bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endocrine manifestations of Erdheim–Chester disease (a distinct form of histiocytosis)
Authors: Tritos N. A. , Tritos N. A. , Weinrib S. , Kaye T. B 
Published: December 2004

Abstract. Tritos NA, Weinrib S, Kaye TB (Lahey Hitchcock Clinic, Burlington; Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston; and Joslin Diabetes Center, Boston, Massachusetts, USA). Endocrine manifestations of Erdheim–Chester disease (a distinct form of histiocytosis) (Case Report). J Intern Med 1998; 244: 529–35.Erdheim–Chester disease (ECD) is a disorder of unclear aetiology, characterized by exuberant histiocyte proliferation and a variable clinical course. We report the case of a woman with multi‐organ involvement secondary to ECD. Central diabetes insipidus (CDI), hyperprolactinaemia, gonadotropin insufficiency and decreased insulin‐like growth factor I levels were present, suggesting hypothalamic–pituitary dysfunction. The high‐intensity signal of the posterior pituitary on T1‐weighted images was absent on magnetic resonance imaging, but no sellar mass lesions or stalk thickening were apparent. Additionally, our patient had bilateral adrenal enlargement. Even though ECD is a rare cause of neuroendocrine dysfunction or adrenal enlargement, it should be considered in patients with these disorders in the setting of multiorgan disease.
Early participation in an HIV cohort study slows disease progression and improves survival
Authors: Battegay M. , Wirz M. , Steuerwald M. H. , Egger M. , Egger M. 
Published: December 2004

