Multiplex PCR for the discrimination of A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger and A. terreus

Aspergillus pathogens usually infect immunocompromised patients with lethal outcome. We report a multiplex PCR assay for the discrimination of the most frequent Aspergillus pathogens, A. fumigatus, A. flavus, A. niger and A. terreus, through distinct amplicons of 250 bp, 200 bp, 150 bp and 450 bp respectively, derived from the rDNA gene of A. terreus and the aspergillopepsin genes of the remaining species.     

A.M.A. Denver Meeting

This summary covers only a few of the many important subjects dealt with by the A.M.A. House of Delegates at its Denver meeting and is not intended as a detailed report on all actions taken.     

Revisione delle specie: Actinomyces albus,A. chromogenus,A. odorifer,A. thermophylus,A. viridis,A. viridochromogenes,A. hominis,A. innominatus

Riassunto Lo studio comprende una revisione critico-sperimentale della specie Actinomyces albus, della quale vengono considerati come sinonimi circa 30 nomi speeifici, fra i quale A. chromogenus, A. odorifer, A. thermophylus p.p.; della specie é data una diagnosi ed una particolareggiata descrizione.Sono inoltre studiate le specie A. viridis, (= A. viridochromogenus) e A. innominatus, n. nomen. Quest'ultima é preceduta da una breve discussione sulla specie A. homini.

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Summary Twenty-six strains of Actinomyces albus are studied redescribed from morphological, cultural and biochemical standpoints. Many biological activities of A. chromogenus, A. odorifer and A. thermophilus are in common with other species of the same genus, so that they may be considered for sub-specific, (not specific) differentiation. A discussion on A. farcinicus, A. albidoflavus and A. aureus has been originated from mislabeling as A. albus; the group including the two last named species (flavus group) must be revised. A few strains classified A. farcinicus are in no doubt true A. albus, but this real specific entity remains to be revised from Nocard's strain. A. viridis, for the first time described by Lombardo-Pellegrino, has been redescribed three times as a new species under the same binomial, and the fourth as A. viridochromogenes. A. hominis Bostroem is an uncorrect determination for the species originally described by Waksmann and Curtiss, and it is renamed A. innominatus, the binomial A. (Streptothrix) hominis Auct. being a nomen ambiguum. In conclusion, 30 bionmial are appended in sinonimy to A. albus, including Cladothrix dichotoma Macé (1888) non Cohn, G. invulnerabilis Acosta et G. Rossi, C. odorifera Rullm. Actinomyces chromogenus Gasp., A. thermophilus Auct., p.p., A. (Streptothrix) Sanninii (Cif.) Westerd., A. Almquisti Duché, A. Gougeroti Duché, and so on.

     

Andropause ou P.A.D.A.M.

Recently the word P.A.D.A.M. has been proposed to replace the term Andropause (Partiel Andrologen Deficiency in Aging Males). This implies that most if not all problems of the aging male are due to testosterone déficiency, which is not at all true when one considers the results of endocrine investigations in that group. So many other sociological and relational causes are involved that the term P.A.D.A.M. is clearly a misnomer.     

Structural comparisons of mouse histones 2A.X and 2A.Z with 2A.1 and 2A.2

The tryptic peptide patterns of the recently described H2A species H2A.X and H2A.Z from mouse were compared with the tryptic peptide patterns of the major mouse H2A's, H2A.1 and H2A.2. The identities of the H2A.1 peptides were determined by comparing their in vivo labeling with various 14C-labeled amino acids with the expected labeling determined from the known sequence. All the H2A.1 tryptic peptides larger than dipeptides were accounted for. The procedure was repeated for H2A.2, H2A.X and H2A.Z. H2A.X was found to have large regions of sequence identical to that of H2A.1 with the variability occurring mainly near the N and C termini. Mouse H2A.X had some sequence characteristics found in the sequenced H2A's of trout and sea urchin. In contrast, H2A.Z was found to have only two peptides in common with H2A.1; in addition, the labeling patterns of the non-identical peptides were too different to suggest analogous peptides. We conclude from these studies that H2A.Z differs considerably from H2A.1 in major portions of its sequence.     

