Many yeast promoters contain homopolymeric dA:dT sequences that affect nucleosome formation in vitro and are required for wild-type levels of transcription in vivo. Here, we show that poly(dA:dT) is a novel promoter element whose function depends on its intrinsic structure, not its interaction with sequence-specific, DNA-binding proteins. First, poly(dA:dT) stimulates Gcn4-activated transcripti...

Thirty-seven Brucella reference and field strains representing all the species and their biovars were analysed by PCR-RFLP to determine the degree of variation in the genes encoding the new members of group 3 outer membrane protein (Omp) family. Analysis of the omp22 and omp25c/omp25d genes indicated that the restriction patterns were identical for all species and biovars with all restriction e...

Mutator stocks of maize produce mutants at many loci at rates 20- to 50-fold above spontaneous levels. Current evidence suggests that this high mutation rate is mediated by an active transposable element system, Mu. Members of this transposable element family are found in approximately 10-60 copies in Mutator stocks. We report here an initial characterization of previously undetected sequences ...

INTRODUCTION It is important to identify Salmonella Typhi infection quickly to treat acute fever patients and to prevent transmission by chronic typhoid carriers; therefore, a very specific and sensitive diagnostic technique is highly desirable, especially in endemic areas. The objective of this study was to develop a PCR protocol targeting the putative fimbrial staA gene of S. Typhi. This is a...

Factor B (Bf), an enzyme of the alternative pathway of complement activation, is one of four major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class III genes. To ascertain the genetic mechanism for tissue-specific constitutive and regulated expression of Bf, we sequenced the regulatory regions 5' of the gene from mice of different H-2 MHC haplotypes and assessed trans-acting factors, specific DNA binding...

Increased plasma total homocysteine (tHcy) levels shown to be a risk factor for coronary artery disease (CAD). The common methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase C677T (MTHFR C677T) polymorphism has been reported to be a strong predictor of mild hyperhomocysteinaemia (HHcy). We assessed whether this mutation was associated with increased risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and plasma levels of tHcy....

Pythium insidiosum, the only species in the genus that infects mammals, is the etiological agent of pythiosis, a granulomatous disease characterized by cutaneous and subcutaneous lesions and vascular diseases. Accurate diagnosis of pythiosis and identification of its causal agent are often inconsistent with current immunological diagnostic methods. A species-specific DNA probe was constructed b...

Novel cry genes are potential candidates for resistance management strategies, due to their different structures and modes of action. Therefore, it is desirable to clone and express novel cry genes from several new isolates of Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). In the present study, 28 Bt strains were characterized at morphological and molecular level. All these strains are Gram positive, endospore f...

HPV infections are common and the presence of the same high-risk type in cervical specimens can be due to reinfection or persistence. Persistent infection is the most important predictor for development of cervical carcinoma. The aim of this study was to validate PCR-RFLP with two sets of primers: MY09/MY11 that amplify a fragment of L1 and P1/P2 that amplify a fragment of E1 ORF. PCR product o...