U6 snRNA variants isolated from the posterior silk gland of the silk moth Bombyx mori.

Five U6 small nuclear RNA (snRNA) isoforms were detected and characterized from the posterior silk gland (PSG) of the silk moth Bombyx mori (Nistari strain). Using the currently accepted U6 secondary structure model as a basis for comparison, the variants were analyzed for nucleotide differences across the sequence with a focus on known functional domains. Differences were observed primarily in single-stranded areas of which sixty percent were found in the highly conserved U4-U6 binding sites.

Molecular identification of pathogenic house dust mites using 12S rRNA sequences.

House dust mites are microarthropods implicated in the cause of allergic diseases. Currently, there is no phylogenetic analysis of dust mites based on genomic or mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) evidence. For the first time, we report evolutionary relationships based on partial mtDNA 12S rRNA sequences among the four dust mite families Pyroglyphidae (Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus), Glycyphagoidea (Glycyphagus privatus), Acaridae (Aleuroglyphus ovatus), and Echimyopodidae (Blomia tropicalis).

The silk moth Bombyx mori U1 and U2 snRNA variants are differentially expressed.

Five U1 and eight U2 isoforms of the silk moth Bombyx mori exhibiting internal nucleotide differences have been previously identified and characterized in various tissues and developmental stages. In this investigation, it is demonstrated that the levels of some snRNA variants differ in egg and silk gland tissue and change during development. Qualitative and quantitative differences in the U1 and U2 variant populations were observed at three developmental points (early, middle and late) of the silk gland (SG) during the fifth instar larval stage of the silk moth.

Superimposing polymorphism: the case of a point mutation within a polymorphic Alu insertion.

The COL3A1 Alu insertion is a member of the AluY subfamily. It has been found to be absent in non-human primates and polymorphic in worldwide human populations. The integration of the element into the human genome seems to have preceded the initial migration(s) of anatomically modern humans out of the African continent.