. We studied the mechanism by which mammalian cell extracts process DNA substrates containing a single 8-oxoguanine or 5,6-dihydrouracil at a defined position. We find that, when repair synthesis proceeds through a Pol beta-dependent single nucleotide replacement mechanism, the 5'-deoxyribosephosphate lyase activity of Pol beta is essential for repair of both lesions.     

Microsomal and cytosolic cytochrome P450 mediated benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylation in Pleurotus pulmonarius

Summary Microsomal and soluble fractions of Pleurotus pulmonarius exhibited a reduced carbon monoxide difference spectrum with P450 maxima at 448nm and 450–452nm respectively. Substrate induced Type I spectra were observed on addition of benzo(a)pyrene to both fractions. Benzo(a)pyrene hydroxylation was measured using the aryl hydrocarbon hydroxylase assay and was observed to be P450 dependent as indicated by carbon monoxide inhibition together with the substrate binding characteristics. The activity of the fractions were observed to give K_m of 200mM and 660mM and V_max of 1.25 nmol/min/nmol P450 and 0.57 nmol/min/nmol P450 for the microsomal and cytosolic fractions respectively.     

Out of Africa and back again: nested cladistic analysis of human Y chromosome variation

We surveyed nine diallelic polymorphic sites on the Y chromosomes of 1,544 individuals from Africa, Asia, Europe, Oceania, and the New World. Phylogenetic analyses of these nine sites resulted in a tree for 10 distinct Y haplotypes with a coalescence time of approximately 150,000 years. The 10 haplotypes were unevenly distributed among human populations: 5 were restricted to a particular continent, 2 were shared between Africa and Europe, 1 was present only in the Old World, and 2 were found in all geographic regions surveyed. The ancestral haplotype was limited to African populations. Random permutation procedures revealed statistically significant patterns of geographical structuring of this paternal genetic variation. The results of a nested cladistic analysis indicated that these geographical associations arose through a combination of processes, including restricted, recurrent gene flow (isolation by distance) and range expansions. We inferred that one of the oldest events in the nested cladistic analysis was a range expansion out of Africa which resulted in the complete replacement of Y chromosomes throughout the Old World, a finding consistent with many versions of the Out of Africa Replacement Model. A second and more recent range expansion brought Asian Y chromosomes back to Africa without replacing the indigenous African male gene pool. Thus, the previously observed high levels of Y chromosomal genetic diversity in Africa may be due in part to bidirectional population movements. Finally, a comparison of our results with those from nested cladistic analyses of human mtDNA and beta-globin data revealed different patterns of inferences for males and females concerning the relative roles of population history (range expansions) and population structure (recurrent gene flow), thereby adding a new sex-specific component to models of human evolution.      

Association of 25-Hydroxyvitamin D status and genetic variation in the vitamin D metabolic pathway with FEV1 in the Framingham Heart Study

Background

Vitamin D is associated with lung function in cross-sectional studies, and vitamin D inadequacy is hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Further data are needed to clarify the relation between vitamin D status, genetic variation in vitamin D metabolic genes, and cross-sectional and longitudinal changes in lung function in healthy adults.

Methods

We estimated the association between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and cross-sectional forced expiratory volume in the first second (FEV₁) in Framingham Heart Study (FHS) Offspring and Third Generation participants and the association between serum 25(OH)D and longitudinal change in FEV₁ in Third Generation participants using linear mixed-effects models. Using a gene-based approach, we investigated the association between 241 SNPs in 6 select vitamin D metabolic genes in relation to longitudinal change in FEV₁ in Offspring participants and pursued replication of these findings in a meta-analyzed set of 4 independent cohorts.

Results

We found a positive cross-sectional association between 25(OH)D and FEV₁ in FHS Offspring and Third Generation participants (P = 0.004). There was little or no association between 25(OH)D and longitudinal change in FEV₁ in Third Generation participants (P = 0.97). In Offspring participants, the CYP2R1 gene, hypothesized to influence usual serum 25(OH)D status, was associated with longitudinal change in FEV₁ (gene-based P < 0.05). The most significantly associated SNP from CYP2R1 had a consistent direction of association with FEV₁ in the meta-analyzed set of replication cohorts, but the association did not reach statistical significance thresholds (P = 0.09).

