Polymorphisms of Alcohol Dehydrogenase Genes ADH1Band ADH7 in Russian Populations of Siberia

Three Russian populations of Siberia were examined for allele and genotype frequency distributions of two alcohol dehydrogenase genes, ADH1B (exon 3 polymorphism A/G detectable with MslI) and ADH7 (intron 5 polymorphism G/C detectable with StyI). No interpopulation or sex difference in allele frequencies was revealed. Allele ADH1B*G (+ MslI, A2) was rare (3.6–7.5%); the frequency of the mutant ADH7 allele (–StyI, B2) was 46.02% in the total sample (N = 339). The genotype frequencies obeyed the Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium and the alleles were in linkage equilibrium in each population. Frequency of ADH7 allele B2 increased beyond 40 years of age in the total sample (by 11%, P = 0.001) and in the Tomsk population (by 9%, P= 0.017). The ADH1B and ADH7 polymorphisms had no effect on the antioxidant activity (AOA), which was inferred from the ability of serum to reduce the yield of thiobarbituric acid-reactive species in the Fe²⁺–lecithin system. In the Tomsk population, carriers of AHD1B allele A2 showed a significant increase in very low density lipoproteins (by 9.95%, P = 0.045) and a near significant increase in systolic pressure (by 6.8%, P = 0.068) and serum triglycerides (by 6.16%, P = 0.058).     

The genetic heritage of the earliest settlers persists both in Indian tribal and caste populations

Two tribal groups from southern India--the Chenchus and Koyas--were analyzed for variation in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the Y chromosome, and one autosomal locus and were compared with six caste groups from different parts of India, as well as with western and central Asians. In mtDNA phylogenetic analyses, the Chenchus and Koyas coalesce at Indian-specific branches of haplogroups M and N that cover populations of different social rank from all over the subcontinent. Coalescence times suggest early late Pleistocene settlement of southern Asia and suggest that there has not been total replacement of these settlers by later migrations. H, L, and R2 are the major Indian Y-chromosomal haplogroups that occur both in castes and in tribal populations and are rarely found outside the subcontinent. Haplogroup R1a, previously associated with the putative Indo-Aryan invasion, was found at its highest frequency in Punjab but also at a relatively high frequency (26%) in the Chenchu tribe. This finding, together with the higher R1a-associated short tandem repeat diversity in India and Iran compared with Europe and central Asia, suggests that southern and western Asia might be the source of this haplogroup. Haplotype frequencies of the MX1 locus of chromosome 21 distinguish Koyas and Chenchus, along with Indian caste groups, from European and eastern Asian populations. Taken together, these results show that Indian tribal and caste populations derive largely from the same genetic heritage of Pleistocene southern and western Asians and have received limited gene flow from external regions since the Holocene. The phylogeography of the primal mtDNA and Y-chromosome founders suggests that these southern Asian Pleistocene coastal settlers from Africa would have provided the inocula for the subsequent differentiation of the distinctive eastern and western Eurasian gene pools.     

Vulnerability in an excitable medium: analytical and numerical studies of initiating unidirectional propagation.

Cardiac tissue can display unusual responses to certain stimulation protocols. In the wake of a conditioning wave of excitation, spiral waves can be initiated by applying stimuli timed to occur during a period of vulnerability (VP). Although vulnerability is well known in cardiac and chemical media, the determinants of the VP and its boundaries have received little theoretical and analytical study. From numerical and analytical studies of reaction-diffusion equations, we have found that 1) vulnerability is an inherent property of Beeler-Reuter and FitzHugh-Nagumo models of excitable media; 2) the duration of the vulnerable window (VW) the one-dimensional analog of the VP, is sensitive to the medium properties and the size of the stimulus field; and 3) the amplitudes of the excitatory and recovery processes modulate the duration of the VW. The analytical results reveal macroscopic behavior (vulnerability) derived from the diffusion of excitation that is not observable at the level of isolated cells or single reaction units.     

Direct Comparison of the Subtilisin-Like Intracellular Protease of Bacillus licheniformis with the Homologous Enzymes of Bacillus subtilis

Intracellular serine proteases of Bacillus licheniformis and Bacillus subtilis are closely related.     

