MIUS integration and subsystems test program

The MIUS Integration and Subsystems Test (MIST) facility at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center was completed and ready in May 1974 for conducting specific tests in direct support of the Modular Integrated Utility System (MIUS). A series of subsystems and integrated tests was conducted since that time, culminating in a series of 24-hour dynamic tests to further demonstrate the capabilities of the MIUS Program concepts to meet typical utility load profiles for a residential area. Results of the MIST Program are presented which achieved demonstrated plant thermal efficiencies ranging from 57 to 65 percent

Immunoglobulin GM 3 23 5,13,14 phenotype is strongly associated with IgG1 antibody responses to Plasmodium vivax vaccine candidate antigens PvMSP1-19 and PvAMA-1

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Humoral immune responses play a key role in the development of immunity to malaria, but the host genetic factors that contribute to the naturally occurring immune responses to malarial antigens are not completely understood. The aim of the present investigation was to determine whether, in subjects exposed to malaria, GM and KM allotypes--genetic markers of immunoglobulin γ and κ-type light chains, respectively--contribute to the magnitude of natural antibody responses to target antigens that are leading vaccine candidates for protection against <it>Plasmodium vivax</it>.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Sera from 210 adults, who had been exposed to malaria transmission in the Brazilian Amazon endemic area, were allotyped for several GM and KM determinants by a standard hemagglutination-inhibition method. IgG subclass antibodies to <it>P. vivax </it>apical membrane antigen 1 (PvAMA-1) and merozoite surface protein 1 (PvMSP1-19) were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Multiple linear regression models and the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test were used for data analyses.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>IgG1 antibody levels to both PvMSP1-19 and PvAMA-1 antigens were significantly higher (<it>P </it>= 0.004, <it>P </it>= 0.002, respectively) in subjects with the GM 3 23 5,13,14 phenotype than in those who lacked this phenotype.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Results presented here show that immunoglobulin GM allotypes contribute to the natural antibody responses to <it>P. vivax </it>malaria antigens. These findings have important implications for the effectiveness of vaccines containing PvAMA-1 or PvMSP1-19 antigens. They also shed light on the possible role of malaria as one of the evolutionary selective forces that may have contributed to the maintenance of the extensive polymorphism at the GM loci.</p

Genetic variation and evolution in the red cell carbonic anhydrase isozymes of macaque monkeys

The electrophoretic phenotypes of the two isozymes of red cell carbonic anhydrase, CA I and CA II, are described in nine species of macaque monkeys from southeast Asia and Japan. Twelve phenotypes of CA I, apparently under the control of seven alleles, and five phenotypes of CA II, under the control of three alleles, were found in the different macaque populations studied. Extensive electrophoretic polymorphisms of CA I were found in three species (Macaca nemestrina, Macaca speciosa , and Macaca fuscata) , and polymorphisms at the CA II locus were found in Macaca irus, Macaca mulatta , and M. nemestrina . In addition to the electrophoretic polymorphisms at the CA I locus in M. nemestrina , an inherited deficiency of CA I was also discovered in which approximately 30% of the individuals in all populations of M. nemestrina tested showed the deficient phenotype. Although the recessive gene controlling this deficiency appears to be an allele of the CA I locus, it is postulated that the CA I deficiency could also be under the control of a closely linked gene. The comparative data on the extent of genetic variation observed in the two isozymes of red cell carbonic anhydrase in macaques appear to support the concept that CA I has evolved more rapidly than CA II in mammals.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44171/1/10528_2004_Article_BF00485644.pd

Assignment of the gene for cytosolic alanine aminotransferase (AAT1) to human chromosome 8

The segregation of human cytosolic alanine aminotransferase (AAT1) and the individual human chromosomes has been studied in 27 secondary and tertiary rat hepatoma-human (liver) fibroblast hybrids. The staining solution used to visualize AAT activity on starch gels was specific for AAT since it was visualized only when all components of the stain were present. The locus for human AAT1 has been assigned to chromosome 8

GM and KM immunoglobulin allotypes in the Galician population: new insights into the peopling of the Iberian Peninsula

