Unilateral occlusion of the middle cerebral artery after varicella-zoster virus infection.

We report a 4-year-old child who developed hemiplegia 6 months after varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection. Cerebral angiography showed complete occlusion of the right middle cerebral artery with basal moyamoya vessels. Elevation of anti-VZV antibody in the cerebrospinal fluid indicated central nervous system involvement.

Alu polymorphism within the MICB gene and association with HLA-B alleles.

We describe the finding of an Alu repeat dimorphism within the first intron of the MICB gene. The frequencies of the two AluyMICB alleles, AluyMICB*0(absence of insertion) and AluyMICB*1(presence of insertion), and their associations with the highly polymorphic HLA-B locus were determined for 51 human cell lines and for 109 and 200 Caucasians and northeastern Thais, respectively. Analysis of the AluyMICB and HLA-B allelic relationships revealed that AluyMICB*1 occurred at relatively low gene frequency (0.

Entopically additive expression of GLABRA2 alters the frequency and spacing of trichome initiation.

GLABRA2 (GL2)/ATHB-10 encodes a homeodomain protein that belongs to the homeodomain-leucine zipper family. Mutant studies have revealed that this gene is involved in trichome, root-hair and seed-coat development. We used reverse genetics to investigate the role of GL2 in trichome development.

Bioinformatics issues for automating the annotation of genomic sequences.

The rapid explosion in the amount of biological data being generated worldwide is surpassing efforts to manage analysis of the data. As part of an ongoing project to automate and manage bioinformatics analysis, the authors have designed and implemented a simple automated annotation system, which is described in this paper. The system is applied to existing GenBank/DDBJ/EMBL entries and compared with existing annotations to illustrate not only potential errors but also that they are generally not up-to-date, as a result of new versions of analysis tools and updates of genomic repositories.

ARR1, a transcription factor for genes immediately responsive to cytokinins.

Cytokinins are a class of phytohormones involved in various physiological events of plants. The Arabidopsis sensor histidine kinase CRE1 was recently reported to be a cytokinin receptor. We used a steroid-inducible system to show that the transcription factor-type response regulator ARR1 directs transcriptional activation of the ARR6 gene, which responds to cytokinins without de novo protein synthesis.

New polymorphic microsatellite markers in the human MHC class III region.

The human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class III region spanning approximately 760 kb is characterized by a remarkably high gene density with 59 expressed genes (one gene every 12.9 kb). Recently, susceptibility loci to numerous diseases, such as Graves disease, Crohn disease, and SLE have been suggested to be localized to this region, as assessed by associations mainly with genetic polymorphisms of TNF and TNF-linked microsatellite loci.

Distribution and development of CLN2 protein, the late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis gene product.

Expression of the late-infantile neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (LINCL) gene (CLN2) protein was investigated by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry in human brains and visceral organs of control individuals and of patients with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis (NCL). Immunoblotting analyses showed reactivity in the cerebrum, liver, kidney, heart and colon of controls, whereas CLN2 protein was not detected in these organs in a LINCL patient. Immunohistochemistry showed that the reactivity of the protein was ubiquitous in extracerebral organs as well as within the CNS, apparently corresponding to widely distributed deposition of lipopigments in LINCL.

Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide induces apoptosis of cultured guinea pig gastric mucosal cells.

Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is generally accepted as a low-toxicity virulence. Primary cultures of guinea pig gastric mucosal cells expressed the Toll-like receptor 4 and were sensitive to H. pylori LPS as well as Escherichia coli LPS.

An upstream region of the Arabidopsis thaliana CDKA;1 (CDC2aAt) gene directs transcription during trichome development.

The cell cycle of eukaryotes is tightly regulated through the activity of cyclin-dependent kinases. The Arabidopsis thaliana CDKA;1 (CDC2aAt) gene is thought to encode such a protein kinase, since it is actively transcribed in proliferating tissues and can complement defects in the Schizosaccharomyces pombe cdc2 gene. We analyzed the functional structure of the CDKA;1 promoter, using fusion genes between various upstream regions of CDKA;1 and the Escherichia coli beta-glucuronidase (GUS) gene.

Relaxing and contracting activities of heartworm extract on isolated canine abdominal aorta.

Effect of adult heartworm (HW) crude extract on isolated canine abdominal aortic strips precontracted with noradrenaline was examined by recording isometric changes in tension. HW extract caused contraction of the aortic strip at a low concentration (LC) and its relaxation at a high concentration (HC). In aortic strips without endothelium, LC extract elicited a contraction similar to that in the strips with endothelium, whereas HC extract failed to produce any relaxation but instead produced a contraction.

