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Effect of protein restriction on the messenger RNA contents of bone-matrix proteins, insulin-like growth factors and insulin-like growth factor binding proteins in femur of ovariectomized rats.

It has been reported that loss of ovarian oestrogen after menopause or by ovariectomy causes osteoporosis. In order to elucidate the effect of dietary protein restriction on bone metabolism after ovariectomy, we fed ovariectomized young female rats on a casein-based diet (50 g/kg diet (protein restriction) or 200 g/kg diet (control)) for 3 weeks and measured mRNA contents of bone-matrix proteins such as osteocalcin, osteopontin and alpha 1 type I collagen, insulin-like growth factors (IGF) and IGF-binding proteins (IGFBP) in femur. Ovariectomy decreased the weight of fat-free dry bone and increased urinary excretion of pyridinium cross-links significantly, although dietary protein restriction did not affect them. Neither ovariectomy nor protein restriction affected the content of mRNA of osteopontin and osteocalcin; however, ovariectomy increased and protein restriction extensively decreased the alpha 1 type I collagen mRNA content in bone tissues. Ovariectomy increased IGF-I mRNA only in the rats fed on the control diet. Conversely, protein restriction increased and ovariectomy decreased the IGF-II mRNA content in femur. Furthermore, the contents of IGFBP-2, IGFBP-4 and IGFBP-5 mRNA increased, but the content of IGFBP-3 mRNA decreased in femur of the rats fed on the protein-restricted diet. In particular, ovariectomy decreased the IGFBP-2 mRNA content in the protein-restricted rats and the IGFBP-6 mRNA content in the rats fed on the control diet. These results clearly show that the mRNA for some of the proteins which have been shown to be involved in bone formation are regulated by both quantity of dietary proteins and ovarian hormones.

Animals↗

Effect of dietary sodium restriction on overall nutrient intake.

Sodium restriction, widely prescribed for hypertensive persons and recommended for the broader US population, may result in nutrient alterations that could either beneficially or detrimentally affect overall diet quality. Most dietary sodium comes from meats (including poultry and fish), grains, and dairy products. These three groups also provide most dietary calcium, iron, magnesium, and vitamin B-6. Thus, reduced consumption of foods that are primary sodium sources could concurrently reduce the dietary content of these other nutrients below recommended daily intakes. This consequence of sodium restriction has not been specifically addressed in clinical trials. Although intake of most food groups was significantly reduced by a sodium-restricted diet in the Hypertension Prevention Trial, three other large clinical trials reported differing effects of sodium restriction on simultaneous energy and nutrient intakes. In the largest study of the effects of a sodium-restricted diet on intake of all major nutrients, sodium reduction was accompanied by lower energy intake and, concomitantly, lower intakes of total fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrate, and calcium. Present data are inadequate for determining the potential nutrient alterations of a broad prescription of sodium restriction. Difficulties in interpreting the available data result from the combination of sodium restriction with other interventions, intensive sodium reduction measures that do not reflect clinical implementation, poor compliance with sodium restriction, lack of analysis of changes in patterns of food intake, and interventions that are too short to reflect stable dietary patterns.

Adult↗

Salt restriction lowers resting blood pressure but not 24-h ambulatory blood pressure.

Dietary salt restriction is the most common therapeutic recommendation given to hypertensives, but past studies have assessed the effect of salt restriction using resting blood pressure (BP) measurements not with the newer technique of 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring. We compared the effect of high (250 mEq Na/day) and low (10 mEq Na/day) salt diets on resting versus ambulatory BP in 12 normal and 15 hypertensive subjects. Each diet was given for 7 days. Ambulatory BP was monitored from day 6 to day 7 of each diet; resting supine BP was measured on the morning of day 8. In normal subjects, neither resting nor ambulatory BP changed with sodium restriction. In hypertensives, resting BP fell 14 +/- 3/6 +/- 2 mm Hg (systolic/diastolic; P less than .01 for both) with sodium restriction while ambulatory BP fell only 4 +/- 2/2 +/- 2 (P = NS). The resting BP fall was significantly greater than the ambulatory BP fall (P less than .05) for both systolic and diastolic pressure. Ambulatory heart rates were also significantly greater during sodium restriction, suggesting that the low salt diet activated the sympathetic nervous system. This may, in turn, have partially offset the hypotensive effect of sodium restriction. We conclude that using resting BP to assess the effect of sodium restriction may overestimate the efficacy of this therapy. Ambulatory BP monitoring should be employed in future studies of sodium restriction.

