Book Reviews

Book reviewed in this article: Palaeobiology of ammonoids: A review by M. J Benton: Ammonoid Paleobiology. Topics in Geobiology. Vol. 13 . By N. H. Landman, K. Tanabe and R. A. Davis. Reconstructing the tree of life: A review by M. J. Benton: Multicellular Animals: A new approach to the phylogenetic order in nature. Volume I . By P. Ax. Springer The reverse of the medal: A review by A. Minelli: Homoplasy. The Recurrence of Similarity in Evolution . By Michael J. Sanderson and Larry Hufford (Eds.).     

NMR studies of G:A mismatches in oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes modelled after ribozymes.

The structures of two oligodeoxyribonucleotide duplexes, the base sequences of which were modelled after both a hammerhead ribozyme and a small metalloribozyme, were studied by NMR. Both duplexes contain adjacent G:A mismatches; one has a PyGAPu:PyGAPu sequence and the other a PyGAPy:PuGAPu sequence. It is concluded on the basis of many characteristic NOEs that in both duplexes G:A base pairs are formed in the unique 'sheared' form, where an amino proton instead of an imino proton of G is involved in the hydrogen bonding, and G and A bases are arranged 'side by side' instead of 'head to head'. A photo-CIDNP experiment, which gives unique and independent information on the solvent accessibility of nucleotide bases, also supports G:A base pairing rather than a bulged-out structure of G and A residues. This is the first demonstration that not only the PyGAPu:PyGAPu sequence but also the PyGAPy:PuGAPu sequence can form the unique sheared G:A base pairs. Taking the previous studies on G:A mismatches into account, the idea is suggested that a PyGA:GAPu sequence is a minimum and essential element for the formation of the sheared G:A base pairs. The sheared G:A base pairs in the PyGAPu:PyGAPu sequence are suggested to be more stable than those in the PyGAPy:PuGAPu sequence. This is explained rationally by the idea proposed above.     

绿盲蝽和中黑盲蝽对不同抗性和虫害处理棉花的选择趋性

研究绿盲蝽Apolygus lucorum和中黑盲蝽Adelphocoris suturalis对不同抗性和虫害处理棉花的选择趋性,为棉盲蝽的综合治理提供理论依据。本研究以抗性棉花品种BR-S-10（抗性品种）和感性棉花品种科林08-15（感性品种）,以及绿盲蝽和中黑盲蝽分别危害处理后的该两种棉花植株为试验材料,以纯净空气为空白对照,共成对设置15个气味源组合,采用“Y”型昆虫嗅觉仪室内研究了绿盲蝽和中黑盲蝽对不同抗性和虫害处理棉花的选择趋性。结果表明,绿盲蝽显著选择感性品种、中黑盲蝽危害感性品种和绿盲蝽危害感性品种。中黑盲蝽显著选择绿盲蝽危害感性品种、中黑盲蝽危害感性品种和感性品种。总的来说,两种棉盲蝽趋向于选择敏感棉花品种,抗性棉花品种对供试昆虫有显著趋避性;绿盲蝽显著趋向选择中黑盲蝽危害感性品种和绿盲蝽危害感性品种,中黑盲蝽显著趋向选择绿盲蝽危害感性品种和中黑盲蝽危害感性品种。     

丹参酮ⅡA 预防慢性缺氧大鼠认知功能障碍的电生理机制

目的:探讨丹参酮ⅡA(TⅡA)预防慢性缺氧大鼠认知功能障碍的电生理机制。方法:将18只雄性SD大鼠(200-250 g)随机分为对照组、模型组(Model组)、TⅡA(10mg/kg.d)治疗组(TⅡA组)。复制慢性缺氧大鼠认知功能障碍模型,并给予相应治疗,在脑片水平运用膜片钳技术检测海马CA1区的LTP变化,并检测海马CA1区锥体细胞的兴奋性变化。结果:(1)给予高频强直刺激(HFS)后各组兴奋性突出后电位(fEPSP)斜率均显著增加,即均可诱发LTP并持续1h以上,但模型组LTP较对照组显著减弱(P<0.05),TⅡA治疗组LTP较模型组明显增强(P<0.05);(2)慢性缺氧使海马CA1锥体细胞放电所需的刺激电流幅度显著增加、阈电位升高、兴奋性降低,同样刺激强度条件下动作电位数量减少,TⅡA干预可明显减轻慢性缺氧对海马CA1锥体细胞的上述抑制。结论:TⅡA可能是通过维持海马CA1锥体细胞的兴奋性、维持海马的突出可塑性减轻慢性缺氧对认知功能的损害。     

