bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Deviation from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium, and temporal instability in allele frequencies at microsatellite loci in a local population of Atlantic cod
Authors: Karlsson Sten , Mork Jarle 
Published: September 2005

AbstractA total of 1455 spawning cod, sampled from a local spawning area in Trondheimsfjord (Norway) between 1985 and 2002, was screened at the microsatellite loci Gmo132 and Gmo2. Samples from 15 spawning years comprising 29 consecutive cohorts were analysed. At the Gmo132 locus, but not at Gmo2, allele frequencies varied significantly among sampling years as well as cohorts, corresponding to FST-values of 0.004 and 0.006, respectively. Both loci showed examples of significant deviations from Hardy–Weinberg expectation within sampling years as well as cohorts, manifested as deficiencies of heterozygotes. Combining the p-values from the single tests (Fisher's method) revealed an overall significant p-value for deviation from the Hardy–Weinberg expectations at Gmo132 but not at Gmo2. Trend tests showed significant HW deficiencies at both loci for annual samples but not for cohorts. Possible reasons for the deficiencies were discussed; inter alia the existence of null alleles, or a form of pseudo Wahlund effect due to a patchy distribution of habitats for settling O-group cod in the Trondheimsfjord. It was noted that there might be a relationship between the relatively high temporal within-population variability of allele frequencies at Gmo132 and the fact that among microsatellite loci studied so far, Gmo132 is the one that usually shows the highest genetic differentiation geographically in cod.
Changes in P2Y2 receptor localization on adrenaline‐ and noradrenaline‐containing chromaffin cells in the rat adrenal gland during development and aging
Authors: Afework Mekbeb , Burnstock Geoffrey 
Published: September 2005

AbstractUsing immunohistochemistry, the occurrence and age‐related changes of the P2Y2 receptor was investigated in the adrenal gland of rat at different ages, ranging from embryonic day E16 to 22 months. Immunoreactivity for the P2Y2 receptor was present in chromaffin cells and nerve fibres at all ages examined. Double labeling with the antibody against phenyl ethanolamine‐N‐methyltransferase, which marks adrenaline‐producing chromaffin cells, revealed that only a few of the P2Y2‐immunoreactive cells were adrenaline producing at embryonic day E16, the vast majority being noradrenaline‐containing cells. However, immunoreactivity for adrenaline‐containing cells in the P2Y2 receptor‐labeled chromaffin cells increased with increasing age and at 1 week post‐natal almost all chromaffin cells were positive for both P2Y2 and phenyl ethanolamine‐N‐methyltransferase, while noradrenaline‐containing cells were minimal. At 2 weeks, there was a dramatic drop in P2Y2‐immunoreactive chromaffin cells and this was maintained in adult rats, noradrenaline‐containing cells dominating. In the aging rat adrenals, P2Y2 receptor‐immunoreactivity was localized in subpopulations of both adrenaline and noradrenaline‐producing cells. Intrinsic neurones were also visible that were positively labeled with the P2Y2 receptor antibody in the adrenals of both adult and aging rats. P2Y2‐immunoreactive nerve fibres formed a plexus around the adrenal cortical cells of zona glomerulosa in the post‐natal, but not in adult or aging rats.In conclusion, this study suggests that ATP, acting through P2Y2 receptors, may influence the phenotypic expression of chromaffin cells during the development and aging of the rat adrenal gland. However, during early development, when the chromaffin cells are actively dividing and during aging, when the adrenal medullary cells are known to show hyperplastic lesions, ATP acting through P2Y2 receptors may be involved in other physiological activities, such as proliferation and/or differentiation of the chromaffin cells associated with their adrenaline or noradrenaline phenotype.
ETHY. A Theory of Fruit Climacteric Ethylene Emission
Authors: Génard Michel , Gouble Barbara 
Published: September 2005

