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The prenatal autistic imprinting hypothesis: developmental maladaptation to the environmental changes between womb and the social world.

Although the importance of biological and genetic aspects of the etiology is well recognized, the pathological process of autism still remains to be elucidated. In contrast to a qualitative dichotomy concept, a dimensional perspective that places the autistic traits as quantitative extremes can easily explain the diversity and subtlety of the clinical features. In a dimensional (quantitative continuum) condition, no single qualitative process can distinguish the extremes from normal variations. In addition, the traditional view, which regards autism as a hypo-reproductive disease with a strong genetic contribution, cannot interpret the recent worldwide prevalence of autism. From a novel viewpoint, we have proposed 'the prenatal autistic imprinting hypothesis' in which autism is regarded as an inevitable consequence of human social evolution in both past and future. Postulated primary phenotypes are closely associated with the autistic savant skills and the autistic adherent temperament, and might increase the chance of specific prenatal experiences, named 'autistic imprinting'. An earlier prenatal brain growth and an earlier establishment of a type of consciousness may be critical for the imprinting process. A postnatal autistic social maladaptation may be a mere outcome of the putative intrauterine behavioral adaptation in individuals with the primary phenotypes. Both an autistic manner of thinking, which is referred to as 'visual thinking', and the prenatal early development of visual cortical architectures may play a key role in the autistic imprinting process.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Protein database of Caenorhabditis elegans.

Whole genome sequencing of the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans is a prominent achievement in genomics and uncovers the existence of enormous known and unknown gene products. Characterization and linking of all gene products are the next challenging theme of biology. Genome-wide researches are already progressing on C. elegans and the fruits of these efforts are accessible through the internet. To link the sequence-function relationship, proteomic research has been applied to provide comprehensive information of the worm proteins. In addition to 2-dimensional gel electrophoresis for visualization of the proteome, recent advances in liquid chromatography (LC)-based technologies have allowed the large-scale analysis of proteins and are at cutting-edge of high-throughput analysis of focused proteome.

Animals↗

TT virus is shown in the liver by in situ hybridization with a PCR-generated probe from the serum TTV-DNA.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: It has been a conflicting issue whether TT virus (TTV), a newly isolated DNA virus from a patient with liver injury of unknown cause, is a causative agent of acute and/or chronic hepatitis. TT Virus DNA titers were shown to be 10-100-fold greater in liver tissue than in serum, whereas the majority of TTV-positive cases had no biochemical or histological evidence of significant liver damage. We therefore attempted in situ hybridization to investigate whether TTV is hepatotropic. METHODS: Because of the marked divergence in TTV genome types, a template for TTV-DNA (coding region for N22 clone) was amplified and labeled with digoxigenin-dUTP by using hemi-nested PCR from the serum, then DNA probes were applied to the liver sections of the same case. After hybridization, the probes were visualized immunohistochemically. Besides TTV-DNA-negative cases, competitive inhibition experiments with unlabeled probes were performed to confirm the specificity. RESULTS: There were no positive signals in the negative controls, and the intensity of positive signals was markedly diminished in the competitive inhibition experiments. No cross-hybridization with different genotype probes also confirms the specificity. Under the optimal conditions, the positive signals were located in the cytoplasm of the hepatocytes in eight of nine TTV-DNA-positive cases. The signals were not seen in non-parenchymal cells of the liver. CONCLUSION: TT Virus is proved to be hepatotropic by in situ hybridization.

DNA, Viral↗

Genomewide comparative analysis of alternative splicing in plants.

Alternative splicing (AS) has been extensively studied in mammalian systems but much less in plants. Here we report AS events deduced from EST/cDNA analysis in two model plants: Arabidopsis and rice. In Arabidopsis, 4,707 (21.8%) of the genes with EST/cDNA evidence show 8,264 AS events. Approximately 56% of these events are intron retention (IntronR), and only 8% are exon skipping. In rice, 6,568 (21.2%) of the expressed genes display 14,542 AS events, of which 53.5% are IntronR and 13.8% are exon skipping. The consistent high frequency of IntronR suggests prevalence of splice site recognition by intron definition in plants. Different AS events within a given gene occur, for the most part, independently. In total, 36-43% of the AS events produce transcripts that would be targets of the non-sense-mediated decay pathway, if that pathway were to operate in plants as in humans. Forty percent of Arabidopsis AS genes are alternatively spliced also in rice, with some examples strongly suggesting a role of the AS event as an evolutionary conserved mechanism of posttranscriptional regulation. We created a comprehensive web-interfaced database to compile and visualize the evidence for alternative splicing in plants (Alternative Splicing in Plants, available at www.plantgdb.org/ASIP).

