[Awake percutaneous tracheostomy in neurosurgical patients: clinical cases and literature review]. / Punktsionno-dilatatsionnaya trakheostomiya u patsientov s neirokhirurgicheskoi patologiei, vypolnennaya na fone samostoyatel'nogo dykhaniya cherez estestvennye dykhatel'nye puti: klinicheskie nablyudeniya i obzor literatury.

Transoral or combined transnasal-transoral approach is sometimes used for tumor resection in patients with skull base and vertebral neoplasms. In such cases, percutaneous tracheostomy before surgical intervention is advisable. Tracheostomy facilitates surgical access, eliminates intraoperative risk of endotracheal tube kinking and provides airway protection from aspiration in early postoperative period in case of bulbar disorders, hypopharynx and tongue edema. The authors present two patients with massive proliferation of pathological tissue in nasopharynx and oropharynx that excluded tracheal intubation before tracheostomy. These patients underwent awake percutaneous tracheostomy.

Microsatellite megatracts in the maize (Zea mays L.) genome.

Long tracts (megatracts) of (CAG)n, (TAG)n, and (GAA)n microsatellite sequences capable of forming composite DNA segments were found in the maize (Zea mays L.) genome. Some of the (CAG)n and (TAG)n megatracts were organized in clusters of up to 1 Mb on several chromosomes, as detected by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH), as well as on extended DNA fibers. Extensive polymorphism was found among different maize inbred lines with respect to the number and size of microsatellite megatract clusters on the A chromosomes. Polymorphism was also common among B chromosomes of different nuclei in the inbred line Zapalote Chico. Different retrotransposable elements were often inserted into the microsatellite tracts. Size variation in some (TAG)n and (GAA)n megatracts was observed in consecutive generations among siblings of the inbred lines, indicating that these loci are highly unstable and predisposed to dynamic mutations similar to those described in mammalian systems.

A complete set of maize individual chromosome additions to the oat genome.

All 10 chromosomes of maize (Zea mays, 2n = 2x = 20) were recovered as single additions to the haploid complement of oat (Avena sativa, 2n = 6x = 42) among F(1) plants generated from crosses involving three different lines of maize to eight different lines of oat. In vitro rescue culture of more than 4,300 immature F(1) embryos resulted in a germination frequency of 11% with recovery of 379 F(1) plantlets (8.7%) of moderately vigorous growth. Some F(1) plants were sectored with distinct chromosome constitutions among tillers of the same plant and also between root and shoot cells. Meiotic restitution facilitated development of un-reduced gametes in the F(1). Self-pollination of these partially fertile F(1) plants resulted in disomic additions (2n = 6x + 2 = 44) for maize chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9. Maize chromosome 8 was recovered as a monosomic addition (2n = 6x + 1 = 43). Monosomic additions for maize chromosomes 5 and 10 to a haploid complement of oat (n = 3x + 1 = 22) were recovered several times among the F(1) plants. Although partially fertile, these chromosome 5 and 10 addition plants have not yet transmitted the added maize chromosome to F(2) offspring. We discuss the development and general utility of this set of oat-maize addition lines as a novel tool for maize genomics and genetics.

Production and characterization of maize chromosome 9 radiation hybrids derived from an oat-maize addition line.

In maize (Zea mays L., 2n = 2x = 20), map-based cloning and genome organization studies are often complicated because of the complexity of the genome. Maize chromosome addition lines of hexaploid cultivated oat (Avena sativa L., 2n = 6x = 42), where maize chromosomes can be individually manipulated, represent unique materials for maize genome analysis. Maize chromosome addition lines are particularly suitable for the dissection of a single maize chromosome using radiation because cultivated oat is an allohexaploid in which multiple copies of the oat basic genome provide buffering to chromosomal aberrations and other mutations. Irradiation (gamma rays at 30, 40, and 50 krad) of a monosomic maize chromosome 9 addition line produced maize chromosome 9 radiation hybrids (M9RHs)-oat lines possessing different fragments of maize chromosome 9 including intergenomic translocations and modified maize addition chromosomes with internal and terminal deletions. M9RHs with 1 to 10 radiation-induced breaks per chromosome were identified. We estimated that a panel of 100 informative M9RHs (with an average of 3 breaks per chromosome) would allow mapping at the 0. 5- to 1.0-Mb level of resolution. Because mapping with maize chromosome addition lines and radiation hybrid derivatives involves assays for the presence or absence of a given marker, monomorphic markers can be quickly and efficiently mapped to a chromosome region. Radiation hybrid derivatives also represent sources of region-specific DNA for cloning of genes or DNA markers.

