Linkage disequilibrium detected between dystrophia myotonica and APOC2 locus in the Finnish population

Summary Three polymorphic loci APOC2, CKMM and p134C were used to haplotype 15 Finnish dystrophia myotonica (DM) families representing about one third of all DM patients in this isolated population. Compound APOC2 and CKMM haplotypes reveal linkage disequilibrium: 90% of DM chromosomes co-occur with the haplotypes that occur in 31% of normal chromosomes only. The same disequilibrium is present when only polymorphisms occurring at the APOC2 locus are used. Surprisingly, no statistically significant linkage disequilibrium was discovered at the CKMM locus alone. Of the meiotic events, 84% were informative when both APO2 and CKMM loci were used. When studied selectively, 60% of meiotic events were informative at the APOC2 locus, whereas CKMM alone resulted in 65% meiotic informativeness. The distal marker p134C was found to have an unfortunately low information content in our population.     

The distribution of substance P-, CGRP-, galanin-and ANP-like immunoreactive nerves in human sweat glands

Summary The distribution in immunoreactivities towards atrial natriuretic peptide, calcitonin gene-related peptide, galanin and substance P were demonstrated in human skin at the light and electron microscopic levels. Nerves immunoreactive to the first three of these peptides were found around eccrine sweat glands, whereas only a few positively-labelled nerve fibres could be seen around apocrine glands. At the ultrastructural level, immunoreactivity to the neuropeptides was localized in the large dense-cored vesicles of the nerve terminals. No immunoreactivity to substance P could be detected around sweat glands. In addition to these findings, the four types of immunoreactivity were seen in the thick preterminal nerve bundles.     

The synergistic ability of some wood-degrading fungi to transform lignins and lignosulfonates on various media

Summary In order to investigate the ligninolytic activity with mixed cultures of wood-degrading fungi, and the influence of various growth conditions on this activity, 50 wood-degrading fungi were tested for ligninolysis in pure culture and in pair-wise combinations according to a simple plate test recently developed in this laboratory. It was found that a synergistic degradation of lignin and of lignosulfonate was common among fungi inoculated pair-wise on lignin or lignosulfonate media; decomposition was enhanced in the zone where the two mycelia interacted. This synergistic effect was noted with pairs of two different white-rot fungi, with pairs of one white-rot and one brown-rot fungus, and with pairs of one white-rot and one soil Deuteromycete.Lignosulfonate was more susceptible to the synergistic action of pairs of fungi than was lignin. The synergistic attack on lignosulfonate was more pronounced on a meager medium than on a carbohydrate-rich one. On the contrary, the ligninolysis with pure cultures of the fungi was more pronounced on the carbohydrate-rich medium, and lignin was decomposed more easily than was lignosulfonate.     

Localization of catecholamines and acetylcholinesterase in the terminal nerve fibres of the rabbit myometrium

Summary The autonomic nerves of the myometrium of the rabbit were studied in order to demonstrate simultaneously the adrenergic nature of an axon and the localization of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) in the same axons. The synaptic vesicles of the adrenergic axons and nerve terminals remained partially filled with the electron dense material typical for them after formaldehyde fixation and short incubation time for AChE. AChE stain was localized regularly on the axons which contained agranular synaptic vesicles and also on axons which contained dense cored synaptic vesicles beeing probably adrenergic. The role of AChE on the adrenergic axons is discussed.     

Control of mitochondrial respiration by the phosphate potential

The rate of respiration of suspensions of mitochondria in the presence of excess oxygen and substrate is shown to be dependent on the ratio of the concentration of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) to the product of the concentrations of adenosine diphosphate and orthophosphate. The mitochondrial respiratory chain is essentially in equilibrium with the reactions for ATP synthesis. The rate of mitochondrial respiration is controlled by the free energy requirement for ATP synthesis and this control is expressed on the rates of the reactions for reduction of the dehydrogenases by substrate and the oxidation of cytochrome $\text{a}{}_3$ by molecular oxygen.     

Single mid-chain GlcNAcβ1-6Galβ1-4R sequences of linear oligosaccharides are resistant to endo-β-galactosidase ofBacteroides fragilis

Endo--galactosidase (EC 3.2.1.103) ofBacteroides fragilis, at 250 mU ml^–1, did not cleave the internal galactosidic linkage of the linear radiolabelled trisaccharide GlcNAc1-6Gal1-4GlcNAc, or those of the tetrasaccharides Gal1-4GlcNAc1-6Gal1-4GlcNAc and Gal1-4GlcNAc1-6Gal1-4Glc. The isomeric glycans which contained the GlcNAc1-3Gal1-4GlcNAc/Glc sequence were readily cleaved.Abbreviations GlcNAc 2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucose - Lact lactose - MT maltotriose - MTet maltotetraose - R _MTet chromatographic migration rate in relation to that of maltotetraose     

Proving paternity of children with deceased fathers

Summary Determination of paternity was attempted in the case of three children whose putative fathers are dead using DNA samples of the paternal grandparents. The DNA analyses were performed with both multilocus and single-locus probes which resolve highly polymorphic areas of human genome. The results were conclusive with both types of probes and facilitated, for example, the exclusion of the brother of the putative father. The evidence for true paternity obtained with DNA analyses can be considered reliable in this type of indirect paternity in which tests based on protein polymorphism are inconclusive.     

Effects of aging and life-long physical training on collagen in slow and fast skeletal muscle in rats

Summary Intramuscular collagen in a slow (m. soleus) and a fast (m. rectus femoris) skeletal muscle was studied by biochemical, morphometric, and immunohistochemical methods. Wistar white rats of 1, 4, 10, and 24 months were used as experimental animals. Our aim was to evaluate the effects of life-long physical training (treadmill running, 5 days a week for 1, 3, 9, and 23 months depending on the age attained). The biochemical concentration of collagen was higher in m. soleus than in m. rectus femoris and it increased in youth and in old age in m. soleus. The trained rats had higher concentrations of collagen than the untrained rats at 10 and 24 months. The morphometrically measured area-fractions of both the endomysium and perimysium were higher in m. soleus than in m. rectus femoris. The age-related increase in intramuscular connective tissue was of endomysial origin. The immunohistochemical staining of type-I, -III, and -IV collagens indicated the more collagenous nature of m. soleus as compared with m. rectus femoris for all major collagen types; this was most marked for type-IV collagen of basement membrane. The results indicate that both age and endurance-type physical training further distinguish the slow and fast muscles with respect to their connective tissue.     

DNA-polymorphism of type I collagen gene detected with Bgl II in the genetically isolated finnish population

Summary The pro 2(I) collagen gene has been screened for Bgl II restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in the Finnish population which has a long background of genetic isolation. As genetically isolated populations tend to demonstrate deviations in the degree of heterozygosity, the RFLP markers described in more heterogeneous populations can not be utilized as such in the former. This proved to be the case with Bgl II polymorphism within the pro 2(I) collagen gene, the gene involved in different disorders of connective tissue. This report describes the presence of three new RFLP-loci and the absence of one RFLP-locus, which had been earlier reported from a population with a genetic background remote from the population studied here.