Discrimination of single-copy IS6110 DNA fingerprints of Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates by high-resolution minisatellite-based typing

Seven isoniazid-resistant isolates with mutations in the NADH dehydrogenase (ndh) gene were molecularly typed by IS6110-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis. All seven isolates with the R268H mutation had identical 1.4-kb IS6110 fingerprints. High-resolution minisatellite-based typing discriminated five of these isolates; two isolates were identical.     

Reversible G(1) arrest by dimethyl sulfoxide as a new method to synchronize Chinese hamster cells

Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a well-known differentiation inducer in several myeloid cells, also induces a reversible G(1) arrest in many cell lines. We recently showed that DMSO induces a G(1) phase arrest in Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, by restoring contact inhibition and preventing high density-dependent apoptosis. CHO cells are frequently used in cell biology and mutagenesis studies due to their good growth capacity and ease of manipulation but are very difficult to synchronize by serum starvation since they detach from monolayers when they reach confluence. In this study we investigated the possibility of using DMSO to reversibly synchronize CHO cells in the G(1) phase of the cell cycle and analysed whether toxic effects follow the arrest using growth curve, sister chromatid exchange and micronuclei assays. We carried out a kinetic analysis of the arrest by DMSO and re-entry into the cell cycle after drug release by cytofluorimetric analysis of DNA content and bromodeoxyuridine incorporation. We show that CHO cells are efficiently and reversibly arrested in G(1) by DMSO in concentrations ranging between 1 and 2%. In our experiments, >90% of cells grown for 96 h in presence of the drug were arrested in G(1) and synchronously re-entered S phase approximately 8-12 h after release. Furthermore, expression levels of p27 were down-regulated during G(1) progression and cyclin D3 and E expression patterns were similar to those observed after serum starvation. No detectable cytotoxicity or genetic damage were induced in G(1) released cells as revealed by the tests employed. Our results show that DMSO is a very powerful inducer of G(1) synchronization in CHO cells without detectable cytotoxic or genetic effects in cell populations released from G(1) arrest. DMSO synchronization represents a model system in which to analyse protein activities regulating G(1) progression and investigate the response of G(1) cells to mutagen treatments.     

Drosophila dSAP18 is a nuclear protein that associates with chromosomes and the nuclear matrix, and interacts with pinin, a protein factor involved in RNA splicing

SAP18 is a highly conserved protein that was proposed to be involved in multiple cellular processes from autophagy to gene regulation and mRNA processing. In this paper we show that, in Drosophila, dSAP18 is a predominantly nuclear protein that associates to both chromosomes and the nuclear matrix. dSAP18 becomes nuclear early during development, at the onset of cellularization, and remains so all through embryo development. dSAP18 is also nuclear in salivary glands, ovaries and cultured S2 cells. Here we also show that dSAP18 forms a complex with the Drosophila homolog of pinin (dPnn), a protein factor involved in mRNA splicing. dSAP18-dPnn interaction was confirmed in vivo, through co-immunoprecipitation experiments, as well as in vitro, through GST pull-down assays. These results are discussed in the context of the possible functions played by SAP18.     

Effect of denervation on the endogenous phosphorylating activity in the cytosol of rat skeletal muscle

An endogenous phosphorylating activity is demonstrated in the cytosol from soleus muscle of the rat which is markedly stimulated after severing the motor nerve fibers to this muscle. The [γ-³²P]ATP phosphotransferase reaction is heat-labile, dependent upon Mg²⁺ but not Ca²⁺ or cyclic GMP, inhibited by a cyclic AMP dependent protein kinase inhibitor, and directly related to the amount of cytosolic protein which provides the endogenous source of both the protein kinase enzyme, ATP, cyclic AMP and phosphorylatable protein substrate. The time-course of the delayed transitory stimulation of the cytosolic phosphorylating activity of the denervated soleus may involve neurotropic factors.     