AbstractA theory of fruit climacteric ethylene emission was developed and used as the basis of a simulation model called ETHY. According to the theory, the biosynthetic pathway of ethylene is supplied by ATP and is regulated by 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid (ACC) synthase and ACC oxidase. The conjugation of ACC with malonate to form MACC was taken into account as a way to decrease the availability of ACC. Because of the seasonal increase of fruit volume, the dilution of biochemical compounds used in ETHY was taken into account. Finally, the ethylene diffusion across the skin was considered. The theory took into account the effect of temperature and O2 and CO2 internal concentrations on ethylene. The model was applied to peach (Prunus persica) fruit over 3 years, several leaf:fruit ratios, and irrigation conditions. An adequate ethylene increase was predicted without considering any increase in respiration during the ripening period, which suggests that the respiratory climacteric may not be required for ripening. Another important result of this study is the high sensitivity of ETHY to the parameters involved in the calculation of ACC oxidase and ACC synthase activities, ATP production, and skin surface and permeability. ETHY was also highly sensitive to changes in fruit growth and temperature.
ThewpMutation ofGlycine maxCarries a Gene-Fragment-Rich Transposon of the CACTA Superfamilyw⃞
Authors: Zabala Gracia , Vodkin Lila O. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractWe used soybean (Glycine max) cDNA microarrays to identify candidate genes for a stable mutation at the Wp locus in soybean, which changed a purple-flowered phenotype to pink, and found that flavanone 3-hydroxylase cDNAs were overexpressed in purple flower buds relative to the pink. Restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and RNA gel blots of purple and pink flower isolines, as well as the presence of a 5.7-kb transposon insertion in the wp mutant allele, have unequivocally shown that flavanone 3-hydroxylase gene 1 is the Wp locus. Moreover, the 5.7-kb insertion in wp represents a novel transposable element (termed Tgm-Express1) with inverted repeats closely related to those of other Tgms (transposable-like elements, G. max) but distinct in several characteristics, including the lack of subterminal inverted repeats. More significantly, Tgm-Express1 contains four truncated cellular genes from the soybean genome, resembling the Pack-MULEs (Mutator-like transposable elements) found in maize (Zea mays), rice (Oryza sativa), and Arabidopsis thaliana and the Helitrons of maize. The presence of the Tgm-Express1 element causing the wp mutation, as well as a second Tgm-Express2 element elsewhere in the soybean genome, extends the ability to acquire and transport host DNA segments to the CACTA family of elements, which includes both Tgm and the prototypical maize Spm/En.
RiceUndeveloped Tapetum1Is a Major Regulator of Early Tapetum Development
Authors: Jung Ki-Hong , Han Min-Jung , Lee Yang-Seok , Kim Yong-Woo , Hwang Inhwan , Kim Min-Jeong , Kim Yeon-Ki , Nahm Baek Hie , An Gynheung 
Published: September 2005

AbstractThe tapetum, the innermost of four sporophytic layers in the anther wall, comes in direct contact with the developing male gametophyte and is thought to play a crucial role in the development and maturation of microspores. Here, we report the identification of rice (Oryza sativa) Undeveloped Tapetum1 (Udt1), which is required for the differentiation of secondary parietal cells to mature tapetal cells. T-DNA or retrotransposon Tos17 insertions in the Udt1 gene caused male sterility. The anther walls and meiocytes of the mutants were normal during the early premeiosis stage, but their tapeta failed to differentiate and became vacuolated during the meiotic stage. In addition, meiocytes did not develop to microspores, and middle layer degeneration was inhibited. Consequently, the anther locules contained no pollen. The UDT1:green fluorescent protein fusion protein was localized to the nucleus. This, together with its homology with other basic helix-loop-helix proteins, suggests that UDT1 is a transcription factor. DNA microarray analysis identified 958 downregulated and 267 upregulated genes in the udt1-1 anthers, suggesting that Udt1 plays a major role in maintaining tapetum development, starting in early meiosis.
RNA Immunoprecipitation and Microarray Analysis Show a Chloroplast Pentatricopeptide Repeat Protein to Be Associated with the 5′ Region of mRNAs Whose Translation It Activates
Authors: Schmitz-Linneweber Christian , Williams-Carrier Rosalind , Barkan Alice 
Published: September 2005