Alternative Splicing↗

Progressive autosomal dominant optic atrophy and sensorineural hearing loss in a Turkish family.

PURPOSE: To describe the clinical features, mode of inheritance, and linkage analysis of ten affected members of a three-generation family with progressive optic atrophy and progressive hearing loss. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The proband, a 10-year-old boy, presented with progressive visual failure. Ten other members in his family, including his mother, half-sister, aunt, two uncles, grandfather, and some of the cousins, also had progressive visual loss and hearing loss. Six affected and four unaffected cases were examined in detail. Blood samples were drawn from 16 members for DNA extraction. Two loci previously described for optic atrophy were tested for linkage in the present family. RESULTS: The mode of inheritance was clearly autosomal dominant. Six members of the family were found to have progressive optic atrophy and hearing loss, both starting in the first decade of life. Total or red-green color blindness was detected in some patients. None of the members of this family showed evidence of other systemic disorders; however, four had blepharochalasis. No other cause could be found for the hearing or the visual loss. Linkage analysis excluded OPA1 and OPA2. CONCLUSION: The present Turkish family belongs to the group of individuals with autosomal dominantly inherited optic atrophies with hearing loss. Linkage analysis excluded OPA1 and OPA2, indicating that a novel gene defect underlies the disease in this family. Further genome-wide linkage analysis and identification of the disease-associated gene will help define the pathophysiology of this syndrome.

Age Factors↗

A genetic analysis of primary products of bacteriophage lambda recombination.

Primary products of bacteriophage lambda recombination that display heterozygosity as a consequence of the presence of regions of heteroduplex DNA are rare in standard lambda crosses. Phage manifesting heterozygosity at a given allele are evident when recombinants, emerging from a cross, are selected for an exchange in a neighboring interval. We show that the abundance of such heterozygotes can be increased 10- to 20-fold by selection on an E. coli indicator that is defective in methyl-directed mismatch repair (mutL). Thus, the activity of the methyl-directed mismatch repair system is, at least in part, responsible for the low frequency of detectably heterozygous phage emerging from a standard cross. In a mutL indicator, many primary products of recombination are replicated without the intervention of mismatch repair.--The products of a six-factor phage cross have been plated on a mutL indicator allowing visual detection of those phage products heterozygous for one of the allelic pairs, cI. By genetic analysis, we show that the heteroduplex regions of these primary products of recombination are on the average about 4 kb in length and can include as much as half of the lambda genome.

Bacteriophage lambda↗

Highly efficient generation of recombinant baculoviruses by enzymatically medicated site-specific in vitro recombination.

We have used the Cre-lox system of bacteriophage P1 to develop a highly efficient in vitrosystem for construction of recombinant baculoviruses. A positive visual selection has been included to make identification of recombinant viral progeny rapid and straightforward. We report recombination frequencies as high as 5 x 10(7) recombinants/micrograms starting plasmid DNA and under certain conditions, up to 50% of the viral progeny are recombinants. Genes inserted into the baculovirus genome can be readily recovered in a simple one step process and re-inserted after manipulation if required. We have confirmed the structure of recovered plasmids by diagnostic restriction endonuclease digestion and the structure of recombinant viral genomes by Southern analysis. Possible uses and the significance of the system are discussed and experiments currently being done to improve it are described.

Bacteriophages↗

SeqVISTA: a new module of integrated computational tools for studying transcriptional regulation.