Effect of heavy exercise on spectral baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate, and blood pressure variability in well-trained humans

The aim of the study was to assess the instantaneous spectral components of heart rate variability (HRV) and systolic blood pressure variability (SBPV) and determine the low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency baroreflex sensitivity (HF-BRS) during a graded maximal exercise test. The first hypothesis was that the hyperpnea elicited by heavy exercise could entail a significant increase in HF-SBPV by mechanical effect once the first and second ventilatory thresholds (VTs) were exceeded. It was secondly hypothesized that vagal tone progressively withdrawing with increasing load, HF-BRS could decrease during the exercise test. Fifteen well-trained subjects participated in this study. Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, and gas exchanges were recorded during a cycloergometer test. Ventilatory equivalents were computed from gas exchange parameters to assess VTs. Spectral analysis was applied on cardiovascular series to compute RR and systolic blood pressure power spectral densities, cross-spectral coherence, gain, and alpha index of BRS. Three exercise intensity stages were compared: below (A1), between (A2), and above (A3) VTs. From A1 to A3, both HF-SBPV (A1: 45 +/- 6, A2: 65 +/- 10, and A3: 120 +/- 23 mm2Hg, P < 0.001) and HF-HRV increased (A1: 20 +/- 5, A2: 23 +/- 8, and A3:40 +/- 11 ms2, P < 0.02), maintaining HF-BRS (gain, A1: 0.68 +/- 0.12, A2: 0.63 +/- 0.08, and A3: 0.57 +/- 0.09; alpha index, A1: 0.58 +/- 0.08, A2: 0.48 +/- 0.06, and A3: 0.50 +/- 0.09 ms/mmHg, not significant). However, LF-BRS decreased (gain, A1: 0.39 +/- 0.06, A2: 0.17 +/- 0.02, and A3: 0.11 +/- 0.01, P < 0.001; alpha index, A1: 0.46 +/- 0.07, A2: 0.20 +/- 0.02, and A3: 0.14 +/- 0.01 ms/mmHg, P < 0.001). As expected, once VTs were exceeded, hyperpnea induced a marked increase in both HF-HRV and HF-SBPV. However, this concomitant increase allowed the maintenance of HF-BRS, presumably by a mechanoelectric feedback mechanism.     

中国湖北地区汉族家系补体第四成分（C4）单倍型的检测

用我室仿国际标准C4定型程序改进后建立的方法及羧肽酶B处理后C4分型方法对湖北地区93个无血缘关系的汉族家系进行C4单倍型的检测,对310个C4单倍型分析可见,我国汉族以A3B1频率最高(0.4194),A3B2次之(0.1161),A2B1与A4B2均为0.0903。以下依次是AQOB1(0.0645)、A3BQO(0.0548)、AQOBQO(0.0322)、A2B2(0.0256)、A4B1(0.0161)、A2B92(0.0129)等。从连锁不平衡参数(Δ)的卡方数值可见,A4B2、AQOBQO及A2B92具有极显著意义的阳性△值;而A4B1与AQOB2则具有极显著意义的阴性△值。将我们的结果与日本人、美国及德国白人,南非黑人的资料进行了对比,并进行了一些讨论。     

Role of cysteine amino acid residues on the RNA binding activity of human thymidylate synthase

The role of cysteine sulfhydryl residues on the RNA binding activity of human thymidylate synthase (TS) was investigated by mutating each cysteine residue on human TS to a corresponding alanine residue. Enzymatic activities of TS:C43A and TS:C210A mutant proteins were nearly identical to wild-type TS, while TS:C180A and TS:C199A mutants expressed >80% of wild-type enzyme activity. In contrast, TS:C195A was completely inactive. Mutant proteins, TS:C195A, TS:C199A and TS:C210A, retained RNA binding activity to nearly the same degree as wild-type human TS. RNA binding activity of TS:C43A was reduced by 30% when compared to wild-type TS, while TS:C180A was completely devoid of RNA binding activity. In vitro translation studies confirmed that mutant proteins TS:C43A, TS:C195A, TS:C199A and TS:C210A, significantly repressed human TS mRNA translation, while TS:C180A was unable to do so. To confirm the in vivo significance of the cysteine sulfhydryl residue, mutant proteins TS:C180A and TS:C195A were each expressed in human colon cancer HCT-C18:TS(–) cells that expressed a functionally inactive TS. A recombinant luciferase reporter gene under the control of a TS-response element was co-transfected into these same cells, and luciferase activity increased in the presence of the TS:C195A mutant TS protein to a level similar to that observed upon expression of wild-type TS protein. In contrast, luciferase activity remained unchanged in cells expressing the TS:C180A mutant protein. Taken together, these findings identify Cys-180 as a critical residue for the in vitro and in vivo translational regulatory effects of human TS.     

