A single alteration 20 nt 5′ to an editing target inhibits chloroplast RNA editing in vivo

Transcripts of typical dicot plant plastid genes undergo C→U RNA editing at approximately 30 locations, but there is no consensus sequence surrounding the C targets of editing. The cis-acting elements required for editing of the C located at tobacco rpoB editing site II were investigated by introducing translatable chimeric minigenes containing sequence –20 to +6 surrounding the C target of editing. When the –20 to +6 sequence specified by the homologous region present in the black pine chloroplast genome was incorporated, virtually no editing of the transcripts occurred in transgenic tobacco plastids. Nucleotides that differ between the black pine and tobacco sequence were tested for their role in C→U editing by designing chimeric genes containing one or more of these divergent nucleotides. Surprisingly, the divergent nucleotide that had the strongest negative effect on editing of the minigene transcript was located –20 nt 5′ to the C target of editing. Expression of transgene transcripts carrying the 27 nt sequence did not affect the editing extent of the endogenous rpoB transcripts, even though the chimeric transcripts were much more abundant than those of the endogenous gene. In plants carrying a 93 nt rpoB editing site sequence, transgene transcripts accumulated to a level three times greater than transgene transcripts in the plants carrying the 27 nt rpoB editing sites and resulted in editing of the endogenous transcripts from 100 to 50%. Both a lower affinity of the 27 nt site for a trans-acting factor and lower abundance of the transcript could explain why expression of minigene transcripts containing the 27 nt sequence did not affect endogenous editing.

A yeast artificial chromosome-based map of the region of chromosome 20 containing the diabetes-susceptibility gene, MODY1, and a myeloid leukemia related gene.

We have generated a physical map of human chromosome bands 20q11.2-20q13.1, a region containing a gene involved in the development of one form of early-onset, non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, MODY1, as well as a putative myeloid tumor suppressor gene. The yeast artificial chromosome contig consists of 71 clones onto which 71 markers, including 20 genes, 5 expressed sequence tags, 32 simple tandem repeat DNA polymorphisms, and 14 sequence-tagged sites have been ordered. This region spans about 18 Mb, which represents about 40% of the physical length of 20q. Using this physical map, we have refined the location of MODY1 to a 13-centimorgan interval (approximately equal to 7 Mb) between D20S169 and D20S176. The myeloid tumor suppressor gene was localized to an 18-centimorgan interval (approximately equal to 13 Mb) between RPN2 and D20S17. This physical map will facilitate the isolation of MODY1 and the myeloid tumor suppressor gene.

Fluoxetine-elicited changes in brain neurosteroid content measured by negative ion mass fragmentography.

Fluoxetine administered intraperitoneally to sham-operated or adrenalectomized/castrated (ADX/CX) male rats dose-dependently (2.9-58 mumol/kg i.p.) increased the brain content of the neurosteroid 3 alpha-hydroxy-5 alpha-pregnan-20-one (allopregnanolone, 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG). The increase of brain 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG content elicited by 58 mumol/kg fluoxetine lasted more than 2 hr and the range of its extent was comparable in sham-operated (approximately 3-10 pmol/g) and ADX/CX rats (2-9 pmol/g) and was associated with a decrease (from 2.8 to 1.1 pmol/g) in the 5 alpha-pregnan-3,20-dione (5 alpha-dihydroprogesterone, 5 alpha-DH PROG) content. The pregnenolone, progesterone, and dehydroepiandrosterone content failed to change in rats receiving fluoxetine. The extent of 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG accumulation elicited by fluoxetine treatment differed in various brain regions, with the highest increase occurring in the olfactory bulb. Importantly, fluoxetine failed to change the 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG levels in plasma, which in ADX/CX rats were at least two orders of magnitude lower than in the brain. Two other serotonin re-uptake inhibitors, paroxetine and imipramine, in doses equipotent to those of fluoxetine in inhibiting brain serotonin uptake, were either significantly less potent than fluoxetine (paroxetine) or failed to increase (imipramine) 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG brain content. The addition of 10 microM of 5 alpha-DH PROG to brain slices of ADX/CX rats preincubated with fluoxetine (10 microM, 15 min) elicited an accumulation of 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG greater than in slices preincubated with vehicle. A fluoxetine stimulation of brain 3 alpha, 5 alpha-TH PROG biosynthesis might be operative in the anxiolytic and antidysphoric actions of this drug.

The human lysozyme promoter directs reporter gene expression to activated myelomonocytic cells in transgenic mice.

The 5' region of the human lysozyme gene from -3500 to +25 was fused to a chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) reporter gene and three transgenic founder mice were obtained. All three transgenic lines showed the same pattern of CAT enzyme expression in adult mouse tissues that was consistent with the targeting of elicited, activated macrophages in tissues and developing and elicited granulocytes. In normal mice high CAT enzyme activity was found in the spleen, lung, and thymus, tissues rich in phagocytically active cells, but not in many other tissues, such as the gut and muscle, which contain resident macrophages. Cultured resident peritoneal macrophages and cells elicited 18 hr (granulocytes) and 4 days (macrophages) after injection of sterile thioglycollate broth expressed CAT activity. Bacillus Calmette-Guérin infection of transgenic mice resulted in CAT enzyme expression in the liver, which contained macrophage-rich granulomas, whereas the liver of uninfected mice did not have any detectable CAT enzyme activity. Although the Paneth cells of the small intestine in both human and mouse produce lysozyme, the CAT gene, under the control of the human lysozyme promoter, was not expressed in the mouse small intestine. These results indicate that the human lysozyme promoter region may be used to direct expression of genes to activated mouse myeloid cells.

Safety and toxicity of amphotericin B in glucose 5% or intralipid 20% in neutropenic patients with pneumonia or fever of unknown origin: randomised study

Objective: To compare the feasibility of treatment, safety, and toxicity of intravenous amphotericin B deoxycholate prepared in either glucose or intralipid for empirical antimycotic treatment of neutropenic cancer patients.