Search PubMedSearch

Biomedical subjects

S L Martin

Publications and source records attributed to S L Martin.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Central role for differential gene expression in mammalian hibernation.

Mammalian hibernators experience dramatic reductions in body temperature, metabolic rate, respiratory rate, and heart rate during hibernation. These changes are precisely controlled and reversible with only internally driven mechanisms, suggesting specific biochemical regulation. We present a model that integrates our observations of differential liver gene expression during preparation for, and maintenance of, the hibernating state, with the known phylogenetic interspersion of hibernating species in several major mammalian lineages. This model predicts a major role for the differential expression of existing mammalian genes in the biochemical regulation of hibernation.

Animals

Young women's antisocial behavior and the later emotional and behavioral health of their children.

OBJECTIVES: Antisocial and criminal behavior are increasing among US youth, especially among females. Thus, questions arise concerning whether youthful female deviant behavior eventually will have negative behavioral and emotional consequences for the later children of these women. METHODS: Associations between the severity of early female antisocial behavior (including both drug-related and non-drug related offenses) and the later behavioral and emotional health of the children of these women were examined among 1425 mother-child pairs of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. RESULTS: Multiple linear regression procedures indicated a significant positive relationship between the severity of the mothers' early non-drug-related offenses and the later severity of the children's scores on the Antisocial, Hyperactive, Anxious/Depressed, Headstrong, Peer Conflict/Social Withdrawal, Immature Dependency, and Total Problem subscales of the Behavior Problem Index. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated an association between the antisocial behavior of female youth and the later behavioral and emotional problems of the children of these women. Future research needs to determine the mechanisms underlying the intergenerational transmission of these types of problems so that effective preventive and therapeutic public health practices may be designed and implemented.

Adolescent

LINEs.

LINEs are ubiquitous transposable elements of eukaryotes. Significant information has accumulated in the past year concerning the mechanism of transposition and the intermediates involved. In addition, progress has been made in the understanding of LINE structure and evolution, and several laboratories have exploited the interspersed, repetitive nature of LINEs for use in genome mapping.

Animals

Site-specific forced misincorporation mutagenesis using modified T7 DNA polymerase.

A new method for forced misincorporation site-specific mutagenesis is described. The method uses an exonuclease-deficient modified version of T7 DNA polymerase in the presence of one dNTP to force a misincorporation. Analysis by PAGE is used to monitor the efficiency of such misincorporation reactions. Brief extension of the terminally mismatched primer/template using the same enzyme in the presence of all four dNTPs is followed by chase/ligation using unmodified T7 DNA polymerase and T4 DNA ligase to give heteroduplex DNA. We have applied the method to mutagenesis of the Lac Z region of M13 and found that, using strand selection, efficiencies of mutagenesis at one site are greater than 50%. When the mutating dNTP is complementary to a neighbouring homopolymeric tract on the template, multiple mutation is observed and efficiences are lower. The method is more general than internal mismatch mutagenesis and, because of its rapidity, is more expedient than existing methods of forced misincorporation mutagenesis.

Amino Acid Sequence

Differential prediction of young adult arrests for property and personal crimes: findings of a cohort follow-up study of violent boys from North Carolina's Willie M Program.

Which characteristics of violent youth predict adult arrest for property crimes (e.g. burglary), and for personal crimes (e.g. assault)? We addressed this question by focusing on a group of particularly violent and assaultive boys. Separate logistic regression analyses were conducted to predict property and personal crime arrests as a function of adolescent psychiatric diagnosis, behavior problem history, race and IQ. Property crime arrest was predicted by an adolescent history of property offenses, conduct disorder diagnosis, and race (more arrests among non-whites than whites). Personal crime arrest was predicted by adolescent history of property offenses and adolescent history of substance abuse.

Adolescent

Ribonucleoprotein particles with LINE-1 RNA in mouse embryonal carcinoma cells.

The LINE-1 repeat family is interspersed throughout mammalian genomes and is thought to be the result of duplicative transposition of LINE-1 sequences via an RNA intermediate. This report describes a ribonucleoprotein particle with LINE-1 RNA in the mouse embryonal carcinoma cell line F9. This ribonucleoprotein particle is a potential intermediate in the transposition of LINE-1 in the mouse genome.

Animals

The prevention of intellectual impairment in children of impoverished families: findings of a randomized trial of educational day care.

