Genetic parameters for F1 hybrids of Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis with both Pinus oocarpa and Pinus tecunumanii

Genetic parameters were estimated from 5-year data collected in two 11 x 6 factorial matings, one between Pinus caribaea var. hondurensis Bart. and Golf. (PCH) and Pinus oocarpa Schiede (POOC) and the other between Pen and Pinus tecunumanii (Schw.) Eguiluz et Perry (PTEC), that were planted on two sites in Queensland, Australia. The data were also used to predict the general hybridizing ability (GHA) of the 11 PCH parents common to the POOC and PTEC factorials. Genetic parameter estimates obtained from an across-sites analysis were generally of similar magnitude in the two different hybrids. Unbiased heritability estimates from the across-sites analysis were usually intermediate between those obtained from the analysis of the data from the single sites, and estimates from the female (PCH) and male (POOC or PTEC) parents were often substantially different. Type B genetic correlations (r(gB)) between the same trait measured in the two tests were high (ranging from 0.76 to 0.95) for all traits except DBH of the PCH x PTEC hybrids (r(gB) = 0.36). Estimates of r(gB) for DBH from the female parents were generally higher than estimates for Pen between pairs of tests in these same locations, while estimates for DBH of the PCH x PTEC hybrids are similar to estimates for height in pairs of PTEC tests grown in different countries. The ratio of additive to dominance variance was 1.4 for diameter, but all other traits showed relatively little dominance variance. The ranking of the 11 PCH parents based on the GHA predictions was very similar in both the POOC and PTEC hybrid crosses for traits that were controlled primarily by additive variance (i.e., straightness and wind-firmness, where correlations between the two sets of breeding values exceeded 0.92); however, for diameter the correlation was low (r = 0.45) and not significant (at the p = 0.05 level). The implications of these results are discussed in relation to the genetic improvement of hybrids

Mother and daughter with a SMARCE1 mutation resulting in a cervical clear cell meningioma at an identical location:illustrative cases

BACKGROUND: A rare meningioma subtype is a clear cell (CC) meningioma, which can be associated with a SMARCE1 gene mutation. Manifestation of a CC meningioma in the cervical spine is unusual. In the current case, both mother and daughter present with a CC meningioma at an identical cervical location. OBSERVATIONS: A 67-year-old patient with an intradural extramedullary mass at the level of C5 presented with progressive myelopathy. The mass was resected through a ventral approach by a two-level corpectomy with an expandable cage and instrumentation. The daughter of this patient appeared to have had an intradural extramedullary mass at C5 at the age of 20, which was resected through a posterior approach. Pathological investigation of both tumors revealed CC meningioma. Genetic testing of the daughter revealed a SMARCE1 mutation. LESSONS: It is of major importance to consider a SMARCE1 mutation in elderly presenting with a CC meningioma, which is still uncommon in current practice. This could lead to timely diagnostics in the succeeding generation. Complete resection of a CC meningioma is important because of the high recurrence rate. Routine follow-up should therefore be performed in the postoperative period. An anterior approach should be considered for a ventral cervical CC meningioma

SCA1+ Cells from the Heart Possess a Molecular Circadian Clock and Display Circadian Oscillations in Cellular Functions

Stem cell antigen 1-positive (SCA1+) cells (SPCs) have been investigated in cell-based cardiac repair and pharmacological research, although improved cardiac function after injection has been variable and the mode of action remains unclear. Circadian (24-hr) rhythms are biorhythms regulated by molecular clocks that play an important role in (patho)physiology. Here, we describe (1) the presence of a molecular circadian clock in SPCs and (2) circadian rhythmicity in SPC function. We isolated SPCs from human fetal heart and found that these cells possess a molecular clock based on typical oscillations in core clock components BMAL1 and CRY1. Functional analyses revealed that circadian rhythmicity also governs SPC proliferation, stress tolerance, and growth factor release, with large differences between peaks and troughs. We conclude that SPCs contain a circadian molecular clock that controls crucial cellular functions. Taking circadian rhythms into account may improve reproducibility and outcome of research and therapies using SPCs

Cardiomyocyte progenitor cells as a functional gene delivery vehicle for long-term biological pacing

