Chromosome cohesion: a polymerase for chromosome bridges

How do cells ensure that sister chromatids produced during DNA replication stay connected with each other until their separation in anaphase? New insight is provided by the discovery of DNA polymerase kappa, which has been found to be required for building the connections between sister chromatids.     

A new Sparassis species from Spain described using morphological and molecular data

Sparassis miniensis, collected in Pinus pinaster forests in Galicia (northwest Iberian Peninsula) is described as a new species, based on morphological and molecular data. Sparassis miniensis is morphologically distinct from all other species in the genus Sparassis based on scattered flabellae, which are strongly laciniated, azonate, and arise from an orange to rose-purplish base. The sporadic presence of clamp connections is restricted to subhymenial hyphae. Molecular data from LSU-rDNA, ITS and partial gene coding RNA polymerase subunit II (rpb2) suggest a close relationship between the new species S. miniensis and S. brevipes, another European species producing large fruiting bodies but with entire flabellae and no clamp connections.     

Self-protection and survival of arbovirus-infected mosquito cells

Arboviruses are serious pathogens for men but cause little damage to their arthropod vectors. We have studied how a mosquito cell line derived from one of the relevant vectors for arboviruses responds to Bunyamwera virus, a well-characterized arbovirus. Confocal, live cell microscopy and electron microscopy showed that Bunyamwera virus induces deep changes in mosquito cells. Early in infection these cells develop long projections and create new intercellular connections where cell organelles and viral proteins are detected. Live cell microscopy shows that these connections are developed before viral protein can be detected by immunofluorescence. Interestingly, their proliferation is accompanied by a progressive trapping of the nucleocapsid and RNA polymerase viral proteins into large cytoplasmic aggregates. A significant drop in the release of infectious virions then follows. Before that, numerous viruses assemble in peripheral Golgi stacks and they apparently exit the cells immediately since they do not accumulate intracellularly. This mechanism of assembly seems to cause little damage to the integrity of cell endomembranes. The characterization of the antiviral mechanisms operating in mosquito cells can be of great help in the fight against pathogenic arboviruses.     

New Wolbachia endosymbionts from Nearctic and Neotropical fleas (Siphonaptera)

Several species of fleas (Siphonaptera), ectoparasites of mammals and birds, have recently been shown to harbor species of Wolbachia. Here, we extend this data set to 20 more species of Siphonaptera (Rhopalopsyllidae, Stephanocircidae, Pulicidae, Ceratophyllidae, Ctenophthalmidae, Ischnopsyllidae, Leptopsyllidae, and Malacopsyllidae) from sylvatic populations throughout the Nearctic and Neotropical regions. Using polymerase chain reaction, we targeted the Wolbachia 16S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) gene. Applying maximum parsimony- and maximum likelihood-based algorithms, as well as statistical parsimony, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of Wolbachia 16S rDNA to evaluate its position within the known Wolbachia spp. The analysis recovered the siphonapteran Wolbachia 16S rDNA sequences as a monophyletic group and shows multiple haplotype connections between the Neotropical and Nearctic Wolbachia strains of fleas.     

Highly sensitive chemiluminescent point mutation detection by circular strand-displacement amplification reaction

Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping is attracting extensive attentions owing to its direct connections with human diseases including cancers. Here, we have developed a highly sensitive chemiluminescence biosensor based on circular strand-displacement amplification and the separation by magnetic beads reducing the background signal for point mutation detection at room temperature. This method took advantage of both the T4 DNA ligase recognizing single-base mismatch with high selectivity and the strand-displacement reaction of polymerase to perform signal amplification. The detection limit of this method was 1.3 × 10(-16)M, which showed better sensitivity than that of most of those reported detection methods of SNP. Additionally, the magnetic beads as carrier of immobility was not only to reduce the background signal, but also may have potential apply in high through-put screening of SNP detection in human genome.     

