“Pleiotypic Response”

A hypothesis has been developed to relate stringent control in bacteria to a set of interactions involved in the regulation of growth of transformed and untransformed mammalian cells.     

Inhibition of DNA Synthesis but not of Poly-dAT Synthesis by the Arabinose Analogue of Cytidine <Emphasis Type="Italic">in vitro</Emphasis>

Kimball and Wilson¹ reported that the arabinose analogue of cytidine (ara-C) inhibited DNA polymerase in a crude extract prepared from Ehrlich ascites cells. Furth and Cohen² observed cytosine arabinoside triphosphate (ara-CTP) inhibited DNA polymerase in extracts from either calf thymus or bovine lymphosarcoma tissue, although these investigators³ had already found no effect of ara-CTP on DNA polymerase from Escherichia coli. The inhibition in both of these cases could be substantially reversed by dCTP; but incorporation of the arabinose nucleotide (ara-CMP) into DNA could not be unequivocally demonstrated. Graham and Whitmore⁴ reported the incorporation of ara-C into DNA in vivo and the inhibition of a DNA polymerase from L cells by ara-CTP. They found that ara-CMP was initially incorporated into small DNA strands but subsequently appeared in long strands. Momparler⁵ has presented evidence that, in vitro, ara-C incorporation was limited to the 3′-hydroxyl end of DNA chains. Such incorporation might be expected to block further chain elongation but this expectation was not supported by the evidence presented by Graham and Whitmore.     

Endopeptidase Activity of Phage λ-Endolysin

JACOB and Fuerst^1,2 demonstrated the presence of a bacteriolytic enzyme (λ-endolysin) in the induced cultures of lysogenic Escherichia coli K12 (λ). The enzyme was later identified as the product of gene R; of phage λ³ which is involved in bacterial lysis at the end of a latent period. The enzyme is apt to form spheroplast-like structures in E. coli² and one would therefore expect its substrate to be murein.     

Mechanism of Antifungal Action of 2,4,5,6-Tetrachloroisophthalonitrile

Studies of the toxicity of 2,4,5,6-tetrachloroisophthalonitrile (TCIN) to cells of Saccharomyces pastorianus and Neurospora crassa showed that 2 to 4 μg/ml of the toxicant were required to inhibit growth. Several thiol compounds reversed toxicity to growth. Glucose oxidation was severely impaired in treated cells of both test organisms. The toxicant at 2 or 4 μg/ml markedly reduced soluble thiol content of these cells. Bound thiol content was less affected in S. pastorianus cells than soluble thiol content. Uptake of toxicant by yeast cells was accompanied by formation of derivatives, some of which resembled those formed by reaction of glutathione with TCIN in vitro. Coenzyme A, glutathione, and 2-mercaptoethanol readily formed derivatives with TCIN in vitro. The nature of these derivatives was studied using 2-mercaptoethanol products as model substituents. Four derivatives were formed with 2-mercaptoethanol each with similar functional groups but showing dissimilar degrees of mobility during silica gel chromatography. Evidence indicated that these are derivatives of TCIN in which 1 to 4 of the halogens has been substituted by 2-mercaptoethanol. The mechanism of fungicidal action of TCIN is attributed to thiol inactivation.     

Methods of detection and estimation of rhizobia in soil

Summary The plant-infection technique for the estimation of rhizobia, in which small-seeded hosts are grown on agar within test-tubes, is applicable to soils with a moderate rhizobial population (in the order of at least 100/g). Account might have to be taken of skips (less diluted: negative, when more diluted are positive) likely to result, at least in part, from unfavourable conditions for rhizobial survival, multiplication or nodulation. Because of such effects, a sparse population (in the order of (10/g) may not be detected even without dilution (1 g soil per plant tube). Localisation of rhizobia in the soil is likely to be important in determining contact with the plant roots in the dilution count and in sampling from the field. Difficulties with sparsely populated soils can be partly overcome by carefully conducted direct sowings of sterilised seed, preferably in the confines of cores, either left in the field or brought back to the glasshouse.     

The polymorphic marker DXS304 is within 5 centimorgans of the fragile X locus

The fragile X syndrome, which is the most common cause of inherited mental retardation, poses important diagnostic problems for genetic counseling. The development of diagnostic strategies based on DNA analysis has been impaired by the lack of polymorphic markers very close to the disease locus. Here we report that the polymorphic probe U6.2 (locus DXS304) is much closer to the fragile X locus than all the previously reported markers. A recombination fraction of 0.02 between DXS304 and the fragile X locus was estimated by multipoint linkage analysis (confidence interval 0.002 to 0.05). Our data suggest that DXS304 is distal to the fragile X locus. This marker thus represents a major improvement for carrier detection and prenatal diagnosis in fragile X families.