Patterns of intraspecific variation inAntennaria alborosea,A. corymbosa,A. marginata,A. microphylla,A. parvifolia,andA. umbrinella (Asteraceae:Inuleae)

Patterns of intraspecific variation were examined inAntennaria alborosea A. E. Porsild,A. corymbosa E. Nels,A. marginata Greene,A. microphylla Rydb.,A. parvifolia Nutt., andA. umbrinella Rydb. AlthoughA. alborosea was initially considered arctic in distribution, it became apparent that a southern montane element also exists. Our results suggest that morphological differences between arctic and southern montane specimens represent clinal variation. The additional morphological data for specimens that occur more than 1,500 km south of the species' range as it was initially described result in a better understanding of this once presumed arctic taxon. Morphological variation in the dioecious speciesA. corymbosa, A. marginata, A. microphylla, A. parvifolia, andA. umbrinella was greater between the genders than was geographic variation within each gender. These results demonstrate that both pistillate and staminate specimens must be examined in dioecious species ofAntennaria if morphological variation in the respective species is to be fully understood. Character size or number of broadly distributed species (A. microphylla andA. parvifolia) generally decreased with increasing longitude, whereas characters of species with more restricted distributions (A. alborosea, A. corymbosa, andA. marginata) generally increased in size or number with increasing latitude or longitude.Antennaria umbrinella was an exception in this respect.     

Restriction enzyme analysis of mitochondrial DNA of the Aspergillus flavus group: A. flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius.

Mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms were identified that clearly distinguish Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius. Mitochondrial DNAs of A. flavus and A. parasiticus were found to be circular, and their size was estimated size to be 32 kilobases. A restriction map was constructed for the mitochondrial genome of an A. parasiticus isolate by using four restriction endonucleases. Four genes tested were found to have the same order as in the mitochondrial genome of A. nidulans. The mitochondrial genome of A. nomius was estimated to be 33 kilobases.     

Angiosperm types from the Hawaiian collections of A. A. Heller

The numbering system used by A. A. Heller for his 1895 Hawaiian collections has led to confusion regarding which specimens should be considered types. As part of a larger study of Hawaiian angiosperm types we have examined many of Heller's specimens and analyzed their status as types. We present the status of all specimens we have examined as well as those we are aware of from the literature. We have also constructed itineraries for Heller's collecting activities on his trip to the Hawaiian Islands on the islands of O'ahu and Kaua'i. Nomenclatural notes are given for all angiosperm basionyms based on Heller's Hawaiian collections. Lectotypifications are provided forCyperus hillebrandii Boeck. var.helleri Kük.,Cyrtandra gayana A. Heller,Cyrtandra longifolia (Wawra) Hillebr. ex C. B. Clarke var.wahiawae A. Heller ex Rock,Euphorbia sparsiflora A. Heller,Isodendrion subsessilifolium A. Heller,Lobelia tortuosa A. Heller,Nania tremuloides, A. Heller,Pelea microcarpa A. Heller, andSuttonia angustifolia Mez.     

Evaluation of taxonomic validity of four species of Acanthamoeba: A. divionensis, A. paradivionensis, A. mauritaniensis, and A. rhysodes, inferred from molecular analyses

The taxonomy of Acanthamoeba spp., an amphizoic amoeba which causes granulomatous amoebic encephalitis and chronic amoebic keratitis, has been revised many times. The taxonomic validity of some species has yet to be assessed. In this paper, we analyzed the morphological characteristics, nuclear 18s rDNA and mitochondrial 16s rDNA sequences and the Mt DNA RFLP of the type strains of four Acanthamoeba species, which had been previously designated as A. divionensis, A. parasidionensis, A. mauritaniensis, and A. rhysodes. The four isolates revealed characteristic group II morphology. They exhibited 18S rDNA sequence differences of 0.2-1.1% with each other, but more than 2% difference from the other compared reference strains. Four isolates formed a different clade from that of A. castellanii Castellani and the other strains in morphological group II on the phylogenetic tree. In light of these results, A. paradivionensis, A. divionensis, and A. mauritaniensis should be regarded as synonyms for A. rhysodes.     