AbstractPlant nuclear genomes encode hundreds of predicted organellar RNA binding proteins, few of which have been connected with their physiological RNA substrates and functions. In fact, among the largest family of putative RNA binding proteins in plants, the pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) family, no physiologically relevant RNA ligands have been firmly established. We used the chloroplast-splicing factor CAF1 to demonstrate the fidelity of a microarray-based method for identifying RNAs associated with specific proteins in chloroplast extract. We then used the same method to identify RNAs associated with the maize (Zea mays) PPR protein CRP1. Two mRNAs whose translation is CRP1-dependent were strongly and specifically enriched in CRP1 coimmunoprecipitations. These interactions establish CRP1 as a translational regulator by showing that the translation defects in crp1 mutants are a direct consequence of the absence of CRP1. Additional experiments localized these interactions to the 5′ untranslated regions and suggested a possible CRP1 interaction motif. These results enhance understanding of the PPR protein family by showing that a PPR protein influences gene expression through association with specific mRNAs in vivo, suggesting an unusual mode of RNA binding for PPR proteins, and highlighting the possibility that translational regulation may be a particularly common function of PPR proteins. Analogous methods should have broad application for the study of native RNA–protein interactions in both mitochondria and chloroplasts.
The Nuclear Actin-Related Protein ARP6 Is a Pleiotropic Developmental Regulator Required for the Maintenance ofFLOWERING LOCUS CExpression and Repression of Flowering inArabidopsis w⃞
Authors: Deal Roger B. , Kandasamy Muthugapatti K. , McKinney Elizabeth C. , Meagher Richard B. 
Published: September 2005

AbstractActin-related proteins (ARPs) are found in the nuclei of all eukaryotic cells, but their functions are generally understood only in the context of their presence in various yeast and animal chromatin-modifying complexes. Arabidopsis thaliana ARP6 is a clear homolog of other eukaryotic ARP6s, including Saccharomyces cerevisiae ARP6, which was identified as a component of the SWR1 chromatin remodeling complex. We examined the subcellular localization, expression patterns, and loss-of-function phenotypes for this protein and found that Arabidopsis ARP6 is localized to the nucleus during interphase but dispersed away from the chromosomes during cell division. ARP6 expression was observed in all vegetative tissues as well as in a subset of reproductive tissues. Null mutations in ARP6 caused numerous defects, including altered development of the leaf, inflorescence, and flower as well as reduced female fertility and early flowering in both long- and short-day photoperiods. The early flowering of arp6 mutants was associated with reduced expression of the central floral repressor gene FLOWERING LOCUS C (FLC) as well as MADS AFFECTING FLOWERING 4 (MAF4) and MAF5. In addition, arp6 mutations suppress the FLC-mediated late flowering of a FRIGIDA-expressing line, indicating that ARP6 is required for the activation of FLC expression to levels that inhibit flowering. These results indicate that ARP6 acts in the nucleus to regulate plant development, and we propose that it does so through modulation of chromatin structure and the control of gene expression.
Shadowed reality or the ‘Prometheus‐complex’: analytical psychotherapy after political imprisonment and persecution
Authors: Hölter Reinhild 
Published: September 2005

