Genome-wide mapping with biallelic markers in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Single-nucleotide polymorphisms, as well as small insertions and deletions (here referred to collectively as simple nucleotide polymorphisms, or SNPs), comprise the largest set of sequence variants in most organisms. Positional cloning based on SNPs may accelerate the identification of human disease traits and a range of biologically informative mutations. The recent application of high-density oligonucleotide arrays to allele identification has made it feasible to genotype thousands of biallelic SNPs in a single experiment. It has yet to be established, however, whether SNP detection using oligonucleotide arrays can be used to accelerate the mapping of traits in diploid genomes. The cruciferous weed Arabidopsis thaliana is an attractive model system for the construction and use of biallelic SNP maps. Although important biological processes ranging from fertilization and cell fate determination to disease resistance have been modelled in A. thaliana, identifying mutations in this organism has been impeded by the lack of a high-density genetic map consisting of easily genotyped DNA markers. We report here the construction of a biallelic genetic map in A. thaliana with a resolution of 3.5 cM and its use in mapping Eds16, a gene involved in the defence response to the fungal pathogen Erysiphe orontii. Mapping of this trait involved the high-throughput generation of meiotic maps of F2 individuals using high-density oligonucleotide probe array-based genotyping. We developed a software package called InterMap and used it to automatically delimit Eds16 to a 7-cM interval on chromosome 1. These results are the first demonstration of biallelic mapping in diploid genomes and establish means for generalizing SNP-based maps to virtually any genetic organism.

Gene expression during liver regeneration.

The concentration of a group of messenger RNAs, some of which are expressed only (or mainly) in the liver and others of which are expressed in all tissues, was examined during liver regeneration. Most of the tissue-specific mRNAs did not change greatly in concentration or in transcription rate, but mRNAs such as actin and tubulin increased by as much as tenfold without an equivalent transcriptional increase. However, the mRNAs for "acute phase" proteins such as serum amyloid A and metallothionine did increase dramatically and increased transcription was easily detected. In addition to these findings, there was no increase in the rate of synthesis of the RNA constituents necessary to make ribosomes, pre-rRNA and mRNA for ribosomal proteins. Thus, the differentiated hepatocyte continues to function as a differentiated cell during the two or so replications necessary for regeneration, and many of the constituents necessary to increase cell mass may be supplied by increased preservation and utilization of transcribed RNAs.

Transcriptional repression of p21(waf1) promoter by hepatitis B virus X protein via a p53-independent pathway.

The X-gene product of hepatitis B virus (HBx) has been implicated in hepatitis B virus (HBV)-mediated hepatocellular carcinoma through its ability to induce liver cancer in some transgenic mice and to transactivate a variety of viral and cellular promoters. In this study, we demonstrated that the level of p21(waf1) RNA was decreased in the HBx-expressing cells and this effect was due to the transcriptional repression of the p21(waf1) gene by HBx via a p53-independent pathway. As the Sp1 binding sites of the p21(waf1) promoter were sufficient to confer HBx responsiveness to a previously non-responsive promoter, we suggested that HBx represses the transcription of p21(waf1) by downregulating the activity of Sp1. Because the tumor repressor p21(waf1) protein is a universal inhibitor of cyclin-CDK complexes and DNA replication that induces cell cycle arrest at the G1-S checkpoint, the repression of p21(waf1) by HBx might play an important role in a HBV-mediated pathogenesis.

Group Ve infection: case report of group Ve-2 septicemia and literature review.

The second case of the Centers for Disease Control group Ve-2 septicemia from our hospital is reported herein. Literature review shows that group Ve bacteria can cause life-threatening disease in the debilitated hospital patient.

Characterization of dopamine receptors on neurons grown in primary dissociated cell culture from ventral mesencephalon of mouse.

Mammalian neurons from ventral mesencephalon were grown in primary dissociated cell culture. These cultures were examined for dopamine sensitive adenylate cyclase activity and specific ligand binding of [3H]spiroperidol and [3H]flupenthixol. No stimulation of adenylate cyclase activity by 10 microM dopamine was demonstrable in cell culture homogenates. [3H]Spiroperidol bound to cell culture homogenates with high affinity and was displaced by (+)-butaclamol but not by 5-hydroxytryptamine, suggesting that the [3H]spiroperidol was bound to dopamine receptors. While [3H]flupenthixol binding was also present, it could be displaced by spiroperidol indicating that the dopamine receptor was probably of the D2 subtype. Binding of spiroperidol was proportional to the amount of cell culture homogenate, and was saturable. Are these receptors autoreceptors? The toxin 1-methyl-4-phenylpyridine (MPP+) was used to destroy dopaminergic neurons; spiroperidol binding in these cultures was found to be increased, demonstrating that most of these D2 receptors are not autoreceptors.

The effects of inferior olive lesion on strychnine seizure.

Bilateral inferior olive lesions, produced by systemic administration of the neurotoxin 3-acetylpyridine (3AP) produce a proconvulsant state specific for strychnine-induced seizures and myoclonus. We have proposed that these phenomena are mediated through increased excitation of cerebellar Purkinje cells, through activation of glutamate receptors, in response to climbing fiber deafferentation. An increase in quisqualic acid (QA)-displaceable [3H]AMPA [(RS)-alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionic acid] binding in cerebella from inferior olive-lesioned rats was observed, but no difference in [3H]AMPA binding displaced by glutamate, kainic acid (KA) or glutamate diethylester (GDEE) was seen. The excitatory amino acid antagonists GDEE and MK-801 [(+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo[a,d]cyclo-hepten-5,10 imine] were tested as anticonvulsants for strychnine-induced seizures in 3AP inferior olive-lesioned and control rats. Neither drug effected seizures in control rats, however, both GDEE and MK-801 produced a leftward shift in the strychnine-seizure dose-response curve in 3AP inferior olive-lesioned rats. GDEE also inhibited strychnine-induced myoclonus in the lesioned group, while MK-801 had no effect on myoclonus. The decreased threshold for strychnine-induced seizures and myoclonus in the 3AP-inferior olive-lesioned rats may be due to an increase in glutamate receptors as suggested by the [3H]AMPA binding data.

