Genetics and Genomics Commons^™

A Study Of Euplotes Crassus Telomere Proteins And Related Genes, John Scott Perez

Department of Chemistry: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A novel PCR technique used to amplify Euplotes crassus macronuclear chromosomes was developed to provide scientific proof that an Euplotes crassus 1.0 kb gene is not genetically related to an Oxytricha nova 1.8 kb β-telomere protein gene. Theories and experimental procedures associated with the development of this PCR technique were the product of research that will have a profound impact on future studies of telomere protein genes and telomeric DNA in a multitude of eukaryotic cells. The hypothesis that a β-telomere protein does not exist in Euplotes crassus was supported by the result of this study.

Expression of the recombinant …

Review Of: The Genetic Frontier: Ethics, Law, And Policy (Mark S. Frankel & Albert Teich Eds., American Association For The Advancement Of Science 1994), Suzanne A. Sprunger

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of: The Genetic Frontier: Ethics, Law, and Policy (Mark S. Frankel & Albert Teich eds., American Association for the Advancement of Science 1994). Acknowledgments, appendix, contributors, figures, index, introduction, notes, references, tables. LC 93-37230, ISBN 0-87168-526-4. [260 pp. Paper $22.95. 1333 H St., NW, Washington DC 20005.]

A Thyroid Hormone-Regulated Gene In Xenopus Laevis Encodes A Type Iii Iodothyronine 5-Deiodinase., Donald L. St Germain, Robert Schwartzman, Walburga Croteau, Akira Kanamori, Zhou Wang, Donald D. Brown, Valerie Galton

Dartmouth Scholarship

The type III iodothyronine 5-deiodinase metabolizes thyroxine and 3,5,3'-triiodothyronine to inactive metabolites by catalyzing the removal of iodine from the inner ring. The enzyme is expressed in a tissue-specific pattern during particular stages of development in amphibia, birds, and mammals. Recently, a PCR-based subtractive hybridization technique has been used to isolate cDNAs prepared from Xenopus laevis tadpole tail mRNA that represent genes upregulated by thyroid hormone during metamorphosis. Sequence analysis of one of these cDNAs (XL-15) revealed regions of homology to the mRNA encoding the rat type I (outer ring) 5'-deiodinase, including a conserved UGA codon that encodes selenocysteine in …

Phylogenetic Associations Of Human And Simian T-Cell Leukemia/Lymphotropic Virus Type I Strains: Evidence For Interspecies Transmission, Igor J. Koralnik, Enzo Boeri, W. Carl Saxinger, Anita Lo Monico, Jake Fullen, Antoine Gessain, Hong-Guang Guo, Robert C. Gallo, Phillip Markham, Vaniambadi Kalyanaraman, Vanessa Hirsch, Jonathan Allan, Krishna Murthy, Patricia Alford, Jill Pecon-Slattery, Stephen J. O'Brien, Genoveffa Ranchini

Biology Faculty Articles

Homologous env sequences from 17 human T-leukemia/lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I) strains from throughout the world and from 25 simian T-leukemia/lymphotropic virus type I (STLV-I) strains from 12 simian species in Asia and Africa were analyzed in a phylogenetic context as an approach to resolving the natural history of these related retroviruses. STLV-I exhibited greater overall sequence variation between strains (1 to 18% compared with 0 to 9% for HTLV-I), supporting the simian origin of the modern viruses in all species. Three HTLV-I phylogenetic clusters or clades (cosmopolitan, Zaire, and Melanesia) were resolved with phenetic, parsimony, and likelihood analytical procedures. …

Maximizing The Return From Genome Research: Introduction, Thomas G. Field Jr.

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Professor Field introduces and explains the origins of the symposium.

Technology Transfer: A View From The Trenches, Harvey Drucker

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Drucker, who has lab-wide responsibility for technology transfer at Argonne National Laboratory, argues that transferring rights in discoveries made through tax supported research to private entities can contribute to public welfare in many ways.

Origins Of The Human Genome Project, Robert Mullan Cook-Deegan

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Cook-Deegan recounts some of the scientific and political history leading to controversy about the proper mix of private and public roles in pursuing genome research and bringing its fruits to bear, e.g., in preventing and curing disease.

Overview Of Potential Intellectual Property Protection For Biotechnology, Kate H. Murashige

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Dr. Murashige compares the function and value of copyright, patent and trade secret laws in recovering investments in developing genome-related biotechnology.

