Codes and abbreviations for approved of effectively published names of genera of bacteria published from January 1980 to December 1990.

Lists of abbreviations for genus names of bacteria are expanded to accommodate 103 new entries which are names that have been validity published since the publication of an updated list by Rogosa et al. in 1986 (Int. J. Syst. Bacteriol. 36:464-472). These abbreviations are provided to serve the need for appropriate codified abbreviations for use in processing or indexing of information on computers.     

Lessons on protein structure from interleukin-4: All disulfides are not created equal

Interleukin-4 (IL-4) is a hematopoietic cytokine composed by a four-helix bundle stabilized by an antiparallel beta-sheet and three disulfide bonds: Cys3-Cys127, Cys24-Cys65, and Cys46-Cys99. IL-4 is involved in several immune responses associated to infection, allergy, autoimmunity, and cancer. Besides its physiological relevance, IL-4 is often used as a “model” for protein design and engineering. Hence, to understand the role of each disulfide in the structure and dynamics of IL-4, we carried out several spectroscopic analyses (circular dichroism [CD], fluorescence, nuclear magnetic resonance [NMR]), and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations on wild-type IL-4 and four IL-4 disulfide mutants. All disulfide mutants showed loss of structure, altered interhelical angles, and looser core packings, showing that all disulfides are relevant for maintaining the overall fold and stability of the four-helix bundle motif, even at very low pH. In the absence of the disulfide connecting both protein termini Cys3-Cys127, C3T-IL4 showed a less packed protein core, loss of secondary structure (~9%) and fast motions on the sub-nanosecond time scale (lower S² order parameters and larger τ_c correlation time), especially at the two protein termini, loops, beginning of helix A and end of helix D. In the absence of Cys24-Cys65, C24T-IL4 presented shorter alpha-helices (14% loss in helical content), altered interhelical angles, less propensity to form the small anti-parallel beta-sheet and increased dynamics. Simultaneously deprived of two disulfides (Cys3-Cys127 and Cys24-Cys65), IL-4 formed a partially folded “molten globule” with high 8-anilino-1-naphtalenesulphonic acid-binding affinity and considerable loss of secondary structure (~50%decrease), as shown by the far UV-CD, NMR, and MD data.     

Maps from two interspecific backcross DNA panels available as a community genetic mapping resource

We established two mouse interspecific backcross DNA panels, one containing 94 N2 animals from the cross (C57BL/6J × Mus spretus)F₁ × C57BL/6J, and another from 94 N2 animals from the reciprocal backcross (C57BL/6J × SPRET/Ei)F₁ × SPRET/Ei. We prepared large quantities of DNA from most tissues of each animal to create a community resource of interspecific backcross DNA for use by laboratories interested in mapping loci in the mouse. Initial characterization of the genetic maps of both panels has been completed. We used MIT SSLP markers, proviral loci, and several other sequence-defined genes to anchor our maps to other published maps. The BSB panel map (from the backcross to C57BL/6J) contains 215 loci and is anchored by 45 SSLP and 32 gene sequence loci. The BSS panel map (from the backcross to SPRET/Ei) contains 451 loci and is anchored by 49 SSLP loci, 43 proviral loci, and 60 gene sequence loci. To obtain a high density of markers, we used motif-primed PCR to fingerprint the panel DNAs. We constructed two maps, each representing one of the two panels. All new loci can be located with a high degree of certainty on the maps at current marker density. Segregation patterns in these data reveal several examples of transmission ratio distortion and permit analysis of the distribution of crossovers on individual chromosomes.     

Lessons from the outbreak of food poisoning at Stanley Royd Hospital: what are health authorities doing now?

The committee of inquiry into the outbreak of food poisoning at Stanley Royd Hospital identified serious deficiencies in the management of the outbreak and urged all health authorities to learn from the incident and prepare adequate plans for dealing with any future outbreaks. A survey of district health authorities in England showed that most authorities do not yet have a written plan or that their plans are incomplete and inadequate. The appreciable resistance to such planning suggests that most health authorities would be unable to deal with outbreaks of food poisoning effectively and efficiently.     

Outer envelope membranes from chloroplasts are isolated as right-side-out vesicles

Outer envelope membranes were isolated from purified chloroplasts of pea leaves. The sidedness of the vesicles was analyzed by (i) aqueous polymer-two phase partitioning, (ii) the effect of limited proteolysis on the outer-envelope proteins (OEP) 86 and OEP 7 in intact organelles and isolated membranes, (iii) fluorescence-microscopy and finally (iv) binding of precursor polypeptides to isolated outer-membrane vesicles. The results demonstrate that purified outer envelope membranes occur largely (>90%) as right-side-out vesicles.Abbreviations FITC fluorescein isothiocyanate - IEP Pinner-envelope protein - OE outer-envelope protein - pSSU precursor form of the small subunit of ribulose bisphosphate carboxylaseoxygenase - SDS-PAGE sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis We thank P. Å. Albertsson, Lund, Sweden, for introducing one of us (S. E.) to the technique of phase partitioning. This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB 246) and Fonds der Chemischen Industrie.     

Three new species of Pyricularia are isolated as zingiberaceous endophytes from Thailand

Pyricularia costina and three undescribed Pyricularia species were found as endophytes on wild ginger Amomum siamense and Alpinia malaccensis in Doi Suthep-Pui National Park, Chiang Mai, Thailand. Three new species, Pyricularia kookicola, P. longispora, and P. variabilis are described, illustrated and compared to similar Pyricularia species.     

