The Magdalenian child from the cave Le Figuier (Ardeche) France

The skeletal remains from the cave of the Figuier are believed now to be of Magdalenian date. They belong to a three year old child. Though the mandible and the dentition show some archaic morphological trends, the majority of the characters are not essentially different from those of modern children of the same age living now. These remains must be related to Homo sapiens sapiens.     

Mutational spectrum of N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-4-aminobiphenyl at exon 3 of the HPRT gene

4-Aminobiphenyl is a human bladder carcinogen present in many environmental sources, including cigarette smoke. It can be metabolized in two steps to the mutagen N-hydroxy-N-acetyl-4-aminobiphenyl (N-OH-AABP). In this study the mutational spectrum of N-OH-AABP-exposed human lymphoblastoid cells (TK6) was determined using HPRT     

The role of iron in the production of hemolysin byListeria monocytogenes

The in vitro production of hemolysin byListeria monocytogenes, a facultative intracellular bacterial pathogen, was examined as a function of medium iron. There was an inverse relationship between iron and hemolysin production: Hemolysis increased as medium iron concentration decreased. This study offers the first evidence that the in vitro production of hemolysin byListeria monocytogenes is under the control of external iron in growth medium.     

The effects of sex steroid treatments on sexual differentiation in a unisexual lizard, Cnemidophorus uniparens (Teiidae)

Cnemidophorus uniparens is a parthenogenetic unisexual species of lizard in which each individual develops as a female, making it a unique animal model for the study of sexual differentiation. In one study, administration of exogenous testosterone before and/or after hatching influenced the development of the gonads, the accessory reproductive ducts, the renal sex segment of the mesonephric kidney, and the femoral glands, a secondary sex character. Testosterone treatment also affected the cross-sectional area of the gonad and the proportions of cortical and medullary tissues present in the developing gonad. The oviducts and femoral glands of testosterone-treated individuals were hypertrophied; the collecting tubules of the kidney of these animals contained granules, an androgen-dependent, sexually dimorphic character in squamate reptiles. In another study, testosterone, dihydrotestosterone, or estradiol were administered to C. uniparens embryos. No treatment effects on gonadal development were detected on the day of hatching. However, estradiol, but not testosterone and dihydrotestosterone, stimulated development of the oviducts. Taken together these studies suggest that androgen aromatization may play a role in sexual differentiation in lizards.     

Extracellular chloride signals collagen IV network assembly during basement membrane formation

Basement membranes are defining features of the cellular microenvironment; however, little is known regarding their assembly outside cells. We report that extracellular Cl⁻ ions signal the assembly of collagen IV networks outside cells by triggering a conformational switch within collagen IV noncollagenous 1 (NC1) domains. Depletion of Cl⁻ in cell culture perturbed collagen IV networks, disrupted matrix architecture, and repositioned basement membrane proteins. Phylogenetic evidence indicates this conformational switch is a fundamental mechanism of collagen IV network assembly throughout Metazoa. Using recombinant triple helical protomers, we prove that NC1 domains direct both protomer and network assembly and show in Drosophila that NC1 architecture is critical for incorporation into basement membranes. These discoveries provide an atomic-level understanding of the dynamic interactions between extracellular Cl⁻ and collagen IV assembly outside cells, a critical step in the assembly and organization of basement membranes that enable tissue architecture and function. Moreover, this provides a mechanistic framework for understanding the molecular pathobiology of NC1 domains.