Isolation and analysis of (Gp)nXp sequences of rat liver 5S RNA by means of restricted ribonuclease T2 hydrolysis

Essentual difficulties arise when base number in oligoguanylic blocks and location of these blocks along the polynucleotide chain need to be determined in the course of determination of the nucleotide sequences in ribonucleic acids. To overcome this difficulty it is suggested to take advantage of a recently discovered resistance of phosphodiester bond between kethoxalated G and its 3′-neighbour against T₂ RNase hydrolysis 1,2. The approach is illustrated by analysis of 5S RNA from rat liver. Sequences of general formula (Gp)_nXp were isolated from T₂ RNase hydrolysate of 5 S RNA rapidly and quantitatively. The information obtained greatly facilitates the whole procedure of sequencing. It is expected that the method proposed would be effective for analysis of 5 S and 4 S RNA and for highmolecular weight fragments of ribosomal and viral RNAs.     

Isolation and characterization of alpha-amylase messenger RNA from bank vole parotid glands. Evidence for two separate messenger RNAs coding for amylase and an amylase-related protein

Bank vole saliva contains two glycogen-precipitable proteins, both of which show affinity for the alpha-amylase inhibitor cycloheptaamylose. One of these proteins, amylase, has a molecular weight of 55,000, judged from dodecylsulphate/acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The other has an apparent molecular weight of 59,000 and has no amylase activity. We report here that tryptic peptide maps as well as amino-acid composition analyses indicate extensive homology between the two proteins. We have also isolated total poly(A)-containing mRNA from amylase-rich bank vole parotid glands. These mRNAs were translated in the presence of [35S]methionine in an mRNA-dependent cell-free translation system from rabbit reticulocyte lysate. The radioactive translation products were examined by dodecylsulphate/polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Two major translation products with apparent molecular weights of approximately 56,500 and 60,500, respectively, were further characterized by tryptic peptide analyses. Our data indicate that the 56,500-Mr product is the biosynthetic precursor of amylase, whereas the 60,500-Mr translation product is a precursor of the 59,000-Mr amylase-like protein. Both precursors appear to contain extra peptide material, presumably as amino-terminal 'pre' or 'signal' peptides, in analogy with that found for other precursors of secretory proteins. Thus, amylase and the 59,000-Mr protein, although very similar, are translated from two separate mRNAs. These two messengers sediment in a sucrose gradient at about 17-S, corresponding to lengths of about 1,800 nucleotides.     

Shoulder muscle load and muscle fatigue among industrial sewing-machine operators

Physiological responses to physical work were assessed for 29 female industrial sewing-machine operators during an 8-h working day under ordinary working conditions. During sewing-machine work, the average (left and right) static load in the trapezius muscle was 9% of the maximal electromyogram (EMG) amplitude (% EMG_max), while the average mean load was 15% EMG_max, and the average peak load was 23% EMG_max. The static load level was unrelated to the muscle strength of the sewing-machine operators, which for the group as a whole was within the normal range. The load levels remained unchanged during the working day, while changes in the EMG mean power frequency and zero crossing frequency rate occurred, both indicating the development of muscle fatigue in left and right trapezius muscle during the working day. In line with this, the rating of perceived exertion in the shoulder and neck region increased during. the working day. Dividing the group of sewing-machine operators into two groups, those with the highest frequency and those with the lowest frequency of shoulder/neck troubles showed that the former group had significantly lower muscle strength, despite the fact that no differences in the surface EMG during sewing were found between the two groups. It was concluded that industrial sewing-machine work involves a pattern of shoulder muscle activity which induces fatiguing processes in the shoulder and neck regions. Furthermore, since the static shoulder muscle load was independent of muscle strength, factors other than working posture may be of significance for the static shoulder muscle load.     

The impact of forest continuity and management on forest floor vegetation evaluated by species traits

The distribution of the flora with different species attributes are investigated in two studies of forest ecosystems in Denmark, One study compared 17 forests with different degrees of management, the other study compared the flora of 25 old forests with that of 6 new forests. No effect of forest management could be detected in the distribution of species attributes in the flora, whereas the forest continuity was correlated with almost all of the 14 traits investigated. Species with heavy seeds, transient seedbanks, ant dispersed seeds, early and short flowering time, low stature and high extent of lateral spread were more common in old forests, while the proportion of species with small, short-lived seeds, epizoochorous dispersal, little lateral spread and later and longer flowering period was higher in new forests. In particular, Raunkiaers therophyles, and ruderal species were more common in new forests than in old.
Differences in the effects of the two types of disturbance - forest management, and breaks in forest eontinuity - are discussed in relation to survival strategies of the forest flora. The importanee of persistence ability in contrast to colonisation ability is stressed for many forest plants.     

