The cholecystokinin type A receptor g.179A>G polymorphism affects feeding rate

A polymorphism within the 5' untranslated region of the cholecystokinin type A receptor ( CCKAR ) gene has been shown to affect feed intake and growth in commercial pig lines. To further investigate the phenotype of animals carrying alternative alleles at this polymorphism, we genotyped animals from a distinct segregating commercial line and an experimental cross F₂ population, both with electronically recorded feeding pattern data. The data indicate that the daily feed intake increasing effect of the DQ496228:g.179G allele is mediated through a faster rate of feed intake, without evidence for an effect on other feeding behaviour traits.     

Multiphasic approach reveals genetic diversity of environmental and patient isolates of Mycobacterium mucogenicum and Mycobacterium phocaicum associated with an outbreak of bacteremias at a Texas hospital

Between March and May 2006, a Texas hospital identified five Mycobacterium mucogenicum bloodstream infections among hospitalized oncology patients using fluorescence high-performance liquid chromatography analysis of mycolic acids. Isolates from blood cultures were compared to 16 isolates from environmental sites or water associated with this ward. These isolates were further characterized by hsp65, 16S rRNA, and rpoB gene sequencing, hsp65 PCR restriction analysis, and molecular typing methods, including repetitive element PCR, random amplified polymorphic DNA PCR, and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) of large restriction fragments. Three of five patient isolates were confirmed as M. mucogenicum and were in a single cluster as determined by all identification and typing methods. The remaining two patient isolates were identified as different strains of Mycobacterium phocaicum by rpoB sequence analysis. One of these matched an environmental isolate from a swab of a hand shower in the patient's room, while none of the clinical isolates of M. mucogenicum matched environmental strains. Among the other 15 environmental isolates, 11 were identified as M. mucogenicum and 4 as M. phocaicum strains, all of which were unrelated by typing methods. Although the 16S rRNA gene sequences matched for all 14 M. mucogenicum isolates, there were two each of the hsp65 and rpoB sequevars, seven PCR typing patterns, and 12 PFGE patterns. Among the seven M. phocaicum isolates were three 16S rRNA sequevars, two hsp65 sequevars, two rpoB sequevars, six PCR typing patterns, and six PFGE patterns. This outbreak represents the first case of catheter-associated bacteremia caused by M. phocaicum and the first report of clinical isolates from a U.S. hospital. The investigation highlights important differences in the available typing methods for mycobacteria and demonstrates the genetic diversity of these organisms even within narrow confines of time and space.     

Quantitative comparison of PTH1R in breast cancer MCF7 and osteosarcoma SaOS-2 cell lines

The aim of the present study was to compare the classical parathyroid hormone/parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTH/PTHrP) receptors in MCF7 breast cancer cells with SaOS-2 osteosarcoma cell line. Quantitative binding showed that (125)I-PTHrP-1-34(Tyr) binds with a single binding site in both cells. However (125)I-PTHrP-1-34(Tyr) has higher affinity binding in MCF7 (K(D) = 1.88 +/- 0.08 nM) than in SaOS-2 cells (K(D) = 4.4 +/- 0.185 nM). The competitive binding using 3.3 nM (125)I-PTHrP-1-34(Tyr) with increasing amounts (0.33-33 nM) of unlabelled human PTHrP-1-34, PTHrP-7-34, PTHrP-1-86 His(5)-PTHrP-1-36, His(5)-Phe(23)-PTHrP-1-36 or PTH-1-34 revealed different displacements. In SaOS-2 the PTHrP-7-34 and PTHrP-1-86 caused similar displacement compared with 73% by PTH-1-34 and 70% by PTHrP-1-34. However, in MCF7, PTHrP-7-34, PTHrP-1-86 and PTH-1-34 displaced by 54%, 72% and 67%, respectively, compared to 87% by PTHrP-1-34. The His(5)-Phe(23)-PTHrP-1-36 caused an increase in the K(D) from 2.0 +/- 0.03 nM to 2.75 +/- 0.045 nM in MCF7 cells, but had no significant effect in SaOS-2 cells. The PTH/PTHrP receptor in both cell lines revealed a single 85 KDa band with different intensity. Our results suggest that the PTH/PTHrP receptor in MCF7 cells has higher binding affinity for PTHrP than PTH compared to the receptor in SaOS-2 cells.     

