THE EVOLUTION OF GENETIC CORRELATIONS: AN ANALYSIS OF PATTERNS

The genetic correlation is a central parameter of quantitative genetics, providing a measure of the rate at which traits respond to indirect selection (i.e., selection that does not act upon the traits under study, but some other trait with which they have genes in common). In this paper, I review the pattern of variation among four combinations of traits: life history × life history (L × L), morphological × morphological (M × M), life history × morphological (L × M), and behavioral × behavioral (B × B). A few other combinations were investigated, but insufficient data were obtained for separate analysis. A total of 1798 correlations, distributed over 51 different animal and plant species, were analyzed. The analysis was conducted at two levels: first by dividing the data set solely by trait combination, and second by blocking the data by trait combination and species. Because selection will tend to fix alleles that show positive correlations with fitness traits faster than those that are negative and because the latter are expected to arise more frequently by mutation, correlations between life-history traits are predicted to be more often negative than those between morphological traits. This prediction was supported, with the ranking in decreasing proportion of negative correlations being: L × L > L × M > B × B > M × M. The mean magnitude of the genetic correlation shows little variation among morphological and life-history combinations, and the distribution of values is remarkably flat. However, the estimated standard errors and the coefficient of variation (SE/r_G) are large, making it difficult to separate biological factors influencing the pattern of dispersion from experimental error. Analysis of the phenotypic and genetic correlations suggest that for the combinations M × M and L × M, but not L × L or B × B, the phenotypic correlation is an adequate estimate of the genetic correlation.     

Analysis of the proposed Fe-SX binding region of Photosystem 1 by site directed mutation of PsaA in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

The psaA and psaB genes of the chloroplast genome in oxygenic photosynthetic organisms code for the major peptides of the Photosystem 1 reaction center. A heterodimer of the two polypeptides PsaA and PsaB is thought to bind the reaction center chlorophyll, P700, and the early electron acceptors A₀, A₁ and Fe-S_X. Fe-S_X is a 4Fe4S center requiring 4 cysteine residues as ligands from the protein. As PsaA and PsaB have only three and two conserved cysteine residues respectively, it has been proposed by several groups that Fe-S_X is an unusual inter-peptide center liganded by two cysteines from each peptide. This hypothesis has been tested by site directed mutagenesis of PsaA residue C575 and the adjacent D576. The C575D mutant does not assemble Photosystem 1. The C575H mutant contains a photoxidisable chlorophyll with EPR properties of P700, but no other Photosystem 1 function has been detected. The D576L mutant assembles a modified Photosystem 1 in which the EPR properties of the Fe-S_A/B centers are altered. The results confirm the importance of the conserved cysteine motif region in Photosystem 1 structure.Dedicated to the memory of Daniel I. Arnon.     

Interferon synthesis in the early post-implantation mouse embryo

Abstract. A qualitative bioassay was adapted and used to determine the ability of the early post-implantation mouse embryo to synthesise interferon. Interferon production was not seen in any embryo tissue in the absence of an inducer and could only be detected in virus-induced tissue from the early 7th day of development. This induced interferon synthesis was initially confined to the trophoblast of the early 7th day embryo. It was then found in tissues of both trophoblast and inner cell mass origin in the early 8th day, and subsequently, in derivatives of the embryonic ectoderm in the 13th-day embryo.     

Studies in vitro of the nature and synthesis of the cell wall ofChlamydia trachomatis

The possibility thatChlamydia trachomatis contains peptidoglycan was examined by three methods. Preincubation of chlamydia with enzymes known to cleave peptidoglycan had no adverse effect on the subsequent development. Immunofluorescence studies with antistreptococcal peptidoglycan antisera failed to show any cross reactions with chlamydial antigens. The antichlamydial activity of anti-cell-wall antimicrobials was examined; lactams proved the most active, and cycloserine and bacitracin also showed antichlamydial activity. Alaphosphin, phosphomycin, and vancomycin showed no antichlamydial activity at the concentrations tested.     

P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy of lipopolysaccharides from pseudomonas aeruginosa

Intact lipopolysaccharide antigens isolated from seven different immunotypes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been examined by ³¹P-NMR spectroscopy. These macromolecular complexes contain phosphorus covalently attached to the carbohydrate residues present in the lipid A moiety and the ‘core’ oligosaccharide region. The spectral signals for various ortho- and pyro-phosphoric esters were observed. All phosphate groups appeared to be mono-esterified. Certain shifts characteristic for phosphate diester groups, observed in lipopolysaccharide complexes from other Gram-negative bacteria, were absent. Furthermore, no evidence was found to indicate that phosphate groups are involved in the covalent linkage of individual lipopolysaccharide complexes to form dimers or trimers.     

Synthesis of C-substituted triazoles,isoxazoles, and pyrazoles by 1,3-dipolar cycloaddition to acetylenic sugars

Addition of phenyl azide to 3,5-di-O-acetyl-6,7-dideoxy-1,2-O-isopropylidene-β-l-idio-hept-6-ynofuranose (1) and subsequent saponification gave a 4-substituted 1-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole derivative (3) whose optical rotatory dispersion (o.r.d.) curve was positive. The α-d-gluco analog (5) of 1 similarly gave the 5-epimer (7) of 3; its o.r.d. curve was negative. Both 3 and 7 were degraded to the known 1-phenyl-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxaldehyde. Similarly, addition of 2,4,6-trimethylbenzonitrile N-oxide to 1 or 5 gave the corresponding, crystalline 3-mesitylisoxazoles as single products; ¹³C-n.m.r. spectroscopy was used to establish the orientation of addition. Related 3-mesitylisoxazoles (11 and 13) were obtained from 1,2:3,4-di-O-isopropylidene-d-glycero-α-d-galacto-oct-7-ynopyranose (10) and its l-glycero 6-epimer (12), respectively; 11 showed the expected, large levorotation, and the 6-epimer 13 was also levorotatory. Benzonitrile (N-phenyl)imine, prepared in situ from 1-(α-chlorobenzylidene)-2-phenylhydrazine and base, did not react with 10 (or its 6-epimer 12), but did react with the 6-keto analog to give a 5-substituted 1,3-diphenyl-1,2-diazole.