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Biomedical subjects

C A Wright

Publications and source records attributed to C A Wright.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1983

Bulinus senegalensis (Mollusca: Planorbidae) in northern Nigeria.

Surveys in the South Chad Irrigation Project Area have revealed the presence of substantial populations of the important potential snail host for Schistosoma haematobium, Bulinus senegalensis. This is the first confirmed record of this species outside the Senegambian region and the habitats in which it occurs differ from those previously reported. The implications of this finding for the epidemiology of S. haematobium in the Sahel region are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Enzyme analysis of Schistosoma haematobium.

Results are reported of enzyme analyses, by isoelectric focusing in polyacrylamide gels, of adult Schistosoma haematobium worms derived from 22 isolates originating from 13 countries. Polymorphisms have been identified in the glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) and phosphoglucomutase (PGM) systems. Certain forms appear to be restricted in their geographical distribution and their occurrence outside their usual areas suggests human population movements resulting in mixing of parasite strains. The possible implications of minor variations in some PGM patterns and the apparent absence of heteropolymer fractions in presumed G6PD heterozygotes are discussed. The use of the technique to detect natural multiple miracidial infections in snails is reported and discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

The characterisation of 1SF monomer nucleosomes from hen oviduct and the partial characterisation of a third HMG14/17-like in such nucleosomes.

Nucleosomes released from oviduct nuclei during brief micrococcal nuclease digestions are enriched in transcribed sequences (bloom K.S. and Anderson, J.N. (1978) Cell, 15, 141-150). Such nucleosomes released into this 1Sf supernatant fraction are enriched in proteins HMG14, 17 and a third lower molecular weight protein which we show in this paper to be related to HMG14 and 17. This protein, which we call HMGY, runs as a doublet on polyacrylamide gels. A similar doublet is present in smaller quantities in chicken erythrocyte nuclei. Monomer nucleosomes in the 1SF supernatant have been separated by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis into two main bands. The slower moving band contains the three HMG proteins HMG14, 17 and Y but lacks histone H1.

Amino Acids↗
PubMed1981

The high mobility group proteins and transcribed nucleosomes.

Monomer nucleosomes released from nuclei during brief micrococcal nuclease digestions are enriched in transcribed sequences (Bloom and Anderson, 1978). These nucleosomes are depleted in H1 and enriched in three high mobility group proteins HMG14, HMG17 and another HMG-like protein. Analysis of such nucleosomes by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis reveal that they are heterogenous. Similarly, monomer nucleosomes soluble in 0.1 M NaCl separate on polyacrylamide gels into mainly two types of particle, one of which has HMG14 and HMG17 bound. However, the DNA of the HMG-nucleosomes from chick erythrocytes is not enriched in globin sequences, suggesting that protein rearrangement may have occurred.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Hybrids between Schistosoma haematobium and S. mattheei and their identification by isoelectric focusing of enzymes.

Some biological features of F1 hybrids between South African strains of Schistosoma haematobium and S. mattheei are described and compared with those of both parental species. The distinctive patterns of the G6PD and PGM isoenzymes, resolved by isoelectric focusing, of both species and of the hybrid are defined and the results of enzyme analyses of parasites isolated from human infections in the Transvaal are reported. These show that hybridization does occur naturally in man and that the shape of the eggs produced is not necessarily a guide to the genetic constitution of the enclosed larvae. The experimentally produced F1 hybrids exhibit heterosis in their increased infectivity to both snails and hamsters, in their more rapid growth and earlier maturation and in the increased daily egg production per female worm when compared with both of the parental species. The possible practical implications of this are discussed.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Analysis of the high mobility group proteins associated with salt-soluble nucleosomes.