Transcriptional regulation is one of the most basic regulatory mechanisms in the cell. The accumulation of multiple metazoan genome sequences and the advent of high-throughput experimental techniques have motivated the development of a large number of bioinformatics methods for the detection of regulatory motifs. The regulatory process is extremely complex and individual computational algorithms typically have very limited success in genome-scale studies. Here, we argue the importance of integrating multiple computational algorithms and present an infrastructure that integrates eight web services covering key areas of transcriptional regulation. We have adopted the client-side integration technology and built a consistent input and output environment with a versatile visualization tool named SeqVISTA. The infrastructure will allow for easy integration of gene regulation analysis software that is scattered over the Internet. It will also enable bench biologists to perform an arsenal of analysis using cutting-edge methods in a familiar environment and bioinformatics researchers to focus on developing new algorithms without the need to invest substantial effort on complex pre- or post-processors. SeqVISTA is freely available to academic users and can be launched online at http://zlab.bu.edu/SeqVISTA/web.jnlp, provided that Java Web Start has been installed. In addition, a stand-alone version of the program can be downloaded and run locally. It can be obtained at http://zlab.bu.edu/SeqVISTA.

Algorithms↗

YASS: enhancing the sensitivity of DNA similarity search.

YASS is a DNA local alignment tool based on an efficient and sensitive filtering algorithm. It applies transition-constrained seeds to specify the most probable conserved motifs between homologous sequences, combined with a flexible hit criterion used to identify groups of seeds that are likely to exhibit significant alignments. A web interface (http://www.loria.fr/projects/YASS/) is available to upload input sequences in fasta format, query the program and visualize the results obtained in several forms (dot-plot, tabular output and others). A standalone version is available for download from the web page.

Algorithms↗

Large-scale statistical analyses of rice ESTs reveal correlated patterns of gene expression.

Large, publicly available collections of expressed sequence tags (ESTs) have been generated from Arabidopsis thaliana and rice (Oryza sativa). A potential, but relatively unexplored application of this data is in the study of plant gene expression. Other EST data, mainly from human and mouse, have been successfully used to point out genes exhibiting tissue- or disease-specific expression, as well as for identification of alternative transcripts. In this report, we go a step further in showing that computer analyses of plant EST data can be used to generate evidence of correlated expression patterns of genes across various tissues. Furthermore, tissue types and organs can be classified with respect to one another on the basis of their global gene expression patterns. As in previous studies, expression profiles are first estimated from EST counts. By clustering gene expression profiles or whole cDNA library profiles, we show that genes with similar functions, or cDNA libraries expected to share patterns of gene expression, are grouped together. Promising uses of this technique include functional genomics, in which evidence of correlated expression might complement (or substitute for) those of sequence similarity in the annotation of anonymous genes and identification of surrogate markers. The analysis presented here combines the application of a correlation-based clustering method with a graphical color map allowing intuitive visualization of patterns within a large table of expression measurements.

Contig Mapping↗

Single-cell gene expression profiling.

A key goal of biology is to relate the expression of specific genes to a particular cellular phenotype. However, current assays for gene expression destroy the structural context. By combining advances in computational fluorescence microscopy with multiplex probe design, we devised technology in which the expression of many genes can be visualized simultaneously inside single cells with high spatial and temporal resolution. Analysis of 11 genes in serum-stimulated cultured cells revealed unique patterns of gene expression within individual cells. Using the nucleus as the substrate for parallel gene analysis, we provide a platform for the fusion of genomics and cell biology: "cellular genomics."

Adenocarcinoma↗

Genetic variability and molecular typing of Shigella sonnei strains isolated in Canada.

Restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) of genomic DNAs from 49 clinical isolates of Shigella sonnei were analyzed by using a modified restriction endonuclease analysis procedure to investigate the genetic variability of this species. After cleavage with the restriction enzyme HaeIII or RsaI, DNA samples were electrophoresed in polyacrylamide gels and the RFLP patterns were visualized by silver staining. The results showed that among 20 strains associated with sporadic cases of infection in three Canadian provinces, 15 distinct RFLP patterns were revealed by HaeIII digestion and 12 distinct patterns were revealed by RsaI digestion. In contrast, the RFLP patterns of individual isolates within six groups of epidemiologically related isolates were identical to each other but distinct from those of unrelated isolates, and these patterns could be used to determine the genetic relationships between isolates associated with separate outbreaks of shigellosis. Our results indicate that the modified restriction endonuclease analysis technique represents a rapid, reproducible, and highly discriminatory method for the molecular typing of this species.

