[Hair alterations in trichophytosis of roe deer--a differential diagnosis for hair parakeratosis]

A rare case of mycosis (ringworm) in a female roedeer is described and compared with parakeratosis of hair. It seems that in game, parakeratosis--as a primary lesion--predisposes to mycosis.

[Soluble interleukin 2 receptor (sIL-2R) in chronic polyarthritis]

An ELISA was used to measure soluble interleukin-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in the sera and synovial fluid (SF) of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Patients with seropositive, as well as seronegative RA had raised levels of sIL-2R in serum and SF compared to patients with osteoarthritis and sex-age matched healthy subjects. According to literature, sIL-2R levels in the sera of RA-patients may be a useful marker of disease activity. Increased sIL-2R levels in SF show new aspects in pathophysiology of RA.

Specific identification of Bordetella pertussis by the polymerase chain reaction

Oligonucleotide primers were used to amplify specific DNA regions of the Bordetella pertussis genome by the polymerase chain reaction. One pair of primers, PTp1/PTp2, identified a 191-bp DNA fragment located in the regulatory region of the pertussis toxin operon; a second pair of primers led to amplification of a 121-bp DNA piece located in an insertion-like element specific to B. pertussis. Both sets of primers were able to discriminate between the pathogen and related Bordetella species; they detected down to 6 bacteria and appeared suitable for routine detection of B. pertussis in clinical specimens.

Impact of a family support program on mothers' social support and parenting stress

The study examined two components of a family support program, a mothers' self-help discussion group and a parent education group, to determine their effects on social support and parenting stress. Findings suggest that, after three months of program participation, mothers in both groups felt less social isolation and parenting stress than did mothers in the control group.

Production of human recombinant proapolipoprotein A-I in Escherichia coli: purification and biochemical characterization

A human liver cDNA library was used to isolate a clone coding for apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I). The clone carries the sequence for the prepeptide (18 amino acids), the propeptide (6 amino acids), and the mature protein (243 amino acids). A coding cassette for the proapo A-I molecule was reconstructed by fusing synthetic sequences, chosen to optimize expression and specifying the amino-terminal methionine and amino acids -6 to +14, to a large fragment of the cDNA coding for amino acids 15-243. The module was expressed in pOTS-Nco, an Escherichia coli expression vector carrying the regulatable lambda PL promoter, leading to the production of proapolipoprotein A-I at up to 10% of total soluble proteins. The recombinant polypeptide was purified and characterized in terms of apparent molecular mass, isoelectric point, and by both chemical and enzymatic peptide mapping. In addition, it was assayed in vitro for the stimulation of the enzyme lecithin: cholesterol acyltransferase. The data show for the first time that proapo A-I can be produced efficiently in E. coli as a stable and undegraded protein having physical and functional properties indistinguishable from those of the natural product.

Porcine D-amino acid oxidase: production of the biologically active enzyme in Escherichia coli

DNA molecules coding either for mature porcine D-amino acid oxidase or for truncated forms of the enzyme have been obtained by stepwise addition of synthetic oligonucleotides to a partial cDNA. Under the control of the lambda PL thermoregulatable promoter, these DNAs were respectively expressed in Escherichia coli as 36, 28 and 25 kilodalton polypeptides, specifically recognised by antibodies raised against the natural enzyme. None of the truncated proteins were biologically active whereas the mature recombinant species was able to hydrolyze D-alanine in vitro as efficiently as the natural product.