Rabbit liver tRNA1Val:II. unusual secondary structure of T psi C stem and loop due to a U54:A60 base pair.

In contrast to all other known tRNAs, mammalian tRNA1Val contains two adenosines A59 and A60, opposite to U54 and psi 55 in the U psi CG sequence of the T psi C loop, which could form unusual A:U (or A: psi pairs in addition to the five "normal" G:C pairs. In order to measure the number of G:C and A:U (A: psi) pairs in the T psi C stem, we prepared the 30 nucleotide long 3'-terminal fragment of this tRNA by "m7G-cleavage". From differentiated melting curves and temperature jump experiments it was concluded that the T psi C stem in this fragment is in fact extended by an additional A60:U54 pair. A dimer of this fragment with 14 base pairs was characterized by gel electrophoresis and by the same physical methods. An additional A:U pair in the tRNA1Val fragment does not necessarily mean that this is also true for intact tRNA. However, we showed that U54 is far less available for enzymatic methylation in mammalian tRNA1Val compared to tRNA from T-E. coli. This clear difference in U54 reactivity, together with the identification of an extra A60:U54 pair in the U psi CG containing fragment suggests the presence of a 6 base pair T psi C stem and a 5 nucleotide T psi C loop in this tRNA.     

Characterization of TCHQ-induced genotoxicity and mutagenesis using the pSP189 shuttle vector in mammalian cells

Tetrachlorohydroquinone (TCHQ) is a major toxic metabolite of the widely used wood preservative, pentachlorophenol (PCP), and it has also been implicated in PCP genotoxicity. However, the underlying mechanisms of genotoxicity and mutagenesis induced by TCHQ remain unclear. In this study, we examined the genotoxicity of TCHQ by using comet assays to detect DNA breakage and formation of TCHQ-DNA adducts. Then, we further verified the levels of mutagenesis by using the pSP189 shuttle vector in A549 human lung carcinoma cells. We demonstrated that TCHQ causes significant genotoxicity by inducing DNA breakage and forming DNA adducts. Additionally, DNA sequence analysis of the TCHQ-induced mutations revealed that 85.36% were single base substitutions, 9.76% were single base insertions, and 4.88% were large fragment deletions. More than 80% of the base substitutions occurred at G:C base pairs, and the mutations were G:C to C:G, G:C to T:A or G:C to A:T transversions and transitions. The most common types of mutations in A549 cells were G:C to A:T (37.14%) and A:T to C:G transitions (14.29%) and G:C to C:G (34.29%) and G:C to T:A (11.43%) transversions. We identified hotspots at nucleotides 129, 141, and 155 in the supF gene of plasmid pSP189. These mutation hotspots accounted for 63% of all single base substitutions. We conclude that TCHQ induces sequence-specific DNA mutations at high frequencies. Therefore, the safety of using this product would be carefully examined.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book reviewed in this article:
Life and Death Decision Making by Baruch A. Brody.
The Sanctity-of-Life Doctrine in Medicine:A Critique by Helga Kuhse.
Guidelines on the Termination of Life-sustaining Treatment and the Care of the Dying
Life Sustaining Technologies and the Elderly , U.S. Congress, Office of Technology Assessment:U.S. Government Printing Office
Ethical Dimensions of Geriatric Care , edited by Stuart F. Spicker, Stanley R. Ingman and Ian R. Lawson.
GenEthik:Probleme der Technisierung menschlicher Fortpflanzung. by Kurt Bayertz.
Aids:Ethics and Public Policy , Edited by Christine Pierce and Donald VanDeVeer, Belmont
Tough Decisions A Casebook in Medical Ethics by John M. Freeman and Kevin McDonnell
If We Can Keep A Severed Head Alive , by Chet Fleming
Murderous Science:Elimination by Scientific Selection of Jews, Gypsies     

淀粉样蛋白膜内片段的AD 相关生物学特性研究

目的:体外条件下研究淀粉样蛋白膜内片段(intramembranous fragments of amyloid-β,IF-Aβ)对Aβ42成纤维和神经毒性的影响。方法:(1)硫磺素T法检测IF-Aβ对Aβ42成纤维性的影响;(2)MTT法和荧光分光光度计检测IF-Aβ对经过Aβ42预处理的体外培养神经元的活性和胞浆钙离子浓度影响。结果:(1)IF-Aβ本身无成纤维性,而且可以抑制或解聚Aβ42成纤维;(2)相对于单独经Aβ42预处理的体外培养神经元,IF-Aβ的加入可以提高神经元的活性和降低胞浆钙离子的浓度。结论:IF-Aβ具有保护体外培养神经元免受Aβ42毒性作用的功能,为阿尔茨海默病(Alzheimer’s disease,AD)的在体治疗研究奠定了基础。     

MSH2 and MSH6 are required for removal of adenine misincorporated opposite 8-oxo-guanine in S. cerevisiae.

