Activity of red cell esterase D in 50 cases of retinoblastoma patients and their family members.

Esterase D was qualitatively and quantitatively analyzed in the red blood cells from 50 retinoblastoma patients who had been followed-up at Juntendo University and their family. In only one case with deletion of chromosome No. 13 (q12.

Genetic epidemiology of Duchenne muscular dystrophy in Japan: classical segregation analysis.

Classical segregation analysis was performed on 651 male probands in 597 families with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) collected from 20 of 25 National Institutions for Muscle Diseases in Japan. The proportion of sporadic cases is compatible with 1/3 expected for an X-linked lethal trait with an equal mutation rate in egg and sperm, the estimated mutation rates being 9.2 X 10(-5) and 10.

Birth order and parental age in microphthalmos and other ocular diseases.

We compared the distribution of birth order and maternal and paternal ages of blind school children throughout Japan with that of the total Japanese population of the corresponding age groups and with that of a subgroup of children with acquired blindness. The number of first-born children with microphthalmos was smaller, and the number of second-, third-, or fourth-born children was larger, as compared with the control groups. The differences were highly statistically significant by chi-square test.

The terminal bases of ribonucleic acid from Caulobacter RNA phage phiCp2.

The terminal bases of the viral ribonucleic acid from the Caulobacter ribonucleic acid phage phiCp2 were examined. The viral ribonucleic acid contained guanosine triphosphate (pppG) at the 5'-terminus and adenosine (AOH) at the 3'-terminus.

Amino acid composition of peptidoglycan in Caulobacter crescentus.

Peptidoglycan of a gram-negative stalked bacterium, Caulobacter crescentus CB13, contained alanine, diaminopimelic acid, and glutamic acid, in molar ratios of 2 : 1 : 1. The amino acid compositions of peptidoglycans isolated from cultures enriched in swarmer and stalked cells, and from a stalk-less mutant were similar. This finding conflicts with a previous observation that swarmer peptidoglycan does not contain diaminopimelic acid (Goodwin and Shedlarski (1975) Arch.