Mutations in HFE2 cause iron overload in chromosome 1q-linked juvenile hemochromatosis.

Juvenile hemochromatosis is an early-onset autosomal recessive disorder of iron overload resulting in cardiomyopathy, diabetes and hypogonadism that presents in the teens and early 20s (refs. 1,2). Juvenile hemochromatosis has previously been linked to the centromeric region of chromosome 1q (refs. 3-6), a region that is incomplete in the human genome assembly. Here we report the positional cloning of the locus associated with juvenile hemochromatosis and the identification of a new gene crucial to iron metabolism. We finely mapped the recombinant interval in families of Greek descent and identified multiple deleterious mutations in a transcription unit of previously unknown function (LOC148738), now called HFE2, whose protein product we call hemojuvelin. Analysis of Greek, Canadian and French families indicated that one mutation, the amino acid substitution G320V, was observed in all three populations and accounted for two-thirds of the mutations found. HFE2 transcript expression was restricted to liver, heart and skeletal muscle, similar to that of hepcidin, a key protein implicated in iron metabolism. Urinary hepcidin levels were depressed in individuals with juvenile hemochromatosis, suggesting that hemojuvelin is probably not the hepcidin receptor. Rather, HFE2 seems to modulate hepcidin expression.

Molecular characterization of bacterial diversity in Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) rhizosphere soils from British Columbia forest soils differing in disturbance and geographic source.

Rhizosphere bacteria from Lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) seedlings were characterized from forest soils which differed in disturbance and geographic source. Soil disturbance treatments included whole-tree harvesting with and without heavy soil compaction and whole-tree harvesting with complete surface organic matter removal and heavy soil compaction from British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Forests Long-Term Soil Productivity installations in three biogeoclimatic subzones in central BC, Canada. Bacterial community members were characterized by DNA sequence analysis of 16S rRNA gene fragments following direct DNA isolation from soil, polymerase chain reaction amplification and cloning. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that 85% of 709 16S rDNA clones were classified as alpha-, beta-, gamma-, and delta-Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides group, Acidobacterium, Verrucomicrobia, and candidate divisions OP10 and TM6. Members of the Proteobacteria and Acidobacterium represented 55% and 19% of the clone library, respectively, whereas the remaining bacterial divisions each comprised less than 4% of the clone library. One hundred and six 16S rDNA clones could not be classified into known bacterial divisions. No significant differences were detected for soil disturbance treatment or site effects on the proportions of 16S rDNA clones affiliated with Proteobacteria and Acidobacterium. Phylogenetic analyses revealed that it was common for 16S rRNA gene fragments from different soil disturbance treatments and geographic locations to be closely related.

Molecular characterization of bacterial diversity from British Columbia forest soils subjected to disturbance.

Bacteria from forest soils were characterized by DNA sequence analysis of cloned 16S rRNA gene fragments (16S clones). Surface organic matter and mineral soil samples from a British Columbia Ministry of Forests Long-Term Soil Productivity (LTSP) installation were collected during winter and summer from two disturbance treatments: whole-tree harvesting with no soil compaction (plot N) and whole-tree harvesting plus complete surface organic matter removal with heavy soil compaction (plot S). Phylogenetic analyses revealed that 87% of 580 16S clones were classified as Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacterium, Verrucomicrobia, Bacillus/Clostridium group, Cytophaga-Flexibacter-Bacteroides group, green nonsulfur bacteria, Planctomyces, and candidate divisions TM6 and OP10. Seventy-five 16S clones could not be classified into known bacterial divisions, and five 16S clones were related to chloroplast DNA. Members of Proteobacteria represented 46% of the clone library. A higher proportion of 16S clones affiliated with y-Proteobacteria were from plot N compared with plot S. 16S rRNA gene fragments amplified with Pseudomonas-specific primers and cloned (Ps clones) were examined from mineral-soil samples from plots N and S from three LTSP installations. A significantly greater proportion of sequenced Ps clones from plot N contained Pseudomonas 16S rRNA gene fragments compared with Ps clones from plot S.