The structure and evolution of the spider monkey delta-globin gene

We have isolated the delta-globin gene of the New-World spider monkey, Ateles geoffroyi, and compared its nucleotide sequence with those of other primate delta- and beta-globin genes. Among primate delta-globin genes, the rate of nonsynonymous substitutions is much less than the rate of synonymous substitutions. This suggests that primate delta- globin genes may remain under evolutionary conservation, perhaps because hemoglobin A2 has an as yet unknown physiological importance.      

Effect of Zeitgeber Intensity Reduction on a Simulated Dual-Oscillator Human Circadian System: Classical and Dynamic Analysis

The two-oscillator model of human circadian rhythmicity was analyzed when a zeitgeber relative intensity of 1, 0.5, or 0.1 was introduced into the equations. Fourier analysis was compared with dynamic analysis such as attractor reconstruction or Liapunov exponent calculation. After a 50 or 90% reduction in zeitgeber intensity, the dynamics of the system became equivalent and differed significantly from those of a system with maximal zeitgeber intensity. When 10% aleatory noise was added to the data, the analysis was still applicable, and the results obtained were essentially the same as in the absence of noise. Dynamic analysis could thus provide a distinct classification for periodic data, based on the type of analysis.     

Biochemical pathways in prokaryotes can be traced backward through evolutionary time

For the first time, a credible prokaryotic phylogenetic tree is being assembled by Woese and others using quantitative sequence analysis of oligonucleotides in the highly conservative rRNA. This provides an evolutionary scale against which the evolutionary steps that led to the arrangement and regulation of contemporary biochemical pathways can be measured. This paper presents an emerging evolutionary picture of aromatic amino acid biosynthesis within a large superfamily assemblage of prokaryotes that is sufficiently developed to illustrate a new perspective that will be applicable to many other biochemical pathways.      

The evolutionary history of the amylase multigene family in Drosophila pseudoobscura

In Drosophila pseudoobscura, the amylase (Amy) multigene family is contained within a series of inversions, or gene arrangements, on the third chromosome. The Standard (ST), Santa Cruz (SC), and Tree Line (TL) inversions are central to the phylogeny of arrangements, and have clusters of other arrangements derived from them. The gene arrangements belonging to each of these three clusters have a characteristic number of Amy genes, ranging from three in ST to two in SC to one in TL. This distribution pattern can reflect a history of either duplications or deletions, although the data available in the past did not permit a decision between these alternatives. We provide unambiguous evidence that three Amy genes were present before the divergence of the ST, SC, and TL arrangements. Thus, the current status of the Amy multigene family is the result of deletions in the TL and SC arrangements, which created three new pseudogenes: TL Amy2-psi, TL Amy3-psi, and SC Amy3- psi. Analysis of pseudogene sequences revealed that, in the SC and ST arrangements, pseudogene evolution has been retarded, most likely due to the homogenization effect of gene conversion. Finally, by determining the original copy number, we have reconstructed the evolutionary history of the Amy multigene family and linked it with the evolution of the central gene arrangements.      

USE OF SENSORY EVALUATION FOR MEASURING DEODORIZING EFFECTS OF AN AIR CONDITIONER

The application of sensory methodology for measuring deodorizing effect of an air conditioner equipped with electric plasma was introduced. Deodorizing effect was measured using chemical and sensory methods at different time (0, 30 and 60 min) and mode (control, blowing and cooling) of an air conditioner. Smoke from a roll of cigarette in a closed room was used as a source of odor and the concentrations of acetic acid and ammonia were measured as odorous chemical components. As one of the sensory methods triangle test was used and as a first step to obtain deodorizing effects by triangle test, the threshold of each panelist was obtained as the log dilution ratio of odor concentration at which the difference from odorless air was detected. The odor concentration at each time and mode was calculated using the threshold of the panel and the deodorizing effect was obtained on the basis of the odor concentration. In addition to a triangle test, scaling methods such as category scaling or magnitude estimation were used to measure deodorizing effect of an air conditioner. Deodorizing effects by scaling methods were calculated based on odor intensity with time at each mode. The regression analysis was done between the efficacy of deodorizing effect by sensory test and those by acetic acid and ammonia, the R² values of the regression equations for triangle test, category scale, and magnitude estimation were 0.84, 0.72 and 0.69, respectively. Deodorizing effect by triangle test explained the decrease of acetic acid and ammonia better than those by category scaling or magnitude estimation while high cost and time consuming labor involved in triangle tests reduced the merit. The results of this study demonstrated that various sensory methods could be used to measure deodorizing effect of air conditioners and further researches on fast and reliable methods are needed to establish the official procedures.     

