An estimate of phylogenetic relationships among culicine mosquitoes using a restriction map of the rDNA cistron

Restriction maps of the rDNA cistron of twelve species of mosquitoes in six genera of the subfamily Culicinae were constructed using eight 6 bp recognition restriction enzymes. Anopheles albimanus was used as an outgroup. The size of the rDNA cistron ranged from 8.5 kb in Aedes katherinensis to 12.9 kb in Ae. polynesiensis. A total of twenty-six sites were scored; eighteen were polymorphic among ingroup taxa. The proportion of polymorphic nucleotide sites (Pnuc) was 0.059 and the heterozygosity per nucleotide site (Hnuc) was 0.028. Wagner and Fitch Parsimony, Dollo Parsimony and Nei-Li distance/neighbour-joining methods were used to construct phylogenetic trees. The rDNA RFLP dataset did not provide a well-supported phylogeny among culicine taxa. The RFLP phylogenies are incongruent with the morphology character based and molecular phylogenies and derived relationships did not correspond with current taxonomic classifications. The lack of resolution was due to homoplasy arising from frequent independent loss or gain of restriction sites among unrelated taxa.     

用PCR—RFLP和16SrDNA指纹图法分析幽门螺杆菌基因型

本文建立了PCR－RFLP和16srDNA指纹图法．对19株幽门螺杆菌（HP）进行基因型分析：HP尿素酶C基因的PCR扩增产物．分别用HindⅢ、HaeⅢ、AluⅠ酶切，结果显示：每个酶均将19株HP分为3种RFLP图谱．综合HindⅢ，HaeⅢ和AluⅠ酶切结果，19株HP分为10个酶切带型；PCR扩增HP标准株16SrRNA基因，地高辛标记制备550bp探针，19株HPDNA分别经HaeⅢ和EcoRⅠ酶切、电泳后，通过Southern杂交获16SrDNA指纹图，结果显示：HaeⅢ酶切分为14个杂交带型，EcoRⅠ酶切19株HP杂交带型均不同。本实验表明：上述两种方法重复性好，分群力高，可准确有效地对HP作出鉴定并将其分型。19株HP株间存在基因型差异。     

Triploid origin of the gibel carp as revealed by 5S rDNA localization and chromosome painting

5S ribosomal DNA (rDNA) was isolated and sequenced from the gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio with 162 chromosomes and crucian carp Carassius auratus with 100 chromosomes, and fluorescent probes for chromosome localization were prepared to ascertain the ploidy origin and evolutionary relationship between the two species. Using fluorescence in-situ hybridization (FISH), major 5S rDNA signals were localized to the short arms of three subtelocentric chromosomes in the gibel carp and to the short arms of two subtelocentrics in the crucian carp. In addition, some minor signals were detected on other chromosomes of both species. Simultaneously, six chromosomes were microdissected from the gibel carp metaphase spreads using glass needles, and the isolated chromosomes were amplified in vitro by degenerate oligonucleotide primed-polymerase chain reaction (DOP-PCR). Significantly, when the DOP-PCR-generated probes prepared from each single chromosome were hybridized, three same-sized chromosomes were painted in each gibel carp metaphase, whereas only two painted chromosomes were observed in each crucian carp metaphase spread. The data indicate that gibel carp is of triploid origin in comparison with diploid crucian carp.     

Identification of group-I introns in the 28s rDNA of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria brongniartii

The length of the 28s ribosomal DNA differs significantly between two strains (Bt102 and Bt114) of the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria brongniartii. RFLP analysis on PCR products revealed the presence of three insertional elements of 350–450 bp in strain Bt114. One of the insertions has been cloned and sequenced and shown to possess all the characteristic sequences and secondary structures of a group-IC intron. Its length is 428 bp and it is devoid of any long open reading frame. The distribution of this intron elsewhere in the genome of Bt114, as well as in the chromosomal ribosomal DNA, was studied. It seems to be present as seven copies in different genes not corresponding to the mitochondrial DNA. The presence of the intron in other strains of B. brongniartii was examined by the hybridization method. Some of them seemed to possess introns with a similar core although others presented no homology with the cloned fragment.     

