A phenotypic male with karyotype 45,X/45,X,ace+(?Yq-)

Summary A phenotypical normal 22-year-old male with the sex chromosome constitution 45,X/45,X,ace+(?Yq-) and an atypical endogenous depression has been studied. The chromosome aberration and the depression are most probably not aetiologically connected.The patient presented no physical signs of male Turner phenotype, except for short stature. His personality development was, however, in several ways similar to what is characteristic for females with Turner's syndrome and karyotype 45,X and he had some dermatoglyphic signs similar to females with Turner's syndrome.The cytogenetic findings in leucocytes as well as fibroblast cultures indicated that the small acentric chromosome fragment found in approximately half of the cells was made up of the short arms of a Y chromosome. The finding of only short arms Y chromosome in approximately half of the cells in a phenotypically normal male with testes of normal size supports indications from previous studies that the genes necessary for the development of testes are located in the short arms Y. The finding further indicates that if homologous gene loci for the short arms X are present in the Y chromosome, they must be located in the short arms, and deletion long arms Y is most probably not an aetiological factor in the development of the so-called male Turner phenotype.

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Zusammenfassung Es wird ein phänotypisch normaler 22jähriger Mann mit der Geschlechtschromosomenkonstitution 45,X/45,X,ace+(?Yq-) und einer atypischen endogenen Depression beschrieben. Die Chromosomenaberration und die Depression stehen sehr wahrscheinlich in keinem ätiologischen Zusammenhang.Der Patient zeigte keine körperlichen Veränderungen im Sinne der männlichen Turner-Phänotype, mit Ausnahme von Kleinwuchs. Seine Persönlichkeitsentwicklung jedoch ließ sich in mehreren Punkten mit den Charakteristika, wie man sie bei Frauen mit Turner-Syndrom und der Karyotype 45,X sieht, vergleichen; und er hatte einige dermatoglyphische Zeichen, ähnlich wie bei Frauen mit Turner-Syndrom.Die cytogenetischen Untersuchungsergebnisse sowohl an Leukocyten als auch an Fibroblastenkulturen deuteten an, daß das kleine azentrische Chromosomenfragment, welches sich in ungefähr der Hälfte der Zellen fand, von den kurzen Armen des Y-Chromosoms gebildet wurde. Der Fund von lediglich den kurzen Armen des Y-Chromosoms in ungefähr der Hälfte der Zellen bei einem phänotypisch normalen Mann mit normaler Testisgröße unterstützt die Vermutungen vorangegangener Untersuchungen, daß die Gene, die für die Entwicklung der Testis notwendig sind, auf den kurzen Armen des Y-Chromosoms lokalisiert sind. Das Ergebnis der Untersuchung deutet weiterhin an, wenn homologe Genloci für die kurzen Arme X im Y-Chromosom vorhanden sind, diese auf den kurzen Armen lokalisiert sein müssen und daß eine Deletion der langen Arme des Y-Chromosoms sehr wahrscheinlich kein ätiologischer Faktor in der Entwicklung der sogenannten männlichen Turner-Phänotype ist.

     

MEL-28/ELYS is required for the recruitment of nucleoporins to chromatin and postmitotic nuclear pore complex assembly

The metazoan nuclear envelope (NE) breaks down and re-forms during each cell cycle. Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs), which allow nucleocytoplasmic transport during interphase, assemble into the re-forming NE at the end of mitosis. Using in vitro NE assembly, we show that the vertebrate homologue of MEL-28 (maternal effect lethal), a recently discovered NE component in Caenorhabditis elegans, functions in postmitotic NPC assembly. MEL-28 interacts with the Nup107-160 complex (Nup for nucleoporin), an important building block of the NPC, and is essential for the recruitment of the Nup107-160 complex to chromatin. We suggest that MEL-28 acts as a seeding point for NPC assembly.     

Structural diversity and regeneration of the endangered Prunus africana (Rosaceae) in Zimbabwe

Prunus africana is endemic to Africa and was included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) in 1995. In Zimbabwe, the species was reported to be rare and confined to the Eastern Highlands. The objective of this study was to assess size–class distribution and regeneration levels and to characterize structural diversity of P. africana. Given the clustered nature of the species, adaptive cluster sampling was used based on the assumption that there were more P. africana trees in the neighbourhood of reference trees. Each cluster was terminated when there were no more P. africana trees within a distance of 500 m. Data on diameter and height were collected in each cluster using standard forestry procedures. Regeneration was determined by counting seedlings and saplings within a radial distance of 14 m from the mother tree. Structural indices, that ie, diameter and height differentiation and mingling were determined for a structural group of four trees. Findings from this study indicated poor regeneration, fewer P. africana trees in small and large size classes, dominance of positive height and diameter differentiation and high mingling. These findings have implications on management and conservation of P. africana in Zimbabwe.     

