Cloning and characterization of a vasopressin V2 receptor and possible link to nephrogenic diabetes insipidus.

The antidiuretic effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) is mediated by renal-type (V2) receptors linked to adenylyl cyclase. We report here the cloning of the rat kidney V2 AVP receptor complementary DNA that encodes a 370-amino-acid protein with a transmembrane topography characteristic of G protein-coupled receptors, and with similarity to the V1a (hepatic) AVP receptor in its seven membrane-spanning domains. Expression of the cloned cDNA in mammalian cells showed specific ligand binding and activity characteristic of the native V2 AVP receptor. The receptor messenger RNA is detected only in the kidney. The human V2 receptor gene has been localized to the long arm of the X chromosome close to the locus for nephrogenic diabetes insipidus, an X-linked recessive disorder characterized by renal resistance to the antidiuretic action of AVP.     

Single base deletion in the vasopressin gene is the cause of diabetes insipidus in Brattleboro rats

In rats with hereditary hypothalamic diabetes insipidus (Brattleboro rats) the gene for the vasopressin precursor lacks a single G residue in the protein-coding region. The mutation gives rise to an open reading frame predicting a hormone precursor having a different C-terminus.     

Molecular identification of a human DNA repair gene following DNA-mediated gene transfer

Although it has long been evident that the response of eukaryotes to DNA damaging agents is determined by the effectiveness of a variety of DNA repair systems, there is little detailed knowledge of the nature of these systems or the genes which control them. In humans, a number of hereditary conditions, including xeroderma pigmentosum, ataxia telangiectasia and Fanconi's anaemia, exhibit increased sensitivity to a variety of DNA damaging agents and a predisposition to cancer, suggesting a defect in some aspect of DNA repair. This report describes the identification of a human DNA repair gene following DNA-mediated gene transfer into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) mutant cells, that like xeroderma pigmentosum cells, are sensitive to a variety of DNA damaging agents and are defective in the initial incision step of DNA repair. The resulting transformants exhibit normal resistance to DNA damaging agents and independent transformants demonstrate a common set of human DNA sequences associated with a human DNA repair gene. These observations provide the basis for the isolation and characterization of the human genes responsible for DNA repair.     

Using oligonucleotide suspension arrays for laboratory identification of bacteria responsible for bacteremia

The aim of this study was to develop and validate an oligonucleotide suspension array for rapid identification of 15 bacterial species responsible for bacteremia, particularly prevalent in Chinese hospitals. The multiplexed array, based on the QIAGEN LiquiChip Workstation, included 15 oligonucleotide probes which were covalently bound to different bead sets. PCR amplicons of a variable region of the bacterial 23S rRNA genes were hybridized to the bead-bound probes. Thirty-eight strains belonging to 15 species were correctly identified on the basis of their corresponding species-specific hybridization profiles. The results show that the suspension array, in a single assay, can differentiate isolates over a wide range of strains and species, and suggest the potential utility of suspension array system to clinical laboratory diagnosis.     

桑树桑黄与杨树桑黄的分子辨别

为准确鉴别桑黄(Sanghuangporus)近缘种桑树桑黄(S.sanghuang)与杨树桑黄(S.vaninii)、暴马桑黄(S.baumii),本研究基于核糖体基因rDNA内转录间隔区(internal transcribed spacer,ITS)序列分析技术,对桑黄真菌进行了系统发育分析与近缘种的分子辨别研究.结果表明,在NJ系统发育树上,23个桑树桑黄、11个杨树桑黄和6个暴马桑黄菌株各自以很高的Bootstrap支持率聚为了三个独立的分支,种间差异明显.依据桑树桑黄和杨树桑黄的rDNA ITS序列差异,设计两对引物Sv_U1/Sv_L和Sv_U2/Sv_L,均可特异性地扩增杨树桑黄478 bp和651 bp的ITS片段,而不扩增桑树桑黄的ITS片段,因而可用于两个桑黄近缘种的快速分子辨别.本研究为探讨桑黄孔菌属真菌的系统发育关系提供了参考,并为桑黄种间的准确辨别提供了一种有效的分子辅助手段.     

遗传定位一个花粉发育相关的拟南芥新基因SPG1

通过EMS诱变获得一个拟南芥突变体shrunken pollen grain1,spg1.根据横切片的观察结果,与野生型相比较,突变体观察到异常的花粉粒.遗传学的实验表明:spg1突变现象由一个隐性的单基因控制.通过图位克隆的方法,spg1突变位点定位在3号染色体的分子标记3-AL138638-6632和3-AL353865-6814之间大约427kb的区间内.生物信息学的分析表明,在这个区间内没有任何已知的与育性相关的基因.以上结果说明SPG1是一个控制拟南芥雄性不育的新基因.     

