Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Australian Dreaming. 40.000 years of Aboriginal History . Edited by Jennifer Isaacs Radio Power. A History of 3ZZ Access Radio . By Joan Dugdale Department of Anthropology, University of Western Australia Introduction to Australian Society: A Sociological Perspective . By Donald Edgar The New South Wales Wheat Frontier. 1851 to 1911 . By M. E. Robinson Department of Anthropology, University of Sydney. Heroin in Australia . By David Hirst Department of Anthropology and Sociology, University of Queensland. The Quest for Gaia. A Book of Changes . By Kit Pedler Drinking Careers. Occupations, Drinking Habits, and Drinking Problems . By Martin A. Plant Northern Territory Department of Health, Darwin. Families in Former Times: Kinship, Household and Sexuality . By Jean-Louis Flandrin. Translated by Richard Southern Changing Images of the Family . Edited by Virginia Tufte and Barbara Myerhoff Department of Anthropology, Western Australian Museum. Give and Take. Exchange in Wola Society . By Paul Sillitoe Department of Prehistory and Anthropoloy, S.G.S. Caste: The Emergence of the South Asian Social System . By Morton Klass David Mearns Department of Anthropology, University of Adelaide. Anthropological Structures of Madness in Black Africa . By I. Sow. Translated by Joyce Diamenti Basic Problems of Ethnopsychiatry . By George Devereux Department of Anthropology, University of Otago. Who Should Know What? Social Science, Privacy and Ethics . By J. A. Barnes Department of Sociology, University of N.S.W. Arnold Van Gennep. The Creator of French Ethnography . By Nicole Belmont Department of Prehistory anrf Anthropology, Australian National University. Man, Mind, and Science. A History of Anthropology . By Murray J. Leaf Department of Sociology, University of N.S.W. The Conceptualisation and Explanation of Processes of Social Change . Edited by David Riches School of Behavioural Sciences, Macquarie University. Day of Shining Red. An Essay on Understanding Ritual . By Gilbert Lewis Department of Prehistory and Anthropology, Australian National University. Living Archaeology . By R. A. Gould. New Department of Prehistory and Archaeology, University of New England Experimental Determinatiou of Stone Tool Uses: A Microwear Analysis . By Lawrence H. Keeley Division of Prehistory, La Trobe University. Archaeological Constructs. An Aspect of Theoretical Archaeology . By Jean-Claude Gardin Division of Prehistory, La Trobe University. The Performing Arts. Music and Dance . Edited by John Blacking and Joann W. Kealiinohomoku Department of Sociology, University of New England.     

BOOK REVIEW

Books reviewed in this article: A review of Dental Care for the Elderly, Edited by Bertram Cohen and Hamish Thomson A review of Frontiers of Oral Physiology, Volume 6: The Aging Mouth. Edited by D.B. Ferguson A review of Biology of Normal Proliferating Cells in vitro. Relevance For in vivo Aging. By Alvaro Macieira-Coelho     

BOOK REVIEW

Books reviewed in this article: A review of Nutrition in Oral Disease. Edited by R.L. Pollack and E. Kravitz A review of Drugs and Aging. By William A. McKim and Brian L. Mishara A review of Geriatric Clinical Pharmacology. Edited by W. Gibson Wood and Randy Strong     

Two subtypes of BfF by isoelectrofocusing: Differential linkage to other HLA markers

Summary By isoelectrofocusing in agarose, the properdin factor allotype BfF could be split into two subtypes: BfFa with one major cathodic band and BfFb with the same cathodic band but in addition a major anodic band. By scanning, BfFaFb heterozygotes were distinguished from BfFbFb homozygotes by the stronger intensity of the anodic band in the latter. The two subtypes were segregated perfectly with HLA in 40 families and showed different association patterns with HLA markers. BfFa seemed to be linked to B35 while BfFb showed a strong linkage with all the components of the following haplotype: HLA-A29, Cw-, B44, BfFb, C4A3B1, DR7. The frequency of BfFa among BfFS heterozygotes was 41% (46/113) and that of BfFb 59% (67/113).     

Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Religious Consciousness. By G. S. Ghuyre The World of the First Australians. By R. M. and C. H. Berndt Elkin, A. P. (1964): The Australian Aborigines and How to Understand Them. Angus & Robertson The Basis of Human Evolution. By Bertram S. Kraus. Harper and Row The Jaguar's Children: Pre-Classic Central Mexico. By Michael D. Coe Masterpieces in the Museum of Primitive Art. Published by the Museum of Primitive Art The Paths of Culture: A General Ethnology. By Kay Birket-Smith Senufo Sculpture from West Africa. By Robert Goldwater The John and Dominique de Memil Collection. The Art Forms of Polynesia. By Archey Gilbert Profiles in Ethnology: A Revision of a Profile of Primitive Culture. By Elman R. Service     

Growth features of Acacia tortilis and Acacia xanthophloea seedlings and their response to cyclic soil drought stress

Seedlings of Acacia tortilis (Forsk) Hyne and Acacia xanthophloea Benth. were raised under controlled glasshouse conditions. Control plants were watered daily while other treatments involved withholding water for 2, 4 and 6 days with 1‐day rehydration to container capacity. Compared to A. tortilis, A. xanthophloea seedlings showed higher leaf area, relative growth rates and total dry weight production under adequate water supply conditions. However, with increased water stress, A. xanthophloea seedlings could not alter their pattern of carbon allocation, retaining their root : shoot (r : s) ratio of about 0.5. By comparison, A. tortilis seedlings shifted carbon allocation to the roots, leading to a r : s ratio of 1.5 in water‐stressed seedlings, compared to 0.5 in the control plants. The ability of A. tortilis to reallocate carbon to the roots away from the shoots and to actually increase root growth compared to A. xanthophloea was a dehydration postponement strategy that may be important in species survival during drought.     

Book notices

A handbook of jield methods for research on rice stem-borers and their natural enemies. By T. Nishida and T. Torii Termite fauna of Rajasthan, India. By M.L. Roonwa1 and Geeta Bose. A guide to the physiology of terrestrial Arthropods. By J.L. Cloudesley-Thompson and Faysal Tageldin Abushama The cellular defence reactions of insects. By George Salt. The ecology of running waters. By H.B.N. Hynes. Annual Review of Entomology. Vol. 16. Edited by Ray F. Smith and Thomas E. Mittler.     

Book Notices

Acridia. Association d'Acridologie, 105, boulevard Raspail, 75-Paris(6^e), France. University of California Publications in Entomology. Vol. 62. A classification of the squash and gourd bees Peponapis and Xenoglossa (Hymenoptera: Apoidea), by Paul D. Hurd and E. Gorton Linsley. Aquatic Diptera. By O. A. Johannsen. (Part V by Lillian C. Thomsen.) Facsim. repr. 8vo.     

Mining featured biomarkers associated with prostatic carcinoma based on bioinformatics

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the differentially expressed genes and identify featured biomarkers from prostatic carcinoma.

Methods: The software “Significance Analysis of Microarray” (SAM) was used to identify the differentially coexpressed genes (DCGs). The DCGs existed in two datasets were analyzed by GO (Gene Ontology) functional annotation.

Results: A total of 389 DCGs were obtained. By GO analysis, we found these DCGs were closely related with the acinus development, TGF-β receptor and signal transduction pathways. Furthermore, five featured biomarkers were discovered by interaction analysis.

Conclusion: These important signal pathways and oncogenes may provide potential therapeutic targets for prostatic carcinoma.     

Aerobiology of Artemisia airborne pollen in Murcia (SE Spain) and its relationship with weather variables: annual and intradiurnal variations for three different species. Wind vectors as a tool in determining pollen origin

Detailed results from a 2-year survey of airborne pollen concentrations of Artemisia in Murcia are presented. Three consecutive pollen seasons of Artemisia occurring each year, related to three different species (A. campestris, A. herba-alba and A. barrelieri), were observed. A winter blooming of Artemisia could explain the incidence of subsequent pollinosis in the Murcia area. With regard to meteorological parameters, mathematical analyses showed relationships between daily pollen concentrations of Artemisia in summer–autumn and precipitations that occurred 6–8 weeks before. The cumulative percentage of insolation from 1 March seemed to be related to blooming onsets. Once pollination has begun, meteorological factors do not seem to influence pollen concentrations significantly. Intradiurnal patterns of pollen concentrations were similar for late summer and winter species (A. campestris and A. barrelieri). During autumn blooming (A. herba-alba), the intradiurnal pattern was particularly erratic. Theoretical values of wind run were obtained for each pollen season by the graphical sum of hourly wind vectors. When theoretical wind run was mapped onto the vegetation pattern, supposed pollen source locations were obtained for each hour. By comparing supposed hourly pollen origins with the intradiurnal patterns of pollen concentrations, it can be seen that this simple model explains variations in mean pollen concentrations throughout the day. Received: 6 May 1998 / Revised: 24 February 1999 / Accepted: 12 March 1999     

