Conformationally altered aortic myosin light chains

Aorta smooth myosin contains two types of light chain, LC20 and LC17, which fold together with the N-terminal region of each heavy chain to form the globular head region of myosin. We demonstrate an altered conformation of LC20 after its separation from heavy chain by high concentrations of urea, on the basis of the following evidende: 1) A polyclonal antibody against LC20 was not able to recognize this conformationally altered form; 2) Myosin reconstituted from heavy chains and urea-dissociated light chains exhibited extremely low ATPase activity. Circular dichroism unfolding profiles showed that light chains dissociated from heavy chains by SDS appeared to be more stable than those generated by urea dissociation.     

Genetic mechanisms of tumor-specific loss of 11p DNA sequences in Wilms tumor.

Wilms tumor, a common childhood renal tumor, occurs in both a heritable and a nonheritable form. The heritable form may occasionally be attributed to a chromosome deletion at 11p13, and tumors from patients with normal constitutional chromosomes often show deletion or rearrangement of 11p13. It has been suggested that a germinal or somatic mutation may occur on one chromosome 11 and predispose to Wilms tumor and that a subsequent somatic genetic event on the normal homologue at 11p13 may permit tumor development. To study the frequency and mechanism of such tumor-specific genetic events, we have examined the karyotype and chromosome 11 genotype of normal and tumor tissues from 13 childhood renal tumor patients with different histologic tumor types and associated clinical conditions. Tumors of eight of the 12 Wilms tumor patients, including all viable tumors examined directly, show molecular evidence of loss of 11p DNA sequences by somatic recombination (four cases), chromosome loss (two cases), and recombination (two cases) or chromosome loss and duplication. One malignant rhabdoid tumor in a patient heterozygous for multiple 11p markers did not show any tumor-specific 11p alteration. These findings confirm the critical role of 11p sequences in Wilms tumor development and reveal that mitotic recombination may be the most frequent mechanism by which tumors develop.     

Monospecific antibodies against a synthetic peptide predicted from the alpha-3 nicotinic receptor cDNA inhibit binding of [3H]nicotine to rat brain nicotinic cholinergic receptor

Polyclonal antibodies were raised against a synthetic decapeptide (designated S3) predicted from a segment of the alpha-3 subunit cDNA (amino acid residues 130-139) encoding the rat brain nicotinic cholinergic receptor. This segment was selected because it may be proximate to the nicotine/acetylcholine-binding site of the receptor (1). By radioligand binding assays and sucrose density gradient centrifugation, these monospecific antibodies were shown to inhibit the binding of [3H]nicotine to both the large molecular weight rat brain receptor (240 kDa) and to an SDS-disaggregated nicotine-binding subunit species (80 kDa), in a dose-dependent manner. The neutralizing effect of the anti-S3 antibodies supports the view that this region of the protein is closely related to the agonist binding site.     

A partial map of the barley genome incorporating restriction fragment length polymorphism, polymerase chain reaction, isozyme, and morphological marker loci

Nine low copy number genomic DNA clones, a ribosomal sequence, and seven cDNA clones were found to identify polymorphisms in cultivated barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). An F2 population consisting of 100 plants was produced from a cross between a high-yielding two-rowed feed barley cultivar and a genetic marker stock homozygous for nine recessive and one dominant morphological marker genes. Through the use of these 10 well-distributed marker genes, five previously mapped isozyme loci, and two storage-protein loci, the approximate recombinational location for each of 17 restriction fragment length polymorphism loci was estimated. One clone, pMSU21, identified variation that appeared to be the result of a small insertion-deletion event that differentiated two-rowed and six-rowed genotypes. This difference was characterized, and one allele was sequenced. Oligonucleotide primers that flanked the insertion-deletion event were synthesized, and DNA samples from the F2 population were subjected to polymerase chain reaction sequence amplification. The variation identified by this technique was determined to be allelic to the variation identified using pMSU21 in Southern blot analysis. Maps of previously undescribed informative clones are included.     