Leptin reverses insulin resistance and diabetes mellitus in mice with congenital lipodystrophy.

Congenital generalized lipodystrophy (CGL) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a paucity of adipose (fat) tissue which is evident at birth and is accompanied by a severe resistance to insulin, leading to hyperinsulinaemia, hyperglycaemia and enlarged fatty liver. We have developed a mouse model that mimics these features of CGL: the syndrome occurs in transgenic mice expressing a truncated version of a nuclear protein known as nSREBP-1c (for sterol-regulatory-element-binding protein-1c) under the control of the adipose-specific aP2 enhancer. Adipose tissue from these mice was markedly deficient in messenger RNAs encoding several fat-specific proteins, including leptin, a fat-derived hormone that regulates food intake and energy metabolism. Here we show that insulin resistance in our lipodystrophic mice can be overcome by a continuous systemic infusion of low doses of recombinant leptin, an effect that is not mimicked by chronic food restriction. Our results support the idea that leptin modulates insulin sensitivity and glucose disposal independently of its effect on food intake, and that leptin deficiency accounts for the insulin resistance found in CGL.     

Nonsense mutation in the glucokinase gene causes early-onset non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Maturity-onset diabetes of the young (MODY) is a form of non-insulin-dependent (type 2) diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) which is characterized by an early age at onset and an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance. Except for these features, the clinical characteristics of patients with MODY are similar to those with the more common late-onset form(s) of NIDDM. Previously we observed tight linkage between DNA polymorphisms in the glucokinase gene on the short arm of chromosome 7 and NIDDM in a cohort of sixteen French families having MODY. Glucokinase is an enzyme that catalyses the formation of glucose-6-phosphate from glucose and may be involved in the regulation of insulin secretion and integration of hepatic intermediary metabolism. Because the glucokinase gene was a candidate for the site of the genetic lesion in these families, we scanned this gene for mutations. Here we report the identification of a nonsense mutation in the gene encoding glucokinase and its linkage with early-onset diabetes in one family. To our knowledge, this result is the first evidence implicating a mutation in a gene involved in glucose metabolism in the pathogenesis of NIDDM.     

Identification of a photoreceptor-specific mRNA encoded by the gene responsible for retinal degeneration slow (rds)

Mutant mice homozygous for 'retinal degeneration slow' (rds/rds) are characterized phenotypically by abnormal development of photoreceptor outer segments in the retina, followed by gradual degeneration of photoreceptors. This process of degeneration is complete by one year, with preservation of all other retinal cells. The biochemical defect that leads to the mutant phenotype is not known. Our strategy for cloning the rds gene was based upon three previously reported observations. First, the rds locus maps to chromosome 17. Second, experimental rds/rds----+/+ and rds/+----+/+ tetra-parental mice manifest patchy photoreceptor changes in the retina, suggesting that the wild-type rds locus is expressed within cells of the photoreceptor lineage. Finally, the process of degeneration is specific to photoreceptors. On the basis of these observations, we predicted that the rds mRNA is encoded by a gene on chromosome 17 and is normally expressed exclusively within photoreceptors in the retina. We here present evidence that this is the case.     

Construction of a genetic map with SRAP markers and localization of the gene responsible for the first-flower-node trait in cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.)

Cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) is an annualclimber originated from the tropic rain forest area inthe south of Himalayas, which belongs to the Cucur bitaceae family. Cucumber is one of the importantvegetables in the world, and its planting area is sec ond only to that of tomato[1]. However genetics re search on cucumber obviously drops behind that of thelatter. The classic genetic map of cucumber, with sixlinkage groups, is composed of more than 100 genesfor color, morphology, and dise…     

Molecular identification and phylogenetic position of Cuora yunnanensis

The Yunnan box turtle (Cuora yunnanensis, Boulenger, 1906), which has drawn much attention in conservation biology, was regarded as extinct since it was previously known only from 12 specimens collected in Yunnan, China, before 1908. Recently, live specimens have been discovered which are suggested to be C. yunnanensis. To determine whether the newly discovered specimens are really C. yunnanensis, we have established a molecular phylogeny, with a 1725-bp fragment of mitochondrial DNA, using samples from three live individuals of C. yunnanensis, together with sequence data from a museum specimen of C. yunnanensis (MNHN 1907.10) and other members of the genus Cuora. We found that the three newly discovered individuals and the old museum specimen of C. yunnanensis are very similar both in morphology and in mitochondrial DNA sequence, suggesting that the three new individuals are the very C. yunnanensis, and thus the species is not extinct. Our phylogenetic analysis also demonstrates that C. yunnanensis is not of recent hybrid origin, but rather represents a distinct evolutionary lineage.