IL-1beta, BK, and TGF-beta1 attenuate PGI2-mediated cAMP formation in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells by multiple mechanisms involving p38 MAP kinase and PKA

We have previously shown that interleukin (IL)-1beta, transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1, or bradykinin (BK) impair cAMP generation in response to prostacyclin analogs in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle (PASM), suggesting that inflammation can impair the effects of prostacyclin analogs on PASM in pulmonary hypertension. Here we explored the biochemical mechanisms involved. We found that IL-1beta, BK, and TGF-beta1 reduced adenylyl cyclase isoform 1, 2, and 4 mRNA, increased Galphai protein levels, and reduced prostacyclin receptor (IP receptor) mRNA expression. In contrast, Galphas protein levels were unchanged. Protein kinase A (PKA) (H-89, KT-2750, PKIm) and p38 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase (SB-202190) inhibitors attenuated these effects, but protein kinase C (bisindolylmaleide) or phosphoinositol 3-kinase (LY-294002) inhibitors did not. Fluorescent kemptide assay and Western blotting confirmed that PKA and p38 MAP kinase were activated by IL-1beta, BK, and TGF-beta1. These studies suggest that IL-1beta, BK, and TGF-beta1 impair IP receptor-mediated cAMP accumulation by multiple effects on different components of the signaling pathway and that these effects are PKA and p38 MAP kinase dependent.     

Expression patterns of glycine transporters (xGlyT1, xGlyT2, and xVIAAT) in Xenopus laevis during early development

Glycine, a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the vertebrate nervous system, not only functions in synaptic signaling, but has also been implicated in regulating neuronal differentiation, neuronal proliferation, synaptic modeling, and neural network stability. Elements of the glycinergic phenotype include the membrane-bound glycine transporters (GLYT1 and GLYT2), which remove glycine from the synaptic cleft, and the vesicular inhibitory amino acid transporter (VIAAT or VGAT), which sequesters both glycine and GABA into synaptic vesicles. Here, we describe the spatial and temporal expression patterns of xGlyT1, xGlyT2, and xVIAAT during early developmental stages of Xenopus laevis. In situ hybridization reveals that xGlyT1 is first expressed in early tailbud stages in the midbrain, hindbrain, and anterior spinal cord; it extends posteriorly through the spinal cord and appears in the forebrain, retina, between the somites, and in the blood islands by swimming tadpole stages. xGlyT2 and xVIAAT initially appear in late neurula stages in the anterior spinal cord. By swimming tadpole stages, the expression of these genes appears in the forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain and extends posteriorly through the spinal cord; xVIAAT is also expressed in the retina. Confocal analysis of multiplex fluorescent in situ hybridization signal in the spinal cord reveals that xGlyT1 and xGlyT2 share little cellular colocalization. While there is significant coexpression between xVIAAT and xGlyT2, xVIAAT and the GABAergic marker glutamic acid decarboxylase (xGAD67), and xGlyT2 and xGAD67, each gene also appears to have discrete, non-colocalized areas of expression.     

Are biologists in 'future shock'? Symbiosis integrates biology across domains

The study of symbiosis is quintessential systems biology. It integrates not only all levels of biological analysis--from molecular to ecological--but also the study of the interplay between organisms in the three domains of life. The development of this field is still in its early stages, but so far, the findings promise to revolutionize the way we view the biotic world. This Essay outlines some of the challenges facing the field and the implications of its development for all of biology.     

Helping behaviour and regard for others in capuchin monkeys (Cebus apella)

Altruism is an evolutionary puzzle. To date, much debate has focused on whether helping others without regard to oneself is a uniquely human behaviour, with a variety of empirical studies demonstrating a lack of altruistic behaviour in chimpanzees even when the demands of behaving altruistically seem minimal. By contrast, a recent experiment has demonstrated that chimpanzees will help a human experimenter to obtain an out-of-reach object, irrespective of whether or not they are offered a reward for doing so, suggesting that the cognitions underlying altruistic behaviour may be highly sensitive to situational demands. Here, we examine the cognitive demands of other-regarding behaviour by testing the conditions under which primates more distantly related to humans--capuchin monkeys--help an experimenter to obtain an out-of-reach object. Like chimpanzees, capuchin monkeys helped human experimenters even in the absence of a reward, but capuchins systematically failed to take into account the perspective of others when they stood to obtain food for themselves. These results suggest an important role for perspective taking and inhibition in altruistic behaviour and seem to reflect a significant evolutionary development in the roots of altruism, and specifically in other-regarding behaviour, between the divergence of New World monkeys and apes.     

Microsatellite markers isolated from a polyploid saltbush, Atriplex nummularia Lindl. (Chenopodiaceae)

Atriplex nummularia is a polyploid Australian saltbush which has been identified as a suitable species for use in the rehabilitation of agricultural land affected by salinity. We isolated 12 polymorphic loci for a preliminary assessment of genetic variability and structure within the species as a basis for a breeding programme. Preliminary screening of loci in 40 individuals from two populations revealed multibanded genotypes consisting of up to seven alleles in a single individual, with up to 29 alleles observed at a single locus. The multibanded patterns are consistent with the polyploid status of this species.