Mutational analysis of the ICP4 binding sites in the 5'' transcribed noncoding domains of the herpes simplex virus 1 UL 49.5 gamma 2 gene.

A previous report (P. Mavromara-Nazos and B. Roizman, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 86:4071-4075, 1989) demonstrated that substitution of sequences of the thymidine kinase (tk) gene, a beta gene, extending from -16 to +51 with sequences extending from -12 to +104 of the gamma 2 UL 49.5 gene in viral recombinant R3820 conferred upon the chimeric gene gamma 2 attributes in the context of the viral genome in a productive infection. The UL49.5 gene sequences extending from -179 to +104 contain four DNA binding sites for the major regulatory protein ICP4. Of these sites, two map between nucleotides +20 and +80 within the sequence which confers gamma 2 regulation upon the chimeric gene. To determine the role of these ICP4 binding sites in conferring the gamma 2 gene attributes, sequences comprising the two ICP4 binding sites were mutagenized and used to reconstruct the R3820 recombinant virus. In addition, a new recombinant virus (R8023) was constructed in which tk sequences extending from -240 to +51 were replaced with wild-type or mutated sequences contained between nucleotides -179 to +104 of the UL 49.5 gene. Vero cells infected with the recombinant viruses in the presence or absence of phosphonoacetate, a specific inhibitor of viral DNA synthesis, were then tested for accumulation of tk RNA by using an RNase protection assay. The results indicate that in the recombinant R3820, a mutation which destroyed one of the two UL49.5 ICP4 DNA binding sites significantly reduced the accumulation of tk RNA at both early and late times after infection. The effect of this mutation was less pronounced in cells infected with the R8023 virus, whose chimeric tk gene contains the two upstream UL49.5 ICP4 binding sites. None of the mutations affected the sensitivity of the chimeric genes to phosphonoacetate. The mutated site appears to be involved in the accumulation of RNA.     

Phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and cardiolipin in the course of early embryonic development. Fatty acid composition and content in whole toad embryos and in mitochondrial fractions

The fatty acid composition and content of phosphatidylinositol, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidic acid have been studied during the early development of toad embryos. Acidic phospholipids have been analyzed in whole oocytes and embryos and in the following subcellular fractions: yolk platelets, mitochondria and microsomes. Also cardiolipin, a mitochondrial phospholipid, has been analyzed. Gastrula stage embryos have shown, mainly in the mitochondrial fraction, an increase in the content of phosphatidic acid, phosphatidylserine and phosphatidylinositol with respect to unfertilized oocytes. Changes in the distribution of acyl groups of phosphatidic acid have been detected when different subcellular fractions are compared. On the other hand, the phosphatidylserine composition remains unmodified. Arachidonate and stearate are the principal components of phosphatidylinositol. Cardiolipin shows the same composition up to gastrulation and linoleate comprises about 50% of the total acyl groups.     

Studies on thermophilic cellulolytic fungi

Three thermophilic cellulolytic fungi, Chaetomium thermophile var. coprophile, Sporotrichum thermophile, and Thermoascus aurantiacus were studied to determine the conditions for a high rate of cellulose degradation. The range of temperature over which good growth occurred was determined first in a temperature gradient incubator; the optimum temperature was then established in shake flask cultures. T. aurantiacus had the highest optimum growth temperature range (46 to 51 C), whereas S. thermophile had the broadest range over which good growth occurred (36 to 43 C). Optimum temperatures for the three organisms, T. aurantiacus, S. Thermophile, and C. thermophile were 48, 40, and 40 C, respectively. It was found that the addition of an organic carbon and nitrogen source to a cellulose mineral solution medium markedly increased the rate of cellulose degradation. The surfactant, Tween 80, which has been reported to be of value in the production and recovery of the enzyme, cellulase, was shown to be detrimental to the degradation of cellulose in culture. In the medium used, S. thermophile gave the highest rate of substrate utilization; 56% of the cellulose was hydrolyzed in 72 h. The average degree of polymerization of cellulose decreased from 745 to 575.