Archaebacterial histone-like proteins. Purification and characterization of helix stabilizing DNA binding proteins from the acidothermophile Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Four DNA binding histone-like proteins have been purified from the nucleoid of the acidothermophilic archaebacterium Sulfolobus acidocaldarius to homogeneity employing DNA-cellulose chromatography and carboxymethylcellulose chromatography. The molecular weights of these proteins are in the range 8,000-12,500. Immunoblotting results suggest that a few antigenic determinants are common among these proteins which could not be detected by immunodiffusion. Spectroscopic properties of the proteins have been studied. The amino acid compositions of these proteins show both similarities and differences with histones and prokaryotic histone-like proteins. All of the four proteins bind native and denatured DNAs and single stranded RNA with differing affinities. Three of the proteins, denoted by HSNP (helix stabilizing nucleoid protein)-A, HSNP-C, and HSNP-C', show physiologically significant, strong, and synergistic effects in stabilizing duplex DNA against thermal denaturation with Tm increases in the range of 15-30 +/- degrees C.     

High viral load in the cerebrospinal fluid and brain correlates with severity of simian immunodeficiency virus encephalitis

AIDS dementia and encephalitis are complications of AIDS occurring most frequently in patients who are immunosuppressed. The simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) model used in this study was designed to reproducibly induce AIDS in macaques in order to examine the effects of a neurovirulent virus in this context. Pigtailed macaques (Macaca nemestrina) were coinoculated with an immunosuppressive virus (SIV/DeltaB670) and a neurovirulent molecularly cloned virus (SIV/17E-Fr), and more than 90% of the animals developed moderate to severe encephalitis within 6 months of inoculation. Viral load in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) was examined longitudinally to onset of AIDS, and viral load was measured in brain tissue at necropsy to examine the relationship of systemic and central nervous system (CNS) viral replication to the development of encephalitis. In all animals, plasma viral load peaked at 10 to 14 days postinfection and remained high throughout infection with no correlation found between plasma viremia and SIV encephalitis. In contrast, persistent high levels of CSF viral RNA after the acute phase of infection correlated with the development of encephalitis. Although high levels of viral RNA were found in the CSF of all macaques (six of six) during the acute phase, this high level was maintained only in macaques developing SIV encephalitis (five of six). Furthermore, the level of both viral RNA and antigen in the brain correlated with the severity of the CNS lesions. The single animal in this group that did not have CNS lesions had no detectable viral RNA in any of the regions of the brain. The results substantiate the use of CSF viral load measurements in the postacute phase of SIV infection as a marker for encephalitis and CNS viral replication.     

Status of B-vitamins and homocysteine in diabetic retinopathy: association with vitamin-B12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia

Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is a common cause of blindness. Although many studies have indicated an association between homocysteine and DR, the results so far have been equivocal. Amongst the many determinants of homocysteine, B-vitamin status was shown to be a major confounding factor, yet very little is known about its relationship to DR. In the present study, we, therefore, investigated the status of B-vitamins and homocysteine in DR. A cross-sectional case-control study was conducted with 100 normal control (CN) subjects and 300 subjects with type-2 diabetes (T2D). Of the 300 subjects with T2D, 200 had retinopathy (DR) and 100 did not (DNR). After a complete ophthalmic examination including fundus fluorescein angiography, the clinical profile and the blood levels of all B-vitamins and homocysteine were analyzed. While mean plasma homocysteine levels were found to be higher in T2D patients compared with CN subjects, homocysteine levels were particularly high in the DR group. There were no group differences in the blood levels of vitamins B1 and B2. Although the plasma vitamin-B6 and folic acid levels were significantly lower in the DNR and DR groups compared with the CN group, there were no significant differences between the diabetes groups. Interestingly, plasma vitamin-B12 levels were found to be significantly lower in the diabetes groups compared with the CN group; further, the levels were significantly lower in the DR group compared with the DNR group. Higher homocysteine levels were significantly associated with lower vitamin-B12 and folic acid but not with other B-vitamins. Additionally, hyperhomocysteinemia and vitamin-B12 deficiency did not seem to be related to subjects' age, body mass index, or duration of diabetes. These results thus suggest a possible association between vitamin-B12 deficiency and hyperhomocysteinemia in DR. Further, the data indicate that vitamin-B12 deficiency could be an independent risk factor for DR.     