Double-strand break DNA repair genotype predictive of later mortality and cancer incidence in a cohort of non-smokers

We followed-up for mortality and cancer incidence 1088 healthy non-smokers from a population-based study, who were characterized for 22 variants in 16 genes involved in DNA repair pathways. Follow-up was 100% complete. The association between polymorphism and mortality or cancer incidence was analyzed using Cox Proportional Hazard regression models. Ninety-five subjects had died in a median follow-up time of 78 months (inter-quartile range 59-93 months). None of the genotypes was clearly associated with total mortality, except variants for two Double-Strand Break DNA repair genes, XRCC3 18067 C>T (rs#861539) and XRCC2 31479 G>A (rs#3218536). Adjusted hazard ratios were 2.25 (1.32-3.83) for the XRCC3 C/T genotype and 2.04 (1.00-4.13) for the T/T genotype (reference C/C), and 2.12 (1.14-3.97) for the XRCC2 G/A genotype (reference G/G). For total cancer mortality, the adjusted hazard ratios were 3.29 (1.23-7.82) for XRCC3 C/T, 2.84 (0.81-9.90) for XRCC3 T/T and 3.17 (1.21-8.30) for XRCC2 G/A. With combinations of three or more adverse alleles, the adjusted hazard ratio for all cause mortality was 17.29 (95% C.I. 8.13-36.74), and for all incident cancers the HR was 5.28 (95% C.I. 2.17-12.85). Observations from this prospective study suggest that polymorphisms of genes involved in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks significantly influence the risk of cancer and non-cancer disease, and can influence mortality.     

Functional Annotation,Genome Organization and Phylogeny of the Grapevine (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Vitis vinifera</Emphasis>) Terpene Synthase Gene Family Based on Genome Assembly,FLcDNA Cloning,and Enzyme Assays

Background  

Terpenoids are among the most important constituents of grape flavour and wine bouquet, and serve as useful metabolite markers in viticulture and enology. Based on the initial 8-fold sequencing of a nearly homozygous Pinot noir inbred line, 89 putative terpenoid synthase genes (VvTPS) were predicted by in silico analysis of the grapevine (Vitis vinifera) genome assembly [1]. The finding of this very large VvTPS family, combined with the importance of terpenoid metabolism for the organoleptic properties of grapevine berries and finished wines, prompted a detailed examination of this gene family at the genomic level as well as an investigation into VvTPS biochemical functions.     

An optimized grapevine RNA isolation procedure and statistical determination of reference genes for real-time RT-PCR during berry development

Background  

The response regulators represent the elements of bacterial two-component system and have been characterized from dicot plants like Arabidopsis but little information is available on the monocots, including the cereal crops. The aim of this study was to characterize type-A response regulator genes from rice, and to investigate their expression in various organs as well as in response to different hormones, including cytokinin, and environmental stimuli.     

Preparedness as a counter-memory. School desegregation,social chances and life chances

ABSTRACT

How should we understand the conundrum of love for the segregated school – a system built to keep you in your place? In Gone Home. Race and Roots through Appalachia, Karida L. Brown looks at African American teacher’s work in segregated schools and shows how desegregation could be felt in both gains and losses in the black community. Those teachers prepared their students for a world of integration without freedom. This essay proposes a counter-memory of segregation, a relational agency of teachers past that remains to this day. Former students’ commemoration of teachers, principals, and schools dating from the time of institutionalized racial exclusion works as a symbolic reminder in a still-racist world, representing not only the need to be prepared, but also to stay prepared.     

Structure of the house dust mite allergen Der f 2: implications for function and molecular basis of IgE cross-reactivity

The X-ray structure of the group 2 major allergen from Dermatophagoides farinae (Der f 2) was determined to 1.83 A resolution. The overall Der f 2 structure comprises a single domain of immunoglobulin fold with two anti-parallel beta-sheets. A large hydrophobic cavity is formed in the interior of Der f 2. Structural comparisons to distantly related proteins suggest a role in lipid binding. Immunoglobulin E (IgE) cross-reactivity between group 2 house dust mite major allergens can be explained by conserved surface areas representing IgE binding epitopes.