Complex structure of knobs and centromeric regions in maize chromosomes.

The recovery of maize (Zea mays L.) chromosome addition lines of oat (Avena sativa L.) from oat x maize crosses enables us to analyze the structure and composition of individual maize chromosomes via the isolation and characterization of chromosome-specific cosmid clones. Restriction fragment fingerprinting, sequencing, and in situ hybridization were applied to discover a new family of knob associated tandem repeats, the TR1, which are capable of forming fold-back DNA segments, as well as a new family of centromeric tandem repeats, CentC. Analysis of knob and centromeric DNA segments revealed a complex organization in which blocks of tandemly arranged repeating units are interrupted by insertions of other repeated DNA sequences, mostly represented by individual full size copies of retrotransposable elements. There is an obvious preference for the integration/association of certain retrotransposable elements into knobs or centromere regions as well as for integration of retrotransposable elements into certain sites (hot spots) of the 180-bp repeat. DNA hybridization to a blot panel of eight individual maize chromosome addition lines revealed that CentC, TR1, and 180-bp tandem repeats are found in each of these maize chromosomes, but the copy number of each can vary significantly from about 100 to 25,000. In situ hybridization revealed variation among the maize chromosomes in the size of centromeric tandem repeats as well as in the size and composition of knob regions. It was found that knobs may be composed of either 180-bp or TR1, or both repeats, and in addition to large knobs these repeated elements may form micro clusters which are detectable only with the help of in situ hybridization. The association of the fold-back elements with knobs, knob polymorphism and complex structure suggest that maize knob may be consider as megatransposable elements. The discovery of the interspersion of retrotransposable elements among blocks of tandem repeats in maize and some other organisms suggests that this pattern may be basic to heterochromatin organization for eukaryotes.

Evidence for the coincident initiation of homolog pairing and synapsis during the telomere-clustering (bouquet) stage of meiotic prophase.

To improve knowledge of the prerequisites for meiotic chromosome segregation in higher eukaryotes, we analyzed the spatial distribution of a pair of homologs before and during early meiotic prophase. Three-dimensional images of fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were used to localize a single pair of homologs in diploid nuclei of a chromosome-addition line of oat, oat-maize9b. The system provided a robust assay for pairing based on cytological colocalization of FISH signals. Using a triple labeling scheme for simultaneous imaging of chromatin, telomeres and the homolog pair, we determined the timing of pairing in relation to the onset of three sequential hallmarks of early meiotic prophase: chromatin condensation (the leptotene stage), meiotic telomere clustering (the bouquet stage) and the initiation of synapsis (the zygotene stage). We found that the two homologs were mostly unpaired up through middle leptotene, at which point their spherical cloud-like domains began to transform into elongated and stretched-out domains. At late leptotene, the homologs had completely reorganized into long extended fibers, and the beginning of the bouquet stage was conspicuously marked by the de novo clustering of telomeres at the nuclear periphery. The homologs paired and synapsed during the bouquet stage, consistent with the timing of pairing observed for several oat 5S rDNA loci. In summary, results from analysis of more than 100 intact nuclei lead us to conclude that pairing and synapsis of homologous chromosomes are largely coincident processes, ruling out a role for premeiotic pairing in this system. These findings suggest that the genome-wide remodeling of chromatin and telomere-mediated nuclear reorganization are prerequisite steps to the DNA sequence-based homology-search process in higher eukaryotes.

Chromosome-specific molecular organization of maize (Zea mays L.) centromeric regions.

A set of oat-maize chromosome addition lines with individual maize (Zea mays L.) chromosomes present in plants with a complete oat (Avena sativa L.) chromosome complement provides a unique opportunity to analyze the organization of centromeric regions of each maize chromosome. A DNA sequence, MCS1a, described previously as a maize centromere-associated sequence, was used as a probe to isolate cosmid clones from a genomic library made of DNA purified from a maize chromosome 9 addition line. Analysis of six cosmid clones containing centromeric DNA segments revealed a complex organization. The MCS1a sequence was found to comprise a portion of the long terminal repeats of a retrotransposon-like repeated element, termed CentA. Two of the six cosmid clones contained regions composed of a newly identified family of tandem repeats, termed CentC. Copies of CentA and tandem arrays of CentC are interspersed with other repetitive elements, including the previously identified maize retroelements Huck and Prem2. Fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that CentC and CentA elements are limited to the centromeric region of each maize chromosome. The retroelements Huck and Prem2 are dispersed along all maize chromosomes, although Huck elements are present in an increased concentration around centromeric regions. Significant variation in the size of the blocks of CentC and in the copy number of CentA elements, as well as restriction fragment length variations were detected within the centromeric region of each maize chromosome studied. The different proportions and arrangements of these elements and likely others provide each centromeric region with a unique overall structure.

