ATP synthase: what dictates the size of a ring?

Recent data suggest the source of F(0)F(1) ATP synthase determines a significant and surprising difference in the size of a putative rotating ring of integral membrane subunits of F(0); this can be correlated with biochemical data suggesting there is variation in the number of protons translocated per ATP synthesised.     

The sinoatrial ring bundle: a cardiac neural communication system?

The sinoatrial ring bundle (SARB), was originally described as a "whitish bundle of tissue which describes an almost complete loop around the two venae cavae and the coronary sinus" in the adult rabbit heart (Paes de Carvalho et al., 1959). The histologically and electrophysiologically differentiated structure, derived from the embryonic venous valves, was suitably placed for rapid conduction from sinoatrial (SA) to atrioventricular (AV) node, but no evidence was found for this role. Today, the function of the SARB remains obscure. Cholinesterase/silver staining reveals the neural pattern associated with the SARB and suggests a function. Throughout its extent, the SARB contains a bundle of parallel muscle fibers and accompanying long nerves. The nerves distribute to structures at either side of the loop: superolaterally to pectinate muscle and inferomedially to the region of the AV node. Along the curve of the right SARB, the nerves contribute to a dense neural plexus with nerves coiled around muscle. The plexus communicates with the nearby SA node and with the ganglia inferior to the node near the inferior vena cava. The morphological pattern of neural elements is suitably organized to suggest tension monitoring and internodal, neural communication.     

ψ-esters of depsidones with a lactole ring

The reaction of stictic, norstictic and salazinic acids with methanol, ethanol and tert-butanol has been investigated. 8′-O-Methylstictic acid is identical with methylstictic acid from Lobaria oregana. Ingolfdottir's vesuvianic acid from Stereocaulon vesuvianum and Handong's cetrariastrumin from Cetrariastrum nepalensis have been shown to be 8′-O-ethylstictic acid and 8′,9′-di-O-ethylsalazinic acid, respectively, by reaction of stictic and salazinic acids with ethanol.     

Dependence and independence of [PSI(+)] and [PIN(+)]: a two-prion system in yeast?

The [PSI(+)] prion can be induced by overproduction of the complete Sup35 protein, but only in strains carrying the non-Mendelian [PIN(+)] determinant. Here we demonstrate that just as [psi (-)] strains can exist as [PIN(+)] and [pin(-)] variants, [PSI(+)] can also exist in the presence or absence of [PIN(+)]. [PSI(+)] and [PIN(+)] tend to be cured together, but can be lost separately. [PSI(+)]-related phenotypes are not affected by [PIN(+)]. Thus, [PIN(+)] is required for the de novo formation of [PSI(+)], not for [PSI(+)] propagation. Although [PSI(+)] induction is shown to require [PIN(+)] even when the only overexpressed region of Sup35p is the prion domain, two altered prion domain fragments circumventing the [PIN(+)] requirement are characterized. Finally, in strains cured of [PIN(+)], prolonged incubation facilitates the reappearance of [PIN(+)]. Newly appearing [PIN(+)] elements are often unstable but become stable in some mitotic progeny. Such reversibility of curing, together with our previous demonstration that the inheritance of [PIN(+)] is non-Mendelian, supports the hypothesis that [PIN(+)] is a prion. Models for [PIN(+)] action, which explain these findings, are discussed.     

Does “ring syndrome” exist? An analysis of 207 case reports on patients with a ring autosome

Summary Analysis of 207 case reports on patients with ring autosome showed that: (1) Forty patients, a fifth of the total, had extreme growth failure together with an otherwise almost-normal appearance, viz. no major malformation, no specific deletion syndrome, no or only a few unspecific minor anomalies. This phenotype may be regarded as the ring syndrome, a term proposed by Cote et al. (1981) since it is independent of what chromosome is involved. (2) Severe growth failure, the sole major physical abnormality in the ring syndrome, was seen significantly more often among patients with ring of larger chromosomes than among patients with a smaller ring, indicating that the greater the chromosome involved in ring formation, the higher is the probability of severe growth failure. (3) Larger ring chromosomes showed significantly more often instability than smaller rings, suggesting that there may be a correlation between ring instability and the size of the chromosome involved. (4) Growth failure was present in significantly more patients with a labile ring than with a stable ring, indicating that a correlation may exist between ring instability and growth failure. It is suggested that the ring syndrome observed in many cases with ring autosome may result from end-to-end fusion of chromosome ends, an event not involving deletion in the genetic sense. It is also suggested that the ring syndrome is caused by a continuous generation of secondary aneuploid cells with increased mortality, i.e. structural ring instability which seems to be a function of the size of the chromosome involved. Thus, formation of a ring chromosome in certain cases might be regarded as a structural mutation, i.e. an alteration in the structure of the genetic material per se, rather than a loss or gain of genetic dosages.     

Does the 'Ring of Life' ring true?

In a recent stimulating paper, Rivera and Lake applied a new phylogenetic method to study the evolution of genomes, which challenges the classical representation of the Tree of Life. Acknowledging the evolutionary importance of lateral gene transfer, they used the conditioned genome approach to reconstruct the Tree of Life, and in the end proposed a Ring of Life. They explained that the Ring of Life structure is a result of a single fusion event between two prokaryotic genomes at the base of the eukaryotic tree, probably between the ancestors of a photosynthetic bacterium and an archaeon. Because this constitutes an important conclusion with regards to the evolutionary process and origin of the eukaryotic cell, their work deserves further attention before these conclusions can be accepted. Here we question the reconstruction and the meaning of the Ring of Life. In addition to general problems associated with gene-content-based phylogenetic analyses, we discuss some implicit premises and potential weaknesses of the conditioned genome method and conclude that, although Rivera and Lake's conclusions might be right, they have not been established by their current approach.     