Ambulatory Care↗

The effect of dietary restriction during development in utero on the frequency of spontaneous somatic mutations.

Caloric or dietary restriction is known to be protective against cancer in humans and in mice but the mechanism is uncertain. Given that somatic mutations are important in carcinogenesis, dietary restriction may act by changing mutation rates. Indeed, previous studies have shown that reductions in caloric intake during development or in adult life make mice less susceptible to high doses of mutagens. In these studies there have been hints that the spontaneous mutant frequency may also be reduced, but no significant decrease has been observed save in one study of very old mice. Since the spontaneous mutant frequency is already low, reductions from this level require the use of much larger sample sizes than usual and larger than those used in the previous studies. As pre-existing mutations cannot be eliminated, it is necessary to reduce the dietary intake over a period of time when a substantial proportion of spontaneous mutations arise in order to see an effect. To overcome such problems, the dietary restriction in this study was applied during the time of the highest mutation rate, early development, and many more than the usual number of animals were studied. SWR female mice were crossed with Muta(TM)Mouse males to obtain F(1) progeny for analysis of mutant frequency. At conception, the dams were put into two groups, one that was fed ad libitum and another which was fed 80% of the ad libitum diet. Pups were killed at birth, DNA was extracted from the whole animal and used to measure the mutant frequencies of the mice at the cII locus. Although the weights of the pups from dams whose diet was restricted were significantly less than those of the ad libitum mice (P = 0.003), the litter sizes in the two groups were approximately the same and did not differ significantly (P = 0.13). There was no significant difference in the mutant frequencies in the dietarily restricted and ad libitum groups (P = 0.43). In addition, there was no significant correlation between the weights of the pups and their mutant frequency in either the ad libitum or dietarily restricted groups (r(2) = 0.14 and r(2) = 0.024). No difference was observed in mutant frequency between the ad libitum and dietarily restricted mice from litters of the same size (P = 0.61). These results indicate that the protective effect of dietary restriction on cancer rates is not mediated by an alteration in the spontaneous rate of mutation but rather by another mechanism, such as its effect on induced mutation.

Animals↗

Functional cooperation between exonucleases and endonucleases--basis for the evolution of restriction enzymes.

Many types of restriction enzymes cleave DNA away from their recognition site. Using the type III restriction enzyme, EcoP15I, which cleaves DNA 25-27 bp away from its recognition site, we provide evidence to show that an intact recognition site on the cleaved DNA sequesters the restriction enzyme and decreases the effective concentration of the enzyme. EcoP15I restriction enzyme is shown here to perform only a single round of DNA cleavage. Significantly, we show that an exonuclease activity is essential for EcoP15I restriction enzyme to perform multiple rounds of DNA cleavage. This observation may hold true for all restriction enzymes cleaving DNA sufficiently far away from their recognition site. Our results highlight the importance of functional cooperation in the modulation of enzyme activity. Based on results presented here and other data on well-characterised restriction enzymes, a functional evolutionary hierarchy of restriction enzymes is discussed.

Binding Sites↗

Maternal nutrient restriction reduces concentrations of amino acids and polyamines in ovine maternal and fetal plasma and fetal fluids.

Amino acids and polyamines are essential for placental and fetal growth, but little is known about their availability in the conceptus in response to maternal undernutrition. We hypothesized that maternal nutrient restriction reduces concentrations of amino acids and polyamines in the ovine conceptus. This hypothesis was tested in nutrient-restricted ewes between Days 28 and 78 (experiment 1) and between Days 28 and 135 (experiment 2) of gestation. In both experiments, ewes were assigned randomly on Day 28 of gestation to a control group fed 100% of National Research Council (NRC) nutrient requirements and to an nutrient-restricted group fed 50% of NRC requirements. Every 7 days beginning on Day 28 of gestation, ewes were weighed and rations adjusted for changes in body weight. On Day 78 of gestation, blood samples were obtained from the uterine artery and umbilical vein for analysis. In experiment 2, nutrient-restricted ewes on Day 78 of gestation either continued to be fed 50% of NRC requirements or were realimented to 100% of NRC requirements until Day 135. Fetal weight was reduced in nutrient-restricted ewes at both Day 78 (32%) and Day 135 (15%) compared with controls. Nutritional restriction markedly reduced (P < 0.05) concentrations of total alpha-amino acids (particularly serine, arginine-family amino acids, and branched-chain amino acids) and polyamines in maternal and fetal plasma and in fetal allantoic and amniotic fluids at both mid and late gestation. Realimentation of nutrient-restricted ewes increased (P < 0.05) concentrations of total alpha-amino acids and polyamines in all the measured compartments and prevented intrauterine growth retardation. These novel findings demonstrate that 50% global nutrient restriction decreases concentrations of amino acids and polyamines in the ovine conceptus that could adversely impact key fetal functions. The results have important implications for understanding the mechanisms responsible for both intrauterine growth retardation and developmental origins of adult disease.

