Isolation, characterization, and expression analysis of three actin genes in the New Zealand black-footed abalone, Haliotis iris.

Three actin genes -- H. irisA1, H. irisA2, and H.

Developmentally regulated thyroid hormone distributor proteins in marsupials, a reptile, and fish.

Thyroid hormones are essential for vertebrate development. There is a characteristic rise in thyroid hormone levels in blood during critical periods of thyroid hormone-regulated development. Thyroid hormones are lipophilic compounds, which readily partition from an aqueous environment into a lipid environment.

Absence of association of androgen receptor trinucleotide expansion and poor semen quality.

This study investigated the relationship between variation in the polymorphic CAG trinucleotide repeat (TNR) region of the human androgen receptor (AR) gene and semen quality in a Caucasian sample population. These men were patients attending the New Zealand Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Christchurch. The AR TNR region was amplified by polymerase chain reaction and then DNA sequenced to determine exact numbers of CAG repeats for each sample.

Mitochondrial mutations may drive Y chromosome evolution.

The human Y chromosome contains very low levels of nucleotide variation. It has been variously hypothesized that this invariance reflects historic reductions in the human male population, a very recent common ancestry, a slow rate of molecular evolution, an inability to evolve adaptively, or frequent selective sweeps acting on genes borne on the Y chromosome. We propose an alternative theory in which human Y chromosome evolution is driven by mutations in the maternally inherited mitochondrial genome, which impair male fertility and ultimately lead to a reduction in the effective population size (N(e)) and consequently the variability of the Y chromosome.

Effect of 20-hydroxyecdysone on protein synthesis in wing discs ofDrosophila melanogaster.

Full wing disc evagination requires about 10 h of continuous exposure to 20-hydroxyecdysone. The synthesis of two polypeptides is increased when wing discs are subjected to short exposure (4 h) to the hormone, and their synthesis is dependent on hormone. A second group of proteins increased in synthesis only after longer hormonal treatment (12 h); however, the increased synthesis of these proteins can be induced by withdrawing hormone after short exposure.