Comparative analysis of Y chromosome structure in Bos taurus and B. indicus by FISH using region-specific, microdissected, and locus-specific DNA probes

Results of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) of Bos taurus and B. indicus Y chromosomes using the bovine locus-specific Y probes BC1.2 and lambda ES6.0 and region-specific probes of B. indicus and B. taurus Y chromosomes, which were generated by microdissection and DOP-PCR, indicate that the Y chromosomes of B. indicus (BIN Y) and B. taurus (BTA Y) differ by a pericentric inversion. Parts of the short and long arms of the Y chromosome in B. taurus and the distal half of the Y chromosome in B. indicus were microdissected, amplified by DOP-PCR, biotinylated, and rehybridized in situ to the corresponding metaphase chromosomes to test the chromosome fragment specificity of the DNA probes. The region-specific painting probes were used for hybridization to metaphase chromosomes of the other species. The DNA painting probes BTA Yp12 and BTA Yq12.1-ter derived from BTA Y hybridized to the distal and proximal halves of BIN Y, respectively. Complex hybridization signals on BTA Yq12.1-->qter were generated with the DNA probe BIN Yqcen-centr (centromere-central) after FISH. The results demonstrate that BTA Yp is homologous to the distal half of BIN Y and that BTA Yq corresponds to the proximal part of BIN Yq. Hybridization of the Y chromosome-specific DNA probes lambda ES6.0 to BTA Yp12-->p11 and near to the telomere of BIN Y and BC1.2 to BTA Yq12-->q13 and to the telomere of BIN Y indicate an opposite orientation of the homologous chromosome fragments BTA Yp and of the distal half of BIN Yq.     

The influence of the HLA-DRB1*13 allele on measles vaccine response

BACKGROUND: Measles remains a public health threat in the United States with over 50,000 cases being reported from 1989 through 1991 with continued smaller outbreaks. Measles vaccine failure is in part to blame for these large-scale outbreaks. The human leukocyte antigen (HLA) genes are important determinants of immune response to measles virus and vaccine. To examine the influence that HLA polymorphisms may have on measles vaccine antibody response, we compared the distribution of HLA-DRB1 alleles between measles vaccine nonresponders and hyper-responders. METHODS: We determined the seroprevalence of measles antibody in 881 school children immunized with measles-mumps-rubella-II at age 15 months using a whole virus IgG EIA. We performed class II HLA-DR typing by PCR with sequence specific primers (PCR-SSP) on 81 nonresponders (IgG seronegative) and 65 hyper-responders (from the upper 10th percentile of IgG levels of all subjects). We then compared the distribution of alleles between nonresponders and hyper-responders. RESULTS: The distribution of HLA-DRB1 alleles among nonresponders compared to hyper-responders was significantly different (p = 0.014). Nonresponders were significantly less likely to carry the HLA-DRB1*13 alleles than were hyper-responders (7.4% vs 16.2%;p = 0.02). Nonresponders also had an excess of HLA-DRB1*07 alleles (15.4% vs 6.2%; p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: The absence of HLA-DRB1*13 alleles is associated with measles vaccine nonresponse. The absence of this allele has also been associated with susceptibility to other infectious diseases. The role of this gene in the immunogenetic response to infectious diseases requires further study.     

Prion protein immunohistochemical staining in the brains of monkeys with transmissible spongiform encephalopathy

BACKGROUND: Spirituality is receiving greater attention in the medical literature, especially in the family practice journals. A widely applicable instrument to assess spirituality has been lacking, however, and this has hampered research on the relationship between spirituality and health in the clinical setting. METHODS: A new instrument, called the Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale, was designed to be widely applicable across religious traditions, to assess actions as well as beliefs to address key components not assessed in other available measures, and to be easily administered and scored. The instrument is a questionnaire containing 26 items in a modified Likert-type format. Following careful pretesting, the instrument was administered to 50 family practice patients and 33 family practice educators. The validity and reliability of the instrument were then evaluated. RESULTS: By several measures, instrument reliability and validity are very good, with high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha = .92); strong test-retest reliability (r = .92); a clear four-factor structure; and a high correlation (r = .80) with another established measure of spirituality, the Spiritual Well-Being Scale. CONCLUSIONS: The Spiritual Involvement and Beliefs Scale (SIBS) appears to have good reliability and validity. Compared with other instruments that assess spirituality, the SIBS has several theoretical advantages, including broader scope, use of terms that avoid cultural-religious bias, and assessment of both beliefs and actions. More testing is underway to further assess its usefulness.