Balb/c小鼠增龄过程中不同脏器线粒体DNA损伤及损伤修复相关基因的变化

为探讨Balb/c小鼠增龄过程中线粒体DNA损伤及其修复基因表达与衰老之间的关系,采用逆转录 多聚酶链反应（RT PCR）方法,检测年轻与老年Balb/c小鼠脑、肝脏和脾脏中线粒体自身编码基因细胞色素氧化酶亚单位Ⅰ基因（coⅠ）和细胞色素氧化酶亚单位Ⅲ基因（coⅢ）及8 氧鸟嘌呤糖基化酶基因（ogg1）、DNA聚合酶γ（DNA polymeraseγ）基因、胸腺嘧啶乙二醇DNA糖基化酶基因（nth1）等碱基切除修复基因在mRNA水平的变化.用Western印迹方法检测小鼠脾脏中COⅢ和OGG1的蛋白质水平的变化.结果发现,老年小鼠脾脏中coⅠ和coⅢ的mRNA水平比年轻小鼠显著增加（P<0.05）,CO Ⅲ的蛋白质水平亦比年轻小鼠显著升高（P<0.05）;老年小鼠脾脏OGG1的mRNA和蛋白水平上均比年轻小鼠显著增加（P<0.05）.老年小鼠肝脏和脾脏DNA聚合酶γ和NTH1的mRNA水平比年轻小鼠显著升高（P<0.05）.提示线粒体DNA自身编码的基因及碱基切除修复基因的表达失衡可能是Balb/c小鼠衰老的原因之     

VASCULAR CONNECTION BETWEEN LATERAL ROOTS AND STEM IN THE OPHIOGLOSSACEAE

The vascular connection between lateral roots and stem in the Ophioglossaceae and in two leptosporangiate fern species was examined. Two types of connections were found: “gradual” connections, which resemble leaf traces in ontogeny and morphology, and “abrupt” connections, which resemble the connections between lateral roots and their parent roots. Gradual root-stem connections occur in the genera Ophioglossum and Helminthostachys and in Woodwardia virginica. They are initiated in shoot apices distal to the level where cauline xylem elements mature. They resemble leaf traces in being provascular (procambial) strands that connect the cauline stele with the future vasculature of lateral appendages. As with leaf traces, gradual connections are part of the provascular and, later, protoxylem continuity between stems and lateral appendages. Gradual connections have many features in common with leaf traces, and the term root trace is applicable to them. The order of radial maturation of the primary xylem in gradual connections varies in different parts of the connections. It is endarch near the intersection with the cauline stele and exarch where the connections intersect root steles. Gradual connections resemble the transition regions of certain seed plants where protoxylem is also continuous from stem to root and the order of maturation is found to change continuously from stem to root. Abrupt connections occur in Botrychium and Osmunda cinnamomea. They develop in shoot apices at levels where cauline xylem is mature or maturing. The mature xylem does not dedifferentiate, so provascular and protoxylem continuity of the kind found in root traces does not occur. Also, reorientation of the order of maturation does not occur in abrupt connections. Xylem connectors are found in the region where radially oriented elements of the connections abut the longitudinally oriented cauline elements. Abrupt connections resemble the connection of secondary roots with their parent root systems since xylem connectors and the lack of continuity are also features found in these vascular systems. The resemblance of the vascular pattern of the fern root trace to the transition region of seed plants suggests that the radicle is more closely comparable to the cladogenous roots of pteridophytes than hitherto supposed.     

The Double Life of UPF1 in RNA and DNA Stability Pathways

The DNA and RNA helicase UPF1 is well known for its central role in Nonsense Mediated RNA Decay (NMD), which promotes degradation of mRNAs containing premature stop codons. However, we have recently demonstrated that human UPF1 is also essential for DNA replication and S phase progression. This function appears to be independent of NMD, which is not required for cell cycle progression. UPF1 physically interacts with the replicative DNA polymerase &delta; and it associates with chromatin during S phase and upon DNA damage in an ATR-dependent manner. Intriguingly, the human NMD kinase SMG1 is also involved in genome stability pathways and the human NMD-factor EST1A/SMG6 is telomerase-associated and has been implicated in telomere maintenance. Here we review the recent findings, which uncovered the direct roles of UPF1 and other NMD-factors in DNA replication and genome maintenance pathways and suggest functional connections between RNA and DNA metabolism.     

