CDC17: an essential gene that prevents telomere elongation in yeast

The CDC17 gene product performs an essential stage-specific function during the Saccharomyces cerevisiae cell cycle. When cdc17-1 strains are grown at the maximum permissive temperature, recombination is induced preferentially in the genetic interval of the chromosome closest to the telomere. Telomeres are longer in cdc17 strains than in CDC17 strains at the permissive temperature because of addition of sequence near or in the poly (C1-3A) telomeric DNA and become even longer when cells are propagated at elevated temperatures. The mitotic recombination events require RAD52 function, but telomere growth does not. Long telomeres are maintained for many generations when crossed into a CDC17+ background, suggesting that telomere length is largely conserved during replication. The altered telomere length phenotype of cdc17 mutations is recessive and coreverts and cosegregates with the temperature-sensitive lethal phenotype.     

The effect of carbohydrate depletion on procoagulant activity and in vivo survival of highly purified human factor VIII

Human factor VIII procoagulant protein (factor VIII) was purified using a modification of our previously described method, in which Sephacryl S-400 elution, rather than QAE-cellulose chromatography, served as the final purification step. The protein had a specific activity of more than 2500 U/mg and consisted of a single polypeptide (Mr 100 000) when analyzed by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Factor VIII was shown to be a glycoprotein by staining with periodic acid-Schiff's reagent following electrophoresis. Treatment of factor VIII with a mixture of exo- and endoglycosidases caused a reduction by about 50% in the intensity of periodic acid-Schiff staining, as determined by scanning densitometry, and an increase in electrophoretic mobility (equivalent to a new Mr 95 000). Removal of this portion of the total carbohydrate had no significant effect on factor VIII clotting activity or on thrombin potentiation of clotting activity. The in vivo survival curves of a native and sugar-depleted 125I-labeled factor VIII both showed similar patterns of initial rapid decay to 60 and 40% activity, respectively, followed by a one-half decay time of 4 h for both. These results suggest that the carbohydrate portion of human factor VIII does not contribute significantly to either clotting function in vitro or to biological turnover in vivo.     

Unlikelihood that minimal phylogenies for a realistic biological study can be constructed in reasonable computational time

The problem of determining a phylogeny of maximum parsimony from a given set of protein sequences is defined. It is shown that this problem is what is called, in computer science, NP-complete. The implication of this result is that it is equivalent in difficulty to a host of other problems in combinatorial optimization which are notorious for their intractability. This implies that it is more fruitful to attempt to develop heuristic techniques (which do not guarantee maximum parsimony but which do run in reasonable computer time) than to try to develop exact algorithms for phylogeny construction     

In vivo experimental modelling of the infectious process caused by stable L forms of the causative agent of typhoid

To simulate the infectious process and to study the persistence of L-forms, rabbits and guinea pigs were infected with S. typhi stable L-forms. The materials presented in this work indicate that both subconjunctival and intraperitoneal infection led to the development of the clinically indistinct, but morphologically pronounced pathological process with characteristic localization and typical changes in the gastrointestinal tract. The typical features of the process were the generalized immunomorphological reaction of the lymphoid apparatus with the appearance of light-colored reticulomacrophagal elements, the signs of the activation of humoral and cell-mediated immunity and the formation of small epitheloidocellular granulomas. The results of the investigation indicate that the stable cultures of S. typhi L-forms are highly pathogenic and capable of inducing the infectious process in experimental animals.     

Porcine high molecular weight kininogen: its purification and properties as a thiol proteinase inhibitor as compared to human high molecular weight kininogen

1. High mol. wt kininogen (HMW kininogen) was purified to a homogeneous state from porcine plasma. 2. The protein exhibited a strong inhibitory activity for thiol proteinases such as ficin, papain and calpain I, whereas it did not inhibit serine proteinases, trypsin and chymotrypsin. 3. The mol. wt, isoelectric point, amino acid and carbohydrate compositions, stabilities to temperature and pH, kinetic constants, and immunological properties of the porcine HMW kininogen were determined and compared with those of human HMW kininogen.     

Isolation and analysis of monoclonal antibodies against various gangliosides

Female BALB/c mice were immunized with human melanoma (Mewo) cells containing ganglioside GD3 as a surface antigen. Immune splenocytes were fused with syngeneic P3-X63.Ag 8 myeloma cells. Antibodies produced by hybrid clones were analyzed by solid phase immunoassay. B, C, D and Q clones producing antibodies against Raja clavata brain gangliosides were obtained. Monoclonal B and C antibodies bound monosialogangliosides. Monoclonal D antibody bound a number of gangliosides but reacted predominantly with GD1a. Monoclonal Q antibody reacted selectively with GQ1c. It is assumed that ganglioside GQ1c is expressed on the melanoma cell surface and may be found only in the early stage of ontogenesis of high vertebrates.     

Modification of testicular and thyroid function by chronic exposure to short photoperiod: a comparison in four rodent species

Exposure of male Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus) for 10 weeks to short photoperiod (SP) providing 10 hr light: 14 hr darkness (10:14 LD) produced a significant reduction in the weights of the reproductive organs, plasma thyroxine (T4) levels and free T4 index (FT4I) compared to the values of animals exposed to long photoperiod (LP, 14:10 LD). C57bl male house mice (Mus musculus) kept in SP (10:14 LD) had reproductive organ weights equivalent to those of mice kept in long days (14:10 LD) and lower T3 uptake (T3U) values. Male gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) exposed to 13 weeks of SP (10:14 LD) had lower body weights, testes and seminal vesicle weights and higher T3U values compared to LP (14:10 LD) controls. However, no effect was seen on plasma T4 and triiodothyronine (T3) values nor the FT4I and free T3 index (FT3I). White-footed male mice (Peromyscus leucopus) exposed to SP (8:16 LD) had significantly lower testes and seminal vesicle weights while plasma T4 and T3 levels were unaffected. Snell strain house mice (Mus musculus) exposed to SP (8:16 LD) had normal reproductive organ weights compared to the values of LP-exposed (16:8 LD) control animals. However, there was a significant depression in T3 and in the FT3I in the SP animals.