Case report and review of septicemia due to Serratia ficaria.

Serratia ficaria was first described in 1979 as part of the fig tree ecosystem (P.A.D. Grimont, F. Grimont, and M. P. Starr, Curr. Microbiol. 2:277-282, 1979). Since then, it has been isolated from clinical specimens from a few human patients (C. Bollet, J. Freney, P. de Micco, F. Grimont, and P.A.D. Grimont, Méd. Mal. Infect. 20:97-100, 1990; J.A. Brouillard, W. Hansen, and A. Compere, J. Clin. Microbiol. 19:902-904, 1984; H. Darbas, H. Jean-Pierre, G. Boyer, and M. Riviere, Méd. Mal. Infect. 23:269-270, 1993; V.J. Gill, J.J. Farmer, III, P.A.D. Grimont, M.A. Asbury, and C.L. McIntosh, J. Clin. Microbiol. 14:234-236, 1981; F.D. Pien and J.J. Farmer III, South. Med. J. 76:1591-1592, 1983; C. Richard, J. de Coquet, and C. Suc, Méd. Mal. Infect. 19:45-47, 1989), but the pathogenicity of S. ficaria was always questionable. We are reporting the case of an aged cancer patient who developed S. ficaria septicemia. The habitat of this organism and its potential role as a pathogen are discussed.     

IBMTR/ABMTR 2001 Oral Presentations

TRANSPLANTATION OF UNRELATED UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD TO CORRECT GENETIC DISEASES IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS Kurtzberg, J.; Howrey, R.P.; Szabolcs, P.M.; Driscoll, T.A.; Ciocci, G.; Wood, S.; Stevens, C.E.; Rubinstein,P.; Martin,P.L.REASSESSMENT OF ABO-INCOMPATIBILITY IN HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION Stussi, G.; Muntwyler, J.; Seebach, L.; Passweg, J.; Schanz, U.; Gratwohl, A.; Gmur, J.; Seebach, J.DECREASED TRANSPLANT RELATED MORTALITY AFTER THYMOGLOBULINE CONDITIONING BEFORE BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION USING UNRELATED DONORS. RESULTS FROM A MATCHED COHORT STUDY Remberger, M.; Storer, B.; Ringdén, O.; Anasetti, C.IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION AFTER ALLOGENEIC MARROW VERSUS BLOOD STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION Storek, J.; Dawson, M.A.; Storer, B.; Stevens-Ayers, T.; Maloney, D.G.; Boeckh, M.QUALITY OF LIFE AND SEXUAL LIFE IN PATIENTS POST HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION Park, E.; Lee, M.H.; Yoon, S.S.; Kim, W.S.; Park, C.SYNGENEIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION FOR METASTATIC BREAST CANCER Williams, S.; Rizzo, D.; Wu, J.; Antman,K.     

Macrophage antitumor activity: impaired responsiveness to interferon-gamma of macrophages from genetically defective mice

Macrophages (M phi) from the genetically defective mouse strains C3H/HeJ, A/J and P/J were unable to develop high levels of antitumor activities when stimulated either with immune recombinant interferon gamma (IFN-gamma) or with nonimmune IFN-alpha and IFN-beta, as compared to M phi or normal C3H/HeN mice. IFN-gamma appeared to be an exceptionally good activator of C3H/HeN M phi, as it could induce tumoricidal capacities 3000 times more efficiently than nonimmune IFN. The high efficiency of IFN-gamma as M phi activator was indeed confirmed on defective M phi. In fact, at high doses IFN-gamma could also induce significant levels of both cytolytic and cytostatic activity in M phi of A/J and P/J mice, although it could not increase cytotoxic activities of C3H/HeJ M phi.     

Monoclonal antibodies directed against a cell surface-exposed outer membrane protein of Haemophilus influenzae type b.