Overview Of Federal Technology Transfer, Lawrence Rudolph

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Mr. Rudolph reviews approximately thirteen years of legal and political developments that have contributed to laws governing the extent to which private firms may secure rights in technology at least partly developed with federal funds.

A Physical Map Of The Klebsiella Pneumoniae M5a1 Genome, Alexandrine Randriamahefa

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Klebsiella pneumoniae is an enteric opportunistic pathogen which commonly causes pulmonary, urinary tract and kidney infections. It has also been widely used for the study of nitrogen fixation. In this study, a macrorestriction map of K. pneumoniae M5a1 chromosomal DNA was constructed using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and Southern hybridization techniques. The genome DNA was digested with two rare cutting restriction enzymes (XbaI and BlnI) and the genome size was estimated from the sum of the fragment sizes as 5,121 Kb (+2.8%). A tentative order of fragments was deduced using Southern hybridization with purified restriction fragments. …

Enhanced Immunogenicity Of Protein-Dextran Conjugates: I. Rapid Stimulation Of Enhanced Antibody Responses To Poorly Immunogenic Molecules, Andrew Lees, Fred Finkelman, John K. Inman, Kim Witherspoon, Penny Johnson, Jasiri Kennedy, James J. Mond

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

In view of our observation that anti-immunoglobulin antibody conjugated to high-molecular-weight dextran stimulates high levels of B-cell activation (Brunswick et al. J. Immunol . 1989, 143, 1239), we coupled T cell-dependent antigens to dextran. When mice were immunized, in the absence of adjuvant, with a BSA-dextran conjugate (BSA-dex), a persistent, high-titre anti-BSA IgG1 response was induced. Titres were dose-dependent and seen with as little as 10 I~g of conjugated protein. Anti-BSA titres were detected as early as day 7, usually peaked at about day 14 and persisted for at least 4 weeks. Anti-hapten antibodies were also elicited in mice that …

Localisation And Detection Of A Polymorphism In The Human Skeletal Beta-Tropomyosin Gene (Tpm2), Clive C.J. Hunt

Theses : Honours

Tropomyosin is one of the components of the thin filaments of muscle, binding to actin, and, together with troponin, regulating contraction in a calcium-dependent manner (Cho et al.,1990). There are at least four distinct tropomyosin genes in vertebrates and each may encode at least six different isoforms of tropomyosin by alternate splicing (Novy et al, 1993; MacLeod et al., 1988). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM1 has recently been localised to 15q22 (Eyre et al, 1994) and has been shown to be mutated in some cases of familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (Thierfelder et al., 1994). The alpha-tropomyosin gene TPM3 has been recently localised …

An Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna In Rett Syndrome And Other Neurodegenerative Disorders, Catherine Erickson Burgess

Theses and Dissertations in Biomedical Sciences

Mitochondrial dysfunction resulting from mutations on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is being recognized in a growing spectrum of diseases. These diseases, resulting from single base mutations, large deletions, or insertions, have been largely neuromuscular in origin. However, as an understanding of the effects of mtDNA mutations progresses, attention is now focusing on neurodegenerative diseases. Rett Syndrome (RS), a progressive neurodegenerative disease with predominantly female cases, demonstrates morphologic mitochondrial changes, mitochondrial enzyme deficiencies and maternal inheritance (characteristic of mtDNA diseases). No investigation of mtDNA involvement has been previously conducted and, to date, no biological marker exists for this disorder.

Our preliminary studies …

Book Review, Bradley J. Olson

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of: JOHN HARRIS, WONDERWOMAN AND SUPERMAN: THE ETHICS OF HUMAN BIOTECHNOLOGY. (Oxford University Press 1992) [271 pp.] Acknowledgements, further reading, index, introduction, notes. LC 91-23939; ISBN 0-19-2177540-0. [$22.95 cloth. 200 Madison Avenue; New York NY 10016.]