Conclusions

Serum 25(OH)D status was associated with cross-sectional FEV₁, but not longitudinal change in FEV₁. The inconsistent associations may be driven by differences in the groups studied. CYP2R1 demonstrated a gene-based association with longitudinal change in FEV₁ and is a promising candidate gene for further studies.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12931-015-0238-y) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 protects excessive DNA strand breaks from deterioration during repair in human cell extracts

Base excision repair (BER), a major pathway for the removal of simple lesions in DNA, requires the co-ordinated action of several repair and ancillary proteins, the impairment of which can lead to genetic instability. We here address the role of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) in BER. Using an in vitro cross-linking assay, we reveal that PARP-1 is always involved in repair of a uracil-containing oligonucleotide and that it binds to the damaged DNA during the early stages of repair. Inhibition of PARP-1 poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation by 3-aminobenzamide blocks dissociation of PARP-1 from damaged DNA and prevents further repair. We find that excessive poly(ADP-ribosyl)ation occurs when repair intermediates containing single-strand breaks are in excess of the repair capacity of the cell extract, suggesting that repeated binding of PARP-1 to the nicked DNA occurs. We also find increased sensitivity of repair intermediates to nuclease cleavage in PARP-deficient mouse fibroblasts and after depletion of PARP-1 from HeLa whole cell extracts. Our data support the model in which PARP-1 binding to DNA single-strand breaks or repair intermediates plays a protective role when repair is limited.     

Lethal and sub‐lethal impacts of respiratory cryptosporidiosis on Red Grouse,a wild gamebird of economic importance

Respiratory cryptosporidiosis was first diagnosed in Red Grouse Lagopus lagopus scotica, the UK subspecies of Willow Ptarmigan, in 2010. In the next 3 years, respiratory infection by Cryptosporidium baileyi had manifested itself in Grouse on half the moors in northern England and 80% of moors in the North Pennine Hills. In this first account of the impact of respiratory cryptosporidiosis on the population dynamics of a wild bird we fitted 111 diseased and 67 healthy Grouse with radio‐transmitters at two North Pennine moors where disease prevalence averaged 8.1% and monitored their survival and fecundity between autumn 2013 and autumn 2015. Six‐month natural survival rates (excluding shooting) were 0.70 in healthy Grouse, but only 0.44 in diseased females, and 0.22 in diseased males. Some 39% of diseased birds died from their infection, whereas 28% of healthy birds were shot. A similar proportion of each group were killed by predators, either by Stoat Mustela erminea or raptors. Diseased females bred 8 days later than healthy females, but clutch size, egg volume and nesting success did not differ in relation to disease status. Productivity was 43% lower among pairs with a diseased member than in healthy pairs, but appeared impaired only if the female was diseased, not the male. Differences in productivity were related to chick survival rather than the proportion of pairs that reared broods, with chick survival being lower in the 10 days after hatching and again when chicks were 20–50 days old. This latter period was when respiratory infection among chicks was first noticed and the onset of infection may have been a contributing factor to higher mortality during this period. Described levels of respiratory infection reduced the number of birds available to shoot in August by 6%, which represented a mean annual loss of £0.9 million in revenue across managed grouse moors. Likely reductions in shoot economics could escalate should prevalence increase. This disease is a welfare concern and potentially a conservation concern, too, should infection cross to other bird species occupying the same moors.     

Methylated DNA/RNA in Body Fluids as Biomarkers for Lung Cancer

DNA/RNA methylation plays an important role in lung cancer initiation and progression. Liquid biopsy makes use of cells, nucleotides and proteins released from tumor cells into body fluids to help with cancer diagnosis and prognosis. Methylation of circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) has gained increasing attention as biomarkers for lung cancer. Here we briefly introduce the biological basis and detection method of ctDNA methylation, and review various applications of methylated DNA in body fluids in lung cancer screening, diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring and treatment prediction. We also discuss the emerging role of RNA methylation as biomarkers for cancer.     

Enzyme-catalyzed polycondensation reactions for the synthesis of aromatic polycarbonates and polyesters.

Aromatic polymers are widely used in products ranging from optical lenses to milk bottles because of their strength, thermal durability, and high glass transition temperatures. All of the commonly used routes employed to generate aromatic polycarbonates and polyesters generate large amounts of waste as by-products and require high energy input. For these reasons, alternate routes to aromatic polymers which involve either less energy input or less waste generation are being investigated. One such route may be enzymatic. Herein we describe enzyme-catalyzed AA-BB condensation polymerizations to form aromatic polycarbonates and polyesters with six different aromatic diols and molecular weights of up to 5,200 Daltons are generated. In addition, for reactions with benzenedimethanol the enzyme exhibits regioselectivity for parahydroxyls over meta- and orthohydroxyls.