The molecular basis of mutations at the Waxy locus from Amaranthus caudatus L.: evolution of the waxy phenotype in three species of grain amaranth

Polymorphisms at the Waxy locus of Amaranthus caudatus L. collected from a wide range of regions were used to investigate genetic diversity and mutation sites. A comparison of the Waxy locus revealed a very high level of sequence conservation. This result clearly showed low environmental and evolutionary variability in the Waxy gene. We also performed screening to confirm the mutation sites in the coding sequences of all accessions. The results indicate that one insertion in the coding region of Waxy genes was responsible for the change in perisperm starch leading to the waxy phenotype in all accessions of this species, and thus that a single mutation event altered the regulation of the Waxy gene during the domestication of this crop. In addition, phylogenetic analysis showed that waxy phenotypes within each of three species, A. caudatus, A. cruentus and A. hypochondriacus, originated separately or differentiated from nonwaxy phenotypes of each species through a single mutational event (i.e., a frame shift or base substitution). We also compared obvious structural features of the coding sequence of waxy and nonwaxy phenotypes with those of low-amylose phenotypes in A. caudatus. The Waxy coding sequences of low-amylose phenotypes do not show polymorphisms and are identical with those of waxy phenotypes. This could mean that there is another gene that encodes a key enzyme responsible for amylose synthesis as the elementary quantity in tissues other than perisperm in A. caudatus.     

Records ofApristurus herklotsi (Lamniformes,Scyliorhinidae) and discussion of its taxonomic relationships

Additional specimens of the rareApristurus herklotsi are reported, and the characteristic features of this species are discussed.A. herklotsi is concluded to be a distinct species, having a very long snout, a narrow distance between the nostrils, a long caudal fin, a short abdomen, numerous teeth on both jaws, and a low number of monospondylous vertebrae.A. herklotsi appears to be mature at about 44 cm in total length.     

New Plasmid-Mediated Phosphorylation of Gentamicin C in Staphylococcus aureus

A clinical isolate of Staphylococcus aureus resistant to gentamicin, kanamycin and 3′,4′-dideoxykanamycin B contained two enzymes capable of inactivating gentamicin, i.e., an aminoglycoside 2″-phosphotransferase and aminoglycoside acetyltransferase.     

Wiring diagrams of MAPK regulation by MEKK1, 2, and 3.

Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways are activated by a plethora of stimuli. The literature is filled with papers describing the activation of different MAPKs by almost any stimulus or insult imaginable to cells. In this review, we use signal transduction wiring diagrams to illustrate putative upstream regulators for the MAPK kinase kinases, MEKK1, 2, and 3. Targeted gene disruption of MEKK1, 2, or 3 defined phenotypes for each MEKK associated with loss of specific MAPK regulation. Genetic analysis of MEKK function clearly defines specific components of the wiring diagram that require MEKK1, 2, or 3 for physiological responses. We propose that signal transduction network wiring diagrams are valuable tools for hypothesis building and filtering physiologically relevant phenotypic responses from less connected protein relations in the regulation of MAPK pathways.     

Oxygen transfer properties and dimensions of red blood cells in high-altitude camelids,dromedary camel and goat

Summary To estimate the advantage of the small red blood cells (RBC) of high-altitude camelids for O₂ transfer, the kinetics of O₂ uptake into and release from the RBC obtained from llama, vicuña and alpaca were investigated at 37°C with a stopped-flow technique. O₂ transfer conductance of RBC (G) was estimated from the rate of O₂ saturation change and the corresponding O₂ pressure difference between medium and hemoglobin. For comparison, O₂ kinetics for the RBC of a lowaltitude camelid (dromedary camel) and the pygmy goat were determined and previously measured values for human RBC were used. O₂ transfer of RBC was found to be strongly influenced by extracellular diffusion, except with O₂ release into dithionite solutions of sufficiently high concentration (>30 mM). TheG values measured in these standard conditions,G _st (in mmol · min^–1 · Torr^–1 · (ml RBC)^–1) were: high-altitude camelids, 0.58 (averaged for llama, alpaca and vicuña since there were no significant interspecific differences); camel 0.42; goat, 0.42; man, 0.39. The differences can in part be attributed to expected effects of the size and shape of the RBC (volume, surface area, mean thickness), as well as to the intracellular O₂ diffusivity which depends on the concentration of cellular hemoglobin. The highG _st of RBC of highaltitude camelids may be considered to enhance O₂ transfer in lungs and tissues. But the O₂ transfer conductance of blood, , equal toG _st multiplied by hematocrit (in mmol · min^–1 · Torr^–1 · (ml blood)^–1), was only slightly higher as compared to other species: 0.20 (llama, alpaca, vicuña), 0.14 (camel), 0.18 (goat), 0.17 (man).Abbreviations DPG 2,3-diphosphoglycerate - G conductance - Hb hemoglobin - RBC red blood cells - percent saturation of hemoglobin     

