No abstract

Miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements (MITEs), some of which are known as active non-autonomous DNA transposons, are found in the genomes of plants and animals. In peanut (Arachis hypogaea), AhMITE1 has been identified in a gene for fatty-acid desaturase, and possessed excision activity. However, the AhMITE1 distribution and frequency of excision have not been determined for the peanut genome. In order to characterize AhMITE1s, their genomic diversity and transposition ability was investigated. Southern blot analysis indicated high AhMITE1 copy number in the genomes of A. hypogaea, A. magna and A. monticola, but not in A. duranensis. A total of 504 AhMITE1s were identified from the MITE-enriched genomic libraries of A. hypogaea. The representative AhMITE1s exhibited a mean length of 205.5 bp and a GC content of 30.1%, with AT-rich, 9 bp target site duplications and 25 bp terminal inverted repeats. PCR analyses were performed using primer pairs designed against both flanking sequences of each AhMITE1. These analyses detected polymorphisms at 169 out of 411 insertional loci in the four peanut lines. In subsequent analyses of 60 gamma-irradiated mutant lines, four AhMITE1 excisions showed footprint mutations at the 109 loci tested. This study characterizes AhMITE1s in peanut and discusses their use as DNA markers and mutagens for the genetics, genomics and breeding of peanut and its relatives.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00122-012-1798-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

SummaryBackgroundRenal cell carcinoma commonly metastasizes to lung, liver, and bone. Small intestinal metastases are exceedingly rare.Case ReportA 75-year-old man presented at our hospital with tarry stools. He had undergone a right nephrectomy for renal cell carcinoma (RCC) 6 years previously; in addition, he had received antiplatelet treatment for ischemic heart disease. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy, total colonoscopy, and computed tomography did not identify any cause for the gastrointestinal bleeding. He underwent capsule endoscopy (CE), which revealed an ulcerated submucosal tumor in the jejunum. We performed a double-balloon endoscopy (DBE), and histological findings identified a clear cell carcinoma. We diagnosed metastasis from the RCC. We performed a jejunectomy to resect the tumor and thus eliminate the source of the bleeding.ConclusionsCE and DBE are useful diagnostic tools. We recommend investigating the possibility of small intestinal metastases in cases of intestinal bleeding or anemia in patients with a history of malignant tumor.

Nano scale structures of rusts formed on weathering steel surfaces were investigated. It has been shown that the key structure is Fe(O, OH) 6 network, which is different from crystalline FeOOH. Atomic structures were analyzed quantitatively by combination of different methods sensitive to middle range order (MRO): x ray absorption fine structures (XAFS), anomalous x ray scattering with reverse Monte Calro simulation, and electron microscopy. It has been shown that Fe(O, OH) 6 network structure evolves during the process of corrosion, and a small amount of additional elements change its development and the final morphology of rusts.

To better understand antidepressant drug effects on the GABA_A receptor complex (the GABA_A receptor, chloride ionophore and benzodiazepine receptor), we investigated how antidepressants influenced power spectrum changes induced by pentylenetetrazol (PTZ), a chloride ionophore antagonist, in the rat hippocampal electroencephalogram (EEG). In control recording, PTZ (27.5 mg/kg i.p.) increased EEG power at frequencies under 12 Hz up to five times. After rats were pretreated with imipramine, fluoxetine or trazodone for 7 days (10 mg/kg i.p., twice a day), PTZ could not increase EEG power to more than three times the power before injection; this effect was not observed after pretreatment for 3 days. These three antidepressants inhibit serotonin uptake, while two other antidepressants, desipramine and nortriptyline, that inhibit norepinephrine uptake failed to counter the PTZ effect. We concluded that antidepressants with serotonergic effects enhanced the function of the GABA_A receptor complex.