Strain variation in the level of resistance to malaria was investigated in inbred strains of mice after infection with Plasmodium chabaudi. When infected intraperitoneally with 10(6) P. chabaudi-parasitized erythrocytes, mice of 11 inbred strains could be separated into two groups by using survival time as the criterion; C57BL/6J, C57L/J, DBA/2J, CBA/J, and B10.A/SgSn mice were found to be resistant to P. chabaudi, whereas A/J, DBA/1J, BALB/c, C3H/HeJ, AKR/J, and SJL/J mice were susceptible. An examination of F1 hybrids revealed that resistance was dominant over susceptibility. A segregation analysis of backcross and F2 progeny derived from susceptible A/J and resistant B10.A/SgSn parental mice suggested that host resistance in this strain combination was genetically controlled by a single, dominant, non-H-2-linked gene. Inheritance of resistance was autosomal, but expression of the trait was influenced by the sex of the host, female mice being more resistant than male mice. Phenotypic expression of the resistance gene was apparent within 6 days of infection as a significant difference between resistant and susceptible mice in the level of parasitemia. A preliminary analysis of the mechanism of resistance showed that compared with susceptible A/J mice, resistant B10.A/SgSn hosts had an augmented erythropoietic response during the course of malaria, as well as phenylhydrazine-induced anemia. These results suggest that the ability to replace destroyed erythrocytes quickly and efficiently may determine host survival after infection with P. chabaudi.     

ASBMT 2001 Oral Presentations

ENHANCED IMMUNE RECONSTITUTION BY INTERLEUKIN-7 (IL-7) ADMINISTRATION AFTER ALLOGENEIC BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION IN MURINE MODELS Alpdogan, O.; Schmaltz, C.; Muriglan, S.J.; Kappel, B.J.; Rotolo, J.; van den Brink, M.TRANSPLANTED GENE-MARKED MARROW MESENCHYMAL CELLS ENGRAFT AND BENEFIT CHILDREN WITH SEVERE OSTEOGENESIS IMPERFECTA: A PILOT TRIAL FOR MARROW CELL THERAPY OF MESENCHYMAL DISORDERS Horwitz, E.M. ; Gordon, P.L.; Koo, W.K.; Neel, M.D.; Brown, P.S.; Marx, J.C.; Hofmann,T.J.MONITORING THE "CYTOKINE STORM" ASPECT OF ACUTE GVHD BY MONOCYTE I.C. FLOW CYTOMETRY: POSITIVE CORRELATION WITH GVHD ONSET, SEVERITY, AND RESPONSE TO THERAPY Foley, J.E.; Leitzau, J.; Castro, K.; Kasten-Sportes, C.; Bishop,M.R.; Fowler,D.H.CO-ADMINISTRATION OF DONOR LYMPHOCYTE INFUSIONS (DLI) AND TUMOR VACCINES LEADS TO POTENT GVT EFFECT AGAINST METASTATIC BREAST AND COLON CANCER AND INDUCES ANTIGEN-SPECIFIC T CELLS Luznik, L.; Jill, S.E.; Ivan, B.; Hyam, L.; Drew, P.M.; Ephraim, F.J.BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTATION (BMT) FOR SICKLE CELL DISEASE (SCD): UPDATED RESULTS OF A MULTICENTER INVESTIGATION Walters, M.C.; Patience, M.; Leisenring, W.; Storb, R.; Sullivan, K.M.     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
The Morphology of the Human Sperm. Electron microscopic investigations of the ultrastructure. By J. S chultz -L aksen
Ciba Foundation Symposium on Medical Biology and Etruscan Origins. Edited by G. E. W. W olstenholme
What is Cybernetics? By G. T. G uilbaud . Translated by V alerie M ac K ay
Théorie des Oraphes et ses Applications. By C. B erge
Abnormal Haemoglobins. A symposium organized by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Science. Edited by J. H. P. J onxis and J. F. D elafresnaye
Maladies Héréditaires du Metabolisme Chez l'Enfant. By M. L amy , P. R oyer et J. F rézal
Textbook of Comparative Histology. By W arren A ndrew
An Introduction to Medical Genetics. By J. A. F raser R oberts
Numbers from Experiments: a Basic Analysis of Variation. By C. C. Li
Genetik des Menschen. Lehrbuch der Humangenetik. By O tmar F reiherr von V erschuer     

