An integrated BAC and genome sequence physical map of Phytophthora sojae.

Phytophthora spp. are serious pathogens that threaten numerous cultivated crops, trees, and natural vegetation worldwide. The soybean pathogen P. sojae has been developed as a model oomycete. Here, we report a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based, integrated physical map of the P. sojae genome. We constructed two BAC libraries, digested 8,681 BACs with seven restriction enzymes, end labeled the digested fragments with four dyes, and analyzed them with capillary electrophoresis. Fifteen data sets were constructed from the fingerprints, using individual dyes and all possible combinations, and were evaluated for contig assembly. In all, 257 contigs were assembled from the XhoI data set, collectively spanning approximately 132 Mb in physical length. The BAC contigs were integrated with the draft genome sequence of P. sojae by end sequencing a total of 1,440 BACs that formed a minimal tiling path. This enabled the 257 contigs of the BAC map to be merged with 207 sequence scaffolds to form an integrated map consisting of 79 superscaffolds. The map represents the first genome-wide physical map of a Phytophthora sp. and provides a valuable resource for genomics and molecular biology research in P. sojae and other Phytophthora spp. In one illustration of this value, we have placed the 350 members of a superfamily of putative pathogenicity effector genes onto the map, revealing extensive clustering of these genes.

Apoptosis in human uterine leiomyomas.

Human uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are benign neoplasms that typically occur in reproductive age and perimenopausal women. These tumors pose a significant and costly health concern for numerous women throughout the world. Alternative therapies are few, with hysterectomy being the treatment of choice by many physicians. There is a growing body of evidence suggesting that the development of leiomyomas may be influenced by numerous factors including genetic, environmental, and hormonal influences resulting in a possible failure of any number of apoptotic pathways. Understanding the role apoptosis plays in the normal regression of nascent myometrial tissue and how this failure may influence leiomyoma tumor growth may provide a better understanding of how to develop effective and less invasive treatment modalities for this disease. The following review attempts to highlight what is currently known about apoptosis in leiomyomas as compared with the normal myometrium and where future research is needed.

Segmental hemodynamics during partial liquid ventilation in isolated rat lungs.

UNLABELLED: Partial liquid ventilation (PLV) is a means of ventilatory support in which gas ventilation is carried out in a lung partially filled with a perfluorocarbon liquid capable of supporting gas exchange. Recently, this technique has been proposed as an adjunctive therapy for cardiac arrest, during which PLV with cold perfluorocarbons might rapidly cool the intrathoracic contents and promote cerebral protective hypothermia while not interfering with gas exchange. A concern during such therapy will be the effect of PLV on pulmonary hemodynamics during very low blood flow conditions. In the current study, segmental (i.e. precapillary, capillary, and postcapillary) hemodynamics were studied in the rat lung using a standard isolated lung perfusion system at a flow rate of 6 ml/min ( approximately 5% normal cardiac output). Lungs received either gas ventilation or 5 or 10 ml/kg PLV. Segmental pressures and vascular resistances were determined, as was transcapillary fluid flux. The relationship between individual hemodynamic parameters and PLV dose was examined using linear regression, with n=5 in each study group. PLV at both the 5 and 10 ml/kg dose produced no detectable changes in pulmonary blood flow or in transcapillary fluid flux (all R(2) values<0.20). CONCLUSION: In an isolated perfused lung model of low flow conditions, normal segmental hemodynamic behavior was preserved during liquid ventilation. These data support further investigation of this technique as an adjunct to cardiopulmonary resuscitation.