Estimation Of The Incidence Of A Rare Genetic Disease Through A Two-Tier Mutation Survey, R Chakraborty, M R Srinivasan, S Raskin

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Recent attempts to detect mutations involving single base changes or small deletions that are specific to genetic diseases provide an opportunity to develop a two-tier mutation-screening program through which incidence of rare genetic disorders and gene carriers may be precisely estimated. A two-tier survey consists of mutation screening in a sample of patients with specific genetic disorders and in a second sample of newborns from the same population in which mutation frequency is evaluated. We provide the statistical basis for evaluating the incidence of affected and gene carriers in such two-tier mutation-screening surveys, from which the precision of the estimates …

Reversal Of Age-Associated Decline In Immune Response To Pnu-Imune Vaccine By Supplementation With The Steroid Hormone Dehydroepiandrosterone, Manju Garg, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

Recently, we reported that murine antibody responses to the 23-valent pneumococcal polysaccharide (Pnu-Imune) vaccine declined with age. Here we present data to support the concept that age-associated immune defects are not only due to intrinsic defects in immune cells but are also due to extrinsic factors emanating from the neuroendocrine system. We found that supplementation with dehydroepiandrosterone, a steroid hormone known to be reduced in the aged, corrects the immune deficiency of aged mice and significantly enhanced their splenic immune responses to the Pnu-Imune vaccine.

Model Consent Forms For Dna Linkage Analysis And Storage, Roger B. Dworkin, R. L. Gold, R. R. Lebel, E. A. Mearns, T Hadro, J. K. Burns

Articles by Maurer Faculty

No abstract provided.

Detection Of Point Mutations In The Dystrophin Gene, John Pedretti

Theses : Honours

The dystrophin gene has been localised to Xp 21.1. Mutations of this gene can lead to the clinical manifestations of Duchenne and Becker muscular dystrophies (DMD/BMD). In the majority of DMD and BMD patients the disease-causing mutation is a deletion detectable by southern analysis or multiplex PCR, however in 30% of patients no deletion is observed using these conventional tests. Using PCR amplification of cDNA it was possible to detect a deletion in the product of the dystrophin gene of one such individual affected with BMD. It was then necessary to characterise the mutation in order to determine whether this …

Book Review: The Baculovirus Expression System: A Laboratory Guide (1992) King, L. A. & Possee, R. D., David D. Dunigan

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The power of molecular biology is unleashed with the ability to clone and sequence genes, and then express these genes in heterologous systems. This sets the stage for the full analysis of proteins that are otherwise difficult to isolate and/or purify, especially when present at very low copy number per cell or when isolated from relatively precious materials. Overexpression of protein is now possible in a number of systems including prokaryotes (e.g., E. coli) and various eukaryotes (yeast, insects, and plants). The issue then becomes, which system (1) most closely reflects the homologous expression with respect to posttranslational modifications, …

Immune Responses Of Systemic And Mucosal Lymphoid Organs To Pnu-Imune Vaccine As A Function Of Age And The Efficacy Of Monophosphoryl Lipid A As An Adjuvant, Manju Garg, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

A murine model system was established to study immune responses to the Pnu-Imune vaccine, which is made up of 23 different pneumococcal capsular polysaccharides. In this animal model, antibody-forming cell responses to 21 of 23 individual polysaccharides in the vaccine were detected. The Pnu-Imune vaccine elicited good antibody responses from the spleens and mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of young mice, whereas a variety of other peripheral lymph nodes were unresponsive. The immunoglobulin M plaque-forming cell (PFC) response in the spleen to the Pnu-Imune vaccine (given intraperitoneally or subcutaneously) decreased dramatically with increasing age. However, the spleen and MLN differed in …

Book Review, Kristin S. Shrader-Frechette

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the following: ELAINE DRAPER, Risky BUSINESS: GENETIC TESTING AND EXCLUSIONARY PRACTICES IN THE HAZARDOUS WORKPLACE. (Cambridge University Press 1991) [315 pp.] Index of names and subjects, glossary, notes, references. LC 90-28112; ISBN 0-521-37027-2 (cloth $49.50); ISBN 0-42248-5 (paper $15.95). [40 W. 20th St., New York NY 10011.]

Book Review, Bradley J. Olson

RISK: Health, Safety & Environment (1990-2002)

Review of the following: THE CODE OF CODES: SCIENTIFIC AND SOCIAL ISSUES IN THE HUMAN GENOME PROJECT. (Daniel J. Kevles & Leroy Hood, eds., Harvard University Press 1992) [397 pp.] Contributors, figures, index, notes, preface, selected bibliography, tables. LC 91-38477, ISBN 0- 674-13645-4. [Cloth $29.95. 79 Garden Street, Cambridge MA 02138.]

