Dosage Compensation of the X Chromosomes in Bovine Germline, Early Embryos, and Somatic Tissues

Dosage compensation of the mammalian X chromosome (X) was proposed by Susumu Ohno as a mechanism wherein the inactivation of one X in females would lead to doubling the expression of the other. This would resolve the dosage imbalance between eutherian females (XX) versus male (XY) and between a single active X versus autosome pairs (A). Expression ratio of X- and A-linked genes has been relatively well studied in humans and mice, despite controversial results over the existence of upregulation of X-linked genes. Here we report the first comprehensive test of Ohno’s hypothesis in bovine preattachment embryos, germline, and somatic tissues. Overall an incomplete dosage compensation (0.5 \u3c X:A \u3c 1) of expressed genes and an excess X dosage compensation (X:A \u3e 1) of ubiquitously expressed “dosage-sensitive” genes were seen. No significant differences in X:A ratios were observed between bovine female and male somatic tissues, further supporting Ohno’s hypothesis. Interestingly, preimplantation embryos manifested a unique pattern of X dosage compensation dynamics. Specifically, X dosage decreased after fertilization, indicating that the sperm brings in an inactive X to the matured oocyte. Subsequently, the activation of the bovine embryonic genome enhanced expression of X-linked genes and increased the X dosage. As a result, an excess compensation was exhibited from the 8-cell stage to the compact morula stage. The X dosage peaked at the 16-cell stage and stabilized after the blastocyst stage. Together, our findings confirm Ohno’s hypothesis of X dosage compensation in the bovine and extend it by showing incomplete and over-compensation for expressed and “dosage-sensitive” genes, respectively

Time course analysis of gene expression identifies multiple genes with differential expression in patients with in-stent restenosis

Abstract Background The vascular disease in-stent restenosis (ISR) is characterized by formation of neointima and adverse inward remodeling of the artery after injury by coronary stent implantation. We hypothesized that the analysis of gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) would demonstrate differences in transcript expression between individuals who develop ISR and those who do not. Methods and Results We determined and investigated PBMC gene expression of 358 patients undergoing an index procedure to treat in de novo coronary artery lesions with bare metallic stents, using a novel time-varying intercept model to optimally assess the time course of gene expression across a time course of blood samples. Validation analyses were conducted in an independent sample of 97 patients with similar time-course blood sampling and gene expression data. We identified 47 probesets with differential expression, of which 36 were validated upon independent replication testing. The genes identified have varied functions, including some related to cellular growth and metabolism, such as the NAB2 and LAMP genes. Conclusions In a study of patients undergoing bare metallic stent implantation, we have identified and replicated differential gene expression in peripheral blood mononuclear cells, studied across a time series of blood samples. The genes identified suggest alterations in cellular growth and metabolism pathways, and these results provide the basis for further specific functional hypothesis generation and testing of the mechanisms of ISR.http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/112500/1/12920_2010_Article_214.pd

Theory of optical spectra of polar quantum wells: Temperature effects

Theoretical and numerical calculations of the optical absorption spectra of excitons interacting with longitudinal-optical phonons in quasi-2D polar semiconductors are presented. In II-VI semiconductor quantum wells, exciton binding energy can be tuned on- and off-resonance with the longitudinal-optical phonon energy by varying the quantum well width. A comprehensive picture of this tunning effect on the temperature-dependent exciton absorption spectrum is derived, using the exciton Green's function formalism at finite temperature. The effective exciton-phonon interaction is included in the Bethe-Salpeter equation. Numerical results are illustrated for ZnSe-based quantum wells. At low temperatures, both a single exciton peak as well as a continuum resonance state are found in the optical absorption spectra. By contrast, at high enough temperatures, a splitting of the exciton line due to the real phonon absorption processes is predicted. Possible previous experimental observations of this splitting are discussed.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figures, to appear in Phys. Rev. B. Permanent address: [email protected]

Current state of Fusarium wilt of banana in the subtropics

The original publication is available at https://www.actahort.org/books/1272/1272_7.ht

