Conserved DNA Motifs,Including the CENP-B Box-like,Are Possible Promoters of Satellite DNA Array Rearrangements in Nematodes

Tandemly arrayed non-coding sequences or satellite DNAs (satDNAs) are rapidly evolving segments of eukaryotic genomes, including the centromere, and may raise a genetic barrier that leads to speciation. However, determinants and mechanisms of satDNA sequence dynamics are only partially understood. Sequence analyses of a library of five satDNAs common to the root-knot nematodes Meloidogyne chitwoodi and M. fallax together with a satDNA, which is specific for M. chitwoodi only revealed low sequence identity (32–64%) among them. However, despite sequence differences, two conserved motifs were recovered. One of them turned out to be highly similar to the CENP-B box of human alpha satDNA, identical in 10–12 out of 17 nucleotides. In addition, organization of nematode satDNAs was comparable to that found in alpha satDNA of human and primates, characterized by monomers concurrently arranged in simple and higher-order repeat (HOR) arrays. In contrast to alpha satDNA, phylogenetic clustering of nematode satDNA monomers extracted either from simple or from HOR array indicated frequent shuffling between these two organizational forms. Comparison of homogeneous simple arrays and complex HORs composed of different satDNAs, enabled, for the first time, the identification of conserved motifs as obligatory components of monomer junctions. This observation highlights the role of short motifs in rearrangements, even among highly divergent sequences. Two mechanisms are proposed to be involved in this process, i.e., putative transposition-related cut-and-paste insertions and/or illegitimate recombination. Possibility for involvement of the nematode CENP-B box-like sequence in the transposition-related mechanism and together with previously established similarity of the human CENP-B protein and pogo-like transposases implicate a novel role of the CENP-B box and related sequence motifs in addition to the known function in centromere protein binding.     

Regulation of the Oxidative Processes in the Organs of Mice under the Effects of Chemical and Physical Factors at Low Doses

Biophysics - The effects of the separate and combined action of lead nitrate in a wide range of doses, uranyl nitrate, and chronic low-dose gamma irradiation on the formation of oxidative stress in...     

Effect of TNF-α, IL-2, IL-5 and IL-6 on Rat Tracheal and Bronchial Smooth Muscle Contractions

Journal of Evolutionary Biochemistry and Physiology - The article addresses the role of TNF-α, IL-2, IL-5 and IL-6 in the contractile activity of rat tracheal and bronchial smooth muscle...     

Inborn errors of complex II--unusual human mitochondrial diseases.

The succinate dehydrogenase consists of only four subunits, all nuclearly encoded, and is part of both the respiratory chain and the Krebs cycle. Mutations in the four genes encoding the subunits of the mitochondrial respiratory chain succinate dehydrogenase have been recently reported in human and shown to be associated with a wide spectrum of clinical presentations. Although a comparatively rare deficiency in human, molecularly defined succinate dehydrogenase deficiency has already been found to cause encephalomyopathy in childhood, optic atrophy or tumor in adulthood. Because none of the typical housekeeping genes encoding this respiratory chain complex is known to present tissue-specific isoforms, the tissue-specific involvement represents a quite intriguing question, which is mostly addressed in this review. A differential impairment of electron flow through the respiratory chain, handling of oxygen, and/or metabolic blockade possibly associated with defects in the different subunits that can be advocated to account for tissue-specific involvement is discussed.     

Restoring avian wing digits

The precise identification of the digits of the avian wing is of importance in evolutionary studies. If the digits are numbered two, three and four, this has been taken to suggest that birds are not descended directly from dinosaurs. If the digits are numbered one, two and three, dinosaur origins become more plausible. Studies of the development of the avian wing have failed to resolve this dilemma. However, in some instances, it is possible to deduce information about evolutionary morphologies by manipulating development experimentally. We grafted beads loaded with fibroblast growth factor 4 into the distal tip of chick wing buds at times when the apical ectodermal ridge is regressing. The consequence was that the cartilage structure conventionally labelled ''element 5'' increased dramatically in size and acquired a digit-like morphology in some instances. Corresponding changes in soft tissue morphology were also observed. We conclude that it may be possible to resolve the issue of avian digit homology by the induction of experimental atavisms of this kind.     

Endotoxemia increases relative perfusion to dorsal-caudal lung regions.

Changes in the spatial distribution of perfusion during acute lung injury and their impact on gas exchange are poorly understood. We tested whether endotoxemia caused topographical differences in perfusion and whether these differences caused meaningful changes in regional ventilation-to-perfusion ratios and gas exchange. Regional ventilation and perfusion were measured in anesthetized, mechanically ventilated pigs in the prone position before and during endotoxemia with the use of aerosolized and intravenous fluorescent microspheres. On average, relative perfusion halved in ventral and cranial lung regions, doubled in caudal lung regions, and increased 1.5-fold in dorsal lung regions during endotoxemia. In contrast, there were no topographical differences in perfusion before endotoxemia and no topographical differences in ventilation at any time point. Consequently, endotoxemia increased regional ventilation-to-perfusion ratios in the caudal-to-cranial and dorsal-to-ventral directions, resulting in end-capillary PO2 values that were significantly lower in dorsal-caudal than ventral-cranial regions. We conclude that there are topographical differences in the pulmonary vascular response to endotoxin that may have important consequences for gas exchange in acute lung injury.