The genetic identity of alien chromosomes in potato breeding lines revealed by sequential GISH and FISH analyses using chromosome-specific cytogenetic DNA markers.

Genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) is one of the most popular and effective techniques for detecting alien chromatin introgressed into breeding lines; however, GISH analysis alone does not reveal the genetic identity of the alien chromosomes. We previously isolated a set of bacterial artificial chromosomes (BACs) specific to each of the 12 potato chromosomes. These BAC clones can be used as chromosome-specific cytogenetic DNA markers (CSCDMs) for potato chromosome identification. Here we demonstrate that GISH and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), using CSCDMs, can be performed sequentially on the same chromosome preparations. Somatic metaphase chromosomes prepared using an enzymatic digestion and "flame-drying" procedure allows repeated probing up to five times without significant damage to chromosome morphology. The sequential GISH and FISH analyses reveal the genomic origin and genetic identity of the alien chromosomes in a single experiment and also determine whether an alien chromosome has been added to the genetic background of potato or is substituting for a homoeologous potato chromosome. The sequential GISH and FISH procedures should be widely applicable for germplasm characterization, especially in plant species with small-sized chromosomes.     

Mechanisms of arsenic hyperaccumulation in Pteris vittata. Uptake kinetics,interactions with phosphate,and arsenic speciation

The mechanisms of arsenic (As) hyperaccumulation in Pteris vittata, the first identified As hyperaccumulator, are unknown. We investigated the interactions of arsenate and phosphate on the uptake and distribution of As and phosphorus (P), and As speciation in P. vittata. In an 18-d hydroponic experiment with varying concentrations of arsenate and phosphate, P. vittata accumulated As in the fronds up to 27,000 mg As kg(-1) dry weight, and the frond As to root As concentration ratio varied between 1.3 and 6.7. Increasing phosphate supply decreased As uptake markedly, with the effect being greater on root As concentration than on shoot As concentration. Increasing arsenate supply decreased the P concentration in the roots, but not in the fronds. Presence of phosphate in the uptake solution decreased arsenate influx markedly, whereas P starvation for 8 d increased the maximum net influx by 2.5-fold. The rate of arsenite uptake was 10% of that for arsenate in the absence of phosphate. Neither P starvation nor the presence of phosphate affected arsenite uptake. Within 8 h, 50% to 78% of the As taken up was distributed to the fronds, with a higher translocation efficiency for arsenite than for arsenate. In fronds, 49% to 94% of the As was extracted with a phosphate buffer (pH 5.6). Speciation analysis using high-performance liquid chromatography-inductively coupled plasma mass spectroscopy showed that >85% of the extracted As was in the form of arsenite, and the remaining mostly as arsenate. We conclude that arsenate is taken up by P. vittata via the phosphate transporters, reduced to arsenite, and sequestered in the fronds primarily as As(III).     

Hydrobenzoin-based rigid chiral polymer

We prepared a rigid, chiral polymer (1) from optically active hydrobenzoin-based subunits. Nonracemic monomer units 6 and 8 were prepared by asymmetric dihydroxylation (AD) methodology and polymerization was carried out under Sonagashira coupling conditions. Polymer 1 was obtained in good yield with a molecular weight M(n) = 5,100 (PDI = 2.3). Modeling suggests that polymer 1 could form a stable helical mainchain conformation in solution or the solid state. The chiroptical data of the polymer and a low-molecular weight model compound (9) are compared.     

Hormone trajectories leading to human birth

The mechanisms regulating human parturition and labor remain unknown. This ignorance is expensive as preterm birth is responsible for 70% of neonatal mortality and 50% of cerebral palsy. Methods for the prediction of preterm birth and treatments for women in preterm labor have poor efficacy reflecting our limited knowledge of the mechanisms involved. Recent research has supported the view that parturition is a cascade of events that commences early in pregnancy and involves the mother, fetus, placenta, membranes, cervix and myometrium. Although a number of the key hormones and proteins involved have been identified, the relationships between these factors in time and tissues remain unclear. Placental production of Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is proposed as an early event regulating the cascade of events. Central to the onset of parturition will be a mechanism for progesterone withdrawal and estrogen activation in human. Two forms of progesterone receptor with opposing actions exist in the human myometrium. Progesterone receptor A (PR-A) is a dominant negative repressor of progesterone receptor B (PR-B). Preliminary studies strongly support the hypothesis that the onset of human parturition is initiated by rising concentrations of PR-A in the myometrium.     

