Thehigh growth(hg) Locus Maps to a Deletion in Mouse Chromosome 10

Thehigh growth(hg) locus in mice produces a 30–50% increase in weight gain of homozygous individuals. Here we report that the microsatellite markerD10Mit69is deleted in high growth mice. The deletion ofD10Mit69was uncovered in a screen of the high growth mouse and its progenitor strains for available markers in thehgregion. We demonstrate thathgandD10Mit69cosegregate in a cross of congenic strains C57BL/6J-hghg× C57BL/6J. These results suggest that deletion of a region aroundD10Mit69is responsible for the high growth effect. MarkerD10Mit69will be utilized as an entry point to physical cloning of thehg-containing segment. A dense map of markers aroundhgconstructed here should allow identification of markers in homologous regions in domestic animals and humans, which may be utilized to assess the role of thehglocus in these other species.     

Inorganic self-organisation in precambrian cherts

Silica biomorphs are inorganic self-organized precipitates resulting from a crystal aggregation process controlled by a metal silicate membrane. They display morphological and symmetric properties of living organisms and form under physico-chemical conditions similar to some geochemical conditions suggested for the chemical precipitation of Precambrian chert precursors. In consequence, these inorganic precipitates are proposed as an alternative interpretation to be considered when trying to decipher the biogenicity of putative Precambrian microbiotas.     

EVOLUTIONARY ECOLOGY OF DATURA STRAMONIUM L. IN CENTRAL MEXICO: NATURAL SELECTION FOR RESISTANCE TO HERBIVOROUS INSECTS

It has been assumed that herbivores constitute a selective agent for the evolution of plant resistance. However, few studies have tested this hypothesis. In this study, we look at the annual weed Datura stramonium for evidence of current natural selection for resistance to herbivorous insects. Paternal half-sib families obtained through controlled crosses were exposed to herbivores under natural conditions. The plants were damaged by two folivorous insects: the tobacco flea beetle Epitrix parvula and the grasshopper Sphenarium purpurascens. Selection was estimated using a multiple-regression analysis of plant size and of damage by the two herbivores on plant fitness measured as fruit production for both individual phenotypes and family breeding values (genetic analysis). Directional phenotypic selection was detected for both larger plant size and lower resistance to the flea beetles, whereas stabilizing phenotypic selection was revealed for resistance to S. purpurascens. However, performing the same analyses on the breeding values of the characters revealed directional and stabilizing selection only for plant size. Thus, no agreement existed between the results of the two types of analyses, nor was there any detectable potential for genetic change in the studied population because of selection on herbivore resistance. The narrow-sense heritability of every trait studied was small (all <0.1) and not different from zero. The potential for evolutionary response to natural selection for higher resistance to herbivores in the studied population of D. stramonium is probably limited by lack of genetic variation. Natural selection acts on phenotypes, and the detection of phenotypic selection on resistance to herbivores confirms their ecological importance in determining plant fitness. However, evolutionary inferences based solely on phenotypic selection analyses must be interpreted with caution.     

Heat-shock response in a yeast tps1 mutant deficient in trehalose synthesis

Exponential cells of the Saccharomyces cerevisiae tps1 mutant underwent a rapid loss of viability upon a non-lethal heat exposure (from 28 to 42°C). However, a further more severe heat stress (52.5°C 5 min) induced an increase in the fraction of viable cells. This mutant can not synthesize trehalose either at 28° C or at 42°C due to the lack of a functional trehalose-6P synthase complex. In control experiments carried out with the wild-type W303-1 B, heat-stressed exponential phase cultures grown on YPgal at 28°C acquired thermotolerance to a higher extent than identical cultures grown on YPD, although in both cultures the level of stored trehalose was negligible. These data suggest that the bulk of trehalose accumulated in yeast upon mild heat treaments is not sufficient to account for the acquisition of thermotolerance.     

On the evolution of protamines in bony Fish: Alternatives to the “Retroviral horizontal transmission” hypothesis

Fish protamines are highly specialized molecules which are responsible for chromatin condensation during the last stages of spermatogenesis (spermiogenesis). However, not all fish contain protamines in their sperm nuclei; rather, there seems to be a random distribution of protamines within this group. The origin of this sporadic presence of protamines in the sperm and its significance have not yet been precisely determined. In this paper we have conducted an exhaustive survey of the literature available on the different types of nuclear protein composition of the sperm of teleost fish in order to try to correlate these data with what is presently known about the taxonomy of this group. The results of this analysis have allowed us to make the following observations. The divergence between protamines and histones has occurred several times during the evolution of the bony fish. However, the relative frequency of this divergence is almost negligible during the differentiation of genera and species (intrafamily variation) and is very small during the differentiation of families (interfamily variation). Nevertheless, the divergence is very noticeable among the different orders. It is therefore possible to conclude from all this that the sporadic distribution of protamines in bony fish is not a random event as initially believed. Furthermore, such a heterogeneous distribution of protamines cannot be easily accounted for by a mechanism of horizontal retroviral transmission through repeated and independent acquisition of a prot amine gene as has been recently proposed (Jankowski, Stater, Dixon (1986) J Mol Evol 23:1–10). Rather, it could possibly be explained by a repeated and independent loss of the expression of the protamine gene (or loss of the gene itself) which mainly occurred during the diversification of the orders of this group.Correspondence to: J. Ausio     