Battegay M, Wirz M, Steuerwald MH, Egger M, Swiss HIV Cohort Study (University Hospital of Basel, Basel, University of Berne, Berne, and University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; and University of Bristol, Bristol, UK). Early participation in an HIV cohort study slows disease progression and improves survival. J Intern Med 1998; 244: 479–87.Background Different levels of experience of physicians caring for patients with HIV infection have been found to be associated with differences in survival amongst their patients. We examined whether early participation in the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS), an ongoing prospective study with regular follow‐up visits at specialized clinics, improved survival of HIV‐infected patients.Methods We studied 3553 HIV‐infected individuals who joined the Swiss HIV Cohort Study (SHCS) with different levels of immunosuppression: mild (CD4 count above 500 × 106 cells L−1; n × 2038); severe (100–199 cells; n = 960); and very severe (50–99 cells; n = 555). Characteristics at different CD4 cell levels were compared and Cox proportional hazards regression was used to examine the mortality experience during a total of 16 201 person‐years of follow‐up.Results Participants joining the cohort early with mild immunodeficiency were younger, more likely to be female, and more likely to have a history of intravenous drug use. At CD4 cell counts below 200 × 106 cells L−1, they were less likely to have a history of Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia or AIDS, more likely to be on prophylaxis against P. carinii and more likely to be on antiretroviral therapy than those joining with severe or very severe immunodeficiency. For example, at the time of the first CD4 cell count in the range of 50–99 × 106 cells L−1, 8.9, 15.0 and 21.6% of participants who joined with mild, severe and very severe immunodeficiency had suffered an episode of P. carinii pneumonia. In Cox models adjusted for CD4 cell count at entry and other relevant baseline differences, mortality was increased amongst participants who joined with severe and very severe immunodeficiency. Hazard ratios (95% confidence intervals (CI)) were 1.71 (1.21–2.42) for participants with severe immunodeficiency at entry and 2.61 (1.70–4.01) for those with very severe immunodeficiency, compared with 1.0 for those with mild immunodeficiency at entry.Conclusions Individuals who were seen regularly at specialized HIV units from early stages of the infection onwards were, at comparable levels of immunodeficiency, less likely to progress to AIDS, and mortality during subsequent follow‐up was reduced. This is likely to be explained by better access to prophylactic regimens and antiretroviral therapy.
Regulated expression and subcellular localization of HMGB1, a chromatin protein with a cytokine function
Authors: Müller S. , Ronfani L. , Bianchi M. E. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract.High mobility group box protein 1 (HMGB1) has been considered as a ubiquitous nuclear protein with an architectural function, but even early reports have described its presence outside of the nucleus. Today, we have only started to understand the extranuclear and extracellular functions of HMGB1: we know that it participates in developmental and differentiation processes, triggers and modulates many of the inflammatory cascades in the body, and may even be involved in the metastatic invasion programme of cancer cells. Given such diverse roles, it is important to know which cells express HMGB1, where, and how much. The present review deals with the expression pattern of HMGB1 and provides evidence that, far from being housekeeping, the HMGB1 gene is tightly regulated. This can have implications for therapeutic intervention on inflammatory diseases as well as cancer.
Mating system and population structure of the primitively eusocial waspRopalidia revolutionalis: a model system for the evolution of complex societies
Authors: Henshaw Michael T. , Crozier Ross H. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractMating systems are important determinants of genetic structure in cooperative groups, and their effects can influence profoundly the interactions of group members. The primitively eusocial wasp,Ropalidia revolutionalis, has an interesting genetic and social structure that makes it an excellent model system for examining the evolution of more complex societies. In particular, its colonies sometimes have multiple queens, a key characteristic of more advanced wasp societies. In this study, we have characterized the mating system of the social waspRopalidia revolutionalisto understand better its colony genetic structure.R. revolutionalisfemales nearly always mate singly and they are unrelated to their mates. However, different females in the same colony do mate with males, on average, who are related as cousins. Single mating will help to maintain high relatedness, which should be important for continued cooperation in multiple queen societies, but it creates potential conflicts in single queen colonies over the production of males as well as over the timing of male production. We have also characterized the population structure ofR. revolutionalisfrom Townsville, in tropical north Queensland, to Brisbane in the subtropics. Even at such a large scale, the population is remarkably unstructured with an averageFSTof 0.0546. There is weak isolation by distance, and evidence for subtle differentiation between a southern region with no dry season, which extends as far north as Rockhampton, and a northern region with a severe to moderate dry season. This may reflect historical effects of extreme aridity on the population structure.
Geographic genetic architecture of pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) populations in Baja California, Mexico
Authors: ALVAREZ‐CASTAÑEDA SERGIO TICUL , PATTON JAMES L. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractPhylogenetic analyses of complete mitochondrial cytochrome b sequences support the monophyly of pocket gopher (Thomomys bottae) populations from the 1000 km length of the Baja California peninsula of Mexico, relative to other geographical segments of the species range in western North America. The Baja California peninsula is an area that encompasses considerable ecomorphological and infraspecific diversity within this pocket gopher species. However, detailed population analyses encompassing 35 localities distributed over the southern half of the peninsula reveal only trivial phylogeographical structure. Rather, most of the 72 unique 500‐base pair haplotypes examined from 142 individuals is restricted to single populations, although a few haplotypes are shared broadly across geography. Individual populations are typically comprised of haplotype sets from different branches in a network of relationships. Analysis of molecular variance (amova) indicates that approximately half of the total pool of variation is contained among individuals within local populations, and that only about 25% can be explained by the regional subdivisions of current subspecies distributions or physiographic realms. A hypothesized historical vicariant event that has been causally linked to the phylogeographical structure of other, codistributed species has had little influence on these pocket gopher populations, explaining only 13% of the total variation. The temporal depth, estimated by coalescence parameters, of the haplotype lineage in Baja California is relatively recent, approximately 300 000 generations; both the mismatch distribution of pairwise comparisons and a significantly positive exponential growth estimate support a recent history of expanding populations; but current, or recent past, migration estimates have remained small, are largely unidirectional from north to south, and weak isolation by distance is present. All data suggest that pocket gophers have relatively recently invaded the southern half of peninsular Baja California, with the genetic signature of expansion still evident but with sufficient time having lapsed to result in a weak isolation by distance pattern. The geographical assemblage of sampled populations thus appears as a meta‐population, with limited gene flow contrasting with random haplotype loss due to drift in small, localized populations.
Microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA analyses of Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus) population structure in the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: CARLSSON JENS , McDOWELL JAN R. , DÍAZ‐JAIMES PÍNDARO , CARLSSON JEANETTE E. L. , BOLES SANDRA B. , GOLD JOHN R. , GRAVES JOHN E. 
Published: December 2004

