Linkage mapping of the primary disease locus for collie eye anomaly

Collie eye anomaly (cea) is a hereditary ocular disorder affecting development of the choroid and sclera segregating in several breeds of dog, including rough, smooth, and Border collies and Australian shepherds. The disease is reminiscent of the choroidal hypoplasia phenotype observed in humans in conjunction with craniofacial or renal abnormalities. In dogs, however, the clinical phenotype can vary significantly; many dogs exhibit no obvious clinical consequences and retain apparently normal vision throughout life, while severely affected animals develop secondary retinal detachment, intraocular hemorrhage, and blindness. We report genetic studies establishing that the primary cea phenotype, choroidal hypoplasia, segregates as an autosomal recessive trait with nearly 100% penetrance. We further report linkage mapping of the primary cea locus to a 3.9-cM region of canine chromosome 37 (LOD = 22.17 at theta = 0.076), in a region corresponding to human chromosome 2q35. These results suggest the presence of a developmental regulatory gene important in ocular embryogenesis, with potential implications for other disorders of ocular vascularization.     

Variation in DNA-ploidy Levels of Reynoutria Taxa in the Czech Republic

The genus Reynoutria is represented by four taxa in the Czech Republic: Reynoutria japonica var. japonica, R. japonica var. compacta, R. sachalinensis and R. xbohemica. By using flow cytometry, cytological variability within the genus is described based on 257 Reynoutria samples. The varieties of R. japonica are cytologically uniform, var. japonica is exclusively octoploid (2n = 8x = 88) and var. compacta occurs only as a tetraploid (2n = 4x = 44), but R. sachalinensis and R. xbohemica exhibit some variation in chromosome numbers. Reynoutria sachalinensis is predominantly tetraploid (2n = 4 x = 44), but also occurs occasionally as hexaploid and octoploid cytotypes. The most common ploidy level in R. xbohemica is hexaploid (2n = 6x = 66), but tetraploid and octoploid clones were also found. The four taxa occurring in the Czech Republic are described briefly and the possible origins of the cytotypes discussed.     

Endothelin-1 decreases gap junctional intercellular communication by inducing phosphorylation of connexin 43 in human ovarian carcinoma cells

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is overexpressed in ovarian carcinoma and acts as an autocrine factor selectively through the ETA receptor (ETAR) to promote tumor cell proliferation, survival, neovascularization, and invasiveness. Loss of gap junctional intercellular communication (GJIC) is critical for tumor progression by allowing the cells to escape growth control. Exposure of HEY and OVCA 433 ovarian carcinoma cell lines to ET-1 led to a 50-75% inhibition in intercellular communication and to a decrease in the connexin 43 (Cx43)-based gap junction plaques. To investigate the phosphorylation state of Cx43, ovarian carcinoma cell lysates were immunoprecipitated and transient tyrosine phosphorylation of Cx43 was detected in ET-1-treated cells. BQ 123, a selective ETAR antagonist, blocked the ET-1-induced Cx43 phosphorylation and cellular uncoupling. Gap junction closure was prevented by tyrphostin 25 and by the selective c-Src inhibitor, PP2. Furthermore, the increased Cx43 tyrosine phosphorylation was correlated with ET-1-induced increase of c-Src activity, and PP2 suppressed the ET-1-induced Cx43 tyrosine phosphorylation, indicating that inhibition of Cx43-based GJIC is mainly mediated by the Src tyrosine kinase pathway. In vivo, the inhibition of human ovarian tumor growth in nude mice induced by the potent ETAR antagonist, ABT-627, was associated with a reduction of Cx43 phosphorylation. These findings indicate that the signaling mechanisms involved in GJIC disruption on ovarian carcinoma cells depend on ETAR activation, which leads to the Cx43 tyrosine phosphorylation mediated by c-Src, suggesting that ETAR blockade may contribute to the control of ovarian carcinoma growth and progression also by preventing the loss of GJIC.     

Relationship between multiple sequence alignments and quality of protein comparative models

Comparative modeling is the method of choice, whenever applicable, for protein structure prediction, not only because of its higher accuracy compared to alternative methods, but also because it is possible to estimate a priori the quality of the models that it can produce, thereby allowing the usefulness of a model for a given application to be assessed beforehand. By and large, the quality of a comparative model depends on two factors: the extent of structural divergence between the target and the template and the quality of the sequence alignment between the two protein sequences. The latter is usually derived from a multiple sequence alignment (MSA) of as many proteins of the family as possible, and its accuracy depends on the number and similarity distribution of the sequences of the protein family. Here we describe a method to evaluate the expected difficulty, and by extension accuracy, of a comparative model on the basis of the MSA used to build it. The parameter that we derive is used to compare the results obtained in the last two editions of the Critical Assessment of Methods for Structure Prediction (CASP) experiment as a function of the difficulty of the modeling exercise. Our analysis demonstrates that the improvement in the scope and quality of comparative models between the two experiments is largely due to the increased number of available protein sequences and to the consequent increased chance that a large and appropriately spaced set of protein sequences homologous to the proteins of interest is available.     

Tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B interacts with TRPV6 in vivo and plays a role in TRPV6-mediated calcium influx in HEK293 cells

This study investigates the role of tyrosine phosphorylation and dephosphorylation in the regulation of the Ca(2+) permeant TRPV6 channel. HEK293 cells co-transfected with TRPV6 and the tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B show a constitutive Ca(2+) entry which was independent of tyrosine phosphorylation under resting conditions. Following depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores, TRPV6-mediated Ca(2+) entry could be increased in the presence of a tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor (bis-(N,N-dimethyl-hydroxamido) hydroxo-vanadate; DMHV). Inhibition of Src-kinases completely abolished DMHV-induced increase in TRPV6-mediated Ca(2+) influx. Co-transfection with Src led to tyrosine phosphorylation of TRPV6 which could be dephosphorylated by PTP1B. In vivo interaction of TRPV6 with PTP1B was visualized using the bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) method and proved by co-immunoprecipitation of both proteins. These data indicate that tyrosine phosphorylation is involved in the regulation of the TRPV6 channel protein.     

Translation initiator EIF4G1 mutations in familial Parkinson disease

Genome-wide analysis of a multi-incident family with autosomal-dominant parkinsonism has implicated a locus on chromosomal region 3q26-q28. Linkage and disease segregation is explained by a missense mutation c.3614G>A (p.Arg1205His) in eukaryotic translation initiation factor 4-gamma (EIF4G1). Subsequent sequence and genotype analysis identified EIF4G1 c.1505C>T (p.Ala502Val), c.2056G>T (p.Gly686Cys), c.3490A>C (p.Ser1164Arg), c.3589C>T (p.Arg1197Trp) and c.3614G>A (p.Arg1205His) substitutions in affected subjects with familial parkinsonism and idiopathic Lewy body disease but not in control subjects. Despite different countries of origin, persons with EIF4G1 c.1505C>T (p.Ala502Val) or c.3614G>A (p.Arg1205His) mutations appear to share haplotypes consistent with ancestral founders. eIF4G1 p.Ala502Val and p.Arg1205His disrupt eIF4E or eIF3e binding, although the wild-type protein does not, and render mutant cells more vulnerable to reactive oxidative species. EIF4G1 mutations implicate mRNA translation initiation in familial parkinsonism and highlight a convergent pathway for monogenic, toxin and perhaps virally-induced Parkinson disease.     

Lateral angle: a method for sexing using the petrous bone

We report on the results of applying the so-called lateral angle method for sex determination on skeletal remains. The lateral angle denotes the angle of the internal auditory canal in relation to the medial surface of the petrous part of the temporal bone. The method involves making a small cast of the proximal part of the internal acoustic canal and determining the angle at which the canal opens up to the surface of the petrous bone. The method has the great advantage of utilizing one of the sturdiest bone elements of the human skeleton, and may thus be especially suited for analyses of very fragmented skeletal remains or cremated bones, where the petrous bone may still be readily recognizable. The method was tested using a forensic sample of 113 petrous bones with known sex. Intra- and interobserver testing was also performed. We found a statistically significant difference in angle size between males and females (mean angle size of males, 39.3 degrees ; mean angle size of females, 48.2 degrees ; P < 0.001). There was no bilateral difference in angle size. In blind trials, 83.2% of petrous bones were assigned to the correct sex. We also tested the lateral angle method against an archaeological skeletal sample. True sex was not known for this sample; instead, sexing had been carried out by assessing pelvic and cranial morphology in independent trials. We found a higher concordance between the lateral angle and "pelvic" sex than for lateral angle and "cranial" sex. Finally, we note that subadult sexing may also be possible with this method.     

