Detection of expansion regions in Portuguese bipolar families

We have studied 24 families with multiple affected members with bipolar disorder to test the hypothesis that in those families clinically showing genetic anticipation [Macedo et al., 1999] we would find large repeat expansions. The families meeting inclusion criteria had a minimum of two affected members over two generations and showed marked anticipation both in terms of age of onset and disease severity. We used the repeat expansion detection (RED) method to test patients (n = 24) and controls from these families and unrelated controls (n = 53). We also genotyped patients and family members from two families with large expansions at the known expansion loci on chromosomes 13, 17, and 18. The RED method revealed a higher number of large expansions in patients compared with controls (t-test; P < 0.0055: Mann-Whitney U; P = 0.02). The patients with the largest expansions were typed at the specific loci on chromosomes 13, 17, and 18 and the chromosome 18 expansion locus segregated with disease in one family, and a second family showed segregation with the expansion located at the SCA8 locus on chromosome 13. Genetic anticipation had been analyzed in this cohort of families, with correction for potential ascertainment bias, possible proband effects, cohort effects, regression to the mean, gender effects, and maternal vs. paternal transmission. None of these potential confounds appeared to account for the observed anticipation. We also identified that the presence of large expansions in affected family members derives primarily from two families from the genetically isolated Azores population. One family shows segregation with the chromosome 18 locus, whereas the other family segregates with expansions at the SCA8 locus. Am. J. Med. Genet. (Neuropsychiatr. Genet.) 96:854-857, 2000.     

Analysis of quantal content and quantal conductance in two populations of neurons in the avian ciliary ganglion

The avian ciliary ganglion contains two populations of parasympathetic cells, termed the ciliary and choroid neurons. We have estimated the quantal contents of nicotinic excitatory postsynaptic potentials in both populations of neurons by several methods. The singly innervated ciliary neurons have quantal contents of 15–30. In contrast, the multiply innervated choroid cells have quantal contents of 4–7. Quantal conductance was also determined, using a parallel conductance model which takes into account the capacitance of the cell membrane. This analysis indicates that in both populations of neurons one quantum activates approximately 100 postsynaptic receptors.

It is concluded that in autonomie ganglia singly innervated cells demonstrate a larger quantal content, consistent with a higher safety factor for neurotransmission, while quantal content in multiply innervated cells is generally much lower, allowing for considerable summation of presynaptic inputs. Further, in autonomic neurons many fewer postsynaptic receptors are activated by a single quantum than is the case at the neuromuscular junction.     

Changes in the human immunodeficiency virus p7-p1-p6 gag gene in drug-naive and pretreated patients

Resistance to antiretroviral agents often results from mutations within the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) pol gene. Moreover, insertions within the p6 gag-pol region have recently been found to be involved with resistance to nucleoside analogs. Overall, we found that 21% of 156 specimens collected from HIV-infected individuals (17.6% from 74 drug-naive patients and 24.4% from 82 pretreated patients) harbored these insertions. Insertions around the KQE (Lys-Gln-Glu) motif were found in 12.2% of the pretreated patients but in none of the drug-naive subjects (P = 0.002). In contrast, insertions around the PTAP (Prol-Thre-Ala-Prol) motif were seen at similar rates ( approximately 15%) among drug-naive and pretreated patients, which supports the idea that they may be natural polymorphisms.     

Repeat sizes at CAG/CTG loci CTG18.1, ERDA1 and TGC13-7a in schizophrenia

A number of studies using the repeat expansion detection (RED) technique have suggested an association between unknown large CAG/CTG repeats and schizophrenia. The polymorphic CAG/CTG repeat loci CTG18.1 and ERDA1 have been reported to account for a high proportion (approximately 90%) of the large repeats detected by RED and may therefore be responsible for the cited association. The recently described locus TGC13-7a contains a highly polymorphic CTA/TAG and CAG/CTG composite repeat, and is thus another authentic candidate. In the present investigation, each locus was analysed for association with schizophrenia in a sample of 206 patients and 219 group-matched controls. No evidence for association of CTG18.1, ERDA1 and/or TGC13-7a with schizophrenia was found. The combined data accounted for only 54% of the CAG/CTG arrays of > 40 repeats found in our previous RED analysis.     