A cytogenetic survey of an institution for the mentally retarded: I. Chromosome abnormalities

A cytogenetic survey of 475 patients in an institution for the mentally retarded is reported. The chromosomes of all patients were studied using both a non-banding and a G-banding technique in order to estimate the relative efficiency of the two technique in detecting structural rearrangements of the chromosomes. A total of 57 patients was found to have a chromosome abnormality, including five with a balanced structural rearrangement. The contribution of chromosome aberrations to the etiology of mental retardation is discussed with special emphasis on the contribution of balanced structural rearrangements.     

5′-Cytosine DNA-methyltransferase mRNA levels in hereditary colon carcinoma

 DNA methylation plays an important part in the regulation of gene expression. Alterations in DNA methylation in tumours have been reported and have been used to generate hypotheses about mutagenesis and silencing of tumour suppressor genes. However, the underlying mechanism is still poorly understood, and conflicting data on the levels of overexpression of 5′-cytosine DNA methyltransferase in sporadic colon carcinoma have been published. We used a competitive RT-PCR assay for quantification of mRNA of 5′-cytosine DNA methyltransferase in colon biopsies obtained from patients with hereditary colon carcinoma syndromes and compared the results with those obtained in a control group. No significant difference was found between the flat mucosa of FAP patients and the mucosa of the control group. In FAP and HNPCC patients, the 5′-cytosine DNA methyltransferase mRNA levels of adenomas were significantly higher (P<0.05) than of flat mucosa in the same group, but both showed great variability from patient to patient. Our findings suggest that the mRNA levels of methyltransferase cannot be used as predictive marker for screening in families affected by hereditary colon carcinoma. Received: 20 July 1998 / Accepted: 21 September 1998     

The Effect of Presleep Focal Attention Load on Subsequent Sleep Patterns

The hypothesis that a load on focal attention prior to sleep results in subsequent changes in sleep patterns was investigated. Eight females and 2 males slept in the laboratory for 4 nights: 2 adaptation nights, 1 experimental night preceded by a focal attention load, and 1 control night preceded by relaxed activity. On the experimental night, time in bed, total sleep time, and stage REM sleep were significantly longer than on the control night. The results support the hypothesis and suggest that attention during REM sleep has a unique character.     

Carrier detection in Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophy Argentine families

In order to offer carrier detection, genetic counseling, and prenatal diagnosis to families with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) in our country, segregation analysis of highly polymorphic short tandem repeats (STR) (dC-dA)n: (dG-dT)n loci was utilized. The risks to females of 15 DMD/BMD families (9 familial and 6 sporadic) were evaluated on STR, pedigree and serum creatine kinase (SCK) data. From the 36 females at risk of being carriers (not including 8 obligate carriers), results of STR analysis were compatible with carrier status in 7 and not compatible in 20. In 9 females, no information regarding carriership was derived from the STR analysis. Prenatal diagnosis is now possible on the carrier females. Previously identified deletions in the central part of the gene were confirmed by STR analysis in 3 families. Five new alleles were identified in Argentine individuals; allele frequencies differed from those of North American people. Results derived from this study are useful for carrier detection and genetic counseling in DMD/BMD. One case of probable mosaicism in an unaffected father was detected on a pedigree basis in a family with DMD patients.     

Variations in the ultrastructure and oxygen consumption of the daughter sporocysts ofCercaria stunkardi Palombi, 1934 andCercaria linearis Stunkard, 1932 (Digenea: Opecoelidae) in chemically defined media

Summary Variations in the oxygen consumption and alterations in the ultrastructure of the body wall in the daughter sporocysts ofCercaria stunkardi andCercaria linearis during maintainance in artificial sea water as compared with those in modified Medium 199, indicate that the latter is an unsatisfactory nutrient medium. Similar changes in oxygen consumption, which suggest endogenous carbohydrate and lipid utilization together with autolysis, occur in the nutrient and non-nutrient media. Autolysis in the body wall of the sporocysts progresses, nearly to complete destruction, with almost equal rapidity in both media. The contained cercariae, however, remain healthy and appear to consume most of the absorbed oxygen.