Fourteen elite sorghum lines were evaluated for their resistance to Striga hermonthica at three locations in Nigeria and Mali. Results showed that many of the lines especially MALISOR 84-1, SAMSORG 41, 97-SB-F5DT-64 (Keninkédié) and the check SRN 39 remained resistant to Striga in all locations with low emerged Striga counts, while SAMSORG 14 had the highest Striga infestation in all locations. Considerable variation in reaction to Striga infestation was observed on Séguètana, 97-SB-F5DT-63 (Wasa), 97-SB-F5DT-65, CMDT 38, CMDT 39 and CMDT 45 which were susceptible to Striga at Samaru, Nigeria but were resistant to Striga at both locations in Mali. Based on low Striga resistance and high grain yield, lines MALISOR 84-1, SAMSORG 41, 97-SB-F5DT-64, 97-SB-F5DT-65, CMDT 39 and SAMSORT 14 have been nominated for wider evaluation across more West African countries. 相似文献
Human serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) plays a major role in the metabolism of several organophosphorus compounds. The enzyme is
encoded by the polymorphic gene PON1, located on chromosome 7q21.3. Aiming to identify genetic variations related to the risk of developing brain tumors, we investigated
the putative association between common nonsynonymous PON1 polymorphisms and the risk of developing astrocytoma and meningioma. 相似文献
The use of graduated compression stockings (GCS) in sport has been increasing in the last years due to their potential positive effects for athletes. However, there is little evidence to support whether these types of garments actually improve cardiorespiratory performance. The aim of this study was to examine the cardiorespiratory responses of GCS during running after three weeks of regular use. Twenty recreational runners performed three tests on different days: test 1) – a 5-min maximal effort run in order to determine the participants’ maximal aerobic speed; and tests 2) and 3) – a fatigue running test of 30 minutes at 80% of their maximal aerobic speed with either GCS or PLACEBO stockings at random. Cardiorespiratory parameters (minute ventilation, heart rate, relative oxygen consumption, relative carbon dioxide production, ventilatory equivalents for oxygen and carbon dioxide, and oxygen pulse) were measured. Before each test in the laboratory, the participants trained with the randomly assigned stockings (GCS or PLACEBO) for three weeks. No significant differences between GCS and PLACEBO were found in any of the cardiorespiratory parameters. In conclusion, the present study provides evidence that running with GCS for three weeks does not influence cardiorespiratory parameters in recreational runners. 相似文献
Conservative treatment in the Scheuermann’s kyphosis obtain, during skeletal growth, remodelling of the deformed vertebras. In a previous paper on Scheuermann’s kyphosis, we have studied the geometry variations of all vertebrae included in the curve, before and after the treatment.
The purpose of this study was to confirm the effectiveness of conservative treatment in Scheuermann’s kyphosis and was to evaluate and compare the variation of the vertebral geometry with the curve trend in Cobb degrees, before and after conservative treatment.
Methods
From a consecutive series of patients, we selected 90 patients with thoracic Scheuermann’s kyphosis, treated using anti-gravity brace: 59 male, 31 female. The mean age at the beginning of the treatment was 14 years.
Radiographical measurements were performed on radiographs from a lateral projection, at the beginning (t1) and at the end of the treatment (t5). Vertebral geometry modifications at t1 and t5 were analysed according to the following parameters and evaluated by three independent observers: Anterior wedging angle (ALFA) of the apex vertebra and Posterior wall inclination (APOS) of the limiting lower vertebra. The curve was measured in Cobb degrees.
Results
The results from our study showed that of the 90 patients with a thoracic curve mean value of Cobb degrees was 57.8 ± 6.0 SD at t1 and 41.3 ± 5.6 SD at t5. The differences between t1(angle at baseline) and t5 (end of treatment) were calculated for Cobb, ALFA and APOS angle and were respectively −16.4 ± 4.5, −6.4 ± 1.4 and −2.7 ± 1.2; tested with paired t-test were significative (p < 0.01). The results of the regression analysis to test the relationship between the three measures for the kyphosis (Cobb degree, ALFA and APOS) showed that the best association was between Cobb t5 and ALFA t5 (p < 0.01) and Cobb t1 and APOS t1 (p < 0.01). No significative association was found between the difference between ALFA and APOS.