Complement component C3 secretion by mouse macrophage-like cell lines

Secretion of complement component C3 by the mouse macrophage-like cell lines PU5-1.8, J774A.1, RAW264.7, and P388D1 was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for mouse C3. All cell lines secreted antigenically detectable C3 with the relative secreted C3/10(6) cells/24 h ranked as J774A.1 greater than P388D1 greater than or equal to PU5-1.8 much greater than RAW264.7. C3 secretion was enhanced two- to fourfold in cultures of all cell lines when treated with lipopolysaccharide, streptococcal cell walls, or lymphokine-containing supernatant fluids of mitogen-stimulated spleen cells. A differential induction of C3 synthesis and secretion was indicated since secreted lysozyme and total cellular protein were not elevated in a manner comparable to C3. The relative inducibility of cell lines for C3 secretion in either lipopolysaccharide- or cell wall-treated cells could be ranked as PU5-1.8 greater than P388D1 greater than J774A.1 greater than RAW264.7. C3 secretion was inhibited by cycloheximide or hydrocortisone. Mouse macrophage-like cell lines retain baseline and inducible C3 synthetic activities as do normal macrophages and can serve as homogeneous cultures in which to study regulation of complement biosynthesis.     

Characterization of a peptide-loading compartment by monoclonal antibodies

Whether or not peptide-loading compartments are classical or specialized compartments of the endocytic pathway of antigen presenting cells is still a matter of debate. One way to solve this discrepancy would be to characterize specific markers for the peptide-loading compartment. We chose to generate monoclonal antibodies against the peptide-loading compartment that we previously characterized as lysozyme loading compartment (LLC) [Escola, J.M., Grivel, J.C., Chavrier, P., Gorvel, J.P., 1995. Different endocytic compartments are involved in the tight association of class II molecules with processed hen egg lysozyme and ribonuclease A in B cells. J. Cell Sci. 108, 2337; Escola, J.M., Deleuil, F., Stang, E., Boretto, J., Chavrier, P., Gorvel, J.P., 1996. Characterization of a lysozyme-major histocompatibility complex class II molecule-loading compartment as a specialized recycling endosome in murine B lymphocytes. J. Biol Chem. 271, 27360]. A preliminary screening by dot blot enabled us to identify several monoclonal antibodies recognizing the LLC and not early and late endosomes. One of these antibodies, the 20C4, was then characterized. It is directed against mature class II molecules of all murine haplotypes. By electron microscopy, 20C4 labeling was restricted to both the plasma membrane and the LLC. These reagents may be useful in the further characterization of the specialized function of these intracellular organelles.     

Molecular characterization of clustered variants of genes encoding major surface antigens of human Pneumocystis carinii.

A 13-kb genomic fragment from human Pneumocystis carinii was cloned as repetitive DNA. The fragment contains a cluster of three related genes, each 3 kb in size, and the 5' end of a fourth gene. The predicted polypeptide of the first gene in the cluster comprises 1,030 amino acid residues with a total molecular mass of 116 kDa. The gene's predicted amino acid sequence bears 32% identity to predicted sequences of recently described gene fragments of ferret P. carinii, which encode an immunodominant surface glycoprotein (gpA) (P. J. Haidaris, T. W. Wright, F. Gigliotti, and C. G. Haidaris, J. Infect. Dis. 166:1113-1123, 1992), and 36% identity to the predicted sequence of a rat P. carinii major surface glycoprotein gene (msg) (J. A. Kovacs, F. Powell, J. C. Edman, B. Lundgren, A. Martinez, B. Drew, and C. W. Angus, J. Biol. Chem. 268:6034-6040). DNA hybridization showed that sequences related to the cloned msg genes reside on at least 12 chromosomes of human P. carinii at various degrees of multiplicity and/or homology. Affinity-purified antibodies with specificity to a fusion protein made from the human P. carinii msgI gene recognized two bands on a Western immunoblot containing total human P. carinii protein; they also recognized fusion proteins derived from the other two genes of the cluster. Monoclonal antibodies with reactivity to Msg of human P. carinii recognized fusion proteins produced from two msg genes. Fusion proteins were also recognized by sera from healthy humans and from patients. The msg genes are candidates for the development of immunotherapy and subunit vaccines for the treatment and prevention of P. carinii pneumonia.     

