Genes Affecting the Expression of Cytochrome c in Yeast: Genetic Mapping and Genetic Interactions

The four mutant genes, cyc2, cyc3, cyc8 and cyc9, that affect the levels of the two iso-cytochromes c in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae have been characterized and mapped. Both cyc2 and cyc3 lower the amount of iso-1-cytochrome c and iso-2-cytochrome c; whereas, cyc8 and cyc9 increase the amount of iso-2-cytochrome c. The cyc2, cyc3, cyc8 and cyc9 genes are located, respectively, on chromosomes XV, I, II and III, and are, therefore, unlinked to each other and unlinked to CYC1, the structural gene of iso-1-cytochrome c and to CYC7, the structural gene of iso-2-cytochrome c. While some cyc3 mutants are completely or almost completely deficient in cyotchromes c, none of the cyc2 mutants contained less than 10% of parental level of cytochrome c even though over one-half of the mutants contain UAA or UAG nonsense mutations. Thus, it appears as if a complete block of the cyc2 gene product still allows the formation of a residual fraction of cytochrome c. The cyc2 and cyc3 mutant genes cause deficiencies even in the presence of CYC7, cyc8 and cyc9, which normally cause overproduction of iso-2-cytochrome c. We suggest that cyc2 and cyc3 may be involved with the regulation or maturation of the iso-cytochromes c. In addition to having high levels of iso-2-cytochromes c, the cyc8 and cyc9 mutants are associated with flocculent cells and other abnormal phenotypes. The cyc9 mutant was shown to be allelic with the tup1 mutant and to share its properties, which include the ability to utilize exogenous dTMP, a characteristic flocculent morphology, the lack of sporulation of homozygous diploids and low frequency of mating and abnormally shaped cells of alpha strains. The diverse abnormalities suggest that cyc8 and cyc9 are not simple regulatory mutants controlling iso-2-cytochrome c.     

Sesquiterpene lactones and systematics of the genus Artemisia

The sesquiterpene lactones isolated from species in the genus Artemisia have been reviewed in an attempt to better understand the phylogeny and systematics of the four sections (subgenera), Abrotanum, Absinthium, Dracunculus and Seriphidium, proposed by Besser in 1829. The absence of hair on the receptacle is the only morphological characteristic separating species of Abrotanum from the species of Absinthium. There are no chemical characteristics segregating the species in these two subgenera since both produce eudesmanolides and guaianolides that are identical or biosynthetically similar. This suggests that the two subgenera could be combined into one (Artemisia) as proposed by Poljakov. The subgenus Seriphidium is composed of two geographical groups, one in the Old World and the other in the New World. The Old World species almost exclusively produce sesquiterpene lactones in the eudesmanolide class whereas the New World species (section Tridentatae) produce eudesmanolides and guaianolides, many of the latter being identical or structurally related to the sesquiterpene lactones in New World Abrotanum species. The chemical data in conjunction with geographic distributions suggest that the subgenus Seriphidium is polyphyletic and that the section Tridentatae originated from Abrotanum. Consequently, the Tridentate should be recognized as a subgenus separate and distinct from the Old World Seriphidium. There was insufficient information from the subgenus Dracunculus for interpretation.     

Development of the bovine acrosome

Summary In the present study the development of the bovine acrosome was investigated using conventional electron-microscopical techniques as well as the phosphotungstic-acid (PTA) technique (Rambourg 1967) including enzymatic digestion experiments. As in other species and in accordance with previous light-microscopical studies (Clermont and Leblond 1955) four phases of acrosomal differentiation can be discerned: the Golgi-phase, cap-phase, acrosome-phase, and maturation-phase.In the bull no internal pattern of the acrosomal content can be observed, either with conventional uranyl acetate-lead citrate staining or with the PTA-techniques. Our results support the observation in other species (Fawcett et al. 1971) that no intrinsic polymerization or crystallization process of the acrosomal content is responsible for acrosomal shaping. Some of our results suggest the influence of external forces on acrosomal development in the bull. During the cap-phase and the acrosome-phase accumulations of smooth endoplasmic reticulum and a layer of fine filaments can be observed in the Sertoli-cell cytoplasm, immediately adjacent to the developing acrosome. A temporary influence of these structures on acrosomal development seems possible. The PTA-positive staining of the developing bovine acrosome is probably due to the presence of acrosomal glycoproteins; however, our results do not exclude the possibility that molecules other than glycoproteins contribute to the positive PTA-staining of the developing acrosome.Supported by a grant from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft     

Down and Turner syndromes in a female infant with 47,X,del(X)(p11),+21

Summary This report describes a female infant with a 47,X,del(X)(p11),+21 karyotype who has clinical features of both Down and Turner syndromes. The majority of her clinical features are suggestive of Down syndrome.     

Chemical induction of β-carotene biosynthesis

Marsh white seedless grapefruit were treated with the 2-diethylaminoethanol esters of the following acids: benzoic, phenylacetic, hydrocinnamic, 4-phenylbutyric, 5-phenylvaleric, valeric, hexanoic, heptanoic, octanoic, nonanoic, 5-chlorovaleric, cyclohexanecarboxylic, phenoxyacetic, p-chlorophenoxyacetic, 3-phenoxypropionic, cinnamic and p-chlorocinnamic. Several of these esters, in particular the hexanoate, 4-phenylbutyrate and cinnamate, caused the accumulation of large amounts of β-carotene. The effects of the hexanoate and of 2-phenoxytriethylamine, which causes only lycopene accumulation, were studied as functions of time. The hexanoate caused the rapid accumulation of lycopene during the first day. The amount of lycopene then began to decrease and that of β-carotene increased until, after 14 days, β-carotene was the major pigment. 2-Phenoxytriethylamine caused rapid lycopene accumulation during the first day and a slow steady increase afterwards. Thus, the mode of action of the β-carotene inducers may be similar to that of the lycopene inducers except that the former are probably rapidly hydrolysed by the esterase(s) in the flavedo, so that they no longer inhibit the cyclase(s), and β-carotene is accumulated at the expanse of lycopene.     

