IgG purification to measure the level of an iodinated thyroglobulin peptide,the 3,5,3′,5′ tetraiodo-l-tyrosyl-l-tyrosine in human serum

Summary Antibodies reacting with 3,5,3,5 tetraiodo-l-tyrosyl-l-tyrosine (I₂Tyr-I₂Tyr) were elicited in rabbits by immunization with an oxidized yeast conjugate coupled with I₂Tyr-I₂Tyr. Ion-exchange chromatography was used to purify immunoglobulins, in order to improve the specificity in measurement of I₂Tyr-I₂Tyr level in patient serum. IgG binding capacity versus I₂Tyr-I₂Tyr was considerably increased after immunoglobulin purification.Acknowledgments. The authors with to thank Mrs M. Ollier for her valuable technical assistance.     

A new analytical framework for the understanding of Diophantus’s Arithmetica I–III

This study is the foundation of a new interpretation of the introduction and the three first books of Diophantus’s Arithmetica, one that opens the way to a historically correct contextualization of the work. Its purpose, as indicated in the title, is to renew the traditional discussion on the methods of problem-solving used by Diophantus, through the detailed exposition of a new analytical framework that aims to give an account of the coherence and progressive nature of the material included in the three first books of the Arithmetica. One outcome of this new ‘toolbox’ is a new conspectus of the problems and solutions contained in the latter, which is presented in appendix. The first part of the article clarifies, as a necessary preliminary, the key notions and terminology underlying our analysis. Among these new concepts is the notion of “method of invention,” which accounts in general for any way, by which “positions” (hypostaseis) are used in the Arithmetica. The next part proposes a complete inventory of the various methods of invention found in the three first books. Finally the last part presents the above mentioned conspectus and proposes a series of preliminary conclusions that can be drawn from it.     

Late middle Eocene epoch of Libya yields earliest known radiation of African anthropoids

Reconstructing the early evolutionary history of anthropoid primates is hindered by a lack of consensus on both the timing and biogeography of anthropoid origins. Some prefer an ancient (Cretaceous) origin for anthropoids in Africa or some other Gondwanan landmass, whereas others advocate a more recent (early Cenozoic) origin for anthropoids in Asia, with subsequent dispersal of one or more early anthropoid taxa to Africa. The oldest undoubted African anthropoid primates described so far are three species of the parapithecid Biretia from the late middle Eocene Bir El Ater locality of Algeria and the late Eocene BQ-2 site in the Fayum region of northern Egypt. Here we report the discovery of the oldest known diverse assemblage of African anthropoids from the late middle Eocene Dur At-Talah escarpment in central Libya. The primate assemblage from Dur At-Talah includes diminutive species pertaining to three higher-level anthropoid clades (Afrotarsiidae, Parapithecidae and Oligopithecidae) as well as a small species of the early strepsirhine primate Karanisia. The high taxonomic diversity of anthropoids at Dur At-Talah indicates either a much longer interval of anthropoid evolution in Africa than is currently documented in the fossil record or the nearly synchronous colonization of Africa by multiple anthropoid clades at some time during the middle Eocene epoch.     

Mutations in MRAP, encoding a new interacting partner of the ACTH receptor, cause familial glucocorticoid deficiency type 2

Familial glucocorticoid deficiency (FGD), or hereditary unresponsiveness to adrenocorticotropin (ACTH; OMIM 202200), is an autosomal recessive disorder resulting from resistance to the action of ACTH on the adrenal cortex, which stimulates glucocorticoid production. Affected individuals are deficient in cortisol and, if untreated, are likely to succumb to hypoglycemia or overwhelming infection in infancy or childhood. Mutations of the ACTH receptor (melanocortin 2 receptor, MC2R) account for approximately 25% of cases of FGD. FGD without mutations of MC2R is called FGD type 2. Using SNP array genotyping, we mapped a locus involved in FGD type 2 to chromosome 21q22.1. We identified mutations in a gene encoding a 19-kDa single-transmembrane domain protein, now known as melanocortin 2 receptor accessory protein (MRAP). We show that MRAP interacts with MC2R and may have a role in the trafficking of MC2R from the endoplasmic reticulum to the cell surface.     

Host-plant adaptation drives the parallel evolution of reproductive isolation

Parallel evolution of similar traits in independent populations that inhabit ecologically similar environments strongly implicates natural selection as the cause of evolution. Parallel speciation is a special form of parallel evolution where traits that determine reproductive isolation evolve repeatedly, in closely related populations, as by-products of adaptation to ecological conditions. The outcome of such parallel evolution is that ecologically divergent pairs of populations exhibit greater levels of reproductive isolation than ecologically similar pairs of populations of a similar or younger age. The parallel evolution of reproductive isolation provides strong evidence for natural selection in the process of speciation, but only one conclusive example from nature is known. Populations of the walking-stick insect Timema cristinae that use different host-plant species have diverged in body size and shape, host preference, behaviour and the relative frequency of two highly cryptic colour-pattern morphs. Here we report that divergent selection for host adaptation, and not genetic drift, has promoted the parallel evolution of sexual isolation in this species. Our findings represent a clear demonstration that host-plant adaptation can play a crucial and repeatable role in the early stages of speciation.     

Brain norepinephrine levels and turnover rates in castrated mice isolated for 13 months

Zusammenfassung Funktionsdynamik von Gehirn-Norepinephrin (NE) in kastrierten und scheinkastrierten männlichen, geschlechtsreifen (C57Br/6J)-Mäusen wurde nach 13 Monaten Isolierung untersucht. Kastrierung bewirkt starken Abfall des ursprünglichen Niveaus und der Stoffwechselgeschwinddigkeit von NE.

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Supported in part by a USPHS Predoctoral Fellowship toB. K. Bernard and NIMH Grant No. MH 15352 toR. M. Paolino.