The number of satellite cells in slow and fast fibres from human vastus lateralis muscle

The aim of this investigation was to study the distribution of satellite cells in slow (type I fibres) and fast (type II fibres) fibres from human vastus lateralis muscle. This muscle is characterised by a mixed fibre type composition and is considered as the site of choice for biopsies in research work and for clinical diagnosis. Biopsy samples were obtained from five healthy young volunteers and a total of 1,747 type I fibres and 1,760 type II fibres were assessed. Satellite cells and fibre type composition were studied on serial muscle cross-sections stained with specific monoclonal antibodies. From a total of 218 satellite cells, 116 satellite cells were found in contact with type I fibres (53.6±8% of the satellite cells associated to type I fibres) and 102 satellite cells in contact with type II fibres (46.4±8% of the satellite cells associated to type II fibres). There was no significant difference (P=0.4) between the percentages of satellite cells in contact with type I and with type II fibres. Additionally, there was no relationship between the mean number of satellite cells per fibre and the mean cross-sectional area of muscle fibres. In conclusion, our results show that there is no fibre type-specific distribution of satellite cells in a human skeletal muscle with mixed fibre type composition.     

Active Site Mutations in Mammalian DNA Polymerase δ Alter Accuracy and Replication Fork Progression

DNA polymerase δ (pol δ) is one of the two main replicative polymerases in eukaryotes; it synthesizes the lagging DNA strand and also functions in DNA repair. In previous work, we demonstrated that heterozygous expression of the pol δ L604G variant in mice results in normal life span and no apparent phenotype, whereas a different substitution at the same position, L604K, is associated with shortened life span and accelerated carcinogenesis. Here, we report in vitro analysis of the homologous mutations at position Leu-606 in human pol δ. Four-subunit human pol δ variants that harbor or lack 3′ → 5′-exonucleolytic proofreading activity were purified from Escherichia coli. The pol δ L606G and L606K holoenzymes retain catalytic activity and processivity similar to that of wild type pol δ. pol δ L606G is highly error prone, incorporating single noncomplementary nucleotides at a high frequency during DNA synthesis, whereas pol δ L606K is extremely accurate, with a higher fidelity of single nucleotide incorporation by the active site than that of wild type pol δ. However, pol δ L606K is impaired in the bypass of DNA adducts, and the homologous variant in mouse embryonic fibroblasts results in a decreased rate of replication fork progression in vivo. These results indicate that different substitutions at a single active site residue in a eukaryotic polymerase can either increase or decrease the accuracy of synthesis relative to wild type and suggest that enhanced fidelity of base selection by a polymerase active site can result in impaired lesion bypass and delayed replication fork progression.     

北方冬麦区小麦抗旱种质资源遗传多样性分析

遗传多样性分析对于作物资源评价和利用具有重要的意义。本研究以我国北方冬麦区136份小麦抗旱种质资源为材料,分析10个农艺性状及其耐旱指数的相关性,以及抗旱种质的遗传多样性。结果表明:在雨养和灌溉条件下,穗叶距的变异系数最高,分别为42.1%和37.2%,单穗总小穗数的变异系数最低,为6.4%和5.7%;不同水分条件下,植株稳产性主要受单株穗数、有效小穗数及穗下节长的影响;性状耐旱指数的多样性指数在1.95到2.07之间变化,平均值为2.02;根据性状耐旱指数将供试材料分为7个类群,其中第I、第III类群材料表现为对水分条件不敏感,而第II类群材料更适于在干旱条件下种植。材料之间的抗旱性差异可以作为抗旱育种中亲本选配的依据。     

Novel phenotypes and developmental arrest in early embryo specific mutants of maize

Embryo specific (emb) mutants exhibit aberrant embryo development without deleterious effects on endosperm development. We have analyzed five emb mutants of maize, which, based on their developmental profiles can be divided into two groups: mutants arrested at early stages and mutants with novel phenotypes. The members of the first group resemble wild-type proembryos and never reach other developmental stages. In the second group the tube-shaped mutants emb*-8522 and emb*-8535 completely lack apical-basal differentiation, while in mutant emb*-8516 a second embryo-like structure arises from the suspensor. The five emb mutations analyzed are non-allelic and two of the mutations are very likely caused by insertion of the transposon mutator, opening the door for their molecular analysis. Received: 10 February 1999 / Accepted: 7 July 1999     

Standard errors of heritabilities for forage breeding nurseries

Estimators for standard errors of heritability for two typical and complex forage breeding models are illustrated with estimates of variance and covariance components from least-squares and restricted maximum likelihood methods. The first experiment (Model 1) is a factorial design (two grazing management factors) with two layers of split plots (populations and grazing periods) and with plants within populations nested beneath the first split. The second model is for a sites pooling of randomized complete block experiments, with plants nested inside plots and with a split in time. One definition of heritability was applied to the plant habit character for both models in a red clover germplasm. Heritability estimates were statistically the same for the two methods for both models.     

Relocation of urf a from the mitochondrion to the nucleus cures the mitochondrial mutator phenotype in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe

In previous papers we have reported the characterisation of mitochondrial mutator mutants of Schizosaccharomyces pombe. In contrast to nuclear mutator mutants known from other eucaryotes, this mutator phenotype correlates with mutations in an unassigned open reading frame (urf a) in the mitochondrial genome. Since an efficient biolistic transformation system for fission yeast mitochondria is not yet available, we relocated the mitochondrial urf a gene to the nucleus. As host strain for the ectopic expression, we used the nonsense mutant ana ^r -6, which carries a premature stop codon in the urf a gene. The phenotype of this mutant is characterised by continuous segregation of progeny giving rise to fully respiration competent colonies, colonies that show moderate growth on glycerol and a fraction of colonies that are unable to grow on glycerol. The phenotype of this mutant provides an excellent tool with which to study the effects on the mutator phenotype of ectopic expression of the urf a gene. Since a UGA codon encoding tryptophan is present in the original mitochondrial gene, we constructed two types of expression cassettes containing either the mitochondrial version of the urf a gene (mt-urf a) or a standard genetic code version (nc-urf a; UGA replaced by UGG) fused to the N-terminal import leader sequence of the cox4 gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. We show that the expression of the mt-urf a gene in its new location is able to cure, at least in part, the phenotype of mutant ana ^r -6, whereas the expression of the nc-urf a gene completely restores the wild-type (non-mutator) phenotype. The significant similarity of the urf a gene to the mitochondrial var1 gene of S. cerevisiae and homologous genes in other yeasts suggests that the urf a gene product might be a ribosomal protein with a dual function in protein synthesis and maintenance of mitochondrial DNA integrity. Received: 13 May 1997 / Accepted: 14 January 1998     

The effect of sample attrition on the frequency distribution of blood pressure and genetic marker phenotypes representing a natural unselected community: Tecumseh, Michigan.

High significant differences in mean age, blood pressure and phenotype frequency distributions between the non-migrants and "emigrants" of a total unselected community sample were discovered. Use of the mean of BP scores collected from epidemiologic surveys over a period of time as an individual score allows sample attrition to produce both a genetically and demographically biased sample of a population intended to represent an unselected community of people. Multiple regression analyses estimated the contribution of an individual's age, genotype and mobility out of the sample to predicting blood pressure variation. Variation in blood pressure means among certain marker phenotype classes was greater in those who leave than in those who stay, but only the upper portion of the pressure distribution contributed to this relationship. A genetic-environment interaction is suggested.