A Gene for Autosomal Dominant Congenital Nystagmus Localizes to 6p12

Congenital nystagmus is an idiopathic disorder characterized by bilateral ocular oscillations usually manifest during infancy. Vision is typically decreased due to slippage of images across the fovea. As such, visual acuity correlates with nystagmus intensity, which is the amplitude and frequency of eye movements at a given position of gaze. X-linked, autosomal dominant, and autosomal recessive pedigrees have been described, but no mapping studies have been published. We recently described a large pedigree with autosomal dominant congenital nystagmus. A genome-wide search resulted in six markers on 6p linked by two-point analysis at θ = 0 (D6S459, D6S452, D6S465, FTHP1, D6S257, D6S430). Haplotype analysis localizes the gene for autosomal dominant congenital motor nystagmus to an 18-cM region between D6S271 and D6S455.     

Microscopic anatomy of the ovary ofAlouatta caraya

The microscopic structure of theAlouatta caraya ovary is studied in different ages and reproductive stages. The most significant feature seems to be the presence in adult ovaries of abundant glandular interstitial tissue which occupies both the cortex and medulla. It seems to be derived from the theca interna of atretic follicles. Discrete luteinized masses are present in the medulla in all the ovaries observed. Invaginations of the surface epithelium are seen only in infant and juvenile ovaries. The development of cystic follicles seems to be a common pathway of atresia.     

The identification of trihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids as products from the incubation of arachidonic acid with washed blood platelets

Arachidonic acid is converted by washed platelets from man, horse and dog into a mixture of 8, 9, 12-trihydroxyeicosa-5, 10, 14-trienoic acid and 8, 11, 12-trihydroxyeicosa-5, 9, 14-trienoic acid (termed 8, 9, 12-THETA and 8, 11, 12-THETA respectively and THETA collectively). Gas chromatographic — mass spectrometric evidence of structure is discussed.     

Effect of sodium butyrate on the hepatoma cell cycle: Possible use for cell synchronization

Summary Exposure of HTC cells to sodium butyrate caused inhibition of growth. The site of growth inhibition was studied by time-lapse cinematography and [³H]thymidine incorporation studies. Evidence is presented that sodiunm butyrate affected the cell cycle at a specific point immediately after mitosis. Inasmuch as it does not modify the interphase duration after its removal, butyrate may be used for HTC synchronization. This work was supported by l'Institut Nationale de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale and la Centre Nationale de la Recherche Scientifique (L. T. and J. K.).     

The α-keto acids of branched-chain amino acids: Simplified derivatization for physiological samples and complete separation as quinoxalinols by packed column gas chromatography

By use of a relatively new mixed stationary phase, complete separation of the branched-chain α-keto acids as O-trimethylsilyl-quinoxalinol derivatives is achieved within 10 min by packed column gas chromatography. Precise quantification of less than 5 nmol of α-keto acids in biological samples is possible. In small aqueous samples the α-keto acids are directly derivatized without prior purification. Plasma need only be deproteinized by perchlorate and neutralized before derivatization. Average relative precision for determination of the three main branched-chain α-keto acids is ± 5.8%.     

A strictly anaerobic betaproteobacterium Georgfuchsia toluolica gen. nov., sp. nov. degrades aromatic compounds with Fe(III), Mn(IV) or nitrate as an electron acceptor

A bacterium (strain G5G6) that grows anaerobically with toluene was isolated from a polluted aquifer (Banisveld, the Netherlands). The bacterium uses Fe(III), Mn(IV) and nitrate as terminal electron acceptors for growth on aromatic compounds. The bacterium does not grow on sugars, lactate or acetate. Phylogenetic analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that strain G5G6 belonged to the Betaproteobacteria . Its closest, but only distantly related, cultured relative is Sterolibacterium denitrificans Chol-1S^T (94.6% similarity of the 16S rRNA genes), a cholesterol-oxidizing, denitrifying bacterium. Strain G5G6 possesses the benzylsuccinate synthase A ( bssA ) gene encoding the α-subunit of Bss, which catalyzes the first step in anaerobic toluene degradation. The deduced BssA amino acid sequence is closely related to those of Azoarcus and Thauera species, which also belong to the Betaproteobacteria . Strain G5G6 is the first toluene-degrading, iron-reducing bacterium that does not belong to the Geobacteraceae within the Deltaproteobacteria . Based on phylogenetic and physiological comparison, strain G5G6 could not be assigned to a described species. Therefore, strain G5G6 (DSMZ 19032^T=JCM 14632^T) is a novel taxon of the Betaproteobacteria . We propose the name Georgfuchsia toluolica gen. nov., sp. nov.