AbstractGenetic variation was surveyed at nine microsatellite loci and the mitochondrial control region (868 bp) to test for the presence of genetic stock structure in young‐of‐the‐year Atlantic bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus thynnus) from the Mediterranean Sea. Bluefin tuna were sampled over a period of 5 years from the Balearic and Tyrrhenian seas in the western basin of the Mediterranean Sea, and from the southern Ionian Sea in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea. Analyses of multilocus microsatellite genotypes and mitochondrial control region sequences revealed no significant heterogeneity among collections taken from the same location in different years; however, significant spatial genetic heterogeneity was observed across all samples for both microsatellite markers and mitochondrial control region sequences (FST = 0.0023, P = 0.038 and ΦST = 0.0233, P = 0.000, respectively). Significant genetic differentiation between the Tyrrhenian and Ionian collections was found for both microsatellite and mitochondrial markers (FST = 0.0087, P = 0.015 and ΦST = 0.0367, P = 0.030, respectively). These results suggest the possibility of a genetically discrete population in the eastern basin of the Mediterranean Sea.
Expression of the INO2 regulatory gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae is controlled by positive and negative promoter elements and an upstream open reading frame
Authors: Eiznhamer David A. , Ashburner Brian P. , Jackson John C. , Gardenour Kyle R. , Lopes John M. 
Published: December 2004

The INO2 gene encodes a transcriptional activator of the phospholipid biosynthetic genes of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Complete derepression of phospholipid biosynthetic gene expression in response to inositol/choline deprivation requires both INO2 and INO4. Ino2p dimerizes with Ino4p to bind the upstream activating sequence (UAS)INO element found in the promoters of the target genes. We have demonstrated previously that transcription from the INO2 promoter is autoregulated 12‐fold in a manner identical to that of the target genes. Here, we show that this regulation occurs at the levels of transcription and translation. Transcription accounts for fourfold regulation, whereas translation accounts for an additional threefold regulation. Regulation of transcription requires a UASINO element. Additional promoter elements include an upstream essential sequence (UES) located upstream of the UASINO element and a negative regulatory element in the vicinity of the UASINO element. Regulation of translation is dependent on an upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the INO2 leader. These data support the model that regulatory gene promoters may display unusual organizations and may be subject to multiple levels of regulation. We have shown previously that the UME6 gene positively regulates INO2 expression. Here, we limit the UME6‐responsive region of the INO2 promoter to nucleotides −217 to −56.
Switching the polarity of a bacteriophage integration system
Authors: Smith Matthew C. A. , Till Rob , Smith Margaret C. M. 
Published: December 2004

SummaryDuring lysogenic growth many temperate bacteriophage genomes are integrated into the host's chromosome and efficient integration and excision are therefore an essential part of the phage life cycle. The Streptomyces phage φC31 encodes an integrase related to the resolvase/invertases and is evolutionarily and mechanistically distinct from the integrase of phage λ. We show that during φC31 integration the polarity of the recombination sites, attB and attP, is dependent on the sequences of the two base pairs (bp) where crossover occurs. A loss or switch in polarity of the recombination sites can occur by mutation of this dinucleotide, leading to incorrectly joined products. The properties of the mutant sites implies that φC31 integrase interacts symmetrically with the substrates, which during synapsis can align apparently freely in either of two alternative forms that lead to correct or incorrect joining of products. Analysis of the topologies of the reaction products provided evidence that integrase can synapse and activate strand exchange even when recombinant products cannot form due to mismatches at the crossover site. The topologies of the recombination products are complex and indicative of multiple pathways to product formation. The efficiency of integration of a φC31 derivative, KC859, into an attB site with switched polarity was assayed in vivo and shown to be no different from integration into a wild‐type attB. Thus neither the host nor KC859 express a factor that influences the alignment of the recombination sites at synapsis.
Blue light stimulates cyanobacterial motility via a cAMP signal transduction system
Authors: Terauchi Kazuki , Ohmori Masayuki 
Published: December 2004