Bacterial Typing Techniques↗

Subcellular compartmentalization of adeno-associated virus type 2 assembly.

Using immunofluorescence and in situ hybridization techniques, we studied the intracellular localization of adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV-2) Rep proteins, VP proteins, and DNA during the course of an AAV-2/adenovirus type 2 coinfection. In an early stage, the Rep proteins showed a punctate distribution pattern over the nuclei of infected cells, reminiscent of replication foci. At this stage, no capsid proteins were detectable. At later stages, the Rep proteins were distributed more homogeneously over the nuclear interior and finally became redistributed into clusters slightly enriched at the nuclear periphery. During an intermediate stage, they also appeared at an interior part of the nucleolus for a short period, whereas most of the time the nucleoli were Rep negative. AAV-2 DNA colocalized with the Rep proteins. All three capsid proteins were strongly enriched in the nucleolus in a transient stage of infection, when the Rep proteins homogeneously filled the nucleoplasm. Thereafter, they became distributed over the whole nucleus and colocalized in nucleoplasmic clusters with the Rep proteins and AAV-2 DNA. While VP1 and VP2 strongly accumulated in the nucleus, VP3 was almost equally distributed between the nucleus and cytoplasm. Capsids, visualized by a conformation-specific antibody, were first detectable in the nucleoli and then spread over the whole nucleoplasm. This suggests that nucleolar components are involved in initiation of capsid assembly whereas DNA packaging occurs in the nucleoplasm. Expression of a transfected full-length AAV-2 genome followed by adenovirus infection showed all stages of an AAV-2/adenovirus coinfection, whereas after expression of the cap gene alone, capsids were restricted to the nucleoli and did not follow the nuclear redistribution observed in the presence of the whole AAV-2 genome. Coexpression of Rep proteins released the restriction of capsids to the nucleolus, suggesting that the Rep proteins are involved in nuclear redistribution of AAV capsids during viral infection. Capsid formation was dependent on the concentration of expressed capsid protein.

Cell Compartmentation↗

New frontiers in genetic medicine.

Disorders determined wholly or in part by genetic factors constitute a substantial number of human diseases. This realization has grown during the past 2 decades with the recognition of many specific heritable conditions and the identification of familial risk factors for common disorders. New technologies, such as fetal visualization, chorionic villus sampling, molecular cloning methods, and gene transfer technology, provides a framework for dealing with genetically determined illness in unprecedented ways. Several current and potential applications of these methods are examined, as is the use of restriction fragment length polymorphisms to survey the variability within the genome and to generate markers permitting the prospective detection of genetic disorders. The promise and limitations of chorionic villus biopsy sampling are considered for early prenatal diagnosis. The future of gene therapy in hereditary diseases is examined, and some of the substantial social and ethical considerations engendered by these new developments are explored.

Abortion, Spontaneous↗

Melanoma differentiation associated gene-7 (mda-7): a novel anti-tumor gene for cancer gene therapy.

BACKGROUND: The mda-7 gene (melanoma differentiation associated gene-7) is a novel tumor suppressor gene. The anti-proliferative activity of MDA-7 has been previously reported. In this report, we analyze the anti-tumor efficacy of Ad-mda7 in a broad spectrum of cancer lines. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ad-mda7-transduced cancer or normal cell lines were assayed for cell proliferation (tritiated thymidine incorporation assay, Alamar blue assay, and trypan-blue exclusion assay), apoptosis (TUNEL, and Annexin V staining visualized by fluorescent microscopy or FACs analysis), and cell cycle regulation (Propidium Iodide staining and FACs analysis). RESULTS: Ad-mda7 treatment of tumor cells resulted in growth inhibition and apoptosis in a temporal and dose-dependent manner. The anti-tumor effects were independent of the genomic status of p53, RB, p16, ras, bax, and caspase 3 in these cells. In addition, normal cell lines did not show inhibition of proliferation or apoptotic response to Ad-mda7. Moreover, Ad-mda7-transduced cancer cells secreted a soluble form of MDA-7 protein. Thus, Ad-mda7 may represent a novel gene-therapeutic agent for the treatment of a variety of cancers. CONCLUSIONS: The potent and selective killing activity of Ad-mda7 in cancer cells but not in normal cells makes this vector a potential candidate for cancer gene therapy.