Two methods have recently been described for the isolation of monomer nucleosomes enriched in transcribed sequences which depend on their solubility in 0.1 M NaCl (Levy, W.B. and Dixon (1978), Nucleic Acid Res., 5, 4155-4163) or solutions containing divalent metal ions (Bloom, K.S. and Anderson, J.N. (1978), Cell, 15, 141-150). Using these procedures the proteins associated with such nucleosomes from rabbit thymus, calf liver and hen oviduct nuclei were isolated and analysed. Increased amounts of proteins HMG14 AND HMG17 and small amounts of HMG1 and HMG2 were found associated with the four core histones H2A, H2B, H3 and H4 in these nucleosomes. HMG14 and HMG17 were found to be enriched 2 - 7 fold, suggesting an involvement of these two proteins with transcribed sequences. 0.1 M NaCl-soluble monomer nucleosomes prepared by the method of Levy and Dixon were analysed by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and found to be composed of principally two types of particle: 1. Core particles of 145 base pairs of DNA associated with the four core histones only. 2. Nucleosomes with 160 base pairs of DNA associated with the four core histones, increased amounts of HMG14 and 17, and no H1. Small amounts of HMG1 and HMG2 are also detected. These results suggest that HMG14 and HMG17 might be interacting with the 15 base pair linker DNA. A model is presented for the structure of transcriptionally active chromatin.

Animals↗
PubMed1979

Parasites in Bulinus senegalensis (Mollusca: Planorbidae) and their detection.

Isoelectric focusing studies on enzyme variation between populations of the snail Bulinus senegalensis revealed that parasitic infections in the snails contributed additional bands of enzyme activity, particularly in the glucose phosphate isomerase (GPI) and malate dehydrogenase (MDH) systems. The patterns due to the parasite enzymes were, in most cases, clearly distinct from those of the host and different from each other. Parasites encountered included Schistosoma haematobium, S. bovis, Paramphistomum microbothrium, another amphistome probably belonging to the group which infect amphibians, Echinostoma revolutum, another echinostome (probably Echinoparyphium sp.), strigeids, xiphidiocercariae (these were resolved into 3 distinct types by the enzyme data) and ciliate protozoa. The 7 host populations which were examined showed marked differences in both the prevalence and variety of their parasitic infections and these variations were tentatively related to environmental differences in their respective habitats and to the nature of human contact patterns. Seasonal changes in the parasite fauna were also noted and some of the implications of the parasite load on the host population are briefly mentioned.

Animals↗
PubMed1976

Schistosomiasis at Loum, Cameroun; Schistosoma haematobium, S. intercalatum and their natural hybrid.

A survey of 500 schoolchildren in Loum in 1968 revealed an overall infection rate of 54.2% with Schistosoma intercalatum and this was the only species of schistosome encountered. In 1972 a number of children were found to be passing schistosome eggs in their urine and these eggs ranged in shape and size from the forms characteristic for S. haematobium to those of S. intercalatum. Preliminary laboratory studies demonstrated that hybridisation between the two species was occurring. Subsequent field surveys showed that the snail hosts for the two parasites (B. rohlfsi for S. haematobium and B. forskali for S. intercalatum) were both present in the river Mbette and its tributaries in Loum and the distribution of the two snail species coincided closely with the distribution of the schistosomes in the human population. Detailed study of a small group of children passing hybrid eggs in their urine revealed that few of them were passing eggs in their faeces and that those eggs which were found in faeces were not viable. Analysis of schistosome egg-shape by plotting cumulative size-frequency data on probability paper demonstrated that the graph obtained from a natural hybrid series was different from that given by a known mixture of the two separate species. The hybrid series included a number of exceptionally large eggs resembling those of S. bovis but isolation of these eggs and subsequent laboratory passage of the parasites showed that they were part of the series and were not evidence of the presence of a third species. Hybridisation experiments in the laboratory showed that the cross S. haematobium male X S. intercalatum femal is fully viable but that the reverse mating is not successful, thus accounting for the failure of the faecal eggs recovered from children with hybrid infections. Histological results from laboratory passaged hybrids suggest that the Ziehl-positive staining reaction of the egg-shells of S. intercalatum may be a recessive character. The observations reported here indicate that S. haematobium has only recently become established in Loum and that it is, through introgressive hybridisation, replacing the indigenous S. intercalatum. A suggested explanation for the change in the parasite fauna is offered and this depends upon ecological changes resulting from forest clearance and agricultural development providing improved conditions for the spread of B. rohlfsi, the snail host for S. haematobium. It is suggested that, in contrast to recent reports on the spread of S. intercalatum, this species is in fact retreating and being replaced by S. haematobium in areas where forest clearance is taking place. In conclusion it is suggested that introgressive hybridisation of this kind may have been responsible for the evolution of certain characteristic local strains of African schistosomes.

Bulinus↗