Expression of foreign proteins on the surface of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus.

Based on the method of direct cloning into the baculovirus genome by linearizing and re-ligation in presence of the target insert, we designed viral constructs that express foreign genes on the surface of baculovirus particles. We chose the glycosylated envelope protein gp41 of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) as a model for displaying recombinant proteins on budded virus. The ectodomain of the envelope protein gp41 of HIV-1 was being fused to the entire baculovirus major coat protein gp64 (Ac-cops41) and to the membrane anchor sequence of gp64 (Acmars41).

European madness and gender in nineteenth-century British India.

The aim of this article is to explore whether gender was a linchpin in the construction of Europeans' mental health in nineteenth-century British India. A relational model of gender will be employed which places emphasis on the complementarity of men's and women's mental problems within the socio-economic, political and cultural confines of nineteenth-century colonialism. The postulate of a 'female malady' which has been promulgated in recent accounts of women's mental health will be shown to be inapplicable in the context of the raj.

Photoinduced Chemical Dynamics of High-Spin Alkali Trimers.

Nanometer-sized helium droplets, each containing about 10(4) helium atoms, were used as an inert substrate on which to form previously unobserved, spin-3/2 (quartet state) alkali trimers. Dispersed fluorescence measurements reveal that, upon electronic excitation, the quartet trimers undergo intersystem crossing to the doublet manifold, followed by dissociation of the doublet trimer into an atom and a covalently bound singlet dimer. As shown by this work, aggregates of spin-polarized alkali metals represent ideal species for the optical study of fundamental chemical dynamics processes including nonadiabatic spin conversion, change of bonding nature, and unimolecular dissociation.

'Under the influence' in British India: James Esdaile's Mesmeric Hospital in Calcutta, and its critics.

Mesmerism was for a period very popular in Victorian Britain. The special clinical approach developed by Dr J. Esdaile while on duty in British India is elaborated in detail.

SAP1a is a nuclear target of signaling cascades involving ERKs.

The Ets protein SAP1a has been shown to interact with the c-fos serum response element upon recruitment by the serum response factor. We demonstrate that SAP1a is a nuclear protein stimulating transcription via the c-fos serum response element, and additionally via an Ets binding site independently of the serum response factor. However, transactivation has only been observed under conditions leading to the activation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases (ERKs).

Transcriptional repression mediated by the serum response factor.

The serum response element (SRE) contributes to transcriptional repression of the c-fos proto-oncogene. We show that the transcription factor SRF is able to repress SRE-dependent transcription, apparently by sequestering a co-activator. Only the DNA-binding core region is required for this SRE-dependent repression.

The effect of elevated UV-B (280-320 nm) radiation levels on Silene vulgaris: a comparison between a highland and a lowland population.

Highland (altitude 1600 m above sea level) and lowland (altitude -2 m below sea level) populations of the perennial herb Silene vulgaris (Moench) Garcke, were tested on their response to elevated levels of UV-B radiation. Highland populations typically receive high natural UV-B fluxes, whereas lowland populations receive a lower natural UV-B dose. Adaptation to high UV-B levels of the highland population is to be expected.

The role of biomarkers in environmental assessment (4). Terrestrial plants.

The potential of metabolites, enzymatic processes and changes in plant performance as biomarkers in environmental assessment is reviewed. Biomarkers may be used as an early warning system of specific or general stress at each biological level, from molecules to ecosystems. The sensitivity of a species and, thus, the efficiency of a biomarker will depend on the degree of already present adaptation to environmental stress and on the homogeneity of the investigated population.

Low correlation of human cytomegalovirus DNA amplification by polymerase chain reaction with cytomegalovirus disease in organ transplant recipients.

Seventy-five organ transplant recipients underwent prolonged virological and serological follow-up for early detection of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection after transplantation. HCMV DNA detection by nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and HCMV early structural antigen (pp65) detection were carried out in 576 peripheral blood leucocyte (PBL) samples. Furthermore, 563 blood specimens were investigated by a commercially available enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for the detection of specific immunoglobulins G, M, and A against HCMV structural antigens.

Regulatory squelching.

An important function of transcription factors may be to sequester coactivators or corepressors of transcription. In this manner transcription factors could regulate in trans the activity of promoters to which they do not bind. This may be of widespread significance as a mechanism to control cell cycle-dependent and differentiation-specific transcriptional activity within eukaryotic cells.

Functional dissection of the transcription factor Elk-1.

The ternary complex factor Elk-1 belongs to the Ets oncoprotein family. We demonstrate that this transcription factor is localized predominantly in the nucleus, for which at least two regions of Elk-1 are required. One of these regions is part of the N-terminal ETS-domain, while the other encompasses amino acids 137-157.

Phytochelatins in Cadmium-Sensitive and Cadmium-Tolerant Silene vulgaris (Chain Length Distribution and Sulfide Incorporation).

In response to a range of Cd concentrations, the root tips of Cd-tolerant plants of Silene vulgaris exhibit a lower rate of PC production accompanied by a lower rate of longer chain PC synthesis than those of Cd-sensitive plants. At the same Cd exposure level, stable PC-Cd complexes are more rapidly formed in the roots of Cd-sensitive plants than in those of tolerant plants. At an equal PC concentration in the roots, the PC composition and the amount of sulfide incorporated per unit of PC-thiol is the same in both populations.

Activation of ternary complex factor Elk-1 by MAP kinases.

Ternary complex factors (TCFs), one of which is Elk-1, have been implicated in mediation of c-fos induction. They have been shown to be phosphorylated by mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) in vitro. We demonstrate that recombinant Elk-1 is hyperphosphorylated in vivo upon joint overexpression of MAPKs and constitutively activated Raf-1 kinase, the latter serving as an indirect in vivo activator of MAPKs.

C-terminal phosphorylation of the serum-response factor.

The serum-response factor (SRF) is essential for the induction and repression of the protooncogene c-fos. Phosphorylation of SRF has been implicated to be involved in these processes and five phosphorylation sites have already been mapped within the N-terminal region. Here we show that in vivo additional phosphorylation of SRF does occur.

Improvement of serological diagnosis of human cytomegalovirus infection in renal transplant recipients by testing for specific immunoglobulin E by ELISA.

The kinetics of human cytomegalovirus (HCMV)-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE), M (IgM), A (IgA) and G (IgG) were studied in 421 sera obtained from 19 renal allograft recipients by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Cytomegalic inclusion disease (CID) occurred in 11 (57.9%) patients.

The toxicity of chlorothalonil to aquatic fauna and the impact of its operational use on a pond ecosystem.

Chlorothalonil is a fungicide whose heavy use in eastern Canada gives it the potential for significant aquatic contamination. Laboratory bioassays and field treatments of a pond system were undertaken to determine the toxic effects of chlorothalonil on aquatic fauna. The 96-h LC50 of technical chlorothalonil for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) was 76 micrograms/L and was not significantly different (p less than 0.