Two populations of node monocilia initiate left-right asymmetry in the mouse

The vertebrate body plan has conserved handed left-right (LR) asymmetry that is manifested in the heart, lungs, and gut. Leftward flow of extracellular fluid at the node (nodal flow) is critical for normal LR axis determination in the mouse. Nodal flow is generated by motile node cell monocilia and requires the axonemal dynein, left-right dynein (lrd). In the absence of lrd, LR determination becomes random. The cation channel polycystin-2 is also required to establish LR asymmetry. We show that lrd localizes to a centrally located subset of node monocilia, while polycystin-2 is found in all node monocilia. Asymmetric calcium signaling appears at the left margin of the node coincident with nodal flow. These observations suggest that LR asymmetry is established by an entirely ciliary mechanism: motile, lrd-containing monocilia generate nodal flow, and nonmotile polycystin-2 containing cilia sense nodal flow initiating an asymmetric calcium signal at the left border of the node.     

Thermomechanical analysis of soft-tissue thermotherapy

Soft-tissue thermotherapy based on sub-ablative heating of collagenous tissues finds wide-spread application in medicine such as tissue welding, thermokeratoplasty, skin resurfacing, elimination of discogenic pain in the spine and treatment of joint instability. In this paper, heat-induced thermomechanical response characteristics of collagenous tissues are quantified by means of in vitro experimentation with a representative model tissue (New Zealand white rabbit patellar tendon). Three distinct heat-induced thermomechanical response regimes (defined by the rate of deformation and the variation of material properties) are identified. Arrhenius damage integral representation of collagenous tissue thermal history is shown to be adequate in establishing the master response curves for quantification of thermomechanical response for modeling purposes. The trade-off between the improved kinematical stability and compromised mechanical stability of the heated collagenous tissue is shown to be the major challenge hindering the success of subablative thermotherapies.     

The human serum proteome: display of nearly 3700 chromatographically separated protein spots on two-dimensional electrophoresis gels and identification of 325 distinct proteins

Plasma, the soluble component of the human blood, is believed to harbor thousands of distinct proteins, which originate from a variety of cells and tissues through either active secretion or leakage from blood cells or tissues. The dynamic range of plasma protein concentrations comprises at least nine orders of magnitude. Proteins involved in coagulation, immune defense, small molecule transport, and protease inhibition, many of them present in high abundance in this body fluid, have been functionally characterized and associated with disease processes. For example, protein sequence mutations in coagulation factors cause various serious disease states. Diagnosing and monitoring such diseases in blood plasma of affected individuals has typically been conducted by use of enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays, which using a specific antibody quantitatively measure only the affected protein in the tested plasma samples. The discovery of protein biomarkers in plasma for diseases with no known correlations to genetic mutations is challenging. It requires a highly parallel display and quantitation strategy for proteins. We fractionated blood serum proteins prior to display on two-dimensional electrophoresis (2-DE) gels using immunoaffinity chromatography to remove the most abundant serum proteins, followed by sequential anion-exchange and size-exclusion chromatography. Serum proteins from 74 fractions were displayed on 2-DE gels. This approach succeeded in resolving approximately 3700 distinct protein spots, many of them post-translationally modified variants of plasma proteins. About 1800 distinct serum protein spots were identified by mass spectrometry. They collapsed into 325 distinct proteins, after sequence homology and similarity searches were carried out to eliminate redundant protein annotations. Although a relatively insensitive dye, Coomassie Brilliant Blue G-250, was used to visualize protein spots, several proteins known to be present in serum in < 10 ng/mL concentrations were identified such as interleukin-6, cathepsins, and peptide hormones. Considering that our strategy allows highly parallel protein quantitation on 2-DE gels, it holds promise to accelerate the discovery of novel serum protein biomarkers.     

The copper transport protein Atox1 promotes neuronal survival

Atox1, a copper transport protein, was recently identified as a copper-dependent suppressor of oxidative damage in yeast lacking superoxide dismutase. We have previously reported that Atox1 in the rat brain is primarily expressed in neurons, with the highest levels in distinct neuronal subtypes that are characterized by their high levels of metal, like copper, iron, and zinc. In this report, we have transfected the Atox1 gene into several neuronal cell lines to increase the endogenous level of Atox1 expression and have demonstrated that, under conditions of serum starvation and oxidative injury, the transfected neurons are significantly protected against this stress. This level of protection is comparable with the level of protection seen with copper/zinc superoxide dismutase and the anti-apoptotic gene bcl-2 that had been similarly transfected. Furthermore, neuronal cell lines transfected with a mutant Atox1 gene, where the copper binding domain has been modified to prevent metal binding, do not afford protection against serum starvation resulting in apoptosis. Therefore, Atox1 is a component of the cellular pathways used for protection against oxidative stress.