Identification and expression analysis of a potential familial Alzheimer disease gene on chromosome 1 related to AD3.

The inheritance of much early-onset Alzheimer disease (AD) has been linked to a dominant-acting locus on chromosome 14. Recently, the gene likely responsible for this genetic linkage has been identified and termed AD3. Five mutations have been found in AD3 that segregate with the disease phenotype in seven AD families and are not present in unaffected individuals. Here we report the existence of a gene encoding a seven transmembrane domain protein very similar to that encoded by AD3 in structure and sequence. This gene is located on chromosome 1, is expressed in a variety of tissues, including brain, and is predicted to harbor mutations causing nonchromosome 14 familial AD. The presence of several S/TPXX DNA binding motifs in both the AD3 protein and the AD3-like protein /AD4 protein suggests a possible role in intracellular signaling and gene expression or in linking chromatin to the nuclear membrane. Ways in which mutations in either gene could lead to AD are discussed.

Functional haplodiploidy: a mechanism for the spread of insecticide resistance in an important international insect pest.

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most important insect pest of coffee worldwide and has an unusual life history that ensures a high degree of inbreeding. Individual females lay a predominantly female brood within individual coffee berries and because males are flightless there is almost entirely full sib mating. We investigated the genetics associated with this interesting life history after the important discovery of resistance to the cyclodiene type insecticide endosulfan. Both the inheritance of the resistance phenotype and the resistance-associated point mutation in the gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor gene Rdl were examined. Consistent with haplodiploidy, males failed to express and transmit paternally derived resistance alleles. Furthermore, while cytological examination revealed that males are diploid, one set of chromosomes was condensed, and probably nonfunctional, in the somatic cells of all males examined. Moreover, although two sets of chromosomes were present in primary spermatocytes, the chromosomes failed to pair before the single meiotic division, and only one set was packaged in sperm. Thus, the coffee berry borer is "functionally" haplodiploid. Its genetics and life history may therefore represent an interesting intermediate step in the evolution of true haplodiploidy. The influence of this breeding system on the spread of insecticide resistance is discussed.

Identification of mutations in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome gene and characterization of a polymorphic dinucleotide repeat at DXS6940, adjacent to the disease gene.

The Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS) is an X-chromosome-linked recessive disease characterized by eczema, thrombocytopenia, and immunodeficiency. The disease gene has been localized to the proximal short arm of the X chromosome and recently isolated through positional cloning. The function of the encoded protein remains undetermined. In this study we have characterized mutations in 12 unrelated patients to confirm the identity of the disease gene. We have also revised the coding sequence and genomic structure for the WAS gene. To analyze further the transmittance of the disease gene, we have characterized a polymorphic microsatellite at the DXS6940 locus within 30 kb of the gene and demonstrate the inheritance of the affected alleles in families with a history of WAS.

An incomplete unidentified work on inheritance : manuscript, undated

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم وبه الاعانة فصل اعلم ان الناظم لم يتعرض. :Incipit

Basic properties of epigenetic systems: lessons from the centromere

Chromatin-based epigenetic inheritance cooperates with cis-acting DNA sequence information to propagate gene expression states and chromosome architecture across cell division cycles. Histone proteins and their modifications are central components of epigenetic systems but how, and to what extent, they are propagated is a matter of continued debate. Centromeric nucleosomes, marked by the histone H3 variant CENP-A, are stable across mitotic divisions and are assembled in a locus specific and cell cycle controlled manner. The mechanism of inheritance of this unique chromatin domain has important implications for how general nucleosome transmission is controlled in space and time.

Description and geochemistry of DSDP Leg 55 Holes

One of the objectives of Leg 55 was to investigate the Tertiary history of sedimentation and environment on the Emperor Seamounts after their volcanic activity. For the three first sites, 430, 431, and 432, drilled on Ojin, Nintoku, and Yömei Seamounts, the Neogene sedimentary deposits are not well represented and are not typical pelagic sediments. Except for two holes (430A and 432), where we found calcareous oozes, the sediments are heterogeneous sands, gravels, and pebbly mudstones with a wide range in grain size and composition. Two phenomena characterize these deposits: the inheritance of volcaniclastic material and its alteration, and the authigenesis of secondary minerals including silicates, phosphates, and ferromanganese oxides formed under volcanic influence in a marine environment.

