Synthesis of epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor in vitro using SP6 RNA polymerase-transcribed template mRNA

The epidermal growth factor (EGF) receptor plays a key role in the control cellular proliferation, and its homology to the avian erythroblastosis virus erb B oncogene implicates its involvement in cellular transformation. The establishment of a correlation between the various structural domains of the EGF receptor and their functional counterparts would greatly advance our understanding of these processes. To this end, we have constructed an expression vector containing the SP6 viral promoter and an adjacent cDNA fragment encoding the full-length EGF receptor. Upon addition of SP6 RNA polymerase, this DNA is capable of generating large amounts of EGF receptor mRNA; this RNA can then be translated in vitro into immunoprecipitable EGF receptor protein. The translational efficiency of this EGF receptor RNA was found to be relatively low: approx. 100-fold lower than globin RNA synthesized using SP6 RNA polymerase. Use of these tools should now permit the synthesis and analysis of mutated EGF receptor protein in an effort to clarify the role of this receptor in growth control.     

The effects of a known family-size distribution on the estimation of genetic parameters.

We consider the question: In a segregation analysis, can knowledge of the family-size distribution (FSD) in the population from which a sample is drawn improve the estimators of genetic parameters? In other words, should one incorporate the population FSD into a segregation analysis if one knows it? If so, then under what circumstances? And how much improvement may result? We examine the variance and bias of the maximum likelihood estimators both asymptotically and in finite samples. We consider Poisson and geometric FSDs, as well as a simple two-valued FSD in which all families in the population have either one or two children. We limit our study to a simple genetic model with truncate selection. We find that if the FSD is completely specified, then the asymptotic variance of the estimator may be reduced by as much as 5%-10%, especially when the FSD is heavily skewed toward small families. Results in small samples are less clear-cut. For some of the simple two-valued FSDs, the variance of the estimator in small samples of one- and two-child families may actually be increased slightly when the FSD is included in the analysis. If one knows only the statistical form of the FSD, but not its parameter, then the estimator is improved only minutely. Our study also underlines the fact that results derived from asymptotic maximum likelihood theory do not necessarily hold in small samples. We conclude that in most practical applications it is not worth incorporating the FSD into a segregation analysis. However, this practice may be justified under special circumstances where the FSD is completely specified, without error, and the population consists overwhelmingly of small families.     

Characterization of non-transferrin-bound iron clearance by rat liver

Recent evidence suggests that the hepatic iron-loading characteristic of hemochromatosis may result in part from efficient hepatic clearance of non-transferrin-bound iron, which is increased in this disorder. However, this hypothesis assumes that hepatic clearance remains highly efficient despite excess iron stores. We therefore studied hepatic uptake of non-transferrin-bound iron in the single-pass perfused rat liver under varying conditions. Animals were iron loaded or depleted by dietary manipulation, but no changes in the efficiency of ferrous iron uptake or the kinetic parameters were seen (single-pass extraction, 59-74%; Km, 16-19 microM; Vmax, 30-32 nmol X min-1 X g liver-1). Added divalent zinc, cobalt, and manganese ions reversibly inhibited ferrous iron uptake and the inhibition by zinc was shown to be competitive. Uptake required calcium, was markedly temperature-sensitive (delta E = 14.3 Kcal/mol), and was relatively insensitive to inhibition of cellular energy metabolism. Particles consistent with ferritin cores were seen in lysosomes of hepatic parenchymal cells within 30 min of perfusion with ferrous iron. These results suggest that ferrous iron is cleared from plasma by a passive, saturable transport process that is not regulated by the iron content of the liver and that may be shared with other transition metal ions. Because clearance is highly efficient, increased levels of non-transferrin-bound iron in plasma may present the liver with an obligatory iron load resulting in progressive accumulation and toxicity.     