SummaryThe participation of cAMP in photosignal transduction in cyanobacteria was investigated. When cells of the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 were exposed to light, cellular cAMP contents increased within a few minutes. Among incident monochromatic lights, blue light (450 nm) markedly increased cellular cAMP content, while red (630 nm) and far‐red (720 nm) lights did not. Disruption of the cya1 gene encoding an adenylate cyclase caused the insensitivity of cellular cAMP level to blue light. Treatment of wild‐type cells with the flavin antagonist phenylacetic acid inhibited this blue light effect. The motility of wild‐type cells was enhanced by blue light, whereas that of cya1 mutant cells was not. Based on these results, we concluded that a blue light–cAMP signal transduction system stimulates the motility of Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803.
Conjugation mediates transfer of the Ll.LtrB group II intron between different bacterial species
Authors: Belhocine Kamila , Plante Isabelle , Cousineau Benoit 
Published: December 2004

SummarySome self‐splicing group II introns (ribozymes) are mobile retroelements. These retroelements, which can insert themselves into cognate intronless alleles or ectopic sites by reverse splicing, are thought to be the evolutionary progenitors of the widely distributed eukaryotic spliceosomal introns. Lateral or horizontal transmission of introns (i.e. between species), although never experimentally demonstrated, is a well‐accepted model for intron dispersal and evolution. Horizontal transfer of the ancestral bacterial group II introns may have contributed to the dispersal and wide distribution of spliceosomal introns present in modern eukaryotic genomes. Here, the Ll.LtrB group II intron from the Gram‐positive bacterium Lactococcus lactis was used as a model system to address the dissemination of introns in the bacterial kingdom. We report the first experimental demonstration of horizontal transfer of a group II intron. We show that the Ll.LtrB group II intron, originally discovered on an L. lactis conjugative plasmid (pRS01) and within a chromosomally located sex factor in L. lactis 712, invades new sites using both retrohoming and retrotransposition pathways after its transfer by conjugation. Ll.LtrB lateral transfer is shown among different L. lactis strains (intraspecies) (retrohoming and retrotransposition) and between L. lactis and Enterococcus faecalis (interspecies) (retrohoming). These results shed light on long‐standing questions about intron evolution and propagation, and demonstrate that conjugation is one of the mechanisms by which group II introns are, and probably were, broadly disseminated between widely diverged organisms.
Secretory protein trafficking in Giardia intestinalis
Authors: Hehl Adrian B. , Marti Matthias 
Published: December 2004

SummaryEarly diverged extant organisms, which may serve as convenient laboratory models to look for and study evolutionary ancient features of eukaryotic cell biology, are rare. The diplomonad Giardia intestinalis, a protozoan parasite known to cause diarrhoeal disease, has become an increasingly popular object of basic research in cell biology, not least because of a genome sequencing project nearing completion. Commensurate with its phylogenetic status, the Giardia trophozoite has a very basic secretory system and even lacks hallmark structures such as a morphologically identifiable Golgi apparatus. The cell's capacity for protein sorting is nevertheless unimpeded, exemplified by its ability to cope with massive amounts of newly synthesized cyst wall proteins and glycans, which are sorted to dedicated Golgi‐like compartments termed encystation‐specific vesicles (ESVs) generated from endoplasmic reticulum (ER)‐derived transport intermediates. This soluble bulk cargo is kept strictly separate from constitutively transported variant surface proteins during export, a function that is dependent on the stage‐specific recognition of trafficking signals. Encysting Giardia therefore provide a unique system for the study of unconventional, Golgi‐independent protein trafficking mechanisms in the broader context of eukaryotic endomembrane organization and evolution.
Inventory and functional analysis of the large Hrp regulon in Ralstonia solanacearum: identification of novel effector proteins translocated to plant host cells through the type III secretion system
Authors: Cunnac Sébastien , Occhialini Alessandra , Barberis Patrick , Boucher Christian , Genin Stéphane 
Published: December 2004

