Extensive variation in synonymous substitution rates in mitochondrial genes of seed plants

Background  

It has long been known that rates of synonymous substitutions are unusually low in mitochondrial genes of flowering and other land plants. Although two dramatic exceptions to this pattern have recently been reported, it is unclear how often major increases in substitution rates occur during plant mitochondrial evolution and what the overall magnitude of substitution rate variation is across plants.     

Development of a bifunctional crosslinking agent with potential for the preparation of immunotoxins

A new protein crosslinking agent, 2,3-dibromopropionyl-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, has been synthesized and characterized. The potential use of this compound as a temperature-controllable heterobifunctional crosslinking agent has been investigated using model systems and its reactivity compared with that of chlorambucil-N-hydroxysuccinimide ester. The coupling of¹⁴C-labeled phenylethylamine to lysozyme has been used to illustrate the feasibility of the use of this crosslinking agent for the synthesis of immunotoxins.     

Pollen–plant–climate relationships in sub-Saharan Africa

Aim  To demonstrate that incorporating the bioclimatic range of possible contributor plants leads to improved accuracy in interpreting the palaeoclimatic record of taxonomically complex pollen types.
Location  North Tropical Africa.
Methods  The geographical ranges of selected African plants were extracted from the literature and geo-referenced. These plant ranges were compared with the pollen percentages obtained from a network of surface sediments. Climate-response surfaces were graphed for each pollen taxon and each corresponding plant species.
Results  Several patterns can be identified, including taxa for which the pollen and plant distributions coincide, and others where the range limits diverge. Some pollen types display a reduced climate range compared with that of the corresponding plant species, due to low pollen production and/or dispersal. For other taxa, corresponding to high pollen producers such as pioneer taxa, pollen types display a larger climatic envelope than that of the corresponding plants. The number of species contained in a pollen taxon is an important factor, as the botanical species included in a taxon may have different geographical and climate distributions.
Main conclusions  The comparison between pollen and plant distributions is an essential step towards more precise vegetation and climate reconstructions in Africa, as it identifies taxa that have a high correspondence between pollen and plant distribution patterns. Our method is a useful tool to reassess biome reconstructions in Africa and to characterize accurately the vegetation and climate conditions at a regional scale, from pollen data.     

A real-time database/models base/expert system in predictive microbiology

Summary This paper describes the development and operation of a database/models base/expert system funded by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food in the UK. As part of an on-going coordinated program on predictive microbiology, the system being established involves storage of data and models relevant to changes in populations of food-borne pathogens under given conditions. The system is due to be completed by March 1994.     

Identification of tomato bushy stunt virus in cherry and plum trees showing fruit pitting symptoms

The fruit pitting symptoms on cherries, plums and prunes were investigated from the standpoint of their etiology. Tomato bushy stunt virus (TBSV) was isolated from pitted fruits of these plants and from their leaves and identified by means of biological and serological methods. Both isolates reacted with antisera againstPetunia and artichoke strain of this virus. In addition, the etiology of pseudopox disease of plum and that of cherry detrimental canker is discussed.     

T cell stimulation remodels the latently HIV-1 infected cell population by differential activation of proviral chromatin

The reservoir of latently HIV-1 infected cells is heterogeneous. To achieve an HIV-1 cure, the reservoir of activatable proviruses must be eliminated while permanently silenced proviruses may be tolerated. We have developed a method to assess the proviral nuclear microenvironment in single cells. In latently HIV-1 infected cells, a zinc finger protein tethered to the HIV-1 promoter produced a fluorescent signal as a protein of interest came in its proximity, such as the viral transactivator Tat when recruited to the nascent RNA. Tat is essential for viral replication. In these cells we assessed the proviral activation and chromatin composition. By linking Tat recruitment to proviral activity, we dissected the mechanisms of HIV-1 latency reversal and the consequences of HIV-1 production. A pulse of promoter-associated Tat was identified that contrasted to the continuous production of viral proteins. As expected, promoter H3K4me3 led to substantial expression of the provirus following T cell stimulation. However, the activation-induced cell cycle arrest and death led to a surviving cell fraction with proviruses encapsulated in repressive chromatin. Further, this cellular model was used to reveal mechanisms of action of small molecules. In a proof-of-concept study we determined the effect of modifying enhancer chromatin on HIV-1 latency reversal. Only proviruses resembling active enhancers, associated with H3K4me1 and H3K27ac and subsequentially recognized by BRD4, efficiently recruited Tat upon cell stimulation. Tat-independent HIV-1 latency reversal of unknown significance still occurred. We present a method for single cell assessment of the microenvironment of the latent HIV-1 proviruses, used here to reveal how T cell stimulation modulates the proviral activity and how the subsequent fate of the infected cell depends on the chromatin context.