Type I Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide stimulates toll-like receptor 4 and activates mitogen oxidase 1 in gastric pit cells.

Guinea pig gastric pit cells express an isozyme of gp91-phox, mitogen oxidase 1 (Mox1), and essential components for the phagocyte NADPH oxidase (p67-, p47-, p40-, and p22-phox). Helicobacter pylori lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and Escherichia coli LPS have been shown to function as potent activators for the Mox1 oxidase. These cells spontaneously secreted about 10 nmol of superoxide anion (O(2)(-))/mg of protein/h under LPS-free conditions.

[Mitochondrial DNA T to G mutation 8993 in Leigh encephalopathy and organic aciduria].

We report a 10-month-old female infant with Leigh encephalopathy caused by a T to G mutation at nucleotide 8993 of mitochondrial DNA. Initial manifestations were diarrhea and pyrexia, followed by disturbance of consciousness. Blood chemistry showed lactic acidosis, and cranial T2 weighted magnetic resonance imaging demonstrated symmetric high-intensity areas in the basal ganglia, consistent with Leigh encephalopathy.

[Treatment of protruding upper incisors using the Hawley appliance].

Early treatment of upper protrused incisors prevents these teeth from traumatism. The plate of HAWLEY, properly used, is recognised for the correction of this malocclusion.

Negative autoregulation of the Arabidopsis homeobox gene ATHB-2.

The Arabidopsis homeobox gene ATHB-2 is tightly regulated by light signals, and is thought to direct morphological changes during shade avoidance responses. To understand how ATHB-2 mediates light signals in plant morphogenesis, we investigated its transcriptional network. We constructed a gene encoding a chimeric transcription factor (HD-Zip-2-V-G) that is expected to activate target genes of ATHB-2 in a glucocorticoid-dependent manner.

A Japanese girl with leukoencephalopathy with vanishing white matter.

A Japanese girl with peculiar leukoencephalopathy was reported. Following normal development until 1 year of age, she showed progressive neurological deterioration with ataxia, epilepsy, pyramidal tract signs and choreic movement. Serial brain computed tomographies (CTs) revealed markedly low density and progressive volume loss in whole white matter.

New polymorphic microsatellite markers in the human MHC class II region.

The human major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II region spans approximately 1.1 Mb and presently contains over 30 functional genes Susceptibility loci to numerous diseases, mainly of autoimmune nature are known to map to the this region, as assessed by associations with particular HLA class II alleles. However, it has been difficult to precisely localize these susceptibility loci to a single gene, for example DQB1 or DRB1, due to the tight linkage disequilibrium observed in the HLA class II region.

Arabidopsis ARR1 and ARR2 response regulators operate as transcriptional activators.

The genes coding for the response regulators ARR1 and ARR2 have previously been identified by in silico screening of an expression sequence tag database and subsequent cloning from both Arabidopsis cDNA and genomic libraries. Their structures, in which the N-terminal signal receiver domain is followed by the output domain, are characteristic of typical bacterial response regulators of the two-component regulatory systems that control responses to a variety of environmental stimuli. Here we present evidence that these response regulators actually work as transcription factors.

Histopathology of a human allografted kidney with clinically sufficient function.

To clarify the clinico-pathological significance of protocol biopsy and clinically silent rejection in the management of renal graft recipients, we selected a total of 139 (23%) from 604 biopsy specimens according to the following criteria: 1) less than 1.4 mg/dL of serum creatinine and 2) more than 1,500 mL/d of urine volume at time of biopsy. Clinical indications for the biopsy were classified into five categories: i) protocol biopsy (73 specimens), including 69 cases at discharge post-transplantation; ii) slight increase in serum creatinine (32); iii) proteinuria (20); iv) evaluation of pulse-therapy (13); and v) fever elevation (1).

The developmental and aging changes of Down's syndrome cell adhesion molecule expression in normal and Down's syndrome brains.

We studied the expression of Down's syndrome cell adhesion molecule (DSCAM) in Down's syndrome (DS) and control brains, using antisera against peptide fragments of DSCAM. On Western blots of human, mouse and rat brain homogenates, the antisera recognized a product at approximately 200 kDa. In the brain of a 2-year-old patient with DS, Western blotting revealed an overexpression of DSCAM compared to an age-matched control.

Expression of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit and Ku80 in developing human brains: implication of DNA-repair in neurogenesis.

We investigated expression of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) and Ku80 in developing human brain, both of which have been suggested to be involved in the repair of DNA double-strand break (DSB). Their expressions were well correlated, and the highest immunoreactivity was observed in post-mitotic immature neurons in the cerebral cortex as well as in progenitors in the periventricular germinal layer. The reactivity gradually decreased during development.