Drosophila awd, the homolog of human nm23, regulates FGF receptor levels and functions synergistically with shi/dynamin during tracheal development

Human nm23 has been implicated in suppression of metastasis in various cancers, but the underlying mechanism of such activity has not been fully understood. Using Drosophila tracheal system as a genetic model, we examined the function of the Drosophila homolog of nm23, the awd gene, in cell migration. We show that loss of Drosophila awd results in dysregulated tracheal cell motility. This phenotype can be suppressed by reducing the dosage of the chemotactic FGF receptor (FGFR) homolog, breathless (btl), indicating that btl and awd are functionally antagonists. In addition, mutants of shi/dynamin show similar tracheal phenotypes as in awd and exacerbate those in awd mutant, suggesting defects in vesicle-mediated turnover of FGFR in the awd mutant. Consistent with this, Btl-GFP chimera expressed from a cognate btl promoter-driven system accumulate at high levels on tracheal cell membrane of awd mutants as well as in awd RNA duplex-treated cultured cells. Thus, we propose that awd regulates tracheal cell motility by modulating the FGFR levels, through a dynamin-mediated pathway.     

Quantitative measurement of cortical surface features in localization-related temporal lobe epilepsy

Differences in cortical surface features between healthy controls (n = 48) and patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (n = 46), ages 14-59, were characterized by means of advanced quantitative MRI processing techniques. Cortical surface features of interest included gyral and sulcal curvature, cortical depth, and total cortical surface area. Epilepsy patients and controls differed on measures of gyrification; the abnormalities generalized despite the focal nature of the primary epileptic process. Changes in cortical surface features were associated with increasing chronological age in both groups. Abnormalities in gyrification were associated with cognitive performance and with other morphometric measurements (e.g., surface cerebral spinal fluid). These findings are related to the literature regarding morphometric changes associated with temporal lobe epilepsy and normal aging.     

Regulation of Ca2+ current in frog ventricular myocytes by the holding potential,c-AMP and frequency

The whole-cell patch-clamp technique was used to study the effects of holding potential and frequency on the Ca2+ current in frog ventricular myocytes. INa was blocked by TTX, and ica was activated with depolarizing clamps from different holding potentials. Variation of the holding potential revealed three new effects on ica: (1) At -40 mV iCa declined with a time constant of 15 min, while at -90 mV, this irreversible decline (run down) in iCa did not occur. (2) The decline of iCa at -40 mV was biphasic: run down was preceeded by a slow inactivation with a time constant of 40 s, which was reversible upon returning the holding potential to -90 mV. (3) Increasing the frequency of the clamp pulses from 0.1 to 1 Hz led to a rapid decline of iCa when the holding potential was positive to -60 mV, but at -90 mV had either no effect or increased iCa by 35%, if c-AMP was included in the dialyzing solution. On the other hand, c-AMP did not alter the time course of the run down and the slow inactivation. Replacement of extracellular Ca2+ by Ba2+ markedly slowed iCa kinetics, but did not change the very slow inactivation or the frequency-induced enhancement of iCa. Injection of c-AMP led to a transient increase of iCa. The phosphodiesterase inhibitor theophylline enhanced the amplitude of the transient and slowed its decay. This effect was mimicked by increased frequency. It is concluded that frequency-induced enhancement of iCa is highly dependent on the holding potential, independent of Ca2+, and may involve elevation of the intracellular level of c-AMP via inhibition of phosphodiesterase activity. The new type of very slow inactivation is probably under direct voltage control and independent of Ca2+ and c-AMP.     

