Effects of H-Y Antigen on Morphologic and Endocrine Differentiation of Gonads in Mammals

The effects of H-Y antigen, released in a soluble state by male human Burkitt lymphomas and mouse teratomas, were studied in the fetal gonads from 13 to 21-day-old rats and 98-day-old calves, using histologic techniques, radioimmunoassays for testosterone, and bioassays for Müllerian-inhibiting substance (MIS). Whereas no effect was detected in the younger gonads, some structural changes were observed in bovine and 21-day-old rat ovaries when cultured for 5 days with Daudi and male teratoma supernatants, but there was no synthesis of testosterone or MIS. These observations raise questions concerning the critial period of sensitively to H-Y antigen of female gonads, and the dissociation between morphologic and biochemical events.     

Polymorphism of the Thymidylate Synthase Gene of Pneumocystis carinii from Different Host Species

Pneumocystis carinii is an opportunistic agent found in the lung of various mammals which often causes severe pneumonia in immunocompromised humans, especially in AIDS patients. In the past several years significant additions have been made to the collection of knowledge we have concerning the genetic diversity of P. carinii. These additions provide new understanding of Pneumocystis transmission and the effect of possible reservoirs of Pneumocystis in the various species. In this study, a 400-bp fragment of the thymidylate synthase (TS) gene of P. carinii has been amplified by PCR from 43 parasite isolates obtained from 4 mammalian host species: rat, mouse, rabbit and human. A probe selected from the TS gene sequence of rat-derived P. carinii was hybridized with the amplified products from rat- and mouse-derived P. carinii, but not with rabbit or human P. carinii DNA. Restriction profiles were performed on amplified fragments from all isolates, and the 4 nucleotide sequences of the TS gene fragment amplifed from rat, mouse, rabbit and human P. carinii were determined. Differences were detected in the gene fragment in P. carinii isolates from the 4 host species; however no difference was revealed in P. carinii isolates within a single host species, whatever the host strain or its geographic origin. Thus, the sequence differences of the P. carinii TS gene appeared as host-species specific. A specific probe which recognized all human P. carinii isolates was defined.