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The current genetic structure of Iberian populations has presumably been affected by the complex orography of its territory, the different people and civilizations that settled there, its ancient and complex history, the diverse and persistent sociocultural patterns in its different regions, and also by the effects of the Iberian Peninsula representing a refugium area after the last glacial maximum. This paper presents the first data on <it>GM </it>and <it>KM </it>immunoglobulin allotypes in the Galician population and, thus, provides further insights into the extent of genetic diversity in populations settled in the geographic extremes of the Cantabrian region of northern Spain. Furthermore, the genetic relationships of Galicians with other European populations have been investigated.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Galician population shows a genetic profile for <it>GM </it>haplotypes that is defined by the high presence of the European Mediterranean <it>GM</it>*<it>3 23 5* </it>haplotype, and the relatively high incidence of the African marker <it>GM*1,17 23' 5*</it>. Data based on comparisons between Galician and other Spanish populations (mainly from the north of the peninsula) reveal a poor correlation between geographic and genetic distances (<it>r </it>= 0.30, <it>P </it>= 0.105), a noticeable but variable genetic distances between Galician and Basque subpopulations, and a rather close genetic affinity between Galicia and Valencia, populations which are geographically separated by a long distance and have quite dissimilar cultures and histories. Interestingly, Galicia occupies a central position in the European genetic map, despite being geographically placed at one extreme of the European continent, while displaying a close genetic proximity to Portugal, a finding that is consistent with their shared histories over centuries.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>These findings suggest that the population of Galicia is the result of a relatively balanced mixture of European populations or of the ancestral populations that gave rise to them. This would support the importance of the migratory movements that have taken place in Europe over the course of recent human history and their effects on the European genetic landscape.</p

An update on vitamin B12-related gene polymorphisms and B12 status.

Vitamin B12 is an essential micronutrient in humans needed for health maintenance. Deficiency of vitamin B12 has been linked to dietary, environmental and genetic factors. Evidence for the genetic basis of vitamin B12 status is poorly understood. However, advancements in genomic techniques have increased the knowledge-base of the genetics of vitamin B12 status. Based on the candidate gene and genome-wide association (GWA) studies, associations between genetic loci in several genes involved in vitamin B12 metabolism have been identified. The objective of this literature review was to identify and discuss reports of associations between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in vitamin B12 pathway genes and their influence on the circulating levels of vitamin B12. Relevant articles were obtained through a literature search on PubMed through to May 2017. An article was included if it examined an association of a SNP with serum or plasma vitamin B12 concentration. Beta coefficients and odds ratios were used to describe the strength of an association, and a  < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant. Two reviewers independently evaluated the eligibility for the inclusion criteria and extracted the data. From 23 studies which fulfilled the selection criteria, 16 studies identified SNPs that showed statistically significant associations with vitamin B12 concentrations. Fifty-nine vitamin B12-related gene polymorphisms associated with vitamin B12 status were identified in total, from the following populations: African American, Brazilian, Canadian, Chinese, Danish, English, European ancestry, Icelandic, Indian, Italian, Latino, Northern Irish, Portuguese and residents of the USA. Overall, the data analyzed suggests that ethnic-specific associations are involved in the genetic determination of vitamin B12 concentrations. However, despite recent success in genetic studies, the majority of identified genes that could explain variation in vitamin B12 concentrations were from Caucasian populations. Further research utilizing larger sample sizes of non-Caucasian populations is necessary in order to better understand these ethnic-specific associations

The amino acid substitution and some chemical properties of a variant human erythrocyte carbonic anhydrase: Carbonic anhydrase Id Michigan

Carbonic anhydrase Id Michigan , an electrophoretic variant of human red cell carbonic anhydrase I, was purified from erythrocytes obtained from an individual heterozygous for the trait. Primary structural analysis indicates that a lysine residue has exchanged for a threonine residue in the variant enzyme. After isolation, there was approximately 1.8 times as much normal as variant enzyme. Thermostability studies demonstrated that carbonic anhydrase Id was more thermolabile than the normal enzyme. The normal and variant enzymes showed no differences in specific carboxylesterase activity or CO 2 hydratase activity. Utilizing the carboxylesterase activity toward β-naphthyl acetate, the normal and variant enzymes had similar Michaelis constants, p H profiles, and rates of inhibition by acetazolamide. Immunochemical studies did not demonstrate an antigenic difference for the variant enzyme.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44117/1/10528_2004_Article_BF00486517.pd

Immunological comparison of the usual and atypical human serum cholinesterase phenotypes

Antiserum prepared against highly purified usual human serum cholinesterase (the most common phenotype) cross-reacted identically with the atypical serum cholinesterase. The level of circulating atypical enzyme protein, determined immunologically, was about 30% lower when the enzyme came from an atypical rather than a usual phenotype, and the level of enzyme activity measured enzymatically at V max with either o -nitrophenylbutyrate or benzoylcholine as substrate showed approximately the same degree of reduction. The average specific activity (activity at V max per microgram of enzyme protein) in sera from 28 usual and 20 atypical individuals did not differ significantly. These findings suggest that the atypical enzyme not only has altered catalytic properties ( K ) m but also might be synthesized more slowly, or cleared in vivo more rapidly, than the usual enzyme.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44145/1/10528_2004_Article_BF00498901.pd