The Expression And Regulation Of The Hsdk Genes Of Escherichia Coli K-12, Ainu Parkash

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

The DNA restriction and modification (R-M) genes in bacteria play a defensive role in the organism, offering protection to the host from invaders such as bacteriophages. The expression of these genes in E. coli K-12 had not previously been studied due to the complexity of the EcoK R-M enzymes. The use of lacZ gene fusion techniques allowed studies of the expression of the hsdK genes for the first time. Operon fusions of Mu(/ac) to the hsdK genes show that the two hsdK promoters, p _res and p _mod, are weak (50 Miller units) and that …

Priming Of Peripheral Lymph Node B Cells With Tnp-Ficoll: Role Of Lymphokines In B Cell Differentiation, S. Niranjan Goud, Alan M. Kaplan, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

We have previously shown that peripheral lymph node (PLN) B lymphocytes of adult DBA/ 25 mice failed to make an antibody responseto type 2 antigen TNP-Ficoll, but exhibited a good antibody response to type 1 antigen TNP-BruceNa abortus. In the present study we wanted to find out whether the unresponsivenessof PLN B cells to TNP-Ficoll is due to defectsin the early activation and proliferation stage or in the final differentiation stageof B cells. Therefore, we have used a two-step protocol of in vivo immunization of mice with TNP-Ficoll and the subsequent in vitro challenge with TNP-Brucella abortus and studied the …

Altered Expression Of Adenovirus 12 Dna-Binding Protein But Not Dna Polymerase During Abortive Infection Of Hamster Cells, Lynne A. Lucher, Benjawan Khuntirat, Jiansheng Zhao, Peter C. Angeletti

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Replication of human adenovirus type 12 DNA is blocked in abortively infected baby hamster kidney cells. The activity and accumulation of adenovirus 12 DNA polymerase is equivalent in infected hamster and human cell extracts. However, the accumulation of adenovirus type 12 DNA-binding protein is approximately 120-fold lower in extracts from infected hamster cells when compared to infected permissive human cells. This difference in accumulation is not because of replication of viral DNA during productive infection, since this difference is observed in the presence of hydroxyurea. The DNA-binding protein from infected hamster cells retains the ability to bind denatured DNA-cellulose. An …

Multiple Alleles And Estimation Of Genetic Parameters: Computational Equations Showing Involvement Of All Alleles, R Chakraborty

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

Extracellular vesicles (EVs), through their complex cargo, can reflect the state of their cell of origin and change the functions and phenotypes of other cells. These features indicate strong biomarker and therapeutic potential and have generated broad interest, as evidenced by the steady year‐on‐year increase in the numbers of scientific publications about EVs. Important advances have been made in EV metrology and in understanding and applying EV biology. However, hurdles remain to realising the potential of EVs in domains ranging from basic biology to clinical applications due to challenges in EV nomenclature, separation from non‐vesicular extracellular particles, characterisation and functional …

Statistical Interpretation Of Dna Typing Data, R Chakraborty

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Inclusion Of Data On Relatives For Estimation Of Allele Frequencies, R Chakraborty

Faculty, Staff and Student Publications

No abstract provided.

Physiology Of Murine B Lymphocytes Ii. Life-Spans Of Mitogen And Thymus-Independent Antigen (Type 2) Reactive B Lymphocytes From Aged Mice, Venkatachalam Udhayakumar, S. Niranjan Goud, Richard J. Cross, Subbarao Bondada

Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics Faculty Publications

We showed earlier that life spans of murine B lymphocytes could be estimated by measuring the functional reactivities of normal B cells upon transfer into x-linked immunodeficient (xid) mice, which do not respond to anti-mouse IgM (anti-μ) antibodies and thymic-independent type -2 (TI-2) antigens. Here the same approach was adopted, to evaluate the life spans of B-lymphocytes from aged mice. Spleen cells from normal young and aged mice were transferred into young or aged xid recipients and the decay kinetics were followed by measuring the proliferative response to anti-μ and PFC response to TNP-Ficoll, a prototype TI-2 antigen. The results …

Application Of Dna Fingerprints For Cell-Line Individualization, Dennis A. Gilbert, Yvonne Reid, Mitchell H. Gail, David Pee, Christine White, Robert J. Hay, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

DNA fingerprints of 46 human cell lines were derived using minisatellite probes for hypervariable genetic loci. The incidence of 121 HaeIII DNA fragments among 33 cell lines derived from unrelated individuals was used to estimate allelic and genotypic frequencies for each fragment and for composite individual DNA fingerprints. We present a quantitative estimate of the extent of genetic difference between individuals, an estimate based on the percentage of restriction fragments at which they differ. The average percent difference (APD) among pairwise combinations from the population of 33 unrelated cell lines was 76.9%, compared with the APD in band sharing …