Null model analyses of presence–absence matrices need a definition of independence

Tests for species interactions that involve the comparison of a statistic calculated from observed matrix of species presences and absences with the distribution of the same statistic generated from a null model have been used by ecologists for about 30 years. We argue that the validity of these tests requires a specific definition of independence. In particular, we note that an assumption that is often made is that all presence–absence matrices with the same row and column totals are equally likely if there is no interaction. However, we show using a simple model for species presences and absences without any species interactions that, in general, this assumption should be made with caution. Our model incorporates a definition of independence, allowing the computation of probabilities of different patterns in the null matrices. Other definitions of independence are possible; one of them is outlined using a new generalized linear model approach for carrying out tests applicable to different null models with or without the assumption of keeping row and column totals fixed. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Two species of the Rhodiola yunnanensis species complex distributed around the Sichuan Basin of China: Speciation in a ring?

A ring species consists of two reproductively isolated forms connected by a chain of intergrading populations encircling a geographic barrier. The mountains encircling the Sichuan Basin in southwestern China harbor great species diversity and endemism, and they are candidate regions for ring species. Here, we examined a potential ring species complex with a ring distribution surrounding the Sichuan Basinand the reproductive barrier between sibling species Rhodiola yunnanensis and R. henryi of the R. yunnanensis complex. In this study, we test the hypothesis that R. yunnanensis and R. henryi diverged by the ring-species model using an amplicon sequencing strategy targeting the introns of 27 single-copy nuclear genes and 14 chloroplast DNA sequences. Our studies indicated that the R. yunnanensis complex is monophyletic, originates at the late Miocene, and forms its current ring distribution pattern after the LIG. In addition, clear genetic intergradation was not found among R. henryi populations within the distribution ring. All these findings suggest that the divergence of two sibling species was not driven by the geographic isolation, and they were not originated from the ring-species model; however, the basin-surrounding distribution pattern and reproductive barrier between them meet some criteria for being a ring species.     

Chromosome cohesion: ring around the sisters?

Sister chromatid cohesion is a key aspect of accurate chromosome transmission during mitosis, yet little is known about the structure of cohesin, the protein complex that links the two sister chromatids. Recent studies shed light on the structure of the cohesin complex, leading to intriguing models that could explain how sister chromatids are held together.     

Research: Is resection of tumours involving the pelvic ring justified? : A review of 49 consecutive cases

INTRODUCTION: Pelvic surgery is challenging and impacts significantly on limb and visceral function, thus, raising the question "is heroic surgery justifiable". This study assessed the functional, oncologic and surgical outcomes following pelvis tumour resections. METHODS: Between 1996-2003, 49 patients (mean age 43 years) underwent pelvic tumour resections- 38 primary malignant tumours, 5 secondary tumours and 6 benign tumours. Bone tumours comprised 5 osteosarcomas, 5 Ewings sarcomas, and 12 chondrosarcomas. Of the soft tumours, 9 were of neural origin. Tumours involved the ilium, acetabulum, pubic bones, sacrum or a combination of these. Functional assessment was performed and no patient had metastases at presentation. RESULTS: There were 41 limb sparing resections and 8 hindquarter amputations. Surgical margins were intralesional (1), marginal (13), wide (26), and radical (3). Of limb sparing surgery, prosthetic reconstructions were performed in 10 patients, biologic reconstructions in 6, a combination of these in 3 and no reconstruction in others. There was 1 intraoperative death, 7 local recurrences and 19 metastases. Death from disease occurred at a mean of 14.2 months with a mean followup of 27 (1-96) months. Amputation and periacetabular resections had worse functional outcomes. Emotional acceptance was surprisingly high. CONCLUSION: Pelvic resections are complex. Functional outcome is significantly affected by surgery. Disease control is similar to limb tumours. Emotional acceptance of surgery in survivors was surprisingly high. Major pelvic resection for malignancy appears justified.     

MARCKS: a case of molecular exaptation?

MARCKS (myristoylated alanine-rich C kinase substrate, 32 kDa) and its 20 kDa brother MARCKS-related protein (MRP) are abundant, widely distributed proteins unusually rich in alanine and glutamic acid, and with lysines, serines and phenylalanines concentrated in a compact "effector domain" (ED) near the middle of the sequence. Its conformation in solution appears to be labile, with little evidence for definite secondary structure. MARCKS (and MRP) interact inter alia with lipid bilayer membranes (via the myristoyl group and the ED), with protein kinases (which phosphorylate the serines in the ED), and with calmodulin (via the ED); synergies between these diverse interactions present an unusually rich array of possibilities for a variety of regulatory r?les. The proteins appear to be essential for controlling cell shape changes, possibly via involvement in cytoskeleton-membrane linkage. MRP deficiency leads to neural tube defects in brain development; MARCKS overexpression strongly depresses the proliferation of cancer cells.     

Phylogeny of Microcystins: Evidence of a Biogeographical Trend?

Microcystins, the most prevalent cyanotoxins occurring worldwide, were first recorded in the species Microcystis aeruginosa. Its production has been reported in all continents; thus, we propose a comprehensive phylogenetic study to characterize M. aeruginosa microcystin-producing strains and establish whether or not the species has an historic biogeography. To accomplish this, we compared phylogenetically the nucleotide sequences of three genes of the mcy gene cluster (mcyA, mcyD and mcyG) from toxin producing M. aeruginosa strains across all the five continents. The obtained results provided valuable insight on the biogeography of M. aeruginosa produced microcystins: (i) the Asian strains showed to be distinct from the other continental groups indicating a genetically unique population and (ii) Asian strains were more related to European and North American strains. Moreover, the evidence of positive selection was determined in all the three mcy genes indicating that some functionality yet to be determined could be under selection for these genes.