SummarySeventeen commercial and research laboratories participated in two comparison tests under the auspices of the International Society for Animal Genetics to develop an internationally tested, microsatellite-based parentage and identification panel for the domestic cat (Felis catus). Genetic marker selection was based on the polymorphism information content and allele ranges from seven random-bred populations (n ¼ 261) from the USA, Europe and Brazil and eight breeds (n ¼ 200) from the USA. Nineteen microsatellite markers were included in the comparison test and genotyped across the samples. Based on robustness and efficiency, nine autosomal microsatellite markers were ultimately selected as a single multiplex ÔcoreÕ panel for cat identification and parentage testing. Most markers contained dinucleotide repeats. In addition to the autosomal markers, the panel included two genderspecific markers, amelogenin and zinc-finger XY, which produced genotypes for both the X and Y chromosomes. This international cat parentage and identification panel has a power of exclusion comparable to panels used in other species, ranging from 90.08% to 99.79% across breeds and 99.47% to 99.87% in random-bred cat populations.

Butyrate and other short-chain fatty acids stimulate fetal globin gene expression and have potential for ameliorating the beta globin disorders. Butyrate, however, is rapidly metabolized in vivo and reaches only micromolar concentrations in plasma. We report here that a branched-chain derivative of butyrate, isobutyramide, increases gamma globin gene expression in cultured human erythroid progenitors in vitro and stimulates activity from a minimal gamma globin gene promoter linked to a reporter gene in stable and transient expression assays, with slightly less activity in these in vitro assays than butyrate. In vivo, administration of isobutyramide to anaemic adult baboons rapidly stimulates fetal globin synthesis and F-reticulocyte production. Plasma concentrations at millimolar levels are achieved after a single intravenous or oral dose (500-600 mg/kg), and these concentrations are maintained for 9.5-10.5 h. These results indicate that although isobutyramide has slightly less activity than butyrate in vitro in enhancing fetal globin expression at the cellular and molecular level, its prolonged in vivo half-life may provide superior activity as a therapeutic agent for reactivating fetal globin gene expression in vivo.

Speci®c nuclear factor-DNA complexes formed within the promoters and enhancers are essential for transcriptional regulation. For eukaryotic systems, however, some DNA motif(s) are capable of binding to a family of related factors, thus making it di cult to identify the factor actually binding on the chromatic DNA in vivo and modulating the local transcription processes. To resolve this matter, we have re®ned a chromatin immunoprecipitation assay. Using the assay, we could directly link the regulatory functions of two members of the AP1/NF-E2 transcription factor family and their stable binding in vivo within distinct chromatin regions. The study demonstrated the feasibility of a general scheme in the determination of the identity of speci®c factor(s), among a group of family members, bound at unique sequence(s) in living mammalian cells.