A knob-associated tandem repeat in maize capable of forming fold-back DNA segments: are chromosome knobs megatransposons?

A class of tandemly repeated DNA sequences (TR-1) of 350-bp unit length was isolated from the knob DNA of chromosome 9 of Zea mays L. Comparative fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that TR-1 elements are also present in cytologically detectable knobs on other maize chromosomes in different proportions relative to the previously described 180-bp repeats. At least one knob on chromosome 4 is composed predominantly of the TR-1 repeat. In addition, several small clusters of the TR-1 and 180-bp repeats have been found in different chromosomes, some not located in obvious knob heterochromatin. Variation in restriction fragment fingerprints and copy number of the TR-1 elements was found among maize lines and among maize chromosomes. TR-1 tandem arrays up to 70 kilobases in length can be interspersed with stretches of 180-bp tandem repeat arrays. DNA sequence analysis and restriction mapping of one particular stretch of tandemly arranged TR-1 units indicate that these elements may be organized in the form of fold-back DNA segments. The TR-1 repeat shares two short segments of homology with the 180-bp repeat. The longest of these segments (31 bp; 64% identity) corresponds to the conserved region among 180-bp repeats. The polymorphism and complex structure of knob DNA suggest that, similar to the fold-back DNA-containing giant transposons in Drosophila, maize knob DNA may have some properties of transposable elements.

Complex structure of knob DNA on maize chromosome 9. Retrotransposon invasion into heterochromatin.

The recovery of maize (Zea mays L.) chromosome addition lines of oat (Avena sativa L.) from oat x maize crosses enables us to analyze the structure and composition of specific regions, such as knobs, of individual maize chromosomes. A DNA hybridization blot panel of eight individual maize chromosome addition lines revealed that 180-bp repeats found in knobs are present in each of these maize chromosomes, but the copy number varies from approximately 100 to 25, 000. Cosmid clones with knob DNA segments were isolated from a genomic library of an oat-maize chromosome 9 addition line with the help of the 180-bp knob-associated repeated DNA sequence used as a probe. Cloned knob DNA segments revealed a complex organization in which blocks of tandemly arranged 180-bp repeating units are interrupted by insertions of other repeated DNA sequences, mostly represented by individual full size copies of retrotransposable elements. There is an obvious preference for the integration of retrotransposable elements into certain sites (hot spots) of the 180-bp repeat. Sequence microheterogeneity including point mutations and duplications was found in copies of 180-bp repeats. The 180-bp repeats within an array all had the same polarity. Restriction maps constructed for 23 cloned knob DNA fragments revealed the positions of polymorphic sites and sites of integration of insertion elements. Discovery of the interspersion of retrotransposable elements among blocks of tandem repeats in maize and some other organisms suggests that this pattern may be basic to heterochromatin organization for eukaryotes.

Positional cloning without a genome map: using 'Targeted RFLP Subtraction' to isolate dense markers tightly linked to the regA locus of Volvox carteri.

The ability to isolate genes defined by mutant phenotypes has fueled the rapid progress in understanding basic biological mechanisms and the causes of inherited diseases. Positional cloning, a commonly used method for isolating genes corresponding to mutations, is most efficiently applied to the small number of model organisms for which high resolution genetic maps exist. We demonstrate a new and generally applicable positional cloning method that obviates the need for a genetic map. The technique is based on Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) Subtraction, a method that isolates RFLP markers spanning an entire genome. The new method, Targeted RFLP Subtraction (TRS), isolates markers from a specific region by combining RFLP Subtraction with a phenotypic pooling strategy. We used TRS to directly isolate dense markers tightly linked to the regA gene of the eukaryotic green alga Volvox. As a generally applicable method for saturating a small targeted region with DNA markers, TRS should facilitate gene isolation from diverse organisms and accelerate the process of physically mapping specific regions in preparation for sequence analysis.

Oat-maize chromosome addition lines: a new system for mapping the maize genome.