北京地区中华姬鼠与大林姬鼠的数量分类研究

利用主成分分析、系统聚类分析和非参数检验,对采自北京地区的88只姬鼠标本（黑线姬鼠Apodemus agrarius除外）的10个形态分类指标进行了分析,以便确定出最具种问特异性的形态分类特征并给出定量判别标准．结果表明：除黑线姬鼠外,北京地区另有中华姬鼠（A．draco）和大林姬鼠（A．peninsulae）两种姬鼠;门齿孔后缘距上臼齿列前缘水平线的距离（x9）、上领M^1后内侧齿突向舌侧突出的程度（x1）及其与第2横嵴内侧齿突的相对大小（x2）是区分后两种姬鼠的最有效的形态分类指标;3个指标的种间界限大致为：中华姬鼠x9〈0．4mm,01≥0．2mm,x2≥0．6;大林姬鼠x9≥0．4mm,x1〈0．2mm,x2〈0．6．     

Introgression of Allium fistulosum into A. cepa mediated by A. roylei

Introgression of Allium fistulosum into the genome of A. cepa using A. roylei as a bridging species was studied by means of genomic in situ hybridization (GISH). Here we demonstrate for the first time that A. fistulosum can be stably introgressed into A. cepa with a bridge-cross. The first and second bridge-cross generations were fertile, although pollen was sterile in some individuals. Only occasionally were there translocations in the second generation bridge-cross. Recombination between the three genomes was frequently seen in meiotic anaphase 1 and prophase 2 chromosomes of the first generation bridge cross and in mitotic chromosomes of the second generation bridge-cross. The number of observed recombination points in anaphase 1 and prophase 2 significantly exceeded the value expected from chiasma frequency in metaphase 1. Recombination points were randomly distributed, thus the A. cepa or A. roylei type of random distribution prevails over the A. fistulosum type of proximally localised chiasmata. Received: 15 December 1998 / Accepted: 18 February 1999     

Restriction enzyme analysis of mitochondrial DNA of the Aspergillus flavus group: A. flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius

Mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms were identified that clearly distinguish Aspergillus flavus, A. parasiticus, and A. nomius. Mitochondrial DNAs of A. flavus and A. parasiticus were found to be circular, and their size was estimated size to be 32 kilobases. A restriction map was constructed for the mitochondrial genome of an A. parasiticus isolate by using four restriction endonucleases. Four genes tested were found to have the same order as in the mitochondrial genome of A. nidulans. The mitochondrial genome of A. nomius was estimated to be 33 kilobases.     

胡葱与洋葱、葱过氧化物酶同工酶研究及聚类分析

本文对胡葱与洋葱、葱的功能叶过氧化物酶同工酶电泳图谱分析和聚类分析表明：这三个种及葱的3个交种闻的亲缘关系被区分开来;胡葱与洋葱的亲缘关系比胡葱与大葱的亲缘关系更近。     

Biosynthesis of versicolorin A.

The incorporation of various potential intermediates into versicolorin A by a versicolorin A-accumulating mutant of Aspergillus parasiticus was studied. Both whole mycelium and cell-free extracts of this mutant were able to convert 14C-labeled versiconal hemiacetal acetate to versicolorin A. By the use of a labeled double substrate technique it was shown that two other compounds, versicolorin A hemiacetal and its acetate derivative, were also converted to versicolorin A. It is concluded that one or both of these compounds are intermediates in the biosynthesis of versicolorin A and therefore may possibly be involved in the biogenesis of the aflatoxins.     