Sustained pacemaker function is a challenge in biological pacemaker engineering. Human cardiomyocyte progenitor cells (CMPCs) have exhibited extended survival in the heart after transplantation. We studied whether lentivirally transduced CMPCs that express the pacemaker current If (encoded by HCN4) can be used as functional gene delivery vehicle in biological pacing. Human CMPCs were isolated from fetal hearts using magnetic beads coated with Sca-1 antibody, cultured in nondifferentiating conditions, and transduced with a green fluorescent protein (GFP)- or HCN4-GFP-expressing lentivirus. A patch-clamp analysis showed a large hyperpolarization-activated, time-dependent inward current (−20 pA/pF at −140 mV, n = 14) with properties typical of If in HCN4-GFP-expressing CMPCs. Gap-junctional coupling between CMPCs and neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVMs) was demonstrated by efficient dye transfer and changes in spontaneous beating activity. In organ explant cultures, the number of preparations showing spontaneous beating activity increased from 6.3% in CMPC/GFP-injected preparations to 68.2% in CMPC/HCN4-GFP-injected preparations (P < 0.05). Furthermore, in CMPC/HCN4-GFP-injected preparations, isoproterenol induced a significant reduction in cycle lengths from 648 ± 169 to 392 ± 71 ms (P < 0.05). In sum, CMPCs expressing HCN4-GFP functionally couple to NRVMs and induce physiologically controlled pacemaker activity and may therefore provide an attractive delivery platform for sustained pacemaker function

Detection of human papillomavirus in matched cervical smears and biopsy specimens by non-isotopic in situ hybridisation

AIMS: To determine the relative diagnostic sensitivity of non-isotopic in situ hybridisation (NISH) for the diagnosis of human papillomavirus (HPV) on matched smears and biopsy specimens; to compare the NISH signal type in the two samples; and to correlate the NISH data with the morphological diagnosis. METHODS: HPV samples were assayed individually by NISH with digoxigenin labelled probes (HPV6, 11, 16, 18, and 33) on routinely collected paraffin wax embedded cervical biopsy specimens and for high risk HPVs with a cocktail of similarly labelled probes (HPV16, 18, 33) on matched smears. These were taken at the same colposcopic examination from 32 patients investigated for an abnormal cervical Papanicolaou (PAP) stained smear. RESULTS: An HPV signal was present in 18 (56%) biopsy specimens and in 14 (44%) smears. There was higher concordance of sets of data in the presence of cytopathic wart virus changes. The superiority of biopsy over smear in detecting HPV was mainly the result of examining the entire cervical biopsy specimen rather than cells scraped from the cervical surface. The NISH signal type in both biopsy specimen and smear was similar; it has been shown that NISH type 1 signal correlates with episomal viral replication and type 2 and 3 signals with viral integration. CONCLUSIONS: These data show that NISH on cervical smears is a worthwhile primary screen for HPV infection. The NISH signal types in cervical smears are similar to those previously described in cervical biopsy specimens

Comparative analysis of human papillomavirus detection by dot blot hybridisation and non-isotopic in situ hybridisation

AIMS: To determine the relative diagnostic performance of non-isotopic in situ hybridisation (NISH) and a dot-blot assay for detecting human papillomavirus (HPV) on exfoliated cervical cells; and to correlate the results with cytopathological assessment. METHODS: Cervical smears and cytological samples were obtained from 122 patients during the same clinical examination and the presence of HPV sequences determined by NISH and dot-blot analysis, respectively. RESULTS: Dot-blot analysis gave an autoradiographic signal in 15 of 121 (12.4%) cases, while NISH detected viral genomes in 38 of 114 (33.3%) cases. Even in the presence of koilocytosis, where vegetative replication of the virus occurs, NISH was positive in over twice as many cases as dot-blot analysis (NISH 90%, dot-blot 40%), while in smears within normal cytological limits, where the viral copy number is likely to be considerably lower, the differences were more striking (NISH 31%, dot-blot 5%). CONCLUSIONS: These data show that NISH on cytological smears is more sensitive than a standardised dot-blot hybridisation assay for detecting HPV infection in cytological material and is therefore a more appropriate screening tool