A novel and highly divergent Arabidopsis cyclin isolated by complementation in budding yeast.

A novel cyclin, CycJ18, was isolated by complementation of G1 cyclin-deficient budding yeast with an Arabidopsis cDNA library. CycJ18 shares only 20% identity in its conserved cyclin box domain with other cyclins, and is predominantly expressed in young seedlings. CycJ18 is a member of a potential new plant cyclin class.

A family of cyclin D homologs from plants differentially controlled by growth regulators and containing the conserved retinoblastoma protein interaction motif.

A new family of three related cyclins has been identified in Arabidopsis by complementation of a yeast strain deficient in G1 cyclins. Individual members show tissue-specific expression and are conserved in other plant species. They form a distinctive group of plant cyclins, which we named delta-type cyclins to indicate their similarities with mammalian D-type cyclins. The sequence relationships between delta and D cyclins include the N-terminal sequence LXCXE. This motif was originally identified in certain viral oncoproteins and is strongly implicated in binding to the retinoblastoma protein pRb. By analogy to mammalian cyclin D, these plant homologs may mediate growth and phytohormonal signals into the plant cell cycle. In support of this hypothesis, we show that, on restimulation of suspension-cultured cells, cyclin delta 3 is rapidly induced by the plant growth regulator cytokinin and cyclin delta 2 is induced by carbon source.

Parameters affecting lithium acetate-mediated transformation of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and development of a rapid and simplified procedure.

We have compared a number of procedures for the transformation of whole cells of the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and assessed the effects of dimethylsulphoxide (DMSO) or ethanol, both of which have been reported to enhance transformation efficiency. We find that simplified methods benefit from the addition of one of these compounds, and although differences are observed between strains as to the more beneficial reagent, peak transformation efficiency is, in general, obtained with 10% DMSO or 10% EtOH. Increases of between six- and 50-fold are observed, despite a reduction in cell viability, and at this concentration the two compounds are not additive in their effects. The optimum level appears to depend on a balance between improved DNA uptake and reduced cell viability. As a result of this work we present a straightforward and rapid transformation procedure.

p34cdc2 homologue level, cell division, phytohormone responsiveness and cell differentiation in wheat leaves.

Formation of a plant involves generation of new cells by the division cycle and development in these of specialised structure and metabolism. Specialisation is accompanied by a decreasing capacity for division, which declines with particular rapidity in cells of monocotyledonous plants such as the cereals. Here we report that in wheat leaves a homologue of the cell cycle control protein p34(cdc2) participates in the control of these developmental programmes. Accumulation of p34(cdc2) to a maximum level in dividing cells and the cessation of its accumulation during subsequent cell growth and expansion indicate that it contributes specifically to division. There is a decline in p34(cdc2) level as cell differentiation proceeds, in close parallel with the previously established decline of cell division in response to auxin hormones. A basal level of p34(cdc2) in fully differentiated cells that is one-sixteenth of that in dividing cells correlates with their loss of capacity to divide. We conclude that p34(cdc2) level is controlled in diverse multicellular eukaryotes and suggest that it is an important element in the switch from cell division to differentiation.

Chiropractic residency at Lindell Hospital: a program description.

Chiropractors have been excluded from postgraduate training in medical hospitals since the time such programs were mandated following World War II. Recently, a chiropractic residency program has been established at Lindell Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. This paper briefly describes the development of this program and the functions carried out by the chiropractic resident in the hospital environment. It then attempts to define a future direction for such residency programs.

Inter- and intra-examiner reliability of palpation for sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

The purpose of this study was to operationally define and evaluate inter- and intra-examiner reliability of the standing sacroiliac mobility (Gillet) test on 53 college students. Both inter- and intra-examiner reliability data showed high mean percentages of agreement (85.3% and 89.2%, respectively.) Cohen's unweighted kappa statistic for concordance was applied yielding "fair" concordance for aggregate intra-examiner data and "slight" concordance for aggregate inter-examiner data. The intra-examiner reliability data suggests that the Gillet test is clinically useful for a single examiner in assessing the sacroiliac joint for mobility dysfunction, especially at upper sacroiliac contact points. Linear regression analyses suggest that the test is sensitive, in that reliability improves with increasing perceived abnormality. Further revisions to the operational definition may improve both inter- and intra-examiner reliability of the Gillet test.

Detection of false-positives among total and fecal coliform counts by factorial analysis of correspondence.

Application of an analysis of correspondence to the biochemical characteristics of total and fecal coliforms isolated in the Ivory Coast permitted us to separate two small clusters of isolates different from the main clusters, which included isolates from human and animal feces. The isolates grouped in the small clusters were from water samples. An analysis of the biochemical characteristics which permitted the segregation of the "water-specific" isolates from the main clusters indicates that water-specific total coliforms were citrate positive, indole negative, and amygdaline positive. Water-specific fecal coliforms were either citrate positive, indole negative, amygdaline positive, and inositol negative or indole negative, amygdaline positive, and inositol positive. Any isolates not fitting the above patterns could be considered of fecal origin. If this observation is confirmed under temperate climates and for a greater number of isolates, these simple tests could be used to confirm the fecal origin of coliforms.