An explanation of contextual modulation by short-range isotropic connections and orientation map geometry in the primary visual cortex

Recent experimental studies on the primary visual cortex have revealed complicated nonclassical neuronal activities. Contextual modulation on orientation-contrast is one typical example of nonclassical neuronal behavior. This modulation by surrounding stimuli in a nonclassical receptive field is mainly thought to be mediated by short- and long-range horizontal connections within the primary visual cortex. Short-range connections are circularly symmetrical and relatively independent of orientation preferences, while long-range connections are patchy, asymmetrical, and orientation specific. Although this modulation can be explained by long-range specific connections qualitatively, recent studies suggest that long-range connections alone may be insufficient with respect to the balance between two types of connections. Here, in order to clarify the role of short-range connections in the process of contextual modulation, we propose a model of the primary visual cortex with isotropic short-range connections and a geometric orientation map. Computational simulations using the model have demonstrated that contextual modulation can be explained by short-range connections alone. This is due to the interaction between the spatial periodicity of orientation domains and the excitatory-inhibitory regions arising from the propagation of activities.Acknowledgement We gratefully acknowledge useful conversations with Hiromichi, Sato. The present work was partly supported by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas (C) Advanced Brain Science Project from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture.     

A mechanism for spatial brightness contrast enhancement and a basis for the duplicity of vision

Cones are connected to bipolar cells connected to rods by processes extending laterally from the cone terminals (Sjöstrand, 1958). The cone connections have been studied further in the rabbit retina. Structurally these connections are typical synaptic connections. It can be deduced that these connections must affect the on responses of bipolar cells connected to rods in such a way that spatial brightness contrast is enhanced. The connections raise the threshold for rod vision and slow down the changes in the membrane potential of on-bipolar cells. These effects offer an explanation for the duplicity of vision.     

ZEA exerts toxic effects on reproduction and development by mediating Dio3os in mouse endometrial stromal cells

Zearalenone (ZEA) and imprinted long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are both closely related to reproduction and development. However, whether they have connections in regulating reproduction and development is not clear yet. The aim of this research is to investigate their relationship. lncRNA microarray was performed to analyze differentially expressed genes, and real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to verify the accuracy of microarray analysis. Meanwhile, the technologies of rapid amplification of cDNA ends, RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization and bioinformatics were adopted to characterize the selected lncRNA. Analysis of lncRNA microarray showed lncRNAs and messenger RNAs related to reproduction and development were significantly differently expressed, and Dio3os was probably the target lncRNA. Then, the experiment of real‐time quantitative PCR verified the accuracy of microarray data. Characterization of Dio3os showed Dio3os, an antisense lncRNA with 2312 bp and 15 open reading frames, was enriched in the cytoplasm. Our findings suggest ZEA probably exerts toxic effects on reproduction and development by mediating Dio3os.     

Lateral connectivity and contextual interactions in macaque primary visual cortex

Two components of cortical circuits could mediate contour integration in primary visual cortex (V1): intrinsic horizontal connections and feedback from higher cortical areas. To distinguish between these, we combined functional mapping with a new technique for labeling axons, a recombinant adenovirus bearing the gene for green fluorescent protein (GFP), to determine the extent, density, and orientation specificity of V1 intrinsic connections and V2 to V1 feedback. Both connections cover portions of V1 representing regions of visual space up to eight times larger than receptive fields as classically defined, though the intrinsic connections are an order of magnitude denser than the feedback. Whereas the intrinsic connections link similarly oriented domains in V1, V2 to V1 feedback displays no such specificity. These findings suggest that V1 intrinsic horizontal connections provide a more likely substrate for contour integration.     

Morphogenesis in the embryo ofDrosophila melanogaster — Germ band extension

Summary Changes at the ultrastructural level during germ band extension in the embryo ofDrosophila melanogaster are described. Cytoplasmic connections between cells and the yolk sac are present during initial cellular movements. At this time, a continuous system of microfilaments is present adjacent to the membranes in the connections and at the periphery of the yolk sac. As germ band extension progresses, this system becomes discontinuous, and microfilaments are apparent only in the immediate vicinity of the connections. Cytoplasmic connections are disassembled at approximately the midpoint of extension; at the same time, extensive membrane associations develop between germ band cells and between these cells and adjacent yolk sac membranes. Positioning and orientation of cytoplasmic connections suggest that the yolk sac, via these connections, is actively involved in the cellular movements of early germ band extension.This paper is dedicated with respect and affection to Donald F. Poulson