Abstract:  Traumatic experiences of violence like those that were brought about by the communist regime of the former German Democratic Republic (GDR) are still present as if they happened yesterday, causing severe disadvantages in everyday life even after all those years. Consequently, in cases of extreme traumatization induced by political imprisonment, persecution and applied psychological methods of disintegration, regressive processes take place which corrode the ego. The breakdown of cathexis, i.e., the failure of empathic connection at the time of the trauma, is the strongest characteristic of severe traumatization. As a result of this destruction for the traumatized there is an inability to keep upright an inner empathic, emotional connection.As we try to grasp, from a Jungian point of view, the psychodynamics of severe traumatization, we can speak of a powerful pathogenous complex, which I call the ‘Prometheus‐complex’. Gustav Bovensiepen speaks of this complex as a sub‐network, a limited fragment of the matrix of all internalized experiences, consisting of internal working models, feelings and patterns of anticipation which interact mutually. The human being, captured in such isolation and paralysis of the mind, can find himself ‘in the therapist’ on a mental level.
Improvement in insulin sensitivity without concomitant changes in body composition and cardiovascular risk markers following fixed administration of a very low growth hormone (GH) dose in adults with severe GH deficiency
Authors: Yuen Kevin C. J. , Frystyk Jan , White Deborah K. , Twickler Th. B. , Koppeschaar Hans P. F. , Harris Philip E. , Fryklund Linda , Murgatroyd Peter R. , Dunger David B. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryObjective  Untreated GH‐deficient adults are predisposed to insulin resistance and excess cardiovascular mortality. We showed previously that short‐term treatment with a very low GH dose (LGH) enhanced insulin sensitivity in young healthy adults. The present study was therefore designed to explore the hypothesis that LGH, in contrast to the standard GH dose titrated to normalize serum IGF‐I levels (SGH), may have differing effects on insulin sensitivity, body composition, and cardiovascular risk markers [lipid profile, C‐reactive protein (CRP), interleukin‐6 (IL‐6), tumour necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) and adiponectin] in adults with severe GH deficiency.Patients and methods  In this 12‐month open, prospective study, 25 GH‐deficient adults were randomized to receive either a fixed LGH (0·10 mg/day, n = 13) or SGH (mean dose 0·48 mg/day, n = 12), and eight age‐ and body mass index (BMI)‐matched GH‐deficient adults acted as untreated controls. Fasting blood samples were collected at baseline and at months 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12. Assessments of insulin sensitivity, using the hyperinsulinaemic euglycaemic clamp technique, and body composition, using dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry, were performed at baseline and at month 12.Results  The LGH decreased fasting glucose levels (P < 0·01) and enhanced insulin sensitivity (P < 0·02), but body composition, nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) levels and cardiovascular risk markers were unchanged. The SGH did not modify insulin sensitivity, decreased truncal fat mass (P < 0·05), CRP (P < 0·05) and IL‐6 (P < 0·05) levels, and increased NEFA levels (P < 0·05). No changes were observed with the untreated controls.Conclusion  Our data indicate that, in contrast to the SGH, fixed administration of the LGH enhances insulin sensitivity with no apparent effects on body composition, lipolysis and other surrogate cardiovascular risk markers in adults with severe GH deficiency. Thus, the LGH may potentially be a beneficial replacement dose in reducing type 2 diabetes risk in adults with severe GH deficiency.
Ghrelin in human medullary thyroid carcinomas
Authors: Morpurgo P. S. , Cappiello V. , Verga U. , Vicentini L. , Vaghi I. , Lauri E. , Nebuloni M. , Beck‐Peccoz P. , Spada A. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryObjective  Ghrelin is a novel gastrointestinal hormone involved in several metabolic functions. It has been identified previously in several normal and tumoral neuroendocrine tissues, including human medullary thyroid carcinomas (MTCs). The aim of the study was to evaluate ghrelin levels in patients with MTC and nontoxic goitre (NTG) with elevated calcitonin (CT) levels, as an additional marker of the disease.Patients and design  The study included 22 patients with MTC (four before and 18 after thyroidectomy), 12 patients with NTG with basal CT levels exceeding 10 ng/l and 15 healthy subjects matched for age, sex and body mass index (BMI). After thyroidectomy, MTC patients were considered cured when basal and pentagastrin‐stimulated CT levels were < 0·2 and < 10 ng/l, respectively. A pentagastrin‐induced CT peak over 50 ng/l was considered as an abnormal response while 100 ng/l was the cut‐off accepted for the diagnosis of C‐cell hyperplasia or tumour. Circulating ghrelin and CT levels were evaluated at baseline in patients and controls and at −10, 0, 1, 2, 5 and 15 min after pentagastrin injection (0·5 µg/kg body weight) in 12 patients with MTC and nine with NTG. Four surgically removed MTCs were tested for ghrelin expression.Measurements  Total plasma ghrelin and CT levels were measured with a commercially available radioimmunoassay (RIA) and two‐site chemiluminescence immunometric assays, respectively. In paraffin‐embedded MTC samples ghrelin immunostaining was performed with a polyclonal antibody (1 : 1000) and the reaction visualized by an indirect immunoperoxidase system.Results  Plasma ghrelin levels found in cured or not cured MTC and in NTG patients were similar to those of BMI‐matched healthy controls. No correlation between ghrelin and CT levels, thyroid disease or previous thyroidectomy was observed. The administration of pentagastrin caused a 17% increase in ghrelin levels (basal ghrelin vs. peak: 162 ± 62 pmol/l vs. 189 ± 58 pmol/l, P < 0·05) that was particularly evident (33% increase) in patients with an abnormal CT response to the test (CT > 50 ng/l). Immunohistochemistry showed positivity for ghrelin in a small proportion of CT positive cells from the four MTCs removed.Conclusions  Patients with MTC, NTG and controls showed similar ghrelin levels, ruling out this parameter as a marker of MTC. The increase in ghrelin levels in patients with a positive CT response to pentagastrin, together with the immunopositivity for ghrelin in some MTC cells, suggests C cells as minor source of ghrelin production.
In vivo activity of 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 and free fatty acid‐induced insulin resistance
Authors: Mai K. , Kullmann V. , Bobbert T. , Maser‐Gluth C. , Möhlig M. , Bähr V. , Pfeiffer A. F. H. , Spranger J. , Diederich S. 
Published: September 2005

