Patenting the products of genetic engineering

Until the most recent times, products of nature were unpatentable, not as failing to qualify as a manufacture for which patent protection may be sought under 35 U.S.C. §101, but because they were mere isolates of natural products. Genetically engineered microorganisms (e.g., Chakrabarty's plasmid-injected oil eatingPseudomonas) and biologically pure cultures of wild strains (e.g., Bergy'sStreptomyces which produces the antibiotic lincomycin) open uncharted waters in patent law.     

Quantification of C-band polymorphisms by centromeric elevations (Ce-bands)

Summary C-bands of human chromosome No. 1 show band-like elevations (C_e-bands), using inverted, oblique illumination. Among 11 analysed individuals we found five discrete size classes of constitutive heterochromatin No. 1 by number of C_e-bands. Segregation analysis using C_e-bands shows advantages when compared to C-bands.     

Three diterpenes from Conyza podocephala

The investigation of Conyza podocephala afforded, in addition to known compounds, two clerodane derivatives and a dihydroxyfarnesyl methylfuran. Furthermore two new resorcinol derivatives were isolated. The structures were elucidated by spectroscopic methods and by chemical transformations. The chemotaxonomic situation within the genus is discussed briefly.     

Litterfall in two Canadian deciduous woods: quality, quantity and timing

Litterfall in two deciduous woods in Ontario, Canada, was caught in bag traps and by new screen traps for two years. The beech-maple wood produced 818 g m⁻² (8.2 t ha⁻¹) and the poplar wood produced only 450 g m⁻² (4.5 t ha⁻¹). Of these totals, canopy leaves alone made up 386 g m⁻² for the beech-maple wood and 270 g m⁻² for the poplar wood leaving 47% and 34%, espectively, for other litter components. Data are presented for seven types of litter in addition to canopy leaves.
Redistribution of litter on the ground causes spatial heterogeneity of substrate and of habitats for decomposers and hence of decomposition.
Temporal distributions of various types of litterfall differ between the two woods in relation to their vegetation structure. The diversity of litter types combines with extensive temporal distribution of litterfall in the beech-maple woodland to give that wood the potential for nearly continuous decomposition activity. In contrast, the poplar woodland has low diversity of litter and short duration of litterfall.     

Kinetic analysis of actin assembly suggests that tropomyosin inhibits spontaneous fragmentation of actin filaments

The time-course of actin assembly was measured in the absence and in the presence of tropomyosin. The polymerization was followed by the fluorescence enhancement of a 7-chloro-4-nitrobenzeno-2-oxa-1,3-diazole label attached to actin molecules or by light-scattering. The kinetic curves measured in the absence and in the presence of tropomyosin revealed characteristic differences. Tropomyosin was found to retard actin polymerization and to cause the final constant actin monomer concentration to be reached slowly. In the absence of tropomyosin, the final constant actin monomer concentration was approached considerably faster. The time-course of polymerization was interpreted quantitatively in terms of inhibition of actin filament fragmentation by tropomyosin molecules bound along the filaments. Within the limits of this model, actin monomers are consumed slowly in the presence of tropomyosin because the creation of new filament ends by spontaneous fragmentation is inhibited by tropomyosin.     

Functional analysis of Sox8 and Sox9 during sex determination in the mouse

Sex determination in mammals directs an initially bipotential gonad to differentiate into either a testis or an ovary. This decision is triggered by the expression of the sex-determining gene Sry, which leads to the activation of male-specific genes including the HMG-box containing gene Sox9. From transgenic studies in mice it is clear that Sox9 is sufficient to induce testis formation. However, there is no direct confirmation for an essential role for Sox9 in testis determination. The studies presented here are the first experimental proof for an essential role for Sox9 in mediating a switch from the ovarian pathway to the testicular pathway. Using conditional gene targeting, we show that homozygous deletion of Sox9 in XY gonads interferes with sex cord development and the activation of the male-specific markers Mis and P450scc, and leads to the expression of the female-specific markers Bmp2 and follistatin. Moreover, using a tissue specific knock-out approach, we show that Sox9 is involved in Sertoli cell differentiation, the activation of Mis and Sox8, and the inactivation of Sry. Finally, double knock-out analyses suggest that Sox8 reinforces Sox9 function in testis differentiation of mice.