A histidine kinase sensor protein gene is necessary for induction of low pH tolerance in Sinorhizobium sp. strain BL3

The aim of this investigation was to identify and isolate genes involved in acid tolerance from Sinorhizobium sp. strain BL3. It was hypothesized that acid tolerance of strain BL3 could be enhanced by high level expression of certain genes involved in acid tolerance, following insertion of these genes in a multiple copy plasmid. A cosmid clone library of BL3 was introduced into BL3, and the transconjugant colonies were selected at low pH. A single cosmid containing genes for acid tolerance was isolated from 40 different colonies. By transposon–insertion mutagenesis, subcloning and DNA sequencing, a gene involved in acid tolerance, actX, was identified in a 4.4-kb fragment of this cosmid. The actX mutant of BL3 showed increased acid sensitivity and was complemented by the 4.4-kb subcloned fragment. Phaseolus lathyroides seedlings inoculated with recombinant strains containing multiple copies of actX showed increased symbiotic performance at low pH. By constructing an actX::gus fusion, it was shown that actX was induced at low pH. actX encodes a putative histidine kinase sensor protein of a two-component regulatory system. The method of gene identification used in this study for isolation of actX may be applied for the isolation of other genes involved in tolerance to adverse environmental factors.     

Transformation and regeneration of garlic (Allium sativum L.) by Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer

 By using highly regenerative calluses, we developed a stable transformation system in garlic (Allium sativum L.). The temperature and number of days of co-cultivation with Agrobacterium tumefaciens was shown to be an important factor in transient expression of the uid A gene. After a culture period of 5 months in selection medium containing hygromycin, 20 shoots were induced from ca. 1000 calluses, among which 15 plants expressed β-glucuronidase activity upon staining with X-Gluc. Shoots developed into transgenic garlic after 1 month. Integration of the uid A gene was confirmed by Southern blot analysis for genomic DNA of transgenic garlic plants. Received: 25 October 1999 / Revision received: 16 February 2000 / Accepted: 22 February 2000     

The 712A/G polymorphism of Brain-derived neurotrophic factor is associated with Parkinson's disease but not Major Depressive Disorder in a Chinese Han population

Background: Overlaps in clinical, pathological and molecular characteristics of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MD-D) have promoted association studies in search of common genetic risk factors that may predispose or modify this spectrum of disorders. Experimental and clinical data suggest that genetic variations in Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene may increase the risk for PD and MD-D. Methods: Two hundred and sixty-six PD, 83 MD-D and 400 controls were recruited for this study, assessed using a battery of neuropsychological tests, and genotyped for 11757C/G, 712A/G, 196A/G, and 270C/T in BDNF gene. Results: 712A/G was associated with 2.50-fold time risk of PD. By combining genotypes AG/AA with 712 GG genotype as reference (OR = 1) in stratification analysis, AG/AA genotypes were associated with PD (OR = 2.94, 95% CI = 1.88–4.61). Accordingly, the A allele was significantly overrepresented in PD compared with the G allele (OR = 3.16, 95% CI = 2.08–4.81). This distribution in females and males were similar. Conclusion: Our results suggested a novel association between BDNF 712A/G AG/AA genotypes and PD in a Chinese Han population.     

A missense mutation in Col1A1 in a Jewish Israeli patient with mild osteogenesis imperfecta, detected by DGGE

Osteogenesis imperfecta (OI) underlies germline mutations in either Col1A1 or Col1A2. Here we describe, for the first time, the use of the denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) technique for mutation analysis of the Col1A1 gene. By employing this technique, we identified a point mutation in a young Jewish Israeli patient with mild OI. The missense mutation, a G to A alteration at position 888, result in a Gly to Arg substitution at codon 79. Furthermore, the patient’s mother, who was clinically labeled as OI based solely on the fact that she has blue sclera, was found not to carry this mutation in two different tissues. We suggest that blue sclera alone should not be used as a parameter for the diagnosis of OI, and that DGGE can be effectively used for mutation analysis of the Col1A1 gene. Received: 13 March 1997 / Accepted: 26 June 1997     

Cytogenetical studies in the bridge cross Allium cepa× (A. fistulosum×A. roylei)

