An autosomal dominant form of adolescent multinodular goiter.

Eighteen members of an extended pedigree have been found to have a form of euthyroid adolescent multinodular goiter. Histological examination showed multiple adenomata with areas of epithelial hyperplasia, hemorrhage, and calcification. In two subjects there were focal areas of epithelial hyperplasia reminiscent of low-grade papillary carcinoma, but capsular and vascular invasion was not found. The pattern of inheritance appeared to be autosomal dominant, with diminished penetrance in males. Although the patients were euthyroid, the likely basis for this disorder is an abnormality in thyroglobulin structure and function.     

Polymorphisms of mitochondrially encoded proteins.

Polymorphisms of mitochondrially encoded proteins can be detected in human lymphocytes by sodium dodecyl-sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE). Using an SDS-polyacrylamide 8 M urea system, 17 mitochondrially encoded proteins are distinguishable. Three of these (ME-6, ME-8, and ME-17) were polymorphic among 92 individuals screened, and these polymorphisms are reported here for the first time. With SDS-polyacrylamide electrophoresis without urea, 18 mitochondrial proteins are detectable. One of these (MV-1) varied in two of 31 individuals tested. This polymorphism has been identified previously in HeLa cells. Maternal inheritance of the ME-8 polymorphism was demonstrated by three informative families.     

Evaluation of Diverse Antisera, Conjugates, and Support Media for Detecting Bradyrhizobium japonicum by Indirect Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay

We evaluated three antisera and four enzyme conjugates for the detection of Bradyrhizobium japonicum by an indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in microtiter plates. Nitrocellulose membrane sheets were then evaluated as an alternative support medium by using some combinations. Partially purified immunoglobulin G (IgG) or unpurified antisera to strain USDA 110 raised in rabbits, goats, or sheep was reacted in microtiter plates with alkaline phosphatase conjugated to protein A, goat anti-rabbit (GAR), sheep anti-rabbit (SAR), or rabbit anti-goat (RAG) IgG. Cultures or nodules containing homologous rhizobia were detected with equal sensitivity when protein A, GAR, or SAR was reacted with 5 μg of protein IgG per ml or a 1:800 titer of antisera from rabbits, but not goats or sheep. RAG reacted with IgG or antisera from goats or sheep. The detection limit was 2 × 10⁵ rhizobia per well. Rhizobia were spotted on nitrocellulose sheets as an alternative support medium, followed by soaking in 5 μg of protein per ml as IgG and 1:4,000 dilutions of protein A or GAR conjugate. Rhizobia in serogroup 110 were detected with the dye combination Nitro Blue Tetrazolium-5-bromo-4-chloro-3-indolyl phosphate (NBT-BCIP), and rhizobia in serogroup 122 were detected with fast red-naphthol phosphate (FR-NP). At the conclusion of the 5-h assay, purple (NBT-BCIP) or red (FR-NP) spots were visible in positive reactions. The sensitivity of detection was about 1,000 rhizobial cells or 3 μg of nodules tissue.     

Production of High-Viscosity Whey-Glucose Broths by a Xanthomonas campestris Strain

Acclimation of a sandy soil to an air-natural gas mixture stimulated the biological oxidation of chloroform to carbon dioxide. Acetylene and methane inhibited chloroform oxidation. Chloroform oxidation continued up to 31 days in the absence of methane. Chloroform oxidation rates increased at chloroform concentrations up to 5 μg g of soil^-1.     

Preparation and properties of the water-soluble chlorophyll-bovine serum albumin complexes

By mixing chlorophyll (Chl) a or b with a dense bovine serum albumin solution, the water-soluble Chl-bovine serum albumin complexes were prepared. These complexes, eluted near the void volume on a gel filtration, were separated well from unreacted bovine serum albumin, indicating an aggregation of such molecules in the complexes. Preparation of chlorophyllide (Chlide) a- or Chlide b-bovine serum albumin complex was unsuccessful, while the phytol-, and β-carotene-bovine serum albumin complexes could be obtained. Chls in the Chl-bovine serum albumin complexes had the following characteristics. (i) Main absorption peak of Chl a or b in the red region occurred at 675 nm or 652 nm, respectively. The Chl a-bovine serum albumin complex having absorption peak at 740 nm was also prepared. As compared with the stabilities of Chl a and b in Triton X-100. (ii) Both Chls in the bovine serum albumin-complexes were stable against oxidative stresses, such as photobleaching, Fenton reagent, peroxidase-H₂O₂ system. But (iii) they were easily hydrolyzed by chlorophyllase. These properties of Chls in the bovine serum albumin-complexes were similar to those of Chls in the isolated light-harvesting Chl a/b protein complex. A possible localization of Chls within the bovine serum albumin complexes was suggested that the porphyrin moiety of Chl was buried in bovine serum albumin; however, the hydrophilic edge of porphyrin ring, adjacent to the phytol group, occurred in the hydrophilic region of a bovine serum albumin molecule.     

Chromosomal localization of Emv-16 and Emv-17, two closely linked ecotropic proviruses of RF/J mice.

Emv-16 and Emv-17, the two closely linked ecotropic proviral loci of RF/J mice, have been mapped to chromosome 1 between leaden, ln, and the mouse engrailed homeo-box locus, En-1, by using recombinant inbred strains and conventional backcross analysis.     

Genome organization and nucleotide sequence of human papillomavirus type 33, which is associated with cervical cancer.

The 7,909-nucleotide sequence of human papillomavirus type 33, which is associated with cervical cancer, has been determined and used to deduce the corresponding genome arrangement. Extensive sequence homologies and other genetic features are shared with the related oncogenic virus, human papillomavirus type 16, especially in the major reading frames. A surprising difference was found in the noncoding region of human papillomavirus type 33 as, unlike all other sequenced papillomaviruses, it contains a perfect 78-base pair tandem repeat.     

RNA virus genomes hybridize to cellular rRNAs and to each other.

In this communication we show that the RNA genomes of vesicular stomatitis, Sindbis, and reoviruses can specifically hybridize under stringent conditions to the large rRNAs present in HeLa cell cytoplasmic extracts. In addition, we show that some virus genome RNAs can also hybridize to each other. On the basis of our previous detailed studies identifying specific regions of hybridization between the poliovirus genome and 28S rRNA, we suggest that a similar phenomenon of "patchy complementary" may be responsible for the interactions described here (M. A. McClure and J. Perrault, Nucleic Acids Res. 13:6797-6816, 1985). The possible biological implications of these cross-reacting hybridizations and practical considerations in the use of viral probes for diagnosis are discussed.     

Ability of a T-antigen transport-defective mutant of simian virus 40 to immortalize primary cells and to complement polyomavirus middle T in tumorigenesis.

The oncogenic potential of polyomavirus in newborn rats could not be expressed by a genome encoding only the middle T antigen but required the presence of one of the other two viral early genes, small T or large T. The tumorigenicity defect could also be complemented by other viral or cellular genes that are known to be implicated in immortalization and establishment functions. The simian virus 40(cT)-3 mutant (R. E. Lanford and J. S. Butel, Cell 37:801-813, 1984), which fails to localize to the nucleus, has the capacity to complement polyomavirus middle T in tumorigenesis and to immortalize primary rat embryo fibroblasts when it was cotransfected in the presence of pSV2-neo. Our data suggested that under the conditions of DNA-mediated tumor induction and cotransfection with a dominant selection marker, the cellular alterations achieved by nonnuclear oncogenes such as polyomavirus small T and simian virus 40(cT)-3 were sufficient to complement polyomavirus middle T in transformation and tumorigenesis.