Effect of inferior olive lesion on seizure threshold in the rat.

Cerebellar stimulation has been associated with anticonvulsant activity in several experimental seizure models. We examined the effect of destruction of cerebellar climbing fibers, by systemic administration of 3-acetylpyridine (3AP) or electrothermic lesion of the inferior olive, on seizures produced by various chemical convulsants in rats. We found that inferior olive lesioned rats had lower threshold to seizures induced by strychnine and brucine, both glycine antagonists. The dose response curve for strychnine seizure was shifted 2.5 times to the left in 3AP lesioned rats. No difference in seizure threshold was seen when picrotoxin, bicuculline or pentylenetetrazole PTZ) were used to produce seizures. Abnormal motor behavior (AMB) including myoclonus, backward movement and hyperextension, produced by all of the convulsants tested, was significantly aggravated in 3AP pretreated rats. The inferior olive-climbing fiber projection to the cerebellum appears to modulate seizures induced by inhibition of glycinergic neurotransmission.

The benzoxathiolone LYR-71 down-regulates interferon-gamma-inducible pro-inflammatory genes by uncoupling tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT-1 in macrophages.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Benzoxathiolone derivatives have shown anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory potential in acne and psoriatic disorders. However, little is known about the molecular basis for these pharmacological effects. In this study, we decided to investigate the anti-inflammatory actions of a benzoxathiolone derivative LYR-71, 6-methyl-2-propylimino-6,7-dihydro-5H-benzo[1,3]oxathiol-4-one, in interferon (IFN)-gamma-activated macrophages. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: RAW 264.7 macrophages or primary macrophages, derived from bone marrow of C3H/HeJ mice, were stimulated with IFN-gamma in the presence of LYR-71. Nitric oxide (NO) or chemokine production was measured by Griess reaction or enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RAW 264.7 cells were used to examine the molecular mechanisms of LYR-71 in modulating IFN-gamma-induced inflammatory responses. KEY RESULTS: LYR-71 down-regulated IFN-gamma-induced transcription of inducible NO synthase, IFN-gamma-inducible protein-10 and the monokine induced by IFN-gamma genes in macrophages. This effect was mediated by uncoupling tyrosine phosphorylation of the signal transducer and activator of transcription (STAT)-1 in response to IFN-gamma. LYR-71 directly inhibited the in vitro catalytic activity of Janus kinase (JAK)-2. Further, the inhibitory actions of LYR-71 on IFN-gamma-induced STAT-1 phosphorylation and NO production were consistently abolished in the presence of peroxyvanadate, implying another target dependent on protein tyrosine phosphatase. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Taken together, LYR-71 could restrain IFN-gamma-induced inflammatory responses through uncoupling the tyrosine phosphorylation of STAT-1, an activation index of JAK-STAT-1 signalling, in macrophages. These results may provide a molecular mechanism underlying anti-inflammatory actions shown by benzoxathiolone derivatives.

Differential expression in lupus-associated IL-10 promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms is mediated by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a complex, multifactorial autoimmune disease characterized by the dysregulation of T and B cells that leads to hyperactivity of B cells and production of autoantibodies, and involves both environmental and genetic factors. Interleukin-10 (IL-10) is a candidate susceptibility gene in SLE. In particular, three IL-10 promoter single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs; -1082A/G, -819T/C and -592A/C) are strongly associated with the pathogenesis of SLE. We found that the homozygous GCC haplotype linked to greater SLE severity confers higher IL-10 gene transcriptional activity than the ATA haplotype in macrophages that encounter apoptotic cells, because of the differential DNA binding to the -592 SNP by a nuclear protein uniquely induced by apoptotic cells. We identified this protein as poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1, confirmed its physiological role and characterized its molecular properties in modulating IL-10 production during phagocytosis of apoptotic cells. This study unveils a novel direct link between DNA damage repair/apoptosis pathways and IL-10-mediated immune regulation.

Inhibitory effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on interleukin-6 bioactivity.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is known as a proinflammatory cytokine involved in immune response, inflammation, and hematopoiesis. Inhibitory effects of anti-inflammatory drugs on IL-6 bioactivity using IL-6-dependent hybridoma have been evaluated. Three out of 16 nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) showed IC50 values of less than 100 microM, which were in the order of oxyphenylbutazone hydrate (IC50=7.5 microM)>meclofenamic acid sodium salt (31.9 microM)>sulindac (74.9 microM). Steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (SAIDs) exhibited significant inhibitory effects at 100 microM on the IL-6 bioactivity, and their inhibitory potencies were in the order of budesonide (IC50=2.2 microM)>hydrocortisone 21-hemisuccinate (6.7 microM), prednisolone (7.5 microM), betamethasone (10.9 microM)>dexamethasone (18.9 microM) and triamcinolone acetonide (24.1 microM). The results would provide an additional mechanism by which anti-inflammatory drugs display their anti-inflammatory and immunosuppressive effects at higher concentrations.