Conclusion
We sustain that using new parameters to study vertebral remodelling allows us to reach a better comprehension of Scheuermann spine response to anti-gravity brace treatment. Furthermore, the evaluation of the ALFA angle of the apex vertebra confirms to be more reliable than Cobb’s angle because it cannot be affected by the radiological position.
Many structural, signaling, and adhesion molecules contain tandemly
repeated amino acid motifs. The alpha-actinin/spectrin/dystrophin
superfamily of F-actin-crosslinking proteins contains an array of triple
alpha-helical motifs (spectrin repeats). We present here the complete
sequence of the novel beta-spectrin isoform beta(Heavy)- spectrin (beta H).
The sequence of beta H supports the origin of alpha- and beta-spectrins
from a common ancestor, and we present a novel model for the origin of the
spectrins from a homodimeric actin-crosslinking precursor. The pattern of
similarity between the spectrin repeat units indicates that they have
evolved by a series of nested, nonuniform duplications. Furthermore, the
spectrins and dystrophins clearly have common ancestry, yet the repeat unit
is of a different length in each family. Together, these observations
suggest a dynamic period of increase in repeat number accompanied by
homogenization within each array by concerted evolution. However, today,
there is greater similarity of homologous repeats between species than
there is across repeats within species, suggesting that concerted evolution
ceased some time before the arthropod/vertebrate split. We propose a
two-phase model for the evolution of the spectrin repeat arrays in which an
initial phase of concerted evolution is subsequently retarded as each new
protein becomes constrained to a specific length and the repeats diverge at
the DNA level. This evolutionary model has general applicability to the
origins of the many other proteins that have tandemly repeated motifs.
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Selective autophagy is the mechanism by which large cargos are specifically sequestered for degradation. The structural details of cargo and receptor assembly giving rise to autophagic vesicles remain to be elucidated. We utilize the yeast cytoplasm‐to‐vacuole targeting (Cvt) pathway, a prototype of selective autophagy, together with a multi‐scale analysis approach to study the molecular structure of Cvt vesicles. We report the oligomeric nature of the major Cvt cargo Ape1 with a combined 2.8 Å X‐ray and negative stain EM structure, as well as the secondary cargo Ams1 with a 6.3 Å cryo‐EM structure. We show that the major dodecameric cargo prApe1 exhibits a tendency to form higher‐order chain structures that are broken upon interaction with the receptor Atg19 in vitro. The stoichiometry of these cargo–receptor complexes is key to maintaining the size of the Cvt aggregate in vivo. Using correlative light and electron microscopy, we further visualize key stages of Cvt vesicle biogenesis. Our findings suggest that Atg19 interaction limits Ape1 aggregate size while serving as a vehicle for vacuolar delivery of tetrameric Ams1. 相似文献
In the course of a freeze-cleave study on intercellular junctions in the regenerating rat liver, we observed an unusual array of intramembranous particles located in regions of contact between endothelial cells lining the hepatic sinusoids. These arrays were characterized by an accumulation of particles which resembled a zonula occludens in their linear deployment but differed in that the contact regions were composed of individual particles which remained separated from each other by regular particle-free intervals. 相似文献
A homologous family of UDP- N -acetylgalactosamine: polypeptide N -
acetylgalactosaminyltransferases (GalNAc-transferases) initiate O-
glycosylation. These transferases share overall amino acid sequence
similarities of approximately 45-50%, but segments with higher similarities
of approximately 80% are found in the putative catalytic domain. Here we
have characterized the genomic organization of the coding regions of three
GalNAc-transferase genes and determined their chromosomal localization. The
coding regions of GALNT1 , -T2 , and -T3 were found to span 11, 16, and 10
exons, respectively. Several intron/exon boundaries were conserved within
the three genes. One conserved boundary was shared in a homologous C.
elegans GalNAc- transferase gene. Fluorescence in situ hybridization showed
that GALNT1 , -T2 , and -T3 are localized at chromosomes 18q12-q21,
1q41-q42, and 2q24-q31, respectively. These results suggest that the
members of the polypeptide GalNAc-transferase family diverged early in
evolution from a common ancestral gene through gene duplication.
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In the substantia nigra of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, increased lipid peroxidation, decreased activities of the mitochondrial
complex I of the respiratory chain, catalase and glutathione-peroxidase, and decreased levels of reduced glutathione have
been reported. These observations suggest that oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction play a role in the neurodegeneration
in PD. We assessed enzymatic activities of respiratory chain and other enzymes involved in oxidative processes in skin fibroblasts
cultures of patients with PD. 相似文献