Polymorphisms in the Apolipoprotein L1 gene and their effects on blood lipid and glucose levels in middle age males

Apolipoprotein L1 in plasma is associated with high-density lipoprotein. Novel APOL1 polymorphisms are investigated along with the association of two common haplotypes (Lysl66Glu, Ile244Met, Lys271Arg) with circulating lipid and glucose levels. Although the amino acid substitutions occur in the amphipathic alpha helices region involved in lipid binding, these substitutions were found not to independently account for variability in circulating lipid and glucose levels in 149 middle age males.     

土壤-作物污染物迁移分配与食物安全的评价模型及其应用

人类对潜在有毒污染物的接触及其健康风险是当今环境科学与医学共同关心的热点问题,而污染土壤中毒污染物在土壤－植物系统迁移与转化是其中的关键基础问题,本文基于对现有资料的分析,提出计算污染物的环境控制标准的数学模型－污染生态模型和环境化学模型,模型计算结果表明,未污染条件下的土壤－植物间元素分配参数不符合污染土壤环境中的土壤－食用作物－人类间污染物分配的特点。因此,制定土壤环境控制标准必须考虑实施土壤的环境化学特点,本文建立的模型有其对污染物的土壤环境控制标准的计算结果,期望于对我国加强污染生态研究和食物安全评价有一定的参考意义。     

Paralytic shellfish toxins in zooplankton, mussels, lobsters and caged Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, during a bloom of Alexandrium fundyense off Grand Manan Island, in the Bay of Fundy

Substantial mortalities of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) at two aquaculture sites in Long Island Sound, off Grand Manan Island, Bay of Fundy (BoF) (New Brunswick, Canada) in September 2003, were associated with a bloom of Alexandrium fundyense (>3 × 10⁵ cells L⁻¹), a dinoflagellate alga that produces toxins which cause paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP). Cells of A. fundyense collected from surface waters while fish were dying had total paralytic shellfish (PS) toxin concentrations of 70.6 pg STX equiv. (saxitoxin equivalents) cell⁻¹ and PS toxin profiles rich in carbamate toxins (78.2%). The zooplankton sampled contained PS toxins (63.1 pg STX equiv. g⁻¹ wet wt) and the toxin profile matched that of A. fundyense cells.Mean PS toxin levels were low (<4 μg STX equiv. 100 g⁻¹ wet wt) in stomach, gill and muscle tissues of moribund salmon, suggesting that PS toxins are very lethal to salmon.The PS toxin concentrations in blue mussels (Mytilus edulis) growing on the salmon cages (37; 526 μg STX equiv. 100 g⁻¹ wet wt) were the highest recorded to date from this region. Their PS toxin profiles showed enhanced carbamate contents (85.5%) compared with that found in A. fundyense. Blue mussels collected from an adjacent Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) monitoring site in Grand Manan had PS toxin concentrations of 4214 and 150 μg STX equiv. 100 g⁻¹ wet wt in late September and December, respectively, well above the regulatory limit (RL), and horse mussels (Modiolus modiolus) collected in late September had PS toxin concentrations of 2357 μg STX equiv. 100 g⁻¹ wet wt. Detoxification under laboratory conditions suggested that blue mussels may require up to 19 weeks for elimination below RL when they accumulate these high concentrations of PS toxins. This depuration period may be shorter in the field.PS toxin levels above RL were detected in hepatopancreatic tissues of lobster (Homarus americanus), with lower levels (<16 μg STX equiv. 100 g⁻¹ wet wt) in tail muscle and gills.These results illustrate the movement of PS toxins through the marine food chain following an A. fundyense bloom in the BoF, and support earlier studies suggesting that kills from the region of zooplanktivorous fish, such as herring (Clupea harengus harengus), can be attributed to blooms of A. fundyense. This is the first reported incident of PSP associated with mortalities of caged Atlantic salmon in the BoF. Analyses of muscle tissues and viscera from the affected salmon indicated that any portion would not be a health hazard if consumed.     

The APC11 RING-H2 finger mediates E2-dependent ubiquitination

Polyubiquitination marks proteins for degradation by the 26S proteasome and is carried out by a cascade of enzymes that includes ubiquitin-activating enzymes (E1s), ubiquitin-conjugating enzymes (E2s), and ubiquitin ligases (E3s). The anaphase-promoting complex or cyclosome (APC/C) comprises a multisubunit ubiquitin ligase that mediates mitotic progression. Here, we provide evidence that the Saccharomyces cerevisiae RING-H2 finger protein Apc11 defines the minimal ubiquitin ligase activity of the APC. We found that the integrity of the Apc11p RING-H2 finger was essential for budding yeast cell viability, Using purified, recombinant proteins we showed that Apc11p interacted directly with the Ubc4 ubiquitin conjugating enzyme (E2). Furthermore, purified Apc11p was capable of mediating E1- and E2-dependent ubiquitination of protein substrates, including Clb2p, in vitro. The ability of Apc11p to act as an E3 was dependent on the integrity of the RING-H2 finger, but did not require the presence of the cullin-like APC subunit Apc2p. We suggest that Apc11p is responsible for recruiting E2s to the APC and for mediating the subsequent transfer of ubiquitin to APC substrates in vivo.     

Construction and use of a human immunodeficiency virus vector for analysis of virus infectivity.