Neurochemical analysis of the brain structures in the formation of adaptive behavior in chicken embryogenesis

Studies have been made on the rate of biosynthesis of high molecular and neurospecific proteins in the hippocamp and archistriatum of chick embryos during the formation of adaptive changes in motor activity under controlled experimental conditions and unmonitored occasional stimulation. It was shown that during uncontrolled sensory stress the rate of synthesis of high molecular and neurospecific proteins in the structures investigated is increased whereas during learning these changes are absent.     

Nuclear proteins and DNA in the myocardial myocytes in compensatory cardiac hypertrophy]

Using cytophotometry, the amount of DNA, total nuclear proteins and of histones were studied in the myocardial cells during days 21--36 of experimental compensatory hypertrophy of the heart (in rats). The enlargement of myocardial nuclei during the cardial hyperfunction was accompanied by accumulation of total nuclear protein, in particular, the histone fraction, without distinct changes in DNA. Analysis of correlations between nuclear proteins and DNA in the myocardial cells allows to reveal a delayed accumulation of histones in the big and gigantic nuclei, with a superfluous increase in non-histone nuclear proteins. In middle-sized nuclei, non-histone proteins have little changes against intensive accumulation of histones.     

Cortical influences on thyroid and sex gland function in neurotic dogs

Disturbances of higher nervous activity charactetized by the development of an experimental neurosis were elicited in three male dogs by means of functional influences. This was accompanied by an increase, decrease or no change in the level of total thyroxine in the blood with greater fluctuations of its content on different days. An euthyreoid state persisted in the dogs throughout all periods of the neurosis, which is testified by the absence of changes of the free thyroxine coefficient. In the first three to four weeks of the experimental neurosis the testosterone content in the blood plasma was enhanced, its level not correlating with the variations of thyroxine content in the blood.     

Isolation and properties of leucine aminopeptidase from Aspergillus oryzae]

Homogenious leucine aminopeptidase is purified from "oryzine"--mixture of enzymes produced by surface culture of Asperigillus oryzae using treatment with activated characoal, followed by DEAE-cellulose and hydroxylapatite chromatographies, Biogel P-100 gel-filtration and polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis. The enzyme has pH optimum 9.0 and the molecular weight 37500 as estimated by gil-filtration through Sephadex G-100 (superfine) and SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Leucine aminopeptidase from Asp. oryzae has a broad substrate specificity, therefore, cleaving with the highest rate the peptides carrying N-terminal leucine. The enzyme is completely inhibited with EDTA and beta-mercaptoethanol, and it is a metalloenzyme.     

Genetic and heteroduplex analysis of deletion mutants of plasmid pAS8]

Heteroduplex analysis of deletion mutants of plasmid pAS8 permitted to construct a physical map and to elaborate in greater detail the genetic map of RP4 plasmid. The correlation between the ability of mutants to replicate in cells lacking functional DNA-polymerase I and the length of the deleted segment permitted to map rep genes of RP4 on DNA region with coordinates 9.8-17.3 kb. A relationship between the manifestation of incompatibility of mutants with IncP-1 plasmids and the length of deletions indicates that inc genes(s) are located on DNA region with coordinates 2.1-9.8 kb. The analysis of replication of deletion mutants and the manifestation of incompatibility just as of the data about the size of appropriate deletions permitted to make the conclusion about the functional and genetic non-identity of the replication control and incompatibility control in RP4 plasmid. Different degrees of incompatibility manifested by different plasmids suggest a possible polygenic control of the incompatibility.     

Artificial Tn2551 transposon with replicative properties

A hybrid plasmid, pBE10 was constructed. It consists of DNAs of RSF2124 (ColE1 :: Tn3) plasmid and pUB110 plasmid of Staphylococcus aureus. The latter can be stably maintained in Bacillus subtilis. BamHI cleaved pUB110 was introduced into the BamHI site of transposon Tn3 and the resulting enlarged Tn3 (Tn2551) was transposed from pBE10 onto phage lambda and than to pMB9 (Tc) and RSF1010(Sm Su) plasmids. Restriction and heteroduplex analysis of pMB9 :: Tn2551(pBE21) and RSF1010 :: :: TN2551(pBE32) was carried out. Plasmids pBE10, pBE21 and pBE32 demonstrated some kind of molecular instability when introduced by transformation into Bacillus subtilis.