Trees on networks: resolving statistical patterns of phylogenetic similarities among interacting proteins

Background  

Phylogenies capture the evolutionary ancestry linking extant species. Correlations and similarities among a set of species are mediated by and need to be understood in terms of the phylogenic tree. In a similar way it has been argued that biological networks also induce correlations among sets of interacting genes or their protein products.     

Localization of c-ERB A proteins in rat liver using monoclonal antibodies

Monoclonal antibodies were raised against the nuclear thyroid hormone receptors encoded by c-ERB A genes and against a purified nuclear receptor fraction. These antibodies recognize the c-ERB A protein in nuclear extracts from rat liver and are able to compete with thyroid hormone in Scatchard analyses. In sections of rat liver they react with all the hepatocyte nuclei as well as with the cells of the hepatic bile ducts. Comparison with another putative T3 receptor antibody, described previously, showed that distinct 57 kD proteins with a different cellular distribution were recognized.     

Thyroid hormones modulate ornithine decarboxylase in the immature rat cerebellum

In this study, we measured ornithine decarboxylase (ODC) activity as a potential parameter to evaluate the response of the developing rat brain to thyroid hormones. In cerebellum, neonatal hyperthyroidism (40 micrograms thyroxine/100 g body weight daily from birth) increased ODC activity at 2 and 5 days of age and then accelerated its developmental decline. Conversely, ODC activity was decreased in 2- and 5-day-old hypothyroid rats (propylthiouracil to the mother), but it was not significantly different from normal thereafter. No significant differences were observed in the forebrain following either treatment. In hypothyroid rat cerebellum, a single injection of triiodothyronine (T3, 100 micrograms/100 g 18 h before sacrifice) increased significantly ODC activity at all ages. A dose-response study showed that 0.5 micrograms T3/100 g is sufficient to obtain maximal stimulation. Finally, administration of antiserum against rat growth hormone had no significant effect on ODC response to T3. These results show that ODC is a useful marker of thyroid state and tissue response in the neonatal rat cerebellum.     

南瓜雌蕊与自花及远缘花粉的相互作用

南瓜柱头表面经去垢剂、蛋白酶及Con A处理后花粉不能萌发或花粉管生长受阻,Con A能专一地与柱头表面结合。柱头块加入培养液可促进花粉萌发。不同的远缘花粉授粉后在雌蕊不同部位受阻。在成熟南瓜雌蕊提取液中检测到血凝活性,凝集素可能参与雌蕊对远缘花粉的抑制。     

Heredity and overfeeding-induced changes in submaximal exercise VO2

The present study investigated the role of heredity in determining changes in the energy cost of submaximal exercise in response to short-term overfeeding. Six pairs of monozygotic twins were subjected to a 1,000 kcal/day surplus for 22 days with careful experimental controls over food intake and physical activities. O2 consumption (VO2) was measured during a submaximal treadmill exercise test 165 min postprandially before and the morning after the overfeeding protocol. As expected, overfeeding induced significant increases in body weight and fat mass. No significant increase in mean exercise VO2 was observed after overfeeding. However, the interindividual variation in overfeeding-induced changes in exercise VO2 was large and not randomly distributed. When comparing intrapair variance for changes in exercise VO2 to interpair variance, a moderate to high within-pair resemblance in response, i.e., a genotype-overfeeding interaction, was observed. Changes in exercise VO2 were positively correlated with those in postexercise levels of blood catecholamines, particularly epinephrine. A negative correlation was found between changes in exercise VO2 and body fat gain. These results are consistent with the concept of a role for the sympathoadrenal system in the regulation of adaptive thermogenesis and the predisposition to store fat. Moreover, these data suggest that the sensitivity to adapt in exercise energy expenditure after overfeeding is inherited to a significant extent.     

Production of an antibody against rat liver nuclear T3 receptor

Rabbits were immunized with rat liver nuclear L-triiodothyronine (T3) receptor purified by preparative sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide (SDS-PAGE) gel electrophoresis using bromoacetyl[125I]T3 as an affinity label. SDS-PAGE confirmed the presence of two receptor forms of the apparent molecular weights 57,000 and 45,000. We describe here a specific antibody, raised against the 57,000 receptor type, which reacts with both receptor forms as assessed by electroimmunoblotting and immunoprecipitation in liquid medium.