Novel plants with individual maize chromosomes added to a complete oat genome have been recovered via embryo rescue from oat (Avena sativa L., 2n = 6x = 42) x maize (Zea mays L., 2n = 20) crosses. An oat-maize disomic addition line possessing 21 pairs of oat chromosomes and one maize chromosome 9 pair was used to construct a cosmid library. A multiprobe (mixture of labeled fragments used as a probe) of highly repetitive maize-specific sequences was used to selectively isolate cosmid clones containing maize genomic DNA. Hybridization of individual maize cosmid clones or their subcloned fragments to maize and oat genomic DNA revealed that most high, middle, or low copy number DNA sequences are maize-specific. Such DNA markers allow the identification of maize genomic DNA in an oat genomic background. Chimeric cosmid clones were not found; apparently, significant exchanges of genetic material had not occurred between the maize-addition chromosome and the oat genome in these novel plants or in the cloning process. About 95% of clones selected at random from a maize genomic cosmid library could be detected by the multiprobe. The ability to selectively detect maize sequences in an oat background enables us to consider oat as a host for the cloning of specific maize chromosomes or maize chromosome segments. Introgressing maize chromosome segments into the oat genome via irradiation should allow the construction of a library of overlapping fragments for each maize chromosome to be used for developing a physical map of the maize genome.

The genetics of 5S rRNA encoding multigene families in barley.

Two loci containing genes encoding 5S rRNA were mapped on the second and third chromosomes of barley. The two gene clusters located on different chromosomes differed in the length of the nontranscribed spacer separating the 5S rRNA genes. All nontranscribed spacers contained a variable number of trinucleotide tandem repeats. The distribution of 5S genes between these two clusters and their copy number varied widely between cultivars and doubled haploids derived from a cross between two barley cultivars. However, this variation had no obvious effect on plant phenotype.

Variability among members of the Hor-2 multigene family.

The hordeins comprise the major prolamin storage proteins of barley. Two major and one minor gene families encode these alcohol-soluble proteins. The Hor-2 gene family encoding the B-hordeins has been estimated to contain 15-30 copies. Although several genes encoding B-hordeins have been cloned and sequenced, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the generation of the enormous genetic variability at this locus. Polymerase chain reaction sequence amplification provided a simple technique that permitted the amplification of the Hor-2 gene family members from the genomes of several barley genotypes. Sequence analysis of clones permitted the identification of a region within the Hor-2 structural gene that appears to undergo recombinational and slippage-like gene conversion events. In this report we describe variability of the B-hordein genes, possible mechanisms responsible for it, and implications this may have on the evolution of prolamin-encoding gene families.

A molecular, isozyme and morphological map of the barley (Hordeum vulgare) genome.

A map of the barley genome consisting of 295 loci was constructed. These loci include 152 cDNA restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP), 114 genomic DNA RFLP, 14 random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), five isozyme, two morphological, one disease resistance and seven specific amplicon polymorphism (SAP) markers. The RFLP-identified loci include 63 that were detected using cloned known function genes as probes. The map covers 1,250 centiMorgans (cM) with a 4.2 cM average distance between markers. The genetic lengths of the chromosomes range from 124 to 223 cM and are in approximate agreement with their physical lengths. The centromeres were localized to within a few markers on all of the barley chromosomes except chromosome 5. Telomeric regions were mapped for the short (plus) arms of chromosomes 1, 2 and 3 and the long (minus) arm of chromosomes 7.

"Portraying" of plant genomes using polymerase chain reaction amplification of ribosomal 5S genes.

Nontranscribed spacers of plant genes coding for ribosomal 5S RNA were amplified using the polymerase chain reaction. Primers were synthesized that were complementary to 3' (direct) and 5' (reverse) ends of the coding region and that are universal for higher plants. The patterns of polymerase chain reaction products are species and, sometimes, variety specific. The use of this approach for identification of barley 5S genes in chromosome-addition lines of wheat is discussed. This principle can be applied for the "portraying" of other tandem repetitive genes containing divergent regions.

5S-RNA genes of barley are located on the second chromosome.

The genes coding for 5S RNA in barley were cloned, sequenced, and their cluster was assigned to chromosome 2 using wheat-barley chromosome addition lines. High-resolution gel-electrophoresis of DNA and subsequent hybridization revealed new details of the organization of 5S DNA both in wheat and barley. The in situ hybridization of the cloned 5S gene with triploid endosperm nuclei also suggests that these genes are located in a single locus.

Characterization of relic DNA from barley genome.

