The rep region of pR plasmid regulates the expression of SOS system

Summary By using an artificial hybrid between phage and the pR plasmid, we have shown that the rep region of the pR plasmid encodes a function which regulates the expression of the muc genes (plasmid genes that are under the negative control of lexA and responsible for an increased rate of spontaneous mutagenesis and resistance to UV and chemicals). Expression of the muc genes was monitored by a fusion between the muc promoter and the lacZ structural gene. When E. coli cells containing such a fusion are infected by the hybrid pR phasmid, -galactosidase activity is enhanced, indicating that pR encodes an antagonist of lexA. By deletion mapping we have located the gene encoding the antagonist of lexA (bat) in the rep region of the plasmid. The bat gene product can also antagonize the cI repressor as shown by the observation that pR phasmids are virulent on a homoimmune lysogen. We have exploited this latter property to carry out genetic and functional analysis of the bat region. This region is organized as a classical operon where the expression of the bat structural gene is negatively regulated by a repressor gene that encodes a proteic product.     

The physical map ofMus musculus chromosome 11 reveals evolutionary relationship with different syntenic groups of genes inHomo sapiens

Summary The physical localization of sequences homologous to three cloned genes was determined by in situ hybridization to metaphase chromosomes. Previous work had assigned the skeletal myosin heavy chain gene cluster (Myh), the functional locus for the cellular tumor antigen p53 (Trp53-1), and the cellular homologue of the viral erb-B oncogene (Erbb) toMus musculus chromosome 11 (MMU11). Our results provide regional assignments ofMyh andTrp53-1 to chromosome bands B2C, and ofErbb to bands A1A4. Taken together with in situ mapping of three other loci on MMU 11 (Hox-2 homeobox-containing gene cluster, theSparc protein, and theColla-1 collagen gene), which have been reported elsewhere, these data allowed us to construct a physical map of MMU11 and to compare it with the linkage map of this chromosome. The map positions of the homologous genes on human chromosomes suggest evolutionary relationships of distinct regions of MMU11 with six different human chromosome arms: 1p, 5q, 7p, 16p, 17p, and 17q. The delineation of conserved chromosome regions has important implications for the understanding of karyotype evolution in mammalian species and for the development of animal models of human genetic diseases.     

Evidence for a branched respiratory system with two cytochrome oxidases in autotrophically grown Alcaligenes latus

The respiratory system of chemolithoautotrophically-grown Alcaligenes latus contains a, b, and c type cytochromes. Two cytochrome oxidases were identified by their carbon monoxide difference spectra and their differing sensitivities to cyanide and carbon monoxide. The oxidases were cytochrome o and an a-type cytochrome. Ubiquinone was present in A. latus membranes and could be reduced by H₂. The quinone analogue, 2-heptyl-4-hydroxy-quinoline-N-oxide (HQNO), was a strong inhibitor of the H₂ oxidase reaction, but did not prevent the reduction of either ubiquinone or the cytochromes.Abbreviations HQNO 2-heptyl-4-hydroxy-quinoline-N-oxide - TMPD N,N,N,N-tetramethyl-p-phenylenediamine     

A multistate Markov chain model for evaluating a sterilization policy

"A multistate Markov chain model corresponding to varying fertility and mortality rates at different levels of surviving children of a couple was developed. Asymptotic probabilities of having a fixed number of children have been worked out." The implied geographical focus is on India.     

Comparison of sequences from the malB regions of Salmonella typhimurium and Enterobacter aerogenes with Escherichia coli K12: A potential new regulatory site in the interoperonic region

Summary The malE and malK genes from Salmonella typhimurium, and the MalEFG operon and a portion of malK from Enterobacter aerogenes were cloned and sequenced. Plasmid-borne malE genes from both species and the malF and malG genes from E. aerogenes were expressed normally in Escherichia coli, and their products function in maltose transport. This shows that the malB products from the three species are interchangeable, at least in the combinations tested. The general genetic organization of the malB region is conserved. Potential binding sites and distances between them are highly conserved in the regulatory intervals. An unexpected conserved region was detected, which we call the U box, and which could be another target for a regulatory protein. This hypothesis is supported by the presence of the U box in the regulatory, region of the pulA-malX operon in Klebsiella pneumoniae. The intergenic region between malE and malF from S. typhimurium and E. aerogenes, contains inverted repeats similar to the palindromic units (PU or REP) found at the same location in E. coli. The predicted amino acid sequence of the encoded proteins showed 90% or more identity in every pairwise comparison of species.     