Sterol dependent regulation of human TM7SF2 gene expression: role of the encoded 3beta-hydroxysterol Delta14-reductase in human cholesterol biosynthesis

3Beta-hydroxysterol Delta(14)-reductase operates during the conversion of lanosterol to cholesterol in mammalian cells. Besides the endoplasmic reticulum 3beta-hydroxysterol Delta(14)-reductase (C14SR) encoded by TM7SF2 gene, the lamin B receptor (LBR) of the inner nuclear membrane possesses 3beta-hydroxysterol Delta(14)-reductase activity, based on its ability to complement C14SR-defective yeast strains. LBR was indicated as the primary 3beta-hydroxysterol Delta(14)-reductase in human cholesterol biosynthesis, since mutations in LBR gene were found in Greenberg skeletal dysplasia, characterized by accumulation of Delta(14)-unsaturated sterols. This study addresses the issue of C14SR and LBR role in cholesterol biosynthesis. Both human C14SR and LBR expressed in COS-1 cells exhibit 3beta-hydroxysterol Delta(14)-reductase activity in vitro. TM7SF2 mRNA and C14SR protein expression in HepG2 cells grown in delipidated serum (LPDS) plus lovastatin (sterol starvation) were 4- and 8-fold higher, respectively, than in LPDS plus 25-hydroxycholesterol (sterol feeding), resulting in 4-fold higher 3beta-hydroxysterol Delta(14)-reductase activity. No variations in LBR mRNA and protein levels were detected in the same conditions. The induction of TM7SF2 gene expression is turned-on by promoter activation in response to low cell sterol levels and is mediated by SREBP-2. The results suggest a primary role of C14SR in human cholesterol biosynthesis, whereas LBR role in the pathway remains unclear.     

The essential tyrosine-containing loop conformation and the role of the C-terminal multi-helix region in eukaryotic phenylalanine ammonia-lyases

Besides the post-translationally cyclizing catalytic Ala-Ser-Gly triad, Tyr110 and its equivalents are of the most conserved residues in the active site of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5), histidine ammonia-lyase (HAL, EC 4.3.1.3) and other related enzymes. The Tyr110Phe mutation results in the most pronounced inactivation of PAL indicating the importance of this residue. The recently published X-ray structures of PAL revealed that the Tyr110-loop was either missing (for Rhodospridium toruloides) or far from the active site (for Petroselinum crispum). In bacterial HAL ( approximately 500 amino acids) and plant and fungal PALs ( approximately 710 amino acids), a core PAL/HAL domain ( approximately 480 amino acids) with >or= 30% sequence identity along the different species is common. In plant and fungal PAL a approximately 100-residue long C-terminal multi-helix domain is present. The ancestor bacterial HAL is thermostable and, in all of its known X-ray structures, a Tyr83-loop-in arrangement has been found. Based on the HAL structures, a Tyr110-loop-in conformation of the P. crispum PAL structure was constructed by partial homology modeling, and the static and dynamic behavior of the loop-in/loop-out structures were compared. To study the role of the C-terminal multi-helix domain, Tyr-loop-in/loop-out model structures of two bacterial PALs (Streptomyces maritimus, 523 amino acids and Photorhabdus luminescens, 532 amino acids) lacking this C-terminal domain were also built. Molecular dynamics studies indicated that the Tyr-loop-in conformation was more rigid without the C-terminal multi-helix domain. On this basis it is hypothesized that a role of this C-terminal extension is to decrease the lifetime of eukaryotic PAL by destabilization, which might be important for the rapid responses in the regulation of phenylpropanoid biosynthesis.     

Wavelength-dependent effects of evening light exposure on sleep architecture and sleep EEG power density in men

Light strongly influences the circadian timing system in humans via non-image-forming photoreceptors in the retinal ganglion cells. Their spectral sensitivity is highest in the short-wavelength range of the visible light spectrum as demonstrated by melatonin suppression, circadian phase shifting, acute physiological responses, and subjective alertness. We tested the impact of short wavelength light (460 nm) on sleep EEG power spectra and sleep architecture. We hypothesized that its acute action on sleep is similar in magnitude to reported effects for polychromatic light at higher intensities and stronger than longer wavelength light (550 nm). The sleep EEGs of eight young men were analyzed after 2-h evening exposure to blue (460 nm) and green (550 nm) light of equal photon densities (2.8 x 10(13) photons x cm(-2) x s(-1)) and to dark (0 lux) under constant posture conditions. The time course of EEG slow-wave activity (SWA; 0.75-4.5 Hz) across sleep cycles after blue light at 460 nm was changed such that SWA was slightly reduced in the first and significantly increased during the third sleep cycle in parietal and occipital brain regions. Moreover, blue light significantly shortened rapid eye movement (REM) sleep duration during these two sleep cycles. Thus the light effects on the dynamics of SWA and REM sleep durations were blue shifted relative to the three-cone visual photopic system probably mediated by the circadian, non-image-forming visual system. Our results can be interpreted in terms of an induction of a circadian phase delay and/or repercussions of a stronger alerting effect after blue light, persisting into the sleep episode.