No evidence for ‘skewed’ inactivation of the X-chromosome as cause of Leber's hereditary optic neuropathy in female carriers

Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON) is a maternally inherited disorder of the optic nerves. It has been proposed that the specific mutations in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) that are associated with LHON require and X-chromosomally encoded permissive factor in order to become expressed. This would explain both the preponderance of male patients and the fact that most carriers of specific mtDNA mutations remain unaffected. Although linkage studies have been negative so far, the existence of such a factor has not been ruled out. We investigated the genealogical data of 24 large LHON pedigrees and concluded that the presumed X-linked factor would be recessively inherited and that at least 57% of the affected females would be heterozygous. Therefore, these females must be the victim of nonrandom X-chromosomal inactivation (skewed lyonization). However, analysis of X-chromosomal methylation patterns in 16 LHON-affected females revealed substantial skewing in only 15%–20% of cases, which is not significantly different from the patterns in 49 controls. Moreover, we found the frequency of LHON in daughters of affected heterozygous females to be twice to three times as high as in daughters of unaffected heterozygous females, which cannot be explained by an X-chromosomally inherited factor. We conclude that the results of our investigations do not support the hypothesis that LHON is a digenic disease with an X-linked factor being the main cause of loss of vision in the presence of relevant mtDNA mutations. Received: 1 June 1995 / Revised: 20 September 1995     

An Integrated Map with Cosmid/PAC Contigs of a 4-Mb Down Syndrome Critical Region

The major phenotypic features of Down syndrome have been correlated with partial trisomies of chromosome 21, allowing us to define the candidate gene region to a 4-Mb segment on the 21q22.2 band. We present here a high-resolution physical map with megabase-sized cosmid/PAC contigs. This ordered clone library has provided unique material for the integration of a variety of mappable objects, including exons, cDNAs, restriction sites, etc. Furthermore, our results have exemplified a strategy for the completion of the chromosome 21 map to sequencing.     

Chemotaxonomic value of anthocyanins in Podalyria and Virgilia (tribe Podalyrieae: Fabaceae)

Anthocyanin pigments responsible for purple and pink flower colours in the tribe Podalyrieae have been identified. The considerable variation in flower colour is not reflected in the chemical variation and the flower pigments are surprisingly conservative. Virgilia flowers always have the acetic acid esters of cyanidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside as major compounds, together with trace amounts of the coumaroyl ester of cyanidin-3-glucoside. Podalyria flowers invariably have the rather more stable coumaroyl ester of cyanidin. The data support a close affinity between the two genera but also show that flower colour is only partially homologous.     

Nuclear-encoded subunits of human cytochrome c oxidase: SstI restriction fragment length polymorphism

A DNA polymorphism of the nuclear-encoded subunit Va of the human cytochrome c oxidase (COX), a mitochondrial respiratory enzyme, is reported. No polymorphism was detected in genes for the subunits IV and Vb of the same enzyme.     

Organic Thiols as Organolithotrophic Substrates for Growth of Phototrophic Bacteria

Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain BB1, isolated from a coastal marine sediment, immediately metabolized mercaptomalate when grown on mercaptomalate. Sulfide was detected as an intermediate. Extracts of cells grown on mercaptomalate converted mercaptomalate or 3-mercaptopropionate to equimolar amounts of sulfide and either fumarate or acrylate, respectively. Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain BB1 gave higher growth yields on mercaptomalate than on sulfide or malate, consistent with metabolism of the carbon chain of the thiol and the liberated sulfide; i.e., the organic thiol was an organolithotrophic substrate. In contrast, Thiocapsa roseopersicina, isolated previously from a marine microbial mat, had similar growth yields on sulfide, mercaptomalate, or 3-mercaptopropionate, with fumarate or acrylate accumulation from the thiols. T. roseopersicina did not grow photoorganotrophically on fumarate or acrylate, and the thiols were only a source of sulfide for photolithoautotrophic growth.     

Evolutionary genetics of the Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase gene-enzyme system

Evolutionary genetics embodies a broad research area that ranges from the DNA level to studies of genetic aspects in populations. In all cases the purpose is to determine the impact of genetic variation on evolutionary change. The broad range of evolutionary genetics requires the involvement of a diverse group of researchers: molecular biologists, (population) geneticists, biochemists, physiologists, ecologists, ethologists and theorists, each of which has its own insights and interests. For example, biochemists are often not concerned with the physiological function of a protein (with respect to pH, substrates, temperature, etc.), while ecologists, in turn, are often not interested in the biochemical-physiological aspects underlying the traits they study. This review deals with several evolutionary aspects of the Drosophila alcohol dehydrogenase gene-enzyme system, and includes my own personal viewpoints. I have tried to condense and integrate the current knowledge in this field as it has developed since the comprehensive review by van Delden (1982). Details on specific issues may be gained from Sofer and Martin (1987), Sullivan, Atkinson and Starmer (1990); Chambers (1988, 1991); Geer, Miller and Heinstra (1991); and Winberg and McKinley-McKee (1992).Dedicated to Professor Billy W. Geer, because of his contributions to knowledge of the biochemical genetics of Drosophila.     

