Segregation and manifestations of the mtDNA tRNA(Lys) A-->G(8344) mutation of myoclonus epilepsy and ragged-red fibers (MERRF) syndrome.

We have studied the segregation and manifestations of the tRNA(Lys) A-->G(8344) mutation of mtDNA. Three unrelated patients with myoclonus epilepsy and ragged-red fibers (MERRF) syndrome were investigated, along with 30 of their maternal relatives. Mutated mtDNA was not always found in the offspring of women carrying the tRNA(Lys) mutation. Four women had 10%-33% of mutated mtDNA in lymphocytes, and no mutated mtDNA was found in 7 of their 14 investigated children. The presence of mutated mtDNA was excluded at a level of 3:1,000. Five women had a proportion of 43%-73% mutated mtDNA in lymphocytes, and mutated mtDNA was found in all their 12 investigated children. This suggests that the risk for transmission of mutated mtDNA to the offspring increases if high levels are present in the mother and that, above a threshold level of 35%-40%, it is very likely that transmission will occur to all children. The three patients with MERRF syndrome had, in muscle, both 94%-96% mutated mtDNA and biochemical and histochemical evidence of a respiratory-chain dysfunction. Four relatives had a proportion of 61%-92% mutated mtDNA in muscle, and biochemical measurements showed a normal respiratory-chain function in muscle in all cases. These findings suggest that > 92% of mtDNA with the tRNA(Lys) mutation in muscle is required to cause a respiratory-chain dysfunction that can be detected by biochemical methods. There was a positive correlation between the levels of mtDNA with the tRNA(Lys) mutation in lymphocytes and the levels in muscle, in all nine investigated cases. The levels of mutated mtDNA were higher in muscle than in lymphocytes in all cases. In two of the patients with MERRF syndrome, muscle specimens were obtained at different times. In both cases, biochemical measurements revealed a deteriorating respiratory-chain function, and in one case a progressive increase in the amount of cytochrome c oxidase-deficient muscle fibers was found.     

Lack of transmission of deleted mtDNA from a woman with Kearns-Sayre syndrome to her child.

We have investigated the daughter of a woman with Kearns-Sayre syndrome. The woman had a high percentage of deleted mtDNA in muscle, but no deleted mtDNA was detected in fibroblasts, bone marrow, and peripheral blood cells by Southern blot analysis. With PCR, analytical sensitivity was significantly increased, and deleted mtDNA was detected in all examined tissues from this patient. The patient had healthy parents and nine healthy siblings. No deleted mtDNA was detected in blood from the mother of the patient. The patient had an uneventful pregnancy and delivered at term. Deleted mtDNA could not be detected in placenta by Southern blot analysis. With PCR, deleted mtDNA was detected in the majority of placental specimens. This finding may, however, be due to contamination with maternal DNA. The patient's daughter was healthy at age 5 mo, and morphologic examination of muscle was normal. No transmission of deleted mtDNA to the daughter could be detected by Southern blot and PCR analysis of peripheral blood cells, bone marrow, fibroblasts, and muscle. The presence of deleted mtDNA was excluded at a fractional level of less than 1:100,000 in all examined tissues from the daughter.     

Responses of nitrate assimilation and N translocation in tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) to reduced ambient air humidity

The impact of low humidity in ambient air on water relations,nitrate uptake, and translocation of recently absorbed nitrogen,was investigated in 5-week-old tomato (Lycopersicon esculentumMill cv. Ailsa Craig) plants grown hydroponically in a completenutrient solution. Plants were subjected to dry air (relativehumidity 2–4% for 6 h. The transpiration rate increasedseveral-fold and the shoot water content decreased by almost20%, whereas root water content was unaffected. No effect onin vitro nitrate reductase (NR) activity was detected when usingan EDTA-contraining assay buffer. Replacement of EDTA with Mg²⁺revealed a significant decline in shoot NR activity, which suggestsphosphorylation of the enzyme during the stress treatment. Plantswere grown in a split-root system, in which one root half wasfed ¹⁵N-nitrate during the treatment, in order to determinenitrate uptake and translocation of recently absorbed nitrogenin the plants. Uptake of nitrate was substantially inhibited,but the proportion of absorbed ¹⁵N that was translocated tothe shoots was only slightly affected. In untreated plants,71% of the ¹⁵N recovered in roots had been retranslocated fromthe shoots, whereas in plants subjected to stress the deliveryof ¹⁵N from shoots to roots appeared to be completely inhibited.The data show that lowered humidity in air has significant effectson both uptake of nitrate as well as translocation of nitrogenwithin the plants. Some of these effects appear to be commonwith those observed in plants subjected to reduced water potentialsin the root environment and point to the possibility of theshoot water relations being highly influential on nitrogen uptakeand translocation. Key words: Air humidity, nitrate assimilation, nitrate reductase activity, nitrogen translocation, tomato, water stress     