Pathochemistry, pathogenesis and enzyme replacement in multiple-sulfatase deficiency

Multiple-sulfatase deficiency (MSD) is now considered to be heterogeneous and could be classified into three or four clinical phenotypes according to the onset of the disease: neonatal, late infantile, juvenile and possibly adult type. Neonatal-type MSD shows severe clinical involvement and practically no arylsulfatase A, B and C activities in cultured skin fibroblasts. Furthermore, arylsulfatase A activity in neonatal-type MSD was not enhanced by the addition of thiosulfate. Therefore, it is distinct from late infantile-type MSD. The degradation of 14C-sulfatide can occur in MSD-cultured skin fibroblasts and was much higher than in late infantile-type MLD. The addition of thiol protease such as leupeptin to cultured MSD skin fibroblasts enhanced arylsulfatase A activity as well as the degradation of 14C-sulfatide. This suggests that the decreased activities of arylsulfatase A is due to an acceleration of the enzyme degradation. Enzyme replacement by the addition of arylsulfatases of different sources (human liver, brain, fungus) was carried out in cultured MSD skin fibroblasts. Human enzymes of arylsulfatase A and B were mostly taken up by MSD cells rather than those of fungus origin. By the exposure to leukocytes to cultured skin fibroblasts, MSD cells corrected arylsulfatase A and B activities.     

Sulfhydryl modification and activation of phenylalanine hydroxylase by dinitrophenyl alkyl disulfide

A new family of asymmetric thiol-disulfide exchange reagents, the dinitrophenyl alkyl disulfides (DNPSSR), was used to modify rat liver phenylalanine hydroxylase. The results indicate that the enzyme has two different types of reactive sulfhydryl (SH) residues per subunit. One SH residue was modified selectively by a DNPSSR having a neutral and hydrophilic alkyl group, and this modification was accompanied by appreciable activation of enzyme; the other SH residue was modified only by an anionic DNPSSR, and this modification did not result in activation. The catalytic properties of phenylalanine hydroxylase activated by DNPSSR were similar to those of the N-ethylmaleimide- (NEM-) modified enzyme, but the process of activation by DNPSSR was quite different from modification with NEM. An analysis of the reaction kinetics of the modification and of catalysis by the modified enzyme suggests that DNPSSR modification causes a change in the subunit interaction leading to a loss of the negative cooperativity normally seen with phenylalanine hydroxylase.     

Heterogeneity of big-big hPRL in hyperprolactinemia

Sera from a patient with macroprolactinoma (case 1) and from a hyperprolactinemic woman with regular menstruation (case 2) were analyzed for prolactin activity by gel filtration using Sephadex G-100, Sephadex G-200 and TSK G3000SW columns. The chromatographic profile by Sephadex G-100 showed that the percentage of immunoreactive big-big hPRL was 10.7% in case 1 and 64.1% in case 2. On Sephadex G-200 and TSK G3000SW columns, the molecular weight of big-big hPRL was estimated to be more than 500,000 daltons (big-big1 hPRL) in case 1 and approximately 250,000-300,000 daltons (big-big2 hPRL) in case 2. Big-big1 hPRL in case 1 was converted to big and little hPRLs when the serum was treated with 2-mercaptoethanol (2-ME), but part of the big-big2 hPRL in case 2 was converted to a larger molecule. Radioactive big-big hPRL generated by mixing labeled hPRL with the serum from case 1 was eluted with the void volume on Sephadex G-100 column and was not converted to the other molecular forms after 2-ME treatment. There were two radioactive big-big hPRL on TSK G3000SW column and these estimated molecular weights were more than 300,000 daltons. The data demonstrated the existence of at least two forms of big-big hPRL in the serum and indicated that radioactive big-big hPRL may be different from these hPRLs in the serum.