Spherical episodic ejection of material from a young star

The exact processes by which interstellar matter condenses to form young stars are of great interest, in part because they bear on the formation of planets like our own from the material that fails to become part of the star. Theoretical models suggest that ejection of gas during early phases of stellar evolution is a key mechanism for removing excess angular momentum, thereby allowing material to drift inwards towards the star through an accretion disk. Such ejections also limit the mass that can be accumulated by the stellar core. To date, these ejections have been observed to be bipolar and highly collimated, in agreement with theory. Here we report observations at very high angular resolution of the proper motions of an arc of water-vapour masers near a very young, massive star in Cepheus. We find that the arc of masers can be fitted to a circle with an accuracy of one part in a thousand, and that the structure is expanding. Only a sphere will always produce a circle in projection, so our observations strongly suggest that the perfectly spherical ejection of material from this star took place about 33 years earlier. The spherical symmetry of the ejecta and its episodic nature are very surprising in the light of present theories.     

The Effects of Different Culture Systems on the Quality of Bovine In Vitro Fertilized Embryos

研究探讨了不同体外培养条件下牛体外受精胚胎的发育速度及囊胚细胞数，从而了解不同体外培养系统对牛体外受精胚胎质量的影响．实验一中将体外受精卵分别在ＳＯＦ＋牛输卵管上皮细胞（ＢＯＥＣ）和ＴＣＭ１９９＋ＢＯＥＣ两种培养系统内培养，在这两种培养条件下囊胚发育率分别为２２．２％和２１．２％，囊胚细胞数分别为１１３．３±５．０和９７．９±８．３，受精后第６～９ｄ的囊胚出现率分别为４０．１％ａ、３７．０％、１９．２％ｂ、２．７％和１３．５％ｃ、３２．７％、３６．５％ｄ、１７．３％（ａ＞ｃ，Ｐ＜０．０１，ｄ＞ｂ，Ｐ＜０．０５），表明牛体外受精卵在ＳＯＦ＋ＢＯＥＣ中的发育速度快于在ＴＣＭ１９９＋ＢＯＥＣ中．实验二中将体外受精卵分别培养于ＳＯＦ＋ＢＯＥＣ、ＳＯＦ＋牛卵丘细胞、ＳＯＦ＋ＢＳＡ三种培养系统中，结果囊胚发育率分别为３５．５％ｅ、２９．４％和２２．４％ｆ（ｅ＞ｆ，Ｐ＜０．０１），囊胚细胞数分别为１１７．３±８．０ｇ、９４．２±９．３和９０．２±９．４ｈ（ｇ＞ｈ，Ｐ＜０．０５）．实验三观察了体外受精胚胎在ＳＯＦ＋ＢＯＥＣ培养条件下发育速度与囊胚细胞数的关系，结果第６～９ｄ的囊胚细胞数分别为１１０．８±１０．２ｉ、１２８．     

Pteridine content of some methane- and methanol-oxidizing bacteria

Zusammenfassung Der Pteridin-Gehalt einiger Methan-oder Methanol-oxydierender Bakterien scheint nicht mit der Anwesenheit einer spezifischen Methanoldehydrogenase zusammenzuhängen. Pteridine einerPseudomonas Sp. (pink organism) wurden identifiziert.

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Deceased, May, 1971.     

Fraser syndrome and mouse blebbed phenotype caused by mutations in FRAS1/Fras1 encoding a putative extracellular matrix protein

Fraser syndrome (OMIM 219000) is a multisystem malformation usually comprising cryptophthalmos, syndactyly and renal defects. Here we report autozygosity mapping and show that the locus FS1 at chromosome 4q21 is associated with Fraser syndrome, although the condition is genetically heterogeneous. Mutation analysis identified five frameshift mutations in FRAS1, which encodes one member of a family of novel proteins related to an extracellular matrix (ECM) blastocoelar protein found in sea urchin. The FRAS1 protein contains a series of N-terminal cysteine-rich repeat motifs previously implicated in BMP metabolism, suggesting that it has a role in both structure and signal propagation in the ECM. It has been speculated that Fraser syndrome is a human equivalent of the blebbed phenotype in the mouse, which has been associated with mutations in at least five loci including bl. As mapping data were consistent with homology of FRAS1 and bl, we screened DNA from bl/bl mice and identified a premature termination of mouse Fras1. Thus, the bl mouse is a model for Fraser syndrome in humans, a disorder caused by disrupted epithelial integrity in utero.     