Tetrasomy 15q: two marker chromosomes with no detectable alpha-satellite DNA.

Two patients with specific and similar phenotypes were both found to have an unusual marker chromosome present in 70%-80% of their lymphocytes at routine cytogenetic examination. The marker chromosomes were isolated by flow sorting and were amplified by degenerate oligonucleotide-primed PCR. These libraries and a cosmid probe located at 15q26 were used to characterize the marker chromosomes by FISH. Both marker chromosomes were found to consist of duplicated chromosome material from the distal part of chromosome 15q and were identified as inv dup(15) (qter-->q23::q23-->qter) and inv dup(15) (qter-->q24::q24-->qter), respectively. Hence, the markers did not include any known centromere region, and no alpha-satellite DNA could be detected at the site of the primary constriction. Tetrasomy 15q may be a new syndrome, associated with a specific type of marker chromosome. In addition, further analyses of this type of marker chromosome might give new insight into the structure and function of the mammalian centromere.     

Predisposition for breast cancer in carriers of constitutional translocation 11q;22q.

A translocation between the long arms of chromosomes 11 and 22, t(11;22)(q23;q11), is the most frequent constitutional reciprocal translocation in man. This chromosome abnormality has not previously been reported to be associated with an increased risk for neoplasia. The observation of one patient with a constitutional translocation t(11q;22q) and breast cancer prompted us to study the relationship between these two conditions. The incidence of breast cancer was determined in carriers of t(11q;22q). The karyotypes were determined by QFQ-banding, and the breakpoints were then further characterized by fluorescent in situ hybridization. Eight families with a total of 22 balanced carriers were found. In five of these families there was one case of breast cancer each. In another family a case of an unknown malignancy was reported in one member. No other malignancies were found among these patients. The number of breast cancer cases was significantly higher than expected among the translocation carriers (P < .001). The chromosomal breakpoints showed the same localization with the markers used, in the seven families studied. The association of constitutional translocation t(11q;22q) and breast cancer identifies a subset of patients with a highly increased risk for breast cancer who would benefit from counseling and screening. It also suggests the involvement of genes on 11q and/or 22q, in the tumorigenesis of breast cancer.     

Glass slide models for immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization

We have developed a model system based on the immobilization of microdroplets (0.1 l volumes) of antigens or of target (sense) oligonucleotides onto aminoalkylsilane-coated glass slides. Oligopeptide antigens need to be vapour-fixed in order to achieve efficient immobilization, while oligonucleotides do not require fixation. Protein antigens, exemplified by rabbit immunoglobulin, may be subjected to liquid fixation. The glass slide models are optically translucent and useful both for in situ hybridization and immunocytochemistry. The slides are compatible with detection systems of both light and fluorescence microscopy and permit measurement of staining intensities by microfluorimetry or computerized microdensitometry. The model systems can be used for comparisons of method sensitivities, for characterizing antibody and probe sensitivities and cross-reactivities, and as internal standards or quality controls for immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridization.     

Interactions of native and modified cytochrome C with a negatively charged reverse micellar liquid interface

