THE GENETICS OF ADAPTATION: THE GENETIC BASIS OF RESISTANCE TO WASP PARASITISM IN DROSOPHILA MELANOGASTER

There have been very few genetic analyses of “natural” adaptations, that is, those not involving artificial selection or responses to human disturbance. Here we analyze the genetic basis of geographic variation in Drosophila melanogaster's resistance to parasitism by a wasp, Asobara tabida. Our results suggest that population differences in ability to encapsulate parasitoid eggs have a fairly simple genetic basis: 60% of the D. melanogaster genome plays no role in differences between resistant and susceptible populations. Instead, resistance gene(s) are restricted to chromosome two, and may be further restricted to the centromeric region of this chromosome. This finding suggests that natural adaptations—like many responses to artificial selection and human disturbance—sometimes have a simple genetic basis.     

The stereospecificity of the enzymic reduction of 21-dehydrocortisol by NADH.

(21R)-[21-3H]cortisol and (21S)-[21-3H]cortisol were synthesized by reduction of 21-dehydrocortisol by NADH in the presence of 21-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase. The stereochemistry at carbon 21 was established after cleaving the side chain and oxidizing the resulting two epimers of tritiated glycolate with glycolate oxidase of known (2-pro-S) stereospecificity. From the distribution of radioactivity in the water and glyoxylate produced in this reaction, it was concluded that the reaction of 21-dehydrocortisol with (4S)-[4-3H]NADH catalyzed by 21-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase results in a transfer of tritium from the 4S position of the nucleotide to form (21S)-[21-3H]cortisol, and that (21R)-[21-3H]cortisol resulted from the enzyme-catalyzed reduction of 21-dehydro[21-3H]cortisol with NADH. Nuclear magnetic resonance studies on both epimers at position 21 of [21-2H]cortisol and of [21-2H]cortisone prepared enzymically identify the transferring 21-pro-S hydrogen as the relatively downfield of the two 21-hydrogen atoms.     

Development of a stereoselective and scalable process for the preparation of a methylcyclobutanol-pyridyl ether

The evolution of a scalable process for the preparation of methylcyclobutanol-pyridyl ether 1 is described. Key aspects of this development including careful control of the stereochemistry, elimination of chromatography, and application to kilogram-scale synthesis are addressed.     

A novel ubiquitin-specific protease is dynamically associated with the PML nuclear domain and binds to a herpesvirus regulatory protein.

Herpes simplex virus type 1 immediate-early protein Vmw110 is a non-specific activator of gene expression and is required for efficient initiation of the viral lytic cycle. Since Vmw110-deficient viruses reactivate inefficiently in mouse latency models it has been suggested that Vmw110 plays a role in the balance between the latent and lytic states of the virus. The mechanisms by which Vmw110 achieves these functions are poorly understood. Vmw110 migrates to discrete nuclear structures (ND10) which contain the cellular PML protein, and in consequence PML and other constituent proteins are dispersed. In addition, Vmw110 binds to a cellular protein of approximately 135 kDa, and its interactions with the 135 kDa protein and ND10 contribute to its ability to stimulate gene expression and viral lytic growth. In this report we identify the 135 kDa protein as a novel member of the ubiquitin-specific protease family. The protease is distributed in the nucleus in a micropunctate pattern with a limited number of larger discrete foci, some of which co-localize with PML in ND10. At early times of virus infection, the presence of Vmw110 increases the proportion of ND10 which contain the ubiquitin-specific protease. These results identify a novel, transitory component of ND10 and implicate a previously uncharacterized ubiquitin-dependent pathway in the control of viral gene expression.