Translational control of InsP3-induced chromatin condensation during the early cell cycles of sea urchin embryos

The cycles of DNA synthesis and chromatin condensation in dividing cells are controlled by signals from the cytoplasm. Changes in the concentration of free calcium (Cai) in the cytoplasm control a variety of cellular functions and it has thus been suggested that observed variations in Cai during the cell cycle may be the cytoplasmic signal that co-ordinates nuclear and cytoplasmic division. We show here that increases in Cai induced by the calcium-releasing second messenger inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate (Ins(1,4,5)P3), or by calcium buffers, cause premature chromatin condensation and breakdown of the nuclear envelope in sea urchin (Lytechinus pictus) early embryos. Both natural and induced chromatin condensation are prevented by calcium chelators. The nucleus becomes sensitive to the Cai signal 45 min after fertilization, but remains insensitive if protein synthesis is prevented. Our experiments demonstrate that Cai regulates the behaviour of the nucleus during the cell cycle, suggest that Ins(1,4,5)P3 is a cell cycle messenger and indicate that there is an interaction between the protein and ionic signals that control the state of chromatin during the cell cycle.     

Antimicrobial activity of carbazole derivatives

Summary Glycozoline and girinimbine isomers (IV andVII) were synthesized and their activity against 2 bacterial strains, viz.E. coli andS. aureus, and 2 fungal strains, viz.C. albicans andA. niger were studied. The hydroxy synthons (III) were also tested. The authors are thankful to Dr B.N. Apte, Association of Microbiologists of India, Bombay Unit, for providing some of the organisms, to Prof. A.K. De, Indian Institute of Technology, for financial assistance, to Prof. G. D. Shah, Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology for guidance, encouragement and helpful discussions.     

Tyrosine kinase receptor RET is a key regulator of Peyer's patch organogenesis

Normal organogenesis requires co-ordinate development and interaction of multiple cell types, and is seemingly governed by tissue specific factors. Lymphoid organogenesis during embryonic life is dependent on molecules the temporal expression of which is tightly regulated. During this process, haematopoietic 'inducer' cells interact with stromal 'organizer' cells, giving rise to the lymphoid organ primordia. Here we show that the haematopoietic cells in the gut exhibit a random pattern of motility before aggregation into the primordia of Peyer's patches, a major component of the gut-associated lymphoid tissue. We further show that a CD45+CD4-CD3-Il7Ralpha-c-Kit+CD11c+ haematopoietic population expressing lymphotoxin has an important role in the formation of Peyer's patches. A subset of these cells expresses the receptor tyrosine kinase RET, which is essential for mammalian enteric nervous system formation. We demonstrate that RET signalling is also crucial for Peyer's patch formation. Functional genetic analysis revealed that Gfra3-deficiency results in impairment of Peyer's patch development, suggesting that the signalling axis RET/GFRalpha3/ARTN is involved in this process. To support this hypothesis, we show that the RET ligand ARTN is a strong attractant of gut haematopoietic cells, inducing the formation of ectopic Peyer's patch-like structures. Our work strongly suggests that the RET signalling pathway, by regulating the development of both the nervous and lymphoid system in the gut, has a key role in the molecular mechanisms that orchestrate intestine organogenesis.     

A unified mixed-model method for association mapping that accounts for multiple levels of relatedness

As population structure can result in spurious associations, it has constrained the use of association studies in human and plant genetics. Association mapping, however, holds great promise if true signals of functional association can be separated from the vast number of false signals generated by population structure. We have developed a unified mixed-model approach to account for multiple levels of relatedness simultaneously as detected by random genetic markers. We applied this new approach to two samples: a family-based sample of 14 human families, for quantitative gene expression dissection, and a sample of 277 diverse maize inbred lines with complex familial relationships and population structure, for quantitative trait dissection. Our method demonstrates improved control of both type I and type II error rates over other methods. As this new method crosses the boundary between family-based and structured association samples, it provides a powerful complement to currently available methods for association mapping.