SummaryIntroduction  Free fatty acids (FFAs) induce hepatic insulin resistance and enhance hepatic gluconeogenesis. Glucocorticoids (GCs) also stimulate hepatic gluconeogenesis. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the FFA‐induced hepatic insulin resistance is mediated by increased activity of hepatic 11β‐hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 (11β‐HSD1), accompanied by elevated hepatic cortisol levels.Methods  Following a 10‐h overnight fast, six healthy male volunteers were investigated. A euglycaemic hyperinsulinaemic clamp was performed during lipid or saline infusion. To assess hepatic 11β‐HSD1 activity, plasma cortisol levels were measured after oral administration of cortisone acetate during lipid or saline infusion. In addition, 11β‐HSD activities were determined in vivo by calculating the urinary ratios of GC metabolites.Results  Lipid infusion increased FFAs (5·41 ± 1·00 vs. 0·48 ± 0·20 mmol/l; P < 0·005) and significantly increased insulin resistance [glucose infusion rate (GIR) 6·02 ± 2·60 vs. 4·08 ± 2·15 mg/kg/min; P < 0·005]. After lipid and saline infusions no changes in 11β‐HSD1 activity were found, neither by changes in cortisone acetate to cortisol conversion nor by differences in urinary free cortisol (UFF) or cortisone (UFE), 5β‐tetrahydrocortisol (THF), 5α‐THF, cortisone (THE), UFF/UFE and (5α‐THF + THF)/THE ratios.Conclusions  We found no change in hepatic and whole‐body 11β‐HSD1 activity during acute FFA‐induced insulin resistance. Further studies are necessary to clarify whether 11β‐HSD1 in muscle and adipose tissue is influenced by FFAs and whether 11β‐HSD1 is involved in other conditions of insulin resistance.
Hypertension in acromegaly and in the normal population: prevalence and determinants
Authors: Vitale Giovanni , Pivonello Rosario , Auriemma Renata S. , Guerra Ermelinda , Milone Francesco , Savastano Silvia , Lombardi Gaetano , Colao Annamaria 
Published: September 2005

SummaryBackground  The GH/IGF‐I axis has a relevant role to play in the cardiovascular system but its implication in the pathogenesis of hypertension in the normal population and in acromegaly is not yet clear.Patients and measurements  The aim of this retrospective and controlled study was to evaluate the prevalence and determinants of hypertension in 200 patients with acromegaly and 200 nonacromegalic subjects, matched for sex, age, body mass index (BMI) and smoking habits.Results  Hypertension was found in 46% of patients and in 25% of controls (P < 0·0001), without any difference between men and women. Family history of hypertension occurred in 30% of hypertensive acromegalic patients and in 62% of hypertensive controls (P < 0·0001). In both groups, hypertensive subjects were older than normotensive subjects. Systolic (SBP) and diastolic blood pressures (DBP) in hypertensive acromegalic patients were lower and higher, respectively, than in hypertensive controls. The risk of hypertension increased with age and was higher in the patients than in the controls [hazard ratio (HR) 1·9; P = 0·0002]. Independent predictors of SBP were age and glucose in the acromegalic population, and BMI, age and glucose levels in the controls. Independent predictors of DBP were age and glucose in the patients, and BMI, age and IGF‐I in the controls.Conclusions  In acromegaly, hypertension is more frequent than in the general population, involves predominantly DBP, and occurs earlier, is not related to gender, and is less frequently related to family history of hypertension and IGF‐I levels. IGF‐I may have a protective role for DBP in the general population.