A soft solid surface on Titan as revealed by the Huygens Surface Science Package

The surface of Saturn's largest satellite--Titan--is largely obscured by an optically thick atmospheric haze, and so its nature has been the subject of considerable speculation and discussion. The Huygens probe entered Titan's atmosphere on 14 January 2005 and descended to the surface using a parachute system. Here we report measurements made just above and on the surface of Titan by the Huygens Surface Science Package. Acoustic sounding over the last 90 m above the surface reveals a relatively smooth, but not completely flat, surface surrounding the landing site. Penetrometry and accelerometry measurements during the probe impact event reveal that the surface was neither hard (like solid ice) nor very compressible (like a blanket of fluffy aerosol); rather, the Huygens probe landed on a relatively soft solid surface whose properties are analogous to wet clay, lightly packed snow and wet or dry sand. The probe settled gradually by a few millimetres after landing.     

Genotype, haplotype and copy-number variation in worldwide human populations

Genome-wide patterns of variation across individuals provide a powerful source of data for uncovering the history of migration, range expansion, and adaptation of the human species. However, high-resolution surveys of variation in genotype, haplotype and copy number have generally focused on a small number of population groups. Here we report the analysis of high-quality genotypes at 525,910 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and 396 copy-number-variable loci in a worldwide sample of 29 populations. Analysis of SNP genotypes yields strongly supported fine-scale inferences about population structure. Increasing linkage disequilibrium is observed with increasing geographic distance from Africa, as expected under a serial founder effect for the out-of-Africa spread of human populations. New approaches for haplotype analysis produce inferences about population structure that complement results based on unphased SNPs. Despite a difference from SNPs in the frequency spectrum of the copy-number variants (CNVs) detected--including a comparatively large number of CNVs in previously unexamined populations from Oceania and the Americas--the global distribution of CNVs largely accords with population structure analyses for SNP data sets of similar size. Our results produce new inferences about inter-population variation, support the utility of CNVs in human population-genetic research, and serve as a genomic resource for human-genetic studies in diverse worldwide populations.     

Receiving mixed signals: uncoupling oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination

The development and maturation of an oligodendroglial cell is comprised of three intimately related processes that include proliferation, differentiation, and myelination. Here we review how proliferation and differentiation are controlled by distinct molecular mechanisms and discuss whether differentiation is merely a default of inhibited proliferation. We then address whether differentiation and myelination can be uncoupled in a similar manner. This task is particularly challenging because an oligodendrocyte cannot myelinate without first differentiating, and these processes are therefore not mutually exclusive. Is it solely the presence of the axon that distinguishes a differentiated oligodendrocyte from a myelinating one? Uncoupling these two processes requires identifying specific signals that regulate myelination without affecting the differentiation process. We will review current understanding of the relationship between differentiation and myelination and discuss whether these two processes can truly be uncoupled.     

Gene deletion and restriction fragment length polymorphisms at the human ornithine transcarbamylase locus

Deficiency of ornithine transcarbamylase (OTC; EC 2.1.3.3), a hepatic mitochondrial enzyme involved in the detoxification of ammonia, is a severe inborn error of metabolism. It is an X-linked disorder which results characteristically in ammonia intoxication, protein intolerance and mental retardation. Early death of affected hemizygous male infants is common, while clinical manifestations in heterozygous females are variable due to random X-chromosome inactivation. Prenatal diagnosis by amniocentesis has not been feasible because OTC is not expressed in amniocytes and because no unusual metabolites can be detected in amniotic fluid. Fetal liver biopsy has been performed for some families at risk, but the dangers inherent in this procedure severely limit its usefulness. In this report, we describe the use of a nearly full-length cloned human cDNA to begin to characterize normal and mutant human OTC genes. One of 15 affected males was found to have a partial deletion of the OTC gene. Two distinct restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were identified at the OTC locus using the restriction endonuclease MspI; 69% of women tested were heterozygous for one or both polymorphisms. Identification of these common polymorphisms makes it possible to offer prenatal diagnosis to a large fraction of obligate carriers and to provide information on carrier status to some females at risk.