Analysis of macrophage bactericidal function in genetically resistant and susceptible mice by using the temperature-sensitive mutant of Listeria monocytogenes.

Innate resistance to infection by Listeria monocytogenes is genetically controlled and is critically dependent on prompt macrophage recruitment to the sites of infection. Experiments reported here were designed to examine whether there was an additional, qualitative difference between the intrinsic bactericidal activity of the inflammatory macrophages of genetically resistant (C57BL/6J) and susceptible (A/J) hosts. To critically evaluate the bactericidal (rather than bacteriostatic) function of the macrophage, a temperature-sensitive (ts) mutant of L. monocytogenes was developed. Mutagenesis was induced with nitrosoguanidine, and the ts mutants were isolated following enrichment with penicillin-gentamicin combinations. The ts mutants were found to carry the cell surface and biochemical characteristics of the original wild-type strain of L. monocytogenes. Inflammatory peritoneal macrophages from resistant C57BL/6J mice were found to have enhanced listericidal activity when compared with inflammatory macrophages from susceptible A/J mice. However, further analysis of the macrophage populations revealed that this seemingly qualitative advantage was due to the relatively greater proportion of inflammatory macrophages present in the inflammatory exudates of resistant C57BL/6J mice. When homogeneous populations of pure inflammatory macrophages were compared, no interstrain differences in their listericidal activity in vitro were seen. These results suggest that the susceptibility of A/J strain mice to L. monocytogenes is not due to an intrinsic deficiency of the listericidal activity of the inflammatory macrophage. The slight increase in bactericidal activity of macrophages from resistant mice that was reported by others (C. J. Czuprynski, B. P. Canono, P. M. Henson, and P. A. Campbell, Immunology 55:511-518, 1985) is caused by the difference in the relative percentage of resident cells present in the peritoneal exudates from resistant and susceptible mice.     

Evidence of Thymus-Independent Local and Systemic Antibody Responses to Cryptosporidium parvum Infection in Nude Mice

Differences in susceptibility to persistent cryptosporidial infection between two strains of adult athymic nude mice prompted us to investigate the immune mechanism(s) that may control resistance to infection in these T-cell-deficient mice. We studied fecal oocyst shedding, serum and fecal parasite-specific antibody responses, and fecal immunoglobulin levels in athymic C57BL/6J nude and athymic BALB/cJ nude mice following oral inoculation with Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts at 8 to 9 weeks of age. C57BL/6J nude mice had significantly higher fecal parasite-specific immunoglobulin A (IgA) (days 27, 31, 35, and 42 postinoculation) and IgM (days 10, 17, 24, 28, 31, 38, 42, and 48 postinoculation) levels than BALB/cJ nude mice (P < 0.05) and significantly higher serum parasite-specific IgA levels at 63 days postinoculation (P < 0.03). Moreover, C57BL/6J nude mice shed significantly fewer C. parvum oocysts than BALB/cJ nude mice from days 52 to 63 postinoculation (P < 0.05). In contrast, BALB/cJ nude mice had higher levels of non-parasite-specific IgA (days 38 to 63 postinoculation) and IgM (days 24, 35, 38, and 52 postinoculation) than C57BL/6J nude mice in feces (P < 0.05). These data suggest that parasite-specific fecal antibodies may be associated with resistance to C. parvum in C57BL/6J nude mice.     

