The origins of gene instability in yeast

Two unstable mutations at the his4 locus of yeast are due to the insertion of the transposable elements Ty912 and Ty917 into the his4 regulatory region. The two transposons are related, one being derived from the other by a substitution of 4000 base pairs of DNA. Element Ty912 includes identical terminal repeats, whereas the terminal repeats of Ty917 are not identical. Transposition of Ty912 or Ty917 generates 5-base-pair duplications of the target DNA at either end of the element. Expression and reversion of a his4 gene containing Ty912 or Ty917 is controlled by three unlinked regulatory genes. The properties of these regulatory genes are similar to those described for the controlling elements in maize.     

The chemical genomic portrait of yeast: uncovering a phenotype for all genes

Genetics aims to understand the relation between genotype and phenotype. However, because complete deletion of most yeast genes ( approximately 80%) has no obvious phenotypic consequence in rich medium, it is difficult to study their functions. To uncover phenotypes for this nonessential fraction of the genome, we performed 1144 chemical genomic assays on the yeast whole-genome heterozygous and homozygous deletion collections and quantified the growth fitness of each deletion strain in the presence of chemical or environmental stress conditions. We found that 97% of gene deletions exhibited a measurable growth phenotype, suggesting that nearly all genes are essential for optimal growth in at least one condition.     

Aneuploidy affects proliferation and spontaneous immortalization in mammalian cells

Aneuploidy, an incorrect number of chromosomes, is the leading cause of miscarriages and mental retardation in humans and is a hallmark of cancer. We examined the effects of aneuploidy on primary mouse cells by generating a series of cell lines that carry an extra copy of one of four mouse chromosomes. In all four trisomic lines, proliferation was impaired and metabolic properties were altered. Immortalization, the acquisition of the ability to proliferate indefinitely, was also affected by the presence of an additional copy of certain chromosomes. Our data indicate that aneuploidy decreases not only organismal but also cellular fitness and elicits traits that are shared between different aneuploid cells.     

东北山葡萄酵母菌基因组DNA提取方法的比较研究

利用液氮研磨法、蜗牛酶法和玻璃珠法提取东北山葡萄分离的酵母菌株S60基因组DNA,采用琼脂糖凝胶电泳、微量核酸蛋白测定仪和PCR方法检测基因组DNA的纯度和浓度。结果显示,蜗牛酶法提取的酵母菌基因组DNA纯度最好、浓度最高;液氮研磨法提取的基因组DNA浓度虽然较高,但含有较多的蛋白等杂质;玻璃珠法提取的酵母菌基因组DNA纯度和浓度均最低。     

茄子同源四倍体类病毒病变突变体的异倍性转育

以四倍体皱缩叶类病毒病变突变体为母本,以不同的2x正常叶系为父本进行杂交,能够获得少量三倍体种子.三倍体自交,其后代会出现非整倍体、二倍体、三倍体、四倍体的倍性分离,以及正常叶与皱缩叶基因型的分离,其分离比例未呈现明显规律性.再以2x系为亲本,对分离群体中二倍体和四倍体皱缩叶株进行杂交选择,可以在不同世代选育获得二倍体和四倍体皱缩叶及正常叶型新种质,现已获得了熟性超亲和双亲未表现的白色果实等5个二倍体选系.以同一2x系为轮回亲本经多代回交选择,还可以获得具有二倍体轮回亲本农艺性状的二倍体和四倍体皱缩叶近等基因系.     

State-dependent learned valuation drives choice in an invertebrate

Humans and other vertebrates occasionally show a preference for items remembered to be costly or experienced when the subject was in a poor condition (this is known as a sunk-costs fallacy or state-dependent valuation). Whether these mechanisms shared across vertebrates are the result of convergence toward an adaptive solution or evolutionary relicts reflecting common ancestral traits is unknown. Here we show that state-dependent valuation also occurs in an invertebrate, the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria (Orthoptera: Acrididae). Given the latter's phylogenetic and neurobiological distance from those groups in which the phenomenon was already known, we suggest that state-dependent valuation mechanisms are probably ecologically rational solutions to widespread problems of choice.     

Interleukin-22 drives endogenous thymic regeneration in mice

Endogenous thymic regeneration is a crucial function that allows for renewal of immune competence after stress, infection, or immunodepletion. However, the mechanisms governing this regeneration remain poorly understood. We detail such a mechanism, centered on interleukin-22 (IL-22) and triggered by the depletion of CD4(+)CD8(+) double-positive thymocytes. Intrathymic levels of IL-22 were increased after thymic insult, and thymic recovery was impaired in IL-22-deficient mice. IL-22, which signaled through thymic epithelial cells and promoted their proliferation and survival, was up-regulated by radio-resistant RORγ(t)(+)CCR6(+)NKp46(-) lymphoid tissue inducer cells after thymic injury in an IL-23-dependent manner. Administration of IL-22 enhanced thymic recovery after total body irradiation. These studies reveal mechanisms of endogenous thymic repair and offer innovative regenerative strategies for improving immune competence.     

Facultative mate choice drives adaptive hybridization

Mating with another species (hybridization) is often maladaptive. Consequently, females typically avoid heterospecifics as mates. Contrary to these expectations, female spadefoot toads were more likely to choose heterospecific males when exposed to environmental conditions that favor hybridization. Indeed, those females with phenotypic characteristics for which hybridization is most favorable were most likely to switch from choosing conspecifics to heterospecifics. Moreover, environmentally dependent mate choice has evolved only in populations and species that risk engaging in, and can potentially benefit from, hybridization. Thus, when the benefits of mate choice vary, females may radically alter their mate selection in response to their own phenotype and their environment, even to the point of choosing males of other species.     

High-pressure mechanical instability in rocks

At a confining pressure of a few kilobars, deformation of many sedimentary rocks, altered mafic rocks, porous volcanic rocks, and sand is ductile, in that instabilities leading to audible elastic shocks are absent. At pressures of 7 to 10 kilobars, however, unstable faulting and stick-slip in certain of these rocks was observed. This high pressure-low temperature instability might be responsible for earthquakes in deeply buried sedimentary or volcanic sequences.     

Ecology. Food fight drives evolution

On page 441 of this issue, evolutionary biologists showcase the purple-throated carib hummingbird as a rare example of food supply--in this case, flower shape--spurring the evolution of a sexual dimorphism, or a feature that differs between males and females. On St. Lucia, an island in the West Indies, female caribs sport bills a third longer and twice as curved as those of their male counterparts--one of the most extreme bill differences between the sexes in any hummingbird species. In the paper, the researchers link these "whoppingly dimorphic bills" to the specific flowers the male and female caribs frequent.     

A keystone mutualism drives pattern in a power function

Data that can be described by a power function are ubiquitous in nature. Although there is consensus that such data frequently emerge generally from nonlinear complex systems, a variety of specific mechanisms may be responsible for creating the pattern in particular cases. Here, we report on the distribution of a scale insect (Coccus viridis) that is a common agricultural pest. Its distribution in an organic coffee farm in southern Mexico generally follows a power function, but there are subtle deviations from that function. We offer a biological explanation for both adherence to the power functions and associated deviations, along with supporting evidence.     

Ion channels in yeast

Voltage-dependent ion channels have been found in the plasma membrane of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Ion channel activities were recorded from spheroplasts or patches of plasma membrane with the patch-clamp technique. The most prominent activities came from a set of potassium channels with the properties of activation by positive but not negative voltages, high selectivity for potassium over sodium ion, unit conductance of 20 picosiemens, inhibition by tetraethylammonium or barium ions, and bursting kinetics.