The position of the epistatic S locus in the halothane linkage group in pigs

The linkage of the Phi, Pgd, Po2, S, H and halothane sensitivity loci was followed in a Belgian Landrace family, heterozygous for these systems over 6 generations. Recombination next to the S locus occurred mainly in pigs belonging to this particular family. From this investigation the position of the S locus is proved to be outwith the Phi-Pgd region, next to Phi . Therefore the gene sequence S - Phi - Hal -H- Po2 -Pgd is proposed. Higher recombination rates were observed in the female parental line of the multiheterozygous family when compared to the male parental line. Additional data from animals, unrelated to this strain, confirm the evidence of close linkage of the S system to the nearest marker loci.     

Multi-species response to rapid environmental change in a large estuary system: A biochronological approach

The sensitivity of species to environmental change is dependent on their ecological requirements (i.e. specialist v. generalist), and hence likely to be species-specific. Identifying species level variation in environmental sensitivity informs assessments of community vulnerability and assists in developing adaptive management strategies. We investigated species-specific sensitivity in fish to understand the vulnerability of differing life histories and ecological requirements to rapid environmental alteration (i.e. drought). Biochronologies of fish growth, based on increment widths in otoliths, were analysed using a mixed modelling approach. We assessed multi-decadal responses in fish growth to environmental variation in the terminal system of Australia’s largest river, for three long-lived fish species with differing life histories and ecological requirements: a freshwater specialist and two estuarine generalists. Biochronologies were between 20 and 38 years long, spanned a decade of severe drought and showed considerable inter-annual variation in growth. Precipitation influenced the growth of the obligate freshwater specialist, Macquaria ambigua ambigua. Temperature and salinity influenced the growth of the two estuarine generalists: Argyrosomus japonicus (estuarine opportunist) and Acanthopagrus butcheri (estuarine dependent), respectively. These results suggest that generalisations about how species respond to environmental change may mask species-specific responses to dependent on the constraints of their ecological requirements (i.e. specialist v. generalist). These findings also highlight the importance of considering the diversity of life history strategies that inhabit an ecosystem when developing conservation and management strategies.     

A 15N nuclear magnetic resonance study of the biosynthesis of quinoxaline antibiotics

Uniformly ¹⁵N-labelled triostin A and echinomycin have been prepared by growing the producing organisms on enriched media and their ¹⁵N nuclear magnetic resonance spectra partially assigned by a combination of nuclear Overhauser effect and scalar coupling constant measurements. Selective feeding experiments using unlabelled L-tryptophan-supplemented media have shown that N-1 and N-4 of the quinoxaline rings have their origins in the indole and amino groups of tryptophan, respectively.     

Bacterial ecology, antibiotics and selection for virulence

The evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is well known. Here I describe possible mechanisms by which an increased rate of re-colonization of vertebrate guts by microbes caused by antibiotic use could lead to selection for increased virulence in currently mutualistic or benign microbes. The importance of understanding both the source and the frequency of colonization in such mutualisms is stressed and the possible importance of pseudo-vertical transmission in the evolution of these systems is discussed. A number of areas requiring experimental investigation are identified.     

Tn1545: a conjugative shuttle transposon

Summary Tn1545, from Streptococcus pneumoniae BM4200, confers resistance to kanamycin (aphA-3), erythromycin (ermAM) and tetracycline (tetM). The 25.3 kb element is self-transferable to various Gram-positive bacterial genera where it transposes. Tn1545 was cloned in its entirety in the recombination deficient Escherichia coli HB101 where it was unstable. The three resistance genes aphA-3, ermAM and tetM were expressed but were not transferable to other E. coli cells. Tn1545 transposed from the hybrid plasmid to multiple sites of the chromosome of its new host. The element re-transposed, at a frequency of 5×10^-9, from the chromosome to various sites of a conjugative plasmid where it could be lost by apparently clean excision. The element transformed and transposed to the chromosome of Bacillus subtilis. The properties of the conjugative shuttle transposon Tn1545 may account for the recent emergence of genes from Gram-positive bacteria in Gramnegative organisms.     

Population and pharmacogenetic studies on serum cholinesterase (E): estimates of theE 1 andE 2 allele frequencies for the population of Central Italy,and of the correlation between E activity and sensitivity to succinylcholine (SCC)

392 random patients treated with SCC prior to surgery were assayed for pseudocholinesterase activity and electrophoretic pattern. The estimate of the percent frequencies of theE ₁ ^a allele were 1.16±0.38 and of the C₅ (+) phenotype 9.7±1.5, both typical of Caucasian populations. By combining the presentE ₁ ^a gene frequency estimate with that from another sample of the same population (Cermele et al., 1987) a better estimate with smaller confidence limits was obtained, that is: 1,14±0,27. One subject interpreted asE ₁ ^a E ₁ ^a on phenotypic grounds was also found (expected 0,05) in this random sample. A correlation coefficient of −0.521 was found between E activity and myorelaxation time in the whole sample. High correlation values (r=−0.55 and r=−0.46) were found forE ₁ ^u E ₁ ^u ; C₅ (−) andE ₁ ^u E ₁ ^u ; C₅ (+) individuals, respectively, showing a strong dependence of the latter variable on the former one even within apparently homogeneous classes. The use of the product of these two variables as a classification criterion allowed the identification of a subject with very long myorelaxation time but normal activity.     

Glutathione status and sensitivity to GSH-reacting compounds of Escherichia coli strains deficient in glutathione metabolism and/or catalase activity

The intracellular concentrations of total glutathione, GSSG and protein · S-SG, the total excreted glutathione concentration, and the susceptibility towards GSH-reacting compounds were assayed in strains of Escherichia coli deficient in biosynthesis and/or reduction of glutathione. A deficiency in glutathione reductase displaced the glutathione status towards the oxidized forms. This displacement was more clearly appreciated in strains additionally deficient in glutathione biosynthesis. A deficiency in catalase activity also produced an increase in the oxidation of glutathione. The most severe changes were observed in the concentrations of protein-glutathione mixed disulfides and in the amount of glutathione excreted to the medium. Increased sensitivities towards compounds known to interact with cellular GSH were observed in glutathione reductase deficient strains, although these effects were enhanced in strains additionally deficient in GSH biosynthesis     

Plasmid profiles and antibiotic susceptibility of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 5, and 7

Abstract This paper describes the plasmid profiles obtained for 73 of 96 field isolates of Haemophilus pleuropneumoniae serotypes 1, 3, 5, and 7. We also characterized the antibiotic susceptibilities of these 96 isolates. Because of the high proportion of isolates resistant to some of the antibiotics, no conclusions can be drawn as to the role of plasmids in antibiotic resistance.     

Ribosomal protein S12 as a site for streptomycin resistance in Nicotiana chloroplasts

Summary A streptomycin resistant Nicotiana plastome mutant, X/str ^R6, was subjected to molecular analysis. In this mutant, a single nucleotide transition, C » T, in the chloroplast gene for ribosomal protein S12 alters codon 90 from proline to serine while the nucleotide sequence of the chloroplast 16 S rRNA gene is identical to that of the wild type. Mutant X/str ^R6 thus differs from several previously reported streptomycin resistant chloroplast mutants which are altered in the gene for 16 S rRNA.