Nucleotide sequence of the cDNA and the derived amino acid sequence for the major antigenic protein of foot and mouth disease virus, type Asia 1 63/72.

A 0.9 kb cDNA for the foot and mouth disease virus (FMDV) type Asia 1 63/72, cloned in the plasmid pUR222 by dC/dG tailing method, was expressed into a protein which was immunogenic in guinea pigs and cattle. The protein purified to homogeneity was found to be basic and of 38 kDa. A sequence of 879 nucleotides of the inserted cDNA was obtained. The nucleotide sequence was 65% GC-rich and was homologous to the gene for VPI of FMDV types A5, OIK and C3 to the extent of 35-40%. From the nucleotide sequence, a sequence of 293 amino acids was derived which contained 43 arginine, 4 lysine, 7 glutamic acid and 18 aspartic acid residues making the protein highly basic. The molecular weight was calculated to be 31.6 kDa. The 38 kDa protein produced by the cloned cDNA is a fused protein composed of the 293 amino acids; 5 and 55 amino acids of the alpha-complementation protein of the beta-galactosidase at the N and C terminal, respectively, and 5 amino acid coded by the dG/dC tails used for cloning the cDNA.     

Molecular insights into the association of obesity with breast cancer risk: relevance to xenobiotic metabolism and CpG island methylation of tumor suppressor genes

Obesity, genetic polymorphisms of xenobiotic metabolic pathway, hypermethylation of tumor suppressor genes, and hypomethylation of proapoptotic genes are known to be independent risk factors for breast cancer. The objective of this study is to evaluate the combined effect of these environmental, genetic, and epigenetic risk factors on the susceptibility to breast cancer. PCR–RFLP and multiplex PCR were used for the genetic analysis of six variants of xenobiotic metabolic pathway. Methylation-specific PCR was used for the epigenetic analysis of four genetic loci. Multifactor dimensionality reduction analysis revealed a significant interaction between the body mass index (BMI) and catechol-O-methyl transferase H108L variant alone or in combination with cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1m1 variant. Women with “Luminal A” breast cancer phenotype had higher BMI compared to other phenotypes and healthy controls. There was no association between the BMI and tumor grade. The post-menopausal obese women exhibited lower glutathione levels. BMI showed a positive association with the methylation of extracellular superoxide dismutase (r = 0.21, p < 0.05), Ras-association (RalGDS/AF-6) domain family member 1 (RASSF1A) (r = 0.31, p < 0.001), and breast cancer type 1 susceptibility protein (r = 0.19, p < 0.05); and inverse association with methylation of BNIP3 (r = ?0.48, p < 0.0001). To conclude based on these results, obesity increases the breast cancer susceptibility by two possible mechanisms: (i) by interacting with xenobiotic genetic polymorphisms in inducing increased oxidative DNA damage and (ii) by altering the methylome of several tumor suppressor genes.     

HERITABILITY OF AEROBIC POWER OF INDIVIDUALS IN NORTHEAST BRAZIL

The objective of this study was to evaluate the genetic and environmental contribution to variation in aerobic power in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins. The sample consisted of 20 MZ individuals (12 females and 8 males) and 16 DZ individuals (12 females and 4 males), aged from 8 to 26 years, residents in Natal, Rio Grande do Norte. The twins were assessed by a multistage fitness test. The rate of heritability found for aerobic power was 77%. Based on the results, the estimated heritability was largely responsible for the differences in aerobic power. This implies that such measures are under strong genetic influence.