GENETIC CONTROL OF CONIDIATION IN ASPERGILLUS RUGULOSUS

The potential for the production of abundant conidia was suggested when an essentially non-conidial isolate of Aspergillus rugulosus, obtained from dune sand, was grown at 25 C rather than at the usual 37 C. Ultraviolet-light-induced conidial strains were obtained from the original non-conidial isolate. Evidence is presented which suggests that the production of conidia is under the control of a single nuclear gene. The data, with a single exception, suggest that induced conidial mutations represent alterations at the same locus. Crosses with isolates from various localities indicate that the genes controlling conidiation in these strains may be linked to or independent of the genes studied in the original dune-sand isolate. No evidence has been obtained which would suggest involvement of a diffusible substance in the control of conidiation.     

GENETIC CONTROL OF VERY EARLY MAMMALIAN DEVELOPMENT

The overall picture of mammalian preimplantation development is one of complex but integrated molecular activity. As development progresses from the 1 cell stage, blastomeres acquire properties that differ from those of cells of previous stages and eventually differ from one another even at the same stage. The evidence concerning the role of the embryonic genome during this process can be summarized under two headings:
(1) Expression of embryonic genome
(a) Quantitative and qualitative changes in RNA and protein synthesis begin to occur soon after fertilization.
(b) Changes in structural proteins (enzyme activities, transport systems and intercellular junctions) occur throughout early development.
(c) Paternal gene products can be detected as early as the 2-cell stage.
(2) The need for expression of the embryonic genome
(a) Inhibitors of RNA and protein synthesis result in abnormal and lethal development.
(b) Several mutations ( T/t, A^y, Os, c^25H, Om, Ts ) are lethal during early development.
(c) Chromosomal imbalance (monsomy, haploidy, nullisomy) has adverse effects on early development.
Even though studies in vitro on the inhibition of translation indicate that stable maternal messenger RNAs are present in the developing mouse embryo, the evidence outlined in this article strongly supports the belief that embryonic gene expression occurs very early in development (at least by the 2 cell stage) and that this expression is required for normal development.     

STUDIES ON THE GENETIC CONTROL OF RESISTANT SPORANGIUM FORMATION IN ALLOMYCES

The diploid sporophyte of the phycomycetous fungus Allomyces arbuscula bears two types of sporangia: thin-walled, colorless, ephemeral zoosporangia (ZS) and thick-walled, dark-brown, resistant sporangia (RS). Normal wild-type cultures (strain Portugal IE) under standard conditions produce approximately 90% of their total sporangia as RS. These RS give the cultures a dark-brown color. A mutant was induced with UV irradiation in which the ratio of ZS to RS was shifted so that only 20% of the total sporangia are RS. These cultures are a pale, tan color. Hybrids between the mutants and wild-types produce ca. 65% RS and are also intermediate in the color of the culture. Meiotic segregation in the RS of the hybrid sporophytes gives gametophytes half of which when selfed produce mutant sporophytes and half of which produce wild-type sporophytes. The shift from RS to ZS formation is thus considered to be the result of a one-gene mutation at a locus ‘R.’ The haploid gametophytes of wild-type strains have in addition to male and female gametangia a small number (2-4%) of RS. In mutant gametophytes the percent RS has dropped to 0.1-0.2%. The proposed genotypes at the ‘R’ locus in Allomyces arbuscula are: wild-type sporophytes (RR), hybrid sporophytes (Rr), mutant sporophytes (rr), wild-type gametophytes (R) and mutant gametophytes (r).     

