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C L Barr

Publications and source records attributed to C L Barr.

45 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Self-other perception of the intensity of facial expressions of emotion: do we know what we show?

Participants' self-reports of the intensity of their facial expressive responses to an amusing stimulus were compared with judges' ratings in 2 studies. In Experiment 1, 24 men and 24 women who were alone and assigned to either a spontaneous or facial attention condition perceived their facial behavior to be significantly more expressive than judges' ratings indicated it had been. In Experiment 2, 36 men and 36 women who presumed themselves to be under observation were assigned to an uninstructed, pose, or communicate condition. Self-reports of expressive responses to an amusing stimulus again significantly exceeded judges' ratings in the first 2 conditions but not when participants were told to communicate their feelings.

Adolescent↗

Progress in a genome scan for linkage in schizophrenia in a large Swedish kindred.

Genetic linkage studies of a kindred from Sweden segregating for schizophrenia have been performed using a genetic model (autosomal dominant, f = 0.72, q = 0.02, phenocopies = 0.001) as described in Kennedy et al., 1988. Analyses of the restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), allele-specific oligonucleotides (ASO), and short tandem repeat (STR also called microsatellite) data for 180 polymorphisms (individual probe-enzyme, ASO, or STR systems) at 155 loci have been completed using the MLINK and LIPED programs. Linkage to schizophrenia was excluded, under the given model, at 47 loci; indeterminate lod scores occurred at 108 loci. The total exclusion region across 20 chromosomes is estimated at 330 cM; 211 cM excluded by pairwise analyses and 119 cM previously excluded by multipoint analyses (Kennedy et al., 1989: Schizophr Bull 15:383-391; Moises et al. 1991: Genet Epidemiol 2:99-110; Hallmayer et al., 1992: Arch Gen Psychiatry 49:216-219).

Alleles↗

Linkage study of a susceptibility locus for schizophrenia in the pseudoautosomal region.

Several lines of evidence suggest that the sex chromosomes have a role in the expression of schizophrenia. Gender differences in response to treatment, age at onset of illness, and prognosis indicate an influence of sex in differential expression of schizophrenia. On the basis of a higher-than-expected concordance for sex among siblings with schizophrenia, as well as the findings of cytogenetic abnormalities of the sex chromosomes in some schizophrenia patients, a pseudoautosomal location for a schizophrenia susceptibility locus has been proposed. To test this hypothesis, we investigated genetic linkage of the pseudoautosomal region to schizophrenia in a large Swedish kindred. Using pairwise analyses we tested eight markers spanning the most telomeric region to the boundary of the sex-specific region. In addition, we used multi-point analysis with five markers spanning the region to test for the presence of a schizophrenia susceptibility locus in the pseudoautosomal region. No evidence was found for linkage to schizophrenia under the given genetic model: "autosomal" dominant, f (penetrance) = 0.72, q (gene frequency) = 0.02, phenocopies = 0.001.

Chromosome Aberrations↗

Alleles at the dopamine D4 receptor locus do not contribute to the genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia in a large Swedish kindred.

The discovery of a functional polymorphism within the dopamine D4 receptor gene (DRD4) has not only strengthened the hypotheses implicating DRD4 in the etiology of neuropyschiatric disorders, but also provided a genetic marker for testing these hypotheses. The possibility of the dopamine D4 receptor as a candidate gene for schizophrenia was investigated in a large Swedish kindred segregating for schizophrenia. Linkage to schizophrenia was tested by linkage analyses of 6 polymorphic markers (at 4 loci) in chromosome 11p15.5 including the dopamine D4 receptor (DRD4) and the tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) loci. Schizophrenia was excluded from close linkage to the DRD4 locus using two of the polymorphisms located within the dopamine D4 receptor gene. The first DRD4 polymorphism consists of variation in the number of a 48 bp imperfect direct repeat in the third exon; the second consists of a variable number of repeated G nucleotides in the first intron. In addition, some of the individuals homozygous for four or seven copies of 48 bp repeat alleles were tested for previously reported sequence variation among repeats. No single haplotype of the DRD4 alleles or haplotype of other markers in chromosome 11p15.5 was found to be common to the schizophrenic individuals in this family. Therefore, we find no evidence for linkage of the D4 receptor, or this region of 11p15.5, with genetic susceptibility to schizophrenia in this kindred.

