Frequency Of Chimeras Research Articles

Locking and regularization of chimeras by periodic forcing

We study how a chimera state in a one-dimensional medium of nonlocally coupled oscillators responds to a homogeneous in space periodic in time external force. On a macroscopic level, where a chimera can be considered as an oscillating object, forcing leads to entrainment of the chimera's basic frequency inside an Arnold tongue. On a mesoscopic level, where a chimera can be viewed as an inhomogeneous, stationary, or nonstationary pattern, strong forcing can lead to regularization of an unstationary chimera. On a microscopic level of the dynamics of individual oscillators, forcing outside of the Arnold tongue leads to a multiplateau state with nontrivial locking properties.

Soil Clone Library Analyses to Evaluate Specificity and Selectivity of PCR Primers Targeting Fungal 18S rDNA for Denaturing-Gradient Gel Electrophoresis (DGGE)

We evaluated the fungal specificity and detection bias of four fungal 18S rRNA gene (18S rDNA) primer sets for denaturing-gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). We constructed and compared clone libraries amplified from upland and paddy field soils with each primer set (1, NS1/GCFung; 2, FF390/FR1-GC; 3, NS1/FR1-GC; and 4, NS1/EF3 for the first PCR and NS1/FR1-GC for the second PCR). Primer set 4 (for nested PCR) showed the highest specificity for fungi but biased specific sequences. Sets 1, 2, and 3 (for single PCR) amplified non-fungal eukaryotic sequences (from 7 to 16% for upland soil and from 20 to 31% for paddy field soil) and produced libraries with similar distributions of fungal 18S rDNA sequences at both the phylum and the class level. Set 2 tended to amplify more diverse fungal sequences, maintaining higher specificity for fungi. In addition, clone analyses revealed differences among primer sets in the frequency of chimeras. In upland field soil, the libraries amplified with primer sets 3 and 4, which targeted long fragments, contained many chimeric 18S rDNA sequences (18% and 48%, respectively), while the libraries obtained with sets 1 and 2, which targeted short fragments, contained fewer chimeras (5% and 10%, respectively).

Cloning and characterization of EagI YACs from human chromosome 21.

Yeast artificial chromosomes (YACs) were made from a total EagI digest of DNA from a mouse-human chromosome 21 hybrid cell line. Approximately 3750 YACs, corresponding to 75-125 human YACs, with an average size of approximately 100 kb were recovered. Southern hybridization indicates that the chimera frequency in this library may be less than 3%. Thirty-four of the human EagI YACs were regionally assigned by a number of methods. Some YACs were regionally assigned to one of six chromosome regions by hybridization of Alu-PCR products from the YAC against Alu-PCR-amplified DNA from a panel of hybrid cell lines that contain various parts of chromosome 21. Additional YACs were regionally assigned by fluorescence in situ hybridization using either biotinylated Alu-PCR products or yeast genomic DNA from the YAC-containing strains as probes. The regionally assigned EagI YACs are located preferentially in two regions of the chromosome: near the q telomere and in the p-arm ribosomal gene region.

Construction of a human chromosome 4 YAC pool and analysis of artificial chromosome stability.

In order to construct a human chromosome 4-specific YAC library, we have utilized pYAC4 and a mouse/human hybrid cell line HA(4)A in which the only human chromosome present is chromosome 4. From this cell line, approximately 8Mb of chromosome 4 have been cloned. The library includes 65 human-specific clones that range in size from 30kb to 290kb, the average size being 108kb. In order to optimize the manipulation of YAC libraries, we have begun to investigate the stability of YACs containing human DNA in yeast cells; these studies will also determine if there are intrinsic differences in the properties of chromosomes containing higher eukaryotic DNAs. We are examining two kinds of stability: 1] mitotic stability, the ability of the YAC to replicate and segregate properly during mitosis, and 2] structural stability, the tendency of the YAC to rearrange. We have found that the majority of YACs examined are one to two orders of magnitude less stable than authentic yeast chromosomes. Interestingly, the largest YAC analyzed displayed a loss rate typical for natural yeast chromosomes. Our results also suggest that increasing the length of an artificial chromosome improves its mitotic stability. One YAC that showed a very high frequency of rearrangement by mitotic recombination proved to be a mouse/human chimera. In contrast to studies using total human DNA, the frequency of chimeras (i.e., mouse/human) in the YAC pool appeared to be low.

Biological and genetic effects of combined treatments of sodium azide, gamma rays and EMS in barley

Dry seeds of diploid barley were subjected to mutagenic treatments of sodium azide, gamma rays and EMS alone or in combination. Damage (reduction in seedling height, plant height and fertility), the frequency of chimeras in the M 1 generation, and the frequency of chlorophyll-deficient mutations as well as morphological mutations in the M 2 generation induced by combined treatments were greater than those by either of the single treatments. Synergistic increase in the frequency of chimeras, chlorphyll-deficient mutations and morphological mutations were observed in both sodium azide post-irradiation treatments and pre-EMS treatments; interaction among the mutagens in the treatment combinations on M 1 damage was generally subtractive. An 8- to 16-hr soaking period of irradiated seeds in distilled water prior to sodium azide treatment significantly increased chlorophyll mutation frequency, as compared to that from the non-soaking treatment. Damage and frequency of chimeras, chlorophyll mutations and morphological mutations were consistently reduced by the soaking treatment in sodium azide plus EMS treatments.

Chemical mutagenesis inSorghum

The effect of NG, DEB and single and recurrent treatments after NMU on sensitivity in M1 and chlorophyll mutation frequency and spectrum in M2 was studied in the variety Co. 18 ofSorghum subglabrascens. Among the three chemical mutagens DEB was the most effective in delaying the emergence of primary leaf, and reducing the percentage of germination, survival and growth of root, coleoptile and seedlings, whereas NG was the least effective. The effect of mutagens increased with increasing dose. Recurrent treatments with NMU showed more drastic effects with respect to the above criteria than single treatments. The frequency of chimeras for chlorophyll deficiency in the M1 was found to be the maximum in the single treatments as compared to recurrent treatments after NMU. An increase in the reduction of pollen and seed fertility with an increase in dose of NMU and NG was observed. But the treatments with NMU showed more drastic effects on fertility than treatments with NG. The frequency of chlorophyll mutations was found to increase with dose in NMU, whereas such relationship was not observed in teratments with NG. The mutation rate was found to be higher in treatment with NMU than with NG. Whilealbina andxantha only were noticed in treatments with NG, a very wide spectrum of chlorophyll mutations was observed in NMU treatments. Recurrent treatments with NMU induced higher frequency and wider spectrum of chlorophyll mutations than single treatments.