Farnesylacetone, a sesquiterpenic hormone of Crustacea, inhibits electron transport in isolated rat liver mitochondria

Farnesylacetone (C18 H30 0) is a male hormone extracted from the androgenic gland of crab, Carcinus maenas. Appropriate enzymatic assays, as well as spectrophotometric studies, indicate that micromolar concentrations of farnesylacetone interact with the electron transport pathway of rat liver mitochondria. By the use of artificial electron donors and electron acceptors, it is shown that farnesylacetone immediately inhibits the electron transfer within complex I (NADH ubiquinone reductase activity) and complex II (succinate ubiquinone reductase activity). It is proposed that farneylacetone could interact with these two complexes of the respiratory chain at the level of the iron-sulfur centers implicated in the dehydrogenase activities. These observations are compared with the results obtained with terpenic molecules which interact with mitochondrial respiration.     

Use of the polymerase chain reaction to identify mosquito species of the Anopheles gambiae complex

A nonradiometric method has been developed for distinguishing between the sibling species Anopheles gambiae Giles and An. arabiensis Patton, two important Afrotropical vectors of malaria. DNA fragments of species diagnostic length are amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) from a small amount of unknown DNA and three different PCR primers. All three PCR primers are based on ribosomal DNA (rDNA) sequences. A universal plus-strand primer (A0) is derived from a conserved region at the 3' end of the 28S rDNA coding region. Two species-specific minus-strand primers (Aa0.5 and Ag1.3) are derived from sequences in the intergenic spacers. The Ag1.3 sequence is approximately 1.3 kb downstream of A0; the Aa0.5 sequence is about 0.5 kb downstream of A0. When mosquito DNA is amplified in the presence of all three primers, a 1.3 kb fragment is produced if An. gambiae DNA is used as template, and a 0.5 kb fragment is produced if An. arabiensis DNA is used. Amplification of DNA from An.gambiae/An. arabiensis hybrids produces both the 1.3 kb and the 0.5 kb fragments. Neither diagnostic fragment is produced when DNA from other species in the An. gambiae complex is used as template.     

Cellular localization of cytochrome c 553 in the N2-fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis

The in situ location of the electron carrier protein cytochrome C ₅₅₃ (cyt c ₅₅₃) has been investigated in both vegetative cells and heterocysts of the cyanobacterium Anabaena variabilis ATCC 29413 using the antibody-gold technique, carried out as a post-ernbedding immunoelectron microscopy procedure. When using a rabbit polyclonal anti-cyt c ₅₅₃ specific antiserum an intense labelling, associated mainly with the cell periphery (cytoplasmic membrane and periplasmic area), was seen in both heterocysts and vegetative cells. The selective release of most of the cellular cyt c ₅₅₃ during a Tris-EDTA treatment confirms a periplasmic localization of this protein in A. variabilis. The results indicate that most of cyt c ₅₅₃ is located in the periplasmic space. The roles ascribed to this protein in both respiration and photosynthesis in cyanobacteria are discussed.Abbreviations Cyt c ₅₅₃ cytochrome c ₅₅₃ - PBS phosphate buffered saline (20 mM sodium phosphate, 0.9% NaCl, pH 7.4) - PMSF phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride Recipient of a Research Fellowship of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (Bonn, FRG) for a leave to the University of Konstanz.     

家兔面神经后核内侧区在呼吸节律起源中的作用

从腹侧面暴露家兔延髓,脑内微量注射1%普鲁卡因阻滞面神经后核内侧区(mNRF),全部动物(n=20)一次注射(0.3—1.0μl)后即能可逆地消除呼吸节律。区域对照显示此区非常局限,范围约1.0×1.0×1.0mm。组织学检查表明为面神经后核内侧区。本文分析了 mNRF的呼吸相关神经元(RRNs)的放电形式。在 mNRF 有较多的呼气(E)神经元和呼气-吸气跨时相(E-IPS)神经元。在阻滞 mNRF 引起呼吸停止期间,观察到低位延髓背侧呼吸群(DRG)和腹侧呼吸群(VRG)尾端区 RRNs 放电的节律性消失,表现连续放电或停止放电。电刺激DRG,VRG 尾端区,只能诱发短串的膈神经放电,而不能产生节律性发放。说明这些区域的RRNs 无自动节律性活动的能力。结果表明,面神经后核内侧区与呼吸节律发生有关,它可能是呼吸节律发生器的一个重要的所在部位。