Genetic evidence for monogamy in the cooperatively breeding red-cockaded woodpecker

We examined the genetic relationship among putative parents, offspring, and helpers in 224 red-cock-aded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) from the Sandhills of North Carolina. Comparison of DNA similarity with a pedigree constructed from 3,823 individually-marked birds observed from 1979 to 1992 provided verification of observed relatedness in the sampled population (R ² = 0.87, df = 14, P < 0.001). In this population, breeding pairs may or may not have helpers, most of which are males that remain on their natal territory. Our sample included helpers assisting their parents, helpers assisting a related male and an unrelated female, and helpers assisting an unrelated pair. Band by band comparison and examination of similarity among DNA profiles indicated that all offspring from non-helped nests were sired by their putative parents (n = 28 families). Similarly, all but one offspring in helped nests were also sired by their putative parents (n = 16 families). In the exceptional case, the offspring evidently was sired by a male external to the group. Analysis of similarity values supported the conclusion that matings by helpers or extra-group males are rare or non-existent. Our results indicate that in this species advantages gained by individuals remaining on their natal territories as helpers do not generally include siring offspring. Correspondence to: S. Haig     

Sister chromatid exchange and DNA damage in human lymphocytes induced by air-dust in Lanzhou City: involvement in free radicals

The air-dust samples collected from petro-chemical industrial region in the suburb of Lanzhou and from a certain rural region 64 km away from the city were extracted, with a mixed solvent (benzene: hexane: isopropanol=7:2:1) for 8 hours. A strong free radical signal at g= 2.00 of air-dust itself and a hyperfine splitting EPR signal of extract from air-dust have been detected. The sister chromatid exchange frequency (SCE) was increased by extracts of both dusts from the industrial region and from the rural region. If a chemical is able to increase SCE up to twice as high as the control, this chemical is considered to be mutagenic and/or carcinogenic. The double SCE frequency concentration is 23 μg/ml for the dust extract obtained from the industrial region and 47μg/ml for that from the rural region. Extracts were able to damage to DNA template. Results indicated that the mutagenicity and/or carcinogenicity of the extracts obtained from the petro-chemical industrial region were stronger than that of the     

Prenatal diagnosis of chinese homozygous α-thalassaemia 1 and haemoglobin H disease by analysis of α- and φζ-globin genes in chorionic villi and amniocytes

Eighty-eight high-risk pregnancies, 81 for homozygous α-thalassaemia 1 and 7 for haemoglobin (Hb) H disease, were collected in this study. Chorionic villus sampling (CVS) was done in 63 cases and amniocentesis in 25 cases to obtain fetal cells. Southern blotting and DNA hybridization with α- and φζ-globin gene probes were used to determine the α-globin gene status. In two non-informative families with non-deletional mutations, DNA analysis failed to rule out the affected condition, and fetal blood sampling (FBS) and Hb electrophoresis were used for the final diagnosis. In the 81 fetuses at risk for homozygous α-thalassaemia 1, 17 (13 by CVS and 4 by amniocentesis) were afffected, 30 were α-thalassaemia 1 heterozygotes, 19 were normal, and the remaining 15 were either normal or heterozygous. In the seven fetuses at risk for Hb H disease, one was normal, three were α-thalassaemia 1 heterozygotes, two were α-thalassaemia 2 heterozygotes, and one was affected with Hb H disease and developed hydrops fetalis. DNA analysis on fetal cells enabled us to diagnose prenatally severe α-thalassaemias, to prevent the birth of infants with Hb H disease, and to minimize maternal obstetrical complications from harbouring a fetus with Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis.     