Adenoviridae↗

N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene-induced damage on SV40 DNA: inhibition of DNA replication and visualization of DNA lesions.

The chemical carcinogen, N-acetoxy-N-2-acetylaminofluorene (AAAF), which induces well characterized DNA lesions, strongly inhibits Simian virus 40 (SV40) DNA replication. By using SV40 mutants which were temperature-sensitive for replication initiation, we were able to synchronize SV40 DNA replication and therefore to introduce AAAF-induced lesions only on unreplicating SV40 molecules. One to two acetylaminofluorene (AAF)-adducts per SV40 genome inhibit more than 90% of normal semi-conservative DNA synthesis. SV40 replicative intermediates (RIs) from AAAF-treated infected cells, purified through neutral sucrose gradients and BND-cellulose column, possess a structure different from the usual Cairns molecules found in the untreated cultures. Both by neutral and alkaline sucrose gradients and by electron microscopy, the RIs isolated from treated cells appear as complex molecules with single-stranded portions and sometimes with a tailed structure. Moreover, the newly synthesized strands found in these molecules are equal in size to the average distance between AAF-adducts on the template strand, indicating that AAF-adducts represent a block for the SV40 DNA replication. By using specific anti Guo-AAF antibodies and electron microscopy, we show the presence of an AAF adduct at halted replication forks, i.e. showing a DNA replication block in a mammalian replicon for the first time. We therefore assume that AAF-adducts severely block the progression of the replication forks by inhibiting, at least, the in vivo polymerization of the leading strand.

2-Acetylaminofluorene↗

A proteomic view on genome-based signal peptide predictions.

The availability of complete genome sequences has allowed the prediction of all exported proteins of the corresponding organisms with dedicated algorithms. Even though numerous studies report on genome-based predictions of signal peptides and cell retention signals, they lack a proteomic verification. For example, 180 secretory and 114 lipoprotein signal peptides were predicted recently for the Gram-positive eubacterium Bacillus subtilis. In the present studies, proteomic approaches were used to define the extracellular complement of the B. subtilis secretome. Using different growth conditions and a hyper-secreting mutant, approximately 200 extracellular proteins were visualized by two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis, of which 82 were identified by mass spectrometry. These include 41 proteins that have a potential signal peptide with a type I signal peptidase (SPase) cleavage site, and lack a retention signal. Strikingly, the remaining 41 proteins were predicted previously to be cell associated because of the apparent absence of a signal peptide (22), or the presence of specific cell retention signals in addition to an export signal (19). To test the importance of the five type I SPases and the unique lipoprotein-specific SPase of B. subtilis, the extracellular proteome of (multiple) SPase mutants was analyzed. Surprisingly, only the processing of the polytopic membrane protein YfnI was strongly inhibited in Spase I mutants, showing for the first time that a native eubacterial membrane protein is a genuine Spase I substrate. Furthermore, a mutation affecting lipoprotein modification and processing resulted in the shedding of at least 23 (lipo-)proteins into the medium. In conclusion, our observations show that genome-based predictions reflect the actual composition of the extracellular proteome for approximately 50%. Major problems are currently encountered with the prediction of extracellular proteins lacking signal peptides (including cytoplasmic proteins) and lipoproteins.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

fRFLP and fAFLP: medium-throughput genotyping by fluorescently post-labeling restriction digestion.

Genome-scale studies of population structure and high-resolution mapping of genetically complex traits both require techniques for accurately and efficiently genotyping large numbers of polymorphic sites in multiple individuals. Many high-throughput genotyping technologies require the purchase of expensive equipment or consumables and are therefore out of reach of some individual research laboratories. Conversely, less expensive technologies are often labor intensive so that the effort involved in typing large numbers of samples or polymorphic sites is prohibitive. Here we present a method of fluorescently post-labeling restriction digestion using standard dye-terminator sequencing chemistry so that RFLP and AFLP products can be visualized on an automated sequencer This labeling method is efficient, inexpensive, easily multiplexed, and requires no unusual equipment or reagents, thus striking a balance between cost and throughput that should be appropriate for many research groups and core facilities.

Animals↗