RESUMEN
Azoospermic semen was obtained from 39 vasectomized men and 93 patients consulting for infertility. The latter underwent bioclinical investigations including measurement of plasma FSH and testicular biopsies. Carnitine content and alpha-glucosidase activity in semen samples were measured. The activity of alpha-glucosidase was determined systematically by a semiquantitative microtechnique and was verified by a spectrophotometric assay. A positive correlation was observed between carnitine and alpha-glucosidase activity. Both parameters were severely diminished in semen from the vasectomized men and the patients suffering from a complete obstruction of the genital tract. Enzyme activity was the most discriminant parameter in terms of sensitivity and specificity. The measurement of alpha-glucosidase in semen is a simple and sensitive method for determining the origin of azoospermia when used in conjunction with assays for plasma FSH.
Asunto(s)
Epidídimo/enzimología , Glucosidasas/análisis , Oligospermia/diagnóstico , alfa-Glucosidasas/análisis , Carnitina/análisis , Pruebas Enzimáticas Clínicas , Colorimetría , Humanos , Masculino , Semen/análisis , Espermatogénesis , VasectomíaRESUMEN
The nuclear DNA content, the proportion of A+T base pairs, the chromosomal positions of 5S and 25S rRNA genes, as well as of DAPI (4,6-diamidino-2-phenylindole) bands are described for seven species belonging to three different sections of the genus Lathyrus. These data and chromosome measurements allowed to establish precise idiograms and to discriminate most of the chromosome pairs of the seven species. The karyotypic features correlate well with the phylogenetic distances between these species.
Asunto(s)
ADN Ribosómico/genética , ADN/metabolismo , Fabaceae/genética , Indoles/metabolismo , Plantas Medicinales , Bandeo Cromosómico , Mapeo Cromosómico , Cromosomas , ADN de Plantas/análisis , Evolución Molecular , Fabaceae/clasificación , Colorantes Fluorescentes/metabolismo , Genoma de Planta , Cariotipificación , Filogenia , ARN Ribosómico/genética , ARN Ribosómico 5S/genéticaRESUMEN
Chromosome painting, that is visualisation of chromosome segments or whole chromosomes based on fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) with chromosome-specific DNA probes is widely used for chromosome studies in mammals, birds, reptiles and insects. Attempts to establish chromosome painting in euploid plants have failed so far. Here, we report on chromosome painting in Arabidopsis thaliana (n = 5, 125 Mb C(-1)). Pools of contiguous 113-139 BAC clones spanning 2.6 and 13.3 Mb of the short and the long arm of chromosome 4 (17.5 Mb) were used to paint this entire chromosome during mitotic and meiotic divisions as well as in interphase nuclei. The possibility of identifying any particular chromosome region on pachytene chromosomes and within interphase nuclei using selected BACs is demonstrated by differential labelling. This approach allows us, for the first time, to paint an entire autosome of an euploid plant to study chromosome rearrangements, homologue association, interphase chromosome territories, as well as to identify homeologous chromosomes of related species.