  Allium fistulosum harbours a number of desirable agronomical traits for the breeding of onions. However exploitation of A. fistulosum for onion breeding via direct sexual hybridization is problematic. Therefore, we examined if a bridge cross, using A. roylei as a bridging species, might provide an alternative. By means of genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) we showed that each of the three parental genomes can be distinguished from the others in interspecific hybrids, suggesting that these genomes contain sufficiently different repetitive DNA families. We succeeded in carrying out multi-colour GISH to metaphase spreads of a first-generation bridge-cross individual [A. cepa× (A. fistulosum×A. roylei], which is composed of three parental genomes. Recombination between the genomes of A. fistulosum and A. roylei took place to a large extent: 7 recombined chromosomes were observed, and it could be shown that the proximal regions of the recombined A. fistulosum/A. roylei chromosomes belonged to the former, whereas the distal parts belonged to the latter. The high percentage of bound bivalent arms in metaphase I of pollen mother cells of a fertile bridge-cross individual suggests the introgression of A. fistulosum genes, mediated by A. roylei, into the genome of A. cepa. However, the presence of univalents reflects decreased pairing and recombination between the three genomes. Pollen fertility and pollen-tube growth of the first-generation bridge-cross individual seem to be sufficient to produce a second generation bridge-cross (A. cepa×first-generation bridge cross) progeny. Received: 27 May 1997 / Accepted: 30 June 1997     

An additional locus (PI4) in the protease inhibitor (PI) gene cluster of pigs

A further α-protease inhibitor system, PI4, was detected in porcine sera using either 2D agarose gel, pH 5.0-PAGE, pH 9.0, or ID PAGE followed by immunoblotting with rabbit anti-porcine PI2 or PI3 antisera. PI4 inhibited chymotrypsin, but not trypsin. Seven allelic variants of PI4 were described. By haplotyping of a-protease inhibitor systems in 52 complete families it was shown that PI4 locus belongs to the PI gene cluster. The probable order of the PI loci was: PI1, PO1A, PI2, PI4, PI3.     

The nature of the interaction Azospirillum-Arabidopsis determine the molecular and morphological changes in root and plant growth promotion

Plant growth promoting rhizobacteria influence host functional and adaptive traits via complex mechanisms that are just started to be clarified. Azospirillum brasilense acts as a probiotic bacterium, but detailed information about its molecular mechanisms of phytostimulation is scarce. Three interaction systems were established to analyze the impact of A. brasilense Sp245 on the phenotype of Arabidopsis seedlings, and underlying molecular responses were assessed under the following growth conditions: (1) direct contact of roots with the bacterium, (2) chemical communication via diffusible compounds produced by the bacterium, (3) signaling via volatiles. A. brasilense Sp245 improved shoot and root biomass and lateral root production in the three interaction systems assayed. Cell division, quiescent center, and differentiation protein reporters pCYCB1;1::GUS, WOX5::GFP, and pAtEXP7::GUS had a variable expression in roots depending of the nature of interaction. pCYCB1;1::GUS and WOX5::GFP increased with volatile compounds, whereas pAtEXP7::GUS expression was enhanced towards the root tip in plants with direct contact with the bacterium. The auxin reporter DR5::GUS was highly expressed with diffusible and volatile compounds, and accordingly, auxin signaling mutants pin3, slr1, arf7arf19, and tir1afb2afb3 showed differential phytostimulant responses when compared with the wild type. By contrast, ethylene signaling was not determinant to mediate root changes in response to the different interactions, as observed using the ethylene-related mutants etr1, ein2, and ein3. Our data highlight the diverse effects by which A. brasilense Sp245 improves plant growth and root architectural traits and define a critical role of auxin but not ethylene in mediating root response to bacterization.

     

Book Review

Book reviewed in this article: Bovine TB Programme. What are the Realistic Expectations? By L. Downey. Cost/Benefit Analysis of Irish Bovine Tuberculosis Eradication Schemes By S.J. Sheehy & K.H. Christiansen,     

Identification of Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatases in Archaea

Protein-tyrosine dephosphorylation is a major mechanism in cellular regulation. A large number of protein-tyrosine phosphatases is known from Eukarya, and more recently bacterial homologues have also been identified. By employing conserved sequence patterns from both eukaryotic and bacterial protein-tyrosine phosphatases, we have identified three homologous sequences in two of the four complete archaeal genomes. Two hypothetical open reading frames in the genome of Methanococcus jannaschii (MJ0215 and MJECL20) and one in the genome of Pyrococcus horikoshii (PH1732) clearly bear all the conserved residues of this family. No homologues were found in the genomes of Archaeoglobus fulgidus and Methanobacterium thermoautotrophicum. This is the first report of protein-tyrosine phosphatase sequences in Archaea. Received: 29 April 1998 / Accepted: 27 November 1998