The antigen of hepatitis delta virus: examination of in vitro RNA-binding specificity.

The only known protein of hepatitis delta virus (HDV), the delta antigen, is found both within virus particles and within the nucleus of the infected cell, where it has one or more roles essential for RNA genome replication. Others have demonstrated that the antigen has the ability, in vitro, to specifically bind HDV RNA species. We report a further examination of this phenomenon, using partially purified recombinant protein, expressed as a fusion with the staphylococcal protein A. From Northwestern (RNA-immunoblot) analyses with both complete and various subdomains of HDV genomic and antigenomic RNAs, we found that a necessary feature for specific binding was that the RNA be able to fold to some extent into the so-called rodlike structure; this structure is a predicted intramolecular partial base-pairing of the circular RNA, with about 70% of all bases involved, so as to produce an unbranched rodlike structure. Six different subregions of the HDV rodlike structure, three on the genomic RNA and three on its complement, the antigenomic RNA, were tested and found to be sufficient for antigen binding. However, features in addition to the rodlike structure may also be necessary for specific binding, because we found that a similar structure present in the RNA of the potato spindle tuber viroid did not allow binding.     

A general method for biological parameter estimation

Summary A general observer-based estimator method is developed and applied for process modelling and monitoring. This parameter estimation technique was successfully applied to a L-lysine fermentation process. It was a useful tool to detect the effect of major culture conditions on cell growth and product synthesis. It can also be used for the development of adaptive optimal control schemes.     

利用普通怯寄蝇防治菜粉蝶初探

1 前言 从外地引进寄蝇或人工助长当地寄蝇种类防治农林害虫,是有效的生防手段之一,国外已有很多成功的报道。King等(1981)在路易斯安娜州蔗田中人工大量释放螟利索寄蝇(Lixophaga diatraeae)成虫防治第1代小蔗杆草螟(Diatraea saccharalis),不同地区的寄生率分别达到4.1、8.7和35.7％;由于降低了农药的使用量,奇痣窄径茧蜂(Agathis stigmatera)的自然寄生率也相应提高,很好地控制了蔗田害虫的发生。在寄蝇的田间释放技术方面,国外还没有详细的报道。在我国,利用寄蝇防治害虫的工作也是刚刚起步,很多具体问题有待于进一步研究。     

斯氏狸殖吸虫螺类宿主新记录:洪山拟钉螺新种记述

本文报道斯氏狸殖吸虫新的螺类宿主——洪山拟钉螺Tricula hongshanensis sp. nov.的特点:螺壳较宽而短,体螺层较高大,壳口上缘成锐角,触角伸展时较长,收缩吋有环状皱褶,雄性阴茎较粗短,末端钝圆,齿舌公式不同于其它拟钉螺。     

Trisomy 6q22 leads to 6qter due to maternal 6;21 translocation. Case report review of the literature

Partial trisomy for the long arm of chromosome 6, involving 6q22 leads to 6qter, was observed in a 2-month-old male infant. The mother was 6q;21p translocation carrier. A review of the previously published cases with trisomies of different 6q segments suggests that the critical segment responsible for the clinically recognizable phenotype of 6q trisomy seems to be limited to bands 6q26 and/or 6q27.     

Identification and genetic control of starch-degrading enzymes in maize endosperm

Three starch-degrading enzymes from liquid endosperm of maize have been separated by means of horizontal acrylamide gel electrophoresis. The three enzymes are tentatively identified as -amylase (zone 1), -amylase (zone 2), and -glucan phosphorylase (zone 3). Electrophoretic variants of these enzymes were found among ten inbred strains examined. Results of genetic crosses with respect to zone 2 amylase show that it is controlled by a pair of alleles (Amy-2 ^A and Amy-2 ^B) acting without dominance. It further appears that Amy-2 and Ct (catalase) are linked with 5% recombination frequency.This work was supported by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission, under contract No. AT(11-1)-1338.