Efficient and accurate replication in the presence of 7,8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine by DNA polymerase eta

Oxidative damage to DNA has been proposed to have a role in cancer and ageing. Oxygen-free radicals formed during normal aerobic cellular metabolism attack bases in DNA, and 7, 8-dihydro-8-oxoguanine (8-oxoG) is one of the adducts formed. Eukaryotic replicative DNA polymerases replicate DNA containing 8-oxoG by inserting an adenine opposite the lesion; consequently, 8-oxoG is highly mutagenic and causes G:C to T:A transversions. Genetic studies in yeast have indicated a role for mismatch repair in minimizing the incidence of these mutations. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, deletion of OGG1, encoding a DNA glycosylase that functions in the removal of 8-oxoG when paired with C, causes an increase in the rate of G:C to T:A transversions. The ogg1Delta msh2Delta double mutant displays a higher rate of CAN1S to can1r forward mutations than the ogg1Delta or msh2Delta single mutants, and this enhanced mutagenesis is primarily due to G:C to T:A transversions. The gene RAD30 of S. cerevisiae encodes a DNA polymerase, Poleta, that efficiently replicates DNA containing a cis-syn thymine-thymine (T-T) dimer by inserting two adenines across from the dimer. In humans, mutations in the yeast RAD30 counterpart, POLH, cause the variant form of xeroderma pigmentosum (XP-V), and XP-V individuals suffer from a high incidence of sunlight-induced skin cancers. Here we show that yeast and human POLeta replicate DNA containing 8-oxoG efficiently and accurately by inserting a cytosine across from the lesion and by proficiently extending from this base pair. Consistent with these biochemical studies, a synergistic increase in the rate of spontaneous mutations occurs in the absence of POLeta in the yeast ogg1Delta mutant. Our results suggest an additional role for Poleta in the prevention of internal cancers in humans that would otherwise result from the mutagenic replication of 8-oxoG in DNA.     

Fuzzy ARTMAP neural network for seafloor classification from multibeam sonar data

This paper presents a seafloor classification method of multibeam sonar data, based on the use of Adaptive Resonance Theory （ART） neural networks. A general ART-based neural network, Fuzzy ARTMAP, has been proposed for seafloor classification of multibeam sonar data. An evolutionary strategy was used to generate new training samples near the cluster boundaries of the neural network, therefore the weights can be revised and refined by supervised learning. The proposed method resolves the training problem for Fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks, which are applied to seafloor classification of multibeam sonar data when there are less than adequate ground-troth samples. The results were synthetically analyzed in comparison with the standard Fuzzy ARTMAP network and a conventional Bayesian classifier. The conclusion can be drawn that Fuzzy ARTMAP neural networks combining with GA algorithms can be alternative powerful tools for seafloor classification of multibeam sonar data.     

Content of the renin-like enzyme in pregnant and non-pregnant rabbit uterus

Résumé Chez les lapins gris et blancs de la Nouvelle-Zélande, la concentration d'une enzyme semblable à la rénine est 16 fois plus grande dans l'utérus gravide presque à terme que dans l'utérus non-gravide et 9.5 fois plus grande que dans l'utérus après néphrectomie bilatérale. En tenant compte du fort accroissement de l'utérus gravide, le contenu total de l'enzyme en question est 114 fois supérieur à celui de l'utérus non-gravide et 24 fois plus grand que celui du rein.     

Conditioned seizures susceptibility in the hamster induced by prior auditory exposure

Zusammenfassung Nachweis audiosensibilisierter Anfälle beim HamsterMesocricetus auratus nach Konditionierung auf akustischen Reiz.

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Supported in part by grant No. EC 00447-01 from the PHS. We thank Mrs.Barbara Beagle for technical assistance.     

Dissociation of vertical and horizontal components of activity in rats treated with lithium chloride

Résumé La chlorure de lithium, administré aux rats. a affaibli leur activité verticale, sans porter atteinte à leur activité horizontale. Ces résultats sont compatibles avec l'hypothèse selon laquelle le lithium affaiblit les réponses des animaux aux stimulations.