Galaxy Zoo: The Environmental Dependence of Bars and Bulges in Disc Galaxies

We present an analysis of the environmental dependence of bars and bulges in disc galaxies, using a volume-limited catalogue of 15810 galaxies at z<0.06 from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey with visual morphologies from the Galaxy Zoo 2 project. We find that the likelihood of having a bar, or bulge, in disc galaxies increases when the galaxies have redder (optical) colours and larger stellar masses, and observe a transition in the bar and bulge likelihoods, such that massive disc galaxies are more likely to host bars and bulges. We use galaxy clustering methods to demonstrate statistically significant environmental correlations of barred, and bulge-dominated, galaxies, from projected separations of 150 kpc/h to 3 Mpc/h. These environmental correlations appear to be independent of each other: i.e., bulge-dominated disc galaxies exhibit a significant bar-environment correlation, and barred disc galaxies show a bulge-environment correlation. We demonstrate that approximately half (50 +/- 10%) of the bar-environment correlation can be explained by the fact that more massive dark matter haloes host redder disc galaxies, which are then more likely to have bars. Likewise, we show that the environmental dependence of stellar mass can only explain a small fraction (25 +/- 10%) of the bar-environment correlation. Therefore, a significant fraction of our observed environmental dependence of barred galaxies is not due to colour or stellar mass dependences, and hence could be due to another galaxy property. Finally, by analyzing the projected clustering of barred and unbarred disc galaxies with halo occupation models, we argue that barred galaxies are in slightly higher-mass haloes than unbarred ones, and some of them (approximately 25%) are satellite galaxies in groups. We also discuss implications about the effects of minor mergers and interactions on bar formation.Comment: 20 pages, 18 figures; references updated; published in MNRA

Search for the Decay τ−→4pi−3π+(π0)ντ\tau^{-}\to 4pi^{-}3\pi^{+}(\pi^{0})\nu_{\tau}

We have searched for the decay of the tau lepton into seven charged particles and zero or one pi0. The data used in the search were collected with the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR) and correspond to an integrated luminosity of 4.61 fb^(-1). No evidence for a signal is found. Assuming all the charged particles are pions, we set an upper limit on the branching fraction, B(tau- -> 4pi- 3pi+ (pi0) nu_tau) < 2.4 x 10^(-6) at the 90% confidence level. This limit represents a significant improvement over the previous limit.Comment: 9 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Measurement of the B0 and B+ meson masses from B0 -> psi(') K_S and B+ -> psi(') K+ decays

Using 9.6 million B meson pairs collected with the CLEO detector, we have fully reconstructed 135 B0 -> psi(') K_S and 526 B+ -> psi(') K+ candidates with very low background. We fitted the psi(')K invariant mass distributions of these B meson candidates and measured the masses of the neutral and charged B mesons to be M(B0)=5279.1+-0.7[stat]+-0.3[syst] MeV/c^2 and M(B+)=5279.1+-0.4[stat]+-0.4[syst] MeV/c^2. The precision is a significant improvement over previous measurements.Comment: 2 typographic errors corrected; 11 pages, 2 figures; also available through http://www.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLNS/CLEO.htm

Study of 3-prong Hadronic τ\tau Decays with Charged Kaons

Using a sample of 4.7/fb integrated luminosity accumulated with the CLEO-II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring (CESR), we have measured the branching fractions of the tau lepton into $K^- h^+ \pi^- \nu_\tau$ and $K^- K^+ \pi^- \nu_\tau$ relative to $h^- h^+ h^- \nu_\tau; K^- h^+ \pi^- \pi^0\nu_\tau$ and $K^- K^+ \pi^- \pi^0\nu_\tau$ relative to $h^- h^+ h^- \pi^0 \nu_\tau$. The relative branching fractions are: (5.16+-0.20+-0.50)*$10^{-2}$, (1.52+-0.14+-0.29)*$10^{-2}$, (2.54+-0.44+-0.39)*$10^{-2}$ and $<0.0154$ at 95% C.L., respectively. Coupled with additional experimental information, we use our results to extract information on the structure of three-prong tau decays to charged kaons.Comment: 16 pages postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Measurement of the Branching Ratios for the Decays of Ds+→ηπ+,η′π+,ηρ+D_{s}^{+}\to \eta\pi^{+}, \eta^{'}\pi^{+}, \eta\rho^{+}, and eta′ρ+eta^{'}\rho^{+}

Using a data sample with integrated luminosity of about 3.9 fb^{-1} collected in e+ e- annihilation with the CLEO-II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have measured the branching ratios for the decay modes Ds -> (eta, eta') pi and Ds -> (eta, eta') rho relative to Ds -> phi pi. These decay modes are among the most common hadronic decays of the Ds's and can be related by factorization to the semileptonic decays Ds -> (eta,eta') l nu. The results obtained are compared with previous CLEO results and with the branching ratios measured for the related semileptonic decays. We also report results on the Cabibbo-suppressed decays of the D+ to the same final states.Comment: 18 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN