Conservation of the 3'-untranslated regions of calmodulin mRNAs in cetaceans.

Three separate calmodulin (CaM) genes (I, II and III) encoding an identical CaM protein but differing in the 5'- and 3'-untranslated regions of each of the three mRNAs are present and highly conserved in all mammals (so far examined). Primers complementary to the 3'- untranslated region (3'UTR) of each of the three mRNAs occurring in human, rat and mouse were synthesized and used to amplify regions of the 3'UTR from genomic DNA isolated from cetaceans, specifically from the bottled-nosed dolphin (Tursiops truncates), the pygmy sperm whale (Kogia breviceps) and the humpback whale (Megaptera novaeangliae). Using several primers and PCR conditions, the three CaM genes were identified in all three species by this method with one exception. The sequenced regions of the 3'UTRs of the three genes of the cetaceans exhibited a high percentage identity when compared to the corresponding regions of these three CaM mRNAs isolated from humans (85-96%). These partial sequences of the 3'UTR regions and the corresponding regions for humans, rats and mice that were available from the database were aligned and a phylogenetic tree was constructed. The three CaM genes from all species showed a close phylogenetic relationship based on these 3'UTR sequences. Such high conservation of the 3'UTRs suggests a specialized and significant function for this region in mammals.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and fibromyalgia: clinical assessment and treatment.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) and fibromyalgia (FM) are closely related illnesses of uncertain etiology. This article reviews the research literature on these biobehavioral conditions, with an emphasis on explanatory models, clinical evaluation of comorbid psychiatric disorders, assessment of stress factors, pharmacologic and alternative therapies, and cognitive-behavioral treatment studies. Furthermore, clinical protocols suitable for professional practice are presented based on an integration of the authors' clinical observations with published data. The article concludes with the recognition that mental health professionals can offer substantial help to these patients.

Molecular analysis of human and rat calmodulin complementary DNA clones. Evidence for additional active genes in these species.

A cDNA clone, lambda rCB1, encoding calmodulin was isolated from a rat brain expression library. The sequence was determined and compared to the structures of the previously described rat genes, lambda SC4 and lambda SC8 (Nojima, H., and Sokabe, H. (1986) J. Mol. Biol. 190, 391-400). Faithful sequence conservation is observed in the coding regions of lambda rCB1 and lambda SC4, the bona fide gene. Both cDNAs encode identical amino acid sequence. Very limited sequence homology, however, is noted in the 3'-untranslated segments of these clones. Surprisingly, when the lambda rCB1 nucleotide structure is compared to the processed intronless gene, lambda SC8, extensive sequence homology is found both in the coding and noncoding regions. The inferred protein sequences of lambda SC8 and lambda rCB1, however, are divergent. Using a fragment of lambda rCB1 to screen an expression library derived from a human embryonic cell line, a calmodulin cDNA clone, lambda hCE1, was isolated and characterized. Comparison of the sequence of lambda hCE1 to the cDNA from human liver, hCWP (Wawrzynczak, E. J., and Perham, R. N. (1984) Biochem. Int. 9, 177-185), reveals substantial structural divergence. Strikingly poor homology is seen in the 5'- and 3'-noncoding segments, but the coding regions were 85% homologous. Both lambda hCE1 and hCWP encode proteins of identical primary structure which is equivalent to the protein sequence deduced from lambda rCB1 and lambda SC4. Taken together these results suggest the existence of an additional actively transcribed calmodulin gene, not previously identified, in each of the human and rat genomes. Transcripts of lambda rCB1 and lambda hCE1 were observed in all tissues examined indicating the absence of tissue-specific expression. Calmodulin gene polymorphisms were detected using TaqI, HindIII, and MspI.