梭曼等胆碱酯酶抑制剂对猫膈神经单纤维电活动的影响

在麻醉猫,经推动脉注入梭曼、VX,沙林及乙酰甲胆碱引起呼吸中枢严重抑制的剂量分别为0.5—1、3、15、2001μg/头;但在无麻醉、箭毒麻痹、人工呼吸并用药物保护循环的清醒猫,VX用量要增加十多倍,沙林用量增加2～8倍,棱曼用量不变。在严重抑制剂量的给药早期,梭曼使34.8％动物较早地出现膈神经单纤维放电加强,其每次吸气放电的冲动频率由20～30Hz增至50～80Hz,冲动个数由15～25个/每次放电增至40～60个/每次放电,兴奋持续短、迅速转入抑制且不易自动恢复;VX和乙酰甲胆碱使100％动物出现显著的放电加强,其冲动频率由20～30Hz增至70～130Hz、冲动个数由15～25个/每次放电增至60～80个/第次放电,兴奋持续时间较长、转入抑制慢但自动恢复较快;沙林使76.9％动物出现放电加强,其他表现类似VX。三种胆碱酯酶抑制剂和乙酰甲胆碱共使33/52根单纤维放电发生时相变化。结果表明:梭曼对呼吸中枢作用最强、沙林次之、VX最弱且更似乙酰甲胆碱。     

Mutagenicity of drinking water detected by the Tradescantia micronucleus test

Spring Lake reservoir of Macomb, Illinois, is a typical model of the drinking water supply of some midwestern towns of the United States. Water samples collected periodically in 1980 and 1981 from this lake were tested for mutagenicity using the Tradescantia micronucleus (Trad-MCN) test, a highly sensitive mutagen-detecting bioassay. Water samples from 1981 were also analyzed chemically. The micronucleus (MCN) frequency peaked (12-14 MCN/100 tetrads) in mid-July in both years, as compared with the average frequency (5 MCN/100 tetrads) of the base-line control that was maintained in nutrient solution (prepared with distilled water and pure chemicals). Drinking water from the tap was tested in parallel with lake water, and its mutagenicity tended to fluctuate with the mutagenicity of the lake water.     

Relation between macronuclear DNA and total protein content and generation time in thechilodonella steini (Ciliata) sister cells

Summary Using the monotone dependence function (mdf) together with correlation coefficient it was found that the Ma-DNA content as well as total protein content are regularly, linearly, positively and strongly dependent in sister cells (proter-opisthe) ofChilodonella steini. Additionally it was shown that proter-opisthe ordering is irrelevant to Ma-DNA and protein contents.Analysis of sister cell generation times (TG) confirmed the existence of regular, linear, positive and strong codependence.The relations between Ma-DNA and total protein contents, between protein content and TG, and between Ma-DNA content and TG were also described. There is a weak, linear dependence between Ma-DNA and total protein contents. Relations of TG and Ma-DNA content or TG and total protein content are non-linear and not even monotone. Low and high levels of DNA or proteins are connected with long generation times.     

Structural and functional analysis of the respiratory burst in the phagocytosing macrophage

The interrelation between structural changes and oxygen consumption by the phagocyting macrophage was studied. The mean number of phagocyted particles was estimated by the method of stereological transformation. It is found that the uptake of yeast particles and CN- -nonsensitive oxygen consumption is related to the concentration of yeast cells in the incubation medium. A positive correlation was established between the oxygen consumption and the mean number of phagocyted particles. The results obtained may suggest that the "respiration burst" takes place in the contact area of the macrophage and the phagocyted material, and its extent probably depends on the surface of that contact area.     

Characterization and evolution of a single-copy sequence from the human Y chromosome.

To study the evolution and organization of DNA from the human Y chromosome, we constructed a recombinant library of human Y DNA by using a somatic cell hybrid in which the only cytologically detectable human chromosome is the Y. One recombinant (4B2) contained a 3.3-kilobase EcoRI single-copy fragment which was localized to the proximal portion of the Y long arm. Sequences homologous to this human DNA are present in male gorilla, chimpanzee, and orangutan DNAs but not in female ape DNAs. Under stringent hybridization conditions, the homologous sequence is either a single-copy or a low-order repeat in humans and in the apes. With relaxed hybridization conditions, this human Y probe detected several homologous DNA fragments which are all derived from the Y in that they occur in male DNAs from humans and the apes but not in female DNAs. In contrast, this probe hybridized to highly repeated sequences in both male and female DNAs from old world monkeys. Thus, sequences homologous to this probe underwent a change in copy number and chromosomal distribution during primate evolution.     

新疆20种药用植物的染色体观察

本文对在新疆生长和引种栽培的10科20种药用植物染色体进行了计数和研究,其中5种进行了核型分析,6种为首次报道。