We estimated the effects of an experimental educational day care program on the intellectual development of preschoolers from 86 high-risk families in a randomly allocated longitudinal study. At six through 54 months of age, the IQs of experimental program children ranged from 7.9 to 20.1 points higher than those of control children when maternal mental retardation and home environment effects were controlled; at every age, a greater proportion of the experimental program children had normal range IQs (greater than 84). In 13 children with retarded mothers, none of six experimental program children, but six of seven control children, had IQ scores below normal.

Adult

A multidimensional approach for selecting child care workers.

A multidimensional selection battery was designed to predict a variety of criteria important in the selection of child care workers. The battery assesses constructs related to honesty, violence, substance abuse, emotional stability and safety. A series of studies were used to test the validity of the selection battery. Scores on the test battery were compared with those from three alternative selection procedures to define the measured constructs. Three additional studies show the relation of scores on the selection battery and the behavior of child care workers. The test battery was correlated with the job performance of child care workers and identified adults convicted for sexual offenses against minors.

Adult

A conserved open reading frame that overlaps the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene is important for viral growth in cell culture.

Of 18 mutants containing clustered point mutations within UL24 (an open reading frame that overlaps the herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase gene on the opposite strand), 15 formed small plaques and were substantially impaired for virus growth in cell culture. Mutations conferring the small plaque phenotype disrupt regions of UL24 that share considerable sequence similarity with open reading frames common to herpesviruses of mammals and birds. We infer that UL24 is expressed and important for virus growth in cell culture and suggest that possible effects on UL24 should be considered in studies of thymidine kinase-deficient mutants.

Amino Acid Sequence

Genetic and biochemical characterization of the thymidine kinase gene from herpesvirus of turkeys.

The thymidine kinase gene encoded by herpesvirus of turkeys has been identified and characterized. A viral mutant (ATR0) resistant to 1-beta-D-arabinofuranosylthymine was isolated. This mutant was also resistant to 1-(2-fluoro-2-deoxy-beta-D-arabinofuronosyl)-5-methyluracil and was unable to incorporate [125I]deoxycytidine into DNA. The mutant phenotype was rescued by a cloned region of the turkey herpesvirus genome whose DNA sequence was found to contain an open reading frame similar to that for known thymidine kinases from other viruses. When expressed in Escherichia coli, this open reading frame complemented a thymidine kinase-deficient strain and resulted in thymidine kinase activity in extracts assayed in vitro.

Amino Acid Sequence

Mechanisms that lead to disease of the endocrine system in animals.

Endocrine glands are collections of specialized cells that synthesize, store, and release their secretions directly into the blood stream. They are sensing and signalling devices located in the extracellular fluid compartment and are capable of responding to changes in the internal and external environments to coordinate a multiplicity of activities that maintain homeostasis. Diseases of the endocrine system are encountered in many animal species and present challenging diagnostic problems. The major pathogenic mechanisms responsible for disturbances in endocrine function include: 1) primary hyperfunction of an endocrine gland; 2) secondary hyperfunction; 3) primary hypofunction of an endocrine gland; 4) secondary hypofunction; 5) endocrine hyperactivity secondary to diseases of other organs; 6) hypersecretion by nonendocrine tumors of hormone-like substances; 7) failure of fetal endocrine function; 8) endocrine dysfunction due to failure of target cell response; 9) endocrine dysfunction resulting from abnormal degradation of hormone; and 10) iatrogenic syndromes of hormone-excess. For each major category, several specific disease problems have been selected to illustrate the morphologic and functional changes that characterize the response of a particular endocrine gland to disruption of function.

Animals

The effects of xenobiotics on the structure and function of thyroid follicular and C-cells.