Alleles↗

Population frequencies of the A1 allele at the dopamine D2 receptor locus.

The reported association of a polymorphic allele at the dopamine D2 receptor locus (DRD2) and alcoholism has recently been the focus of considerable interest and controversy. Evidence both for and against an association of the A1 allele of the TaqI A system have been reported. One of the inconsistencies in these studies is the frequency of the A1 allele in the controls. We undertook this study to determine the frequencies of the DRD2 A1 allele in different populations. The frequency of the DRD2 A1 allele was studied in 381 unrelated people from 16 different populations. On a global scale the frequency of the A1 allele was found to be dramatically different among the populations studied, from as low as 0.09 to as high as 0.75. Because of these significant differences an association study with this polymorphism must carefully control for ethnic origin of subjects and the results must be evaluated with caution.

Alcoholism↗

A hypervariable segment in the human dopamine receptor D4 (DRD4) gene.

The human dopamine D4 receptor contains a novel polymorphism within the putative third cytoplasmic loop of the protein. The polymorphism is characterized by a varying number of direct imperfect 48-bp repeats in the gene. Pharmacological characterization has suggested that this receptor is the site through which the atypical neuroleptic clozapine exerts its antipsychotic action and that some polymorphic variants display different pharmacological properties. Further analysis of the repeat region using innovative technologies indicates that the alleles vary not only in the number of repeats (2-8 or 10 repeat units) but also in the sequence of the repeats and the order in which they appear. In 178 unrelated chromosomes we have identified 19 different repeats in 25 different haplotypes coding for 18 different predicted amino acid sequences, making this one of the most variable functional proteins currently described.

Alleles↗

Sequences homologous to class II MHC W, X, and Y elements mediate constitutive and IFN-gamma-induced expression of human class II-associated invariant chain gene.

Invariant chain (Ii) is intracellularly associated with MHC class II molecules, is implicated in class II function, and is coordinately regulated with the alpha- and beta-chains of MHC class II genes at the transcriptional level. Included among the various cis-acting elements of transcriptional control in MHC class II genes are the class II boxes, X and Y, and sequences 5' of X in the W (Z, H, S) region of class II genes. The Ii promoter region contains homologues of these elements, designated here as X, Y', and "W". This study utilized transient transfection and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase analysis to investigate the role of these elements in basal and inducible Ii gene expression. Invariant chain X, Y', and "W" all contribute to gene expression in B lymphoblastoid cell lines, making them likely candidates to mediate coordinate control of class II and Ii genes. IFN-gamma-inducible expression of the Ii gene in a glioblastoma cell line is also regulated through X, Y', and "W". Thus, the Ii class II boxes and "W" have dual roles in basal and inducible gene transcription.

Antigens, Differentiation, B-Lymphocyte↗

Interferon-gamma-inducible regulation of the human invariant chain gene.

Interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) regulates a variety of immunoregulatory functions through the induction of a specific set of IFN-gamma response genes. This includes the invariant chain associated with the major histocompatibility complex class II molecules. To investigate the mechanism involved in the invariant chain (In) response to IFN-gamma we constructed chloramphenicol acetyltransferase (CAT) hybrid genes in which the CAT gene is under the control of the In promoter. The glioblastoma cell line, U-373 MG, transfected with a CAT construct having the In promoter sequence -790 to +1 bp showed over 3-fold increased CAT activity when treated with IFN-gamma indicating that this region confers IFN-gamma responsiveness to the CAT gene. The IFN-gamma response element in the promoter was further sublocalized to the region -120 to -61 base pairs (bp). This region contains homology to the interferon-stimulated response elements identified in other IFN responsive genes. By gel shift analyses, an IFN-gamma-induced sequence-specific DNA-binding factor was identified. This induced complex binds to an oligonucleotide corresponding to -107 to -79 bp of the In promoter. Mutations of this binding site at -94 and -92 bp drastically decreased binding of the constitutive and IFN-gamma-induced complexes. This IFN-gamma induced factor also binds to an oligonucleotide corresponding to -91 to -62 bp of the interferon-beta (IFN-beta) gene promoter, a region necessary for the induction of the IFN-beta gene by virus and double-stranded RNA. This binding specificity is characteristic of a family of DNA binding factors that bind both the interferon-stimulated response elements and the IFN-beta gene promoter.

Base Sequence↗