Liquid movement across the surface epithelium of large airways

The cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator CFTR gene is found on chromosome 7 [Kerem, B., Rommens, J.M., Buchanan, J.A., Markiewicz, D., Cox, T.K., Chakravarti, A., Buchwald, M., Tsui, L.C., 1989. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: genetic analysis. Science 245, 1073-1080; Riordan, J.R., Rommens, J.M., Kerem, B., Alon, N., Rozmahel, R., Grzelczak, Z., Zielenski, J., Lok, S., Plavsic, N., Chou, J.L., et al., 1989. Identification of the cystic fibrosis gene: cloning and characterization of complementary DNA. Science 245, 1066-1073] and encodes for a 1480 amino acid protein which is present in the plasma membrane of epithelial cells [Anderson, M.P., Sheppard, D.N., Berger, H.A., Welsh, M.J., 1992. Chloride channels in the apical membrane of normal and cystic fibrosis airway and intestinal epithelia. Am. J. Physiol. 263, L1-L14]. This protein appears to have many functions, but a unifying theme is that it acts as a protein kinase C- and cyclic AMP-regulated Cl(-) channel [Winpenny, J.P., McAlroy, H.L., Gray, M.A., Argent, B.E., 1995. Protein kinase C regulates the magnitude and stability of CFTR currents in pancreatic duct cells. Am. J. Physiol. 268, C823-C828; Jia, Y., Mathews, C.J., Hanrahan, J.W., 1997. Phosphorylation by protein kinase C is required for acute activation of cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator by protein kinase A. J. Biol. Chem. 272, 4978-4984]. In the superficial epithelium of the conducting airways, CFTR is involved in Cl(-) secretion [Boucher, R.C., 2003. Regulation of airway surface liquid volume by human airway epithelia. Pflugers Arch. 445, 495-498] and also acts as a regulator of the epithelial Na(+) channel (ENaC) and hence Na(+) absorption [Boucher, R.C., Stutts, M.J., Knowles, M.R., Cantley, L., Gatzy, J.T., 1986. Na(+) transport in cystic fibrosis respiratory epithelia. Abnormal basal rate and response to adenylate cyclase activation. J. Clin. Invest. 78, 1245-1252; Stutts, M.J., Canessa, C.M., Olsen, J.C., Hamrick, M., Cohn, J.A., Rossier, B.C., Boucher, R.C., 1995. CFTR as a cAMP-dependent regulator of sodium channels. Science 269, 847-850]. In this chapter, we will discuss the regulation of these two ion channels, and how they can influence liquid movement across the superficial airway epithelium.     

Reviews

Thomas Hunt Morgan. Pioneer of Genetics. By I an S hine and S ylvia W robel . 1976.
Modern Biology and Its Human Implications. B y J. A. V. B utler . 1976.
Human Haemoglobin Variants and Their Characteristics. By H. L ehmann and P. A. M. K ynoch . 1976.
Teratology and Congenital Malformations: A Comprehensive Guide to the Literature. Edited by L ois W einstein .
Colour Vision Deficiencies. Volume III. Edited by G. V erriest . Modern Problems in Ophthalmology. Volume 17.
Down's Anomaly. Second edition. By G. F. S mith and J. M. B erg .
Human Biology. Second edition. By G. A. H arrison , J. S. W einer , J. M. T anner and N. A. B arnicot .
The HLA System. An Introductory Survey. By A. S vejgaard , M. H auge , G. J ersild , P. P latz , L. P. R yder , L. S taub N ielsen and M. T homsen .
Foundations of Mathematical Genetics. By A. W. F. E dwards .
Humangenetik: Ein kurzes Handbuch. Band III/3. Hämatologie. Edited by P eter E mil B ecker .
Handbook of Statistical Distribution. B y J. K. P atel , C. H. K apadia and D. B. O wen .
Exercises Programmés de Génétique Médicale. By P. J albert , B. S ele , J. F eingold .
Patterns of Sexuality and Reproduction. By A lan S. P arkes .     

Macrophage activation during Plasmodium chabaudi AS infection in resistant C57BL/6 and susceptible A/J mice.