Selective detection of human papilloma virus DNAs by specific synthetic DNA probes

Specific oligodeoxynucleotide probes ranging from 20 to 35 nucleotides were defined to differentiate each of the HPV1a, 5, 6b, 8, 11, 16, 18 and 33. They were chosen using computer programs developed to compare simultaneously several 8000 bp long DNA sequences. Sequences common to all and to specific groups of the HPV DNA were also selected. Specificity of 32P-labelled probes for HPV6b, 11, 16, 18 and 33 was demonstrated and the sensitivity of the assays was evaluated by filter hybridization with viral clones and with DNA from cervical tumor biopsies.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis in a patient with macroprolactinoma treated with bromocriptine

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Mutant and chimeric recombinant plasminogen activators. Production in eukaryotic cells and preliminary characterization

Mutant urokinase-type plasminogen activator (u-PA) genes and hybrid genes between tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) and u-PA have been designed to direct the synthesis of new plasminogen activators and to investigate the structure-function relationship in these molecules. The following classes of constructs were made starting from cDNA encoding human t-PA or u-PA: 1) u-PA mutants in which the Arg156 and Lys158 were substituted with threonine, thus preventing cleavage by thrombin and plasmin; 2) hybrid molecules in which the NH2-terminal regions of t-PA (amino acid residues 1-67, 1-262, or 1-313) were fused with the COOH-terminal region of u-PA (amino acids 136-411, 139-411, or 195-411, respectively); and 3) a hybrid molecule in which the second kringle of t-PA (amino acids 173-262) was inserted between amino acids 130 and 139 of u-PA. In all cases but one, the recombinant proteins, produced by transfected eukaryotic cells, were efficiently secreted in the culture medium. The translation products have been tested for their ability to activate plasminogen after in situ binding to an insolubilized monoclonal antibody directed against urokinase. All recombinant enzymes were shown to be active, except those in which Lys158 of u-PA was substituted with threonine. Recombination of structural regions derived from t-PA, such as the finger, the kringle 2, or most of the A-chain sequences, with the protease part or the complete u-PA molecule did not impair the catalytic activity of the hybrid polypeptides. This observation supports the hypothesis that structural domains in t-PA and u-PA fold independently from one to another.

The alpha 2 cDNA sequence of human haptoglobin carries a bacterial promoter functional in vivo

Various constructions of human haptoglobin (Hp) cDNA coding either for the complete alpha 2FS beta precursor protein or only for the beta subunit have been placed under the control of the lambda PR promoter in the bacterial expression vector pCQV2 (Queen, 1983). In addition to the expected 45,000 dalton polypeptide synthesized after induction of the PR promoter, the complete alpha 2FS beta constructions constitutively express a smaller polypeptide of approximately 30,000 dalton corresponding to a truncated Hp protein. Computer analysis of the HpcDNA revealed the presence of two strong potential bacterial promoters (alpha 2 PF and alpha 2 PS) located in the duplicated alpha 2FS sequence. Both Hp promoter signals are followed by potential mRNA start sites and ribosome binding sites at a compatible distance from initiation codons. In addition, the Hp alpha 2 cDNA sequence, when fused upstream to the cDNA coding for alpha 1-antitrypsin, constitutively promotes in vivo the efficient expression of an hybrid protein specifically recognized by antibodies raised against alpha 1-antitrypsin or haptoglobin.

Total DNA synthesis and cloning in Escherichia coli of a gene coding for the human growth hormone releasing factor

A DNA containing a sequence coding for the human growth hormone releasing factor (hGRF) has been obtained by enzymatic assembly of chemically synthesized DNA fragments. The synthetic gene consists of a 140 base-pair fragment containing initiation and termination signals for translation and appropriate protruding ends for cloning into a newly constructed plasmid vector (pULB1219). Eleven oligodeoxyribonucleotides, from 14 to 31 bases in length, sharing pairwise stretches of complementary regions of at least 13 bases were prepared by phosphotriester solid-phase synthesis. The DNA sequence was designed to take into account the optimal use of E. coli codons. Oligomers were annealed in one step and assembled by ligation. The DNA fragment of the expected size (140 bp) was recovered and cloned into the pULB1219 vector. The expected sequence was confirmed by DNA sequencing.