SummaryThe ability of Ralstonia solanacearum strain GMI1000 to cause disease on a wide range of host plants (including most Solanaceae and Arabidopsis thaliana) depends on genes activated by the regulatory gene hrpB. HrpB controls the expression of the type III secretion system (TTSS) and pathogenicity effectors transiting through this pathway. In order to establish the complete repertoire of TTSS‐dependent effectors belonging to the Hrp regulon and to start their functional analysis, we developed a rapid method for insertional mutagenesis, which was used to monitor the expression of 71 candidate genes and disrupt 56 of them. This analysis yielded a total of 48 novel hrpB‐regulated genes. Using the Bordetella pertussis calmodulin‐dependent adenylate cyclase reporter fusion system, we provide direct biochemical evidence that five R. solanacearum effector proteins are translocated into plant host cells through the TTSS. Among these novel TTSS effectors, RipA and RipG both belong to multigenic families, RipG defining a novel class of leucine‐rich‐repeats harbouring proteins. The members of these multigenic families are differentially regulated, being composed of genes expressed in either an hrpB‐dependent or an hrpB‐independent manner. Pathogenicity assays of the 56 mutant strains on two host plants indicate that, with two exceptions, mutations in individual effectors have no effect on virulence, a probable consequence of genetic and functional redundancy. This large repertoire of HrpB‐regulated genes, which comprises > 20 probable TTSS effector genes with no counterparts in other bacterial species, represents an important step towards a full‐genome understanding of R. solanacearum virulence.
Why has the Stability and Growth Pact Failed?
Authors: De Haan Jakob , Berger Helge , Jansen David‐Jan 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis paper evaluates the Stability and Growth Pact. After briefly examining the rules in place and the experience so far, the Pact is analysed from a political economy perspective, focusing on the choice of hard versus soft law and drawing inferences from characteristics of successful fiscal rules at the state level in the USA. The main argument of the paper is that the Pact's enforcement mechanisms are too weak. It is also argued that big countries are less likely to adhere to the fiscal policy rules in place. Reform of the Pact should aim at stricter, instead of more flexible, rules and should not rely on cyclically adjusted deficit estimates.
On the Relationship Between Short‐ and Long‐term Interest Rates*
Authors: Kobayashi Teruyoshi 
Published: December 2004

AbstractThis paper addresses issues regarding the relationship between short‐ and long‐term interest rates. In the real world, an expansionary (contractionary) policy is normally followed by a fall (rise) in long‐term rates. However, there exist exceptional cases in which short‐ and long‐term rates move in opposite directions. This paper attempts to provide a formal explanation for such unusual phenomena using a variety of new Keynesian models. It turns out that the simultaneous occurrence of different economic shocks, to which the central bank should react, can explain this behaviour of long rates.
Red & black or black & white? Phylogeny of the Araschnia butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) and evolution of seasonal polyphenism
Authors: Fric Z. , Konvicka M. , Zrzavy J. 
Published: December 2004

Abstract
Phylogeny of the butterfly genera Araschnia, Mynes, Symbrenthia and Brensymthia (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Nymphalini) is reconstructed, based on 140 morphological and ecological characters. The resulting tree shows that Araschnia is a sister group of the clade including Symbrenthia, Mynes and Brensymthia (Symbrenthia is paraphyletic in the respect of remaining genera; Symbrenthia hippalus is a derived species of Mynes). The species-level relationships within Araschnia are robustly supported as follows: (A. davidis (prorsoides ((zhangi doris) (dohertyi (levana burejana))))). Analysis of the wing colour-pattern characters linked with the seasonal polyphenism in the Araschnia species suggests that the black and white coloration of the long-day (summer) generation is apomorphic. Biogeographically, the origin of polyphenism in Araschnia predates the dispersal of some Araschnia species towards the Palaearctic temperate zone, and the ecological cause of the polyphenism itself is then probably not linked with thermoregulation. The possible mimetic/cryptic scenarios for the origin of Araschnia polyphenism are discussed.