Of mice and Marfan: genetic linkage analyses of the fibrillin genes,Fbn1 and Fbn2, in the mouse genome

The fibrillin genes, FBN1 and FBN2, encode large extracellular matrix glycoproteins involved in the structure and function of microfibrils. Mutations in FBN1 are found in patients with Marfan syndrome, a heritable connective tissue disease that primarily affects the cardiovascular, ocular, and skeletal systems. We extended the studies of these genes by determining their chromosomal position in the mouse genome. Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) between the progenitors of an interspecific backcross involving AEJ/Gn and Mus spretus mice were used to establish the segregation patterns of the murine homologs, Fbn1 and Fbn2, in the backcross progeny. The results position Fbn1 between the B2m and Illa genes on mouse Chromosome (Chr) 2 and establish its candidacy for the Tight skin (Tsk) mutation. The results position Fbn2 between the D18Mit35 and Pdgfrb loci in the central region of mouse Chr 18. Fbn2 maps near three mutations [bouncy (bc), plucked (pk), and shaker with syndactyly (sy)] and may be a candidate for the pk mutation.     

Differential effects of dihydrotestosterone and estrogen on the development of motoneuron morphology in a sexually dimorphic rat spinal nucleus

The rat lumbar spinal cord contains a sexually dimorphic motor nucleus, the spinal nucleus of the bulbocavernosus (SNB), whose motoneurons innnervate perineal muscles involved in copulatory reflexes. Dendritic development of SNB motoneurons is biphasic and androgen dependent. During the first 4 postnatal weeks, SNB dendrites grow exuberantly, and subsequently retract to mature lengths by 7 weeks of age. After early postnatal castration, SNB dendrites fail to grow, and testosterone replacement restores this growth. In other systems, testosterone and its metabolites, dihydrotestosterone and estrogen, are important for somatic and neural sexual differentiation. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of castration and dihydrotestosterone or estrogen replacement on the growth of SNB motoneuron somata and dendritic arbors. Male rat pups were castrated on postnatal (P) day 7 and treated daily with either dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP; 2 mg) or estradiol benzoate (EB; 100 μg) until P28 or P49. By using cholera toxin horseradish peroxidase (BHRP) histochemistry, the soma size, dendritic length, dendritic extent, and arbor area of BHRP-labeled SNB motoneurons were measured and analyzed. Both DHTP and EB treatment supported the initial exuberant growth of SNB dendrites through P28, but EB treatment was ineffective in maintaining mature, adult lengths at P49. The possible sites of hormone action and functional implications of these hormonal treatments are discussed. 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Characterization of the cellulose-binding domain of the Clostridium cellulovorans cellulose-binding protein A.

Cellulose-binding protein A (CbpA), a component of the cellulase complex of Clostridium cellulovorans, contains a unique sequence which has been demonstrated to be a cellulose-binding domain (CBD). The DNA coding for this putative CBD was subcloned into pET-8c, an Escherichia coli expression vector. The protein produced under the direction of the recombinant plasmid, pET-CBD, had a high affinity for crystalline cellulose. Affinity-purified CBD protein was used in equilibrium binding experiments to characterize the interaction of the protein with various polysaccharides. It was found that the binding capacity of highly crystalline cellulose samples (e.g., cotton) was greater than that of samples of low crystallinity (e.g., fibrous cellulose). At saturating CBD concentration, about 6.4 mumol of protein was bound by 1 g of cotton. Under the same conditions, fibrous cellulose bound only 0.2 mumol of CBD per g. The measured dissociation constant was in the 1 microM range for all cellulose samples. The results suggest that the CBD binds specifically to crystalline cellulose. Chitin, which has a crystal structure similar to that of cellulose, also was bound by the CBD. The presence of high levels of cellobiose or carboxymethyl cellulose in the assay mixture had no effect on the binding of CBD protein to crystalline cellulose. This result suggests that the CBD recognition site is larger than a simple cellobiose unit or more complex than a repeating cellobiose moiety. This CBD is of particular interest because it is the first CBD from a completely sequenced nonenzymatic protein shown to be an independently functional domain.     

Monoclonal antibodies that recognize the trisaccharide epitope Galα1-3Galβ1-4GlcNAc present on Ehrlich tumor cell membrane glycoproteins

Monoclonal antibodies were prepared against the trisaccharide Gal1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc, a sequence which occurs on the surface of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells as well as in thyroglobulin, laminin and a variety of other proteins. This was accomplished by immunizing BALB/c mice with the fraction of Ehrlich cell membrane glycoproteins obtained by affinity chromatography on aGriffonia simplicifolia I (GS I) column which selectively binds -d-galactosyl-terminated structures. Detection of Gal1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc-specific antibodies was accomplished by employing glycoproteins containing the trisaccharide sequence; fusion with spleen cells from an immunized mouse was accomplished in the presence of polyethylene glycol (PEG1500). An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) system was used to identify two clones (2.10G and 6.8E), which recognized the desired trisaccharide conjugate. These clones also recognized a thyroglobulin fraction isolated by GS I affinity chromatography and murine laminin, both of which possess the Gal1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc sequence. Inhibition of antibody-trisaccharide reactivity, examined employing an ELISA assay, revealed that two trisaccharides, Gal1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc/Glc, were the best inhibitory haptens; Gal1-4GlcNAc (LacNAc), Gal1-3Gal and Gal1-4Glc (lactose) were poor inhibitors. Indirect immunofluorescence staining of unfixed Ehrlich cells using the monoclonal antibody at 4° C revealed fluorescence over the entire cell surface. Indirect immunogold labeling of semithin and ultrathin sections of aldehyde fixed and Lowicryl K4M-embedded Ehrlich cells resulted in specific labeling of the cell surface and internal structure. Immunoblot analysis revealed that removal of the -galactosyl residues of laminin by -galactosidase abolished reactivity with the monoclonal antibodies. The availability of this antibody, which belongs to the IgM family of immunoglobulins, now makes possible the detection of this sugar sequence on cells and tissue sections, as well as on glycoproteins in solution.     

