ABSTRACT
The symbiotic nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti contains three replicons: pSymA, pSymB, and the chromosome. We report here the complete 1,354,226-nt sequence of pSymA. In addition to a large fraction of the genes known to be specifically involved in symbiosis, pSymA contains genes likely to be involved in nitrogen and carbon metabolism, transport, stress, and resistance responses, and other functions that give S. meliloti an advantage in its specialized niche.
Subject(s)
Plasmids/genetics , Sinorhizobium meliloti/genetics , Agrobacterium tumefaciens/genetics , Amino Acids/metabolism , Calcium-Binding Proteins/genetics , Carrier Proteins/genetics , DNA, Bacterial/genetics , Eukaryotic Cells/metabolism , Gene Expression Regulation, Bacterial/genetics , Gene Library , Genes, Bacterial , Molecular Sequence Data , Nitrogen/metabolism , Nitrogen Fixation/genetics , Phenotype , Replicon/genetics , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Species Specificity , Transcription, Genetic/geneticsABSTRACT
The scarcity of usable nitrogen frequently limits plant growth. A tight metabolic association with rhizobial bacteria allows legumes to obtain nitrogen compounds by bacterial reduction of dinitrogen (N2) to ammonium (NH4+). We present here the annotated DNA sequence of the alpha-proteobacterium Sinorhizobium meliloti, the symbiont of alfalfa. The tripartite 6.7-megabase (Mb) genome comprises a 3.65-Mb chromosome, and 1.35-Mb pSymA and 1.68-Mb pSymB megaplasmids. Genome sequence analysis indicates that all three elements contribute, in varying degrees, to symbiosis and reveals how this genome may have emerged during evolution. The genome sequence will be useful in understanding the dynamics of interkingdom associations and of life in soil environments.
Subject(s)
Genome, Bacterial , Sequence Analysis, DNA , Sinorhizobium meliloti/genetics , Symbiosis/genetics , Bacterial Adhesion , Bacterial Proteins/genetics , Carrier Proteins/genetics , Chromosomes, Bacterial/genetics , Computational Biology , DNA Transposable Elements , Energy Metabolism/genetics , Evolution, Molecular , Gene Duplication , Genes, Bacterial , Genes, Essential , Genes, Regulator , Medicago sativa/microbiology , Nitrogen/metabolism , Nitrogen Fixation/genetics , Plasmids , Polysaccharides, Bacterial/genetics , Replicon , Rhizobiaceae/genetics , Sinorhizobium meliloti/physiologyABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To track the severity and location of pelvic pain associated with endometriosis throughout the reproductive-age years and to evaluate the association between these pain parameters and the stage of disease. DESIGN: Historical prospective study. SETTING: Tertiary care center. PATIENT(S): Forty-eight women with endoscopically staged endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain who had undergone medical and/or conservative surgical therapy. INTERVENTION(S): Each participant was administered a questionnaire that included a determination of the severity and location of her pain. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): The stage of disease, the area of the pelvis that contained the bulk of disease, the severity of pain, and the location of the most severe pain were recorded. RESULT(S): The mean duration from the initial diagnosis until follow-up was 15.7 +/- 3.1 years, Twenty-one (43.8%) subjects denied any symptoms of pain on follow-up evaluation. Of the 27 patients with persistent pain, 21 (78%) identified the location of their most severe pain as being the same as at initial diagnosis. The stage of disease at initial diagnosis was significantly associated with a higher degree of pain at follow-up. CONCLUSION(S): These data suggest that endometriosis-associated chronic pelvic pain commonly persists throughout the reproductive years and that endometriosis stage is directly related to the persistence of pelvic pain.
Subject(s)
Endometriosis/physiopathology , Pelvic Pain/etiology , Adult , Chronic Disease , Danazol/therapeutic use , Endometriosis/classification , Endometriosis/therapy , Estrogen Antagonists/therapeutic use , Female , Follow-Up Studies , Humans , Laparoscopy , Medical Records , Middle Aged , Pelvic Pain/classification , Pelvic Pain/physiopathology , Pelvis/pathology , Retrospective Studies , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
This article presents a case of entrapment of the flexor hallucis longus tendon after open reduction and internal fixation of a Weber C ankle fracture resulting in interphalangeal joint contracture of the hallux. Pathology involving other tendons at the foot and ankle associated with ankle fractures is reviewed. Other scenarios of flexor hallucis longus pathology are discussed. Flexor hallucis longus anatomy, as related to distal fibular fractures, is outlined, and a recommendation is made to consider flexor hallucis longus entrapment as a cause of hallux dysfunction after open reduction and internal fixation of an ankle fracture.
