Isolation and characterisation of a melon cDNA clone encoding phytoene synthase.

A cDNA clone (MEL5), encoding a protein homologous to phytoene synthase (PSY), has been isolated from a climacteric melon fruit cDNA library, using the tomato cDNA clone TOM5 [34] as a heterologous probe. MEL5 hybridised to a transcript of 1.65 kb which suggested that the 1.36 kb clone, isolated originally, was not full-length. The missing 5 end was isolated by a reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR)-based method. This enabled the full sequence of the protein to be deduced and the cleavage site of the transit peptide for chromoplast import to be predicted. Northern analysis of RNA extracted from fruit samples of different ripening stages as well as from roots, leaves and flower petals was used to examine the expression pattern of the corresponding mRNA. The transcript corresponding to MEL5 is present at low quantities in unripe (green) fruit, reaches its highest levels when the fruit turns from green to orange and persists at lower levels during later ripening stages. A similar transcript was also detected in flower petals and in trace amounts in leaves and roots. Genomic Southern analysis indicates that the clone is homologous to a low-copy-number gene family. Sequence analysis showed a high degree of conservation among plant PSYs

Socioeconomic status and cardiovascular disease: risks and implications for care

Socioeconomic status (SES) refers to an individual's social position relative to other members of a society. Low SES is associated with large increases in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in men and women. The inverse association between SES and CVD risk in high-income countries is the result of the high prevalence and compounding effects of multiple behavioral and psychosocial risk factors in people of low SES. However, strong and consistent evidence shows that parental SES, childhood and early-life factors, and inequalities in health services also contribute to elevated CVD risk in people of low SES who live in high-income countries. In addition, place of residence can affect CVD risk, although the data on the influence of wealth distribution and work-related factors are inconsistent. Studies on the effects of SES on CVD risk in low-income and middle-income countries is scarce, but evidence is emerging that the increasing wealth of these countries is beginning to lead to replication of the patterns seen in high-income countries. Clinicians should address the association between SES and CVD by incorporating SES into CVD risk calculations and screening tools, reducing behavioral and psychosocial risk factors via effective and equitable primary and secondary prevention, undertaking health equity audits to assess inequalities in care provision and outcomes, and by use of multidisciplinary teams to address risk factors over the life course