USE OF SENSORY EVALUATION FOR MEASURING DEODORIZING EFFECTS OF AN AIR CONDITIONER

The application of sensory methodology for measuring deodorizing effect of an air conditioner equipped with electric plasma was introduced. Deodorizing effect was measured using chemical and sensory methods at different time (0, 30 and 60 min) and mode (control, blowing and cooling) of an air conditioner. Smoke from a roll of cigarette in a closed room was used as a source of odor and the concentrations of acetic acid and ammonia were measured as odorous chemical components. As one of the sensory methods triangle test was used and as a first step to obtain deodorizing effects by triangle test, the threshold of each panelist was obtained as the log dilution ratio of odor concentration at which the difference from odorless air was detected. The odor concentration at each time and mode was calculated using the threshold of the panel and the deodorizing effect was obtained on the basis of the odor concentration. In addition to a triangle test, scaling methods such as category scaling or magnitude estimation were used to measure deodorizing effect of an air conditioner. Deodorizing effects by scaling methods were calculated based on odor intensity with time at each mode. The regression analysis was done between the efficacy of deodorizing effect by sensory test and those by acetic acid and ammonia, the R² values of the regression equations for triangle test, category scale, and magnitude estimation were 0.84, 0.72 and 0.69, respectively. Deodorizing effect by triangle test explained the decrease of acetic acid and ammonia better than those by category scaling or magnitude estimation while high cost and time consuming labor involved in triangle tests reduced the merit. The results of this study demonstrated that various sensory methods could be used to measure deodorizing effect of air conditioners and further researches on fast and reliable methods are needed to establish the official procedures.     

Partitioning of water resources among plants of a lowland tropical forest

Source water used by plants of several species in a semi-evergreen lowland tropical forest on Barro Colorado Island, Panama, was assessed by comparing the relative abundance of deuterium, D, versus hydrogen, H (stable hydrogen isotope composition, D) in xylem sap and in soil water at different depths, during the dry season of 1992. Ecological correlates of source water were examined by comparing xylem water D values with leaf phenology, leaf water status determined with a pressure chamber, and rates of water use determined as mass flow of sap using the stem heat balance method. Soil water D values decreased sharply to 30 cm, then remained relatively constant with increasing depth. Average D values were-13, for 0–30 cm depth and-36.7 for 30–100 cm depth. Soil water D values were negatively associated with soil water content and soil water potential. Concurrent analyses of xylem water revealed a high degree of partitioning of water resources among species of this tropical forest. Xylem water D of deciduous trees (average=-25.3±1.4) was higher than that of evergreen trees (average=-36.3±3.5), indicating that evergreen species had access to the more abundant soil water at greater depth than deciduous species. In evergreen shade-tolerant and high-light requiring shrubs and small trees, D of xylem water was negatively correlated with transpiration rate and leaf water potential indicating that species using deeper, more abundant water resources had both higher rates of water use and more favorable leaf water status.     

Human calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase I: cDNA cloning, domain structure and activation by phosphorylation at threonine-177 by calcium-calmodulin dependent protein kinase I kinase.

Human Ca(2+)-calmodulin (CaM) dependent protein kinase I (CaMKI) encodes a 370 amino acid protein with a calculated M(r) of 41,337. The 1.5 kb CaMKI mRNA is expressed in many different human tissues and is the product of a single gene located on human chromosome 3. CaMKI 1-306, was unable to bind Ca(2+)-CaM and was completely inactive thereby defining an essential component of the CaM-binding domain to residues C-terminal to 306. CaMKI 1-294 did not bind CaM but was fully active in the absence of Ca(2+)-CaM, indicating that residues 295-306 are sufficient to maintain CaMKI in an auto-inhibited state. CaMKI was phosphorylated on Thr177 and its activity enhanced approximately 25-fold by CaMKI kinase in a Ca(2+)-CaM dependent manner. Replacement of Thr177 with Ala or Asp prevented both phosphorylation and activation by CaMKI kinase and the latter replacement also led to partial activation in the absence of CaMKI kinase. Whereas CaMKI 1-306 was unresponsive to CaMKI kinase, the 1-294 mutant was phosphorylated and activated by CaMKI kinase in both the presence and absence of Ca(2+)-CaM although at a faster rate in its presence. These results indicate that the auto-inhibitory domain in CaMKI gates, in a Ca(2+)-CaM dependent fashion, accessibility of both substrates to the substrate binding cleft and CaMKI kinase to Thr177. Additionally, CaMKI kinase responds directly to Ca(2+)-CaM with increased activity.