Condensation of DNA by basic protiens does not depend on protien composition

We have studied by electron microscopy the size and morphology of the complexes obtained with different DNAs (between 500 and 5243 base pairs long) and four different proteins: sea urchin histone H1; sea cucumber histone ?₀, chicken erythrocyte histone H5, and clupeine. Surprisingly, the type of protein used has only a marginal influence on the complexes formed. The molecular weight and topology of DNA do not show any influence. The size of the complexes depends strongly on the ratio of positive to negative charges and also on the ionic conditions. Our studies have been mainly carried out at a ratio of 0.4. Under these conditions the average thickness of rods and toroids observed varies between 165 Å at 1.5 mM salt to 290 Å at 100 mM salt, with minor variations around these values depending on the type of DNA and protein used. We conclude that the formation of DNA condensates is mainly determined by a balance of electrostatic and intermolecular forces, the influence of specific interactions is only marginal. This conclusion seems to apply not only to the complexes described here, but also to chromatin fibers and to DNA condensed by low molecular weight counterions and other compounds (polyamines, inorganic ions, ethanol, etc.). © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Aortic aneurysm in a Cebus apella monkey with experimentally induced atherosclerosis

The sudden death of a Cebus apella female (>19 years old) on an experimental hyperlipidic diet during three years is described. The gross lesions were hemothorax, atherosclerotic plaques in the aortic curve, and an aneurysm in the ascending aorta. Histologically, an enlargement of the intima in the ascending aorta with hyalinization and a thrombus were observed. The media was thinned and showed sclerosis and hemorrhage extending to the tunica adventicia.     

Expression of sunflower low-molecular-weight heat-shock proteins during embryogenesis and persistence after germination: localization and possible functional implications

We isolated and sequenced Ha hsp 17.9, a DNA complementary (cDNA) of dry-seed stored mRNA that encodes a low-molecular-weight heat-shock protein (LMW HSP). Sequence analysis identified Ha hsp17.9, and the previously reported Ha hsp17.6, as cDNAs encoding proteins (HSP17.6 and HSP17.9) which belong to different families of cytoplasmic LMW HSPs. Using specific antibodies we observed differential expression of both proteins during zygotic embryogenesis under controlled environment, and a remarkable persistence of these LMW HSPs during germination. Immuno-blot analysis of HSP17.9 proteins in two-dimensional gels revealed that the polypeptides expressed in embryos were indistinguishable from LMW HSPs expressed in vegetative tissues in response to water deficit; but they appeared different from homologeous proteins expressed in response to thermal-stress. Tissue-print immunolocalization experiments showed that HSP17.9 and HSP17.6 were homogeneously distributed in every tissue of desiccation-tolerant dry seeds and young seedlings under non-stress conditions. These results demonstrate developmental regulation of specific, cytoplasmic, plant LMW HSPs, suggesting also their involvement in water-stress tolerance.     

Identification of Endothelin Receptor Subtype (ETB) in Human Cerebral Cortex Using Subtype-Selective Ligands

Abstract: Specific endothelin (ET) binding sites were characterized in membranes prepared from human cerebral cortices using binding assay and cross-linking analysis. The presence of immunoreactive (IR) ET-1 was studied by radioimmunoassay. Saturation binding experiments revealed that the K _D and B _max for ¹²⁵I-ET-1 and ¹²⁵l-ET-3 to membranes from gray matter were 25 ± 6 pM and 115 ± 15 fmol/mg of protein and 24 ± 5 p M and 108 ± 13 fmol/mg of protein, respectively. Similar results were obtained for white matter. In the presence of 10 n M sarafotoxin-6c, which is selective for ET_B receptors, ¹²⁵I-ET-1 and ¹²⁵l-ET-3 binding was totally abolished. However, in the presence of 1 μ M BQ123, which is selective for ET_Areceptors, both bindings were not affected. These results suggest that the human cerebral cortex contains only ET_Breceptors. Cross-linking of ¹²⁵I-ET-1 and ¹²⁵l-ET-3 to membranes with disuccinimidyl suberate resulted in the labeling of two bands of 48 and 31 kDa. Concentrations of IR-ET-1 in the gray and white matter were 7.0 ± 3.2 and 2.5 ± 1.7 fmol/g wet weight, respectively. The demonstration of high-affinity ET_B receptors and the presence of IRET-1 suggest that the peptide may act as a neurotransmitter or neuromodulator in the human cerebral cortex.