Molecular Reclassification of Crohn’s Disease: A Cautionary Note on Population Stratification

Complex human diseases commonly differ in their phenotypic characteristics, e.g., Crohn’s disease (CD) patients are heterogeneous with regard to disease location and disease extent. The genetic susceptibility to Crohn’s disease is widely acknowledged and has been demonstrated by identification of over 100 CD associated genetic loci. However, relating CD subphenotypes to disease susceptible loci has proven to be a difficult task. In this paper we discuss the use of cluster analysis on genetic markers to identify genetic-based subgroups while taking into account possible confounding by population stratification. We show that it is highly relevant to consider the confounding nature of population stratification in order to avoid that detected clusters are strongly related to population groups instead of disease-specific groups. Therefore, we explain the use of principal components to correct for population stratification while clustering affected individuals into genetic-based subgroups. The principal components are obtained using 30 ancestry informative markers (AIM), and the first two PCs are determined to discriminate between continental origins of the affected individuals. Genotypes on 51 CD associated single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are used to perform latent class analysis, hierarchical and Partitioning Around Medoids (PAM) cluster analysis within a sample of affected individuals with and without the use of principal components to adjust for population stratification. It is seen that without correction for population stratification clusters seem to be influenced by population stratification while with correction clusters are unrelated to continental origin of individuals.     

Plasmid stability in immobilized and free recombinant Escherichia coli JM105(pKK223-200): importance of oxygen diffusion, growth rate, and plasmid copy number

Stability of the plasmid pKK223-200 in Escherichia coli JM105 was studied for both free and immobilized cells during continuous culture. The relationship between plasmid copy number, xylanase activity, which was coded for by the plasmid, and growth rate and culture conditions involved complex interactions which determined the plasmid stability. Generally, the plasmid stability was enhanced in cultured immobilized cells compared with free-cell cultures. This stability was associated with modified plasmid copy number, depending on the media used. Hypotheses are presented concerning the different plasmid instability kinetics observed in free-cell cultures which involve the antagonistic effects of plasmid copy number and plasmid presence on the plasmid-bearing/plasmid-free cell growth rate ratio. Both diffusional limitation in carrageenan gel beads, which is described in Theoretical Analysis of Immobilized-Cell Growth, and compartmentalized growth of immobilized cells are proposed to explain plasmid stability in immobilized cells.     

Identification of dexamethasone-binding sites on male-rat liver plasma membranes by affinity labelling.

Binding studies with [3H]dexamethasone identified two binding sites on plasma membranes prepared from the male rat liver, a low-capacity site with a KD of 7.0 nM and a higher-capacity site with a KD of 90.1 nM. Both sites exhibited glucocorticoid responsiveness and specificity for glucocorticoids and progestins. Triamcinolone acetonide, which competes well for the binding of dexamethasone to the cytosolic glucocorticoid receptor, did not compete well for the binding of [3H]dexamethasone to the plasma-membrane binding sites. The binding sites were sensitive to protease and neuraminidase treatment, and resistant to extraction with NaCl, but were extracted with the detergent Triton X-100. As these experiments indicated the presence of plasma-membrane protein components which bind glucocorticoids at physiological concentrations, affinity-labelling experiments with dexamethasone mesylate were conducted. Two peptides were specifically labelled, one at approx. Mr 66,000 and one at Mr 45,000. The Mr-66,000 peptide was not sensitive to glucocorticoids, and was extracted by NaCl, and so did not correspond to either of the sites identified in the dexamethasone-binding studies. The Mr-45,000 entity, on the other hand, resembled the dexamethasone-binding sites in its response to glucocorticoid manipulation of the animal and in its resistance to salt extraction. This peptide was not present in rat serum. Thus we have identified a plasma-membrane peptide which binds dexamethasone. Whether this peptide is involved in transport of the glucocorticoid across the plasma membrane remains to be determined.     

Cytoplasmic Poly(ADP-Ribose) Polymerase Associated with Free Messenger Ribonucleoprotein Particles in Rat Brain

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase associated with free cytoplasmic messenger ribonucleoprotein particles (free mRNP particles) carrying messenger RNA has been characterized in rat brain. There were first-order kinetics for NAD with an apparent Km for NAD of 90.5 +/- 0.70 microM and Vmax of 19.7 +/- 2.8 pmol ADP-ribose incorporated min-1 mg protein-1. Five poly(ADP-ribose) protein acceptors were identified in the Mr 37,000-120,000 range. It is hypothesized that ADP-ribosylation of specific free mRNP proteins might play a role in the derepression and translation of the silent mRNAs of free mRNP particles.     

The separation of the α-chains of collagen by free-flow electrophoresis

1. The separation of the alpha-components of codfish-skin and calf-skin collagen from the higher-molecular-weight components was accomplished by gel filtration with Bio-Gel P-300 resin in 5m-lithium chloride and at pH7.4. 2. From this fraction three distinct alpha-components, corresponding to the alpha1-, alpha2- and alpha3- chains of collagen, were isolated by free-flow electrophoresis in 6m-urea at 4 degrees . At the temperatures and pH values used there was no detectable degradation of the alpha-chains.     

小麦芽依赖于DNA的RNA聚合酶Ⅱ不能转录绒毛烟斑驳病毒及其拟病毒

小麦芽经过匀浆、沉淀、高速及超速离心、透析以及DE_(52)离子交换层析等步骤,纯化小麦芽依赖于DNA的RNA聚合酶。用α-鹅膏蕈碱抑制试验,证明得到RNA聚合酶Ⅱ。用此聚合酶Ⅱ组建的体外转录体系的研究结果表明,绒毛烟斑驳病毒的拟病毒和卫星RNA(黄瓜花叶病毒相关RNA_3)都不能利用该体系进行转录,类病毒PSTV可进行转录,但转录效率明显低于小牛胸腺DNA;α-鹅膏簟碱可抑制类病毒的转录。绒毛烟斑驳病毒拟病毒和卫星RNA都不能被转录,表明他们的复制方法与类病毒不同。     

毛鹃‘紫萼’秋梢花芽发育的研究

本研究首次发现了毛鹃花芽分化过程中的一个特殊现象──秋季侧花芽伸长生长现象。并认为充足的光照,适宜的气温（２５°─２６℃）及充沛的降水伴随较高的空气相对湿度是导致这种花芽伸长生长的主要环境因子。也进一步证实了毛鹃是一类较喜阳生生境的灌木花卉。     

印度木薯花叶病毒DNA在寄主植物中可能存在的形式

从印度木薯花叶病毒（ＩＣＭＶ）侵染的植物中纯化特异的核酸,经ＲＮＡａｓｅ,ＤＮＡａｓｃ,Ｎｕｃｌｅ－ａｓｅＳｌ,ＥｘｏｎｕｃｌｅａｓｅⅢ和ＥｃｏＲＩ酶切,Ｓｏｕｔｈｅｒｎ和Ｄｏｔｂｌｏｔｓ杂交证实,在感病的植株中,存在两种形式的病毒核酸：环状双链ＤＮＡ和环状单链ＤＮＡ,后者可能是病毒ＤＮＡ的（－）链,环状双链ＤＮＡ经限制性内切酶作用可得２．７ｋｂ的线性双链ＤＮＡ纯化的病毒核酸含ＤＮＡ１和ＤＮＡ２两个分子量相近的组份。