Macrophage activation was examined in resistant C57BL/6 and susceptible A/J mice during the course of blood-stage infection with Plasmodium chabaudi AS. Three parameters of macrophage activation (lipopolysaccharide [LPS]- and malaria antigen-induced tumor necrosis factor [TNF] production in vitro, phorbol myristate acetate [PMA]-induced production of oxygen metabolites in vitro, and Ia antigen expression) were assessed during infection in populations of peritoneal and splenic macrophages recovered from infected mice of the two strains. The peak level of LPS-induced TNF production in vitro by splenic macrophages from both infected C57BL/6 and infected A/J mice occurred on day 7, which was 3 days before the peak of parasitemia. Although the kinetics of TNF production in vitro in response to either LPS, soluble malaria antigen, or intact parasitized erythrocytes varied in some of the other macrophage populations during infection, there was no significant difference in the peak level of production. Peritoneal and splenic macrophages from infected C57BL/6 mice exhibited significantly increased PMA-induced production of H2O2 in vitro on day 7. Peritoneal macrophages from infected A/J mice also exhibited significant PMA-induced H2O2 production on day 7, while production by splenic macrophages from these hosts was not increased in comparison with production by cells from normal animals. Only peritoneal macrophages from infected C57BL/6 mice produced significantly increased levels of O2-, and this occurred on day 7 postinfection. Ia antigen expression by both peritoneal and splenic macrophages from resistant C57BL/6 and susceptible A/J mice was significantly increased during P. chabaudi AS infection. However, the percentage of Ia+ peritoneal macrophages on days 8 and 10 postinfection and Ia+ splenic macrophages on day 3 postinfection was significantly higher in C57BL/6 than in A/J mice. Thus, these results demonstrate that macrophages from P. chabaudi AS-infected A/J mice exhibit defects in oxygen metabolism and Ia antigen expression which may contribute to the susceptibility of these hosts to this intraerythrocytic parasite. The cause-and-effect relationship between these defects and the susceptibility of A/J mice to P. chabaudi AS is unknown.     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Down's Anomaly. By L. S. P enrose and G. F. S mith .
Genetic and Environmental Influences on Behaviour. Ed. by J. M. T hoday and A. S. P arkes .
'New Aspects of Human Genetics.' Ed. C. E. F ord and H arry H arris .
Eugenics and the Progressives. By D. K. P ickens .
Population Genetics. By W. J. E wens .
An Enquiry Concerning Growth, Disease and Ageing. By P hilip R. J. B urch .     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Outline of Human Genetics. By L. S. P enrose
The Molecular Basis of Neoplasia
Genetics and Dental Health. By C arl J. W itkop , Jr., ed.
Tròubles de l'Appareil Auditif et Manifestations Ophthalmologiques Associés. By R. G rimaud , P. M ounier -K uhn , M. G ignoux and H. M artin (with the collaboration of L. P aufique , G. B onamour , J. C ordier and J. B. D ureux )
An Introduction to Genetics. By A. H. S turtevant and G. W. B eadle
Changing Perspectives on the Genetic Effects of Radiation. By J. V. N eel
Birth Dejects. Edited by M orris F ishbein
Approaches to the Genetic Analysis of Mammalian Cells. Edited by D. J. M erchant and J. V. N eel
Studies in Genetics. By H. J. Müller
The Genetics of Migrant and Isolate Populations. Proceedings of a conference on human population genetics in Israel, held at the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Edited by Elisabeth Goldschmidt     

Food intake,water intake,and drinking spout side preference of 28 mouse strains

Male mice from 28 inbred strains (129P3/J, A/J, AKR/J, BALB/cByJ, BUB/BnJ, C3H/HeJ, C57BL/6J, C57L/J, CAST/Ei, CBA/J, CE/J, DBA/2J, FVB/NJ, I/LnJ, KK/HlJ, LP/J, NOD/LtJ, NZB/BlNJ, P/J, PL/J, RBF/DnJ, RF/J, RIIIS/J, SEA/GnJ, SJL/J, SM/J, SPRET/Ei, and SWR/J) were fed chow and had access to two water bottles. Body weight, food intake, water intake, and drinking spout side preference were measured. There were large strain differences in all the measures collected, with at least a two-fold difference between strains with the lowest and the highest trait values. Estimates of heritability ranged from 0.36 (spout side preference) to 0.87 (body weight). Body weight, food intake, and water intake were interrelated among the strains, although substantial strain variation in food and water intakes independent from body weight was present. The strain differences described here provide useful information for designing mutagenesis screens and choosing strains for genetic mapping studies.     

