Biomedical subjects

Paul Keim

Publications and source records attributed to Paul Keim.

40 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed2002

Diversity among French Bacillus anthracis isolates.

While outbreaks of animal anthrax zoonoses still regularly occur in France, little is known about the epidemiology links between them. We have used the eight-locus multilocus variable-number tandem repeat analysis typing technique against a collection of 50 Bacillus anthracis isolates from France. There were eight distinct genotypes belonging to two dissimilar genetic clusters. Regional strain patterns were observed, with the B2 genotypes prevalent in southern France and the A1a genotypes found only in northern France.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

A compilation of soybean ESTs: generation and analysis.

Whole-genome sequencing is fundamental to understanding the genetic composition of an organism. Given the size and complexity of the soybean genome, an alternative approach is targeted random-gene sequencing, which provides an immediate and productive method of gene discovery. In this study, more than 120000 soybean expressed sequence tags (ESTs) generated from more than 50 cDNA libraries were evaluated. These ESTs coalesced into 16928 contigs and 17336 singletons. On average, each contig was composed of 6 ESTs and spanned 788 bases. The average sequence length submitted to dbEST was 414 bases. Using only those libraries generating more than 800 ESTs each and only those contigs with 10 or more ESTs each, correlated patterns of gene expression among libraries and genes were discerned. Two-dimensional qualitative representations of contig and library similarities were generated based on expression profiles. Genes with similar expression patterns and, potentially, similar functions were identified. These studies provide a rich source of publicly available gene sequences as well as valuable insight into the structure, function, and evolution of a model crop legume genome.

Contig Mapping↗

PubMed2002

Identification, structure, and differential expression of members of a BURP domain containing protein family in soybean.

Expressed sequence tags (ESTs) exhibiting homology to a BURP domain containing gene family were identified from the Glycine max (L.) Merr. EST database. These ESTs were assembled into 16 contigs of variable sizes and lengths. Consistent with the structure of known BURP domain containing proteins, the translation products exhibit a modular structure consisting of a C-terminal BURP domain, an N-terminal signal sequence, and a variable internal region. The soybean family members exhibit 35-98% similarity in a -100-amino-acid C-terminal region, and a phylogenetic tree constructed using this region shows that some soybean family members group together in closely related pairs, triplets, and quartets, whereas others remain as singletons. The structure of these groups suggests that multiple gene duplication events occurred during the evolutionary history of this family. The depth and diversity of G. max EST libraries allowed tissue-specific expression patterns of the putative soybean BURPs to be examined. Consistent with known BURP proteins, the newly identified soybean BURPs have diverse expression patterns. Furthermore, putative paralogs can have both spatially and quantitatively distinct expression patterns. We discuss the functional and evolutionary implications of these findings, as well as the utility of EST-based analyses for identifying and characterizing gene families.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2002

Do muscles function as adaptable locomotor springs?

During normal animal movements, the forces produced by the locomotor muscles may be greater than, equal to or less than the forces acting on those muscles, the consequences of which significantly affect both the maximum force produced and the energy consumed by the muscles. Lengthening (eccentric) contractions result in the greatest muscle forces at the lowest relative energetic costs. Eccentric contractions play a key role in storing elastic strain energy which, when recovered in subsequent contractions, has been shown to result in enhanced force, work or power outputs. We present data that support the concept that this ability of muscle to store and recover elastic strain energy is an adaptable property of skeletal muscle. Further, we speculate that a crucial element in that muscle spring may be the protein titin. It too seems to adapt to muscle use, and its stiffness seems to be 'tuned' to the frequency of normal muscle use.

Animals↗