We constructed a recombinant human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vector to facilitate studies of virus infectivity. A drug resistance gene was inserted into a gp160- HIV proviral genome such that it could be packaged into HIV virions. The HIV genome was rendered replication defective by deletion of sequences encoding gp160 and insertion of a gpt gene with a simian virus 40 promoter at the deletion site. Cotransfection of the envelope-deficient genome with a gp160 expression vector resulted in packaging of the defective HIV-gpt genome into infectious virions. The drug resistance gene was transmitted and expressed upon infection of susceptible cells, enabling their selection in mycophenolic acid. This system provides a quantitative measure of HIV infection, since each successful infection event leads to the growth of a drug-resistant colony. The HIV-gpt virus produced was tropic for CD4+ human cells and was blocked by soluble CD4. In the absence of gp160, noninfectious HIV particles were efficiently produced by cells transfected with the HIV-gpt genome. These particles packaged HIV genomic RNA and migrated to the same density as gp160-containing virions in a sucrose gradient. This demonstrates that HIV virion formation is not dependent on the presence of a viral envelope glycoprotein. Expression of a murine leukemia virus amphotropic envelope gene in cells transfected with HIV-gpt resulted in the production of virus capable of infecting both human and murine cells. These results indicate that HIV can incorporate envelope glycoproteins other than gp160 onto particles and that this can lead to altered host range. Like HIV type 1 and vesicular stomatitis virus(HIV) pseudotypes, gp-160+ HIV-gpt did not infect murine NIH 3T3 cells that bear human CD4, confirming that these cells are blocked at an early stage of HIV infection.     

A radiation hybrid mapping panel for the rhesus macaque

The genomes of nonhuman primates have recently become highly visible candidates for full genome analysis, as they provide powerful models of human disease and a better understanding of the evolution of the human genome. We describe the creation of a 5000 rad radiation hybrid (RH) mapping panel for the rhesus macaque. Duplicate genotypes of 84 microsatellite and coding gene sequence tagged sites from six macaque chromosomes produced an estimated whole genome retention frequency of 0.33. To test the mapping ability of the panel, we constructed RH maps for macaque chromosomes 7 and 9 and compared them to orthologous locus orders in existing human and baboon maps derived from different methodologies. Concordant marker order between all three species maps suggests that the current panel represents a powerful mapping resource for generating high-density comparative maps of the rhesus macaque and other species genomes.     

A mode of arthropod brain evolution suggested by Drosophila commissure development

The evolutionary origin of the tritocerebral neuromere, which is a brain segment located at the junction between the supra- and subesophageal ganglia in most mandibulates (arthropods such as crustaceans and insects), is a subject rich in contentious debate. Various models have argued that the tritocerebrum came from a segmental nerve cord ganglia that was recruited into the head during the course of arthropod evolution. However, despite much thought on the subject, the origin of the tritocerebrum remains obscure. Here I describe the development of the tritocerebral commissure in Drosophila and demonstrate that the tritocerebral and mandibular commissures actually form as one commissure and then separate in a manner very similar to how the anterior and posterior commissures of a ventral nerve cord neuromere form. I propose that the tritocerebral neuromere originated from the splitting of an ancestral neuromere located in the anterior subesophageal ganglion into distinct tritocerebral and mandibular neuromeres. Also, I discuss the problem of arthropod brain neuromere homology in reference to this hypothesis.     

Cysteinyl peptide inhibitors of Bacillus cereus zinc beta-lactamase

Several cysteinyl peptides have been synthesised and shown to be reversible competitive inhibitors of the Bacillus cereus metallo-beta-lactamase. The pH dependence of pKi indicates that the thiol anion displaces hydroxide ion from the active site zinc(II). D,D-Peptides bind to the enzyme better than other diastereoisomers, which is compatible with the predicted stereochemistry of the active site.     

A model of primitive streak initiation in the chick embryo

Initiation of the primitive streak in avian embryos provides a well-studied example of a pattern-forming event that displays a striking capacity for regulation. The mechanisms underlying the regulative properties are, however, poorly understood and are not easily accounted for by traditional models of pattern formation, such as reaction-diffusion models. In this paper, we propose a new activator-inhibitor model for streak initiation. We show that the model is consistent with experimental observations, both in its pattern-forming properties and in its ability to form these patterns on the correct time-scales for biologically realistic parameter values. A key component of the model is a travelling wave of inhibition. We present a mathematical analysis of the speed of such waves in both diffusive and juxtacrine relay systems. We use the streak initiation model to make testable predictions. By varying parameters of the model, two very different types of patterning can be obtained, suggesting that our model may be applicable to other processes in addition to streak initiation.     

Mapping of hybrid incompatibility loci in Nasonia

According to theory, F(2) hybrid breakdown (lethality or sterility) is due to incompatibilities between interacting genes of the different species (i.e., the breaking up of coadapted gene complexes). Detection of such incompatibilities is particularly straightforward in haplodiploid species, because virgin F(1) hybrid females will produce haploid recombinant F(2) males. This feature allows for screening of the complete genome for recessive genetic incompatibilities. Crosses were performed between Nasonia vitripennis (v) and its sibling species N. giraulti (g). First, a linkage map was produced using RAPD markers. RAPD markers showed an overall bias toward vitripennis alleles, a pattern not predicted by the basic two-interactor Dobzhansky-Muller model. Recovery patterns of visible markers were consistent with those of linked RAPD markers. If particular genetic interactions between two loci are causing hybrid lethality, then those genotypes should be underrepresented or absent among adult F(2) males. Four sets of significant incompatibilities were detected by performing pairwise comparisons of markers on different chromosomes. Likely explanations for the observed patterns are maternal effect-zygotic gene incompatibilities or clustering of incompatibility loci. Due to the short generation time, advantages of haplodiploidy, and availability of markers, Nasonia promises to be a productive system for investigating the genetics of hybrid inviability.