Oxidation of G in DNA yields 8-oxo-G (GO), a mutagenic lesion that leads to misincorporation of A opposite GO. In E. coli, GO in GO:C base pairs is removed by MutM, and A in GO:A mispairs is removed by MutY. In S. cerevisiae, mutations in MSH2 or MSH6 caused a synergistic increase in mutation rate in combination with mutations in OGG1, which encodes a MutM homolog, resulting in a 140- to 218-fold increase in the G:C-to-T:A transversion rate. Consistent with this, MSH2-MSH6 complex bound to GO:A mispairs and GO:C base pairs with high affinity and specificity. These data indicate that in S. cerevisiae, MSH2-MSH6-dependent mismatch repair is the major mechanism by which misincorporation of A opposite GO is corrected.     

Mutations induced by 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) in the lacZ and cII genes of Muta Mouse

4-(Methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK) found in chewing tobacco, snuff, cigarettes, and cigars is a tobacco-specific nitrosamine and classified as a possible human carcinogen (Class 2B) by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). NNK given intraperitoneally was seen to induce lung and liver adenomas. To evaluate the genotoxicity of NNK in vivo, NNK was intraperitoneally administered to Muta Mouse at two concentrations (125 and 250 mg/kg, once a week for 4 weeks) followed by the measurement of mutant frequencies in the lacZ and cII genes from lung and liver in the same mice. Characterization of the types of the mutation was determined by sequencing the cII genes from mutant plaques. The mutant frequencies in both target genes from both organs dose-dependently increased up to 10 times compared to those of the control group. For the types of mutations, the ratio of the G:C to A:T mutation in the total number of mutants was less than the ratio of A:T to T:A and A:T to C:G transversion, contrary to a previous report. The A:T to T:A transversion was the most highly induced mutation both in the lung and liver cII genes. The increasing rate of mutant frequencies in lung and liver over the vehicle control was 55 and 56 times, respectively, while the increasing rate of G:C to A:T transition was only 1.9 and 2.8 times, respectively. These observations show that NNK predominantly induces DNA adducts leading to A:T to T:A and/or A:T to C:G mutations in the transgene.     

水稻雄性不育新质源的研究──新型水稻细胞质雄性不育系马协A与野败型珍汕97A不育性的遗传学比较

采用套袋自交结实率和自然结实率为主,花粉育性和田间目测整株育性为辅的综合性状,判定新型细胞质雄性不育系马协Ａ以及它与明恢６３的杂种Ｆ_１、Ｆ_２和ＢＦ_１的植株育性,并以野败型珍汕９７Ａ作对照,比较研究了其不育性的遗传规律。结果表明,马协Ａ与珍汕９７Ａ不育性的遗传均由两对基因控制,但新型细胞质雄性不育系马协Ａ两对基因的作用方式与珍汕９７Ａ不同。前者Ｆ_２群体的育性分离符合９：３：３：１的比例,ＢＦ_１符合１：２：１的比例;后者相应群体则符合１２：３：１和２：１：１的比例,两对基因间表现为显性上位。斯米尔诺夫检验也表明马协Ａ／明恢６３和珍汕９７Ａ／明恢６３的Ｆ_２群体的结实率频率分布差异显著（Ｐ＜０．０１）。并讨论了细胞质雄性不育的遗传机理及分子基础。     

The assignment of chain specificities for anti-Ia monoclonal antibodies using L cell transfectants

The chain specificities of 18 Ak and 26 Ab-reactive anti-Ia monoclonal antibodies have been determined. L cells were transfected with haplotype-matched (A alpha k:A beta k, A alpha b:A beta k) or haplotype-mismatched (A alpha k:A beta b, A alpha b:A beta k) cDNA pairs, lines expressing high levels of surface A complex were selected, and antibody reactivity with a panel of reagents was assessed by cytofluorimetric analysis. Most of the antibodies recognized a determinant specified by one chain, either alpha or (more commonly) beta. A few examples of more complex determinants were also observed. A knowledge of the chain specificities of anti-Ia monoclonal antibodies should prove useful for a variety of studies aimed at dissecting Ia structure-function relationships.     

