Sinusitis caused by Legionella pneumophila in a patient with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome.

A patient with the acquired immune deficiency syndrome and Legionella pneumophila infection of the maxillary sinus is described. The organism was identified by direct immunofluorescence staining of sinus tissue. Because the Legionella species are intracellular pathogens, it is not surprising that this patient with a cellular immune defect was infected.

Expression of human hepatic genes in somatic cell hybrids.

Four diploid human cell types (lymphocytes, fibroblasts, amniotic fluid cells, and hepatocytes) were fused to mouse hepatoma cells, HH. HH synthesized and secreted several liver-specific gene products including albumin, transferrin, and alpha-fetoprotein. The resulting interspecific hybrids were compared to determine whether or not the pattern of human hepatic gene expression was similar when these various cells were fused with the mouse hepatoma line.

Localization of five antibiotic resistances at the subunit level in chloroplast ribosomes of Chlamydomonas.

The chloroplast ribosomes from five antibiotic resistant strains of Chlamydomonas, each carrying one mutant gene mapping in chloroplast DNA, have been shown to be resistant to the corresponding antibiotic in a poly(U)-directed amino-acid incorporating assay system. The alteration conferring resistance was localized to the 30S subunit in ribosomes from streptomycin, neamine, and spectinomycin resistant strains, and to the 50S subunit in ribosomes from cleocin and carbomycin resistant strains. Spectinomycin resistant ribosomes showed no cross-resistance to any other drugs, but limited cross-resistance was noted with the other mutant ribosomes.

Ambiguity in a polypeptide-synthesizing extract from Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Environmental factors known to induce ambiguity in bacterial extracts were tested in an in vitro cytoplasmic polypeptide-synthesizing system derived from Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Increasing concentrations of magnesium, spermine, and spermidine resulted in extensive leucine-phenylalanine ambiguity in polyuridylic acid-directed polypeptide synthesis. Kinetic studies showed that spermine-mediated stimulation of leucine incorporation occurred when phenylalanine was being actively incorporated.

Mutation of a cytoplasmic gene in Chlamydomonas alters chlorplast ribosome function.

A mutation, car, determining resistance to several macrolide antibiotics, including carbomycin, has been identified in the alga Chlamydomonas as cytoplasmic, and mapped in the known cytoplasmic linkage group close to genes determining resistance to other antibiotics, including streptomycin, erythromycin, and spectinomycin. The effect of the car mutation on chloroplast ribosome function was demonstrated with an in vitro system incorporating amino acids especially developed to assess activity of 70S chloroplast ribosomes. In an S-30 extract containing both 70S chloroplast and 80S cytoplasmic ribosomes, low concentrations of Mg(++) and spermidine favored 80S ribosome activity, and high concentrations activated 70S ribosomes and reversibly inactivated the 80S component.