The putative mitochondrial genome of Plasmodium falciparum

Intraerythrocytic stages of mammalian malarial parasites employ glycolysis for energy production but some aspects of mitochondrial function appear crucial to their survival since inhibitors of mitochondrial protein synthesis and electron transport have antimalarial effects. Investigations of the putative mitochondrial genome of Plasmodium falciparum have detected organellar rRNAs and tRNAs encoded by a 35 kb circular DNA. Some features of the organization and sequence of the rRNA genes are reminiscent of chloroplast DNAs. The 35 kb DNA also encodes open reading frames for proteins normally found in chloroplast but not mitochondrial genomes. An apparently unrelated 6 kb tandemly repeated element which encodes two mitochondrial protein coding genes and fragments of rRNA genes is also found in malarial parasites. The malarial mitochondrial genome thus appears quite unusual. Further investigations are expected to provide insights into the possible functional relationships between these molecules and perhaps their evolutionary history.     

Have malaria parasites three genomes?

Recent efforts to define the mitochondrial genome of malaria parasites have uncovered an unexpected complexity: there are two almost totally dissimilar organellar DNA molecules. lain Wilson, Malcolm Gardner, Jean Feagin and Donald Williamson discuss the surprising possibility that Plasmodium may have, in addition to the nuclear genome, two unrelated organellar genomes, one evidently mitochondrial and the other of unknown function.     

The root-knot nematode resistance gene (Mi) in tomato: construction of a molecular linkage map and identification of dominant cDNA markers in resistant genotypes

A dominant allele at the Mi locus on chromosome 6 of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill) confers resistance to three species of root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne). The resistance, which is associated with a localized necrotic response, was originally introduced into tomato from the wild species Lycopersicon peruvianum. As a step towards the molecular cloning of Mi, we have identified closely linked DNA markers from both cDNA and genomic DNA libraries as restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs). DNA from tomato populations segregating for nematode resistance was analyzed to generate a high-resolution genetic map of this region. Additional information on gene order was obtained by comparing the size of the introgressed L. peruvianum chromosomal segment within a collection of nematode-resistant tomato lines. Among the four cDNA markers that are tightly linked to Mi, three are dominant, i.e. L. peruvianum-specific. One cDNA marker corresponds to a gene family comprising 20-30 members, one of which is diagnostic for all nematode-resistant genotypes tested. The presence of non-homologous sequences around the Mi gene may contribute to the suppression of recombination in this region of the genome in crosses heterozygous for Mi. The potential of 'walking' from closely linked markers to Mi is discussed.     

Segmental release of amino acid neurotransmitters from transcranial stimulation

The present study used microdialysis techniques in an intact rabbit model to measure the release of amino acids within the lumbar spinal cord in response to transcranial electrical stimulation. Dialysis samples from the extracellular space were obtained over a stimulation period of 90 minutes and were examined using high pressure liquid chromatography. Neuronal excitation was verified by recerding corticomotor evoked potentials (CMEPs) from the spinal cord. A significant increase in the release of glycine and taurine compared to sham animals was measured after 90 minutes of transcranial stimulation. Glutamate and aspartate release was not significantly elevated. GABA concentrations were consistently low. CMEP components repeatedly showed adequate activation of descending fiber pathways and segmental interneuron pools during dialysis sampling. Since glycine, and to a lesser extent taurine, have been shown to inhibit motor neuron activity and are closely associated with segmental interneuron pools, suprasegmental modulation of motor activity may be, in part, through these inhibitory amino acid neurotransmitters in the rabbit lumbar spinal cord.     

Capitalist Philanthropy and Russian Revolutionaries: The Jesup North Pacific Expedition (1897-1902)

This review of the Jesup North Pacific Expedition, still the most important expedition in American anthropology, gives an idea of the goals and hazards of fieldwork around 1900, the pitfalls of international research, the tensions between anthropologists and host populations, the careers of early anthropologists, the role of private philanthropy, and the character of anthropology at the turn of the century. Franz Boas was the Expedition's linchpin. His organization of the Expedition, the way he handled problems, and his personal concerns reveal aspects of his view of anthropology and some of his basic attitudes.     

Solubilization and reconstitution of the formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine receptor coupled to guanine nucleotide regulatory protein

We describe the solubilization, resolution, and reconstitution of the formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMet-Leu-Phe) receptor and guanine nucleotide regulatory proteins (G-proteins). The receptor was solubilized with 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1-propanesulfonate. Guanine nucleotides decreased the number of high-affinity binding sites and accelerated the rate of dissociation of the receptor-ligand complex, suggesting that the solubilized receptor remained coupled to endogenous G-proteins. The solubilized receptor was resolved from endogenous G-proteins by fractionation on a wheat germ agglutinin (WGA)-Sepharose 4B column. High-affinity [3H]fMet-Leu-Phe binding to the WGA-purified receptor was diminished and exhibited reduced guanine nucleotide sensitivity. High-affinity [3H]fMet-Leu-Phe binding and guanine nucleotide sensitivity were reconstituted upon the addition of purified brain G-proteins. Similar results were obtained when the receptor was reconstituted with brain G-proteins into phospholipid vesicles by gel filtration chromatography. In addition, we also demonstrated fMet-Leu-Phe-dependent GTP hydrolysis in the reconstituted vesicles. The results of this work indicate that coupling of the fMet-Leu-Phe receptor to G-proteins converts the receptor to a high-affinity binding state and that agonist produces activation of G-proteins. The resolution and functional reconstitution of this receptor should provide an important step toward the elucidation of the molecular mechanism of the fMet-Leu-Phe transduction system in neutrophils.     

Effects of platelet activating factor and related lipids on phase transition of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine

Recent evidence localizing the inflammatory mediator, platelet activating factor, (PAF, 1-O-alkyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) to the membranes of stimulated neutrophils raises the possibility that PAF may, in addition to its activities as a mediator, alter the physical properties of membranes. Accordingly, the effects of PAF and related alkyl ether and acyl analogs on phase transition thermodynamics of dipalmitoylphosphatidylcholine (DPPC) were studied using fluorescence polarization of the fluorescent probe, 1,6-diphenyl-1,3,5-hexatriene (DPH). PAF, its ester analog (1-palmitoyl-2-acetylphosphatidylcholine) and both the corresponding alkyl and acyl lysophospholipid analogs (each at a concentration of 10 mol%) significantly decreased the phase transition temperature and broadened the phase transition of DPPC (P less than 0.05). The relative potency of the lipids in causing this effect was ester-PAF greater than or equal to PAF greater than or equal to lyso-PAF greater than lyso-PC suggesting that the fluidization of the synthetic membranes was attributable to both the 2-position acetyl group and the 1-position alkyl linkage. Furthermore, using various related compounds, increases in chain length and degree of unsaturation in the 2-position were shown to enhance the depression in transition temperature and broadening of the phase transition. Phase transition thermodynamics were also assessed using differential scanning calorimetry. Similar depression in the phase transition temperature was measured for PAF and both the alkyl and acyl lysophospholipids. Broadening of the phase transition for DPPC by the various analogs was assessed by calculation of transition peak width and cooperative unit. Data from fluorescence polarization and differential scanning calorimetry provide similar though not identical results and support the hypothesis that the unique features of PAF may alter membrane physical properties and could ultimately explain some of its biologic actions.