The effects of leukotrienes,thromboxane A2 and phospholipase A2 on human,porcine and guinea pig lung parenchyma

A comparison was made of the contractions, induced by LTD₄, histamine and phospholipase A₂ in parenchymal strips of guinea pig (GPLP), porcine and human lung in a cascade superfusion system. The effects of LTD₄ and phospholipase A₂ on the release of TxA₂ in these tissues and of TxA₂, 5-HT and acetylcholine on the GPLP were also determined.In the GPLP strip, the LTC₄-induced contractions are due for±80% to the release of TxA₂ and for±20% to the direct effect of LTC₄.The guinea pig tissue displayed the highest sentivity towards all substances, except to the contraction induced by histamine, which was most effective in the porcine tissue. Low activities wer found in the human tissue in all tests. The reason for these effects may be a difference in activities or number of cell types which participate in the reactions leading to the contractions.     

Heart tumors in children and adults: clinicopathological study of 59 patients from a surgical center.

BACKGROUND: Heart tumors are rare lesions with variegated histological types. Their clinicopathological features could be more comprehensively categorized. METHODS: This is a 19-year retrospective study of 17 infants/toddlers (<2 years of age) and 42 patients aged between 14 and 79 years (mean = 51.5) in a surgical center. RESULTS: Congenital tumors (n = 17; 29%), including rhabdomyomas (n = 9), ventricular fibromas (n = 6), and hemangiomas (n = 1), required surgery mainly because of mass effect. Familial myofibromatosis was the only embolic congenital lesion. Acquired benign tumors (n = 28; 47%) included myxomas (n = 21), fibroelastomas (n = 3), myofibroblastic inflammatory tumors (n = 2), and lipomas (n = 2). Eight (29%) were revealed by systemic embolization. These benign noncongenital tumors were all treated by complete resection, except for an incompletely resected lipoma of the mitral valve. Postoperative arrhythmia (n = 1) and pericardial effusion (n = 3) were the only complications. Primary sarcomas (n = 8; 14%) were mostly vascular tumors (five of eight), and patients with high-grade tumors had a mean survival of 15 months (n = 5). Cardiac metastases (n = 6; 10%) were from carcinomas (n = 3) or sarcomas (n = 3); apart from a necrotic metastasis, all patients died (mean survival of 6 months). CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that, regardless of patients' age, heart tumors can be classified as: (a) congenital lesions, which are spontaneously nonprogressive or regressive lesions possibly requiring surgery mainly because of mass effect; (b) acquired benign tumors, which are lesions requiring surgery often because of embolization risk; and (c) primary and secondary malignant tumors, which are lesions with globally poor prognosis but with some indications for resection.     

Degenerate peptide recognition by Candida albicans adhesins Als5p and Als1p

Candida albicans and Saccharomyces cerevisiae expressing the adhesins Als5p or Als1p adhere to immobilized peptides and proteins that possess appropriate sequences of amino acids in addition to a sterically accessible peptide backbone. In an attempt to further define the nature of these targets, we surveyed the ability of yeast cells to adhere to 90- micro m-diameter polyethylene glycol beads coated with a 7-mer peptide from a library of 19(7) unique peptide-beads. C. albicans bound to ca. 10% of beads from the library, whereas S. cerevisiae expressing Als5p or Als1p bound to ca. 0.1 to 1% of randomly selected peptide-beads. S. cerevisiae expressing Als1p had a distinctly different adherence phenotype than did cells expressing Als5p. The former adhered in groups or clumps of cells, whereas the latter adhered initially as single cells, an event which was followed by the build up of cell-cell aggregates. Beads with adherent cells were removed, and the peptide attached to the bead was determined by amino acid sequencing. All adhesive beads carried a three-amino-acid sequence motif (tau phi+) that possessed a vast combinatorial potential. Adherence was sequence specific and was inhibited when soluble peptide identical to the immobilized peptide was added. The Als5p adhesin recognized some peptides that went unrecognized by Als1p. The sequence motif of adhesive peptides identified by this method is common in proteins and offers so many possible sequence combinations that target recognition by the Als proteins is clearly degenerate. A degenerate recognition system provides the fungi with the potential of adhering to a multitude of proteins and peptides, an advantage for any microorganism attempting to establish a commensal or pathogenic relationship with a host.