CYTODIFFERENTIATION IN THE ROSY MUTANT OF DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

In the rosy mutant of Drosophila melanogaster, two types of autofluorescent cytoplasmic inclusions are found in the cells of the posterior region of the fatbody at the prepupal stage. Bright yellow autofluorescent granules accumulating within larger inclusions clearly demarcate this area of the fatbody which also contains cobalt blue fluorescent globular material. Such inclusions were not noted in the normal Ore-R strain at this stage nor in the series of mutant strains examined other than the rosy² and maroon-like mutants. The pattern of biochemical deviation of the latter two mutants is known to be identical to that of the rosy mutant, and a portion of this mutant upset can be ascribed to the absence of xanthine dehydrogenase. These mutants lack the products of enzyme activity, uric acid and isoxanthopterin, and accumulate their precursors, hypoxanthine and 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine. Chromatographic studies on the fatbody of rosy prepupae have shown that 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine is limited to the posterior region; this correspondence in location as well as color of fluorescence indicates that the cobalt blue auto fluorescent globules in the fatbody contain 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine. In the normal strain, isoxanthopterin was identified in the chromatograms of the posterior region of the fatbody, but it was not obtained from the anterior region of the fatbody. On the other hand, xanthine dehydrogenase activity could be demonstrated throughout the fatbody of the normal strain. The restriction of isoxanthopterin to a certain group of fat cells in the wild type strain and its absence from other fat cells can be explained by the differential distribution of its immediate precursor, 2-amino-4-hydroxypteridine, as displayed in the mutant rosy.     

ESTROGEN-INDUCED CYTODIFFERENTIATION OF THE OVALBUMIN-SECRETING GLANDS OF THE CHICK OVIDUCT

The histological, ultrastructural, and biochemical changes occurring during hormone-induced cytodifferentiation of the ovalbumin-secreting glands in the chick oviduct have been studied. Marked perivascular edema is an initial response of the immature oviduct stroma to diethylstilbestrol administration and is accompanied by an interstitial migration of mononuclear cells. Mitotic activity in the immature mucosal epithelium increases within 24 hr, and glands begin to develop on days 2–4 as budlike invaginations into the subepithelial stroma. An immediate intracellular effect of the hormone is aggregation of previously dispersed ribosomes. Ribosomal zones in the nucleolus gain prominence, and there is a progressive development of rough endoplasmic reticulum in the epithelial cells. Extensive profiles of endoplasmic reticulum are present in the gland cells by day 6. Fine apical progranules appear in the epithelial cells on day 2, and ovalbumin can be measured immunochemically by day 3 at about the same time that new species of nuclear RNA have been identified. Ovalbumin granules form within condensing vacuoles in the Golgi zone and begin to be released into the lumina of the gland acini at about day 6 of the treatment.     

GENETIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL OF GLYCOLIC ACID OXIDASE ACTIVITY IN ECOTYPIC POPULATIONS OF TYPHA LATIFOLIA

Glycolic acid oxidase activity at 25 C in leaf homogenates of ecotypic populations of Typha latifolia varied according to native climate of the population and current growing conditions. Activity of plants grown under warm/short day conditions was positively correlated with maximum summer temperature at the site of population origin. Activity of plants grown under cool/ long day conditions was negatively correlated with length of growing season at the site of origin. Populations from sites characterized by a long growing season are much less susceptible to environmental regulation of enzymic level than populations originating in short growing season sites. Enzyme activity is not a secondary reflection of differentiation at the level of chlorophyll or cofactor concentration. Enzymic differences between ecotypic populations reflect differences in control systems at the level of protein synthesis and genetic structure.     

GENETIC CONTROL OF MITOCHONDRIAL THYMIDINE KINASE IN HUMAN-MOUSE AND MONKEY-MOUSE SOMATIC CELL HYBRIDS

Distinctive thymidine (dT) kinase molecular forms are present in mouse, human, and monkey mitochondria. Disk polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (disk PAGE) analyses have shown that the mitochondrial-specific dT kinases differ from cytosol dT kinases in relative electrophoretic mobilities (Rm). Furthermore, the mouse mitochondrial dT kinase differs in Rm value from primate mitochondrial dT kinases. The mouse and primate cytosol dT kinases can also be distinguished. Disk PAGE analyses have been carried out on the cytosol and mitochondrial dT kinases of human-mouse (WIL-8) and monkey-mouse (mK·CV^III) somatic cell hybrids in order to learn whether the mitochondria of the hybrid cells contained murine mitochondrial-specific, primate mitochondrial-specific, or both dT kinases. WIL-8 cells were derived from cytosol dT kinase-negative, mitochondrial dT kinase-positive mouse fibro blasts and from cytosol dT kinase-positive, mitochondrial dT kinase-positive human embryonic lung cells; they contained mostly mouse chromosomes and a few human chromosomes, including the determinant for human cytosol dT kinase. The mK·CV^III cells were derived from cytosol dT kinase-negative, mitochondrial dT kinase-positive mouse kidney cells and from cytosol dT kinase-positive, mitochondrial dT kinase-positive monkey kidney cells; they contained mostly mouse chromosomes and a few monkey chromosomes, including the determinant for monkey cytosol dT kinase. Disk PAGE analyses demonstrated that the mitochondria of human-mouse and monkey-mouse somatic cell hybrids contained the mouse-specific mitochondrial dT kinase but not the human- or monkey-specific mitochondrial dT kinase. These findings suggest that primate cytosol and mitochondrial thymidine kinase genes are coded on different chromosomes.     