A comparative morphological observations of Actinidia chinensis Planch. var. chinensis and A. chinensis Planch. var. hispida C. F. Liang

A comparative observations of the morphology on the stem, winter bud, fruit, pollen grains of A. chinensis Planch. var. chinensis and A. chinensis Planch. var. hispida C. F. Liang have been made and the obvious differences in these aspects are obvious. In stem tissue culture, the frequency of calli induced and plantlets produced of A. chinensis Planch. var. hispida is also higher than that of A. chinensis Planch. chinensis. For this reason we suggest to raise A. chinensis Planch. var. hispida as a newspecies.     

Preliminary evaluation of anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity of S. lappa, A. speciosa and A. aspera.

Saussurea lappa, Argyreia speciosa and Achyranthes aspera are well known Indian medicinal plants used in the indigenous systems of medicine for the treatment of inflammatory conditions. The ethanolic extracts of the plants at the doses of 50, 100 and 200 mg/kg, p.o. were screened for their effect on acute and chronic inflammation induced in mice and rats. S. lappa and A. speciosa were found to significantly inhibit paw edema induced by carrageenan and Freund's complete adjuvant and to prevent accumulation of inflammatory cells in carrageenan-induced peritonitis at doses of 50-200 mg/kg. A. aspera inhibited these inflammatory responses at doses of 100-200 mg/kg. The studies reveal that the ethanolic extracts of S. lappa, A. speciosa and A. aspera possess anti-inflammatory and anti-arthritic activity and support the rationale behind the traditional use of these plants in inflammatory conditions.     

Genomic Markers for Differentiation of Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis A.I and A.II Strains

Tularemia is caused by two subspecies of Francisella tularensis, F. tularensis subsp. tularensis (type A) and F. tularensis subsp. holarctica (type B). F. tularensis subsp. tularensis is further subdivided into two genetically distinct populations (A.I and A.II) that differ with respect to geographical location, anatomical source of recovered isolates, and disease outcome. Using two human clinical isolates, suppression subtractive hybridization was performed to identify 13 genomic regions of difference between A.I and A.II strains. Two PCR assays, one to identify A.I and A.II as well as to discriminate between F. tularensis subsp. holarctica and F. novicida and another specific for A.I, were developed. This is the first report to identify and characterize conserved genomic differences between A.I and A.II.     

A Bryophyte flora of Cornwall. II. Sphagna

Abstract

The taxonomy of Anomobryum julaceum and allied species with axillary bulbils in Europe and Asia is reviewed. A. concinnatum is regarded as a distinct species, occurring in W. and C. Europe, SW., N. and C. Asia and N. America. A. bavaricum has often been confused with A. concinnatum, but differs in its more numerous, small, reddish bulbils and in leaf shape; it is known only from the European Alps. The Asian A. nitidum also has numerous small reddish bulbils but it differs from A. bavaricum in leaf shape and bulbil form. A lectotype is designated for A. nitidum, of which A. gemmigerum and other nominal taxa are regarded as synonyms. Information is presented on geographical ranges and habitats of the four valid species.     

Purification of gramicidin A.

A simple chromatographic purification of the naturally occurring ion channel-forming pentadecapeptide gramicidin A (gA) is presented. This procedure allows gA to be isolated in gram quantities from the commercially available mixture of isomers after chromatography on silica gel. The gramicidin A obtained in this manner is greater than 95% pure as determined by 1HNMR, HPLC, and amino acid analysis.     

Assembly of semihistone A24.

Nucleosomal semihistone A24 (uH2A) is composed of histone H2A and ubiquitin peptides. The kinetics of incorporation of nascent H2A and ubiquitin into A24 of transformed chicken lymphocytes (MSB cells) have been examined by peptide mapping, COOH-terminus analysis, density labeling and isopycnic centrifugation of chromosomal proteins. We find that newly synthesized H2A is rapidly conjugated to ubiquitin. SDS-PAGE analysis of fractionated density gradients suggests, however, that newly synthesized ubiquitin becomes bound nonselectively to both new and preexisting H2A molecules.