The mathematical basis of the arts.

Science and esthetics.--Theory of regularity and coordination.--Technology of art production.

Genetic effects on alcohol dependence risk: re-evaluating the importance of psychiatric and other heritable risk factors

Background. Genetic influences have been shown to play a major role in determining the risk of alcohol dependence (AD) in both women and men; however, little attention has been directed to identifying the major sources of genetic variation in AD risk. Method. Diagnostic telephone interview data from young adult Australian twin pairs born between 1964 and 1971 were analyzed. Cox regression models were fitted to interview data from a total of 2708 complete twin pairs (690 MZ female, 485 MZ male, 500 DZ female, 384 DZ male, and 649 DZ female/male pairs). Structural equation models were fitted to determine the extent of residual genetic and environmental influences on AD risk while controlling for effects of sociodemographic and psychiatric predictors on risk. Results. Risk of AD was increased in males, in Roman Catholics, in those reporting a history of major depression, social anxiety problems, and conduct disorder, or (in females only) a history of suicide attempt and childhood sexual abuse; but was decreased in those reporting Baptist, Methodist, or Orthodox religion, in those who reported weekly church attendance, and in university-educated males. After allowing for the effects of sociodemographic and psychiatric predictors, 47 % (95 % CI 28-55) of the residual variance in alcoholism risk was attributable to additive genetic effects, 0 % (95 % CI 0-14) to shared environmental factors, and 53 % (95 % CI 45-63) to non-shared environmental influences. Conclusions. Controlling for other risk factors, substantial residual heritability of AD was observed, suggesting that psychiatric and other risk factors play a minor role in the inheritance of AD.

Genetic analysis of resistance to root-lesion nematode (Pratylenchus thornei) in wheat

The inheritance of resistance to root-lesion nematode was investigated in five synthetic hexaploid wheat lines and two bread wheat lines using a half-diallel design of F-1 and F-2 crosses. The combining ability of resistance genes in the synthetic hexaploid wheat lines was compared with the performance of the bread wheat line 'GS50a', the source of resistance to Pratylenchus thornei used in Australian wheat breeding programmes. Replicated glasshouse trials identified P. thornei resistance as polygenic and additive in gene action. General combining ability (GCA) of the parents was more important than specific combining ability (SCA) effects in the inheritance of P. thornei resistance in both F-1 and F-2 populations. The synthetic hexaploid wheat line 'CPI133872' was identified as the best general combiner, however, all five synthetic hexaploid wheat lines possessed better GCA than 'GS50a'. The synthetic hexaploid wheat lines contain novel sources of P. thornei resistance that will provide alternative and more effective sources of resistance to be utilized in wheat breeding programmes.

Mechanisms of inducible resistance against Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxins in invertebrates

Abstract Resistance in insect pests against the endotoxin of Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bt) is a major threat to the usefulness of this biopesticide, both used as traditional formulations and in transgenic crops. A crucial requirement for the development of successful resistance management strategies is a molecular understanding of the nature and inheritance of resistance mechanisms. This information can be used to design management strategies that will delay or counteract Bt resistance. The best known Bt resistance mechanism is inactivation of brush border membrane receptors. This type of resistance has a largely recessive mode of inheritance, which has enabled the design of resistance management approaches involving high dose and refuge strategies. Recent observations suggest that other resistance mechanisms are possible, including a mechanism that sequesters the toxin in the gut lumen through inducible immune reactions. The elevated immune status associated with tolerance to the toxin can be transmitted to subsequent generations by a maternal effect, which has implications for resistance management in the field. The high dose/refuge strategy may not be appropriate for the management of these alternative resistance mechanisms and other strategies have to be developed if inducible dominant resistance or tolerance mechanisms occur frequently in the field.

The genetics of cataract

This article reviews: 1) the clinical and pathological features of the different types of catarct, 2) the patterns of inheritance of cataract, 3) the genes that may be associated with the development of cataract, and 4) how the presence of abnormal genes may cause lens opacity.