A novel and high-throughput approach to assess photosynthetic thermal tolerance of kelp using chlorophyll α fluorometry

Foundation seaweed species are experiencing widespread declines and localized extinctions due to increased instability of sea surface temperature. Characterizing temperature thresholds are useful for predicting patterns of change and identifying species most vulnerable to extremes. Existing methods for characterizing seaweed thermal tolerance produce diverse metrics and are often time-consuming, making comparisons between species and techniques difficult, hindering insight into global patterns of change. Using three kelp species, we adapted a high-throughput method – previously used in terrestrial plant thermal biology – for use on kelps. This method employs temperature-dependent fluorescence (T–F₀) curves under heating or cooling regimes to determine the critical temperature (T_crit) of photosystem II (PSII), i.e., the breakpoint between slow and fast rise fluorescence response to changing temperature, enabling rapid assays of photosynthetic thermal tolerance using a standardized metric. This method enables characterization of T_crit for up to 48 samples per two-hour assay, demonstrating the capacity of T–F₀ curves for high-throughput assays of thermal tolerance. Temperature-dependent fluorescence curves and their derived metric, T_crit, may offer a timely and powerful new method for the field of phycology, enabling characterization and comparison of photosynthetic thermal tolerance of seaweeds across many populations, species, and biomes.     

Transpiration and drought resistance of Douglas-fir seedlings exposed to excess ammonium

 In a pot trial growth and transpiration of 3-year-old Douglas-fir seedlings on an acid, sandy soil was examined at a deficient (30 kg N ha^{–  1} year^{–  1}) and an excessive level (120 kg N ha^{–  1} year^{–  1}) of NH₄ application. Dissolved ammonium sulphate was applied to the pots weekly for two growing seasons. In half of the pots a complete set of other nutrients was applied in optimal proportions to the applied nitrogen. Water supply was optimal and transpiration was recorded. At the end of the second treatment season irrigation was stopped for 2 weeks during dry and sunny weather. Both high application of NH₄ and additional nutrients increased shoot growth and transpiration demand in the first treatment year. The root system was smaller at higher N level and this reduced water uptake accordingly. In the second year the combination of high NH₄ ⁺ and additional nutrients affected root functioning predominantly due to salinity effects and this seriously decreased water uptake capacity and shoot water potentials, finally resulting in tree death. Without addition of other nutrients the high NH₄ ⁺ application resulted in a high degree of soil acidification, which damaged the roots, that showed a decrease in water uptake capacity. At the low NH₄ supply level soil acidification was lower, and root functioning was not affected, and the trees recovered quickly from the imposed drought. Higher needle K and P status depressed transpiration rates at the low NH₄ application rate. Received: 9 January 1995 / Accepted: 18 September 1995     

A mechanism for inhibition of E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell adhesion by the membrane-associated mucin episialin/MUC1.

Episialin (MUC1, PEM, EMA, CA15-3 antigen) is a sialylated, membrane-associated glycoprotein with an extended mucin-like ectodomain. This domain mainly consists of 30-90 homologous 20-amino acid repeats that are rich in O-glycosylation sites (serines and threonines). It is likely that this part forms a polyproline beta-turn helix. As a result, the ectodomain can protrude more than 200 nm above the cell surface, whereas most cell surface molecules do not exceed a length of 35 nm. Normally, episialin is present at the apical side of glandular epithelial cells. On carcinoma cells, however, it can be strongly overexpressed and it is often present over the entire cell surface. We have previously shown that episialin, if it is interspersed between adhesion molecules, nonspecifically reduces cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions in vitro and in vivo, presumably by steric hindrance caused by the extreme length and high density of the episialin molecules at the cell surface. To analyze the molecular mechanism for this anti-adhesion effect in more detail, we have now deleted an increasing number of repeats in the episialin cDNA and transfected the resulting mutants into murine L929 cells expressing the homophilic adhesion molecule E-cadherin. Here we show that the length of episialin is the dominant factor that determines the inhibition of E-cadherin-mediated cell-cell interactions. For the anti-adhesive effect mediated by the full length episialin, charge repulsion by negatively charged sialylated O-linked glycans is far less important.     

Responses to iron deficiency in Arabidopsis thaliana: The Turbo iron reductase does not depend on the formation of root hairs and transfer cells

Arabidopsis thaliana (L.) Heynh. Columbia wild type and a root hair-less mutant RM57 were grown on iron-containing and iron-deficient nutrient solutions. In both genotypes, ferric chelate reductase (FCR) of intact roots was induced upon iron deficiency and followed a Michaelis-Menten kinetic with a K _m of 45 and 54 M Fe^III-EDTA and a V _max of 42 and 33 nmol Fe²⁺·(g FW)^–1·min^–1 for the wild type and the mutant, respectively. The pH optimum for the reaction was around pH 5.5. The approximately four fold stimulation of FCR activity was independent of formation of root hairs and/or transfer cells induced by iron deficiency. Iron-deficiency-induced chlorosis and the development of a rigid root habit disappeared when ferric chelate was applied to the leaves, while FCR activity remained unchanged. The time course of the responses to iron deficiency showed that morphological and physiological responses were controlled separately.Abbreviations FCR ferric chelate reductase - FW fresh weight Thanks are due to Klaas Sjollema (Department of Electronmicroscopy, University of Groningen, The Netherlands) for help with the electron microscopy sample preparation and especially to Dr. Uwe Santore (Heinrich-Heine-University for electron microscopy. This work was supported by the SCIENCE programm of the European community; P.R.M.) and a Personal Research Grant by the Ministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung of Nordrhein-Westfalen (P.R.M.) and last, not least by the productive discussions in ECOTRANS B.V.