Native and chemically modified cytochrome C were dissolved in sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulphosuccinate (AOT)-oil-buffer microemulsions. The native cytochrome C contains 19 lysine residues, these groups were modified by 1) acetic anhydride or 2) succinic anhydride. At pH 8.4 the native, acetylated and succinylated proteins carry +8, –3 and –12 elementary charges, respectively. The phase behaviour of the microemulsion systems was found to be highly dependent on the charge of the proteins. Compared to a protein free system the native protein induces a L-2 phase separation at lower temperatures. The acetylated protein has a small effect on the temperature for the phase transition, whereas in the case of succinylated cytochrome C the phase transition takes place at higher temperatures. When dissolved in AOT microemulsions, the native cytochrome C has a perturbed tertiary structure, as indicated by loss of the 695 nm absorption band, while both the modified proteins retain the same optical properties when dissolved in an AOT microemulsion as in a pure buffer solution. The pertubed structure of the native cytochrome C was further investigated by testing the stability of the reduced form of the protein dissolved in the microemulsion media. The native cytochrome is unstable at W > 10, whereas the two modified proteins were found to be stable at all W-values investigated. The average location of the three proteins was determined by pulse radiolysis. The quenching rate constant of the hydrated electron depends upon the location of the probe in the reverse micelle; the succinylated protein is localised in the aqueous core of the reverse micelles, but both the native and the acetylated forms were found to be localised close to or at the AOT interface.     

Spin Trapping of Methyl Radicals by the Acyl Nitroso Compound PH-C (= O)NO Formed in the Photochemical Reaction Between Benzohydroxamic Acid, Dimethyl Sulfoxide and Hydrogen Peroxide. An Epr Study

By the use of EPR spectroscopy, it has been shown that acyl nitroso compounds can act as spin traps for short-lived radicals with the formation of acyl aminoxyl radicals. The reaction was studied for the system benzohydroxamicacid[Ph-C (= O)N(H)] - dimethyl sulfoxide - hydrogen peroxide. The acyl aminoxyl radicals appeared almost immediately when the reaction mixture was irradiated in situ in the EPR cavity with UV light. The trapping reaction involved two photochemical reactions, i.e. the oxidation of the hydroxamic acid to the acyl nitroso compound Ph-C (= O)NO, and the formation of methyl radicals from dimethyl sulfoxide. The EPR spectra are superpositions of the spectra of two species of acyl aminoxyl radicals, i.e. the radicals Ph-C (= O)N(O·)H formed by oxidation of the parent benzohydrox-amic acid, and the radical Ph-C (= O)N(O·)CH₃, formed by trapping of methyl radicals.     

Energy flux and osmoregulation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae grown in chemostats under NaCl stress.

The energetics and accumulation of solutes in Saccharomyces cerevisiae were investigated for cells grown aerobically in a chemostat under NaCl stress and glucose limitation. Changed energy requirements in relation to external salinity were examined by energy balance determinations performed by substrate and product analyses, with the latter including heat measurements by microcalorimetry. In both 0 and 0.9 M NaCl cultures, the catabolism was entirely respiratory at the lowest dilution rates tested but shifted to a mixed respiratory-fermentative metabolism at higher dilution rates. This shift occurred at a considerably lower dilution rate for salt-grown cells. The intracellular solute concentrations, as calculated on the basis of intracellular soluble space determinations, showed that the internal Na+ concentration increased from about 0.02 molal in basal medium to about 0.18 molal in 0.9 M NaCl medium, while intracellular K+ was maintained around 0.29 molal despite the variation in external salinity. The intracellular glycerol concentration increased from below 0.05 molal at low salinity to about 1.2 molal at 0.9 M NaCl. The concentrations of the internal solutes, however, changed insignificantly with growth rate and energy metabolism. The additional maintenance energy expenditure for growth at 0.9 M NaCl was, depending on the growth rate, 14 to 31% of the total energy requirement for growth at 0 M NaCl. Including the energy conserved in glycerol, the total additional energy demand for growth at 0.9 M NaCl corresponded to 28 to 51% of the energy required for growth at 0 M NaCl.     

Homozygotes for the autosomal dominant neoplasia syndrome (MEN1).

Families in which both parents are heterozygotes for the same autosomal dominant neoplasia syndrome are extremely unusual. Recently, we had the unique opportunity to evaluate three symptomatic siblings from the union between two unrelated individuals affected by multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1). When the three siblings and their parents and relatives were genotyped for 12 markers tightly linked to the MEN1 locus, at 11q13, two of the siblings were found to be homozygotes, and one a heterozygote, for MEN1. With regard to the MEN1 syndrome, no phenotypic differences were observed between the two homozygotes and the heterozygotes. However, the two homozygotes showed unexplained infertility, which was not the case for any of the heterozygotes. Thus, MEN1 appears to be a disease with complete dominance, and the presence of two MEN1 alleles with mutations of the type that occur constitutionally may be insufficient for tumor development.