A tale of tails: deciphering the contribution of terminal tails to the biochemical properties of two Dps proteins from Streptomyces coelicolor

Dps proteins are members of an extensive family of proteins that oxidise and deposit iron in the form of ferric oxide, and are also able to bind DNA. Ferroxidation centres are formed at the interface of anti-parallel dimers, which further assemble into dodecameric nanocages with a hollow core where ferric oxide is deposited. Streptomyces coelicolor encodes three Dps-like proteins (DpsA, B and C). Despite sharing the conserved four-helix bundle organisation observed in members of the Dps family, they display significant differences in the length of terminal extensions, or tails. DpsA possess both N- and C-terminal tails of different lengths, and their removal affects quaternary structure assembly to varying degrees. DpsC quaternary structure, on the other hand, is heavily dependent on its N-terminal tail as its removal abolishes correct protein folding. Analysis of the crystal structure of dodecamers from both proteins revealed remarkable differences in the position of tails and interface surface area; and provides insight to explain the differences in biochemical behaviour observed while comparing DpsA and DpsC.     

The correspondence between James Hutton (1726–1797) and James Watt (1736–1819) with two letters from Hutton to George Clerk-Maxwell (1715–1784): Part I

In the collection of Watt's papers at Doldowlod, home of Lord Gibson-Watt, there are seven previously unpublished letters from James Hutton to James Watt, and four letters from Watt to Hutton, also unpublished. The letters were written between 1774 and 1795. Very little of Hutton's other correspondence survives, so these letters add significantly to our knowledge. The earliest letters, together with two letters to George Clerk-Maxwell (in the Scottish Record Office), describe geological tours that Hutton made through Wales, the Midlands, and the south-west of England in 1774. The correspondence after 1774, which will appear in a later edition of Annals of Science, reveals Watt's expertise in geology, and also discusses meteorology, varnish making, Symington's steam engines, the first experiments with steam navigation, pneumatic medicine, and other topics.     

Colony isolation and isozyme variability of the western seep fritillary, Speyeria nokomis apacheana (Nymphalidae), in the western Great Basin

Thirteen Speyeria nokomis apacheana (Edwards) (Nymphalidae) populations from the western Great Basin were assayed for isozyme variability using starch-gel electrophoresis. Eight of the 25 presumptive isozyme loci analyzed were found to be polymorphic. Collections made in 1991and 1992 allowed for between-year comparisons of heterozygosity and the estimation of effective population size for five of the sampled populations. Speyeria nokomis apacheana populations exhibit lower mean heterozygosity levels than other nymphalids. This may be attributed to genetic drift in apparently isolated populations with small effective sizes.     

Effects of habitat fragmentation and differing mobility on the population structures of a Great Basin dragonfly ( Sympetrum corruptum ) and damselfly ( Enallagma carunculatum )

The population structure of 2 Great Basin odonate species was assessed using protein electrophoresis. Analyses included 7 populations of Sympetrum corruptum (suborder Anisoptera), a migratory and highly mobile dragonfly, and 8 populations of Enallagma carunculatum (suborder Zygoptera), a weak flier that is not known to migrate far from natal water sources. Though we expected the damselfly ( E. carunculatum ) to show greater genetic isolation than the dragonfly ( S. corruptum ), both species apparently had high levels of gene flow (theta = 0.0604 for S. corruptum , theta = 0.0485 for E. carunculatum ) and showed no evidence for isolation by distance. These results suggest that both species are highly vagile and that the most important factors affecting population structure of these odonates may be ecological conditions such as habitat patchiness and the ephemerality of water sources.     

A highly polymorphic DNA marker linked to adult polycystic kidney disease on chromosome 16

Adult polycystic kidney disease (APCKD) is a common and often lethal multi-organ disease with an autosomal dominant pattern of inheritance; approximately 1 in 1,000 people carry the mutant gene. The major pathological abnormality is the development and progressive enlargement of cysts in several organs including the liver, pancreas and spleen as well as the kidneys. The basic biochemical defect which leads to the formation of cysts remains unknown. Cyst development, which is not retarded by any known therapy, leads to irreversible renal failure and death at a mean age of 51 unless dialysis or transplantation are used. Patients with the disease account for 9% of chronic dialysis requirement. The first symptoms tend to occur in the fourth decade, after most patients have reproduced. Presymptomatic diagnosis depends on the ultrasonographic detection of cysts, but exclusion cannot be achieved by this means; 34% of at-risk patients in the second decade and 14% in the third will go on to develop cysts after negative diagnosis. The low sensitivity of diagnostic techniques in this critical age-range imposes severe limitations on genetic counselling and the condition cannot be identified prenatally. Hence we have searched for a linkage marker for APCKD; we show here that the APCKD locus is closely linked to the alpha-globin locus on the short arm of chromosome 16 (zeta = 25.85, theta = 0.05).     

Lack of substrate specificity on the speed of amoeboid locomotion inNaegleria gruberi

Summary Comparison of locomotory rates ofNaegleria on glass, agar, plastic and fluorocarbon oil under a range of defined electrolyte concentrations showed the speed of amoeboid movement to be independent of the substrate's nature.Acknowledgments. We would like to thank Les Cooper for technical assistance, the Science Research Council for support and the 3M Company for the gift of FC75 oil.     

Cloned fragments of the plasmid ColV,I-K94 specifying virulence and serum resistance.

A cloned BamH1-generated fragment of ColV,I-K94 increased the virulence of Escherichia coli, causing an approximately 100-fold reduction in LD50 for chicks. A genetic determinant for resistance to the bactericidal effects of serum was mapped to a 5,300 base-pair sequence within the fragment. Neither colicin V nor immunity to colicin V affected the pathogenicity of E. coli for chicks.