Sexual Therapy of Patients with Cardiovascular Disease

Physical illness or disability inevitably has a damaging effect on sexual relationships. Physicians are usually unaware of the sexual consequences of illness on their patients, and lack experience in treating sexual dysfunctions.The report of treatment of a couple with serious cardiovascular disease illustrates the potential efficacy of brief sex therapy for improving the quality of a patient''s life. If a primary physician lacks the skills to conduct sex therapy, he may collaborate with nonphysician therapists. The physician''s knowledge of the physiological and psychological effects of a specific illness on his patient is essential to successful therapy. Often, simple education, encouragement or reassurance by the physician is enough to overcome the damaging effects of illness on a patient''s sex life.     

Reproductive patterns in seventeen species of warmwater fishes in a Missouri River reservoir

Synopsis The timing of ovarian maturation and spawning of 17 warmwater fish species in Lake Oahe (South and North Dakota) was estimated from changes in the mean ovary indices (ratios of ovary weight to fish length). The onset of vitellogenesis varied within species (up to 2 months). Maturation of the ova took from 7.5 to 10 months, depending on species. Annual variations in the mean date of peak spawning of individual species during 1964–1971 were usually less than a week. There was little overlap of the annual mean peak spawning dates of the 17 species, and an established sequence of spawning among species was shown. A relatively high incidence of atresia in the shovelnose sturgeon, northern pike, and carp indicated that these species had apparently not yet adapted to the altered and variable spawning conditions in this reservoir. Regularity of spawning would seem to provide the best chance for spawning success in variable environments such as Lake Oahe.     

Studies of fibrin film. I. Stress relaxation and birefringence

Measurements of stress relaxation in uniaxial extension and associated time-dependent birefringence have been made on bovine fibrin film, prepared by gentle compaction of coarse fibrin clots, containing 13–22% fibrin plasticized with either aqueous buffer or glycerol. Both unligated and ligated (i.e., with α-α and γ-γ ligation by fibrinoligase, factor XIIIa) films were studied. Both types showed two stages of stress relaxation, with time scales of approximately 10 and 10³–10⁴ s, respectively, with a plateau region between. In the plateau, the nominal (engineering) stress for ligated glycerol-plasticized film is proportional to In λ, where λ is the stretch ratio, up to λ ? 2, and it decreases with increasing temperature. For unligated glycerol-plasticized film, the stresses are smaller by a factor of one-half to one-third. For ligated film, the second stage of relaxation is relatively slight, and recovery after release of stress is often nearly complete. For unligated film, the second stage involves a substantial drop in stress, and after recovery there is a significant permanent set. A second relaxation for ligated film reproduces the first, but for unligated film it reproduces the first only if the initial relaxation is terminated before the second stage; otherwise, the second relaxation shows a weaker structure. The behavior of water-plasticized film is similar to that of glycerol-plasticized except that the second stage of relaxation occurs at shorter times. During the first stage of stress relaxation, up to about 100 s, the birefringence and the stress-optical coefficient increase; during the plateau zone of stress relaxation, the birefringence of ligated films is approximately constant and is proportional to 2λ²/(λ² + 1) ? 1, where λ is the stretch ratio. This dependence is predicted by a two-dimensional model in which rodlike elements in the plane of the film are oriented with independent alignment. During the final stage of stress relaxation, the birefringence of ligated films decreases slightly; that of unligated films decreases substantially, but less rapidly than the stress, corresponding to a further increase in the stress-optical coefficient. With additional information from small-angle x-ray scattering reported in an accompanying paper, the first stage of relaxation is attributed to partial release of bending forces in the fibers by orientation, accompanied by increased birefringence. The second stage is attributed, for ligated films, to an internal transition in the fibrin units accompanied by elongation of some of the fibers; and in the unligated films, to a combination of the latter transition with slippage of protofibrils lengthwise within the fiber bundles that causes some loss of orientation, which diminishes the birefringence.     

The human lambda L chain Ig locus. Recharacterization of JC lambda 6 and identification of a functional JC lambda 7

The human lambda L chain Ig gene complex consists of multiple JC gene segments. A seventh human lambda C region gene segment, C lambda 7, was found 2.7 kb downstream of C lambda 6 in this gene complex. A J lambda gene segment, J lambda 7, was found 1.2 kb upstream of C lambda 7 and contains potentially functional nonamer and heptamer recombination sites, an RNA splice site and J coding region. C lambda 7 maintains an open reading frame and encodes a new lambda isotype. C lambda 7 encodes Kern+ and Oz- determinants, but does not encode any of the Kern+Oz- myeloma proteins published to date. Nevertheless, we present evidence that JC lambda 7 is transcribed in normal lymphocytes and is functional. In contrast, we present new data that the C lambda 6 gene segment, reported by others to encode the Kern+Oz- protein, is non-functional due to a 4-bp insertion in our cosmid clone. The 4-bp insertion was characterized further in 32 genomic DNA samples by producing a distinctive restriction fragment length and verified by the DNA sequences of the polymerase chain reaction products of two different cell lines. We discuss the possibility that the Kern+Oz- myeloma proteins do not define an isotype and are not encoded by JC lambda 7 nor other non-allelic genes, and we discuss the level of expression of JC lamba 7 as compared to that of JC lambda 2 and JC lambda 3.