Evolution of the DRD2 gene haplotype and its association with alcoholism in Mexican Americans

The human D2 dopamine receptor gene (DRD2) plays a central role in the neuromodulation of appetitive behaviors and is implicated in having a possible role in susceptibility to alcoholism. We genotyped an SNP in DRD2 Exon 8 in 251 nonalcoholic, unrelated, healthy controls and 200 alcoholic Mexican Americans. The DRD2 haplotypes were analyzed using the Exon 8 genotype in combination with five other SNP genotypes, which were obtained from our previous study. The ancestral origins of the DRD2 polymorphisms have been determined by sequencing the homologous region in other higher primates. Twenty DRD2 haplotypes, defined as H1 to H20 based on their frequency from high to low, were obtained in this major minority population. The ancestral haplotype "I-132-G-C-G-A1" and two one-step mutation haplotypes were absent in our study population. The haplotype H1, "I-B1-T-C-A-A1", with the highest frequency in the population, is a three-step mutation from the ancestral form. The first five or eight major haplotypes make up 87% or 95% of the entire population, respectively. The prevalence of the haplotype H1+ (H1/H1 and H1/Hn genotypes) is significantly higher in alcoholics and alcoholic subgroups, including early onset drinkers and benders, than in their respective control groups. The Promoter -141C allele is in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with five other loci in the nonalcoholic group, but not in the alcoholic group. All of the other five loci are in LD in both the alcoholic and control groups. The DRD2 TaqI B allele is in complete LD with the allele located in intron 6. Five SNPs, Promoter -141C, TaqI B (or Intron 6), Exon 7, Exon 8, and TaqI A, are sufficient to define the DRD2 haplotypes in Mexican Americans. Our data indicate that the DRD2 haplotypes are associated with alcoholism in Mexican Americans. (c) 2005 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The onset of foreign gene transcription in nuclear-transferred embryos of fish

The transcriptional onset of hGH-transgene in fish was studied in the following three cases: the first is in MThGH-transgenic F-4 common carp (Cyprinus carpio) embryos, the second is in nuclear-transferred embryos supported by the transgenic F-4 embryonic nuclei, and the third is in nuclear-transferred embryos supported by the transgenic F-4 tail-fin nuclei. RT-PCR results show that the hGH-transgene initiates its transcriptional activity from early-gastrula stage, the early blastula stage and even 16-cell stage in the first, second and third cases, respectively. it looks like that fish egg cytoplasm could just offer a very restricted reprogramming on transcriptional activity of specific gene in differentiated cell nuclei by nuclear transplantation.

An approach to prediction of the South China Sea summer monsoon onset

In the present paper, correlation between the South China Sea summer monsoon (SCSSM) onset and heat content in the upper layer of the warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean is examined using the Scripps Institution of Oceanography dataset for the period of 1955-1998 and an approach to prediction the SCSSM onset is proposed. Correlation showes that there exists interdecadal variability of the SCSSM onset demarcated by 1970 with the largest correlation coefficient in the area west of the center of the warm pool rather than near its centers, implying certain effect from other factors involved besides ENSO. As the correlation is poor for the period before 1970, the heat content anomaly of the warm pool after 1970 is used to indicate early or late onset of the SCSSM beforehand. An ideal representative area (1A degrees x1A degrees) for the warm pool heat content was determined with its center at 3A degrees N/138A degrees E. The nearest TAO (TAO-Tropical Atmosphere Ocean-array) mooring to the center is at 2A degrees N/137A degrees E, and chosen to calculate the heat content for prediction. It is suggested that the TAO mooring at 2A degrees N/137A degrees E could be used to predict the SCSSM onset with the heat content in the upper layer, if the correlation between the SCSSM onset and the heat content of the warm pool runs like that of after 1970. On the other hand, if the situation does like the one before 1970, the representative station is determined at 13A degrees S/74A degrees E with relatively poor correlation, meaning that the warm pool in the western Pacific Ocean plays more important role in the SCSSM onset than the Indian Ocean.