Pollination-enhanced expression of a receptor-like protein kinase related gene in tobacco styles

We have isolated a putative serine/threonine receptor kinase gene with an expression pattern indicating that it may play a role in the stylar response to pollination. Differential display PCR was used to select tobacco mRNAs with increased accumulation following pollination. NTS16, a cDNA identified by this method, is homologous to a ca. 2.4 kb mRNA primarily expressed in pistil tissues. Levels of this mRNA increase during floral development and are further increased by pollination reaching maximal accumulation 12-18 hours after pollination and then declining. mRNA levels can also be increased by the application of ethylene to unpollinated flowers. A polypeptide encoded by the NTS 16 open reading frame has sequence similarity to the catalytic domain of several receptor protein kinases from plants including the S-receptor kinases implicated in the rejection of self-pollen in Brassica species and the Pto gene product of tomato which confers resistance to a bacterial pathogen.     

Synteny mapping of four genes from the short arm of human chromosome 19 to bovine chromosome 7

Four genes on the short arm of human chromosome 19 (HSA 19p) were assigned to bovine chromosome 7 (BTA 7) using a bovine x rodent somatic hybrid cell panel. These four genes were cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP), lymphoblastic leukemia derived sequence 1 (LYL1), lysosomal alpha-mannosidase (MANB), and RAS oncogene family member RAB3A. Bovine sequence tagged sites were developed for the four genes and used for screening a bovine x rodent somatic cell panel. All four genes were mapped to bovine synteny group U22 (BTA 7) with a correlation coefficient of 0.901-1.000. This study confirms that the centromeric region of BTA 7 is conserved with HSA 19p.     

Cholesteryl ester transfer protein gene polymorphism is a determinant of HDL cholesterol and of the lipoprotein response to a lipid-lowering diet in type 1 diabetes

The TaqIB cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) gene polymorphism (B1B2) is a determinant of HDL cholesterol in nondiabetic populations. Remarkably, this gene effect appears to be modified by environmental factors. We evaluated the effect of this polymorphism on HDL cholesterol levels and on the lipoprotein response to a linoleic acid-enriched, low-cholesterol diet in patients with type 1 diabetes. In 44 consecutive type 1 diabetic patients (35 men), CETP polymorphism, apolipoprotein (apo) E genotype, serum lipoproteins, serum CETP activity (measured with an exogenous substrate assay, n = 30), clinical variables, and a diet history were documented. The 1-year response to diet was assessed in 14 type 1 diabetic patients, including 6 B1B1 and 6 B1B2 individuals. HDL cholesterol was higher in 10 B2B2 than in 14 B1B1 homozygotes (1.63 +/- 0.38 vs. 1.24 +/- 0.23 mmol/l, P < 0.01). HDL cholesterol, adjusted for triglycerides and smoking, was 0.19 mmol/l higher for each B2 allele present. CETP activity levels were not significantly different between CETP genotypes. Multiple regression analysis showed that VLDL + LDL cholesterol was associated with dietary polyunsaturated:saturated fatty acids ratio (P < 0.02) and total fat intake (P < 0.05) in the B1B1 homozygotes only and tended to be related to the presence of the apo E4 allele (P < 0.10). In response to diet, VLDL + LDL cholesterol fell (P < 0.05) and HDL cholesterol remained unchanged in 6 B1B1 homozygotes. In contrast, VLDL + LDL cholesterol was unaltered and HDL cholesterol decreased (P < 0.05) in 6 B1B2 heterozygotes (P < 0.05 for difference in change in VLDL + LDL/HDL cholesterol ratio). This difference in response was unrelated to the apo E genotype. Thus, the TaqIB CETP gene polymorphism is a strong determinant of HDL cholesterol in type 1 diabetes. This gene effect is unlikely to be explained by a major influence on the serum level of CETP activity, as an indirect measure of CETP mass. Our preliminary data suggest that this polymorphism may be a marker of the lipoprotein response to dietary intervention.     

A Drosophila homolog of bovine smg p25a GDP dissociation inhibitor undergoes a shift in isoelectric point in the developmental mutant quartet

The Drosophila developmental mutation quartet causes late larval lethality and small imaginal discs and, when expressed in the adult female, has a lethal effect on early embryogenesis. These developmental defects are associated with mitotic defects, which include a low mitotic index in larval brains and incomplete separation of chromosomes in mitosis in the early embryo. quartet mutations also have a biochemical effect, i.e., a basic shift in isoelectric point in three proteins. We have purified one of these proteins, raised an antibody to it, and isolated and sequenced its cDNA. At the amino acid level, the sequence shows 68% identity and 81% similarity to bovine smg p25a GDP dissociation inhibitor (GDI), a regulator of ras-like small GTPases of the rab/SEC4/YPT1 subfamily. The correlation between a basic shift in isoelectric point in Drosophila GDI in quartet mutant tissue and the quartet developmental phenotype raises the possibility that a posttranslational modification of GDI is necessary for its function and that GDI function is essential for development.     

The prevalence of campylobacters and arcobacters in broiler chickens

Chicken carcasses from a supermarket and from a poultry abattoir were examined using methods designed to isolate as many strains of campylobacters and related organisms as possible. Strains of arcobacter, but no campylobacters, were isolated from every carcass after enrichment. Campylobacter jejuni subsp. jejuni was isolated from all carcasses examined by direct plating and other Campylobacter-like strains were isolated from nine out of 15 abattoir carcasses by direct plating but not after enrichment. Only the Camp. jejuni subsp. jejuni strains could be identified to species level using a readily available identification scheme and/or a commercial identification kit. Examination of caecal contents from the 15 abattoir poultry yielded Camp. jejuni subsp. jejuni and Campylobacter-like strains from 15 and eight by direct plating, and from six and nine after enrichment, respectively. Four sites in the intestine of the abattoir birds (60 samples) were examined for arcobacters and only one strain was isolated. This indicates that arcobacters are probably not normal inhabitants of the poultry intestine. Poultry is a rich source of other campylobacteria besides the thermophilic Campylobacter spp.     

Simulation of sulfide buildup in wastewater and atmosphere of sewer networks.

A model concept for prediction of sulfide buildup in sewer networks is presented. The model concept is an extension to--and a further development of--the WATS model (Wastewater Aerobic-anaerobic Transformations in Sewers), which has been developed by Hvitved-Jacobsen and co-workers at Aalborg University. In addition to the sulfur cycle, the WATS model simulates changes in dissolved oxygen and carbon fractions of different biodegradability. The sulfur cycle was introduced via six processes: 1. sulfide production taking place in the biofilm covering the permanently wetted sewer walls; 2. biological sulfide oxidation in the permanently wetted biofilm; 3. chemical and biological sulfide oxidation in the water phase; 4. sulfide precipitation with metals present in the wastewater; 5. emission of hydrogen sulfide to the sewer atmosphere and 6. adsorption and oxidation of hydrogen sulfide on the moist sewer walls where concrete corrosion may take place.