Effects of intervarietal genetic heterogeneity in oats by results of F1 diallele analysis

Genetic analysis of seven oat varieties for eight traits which are the yield components was performed when studying the varieties and the F1 hybrids from their diallel crosses. Involvement of epistatic genes in genetic control of all the traits excluding the panicle density was established. By analysing the diallel tables with excluded data from the varieties with epistatic genes, it was revealed that hyperdominance is inherent to genetic control of the majority of traits studied. The dominant gene action exceeds the additive gene action. The genes "u" increasing the phenotypic displaying of the trait are always dominant and their frequency in the variety set under consideration is higher than the frequency of the genes "v" for all traits studied.     

Preparation of soybean seed samples for FT-IR microspectroscopy

Typical preparation of seed samples for infrared (IR) microspectroscopy involves imbibition of the seed for varying time periods followed by cryosectioning. Imbibition, however, may initiate germination even at 4° C with associated changes in the chemistry of the sample. We have found that it is possible to section seeds that are sufficiently hard, such as soybeans, on a standard laboratory microtome without imbibition. The use of dry sectioning of unimbibed seeds is reported here, as well as a comparison of different mounting media and modes of analysis. Glycerol, Tissue-Tek, and ethanol were used as mounting media, and the quality of the resulting spectra was assessed. Ethanol was the preferred mountant, because it dried quickly with no residue and thus did not interfere with the spectrum of interest. Analysis in transmission mode using barium fluoride windows to hold the samples was compared with transmission-reflection analysis with sections mounted on special infrared-reflecting slides. The two modes of analysis performed well in different regions of the spectrum. The mode of analysis (transmission vs. transmission-reflection) should be based on the components of greatest interest in the sample.     

Anti-tumor therapy with macroencapsulated endostatin producer cells

Background  

Theracyte is a polytetrafluoroethylene membrane macroencapsulation system designed to induce neovascularization at the tissue interface, protecting the cells from host's immune rejection, thereby circumventing the problem of limited half-life and variation in circulating levels. Endostatin is a potent inhibitor of angiogenesis and tumor growth. Continuous delivery of endostatin improves the efficacy and potency of the antitumoral therapy. The purpose of this study was to determine whether recombinant fibroblasts expressing endostatin encapsulated in Theracyte immunoisolation devices can be used for delivery of this therapeutic protein for treatment of mice bearing B16F10 melanoma and Ehrlich tumors.     

Effect of gametocidal chromosome 4S' on the phenotype segregation ratio in genetic analysis of common wheat lines

Using experimental data on genetic analysis of introgressive lines for the character "hairy leaf sheath" controlled by the "cuckoo" chromosome 4S1, the algorithm for calculation of the theoretical segregation ratio in F2 was developed. Segregation distortion is caused by non-viability of the majority of gametes lacking the chromosome 4S1. The frequency of functioning gametes without the chromosome 4S1 is determined by the probability p versus the theoretically expected ratio 7 nonviable: 9 viable ones. Since segregation involves two characters, gamete viability and hairiness, the ratio 15 hairy: 1 hairless was used as a basis for search of the frequency p by maximum-likelihood method using 16 populations F2 from crossing the lines differing in the character studied.     

Dependence of the results of a genetic analysis of self-pollinating cereal species on the specificity of the mapping population

The available in literature information as for results of genetic analysis of several self-pollinating cereal species involving the use of plant lines with alien genetic material as the object of analysis is summarized. The restrictions caused by specificity of the investigated material as for the possible explanation of the obtained results are emphasized. Several suggestions concerning the preliminary study of introgressive plant lines before their including into experimental programs on genetic analysis are made.     

Genetic analysis of oat (Avena sativa L.) by joint scaling test

Comparing the results of genetic analysis of oat varieties with the method of diallel analysis of F1 hybrids and with the joint scaling test the spheres of optimal application of both methods were determined. Quantitative estimation of genetic parameters forming the phenotypic averages in scaling test develops the necessary base for involvement of marker genes for qualitative characters in search of QTLs controlling the traits with continuous variation. The crosses being the most suitable for further investigation with the aim to identify and to allocate the main genes of quantitative traits are indicated.     

EcoRI- and BamHI-families of repeated sequences in mustelids

The restriction enzymes EcoRI and BamHI digest the genomic DNAs from six mustelids species Mustela lutreola, M. vision, M. erminea, M. sibirica, Vormela peregusna, producing repeated fragments varying in length. Some fragments were hybridized to chromosomes and restriction digests of DNAs from some mustelids and other mammals. The 0.7 kb EcoRI repeats from DNA of M. erminea are dispersed over chromosomes of carnivors. The 1.35, 1.9 and 2.7 kb BamHI repeats from DNA of polecat M. putorius furo are specific for mustelids. These repeats demonstrate interspecific variation in length and the number of copies. All BamHI repeats have no strict tandem organization. The 1.9 kb BamHI repeats are concentrated in the heterochromatic pericentromeric regions and additional chromosome arms. The 1.35 kb BamHI repeats are only located in the centromeric regions of chromosomes of five species and are absent in Vormela peregusna.     

Phylogenetic relations of closely related species of Mustelidae. Interspecies variability of localization of restriction sites of BamHI-repeats

The patterns of blot-hybridization of cloned BamHI repeats to genome DNAs were applied for estimation of phylogenetic relationships of closely related species (Mustela (L.) lutreola, M. (P.) putorius, M. (K.) sibirica, M. (M.) erminea, M. (L.) vision, Vormela peregusna). On the basis of information about interspecific distribution of the blot-hybridization bands (+, -) of BamHI repeats, phylogenetic tree was constructed, after selection of compatible characters, which revealed essential rate ununiformity during mustelids' evolution.