Activation of expression of two immunoglobulin SN-genes in the American mink with Aleutian disease

110 ranch-raised minks were injected with the Aleutian disease virus. Allotypes of constant regions of gamma-heavy chains of the mink immunoglobulins secreted have been analysed during 3 months. Activation of the expression of two markers (H3 and/or H4) up to minor or to nominal level (above 200 micrograms/ml) was observed. No such enhancement of expression of two other allotypes (H6 and H8) was found. The results suggest that the expression of two mink immunoglobulin CH genes induced by viral infection has allotype-specific regulation.     

Identification of novel PTEN-binding partners: PTEN interaction with fatty acid binding protein FABP4

PTEN is a tumor suppressor with dual protein and lipid–phosphatase activity, which is frequently deleted or mutated in many human advanced cancers. Recent studies have also demonstrated that PTEN is a promising target in type II diabetes and obesity treatment. Using C-terminal PTEN sequence in pEG202–NLS as bait, yeast two-hybrid screening on Mouse Embryo, Colon Cancer, and HeLa cDNA libraries was carried out. Isolated positive clones were validated by mating assay and identified through automated DNA sequencing and BLAST database searches. Sequence analysis revealed a number of PTEN-binding proteins linking this phosphatase to a number of different signaling cascades, suggesting that PTEN may perform other functions besides tumor-suppressing activity in different cell types. In particular, the interplay between PTEN function and adipocyte-specific fatty-acid-binding protein FABP4 is of notable interest. The demonstrable tautology of PTEN to FABP4 suggested a role for this phosphatase in the regulation of lipid metabolism and adipocyte differentiation. This interaction was further studied using coimmunoprecipitation and gel-filtration assays. Finally, based on Biacore assay, we have calculated the K _D of PTEN–FABP4 complex, which is around 2.8 μM.     

Antiviral activity of 2,3-secotriterpenic hydrazones of the lupane and 19β,28-epoxy-18α-oleanane types

Novel hydrazones of the lupane and 19β,28-epoxy-18α-oleanane types have been synthesized via the interaction of 2,3-secotriterpenic aldehydonitriles with substituted hydrazines. As a result of the investigation of the antiviral activity of 2,3-secotriterpenic hydrazones against the Indiana strain of the vesicular stomatitis virus on two models of mammalian cell line infection, the acetylhydrazone of 1-cyano-2,3-seco-19β,28-epoxy-18α-olean-3-al has been found to have a high prophylactic activity of 0.00016 μg/ml to the vesicular stomatitis virus and to inhibit virus reproduction in primarily infected cells in a 0.21-μg/ml concentration.     

A family of highly diverse human and mouse genes structurally links leukocyte FcR,gp42 and PECAM-1

A group of genes encoding proteins structurally related to the leukocyte Fc receptors (FcRs) and termed the IFGP family was identified in human and mouse. Sequences of four human and two mouse cDNAs predict proteins differing by domain composition. One of the mouse cDNAs encodes a secreted protein, which, in addition to four immunoglobulin (Ig)-like domains, contains a scavenger receptor superfamily-related domain at the C-terminus. The other cDNAs code for the type I transmembrane proteins with the extracellular parts comprised of one to six Ig-like domains. Five homologous types of the Ig-like domains were defined and each protein was found to have a unique combination of the domain types. The cytoplasmic tails of the transmembrane proteins show different patterns of the tyrosine-based signal motifs. While the human IFGP members appear to be B-cell antigens, the mouse genes have a broader tissue distribution with predominant expression in brain. Sequence comparisons revealed that the IFGP family may be regarded as a phylogenetic link joining the leukocyte FcRs with the rat NK cell-specific gp42 antigen and platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), two mammalian leukocyte receptors whose close relatives were not found previously. It is suggested that FcRs, the IFGP proteins and gp42 have arisen by a series of duplications from a common ancestor receptor comprised of five Ig-like domains. The organization of the human genes shows that the IFGP family evolved through differential gain and loss of exons due to recombination and/or mutation accumulation in the duplicated copies.     

