Rapidly evolving lamins in a chordate, Oikopleura dioica, with unusual nuclear architecture

Metazoan lamins are implicated in the organization of numerous critical nuclear processes. Among chordates, the appendicularian, Oikopleura dioica, has an unusually short life cycle involving rapid growth through extensive recourse to endoreduplication, a characteristic more associated with some invertebrates. In some tissues, this is accompanied by the formation of elaborate, bilaterally symmetric nuclear morphologies associated with specific gene expression patterns. Lamin composition can mediate nuclear shape in spermiogenesis as well as during pathological and normal aging and we have analyzed the O. dioica lamin and intermediate filament (IF) complement, comparing it to that present in other deuterostomes. O. dioica has one lamin gene coding two splice variants. Both variants share with the sister class ascidians a highly reduced C-terminal tail region lacking the immunoglobulin fold, indicating this derivation occurred at the base of the urochordate lineage. The OdLamin2 variant has a unique insertion of 63 amino acids in the normally short N-terminal region and has a developmental expression profile corresponding to the occurrence of endocycling. O. dioica has 4 cytoplasmic IF proteins, IF-A, C, Dalpha, and Dbeta. No homologues to the ascidian IF-B or F proteins were identified, reinforcing the suggestion that these proteins are unique to ascidians. The degree of sequence evolution in the rod domains of O. dioica cytoplasmic IF proteins and their closest ascidian and vertebrate homologues was similar. In contrast, whereas the rate of lamin B rod domain sequence evolution has also been similar in vertebrates, cephalochordates and the sea urchin, faster rates have occurred among the urochordates, with the O. dioica lamin displaying a far greater rate than any other lamin.     

Equine lymphocyte antigens in four major Belgian horse populations. Contribution to serology and antigen distribution

158 Belgian Saddlebreds, 130 Belgian Trotters, 108 Belgian Draft horses and 92 Shetland ponies have been typed for serologically defined antigens at the ELA and ELY systems. Gene frequencies were estimated in each breed for the internationally established ELA, ELY-1 and ELY-2 alleles as well as for locally assigned additional ELA markers and for subtypes of ELA-W3, W9 and W11. The distribution of ELA alleles was in agreement with the expected Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the 4 horse breeds described here. Differences in gene frequencies between these main Belgian horse populations were observed.     

Genomic Epidemiology Reconstructs the Introduction and Spread of Zika Virus in Central America and Mexico

1. Download high-res image (290KB)
2. Download full-size image

     

Heterogeneity of Es-1 esterases in the rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus)

Analysis of the Es-1 system in the rabbit with polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) revealed a high degree of individual variation. In the liver the number of esterase bands found in the Es-1 region of the gels ranged from 2 to 16. The results indicate that one locus with three alleles is responsible for all of the esterase bands in the Es-1 region. The most plausible explanation for the observed heterogeneity is that each of the alleles codes for a protein (MW 65,000±2000) that is changed by posttranslational modifications, thus giving rise to two to five monomeric enzymes with esterase activity. Polymerization of these monomers then results in 1–11 dimers. Based on similarities with mouse Es-9, chromosomal homology between rabbit Es-1 and mouse Es-9 is proposed.     

Cloning and sequencing of the porcine complement factor B

A genomic clone, SSBf1, containing the complement factor B (BF), a major histocompatibility class III antigen, has been isolated from a porcine genomic library. Partial sequencing and comparison with a human BF gene has identified seven exons coding for amino acids of Ba and Bb, the two subunits of BF. The protein sequence similarity with the human BF is on the average 87%. Southern blot analysis confirmed the existence of only one BF gene per haploid genome. Restriction fragment length polymorphism typing with Taq I showed that there are at least three different porcine BF-haplotypes. Address correspondence and offprint requests to: Luc J. Peelman.