Genetic load caused by variation in the amount of rDNA in a wasp

Extensive variation in the size of the short (heterochromatic) arm of chromosome 14 was found in the wasp Trypoxylon (Trypargilum) albitarse. Ten different variants were differentiated by size and C-banding pattern. Fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH) revealed that ribosomal DNA in this species is clustered in the darkly C-banded parts of the heterochromatic short arm of chromosome 14. On this basis, we got an indirect estimate of the amount of rDNA from the area of these dark C-bands. The significant absence in males of the three chromosome variants with lower amounts of rDNA indicates that these three variants are lethal in this sex, and suggests the existence of a threshold marking the minimum amount of rDNA which is tolerable in haploidy. This implies about 4% genetic load in the population caused by variation in rDNA amount. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

PCR-amplified 16S and 23S rDNA restriction analysis for the identification of Acinetobacter strains at the DNA group level

The genus Acinetobacter is phenotypically rather homogeneous, but genotypicaliy heterogeneous. In this study, a simple method based on restriction analysis of a PCR-amplrfied large fragment (4.5 kb) of most of the ribosomal operon (16S and 23S ribosomal genes and the spacer in-between) was investigated. Sixty-seven collection strains belonging to the 20 DNA groups proposed until 1993 were studied. Using the enzyme Sau3AI, 25 DNA profiles were obtained. Strains belonging to DNA groups 1, 3, 6, TU13 and TU15 showed two profiles each, and DNA groups 4, 5 and 7 showed profiles with variants showing less intensive additional bands. The remaining 12 groups showed 12 different profiles. The profiles obtained were DNA-group-specific except for one profile which was shared between the unnamed DNA group 3 and a rarely encountered genotypicaliy related DNA group. These two DNA groups could be separated by using the enzyme Hinf1. Twenty-five additional clinical isolates previously characterized by standard DNA-DNA hybridization were selected in a double-blind fashion for identification at the DNA group level to check the reliability of the assay. All strains were correctly identified at the DNA group level. PCR-amplified 16S and 23S rDNA restriction analysis is both an accurate and rapid method for the identification of Acinetobacter at the DNA group level.     

促癌变剂对淋巴细胞核仁rRNA基因转录的活化作用——rDNA原位杂交荧光显示法

用原位杂交荧光显示法观察了人淋巴细胞在促癌变剂黄芫花提取物(WCE)和12-0-十四烷巳豆醇-13乙酸酯(TPA)处理后,间期核仁rDNA的定位与数量改变,并与丝裂原植物血细胞凝集素(PHA)的效应作了比较,同时用银染色法观察了核仁。对照组淋巴细胞核仁小,原位杂交的rDNA为少数明亮荧光斑和分散的荧光点。经促癌变剂WCE和TPA处理后,银染色的核仁增大,银染颗粒增多,表明rDNA转录活化。原位杂交证明rDNA信号数目明显扩增,许多荧光小点断续相连形成网织状结构,与PHA刺激核仁转录活化的表现一致。对核仁内所含银染颗粒和rDNA荧光斑点数均值的统计学分析表明,WCE、TPA和PHA各加药组均明显多于对照组。3个加药组之间无明显差别。提示两种促癌变剂皆具有刺激核仁rDNA扩增和转录活化的效应。     

Molecular diagnosis of a vascular prosthesis infection, due to Propionibacterium acnes, by amplification and sequencing of 16S rDNA

We describe a case of indolent vascular prosthesis infection due to Propionibacterium acnes. The microorganism was identified only by amplification and sequencing of 16S rDNA, while standard cultures remained negative. This observation underscores the usefulness of molecular techniques for the diagnosis of infection caused by fastidious microorganisms.