Modification of the Sunflower Defensin SD2 Gene Sequence and Its Expression in Bacterial and Yeast Cells

To achieve broader range of the defensin antimicrobial activity, based on the sd2 gene sequence, the modified gene, sd2mod, was constructed. Hybrid genes, sd2-licBM2, licBM2-sd2, licBM2-sd2mod, and sd2mod-licBM2, in which the wild-type and modified gene sequences were fused in frame with the reporter gene encoding thermostable lichenase, were constructed. Expression of the wild-type, modified, and hybrid genes was examined in the cells of pro- and eukaryotes. It was demonstrated that these genes were efficiently expressed in the cells of lower eukaryotes, the yeast. Inhibiting effect of the SD2 and SDmod proteins as the components of the hybrid proteins, SD2-LicBM2 and SD2mod-LicBM2, on the growth of the Fusarium culmorum hyphae was similar to that of the wild-type and modified proteins. It was shown that the presence of lichenase in the hybrid proteins facilitated selection and analysis of the hybrid proteins expression in transgenic organisms.     

UHF-dielectrometry in the assessment of the structural organization of salt solutions and interstitial fluids in normal and cicatricial tissues

The complex dielectric permittivity of salt solutions with positive and negative salvation as well as healthy and cicatricially changed human skin in situ at the frequencies of 42 and 56.6 GHz was measured. The relation between the dielectric characteristics of water and diluted salt solutions and changes in their structural organization conditioned by different temperatures of samples and the type of salvation of electrolytes was studied. The differences in the dielectric characteristics of healthy and cicatricially changed skin are interpreted in terms of the dependence of the structural organization of interstitial fluids on the morphological and functional state of biological tissues.     

Karyological evidence for meiosis in the three different types of life cycles existing in Agaricus bisporus

In Agaricus bisporus all cytological studies performed until now concerned the pseudohomothallic and bisporic var. bisporus. In the past 12 y two tetrasporic varieties have been described, the heterothallic var. burnettii and the homothallic var. eurotetrasporus. Our aim was to compare the behavior of the nuclei in the vegetative and reproductive cells of the three varieties with light microscopy (Feulgen and DAPI staining) and transmission electron microscopy. Most of the vegetative cells contained 3-5 nuclei in the three varieties. Nuclear migrations through the septum were detected. In the basidia relative locations of nuclei and vacuoles, meiotic spindle alignments, relative content of nuclear DNA and synaptonemal complexes were measured or observed. From the observation of numerous asynchronous second division of meiosis within basidia of var. bisporus and var. burnettii a new hypothesis emerges to explain the nonrandom distribution of the four meiotic products in the two spores of the bisporic basidia. Karyogamy and meiosis similarly occurred in the three varieties. In the case of A. bisporus var. eurotetrasporus this implies that the reproductive mode is sexual and therefore homothallic in the strict sense. The three different types of life cycles are described.     

Retroviral-mediated gene transfer as an effective tool for the in vitro genetic transformation of chicken embryonic cells and production of transgenic chickens

The data on the in vitro and in vivo (into embryonic disk) retroviral-mediated transfer of genetic information into chicken embryonic cells are presented. The estimated transformation frequency of the cultured target cells constituted 8 x 10(-4) to 5 x 10(-3). A transgenic rooster, carrying recombinant DNA in blood, heart, liver, and intestine cells, was obtained.     

I/D polymorphism in the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene in men with myocardial infarction at young age]

The rate of D allele did not differ between patients with ischemic heart disease (IHD) who had myocardial infarction before the age 45, and healthy males. The DD genotype of the ACE gene was much more frequently encountered in the patients than in healthy males. The findings suggest that the DD genotype is an independent risk factor of the IHD and myocardial infarction in young patients.