Evolution of nutritional modes of Ceratobasidiaceae (Cantharellales,Basidiomycota) as revealed from publicly available ITS sequences

Fungi from the Ceratobasidiaceae family have important ecological roles as pathogens, saprotrophs, non-mycorrhizal endophytes, orchid mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal symbionts, but little is known about the distribution and evolution of these nutritional modes. All public ITS sequences of Ceratobasidiaceae were downloaded from databases, annotated with ecological and taxonomic metadata, and tested for the non-random phylogenetic distribution of nutritional modes. Phylogenetic analysis revealed six main clades within Ceratobasidiaceae and a poor correlation between molecular phylogeny and morphological–cytological characters traditionally used for taxonomy. Sequences derived from soil (representing putative saprotrophs) and orchid mycorrhiza clustered together, but remained distinct from pathogens. All nutritional modes were phylogenetically conserved in the Ceratobasidiaceae based on at least one index. Our analyses suggest that in general, autotrophic orchids form root symbiosis with available Ceratobasidiaceae isolates in soil. Ectomycorrhiza-forming capability has evolved twice within the Ceratobasidiaceae and it had a strong influence on the evolution of mycoheterotrophy and host specificity in certain orchid taxa.     

Zea mays L. amylacea from the Lluta Valley (Arica-Chile) tolerates salinity stress when high levels of boron are available

Elevated levels of boron occurring naturally in soil or irrigation waters are detrimental to many crops grown in agricultural regions of the world. If such levels of boron are accompanied by conditions of excessive salinity, as occurs in the Lluta valley in Northern Chile, the consequences can be drastic for crops. A variety of sweet corn from this valley (Zea mays L. amylacea) has arisen as a consequence of practiced seed selection, suggesting that it is extremely tolerant to high salt and boron levels. In the present study, seeds ofZea mays L. amylacea were collected in order to study their physiological mechanisms of tolerance to high levels of NaCl and boron. Concentrations of 100 and 430 mM NaCl and 20 and 40 mg kg⁻¹ boron were imposed as treatments. The plants did not exhibit symptoms of toxicity to either NaCl and boron during the 20 days of treatment. Na+ accumulation was substantial in roots, while boron was translocated to leaves. Boron alleviated the negative effect of salinity on tissue K+ and maintained membrane integrity. The higher values of water potential seem to be related to the capacity of this ecotype to maintain a better relative water content in leaves. Despite the fact that boron enhanced slightly the effect of salinity on CO₂ assimilation, no effect on photochemical parameters was observed in this ecotype. Osmotic adjustment allows this ecotype to survive in high saline soils; however the presence of boron makes this strategy unnecessary since boron contributed to the maintenance of cell wall elasticity.     

Mapping the Genetic Variation of Regional Brain Volumes as Explained by All Common SNPs from the ADNI Study

Typically twin studies are used to investigate the aggregate effects of genetic and environmental influences on brain phenotypic measures. Although some phenotypic measures are highly heritable in twin studies, SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) identified by genome-wide association studies (GWAS) account for only a small fraction of the heritability of these measures. We mapped the genetic variation (the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by variation among SNPs) of volumes of pre-defined regions across the whole brain, as explained by 512,905 SNPs genotyped on 747 adult participants from the Alzheimer''s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI). We found that 85% of the variance of intracranial volume (ICV) (p = 0.04) was explained by considering all SNPs simultaneously, and after adjusting for ICV, total grey matter (GM) and white matter (WM) volumes had genetic variation estimates near zero (p = 0.5). We found varying estimates of genetic variation across 93 non-overlapping regions, with asymmetry in estimates between the left and right cerebral hemispheres. Several regions reported in previous studies to be related to Alzheimer''s disease progression were estimated to have a large proportion of volumetric variance explained by the SNPs.     

Mammalian nonsarcomeric myosin regulatory light chains are encoded by two differentially regulated and linked genes [published erratum appears in J Cell Biol 1990 Nov;111(5 Pt 1):2207]

The myosin 20,000-D regulatory light chain (RLC) has a central role in smooth muscle contraction. Previous work has suggested either the presence of two RLC isoforms, one specific for nonmuscle and one specific for smooth muscle, or the absence of a true smooth muscle-specific isoform, in which instance smooth muscle cells would use nonmuscle isoforms. To address this issue directly, we have isolated rat RLC cDNAs and corresponding genomic sequences of two smooth muscle RLC based on homology to the amino acid sequence of the chicken gizzard RLC. These cDNAs are highly homologous in their amino acid coding regions and contain unique 3'-untranslated regions. RNA analyses of rat tissue using these unique 3'-untranslated regions revealed that their expression is differentially regulated. However, one cDNA (RLC-B), predominantly a nonmuscle isoform, based on abundant expression in nonmuscle tissues including brain, spleen, and lung, is easily detected in smooth muscle tissues. The other cDNA (RLC-A; see Taubman, M., J. W. Grant, and B. Nadal-Ginard. 1987. J. Cell Biol. 104:1505-1513) was detected in a variety of nonmuscle, smooth muscle, and sarcomeric tissues. RNA analyses comparing expression of both RLC genes with the actin gene family and smooth muscle specific alpha-tropomyosin demonstrated that neither RLC gene was strictly smooth muscle specific. RNA analyses of cell lines demonstrated that both of the RLC genes are expressed in a variety of cell types. The complete genomic structure of RLC-A and close linkage to RLC-B is described.     

Demonstration That Thymine Dimers are Excised as Oligonucleotides from Specifically Incised Ultraviolet-Irradiated Deoxyribonucleic Acid

The average size of the dimer-containing acid-soluble oligonucleotides after incubation of specifically incised DNA with two dimer excising nuclease activities has been determined to be about 8 nucleotides.