Genetic variance contributes to ingestive processes: A survey of mercaptoacetate-induced feeding in eleven inbred and one outbred mouse strains

The feeding response following administration of the free fatty acid oxidation inhibitor, mercaptoacetate (MA) is conceptualized as an experimental model of lipoprivation, which may contribute to the understanding of inter-individual differences in the modulation of this homeostatic response. Although variation in the intake of food, water and glucoprivation as well as intake of several nutrients is known to be associated with genetic variation, it is not known whether MA-induced feeding is similarly dependent upon genotype. The present study therefore examined MA-induced feeding in mice of 11 inbred (A/J, AKR/J, BALB/cJ, CBA/J, C3H/HeJ, C57BL6/J, C57BL10/J, DBA/2J, SJL/J, SWR/J, 129P3/J) and one outbred (CD-1) strains across a wide range of previously determined effective MA doses (5, 35, 70, 100 mg/kg) and test times (1-4 h). MA produced significant dose-dependent and strain-dependent increases in food intake with strong responses noted in DBA/2J, outbred CD-1 and AKR/J mice. More limited dose-specific increases in food intake following MA occurred in C3H/HeJ, BALB/cJ, CBA/J, SJL/J, SWR/J and C57BL/6J mice. In contrast, MA failed to significantly increase food intake in A/J, C57BL/10J and 129P/3J mice. MA-induced food intake correlated significantly across strains only following the two highest doses, and intake following only the highest MA dose correlated significantly across strains with intake following only a moderate glucoprivic dose of 2-deoxy-d-glucose. Thus, these inter-strain differences suggest that lipoprivic (e.g., MA intake) and glucoprivic (e.g., 2-deoxy-d-glucose intake) responsivity operate via only partially overlapping genetic mechanisms of action. The demonstration of genotype-dependent variability in this lipoprivic response may provide the basis for the subsequent identification of trait-relevant genes.     

Lung defenses against Pseudomonas aeruginosa in C5-deficient mice with different genetic backgrounds.

Lung defenses against Pseudomonas aeruginosa were investigated in C5-deficient strains of mice with different genetic backgrounds. We studied pulmonary clearance and cell responses after aerosol exposure to P. aeruginosa in C5-deficient B10.D2/oSnJ and DBA/2J mice and their closest C5-sufficient counterparts, B10.D2/nSnJ and DBA/1J mice. Different patterns of lung clearance and pulmonary cell responses were found for the two C5-deficient strains. C5-deficient B10.D2/oSnJ mice showed defective lung clearance of P. aeruginosa 4 h after challenge compared with C5-sufficient B10.D2/nSnJ animals. This finding was associated with a decreased number of polymorphonuclear leukocytes recruited into the airways during the same time. Interestingly, C5-deficient DBA/2J mice recruited higher numbers of polymorphonuclear leukocytes than did C5-sufficient DBA/1J mice by 4 h after aerosolization. Nevertheless, lung clearance of P. aeruginosa in DBA/2J mice was not as effective as in C5-sufficient DBA/1J mice, suggesting that other functions of C5 besides chemotaxism could be involved. Lung clearance of P. aeruginosa was also investigated in C5-deficient and -sufficient hybrids sharing the same genetic background (DBA/2J X B10.D2). The results suggested that murine lung clearance of P. aeruginosa is markedly affected by lack of C5 in a specific genetic background (B10.D2).     

Reviews

Book reviewed in this article:
Genetics of Man . By F. C larke F raser & J ames J. N ora .
Abberration du chromosome Y en pathologie médico-légale . By M. B enezech .
Benchmark Papers in Genetics , Vol. 3. Demographic Genetics . Edited by K enneth M. W eiss & P aul A. B allonoff .
Genetics of Man . By P aul A mos M oody .