Widespread local house-sparrow extinctions

House-sparrow populations have declined sharply in Western Europe in recent decades, but the reasons for this decline have yet to be identified, despite intense public interest in the matter. Here we use a combination of field experimentation, genetic analysis and demographic data to show that a reduction in winter food supply caused by agricultural intensification is probably the principal explanation for the widespread local extinctions of rural house-sparrow populations in southern England. We show that farmland populations exhibit fine-level genetic structuring and that some populations are unable to sustain themselves (sinks), whereas others act as sources.     

Insights into DNA recombination from the structure of a RAD51-BRCA2 complex

The breast cancer susceptibility protein BRCA2 controls the function of RAD51, a recombinase enzyme, in pathways for DNA repair by homologous recombination. We report here the structure of a complex between an evolutionarily conserved sequence in BRCA2 (the BRC repeat) and the RecA-homology domain of RAD51. The BRC repeat mimics a motif in RAD51 that serves as an interface for oligomerization between individual RAD51 monomers, thus enabling BRCA2 to control the assembly of the RAD51 nucleoprotein filament, which is essential for strand-pairing reactions during DNA recombination. The RAD51 oligomerization motif is highly conserved among RecA-like recombinases, highlighting a common evolutionary origin for the mechanism of nucleoprotein filament formation, mirrored in the BRC repeat. Cancer-associated mutations that affect the BRC repeat disrupt its predicted interaction with RAD51, yielding structural insight into mechanisms for cancer susceptibility.     

Uptake of aflatoxin B1 by the skin of rats

Zusammenfassung Nachweis der Absorption von Aflatoxin B₁ durch die Rattenhaut. Die toxische Leberwirkung nach der Hautbepinselung entsprach den von anderen Autoren gefundenen Verhältnissen bei peroraler oder intraperitonealer Verabreichung.     

Shock effects on the growth of radish seedlings: the effect of the pressure duration

Résumé Des semis de radis furent soumis à la pression produite par un choc atmosphérique. La pression engendrée par une pulsation augmentant rapidement durait de 0, 1 à 14 sec. La durée de la pression servit de critère pour évaluer les effets des niveaux élevés du choc atmosphérique.     

The retinoblastoma susceptibility gene encodes a nuclear phosphoprotein associated with DNA binding activity

The human gene (RB) that determines susceptibility to hereditary retinoblastoma has been identified recently by molecular genetic techniques. Previous results indicate that complete inactivation of the RB gene is required for tumour formation. As a 'cancer suppressor' gene, RB thus functions in a manner opposite to that of most other oncogenes. Sequence analysis of RB complementary DNA clones demonstrated a long open reading frame encoding a hypothetical protein with features suggestive of a DNA-binding function. To further substantiate and identify the RB protein, we have prepared rabbit antisera against a trypE-RB fusion protein. The purified anti-RB IgG immunoprecipitates a protein doublet with apparent relative molecular mass (Mr) of 110,000-114,000. The specific protein(s) are present in all cell lines expressing normal RB mRNA, but are not detected in five retinoblastoma cell lines examined. The RB protein can be metabolically labelled with 32P-phosphoric acid, indicating that it is a phosphoprotein. Biochemical fractionation and immunofluorescence studies demonstrate that the majority of the protein is located within the nucleus. Furthermore, the protein can be retained by and eluted from DNA-cellulose columns, suggesting that it is associated with DNA binding activity. Taken together, these results imply that the RB gene product may function in regulating other genes within the cell.