Inferential structure determination

Macromolecular structures calculated from nuclear magnetic resonance data are not fully determined by experimental data but depend on subjective choices in data treatment and parameter settings. This makes it difficult to objectively judge the precision of the structures. We used Bayesian inference to derive a probability distribution that represents the unknown structure and its precision. This probability distribution also determines additional unknowns, such as theory parameters, that previously had to be chosen empirically. We implemented this approach by using Markov chain Monte Carlo techniques. Our method provides an objective figure of merit and improves structural quality.     

Thymine dimerization in DNA is an ultrafast photoreaction

Femtosecond time-resolved infrared spectroscopy was used to study the formation of cyclobutane dimers in the all-thymine oligodeoxynucleotide (dT)18 by ultraviolet light at 272 nanometers. The appearance of marker bands in the time-resolved spectra indicates that the dimers are fully formed approximately 1 picosecond after ultraviolet excitation. The ultrafast appearance of this mutagenic photolesion points to an excited-state reaction that is approximately barrierless for bases that are properly oriented at the instant of light absorption. The low quantum yield of this photoreaction is proposed to result from infrequent conformational states in the unexcited polymer, revealing a strong link between conformation before light absorption and photodamage.     

A physical map of the 1-gigabase bread wheat chromosome 3B

As the staple food for 35% of the world's population, wheat is one of the most important crop species. To date, sequence-based tools to accelerate wheat improvement are lacking. As part of the international effort to sequence the 17-billion-base-pair hexaploid bread wheat genome (2n = 6x = 42 chromosomes), we constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-based integrated physical map of the largest chromosome, 3B, that alone is 995 megabases. A chromosome-specific BAC library was used to assemble 82% of the chromosome into 1036 contigs that were anchored with 1443 molecular markers, providing a major resource for genetic and genomic studies. This physical map establishes a template for the remaining wheat chromosomes and demonstrates the feasibility of constructing physical maps in large, complex, polyploid genomes with a chromosome-based approach.     

Glutamatergic and dopaminergic neurons mediate anxiogenic and anxiolytic effects of CRHR1

The corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1) critically controls behavioral adaptation to stress and is causally linked to emotional disorders. Using neurochemical and genetic tools, we determined that CRHR1 is expressed in forebrain glutamatergic and γ-aminobutyric acid-containing (GABAergic) neurons as well as in midbrain dopaminergic neurons. Via specific CRHR1 deletions in glutamatergic, GABAergic, dopaminergic, and serotonergic cells, we found that the lack of CRHR1 in forebrain glutamatergic circuits reduces anxiety and impairs neurotransmission in the amygdala and hippocampus. Selective deletion of CRHR1 in midbrain dopaminergic neurons increases anxiety-like behavior and reduces dopamine release in the prefrontal cortex. These results define a bidirectional model for the role of CRHR1 in anxiety and suggest that an imbalance between CRHR1-controlled anxiogenic glutamatergic and anxiolytic dopaminergic systems might lead to emotional disorders.     

Einfluß von Penicillin in hoher Konzentration auf Aufnahme und Einbau von35S-Methionin in isolierte Wurzeln vonPisum sativum

Zusammenfassung In Nährlösung nach Bonner und Addicott (1937) wurde der Einfluß hoher Konzentrationen von Penicillin G (1,5 · 10^–3 bis 6 · 10^–3 g/ml) auf Aufnahme und Einbau von³⁵S-Methionin in das Eiweiß verschiedener Entwicklungsabschnitte isolierter Wurzeln von Erbsenkeimlingen untersucht. Die Methionin-Aufnahme wurde bei den drei Wurzelsegmenten übereinstimmend durch 6 · 10^–3 g Penicillin je ml Nährlösung leicht gehemmt und durch 1,5 und 3 · 10^–3 g/ml gefördert, und zwar durch die schwächere Konzentration am stärksten. Die absolute Größe des Methionin-Einbaus in das Eiweiß der Wurzelzellen und die darin erreichte spezifische Methionin-Markierung werden durch das Penicillin noch weniger beeinflußt als die Stoffaufnahme. Bei Einwirkung von Penicillinmengen, die das Wurzelwachstum stark herabsetzen, weicht die Intensität des Stoffeinbaus von den unbehandelten Kontrollen (ohne Penicillin) nur unerheblich ab.

---

Summary In nutrient solutions (Bonner and Addicott 1937) the influence of high concentrations of penicillin G (1,5 · 10^–3 up to 6 · 10^–3 g/ml) was investigated upon uptake and incorporation of³⁵S-methionine into the proteins in segments of different developmental stage of isolated roots of pea seedlings. In all three root segments uptake of methionine was slightly depressed by 6 · 10^–3 g penicillin per ml nutrient solution, and stimulated by 1,5 · 10^–3 and 3 · 10^–3 g/ml, most strongly by the weaker concentration. The absolute quantity of methionine incorporation into proteins of root cells and the specific methionine activity reached within these cells are less influenced by penicillin than the uptake. In solutions with penicillin quantities strongly inhibiting root growth the intensity of methionine incorporation differs but insignificantly from that of tests without penicillin.

---

(1937) G ( 1,5 · 10^–3 6 · 10^–3 / ³⁵S- . : 6 · 10^–3 , 1,5 3 · 10^–3 / -; . «» , , , . , , ( ).