柴油车尾气的致突变作用

用大鼠肝细胞悬液程序外ＤＮＡ合成试验（ＵＤＳ），来检测５种柴油机颗粒物的致突变活性，结果显示国产及进口的轻、中、重型柴油机，其排出颗粒提取物均能引起大鼠肝细胞ＵＤＳ试验的ＣＰＭ值升高，且有一定的剂量－反应关系，说明柴油机排出的颗粒提取物存在细胞遗传毒性；各牌号比较发现其颗粒物致突变性的轻型车大于中、重型车，国产车大于同类进口车的趋势。     

环境物质稀土多元复合肥对玉米根尖细胞DNA的损伤

有关对稀土多元复合肥(RE-MECF)的卫生毒理研究较多,但对其遗传毒理研究报道较少.在此,采用了单细胞凝胶电泳技术,探知RE-MECF对玉米细胞DNA是否会产生损伤,以期引起注意.用不同梯度浓度的RE-MECF对农作物玉米进行染毒6 h后,将玉米根尖细胞制备成原生质体,再进行单细胞凝胶电泳,确定对DNA损伤并探讨其剂量-效应关系.结果显示,质量浓度为10 mg·L-1剂量组与阴性组比较没有显著性差异;质量浓度在102～103 mg·L-1剂量范围内彗星细胞的头长随着剂量的增加而缩短,而尾长随着剂量的递增而增长.与阴性组比较存在显著性差异,DNA拖尾率、损伤率随着剂量的增加相应升高;质量浓度在104mg·L-1剂量组彗星的头长和尾长与阴性组相比皆无显著性差异.实验结果表明:RE-MECF对玉米根尖细胞DNA具有一定的损伤作用.     

兰州地区空气飘尘对人淋巴细胞SCE的诱发及DNA的损伤

用苯、己烷、异丙醇(7:2:1)混合溶剂萃取兰州市石油化工区及离市区西64公里农村的空气飘尘.萃取物能使人淋巴细胞姊妹染色单体互换频率(SCE)增高,使SCE比对照组增高一倍的浓度:化工区为23μg/ml、农村为47μg/ml,萃取物还能损伤DNA棋板,证明化工区空气飘尘的致突变或致癌的机率比农村大.     

DNA加合物8-氢基脱氧鸟苷特性研究

作为DNA氧化损伤的生物学标志物，8-羟基脱氧鸟苷（8-OH-dG）的特性研究，对稳定、灵敏、准确地定量8-OH-dG，进而研究有毒化学物质对生物体内的氧化损伤很重要，该文研究了氧化损伤DNA中8-OH-dG的分析、水解、储存、稳定性等方面的问题，采用Fenton型产羟自由基系统如螯合剂Fe^2 -H2O2为氧化源，与脱氧鸟苷和小牛胸腺DNA反应，生成的8-OH-dG用高压液相色谱-电化学法检测，并对8-OH-dG的分析条件进行优化，该法最低检出限为32fmol，比光学吸收法高2～3个数量级，线性范围可高达4个数量级，从0.32pmol到3.2nmol，相关系数0.9996。并对酶水解DNA的条件、储存酸度、中性偏酸的缓冲液中损失较少，其形成与所处介质环境有关，在氧化源存在或有氧环境中一定时间内有积累作用，添加抗氧化剂等干预措施后，能灵敏而稳定地对DNA中的8-OH-dG进行测定。     

Prenatal diagnosis of X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RP) in five pregnancies at risk

Five pregnancies at risk for X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RP) have been monitored by first-trimester prenatal diagnosis using DNA markers flanking the RP2 and RP3 loci. Three affected and two unaffected fetuses, including a female carrying a wild-type genotype, were predicted on the basis of marker segregation and estimation of the recombination fraction.     

Surface solar ultraviolet radiation: A theoretical approach of the SUVR reaching the ground in Athens, Greece

Daily total ozone observations made during 1985–1993 by both the Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) flown on the Satellite Nimbus-7 and the Dobson Spectrophotometer have been used in order to investigate the fluctuations of the daily broad-band and spectral solar ultraviolet radiation reaching the ground. This investigation has been performed by employing a recently developed parametric algorithm for the estimation of the spectral and broad-band solar ultraviolet radiation which takes the total ozone variations into consideration. Total ozone reductions during the summertime from 1985 to 1993 over Athens, Greece (37.6° N, 23.4° E), cause an increase in the ultraviolet irradiance which reaches the ground of 0.54 %, 0.98 %, 2.60 % and 0.79 % per decade for the months of July at 300 nm, 312 nm, 320 nm and UVB (280-320 nm), respectively.