Spatial arrangement patterns of senile plaques in post-mortem senile dementia of the Alzheimer type brains

We have studied the spatial distribution of plaques in coronal and tangential sections of the parahippocampal gyrus (PHG), the hippocampus, the frontal lobe and the temporal lobe of five SDAT patients. Sections were stained with cresyl violet and examined at two magnifications (x100 and x400). in all cases (and at both magnifications) statistical analysis using the Poisson distribution showed that the plaques were arranged in clumps (x100: V/M = 1.48 - 4.49; x400 V/M = 1.17 - 1.95). this indicates that both large scale and small scale clumping occurs. Application of the statistical techniques of pattern analysis to coronal sections of frontal and temporal cortex and PHG showed. furthermore, that both large (3200-6400 micron) and small scale (100 - 400 micron) clumps were arranged with a high degree of regularity in the tissue. This suggests that the clumps of plaques reflect underlying neural structure.

Economic transition in Central Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States

Fifteen years ago, twenty-seven countries in Europe and Central Asia embarked on their economic transition paths. For some, the outcome was a considerable success. Several others are still struggling to shed the inheritance of the past and to correct more recent policy mistakes. Why were post-Communist recessions so long in some countries and growth disappointing? Why was fiscal performance so different? Was democracy a factor, which facilitated reforms or rather slowed them down? This book discusses these questions in the context of new empirical evidence, including a critical examination of the main themes in the economics of transition.

(Table1) Frequency of well defined bioturbation in sediments of the Eckernförder Bay, Western Baltic Sea

The lamination and burrowing patterns in 17 box cores were analyzed with the aid of X-ray photographs and thin sections. A standardized method of log plotting made statistical analysis of the data possible. Several 'structure types' were established, although it was realized that the boundaries are purely arbitrary divisions in what can sometimes be a continuous sequence. In the transition zone between marginal sand facies and fine-grained basin facies, muddy sediment is found which contains particularly well differentiated, alternating laminae. This zone is also characterized by layers rich in plant remains. The alternation of laminae shows a high degree of statistical scattering. Even though a small degree of cyclic periodicity could be defined, it was impossible to correlate individual layers from core to core across the bay. However, through a statistical handling of the plots, zones could be separated on the basis of the number of sand layers they contained. These more or minder sandy zones clarified the bottom reflections seen in the records of the echograph from the area. The manner of facies change across the bay, suggests that no strong bottom currents are effective in the Eckernförde Bay. The marked asymmetry between the north and south flanks of the profile can be attributed to the stronger action of waves on the more exposed areas. Grain size analyses were made from the more homogeneous units found in a core from the transition-facies zone. The results indicate that the most pronounced differences between layers appear in the silt range, and although the differences are slight, they are statistically significant. Layers rich in plant remains were wet-sieved in order to separate the plant detritus. This was than analyzed in a sediment settling balance and found to be hydrodynamically equivalent to a well-sorted, finegrained sand. A special, rhythmic cross-bedding type with dimensions in the millimeter range, has been named 'Crypto-cross-lamination' and is thought to represent rapid sedimentation in an area where only very weak bottom currents are present. It is found only in the deepest part of the basin. Relatively large sand grains, scattered within layers of clayey-silty matrix, seem to be transported by flotation. Thin section examination showed that the inner part of Eckernförder Bay carbonate grains (e. g. Foraminifera shells) were preserved throughout the cores, while in the outer part of the bay they were not present. Well defined tracks and burrows are relatively rare in all of the facies in comparision to the generally strongly developed deformation burrowing. The application of special measures for the deformation burrowing allowed to plot their intensity in profile for each core. A degree of regularity could be found in these burrowing intensity plots, with higher values appearing in the sandy facies, but with no clear differences between sand and silt layers in the transition facies. Small sections in the profiles of the deepest part of the bay show no bioturbation at all.

(Table 1) Composition of lipids in particulate matter and bottom sediments of the Baltic Sea

Lipid contents in the upper layer of bottom sediments in the Baltic Sea range from 0.37 to 2.66 mg/g (1.2-25.8% Corg). It is shown that the main factors determining composition of lipids in bottom precipitates are relative roles of different sources of lipids in sediments and conditions of sediment accumulation. Runoff of the Daugava River into the Gulf of Riga contributes simple low-polarity lipids. Sterols and certain bound fatty acids originate in living organic matter. Polar lipids are formed by inheritance of complex phospholipids and glycolipids from plankton and/or by formation of polycondensates.