Ran GTPase cycle and importins alpha and beta are essential for spindle formation and nuclear envelope assembly in living Caenorhabditis elegans embryos

The small GTPase Ran has been found to play pivotal roles in several aspects of cell function. We have investigated the role of the Ran GTPase cycle in spindle formation and nuclear envelope assembly in dividing Caenorhabditis elegans embryos in real time. We found that Ran and its cofactors RanBP2, RanGAP, and RCC1 are all essential for reformation of the nuclear envelope after cell division. Reducing the expression of any of these components of the Ran GTPase cycle by RNAi leads to strong extranuclear clustering of integral nuclear envelope proteins and nucleoporins. Ran, RanBP2, and RanGAP are also required for building a mitotic spindle, whereas astral microtubules are normal in the absence of these proteins. RCC1(RNAi) embryos have similar abnormalities in the initial phase of spindle formation but eventually recover to form a bipolar spindle. Irregular chromatin structures and chromatin bridges due to spindle failure were frequently observed in embryos where the Ran cycle was perturbed. In addition, connection between the centrosomes and the male pronucleus, and thus centrosome positioning, depends upon the Ran cycle components. Finally, we have demonstrated that both IMA-2 and IMB-1, the homologues of vertebrate importin alpha and beta, are essential for both spindle assembly and nuclear formation in early embryos.     

A role for the basic patch and the C terminus of RanGTP in regulating the dynamic interactions with importin beta, CRM1 and RanBP1

Transport of macromolecules between the nucleus and cytoplasm involves the recognition of intrinsic localization signals by either import or export receptors. The interaction of the receptors with their cargo is regulated by the small GTPase Ran in its GTP bound state. We have investigated the interaction of RanGTP with the import factor, importin beta, the export factor, CRM1, and the Ran binding protein, RanBP1, in solution. Importin beta specifically protected residues in the switch regions and basic patch region of Ran against proteolytic cleavage, whereas RanBP1 protected the C terminus. Moreover, the binding of importin beta induced a conformational change in the structure of Ran leading to an exposure of the C terminus and stimulated the binding of RanBP1. Mutating the basic patch (HRKK(142)) of Ran resulted in an increased binding of RanBP1 and weakened importin beta binding. In contrast to wild-type Ran, the mutant Ran could be released from importin beta independently of importin alpha. These data provide experimental support for a model in which the accessibility of the C terminus of Ran is influenced by an intramolecular interaction between the basic patch and the C-terminal acidic DEDDDL(216) motif. Binding of importin beta probably disrupts this interaction causing an exposure of the C-terminal extension, which is favorable for RanBP1 binding. Interestingly, basic patch mutations abolish CRM1 interaction, indicating that the determinants for RanGTP binding to the export factor, CRM1, is different from the import factor, importin beta.     

Early embryonic requirement for nucleoporin Nup35/NPP-19 in nuclear assembly

Nuclear pore complexes (NPCs) are gateways for transport between the nucleus and cytoplasm of eukaryotic cells and play crucial roles in regulation of gene expression. NPCs are composed of multiple copies of ∼ 30 different nucleoporins (nups) that display both ubiquitous and cell type specific functions during development. Vertebrate Nup35 (also known as Nup53) was previously described to interact with Nup93, Nup155 and Nup205 and to be required for nuclear envelope (NE) assembly in vitro. Here, we report the first in vivo characterization of a Nup35 mutation, npp-19(tm2886), and its temperature-dependent effects on Caenorhabditis elegans embryogenesis. At restrictive temperature, npp-19(tm2886) embryos exhibit chromosome missegregation, nuclear morphology defects and die around mid-gastrulation. Depletion of Nup35/NPP-19 inhibits NE localization of Nup155/NPP-8, NPC assembly and nuclear lamina formation. Consequently, nuclear envelope function, including nucleo-cytoplasmic transport, is impaired. In contrast, recruitment of Nup107/NPP-5, LEM-2 and nuclear membranes to the chromatin surface is Nup35/NPP-19-independent, suggesting an uncoupling of nuclear membrane targeting and NPC assembly in the absence of Nup35/NPP-19. We propose that Nup35/NPP-19 has an evolutionary conserved role in NE formation and function, and that this role is particularly critical during the rapid cell divisions of early embryogenesis.