The mammalian thyroid gland is composed of 2 distinct endocrine cell populations concerned with the synthesis of 2 different classes of hormones. Follicular cells secrete the metabolically active iodothyronines whereas the C-(parafollicular) cells are concerned with the production of calcitonin, a hormone that influences blood levels of calcium and phosphorus, and bone cell metabolism. The synthesis of metabolic thyroid hormones is different than in other endocrine glands because the final assembly of hormone occurs within the follicular lumen. This extracellular synthesis of thyroid hormones is made possible by thyroglobulin, a glycoprotein synthesized by follicular cells. The secretion of thyroid hormones under the influence of pituitary thyrotrophin (TSH) from stores in the luminal colloid is initiated by elongation of microvilli and formation of pseudopods. FD&C Red No. 3 is a tetraiodinated derivative of fluorescein which in lifetime studies increases the incidence of thyroid follicular cell adenomas in male Sprague-Dawley rats. The striking changes in circulating levels of thyroid hormones and morphologic evidence of follicular cell stimulation are the result of alterations in the peripheral metabolism of thyroxine. An inhibition by FD&C Red No. 3 of 5'-deiodinase in the liver and kidney would explain the lower serum triiodothyronine (T3) levels. The pituitary, sensing the lowered circulating levels of T3, increased the secretion of thyroid stimulating hormone which resulted in the morphologic evidence of follicular cell stimulation in the long-term studies. Other xenobiotics increase the incidence of thyroid tumors in rodents by a direct effect on the thyroid gland to disrupt 1 of 3 or more possible steps in the biosynthesis of thyroid hormones. Physiologic perturbations alone, such as iodine deficiency or partial thyroidectomy, can disrupt thyroid hormone economy in rodents and, if sustained, increase the development of thyroid tumors. The wide variety of drugs, chemicals, and physiologic perturbations which increase thyroid tumor development appear to act through a secondary (indirect) mechanism to promote tumor development by causing a long-standing hypersecretion of thyroid stimulating hormone. Nodular and/or diffuse hyperplasia of C-cells occurs with advancing age in many strains of laboratory rats and in response to long-term hypercalcemia in certain animal species and human beings. Focal or diffuse hyperplasia often precedes the development of C-cell neoplasms. Radiation and the feeding of diets high in vitamin D resulting in hypercalcemia have been reported to increase the incidence of C-cell tumors in rats.

Animals

Conservation throughout mammalia and extensive protein-encoding capacity of the highly repeated DNA long interspersed sequence one.

We report an investigation of the structure, evolutionary history, and function of the highly repeated DNA family named Long Interspersed Sequence One (L1). Hybridization studies show, first, that L1 is present throughout marsupial and placental mammalian orders. Second, L1 is more homologous within these species than between them, which suggests that it has undergone concerted evolution within each mammalian lineage. Third, on the whole L1 diverges in accordance with the fossil record. This suggests that it arose in each lineage rather by inheritance from a common ancestral family, which was present in the progenitor to mammals, than by cross-species transmission. Alignment of 1.6 X 10(3) bases of primate and mouse L1 DNA sequences shows a predominance of silent mutations within aligned long open reading frames, indicating that at least this part of L1 has produced functional protein. The observation of additional long open reading frames in further unaligned DNA sequences suggests that a minimum of 3.2 X 10(3) bases or at least half of the L1 structure is a protein-coding sequence. Thus L1, which contains about 100,000 members in mouse, is by far the most repetitive family of which a subset comprises functional protein-encoding genes. The ability of the putative protein-encoding regions of mouse L1 to hybridize to L1 homologs throughout the Mammalia implies that these sequences have been subject to conservative selection upon protein function in all mammalian lineages, rather than in a few. L1 is therefore a highly repeated family of genes with both a widespread and an ancient history of function in mammals.

Amino Acid Sequence

The genetics of PLT response. II. HLA-DRw is a major PLT-stimulating determinant.

PLT response is restricted by the HLA-D region. The present study was undertaken to help define the role of HLA-DRw in PLT restimulation. Haplotype-primed intrafamily PLT cells were made against specificities HLA-DRw1, HLA-DRw3, and HLA-DRw7; each PLT was then restimulated with cells from a 35-member unrelated panel. Restimulation values for each PLT were subjected to bimodal clustering analysis. In addition, blocking experiments were performed with other intrafamily and homozygous typing cell PLT after preincubation with B cell alloantisera. The results show a high correlation (0.881 less than or equal to r less than or equal to 1.00) between the HLA-DRw specificity of the priming haplotype and the HLA-DRw specificity of unrelated panel cells that restimulate in PLT. When stimulating cells were absorbed with the corresponding DRw alloantisera or p29,34 heteroantiserum (against B cell specific antigens), PLT restimulation was significantly blocked. However, the PLT cells treated with antisera showed no effect. The results strongly suggest that HLA-DRw is the principal PLT-stimulating determinant.

Binding, Competitive