光裸方格星虫野生与养殖群体线粒体控制区序列的遗传差异分析

基于线粒体控制区序列对光裸方格星虫（Sipunculus nudus Linnaeus,1766）的2个养殖群体（营盘YP、竹林ZL）和4个野生群体（防城港FC、钦州QZ、大冠沙DG和越南海防YN）的91个个体进行遗传差异分析,研究光裸方格星虫养殖和野生群体的遗传变异情况。结果显示:获得的514 bp DNA序列中,野生与养殖群体的多态性位点数分别为82和60,均显示出对AT的偏倚性。共定义85个单倍型,共享单倍型4个,其中共享单倍型Hap5为原始单倍型,营盘群体均为独享单倍型。各群体的单倍型多样性（H_d）相同,野生群体的平均核苷酸多样性（P_i）（0.01531）略高于养殖群体（0.01514）,6个群体的遗传多样性水平依次为YN > YP > QZ > FC > ZL > DG。各群体间的遗传分化并不显著（P>0.05）,光裸方格星虫的遗传变异主要来自群体内个体间（99.08%）,同时未发现明显的地理谱系结构。研究表明,光裸方格星虫野生群体的遗传多样性水平总体略高于养殖群体;滩涂底播养殖方式较池塘养殖更利于维持光裸方格星虫遗传多样性;各群体间不存在显著的遗传分化,养殖群体正逐渐积累遗传变异,但尚未足够以形成其独立的遗传结构。     

猪CAST基因的遗传多态性及遗传效应分析

采用PCR—SSCP方法对猪cAST基因遗传多态性进行分析。并研究基因型与肉质性状和背膘厚的相关性。根据猪CAST基因的cDNA序列（M20160）设计7对引物。结果在F1／R1。F6／R6引物对扩增的片段上发现了多态性。并对纯合子进行测序。发现317位A—G突变。2042位G—C突变。基因型在不同猪种分布的多重比较结果表明。长白猪、大白猪和杜洛克猪与沂蒙黑猪和莱芜猪比较差异极显著（P〈0．01）。固定效应模型分析结果表明,嫩度及背膘厚基因型间差异显著（P〈0．05）,而pH值、温度及滴水损失基因型间差异不显著（P〉0．05）。最小二乘分析结果表明,不同猪种比较,屠宰12h和24h后肌肉温度、30min和1h后pH值及滴水损失差异显著（P〈0．05）;BBCC和BBDD单元型个体与其他单元型个体比较肌肉嫩度的差异显著（P〈0．01）。AACC和AADD单元型个体与其他单元型个体比较背膘厚的差异显著（P〈0．01）。因此,推测CAST基因对猪肉品质及背膘厚存在一定的影响。将CAST基因应用于猪育种过程中的标记辅助选择将可以改善猪肉品质。加快猪的育种进程。     

植物激素的基因工程

植物激素的研究,从Went分离生长素开始已有近70年的历史。在这期间,人们相继发现并鉴定出5大类植物激素,对它们的生理作用进行了大量的研究。植物激素所参与的调节过程,包括细胞的伸长和分裂、细胞的分化、器官发育、种子休眠、果实的生长发育、性别分化和衰老等许多方面,几乎包括了植物生长发育的各个生理过程,