The Caenorhabditis eleguns genome contains monomorphic minisatellites and simple sequences

Many species have been shown to contain tandemly repeated short sequence DNA kinown as minisatellites and simple sequence motifs. Due to allelic variation in the copy number of the repeat unit these loci are usually highly polymorphic. Here we demonstrate the presence of sequences in the genome of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans which are homologous to two sets of short sequence DNA. However, when two independent strains were compared no polymorphism for these sequences could be detected.</p

Identity and Paternity Testing of Cattle:Application of a Deoxyribonucleic Acid Profiling Protocol

We have applied DNA profiling for identity and parentage studies of cattle using a standardized procedure based on synthetic micro- and minisatellite multilocus core probes in Southern blot hybridization assays. This protocol is useful for paternity analysis of cattle and for real case work (e.g., identity and paternity disputes).</p

High Preservation of CpG Cytosine Methylation Patterns at Imprinted Gene Loci in Liver and Brain of Aged Mice

A gradual loss of the correct patterning of 5-methyl cytosine marks in gene promoter regions has been implicated in aging and age-related diseases, most notably cancer. While a number of studies have examined DNA methylation in aging, there is no consensus on the magnitude of the effects, particularly at imprinted loci. Imprinted genes are likely candidate to undergo age-related changes because of their demonstrated plasticity in utero, for example, in response to environmental cues. Here we quantitatively analyzed a total of 100 individual CpG sites in promoter regions of 11 imprinted and non-imprinted genes in liver and cerebral cortex of young and old mice using mass spectrometry. The results indicate a remarkably high preservation of methylation marks during the aging process in both organs. To test if increased genotoxic stress associated with premature aging would destabilize DNA methylation we analyzed two DNA repair defective mouse models showing a host of premature aging symptoms in liver and brain. However, also in these animals, at the end of their life span, we found a similarly high preservation of DNA methylation marks. We conclude that patterns of DNA methylation in gene promoters of imprinted genes are surprisingly stable over time in normal, postmitotic tissues and that the

Видатний український історик-музикознавець (М. О. Грінченко)

У статті розкриваються основні віхи життєвого й творчого шляху М. О. Грінченка. Характеризуються провідні тенденції еволюції українського музикознавства другої половини ХIХ – першої третини ХХ ст. Виявляється роль музично-історичної спадщини вченого в тогочасному музикознавчому процесі, а також її зв’язки з музично-історичними дослідженнями наступних радянських десятиліть, сучасного періоду.В статье раскрываются основне вехи жизненного и творческого пути Н. А. Гринченко. Характеризуються ведущие тенденции эволюции украинского музыковедения второй половины ХIХ – первой трети ХХ в. Выявляется роль музыкально-исторического наследия ученого в контексте музыковедческого процесса того времени, а также его связи с музыкально-историческими исследованиями последующих советских десятилетий, современного периода.In the article main events of the outstanding Ukrainian musicologist M. Grinchenko`s life are considered. There are characterized tendencies of the Ukrainian musicology development (the latter half of the 19th – the 1st triens of the 20th). There is brought out the role of scientific works by M. Grinchenko in the context of that time

Myc-Dependent Genome Instability and Lifespan in Drosophila

The Myc family of transcription factors are key regulators of cell growth and proliferation that are dysregulated in a large number of human cancers. When overexpressed, Myc family proteins also cause genomic instability, a hallmark of both transformed and aging cells. Using an in vivo lacZ mutation reporter, we show that overexpression of Myc in Drosophila increases the frequency of large genome rearrangements associated with erroneous repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). In addition, we find that overexpression of Myc shortens adult lifespan and, conversely, that Myc haploinsufficiency reduces mutation load and extends lifespan. Our data provide the first evidence that Myc may act as a pro-aging factor, possibly through its ability to greatly increase genome instability

The progeroid phenotype of Ku80 deficiency Is dominant over DNA-PK CS deficiency

Ku80 and DNA-PKCS are both involved in the repair of double strand DNA breaks via the nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) pathway. While ku80-/- mice exhibit a severely reduced lifespan and size, this phenotype is less pronounced in dna-pkcs -/- mice. However, these observations are based on independent studies with varying genetic backgrounds. Here, we generated ku80-/-, dna-pkcs -/- and double knock out mice in a C57Bl6/J*FVB F1 hybrid background and compared their lifespan, end of life pathology and mutation frequency in liver a