BOOK REVIEWS

Book Reviews in this Article: Good Intentions: How Big Business and the Medical Establishment Are Corrupting the Fight Against AIDS, Alzheimer's, Cancer and More, by Bruce Nussbaum. If I Were A Rich Man Could I Buy A Pancreas?: and other essays on the ethics of health care, by Arthur L. Caplan. Bloomington and Indianapolis Competency. A Study of Informal Competency Determinations in Primary Care. Edited by M.A. Gardell Cutter and E.E. Shelp. Ethics and Nursing Practice: A case study approach, by Ruth Chadwick and Win Tadd. Basingstoke Spare Parts: Organ Replacement in American Society by Renée C. Fox and Judith P. Swazey     

Book Reviews

Book Reviews in this article:
Dopaminergic Systems and Their Regulation edited by G. N. Woodruff, J. A. Poat, and P. J. Roberts.
Neurobiology of Hearing: The Cochlea edited by R. A. Altschuler, R. P. Bobbin, and D. W. Hoffman.
Neurochemistry: A Practical Approach edited by A. J. Turner and H. S. Bachelard.     

Stacking geometry between two sheared Watson-Crick basepairs: Computational chemistry and bioinformatics based prediction

BackgroundMolecular modeling of RNA double helices is possible using most probable values of basepair parameters obtained from crystal structure database. The A:A w:wC non-canonical basepair, involving Watson-Crick edges of two Adenines in cis orientation, appears quite frequently in database. Bimodal distribution of its Shear, due to two different H-bonding schemes, introduces the confusion in assigning most the probable value. Its effect is pronounced when the A:A w:wC basepair stacks on Sheared wobble G:U W:WC basepairs.MethodsWe employed molecular dynamics simulations of three possible double helices with GAG, UAG and GAU sequence motifs at their centers and quantum chemical calculation for non-canonical A:A w:wC basepair stacked on G:U W:WC basepair.ResultsWe noticed stable structures of GAG motif with specifically negative Shear of the A:A basepair but stabilities of the other motifs were not found with A:A w:wC basepairing. Hybrid DFT-D and MP2 stacking energy analyses on dinucleotide step sequences, A:A w:wC::G:U W:WC and A:A w:wC::U:G W:WC reveal that viable orientation of A:A::G:U prefers one of the H-bonding modes with negative Shear, supported by crystal structure database. The A:A::U:G dinucleotide, however, prefers structure with only positive Shear.ConclusionsThe quantum chemical calculations explain why MD simulations of GAG sequence motif only appear stable. In the cases of the GAU and UAG motifs “tug of war” situation between positive and negative Shears of A:A w:wC basepair induces conformational plasticity.General significanceWe have projected comprehensive reason behind the promiscuous nature of A:A w:wC basepair which brings occasional structural plasticity.     

Deficient nucleotide excision repair increases base-pair substitutions but decreases TGGC frameshifts induced by methylglyoxal in Escherichia coli.

To investigate the mutation spectrum of a well-known mutagen, methylglyoxal, and the influence of nucleotide excision repair (NER) on methylglyoxal-induced mutations, we treated wild-type and NER-deficient (uvrA or uvrC) Escherichia coli strains with methylglyoxal, and analyzed mutations in the chromosomal lacI gene. In the three strains, the cell death and the mutation frequency increased according to the dose of methylglyoxal added to the culture medium. The frequencies of methylglyoxal-induced base-pair substitutions were higher in the NER-deficient strains than in the wild-type strain, in the presence and absence of mucAB gene. Paradoxically, the frequency of methylglyoxal-induced TGGC frameshifts was higher in the wild-type strain than in the NER-deficient strains. When the methylglyoxal-induced mutation spectra in the presence and absence of mucAB gene are compared, the ratios of base-pair substitutions to frameshifts were increased by the effects of mucAB gene. In the three strains, more than 75% of the base-pair substitutions occurred at G:C sites, independent of the mucAB gene. When the mucAB gene was present, G:C-->T:A transversions were predominant, followed by G:C-->A:T transitions. When the mucAB gene was absent, the predominant mutations differed in the three strains: in the wild-type and uvrC strains, G:C-->A:T transitions were predominant, followed by G:C-->T:A transversions, while in the uvrA strains, G:C-->T:A transversions were predominant, followed by G:C-->A:T transitions. These results suggest that NER may be involved in both the repair and the fixation of methylglyoxal-induced mutations.