Molecular cloning, sequencing, and expression in Escherichia coli of human preprourokinase cDNA

A cDNA library derived from human carcinoma cells was used to isolate a clone, pULB1000, coding for the preproenzyme form of human urokinase. This clone carries the full-length sequence coding for the signal peptide and for the A chain (157 amino acids) and B chain (253 amino acids) of urokinase in tandem. The sequence of the cDNA predicts the presence of a single lysine residue between the last amino acid of the mature A polypeptide (Phe-157) and the first amino acid of the mature B polypeptide (Ile-1). The amino acid sequence deduced from the cDNA sequence fits the published amino acid sequence data with three exceptions, the reported cysteine residue at position 131 in the A chain is a tryptophan, and glycine 366 and alanine 410 in the B chain are, respectively, a cysteine and a valine in our clone. A large Bgl I fragment (1482 bp), derived from the clone pULB1000 coding for most of the signal peptide and for the A and B chains, has been subcloned into the expression vector pCQV2. Heat induction of E. coli cells carrying the recombinant plasmid leads to the production of urokinase-like polypeptides having the expected molecular weights and being specifically recognized by antibodies raised against natural human urokinase.

Characterization of human haptoglobin cDNAs coding for alpha 2FS beta and alpha 1S beta variants

A human liver library, derived from a heterozygous (Hp2-1) donor, has been used to isolate cDNA clones coding for the haptoglobin (Hp) alpha 1S beta and alpha 2FS beta variants. DNA sequencing has shown that the two variants are identical except for the alpha F duplicated segment in Hp alpha 2FS beta. Four nucleotide changes have been found between the phenotypically different F and S regions of the Hp alpha 2 gene, resulting in an Asp,Lys/Asn,Glu substitution.

Conversational interactions between mothers and learning-disabled or nondisabled children during a problem-solving task

This study focused on mother-child interactions during a problem-solving task to determine whether (a) mothers of learning-disabled children engage in conversational buffering to facilitate their child's participation in the task, and (b) whether learning-disabled children differ from nondisabled children in their use of language with their mothers. The results of this study provide some evidence that mothers of both learning-disabled and nondisabled children engage in conversational buffering, although there were few differences between the mothers of the learning-disabled and nondisabled children. Differences between learning-disabled and nondisabled children showed that the learning-disabled were more likely to agree with and less likely to disagree with their mothers than were the nondisabled children. These findings provide some evidence of maternal conversational buffering and suggest that learning-disabled children's previously reported unassertive conversational style in peer interactions extends to talk with their mothers.

Expression of human alpha 1-antitrypsin in Escherichia coli

Complementary DNA coding for human alpha 1-antitrypsin has been placed under the control of the lambda PR promotor carrier by the expression vector pCQV2 [1]. In conditions which allow transcription from this promotor (thermoinactivation of the repressor), Escherichia coli cells harbouring the recombinant plasmid pULB1114 express human alpha 1-antitrypsin (+/- 9000 molecules/cell). The product has a Mr of 44000, corresponding to mature unglycosylated alpha 1-antitrypsin.

Cloning and expression in Escherichia coli of full-length complementary DNA coding for human alpha 1-antitrypsin

A cDNA library prepared from human liver was screened for alpha 1-antitrypsin, a major constituent of plasma which functions as inhibitor of proteolytic enzymes. The library was screened using a 12-base-long synthetic oligodeoxyribonucleotide corresponding to a known DNA fragment of human alpha 1-antitrypsin and by hybrid-selection of alpha 1-antitrypsin mRNA. A plasmid, pULB1523, was identified carrying a cDNA insert of about 1400 bp coding for human alpha 1-antitrypsin. Restriction mapping and DNA sequence analysis indicated that the 1400 bp code for the signal peptide and for the complete mature alpha 1-antitrypsin molecule. In addition, a solid-phase enzyme-linked immunoassay showed that pULB1523 expresses human alpha 1-antitrypsin in bacteria. Fusion of the alpha 1-antitrypsin sequence to the leader sequence of the beta-lactamase gene (plasmid pKT287) resulted also in the expression of the protein in bacteria.