Presymptomatic testing for Huntington's disease

Summary Presymptomatic testing for Huntington's disease (HD) is possible through the use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) at the closely linked D4S10 locus. Recombination between the HD and D4S10 loci will occur in 4%–5% of meioses, and is a well-recognised complication of predictive testing. Recombination between RFLPs within the D4S10 locus is a rare event and can usually be ignored. We report a case where such an intra-locus recombination frustrated attempts to predict the chance of a high-risk individual inheriting the HD gene.     

The fate of the fusarium mycotoxin zearalenone in maize cell suspension cultures

The fusarium mycotoxin zearalenone was transformed in cell suspension cultures of Zea mays giving α- and β-zearalenol and the β-D-glu cos ides of zearalenone and α- and β-zearalenol. The structure of zearalenone-4-β-D-glucopyranoside was determined by liquid — chromatography-mass spectrometry and specific hydrolysis with β-glucosidase. α- and β-zearalenol and their glucosides were identified by co chromatography using tic and HPLC and glucosidase — treatment Up to 50% of the mycotoxin added was bound to a non extractable or “bound” residue fraction. After treating this residue by a sequential cell wall fractionation procedure, zearalenone was found to be bound mainly to starch, hemicellulose, and lignin fractions.     

The cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p21 (WAF1) is required for survival of differentiating neuroblastoma cells.

We are employing recent advances in the understanding of the cell cycle to study the inverse relationship between proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Nerve growth factor and aphidicolin, an inhibitor of DNA polymerases, synergistically induce neuronal differentiation of SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and the expression of p21WAF1, an inhibitor of cyclin-dependent kinases. The differentiated cells continue to express p21WAF1, even after removal of aphidicolin from the culture medium. The p21WAF1 protein coimmunoprecipitates with cyclin E and inhibits cyclin E-associated protein kinase activity. Each of three antisense oligonucleotides complementary to p21WAF1 mRNA partially blocks expression of p21WAF1 and promotes programmed cell death. These data indicate that p21WAF1 expression is required for survival of these differentiating neuroblastoma cells. Thus, the problem of neuronal differentiation can now be understood in the context of negative regulators of the cell cycle.     

Gene transfer is a major factor in bacterial evolution

Lateral gene transfer in four strains of Salmonella enterica has been assessed using genomic subtraction. Strain LT2 (subspecies I serovar Typhimurium) chromosomal DNA was used as target and subtracted by three subspecies I strains of serovars Typhimurium (S21), Muenchen (S71), Typhi (M229), and a subspecies V strain (M321). Data from probing random cosmids of LT2 DNA with preparations of the residual LT2 DNA after subtraction were used to estimate the amounts of LT2 DNA not able to hybridize to strains S21, S71, M229, and M321 to be in the range of 84-106, 191-355, 305-629, and 778-1,286 kb, respectively. Several lines of evidence indicate that most of this DNA is from genes not present in strain M321 and not from genes that have diverged in sequence. The amounts correlate with the divergence of the four strains as revealed by multilocus enzyme electrophoresis and sequence variation of housekeeping genes. Sequence of 39 of the fragments from the M321 subtracted residual LT2 DNA revealed only six inserts of known gene function with evidence of both gain and loss of genes during the development of S. enterica clones. Sixteen of the 39 segments have 45% or lower G+C content, below the species average, but over half are within the normal range for the species. We conclude that even within a species, clones may differ by up to 20% of chromosomal DNA, indicating a major role for lateral transfer, and that on the basis of G+C content, a significant proportion of the DNA is from distantly related species.      

Does small-sided-games’ court area influence metabolic,perceptual, and physical performance parameters of young elite basketball players?

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of court size on physiological responses and physical performance of young elite basketball players. Twelve male basketball players (18.6 ± 0.5 years; 88.8 ± 14.5 kg; 192.6 ± 6.5 cm) from an under-19 team performed two small-sided games (matches) with different court areas (28x15 m and 28x9 m; 28x15 and 28x9 protocols). The number of players (3x3) was kept the same in each protocol. The players performed a repeated-sprint ability (RSA) test before and after each match. Blood lactate concentration was collected before (pre) and after (post) the matches, and the session rating of perceived exertion (session-RPE) was determined 30 minutes after the match. Best and mean time in the RSA test were not different between the 28x15 and the 28x9 match protocols (p > 0.05). A significant difference was observed for lactate concentration from pre- to post-match (p < 0.05) in both protocols (28x15 and 28x9); however, there was no significant interaction between protocols. A similar session-RPE mean score (28x15: 7.2 ± 1.4 and 28x9: 6.6 ± 1.4) was detected for both protocols (p > 0.05, ES=0.41). In summary, the results of the current study suggest that the different court areas induced similar responses. Although there was no significant difference in effort perception, players tended to perceive a greater effort in the larger court size.     

NO vascular control in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

A new investigation into Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) pathogenesis suggests that at least part of the muscle degeneration observed in DMD patients may result from the reduced production of muscle membrane-associated neuronal nitric oxide synthase. This reduction may lead to impaired regulation of the vasoconstrictor response and eventual muscle damage.     

Biosynthesis of dystroglycan: processing of a precursor propeptide

Dystroglycan is a cytoskeleton-linked extracellular matrix receptor expressed in many cell types. Dystroglycan is composed of alpha- and beta-subunits which are encoded by a single mRNA. Using a heterologous mammalian expression system, we provide the first biochemical evidence of the alpha/beta-dystroglycan precursor propeptide prior to enzymatic cleavage. This 160 kDa dystroglycan propeptide is processed into alpha- and beta-dystroglycan (120 kDa and 43 kDa, respectively). We also demonstrate that the precursor propeptide is glycosylated and that blockade of asparagine-linked (N-linked) glycosylation did not prevent the cleavage of the dystroglycan precursor peptide. However, inhibition of N-linked glycosylation results in aberrant trafficking of the alpha- and beta-dystroglycan subunits to the plasma membrane. Thus, dystroglycan is synthesized as a precursor propeptide that is post-translationally cleaved and differentially glycosylated to yield alpha- and beta-dystroglycan.