Multilocus sequence analysis of Penicillium and Eupenicillium species

Taxonomy of Hyphomycetes has always been a challenging problem, with experts viewing species in different ways and modifying the taxonomy of groups to reflect their best evaluation of species limits and concepts. The advent of phylogenetic analysis, relatively easy DNA sequencing techniques and PCR has provided an opportunity for mycology to move from a strictly morphological analysis of species to phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequences. Phylogenetic theory dictates that data from different loci will produce congruent or at least non-contradictory evolutionary histories of a clonal lineage. Tests of tree congruence such as the index of association can show whether lineages are clonal, and has revealed that some species long thought to be clonal are cryptically recombining. Genealogical concordance phylogenetic species recognition allows unambiguous identification of species boundaries(AU)

Insulin Receptor Processing and Lipid Composition of Erythrocyte Membrane in Patients with Hyperlipidemia.

The aim of this study was to determine whether the common forms of dyslipidemia could affect either the lipid composition or insulin receptor processing (down-regulation) of erythrocytes. The study included 22 patients with type IIa hypercholesterolemia, 15 patients with type IV hypertriglyceridemia and 12 patients with type IIb hyperlipidemia. Ten normolipidemic subjects were used as controls. Their erythrocyte membranes were analyzed for lipid composition and insulin receptor down-regulation. The results show that all the hyperlipidemias investigated were characterized by significant increases in the cholesterol to phospholipid molar ratio (0.56 +/- 0.08 in controls and 1.11 +/- 0.13, 1.09 +/- 0.14, 1.04 +/- 0.15, p < 0.001, in types IIa, IIb and IV, respectively). Surface insulin receptors of type IIa and IIb patients did not appear to down-regulate when compared to normal subjects, but rather up-regulated (+65.2% in controls, -1.0% and -8.7%, p < 0.001, in type IIa and IIb patients, respectively). Patients with type IV hypertriglyceridemia showed a residual capacity for insulin receptor internalization (10.7% down-regulation). Membranes of all the patients contained a higher proportion of phosphatidylethanolamine; the molar ratio of sphingomyelin to phosphatidylcholine was significantly higher in types IIb than in controls (1.22 +/- 0.11 and 1.12 +/- 0.10, p < 0.05, respectively); all the patients showed a lower content of polyunsaturated fatty acids in the major glycerophospholipid classes. However, type IV hypertriglyceridemics showed less variations, especially in the phosphatidylserine fraction. These results indicate that the alterations in lipoprotein pattern may affect both the lipid membrane equilibria and the processing ability of surface insulin receptors. Copyright 1995 S. Karger AG, Basel