Sequence of Plasmodium falciparum chromosomes 2, 10, 11 and 14

The mosquito-borne malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum kills an estimated 0.7-2.7 million people every year, primarily children in sub-Saharan Africa. Without effective interventions, a variety of factors-including the spread of parasites resistant to antimalarial drugs and the increasing insecticide resistance of mosquitoes-may cause the number of malaria cases to double over the next two decades. To stimulate basic research and facilitate the development of new drugs and vaccines, the genome of Plasmodium falciparum clone 3D7 has been sequenced using a chromosome-by-chromosome shotgun strategy. We report here the nucleotide sequences of chromosomes 10, 11 and 14, and a re-analysis of the chromosome 2 sequence. These chromosomes represent about 35% of the 23-megabase P. falciparum genome.     

Metallurgy: high nickel release from 1- and 2-euro coins

The amount of nickel is regulated in European products that come into direct and prolonged contact with human skin because this metal may cause contact allergy, particularly hand eczema. Here we show that 1- and 2-euro coins induce positive skin-test reactions in sensitized individuals and release 240-320-fold more nickel than is allowed under the European Union Nickel Directive. A factor contributing to this high release of nickel is corrosion due to the bimetallic structure of these coins, which generates a galvanic potential of 30-40 mV in human sweat.     

The extent of linkage disequilibrium in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Linkage disequilibrium (LD), the nonrandom occurrence of alleles in haplotypes, has long been of interest to population geneticists. Recently, the rapidly increasing availability of genomic polymorphism data has fueled interest in LD as a tool for fine-scale mapping, in particular for human disease loci. The chromosomal extent of LD is crucial in this context, because it determines how dense a map must be for associations to be detected and, conversely, limits how finely loci may be mapped. Arabidopsis thaliana is expected to harbor unusually extensive LD because of its high degree of selfing. Several polymorphism studies have found very strong LD within individual loci, but also evidence of some recombination. Here we investigate the pattern of LD on a genomic scale and show that in global samples, LD decays within approximately 1 cM, or 250 kb. We also show that LD in local populations may be much stronger than that of global populations, presumably as a result of founder events. The combination of a relatively high level of polymorphism and extensive haplotype structure bodes well for developing a genome-wide LD map in A. thaliana.     

Cu-S-H2O系和Zn-S-H2O系E-pH图

运用同时平衡原理绘制并讨论了在不同总铜浓度 T(Cu)、总锌浓度 T(Zn)以及总硫浓度 T(S)下 ,Cu- S- H2 O和Zn- S- H2 O系的 E- p H图 .确定某一固体的稳定区时必须同时考虑该物质与体系中所有其它物质的平衡反应 ,当体系中所有固态物质的稳定区确定之后 ,剩下的区域即为溶液相稳定区 .在 Cu- S- H2 O系的 E- p H图中 ,在所研究的条件下没有出现 Cu2 O(s)的稳定区 .对 Cu- S- H2 O和 Zn- S- H2 O系而言 ,在高电势区出现单质硫的稳定区 .图 6 ,参 1     

Nitrogen loss from unpolluted South American forests mainly via dissolved organic compounds.

Conceptual and numerical models of nitrogen cycling in temperate forests assume that nitrogen is lost from these ecosystems predominantly by way of inorganic forms, such as nitrate and ammonium ions. Of these, nitrate is thought to be particularly mobile, being responsible for nitrogen loss to deep soil and stream waters. But human activities-such as fossil fuel combustion, fertilizer production and land-use change-have substantially altered the nitrogen cycle over large regions, making it difficult to separate natural aspects of nitrogen cycling from those induced by human perturbations. Here we report stream chemistry data from 100 unpolluted primary forests in temperate South America. Although the sites exhibit a broad range of environmental factors that influence ecosystem nutrient cycles (such as climate, parent material, time of ecosystem development, topography and biotic diversity), we observed a remarkably consistent pattern of nitrogen loss across all forests. In contrast to findings from forests in polluted regions, streamwater nitrate concentrations are exceedingly low, such that nitrate to ammonium ratios were less than unity, and dissolved organic nitrogen is responsible for the majority of nitrogen losses from these forests. We therefore suggest that organic nitrogen losses should be considered in models of forest nutrient cycling, which could help to explain observations of nutrient limitation in temperate forest ecosystems.     

Trail-following responses ofLeptogenys diminuta to stereoisomers of 4-methyl-3-heptanol

Behavioral tests carried out with the four stereoisomers of 4-methyl-3-heptanol revealed thatLeptogenys diminuta ants respond specifically only to the (3R, 4S)-isomer.     

Evaluation of the hepatotoxicological effects of a drug in an in vivo/in vitro model.

Both in vivo and in vitro models have certain disadvantages for the study of the chronic hepatotoxicity of drugs. The aim of this work was to evaluate a new approach based on an in vivo/in vitro model. After chronic in vivo treatment of rats with Vincamine and Vindeburnol (an eburnamenine derivative which exhibits hepatotoxic properties in man) liver cells were isolated, and functional and metabolic disorders (metabolic utilization of fructose and protein biosynthesis) were studied to determine injury. The results showed no modification of blood parameters, but a direct relationship between the dose of Vindeburnol administered in vivo and the metabolic disorders observed in vitro, evidencing the high sensitivity and reliability of this model.     

The peripheral myelin protein gene PMP-22 is contained within the Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 1A duplication.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT1) is the most common form of inherited peripheral neuropathy. Although the disease is genetically heterogeneous, it has been demonstrated that the gene defect is the most frequent type (CMT1A) is the result of a partial duplication of band 17p11.2. Recent studies suggested that the peripheral hypomyelination syndrome in the trembler (Tr) mouse, a possible animal model for CMT1 disease, is associated with a point mutation in the peripheral myelin protein-22 gene (pmp-22). Expression of pmp-22 is particularly high in Schwann cells, and the protein is found in peripheral myelin. We now report that the human PMP-22 gene is contained within the CMT1A duplication. We therefore, suggest that increased dosage of the PMP-22 gene may be the cause of CMT1A neuropathy.     

Close linkage of glucokinase locus on chromosome 7p to early-onset non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

Non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) is a major health problem, affecting 5% of the world population. Genetic factors are important in NIDDM, but the mechanisms leading to glucose intolerance are unknown. Genetic linkage has been investigated in multigeneration families to localize, and ultimately identify, the gene(s) predisposing to NIDDM. Here we report linkage between the glucokinase locus on chromosome 7p and diabetes in 16 French families with maturity-onset diabetes of the young, a form of NIDDM characterized by monogenic autosomal dominant transmission and early age of onset. Statistical evidence of genetic heterogeneity was significant, with an estimated 45-95% of the 16 families showing linkage to glucokinase. Because glucokinase is a key enzyme of blood glucose homeostasis, these results are evidence that a gene involved in glucose metabolism could be implicated in the pathogenesis of NIDDM.