High-molecular-weight "relic" DNA fraction can be electrophoretically separated from the bulk of barley DNA digested with different restriction enzymes. We have cloned and analyzed a population of relic DNA fragments. The majority of AluI-relic DNA clones contained barley simple sequence satellite DNA and other families of repetitive DNA. One of these families, designated HvRT, has been analyzed in detail. This family is composed of tandemly arranged 118-bp monomers and is present in 7 × 10(5) copies in the barley genome. Clones representing the HvRT family were sequenced. HvRT repeats were found to contain high levels of methylated cytosine. The HvRT family was found in the genomes of H. vulgare, H. leporinum, H. murinum, H. jubatum, but not in H. marinum, H. geniculatum, and wheat. Different barley species and cultivars show restriction fragment length polymorphism with the HvRT probe. Chromosome-specific subfamilies of HvRT were found to be present on different barley chromosomes, providing the possibility of using the HvRT probe as a chromosome specific marker. HvRT fragments up to 810 kbp in length were resolved by pulsed field gel electrophoresis.

Dialect-I, species-specific repeated DNA sequence from barley, Hordeum vulgare.

Dialect-1, species-specific repetitive DNA sequence of barley Hordeum vulgare, was cloned and analysed by Southern blot and in situ hybridization. Dialect-1 is dispersed through all barley chromosomes with copy number 5,000 per genome. Two DNA fragments related to Dialect-1 were revealed in λ phage library, subcloned and mapped. All three clones are structurally heterogenous and it is suggested that the full-length genomic repeat encompassing Dialect-1 is large in size. The Dialect-1 DNA repeat is represented in the genomes of H. vulgare and ssp. agriocrithon and spontaneum in similar form and copy number; it is present in rearranged form with reduced copy number in the genomes of H. bulbosum and H. murinum, and it is absent from genomes of several wild barley species as well as from genomes of wheat, rye, oats and maize. Dialect-1 repeat may be used as a molecular marker in taxonomic studies and for identification of barley chromosomes in interspecies hybrids.

Structural and transcriptional characterization of the external spacer of a ribosomal RNA nuclear gene from a higher plant.

A lambda recombinant phage, carrying a radish rDNA fragment spanning the complete external spacer and its borders, has been isolated and characterized by sequencing. The fragment is 2911 bp long and includes 486 bp of the 3' end of the 25S rRNA sequence, 2349 bp of spacer and the first 76 bp of the 5' end of the 18S rRNA sequence. The spacer can be divided into three regions: two unique domains flanking a 830-bp region of repeated sequences. Seven repeats ranging from 80 to 103 bp can be recognized. They are separated by short arrays of 12-21 adenylic residues. Each repeat slightly differs from the others by single-nucleotide changes or short deletions. Examination of single-nucleotide changes common to two units suggests that a duplication arose during the evolution of this sequence. The repeated region was subcloned and used as a probe to demonstrate that it is highly species-specific: in stringent conditions it does not cross-hybridize with the spacer of ribosomal genes from closely related species such as Brassica. Transcription products, starting or finishing within the spacer sequence, were mapped by northern blotting, primer extension and S1 mapping. Two major precursors were identified starting respectively at positions 2095 and 2280. The region surrounding the start at 2095 presents extensive homology with an analogous region in maize, rye, mung bean, Xenopus and tse-tse fly. However, longer transcripts can be detected. Several 3' ends downstream of the 25S terminus were also observed. Taken together these results indicate that rDNA transcription and pre-rRNA processing in plants are more complex than anticipated from previous studies.

Effect of cytokinins on ribosomal RNA gene expression in excised cotyledons of Cucurbita pepo L.

Excised pumpkin (Cucurbita pepo L.) cotyledons were used to investigate the effects of two different types of cytokinins: N(6)-benzyladenine and N1-(2-chloro-4-pyridyl)-N2-phenylurea on RNA synthesis in isolated nuclei. Treatment of cotyledons with both cytokinins resulted in a rapid enhancement of nuclear RNA-polymerase-I activity (EC 2.7.7.6). Maximum stimulation of RNA polymerase I, responsible for rRNA synthesis, was observed 4-6 h after the start of cytokinin action. The activity of RNA polymerase II was stimulated much more slowly and to a lesser extent. Uridine 5'-monophosphate-uridine analysis of the alkalidigested nascent pre-rRNA chains showed that the stimulation of RNA-polymerase-I activity was the consequence of an increase of the polyribonucleotide-clongation rate. No significant change in the number of transcribing enzyme molecules was defected after hormone treatment (86·10(3) RNA-polymerase-I molecules per diploid genome).Indications that de-novo protein synthesis is necessary for cytokinin-mediated RNA-polymerase stimulation were derived from experiments showing inhibition by cycloheximide.