Bacteriophage phi 80-induced low molecular weight RNA

A species of low molecular weight RNA (M₃) which is produced in bacteriophage φ80-infected Escherichia coli has been isolated and characterized. M₃ appears immediately after infection and its synthesis continues until lysis. This RNA is unstable; its mean half-life is 13.5 min. The structural gene for M₃ is localized on the φ80 genome to the right of the exonuclease locus and to the left of gene Q.     

The genome of Burkholderia cenocepacia J2315, an epidemic pathogen of cystic fibrosis patients

Bacterial infections of the lungs of cystic fibrosis (CF) patients cause major complications in the treatment of this common genetic disease. Burkholderia cenocepacia infection is particularly problematic since this organism has high levels of antibiotic resistance, making it difficult to eradicate; the resulting chronic infections are associated with severe declines in lung function and increased mortality rates. B. cenocepacia strain J2315 was isolated from a CF patient and is a member of the epidemic ET12 lineage that originated in Canada or the United Kingdom and spread to Europe. The 8.06-Mb genome of this highly transmissible pathogen comprises three circular chromosomes and a plasmid and encodes a broad array of functions typical of this metabolically versatile genus, as well as numerous virulence and drug resistance functions. Although B. cenocepacia strains can be isolated from soil and can be pathogenic to both plants and man, J2315 is representative of a lineage of B. cenocepacia rarely isolated from the environment and which spreads between CF patients. Comparative analysis revealed that ca. 21% of the genome is unique in comparison to other strains of B. cenocepacia, highlighting the genomic plasticity of this species. Pseudogenes in virulence determinants suggest that the pathogenic response of J2315 may have been recently selected to promote persistence in the CF lung. The J2315 genome contains evidence that its unique and highly adapted genetic content has played a significant role in its success as an epidemic CF pathogen.     

Some Coumarins and Triphenylethene Derivatives as Inhibitors of Human Testes Microsomal 17β-hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase (17β-HSD Type 3): Further Studies with Tamoxifen on the Rat Testes Microsomal Enzyme

The 7-hydroxycoumarins, umbelliferone and 4-methylumbelliferone (IC 50 =1.4 and 1.9 μM, respectively) were potent inhibitors of human testes microsomal 17 β -HSD (type 3) enzyme whereas 7-methoxycoumarin, 4-hydroxycoumarin and 7-ethoxycoumarin had little or no inhibitory activity. Analogues of the weak inhibitory triphenylethenes tamoxifen and clomiphene but lacking the basic substituent, were weak inhibitors of the human microsomal enzyme. Inhibitory activity was improved by replacement of the triphenylethene structure with a triphenylmethyl (17, 52.6% inhibition) or phenylpropyl (16, 94.8%, IC 50 =42.1 μM) skeleton. Further studies on tamoxifen using rat testes microsomal 17 β -HSD showed that the inhibition was time-dependent and irreversible but not specifically mechanism-based.     

Semiautomated preparation of DNA templates for large-scale sequencing projects

The rate limiting step in a large-scale sequencing project is the generation of single-stranded DNA templates. We describe a fast, semiautomated procedure, using 96-well microtitre plates, in which 192 templates can be readily prepared in 1 day. The technique can be carried out manually or can be semiautomated using a robot pipetting device. We also provide evidence for the reliability and applicability of this method to a large-scale sequencing project.