Amino Acids↗

Lifelong caloric restriction increases expression of apoptosis repressor with a caspase recruitment domain (ARC) in the brain.

Aging may increase apoptotic events and the susceptibility of the central nervous system to apoptosis. Calorie restriction has been shown to have neuroprotective effects, but the mechanisms in vivo are unknown. We investigated apoptosis and apoptotic regulatory proteins in the brain frontal cortex of 12-month-old ad libitum fed, 26-month-old ad libitum fed, and 26-month-old calorie-restricted (CR) male Fischer 344 rats (CR = 40% restricted compared to ad libitum). We found that specific DNA fragmentation indicative of apoptosis was increased with age (+124%) in the cortices of the brain and that calorie restriction attenuated this increase significantly (-36%). We determined levels of ARC (apoptosis repressor with a caspase recruitment domain), which inhibits caspase-2 activity and also attenuates cytochrome c release from the mitochondria. We found a significant age-associated decline in ARC level, which was attenuated in the brains of the CR rats. In accordance with the changes in ARC expression observed, calorie restriction attenuated the increases in cytosolic cytochrome c and caspase-2 activity with age and suppressed the age-associated rise in cleaved caspase-9 and cleaved caspase-3. However, neither age nor calorie restriction had any effect on caspase-3 and caspase-9 activities. This data provides evidence for an increased incidence of apoptosis in rat brain with age and evidence that calorie restriction has the ability to attenuate this. Furthermore, our data suggest that calorie restriction provides neuroprotection through ARC by suppressing cytochrome c release and caspase-2 activity.

Animals↗

Dietary sodium restriction and the renin-angiotensin system in young spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Severe dietary sodium restriction initiated early in life is required to prevent development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Moderate sodium restriction does not affect hypertension development. This relative insensitivity to sodium restriction may be related to compensatory increases in other pressor mechanisms, specifically the renin-angiotensin system. We evaluated this possibility by measuring plasma renin activity, the blood pressure response to the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril as well as blood pressure responsiveness to exogenous angiotensin II in SHR and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) raised from birth until 6 or 16 weeks on control (101 mumol Na+/g food), moderate (26 mumol/g) or two severe (17 or 9 mumol/g) sodium-restricted diets. Moderate sodium restriction did not affect development of hypertension, but also did not cause significant increases in PRA or the blood pressure response to captopril in SHR or WKY. In contrast, severe sodium restriction blunted or prevented the development of hypertension in SHR and was associated with (1) marked increases in plasma renin activity (2) increased maintenance of blood pressure by the renin-angiotensin system (as assessed by captopril), and (3) a marked decrease in the blood pressure response to angiotensin II. We conclude that the relative insensitivity of hypertension development in SHR to dietary sodium restriction does not relate to a compensatory increase in the activity of the renin-angiotensin system. The moderate sodium restriction employed (26 mumol/g) may rather represent the lower end of the normal range.

Angiotensin II↗

Energy restriction and aging.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The focus of this review is on current research involving long-term calorie restriction and the resulting changes observed in possible biomarkers of aging. Special emphasis will be given to the basic and clinical science studies which are currently investigating the effects of controlled, high-quality energy-restricted diets on both biomarkers of longevity and on the development of chronic diseases related to age and obesity in humans. RECENT FINDINGS: Prolonged calorie restriction has been shown to extend both the median and maximal lifespan in a variety of lower species such as yeast, worms, fish, rats, and mice. Mechanisms of this lifespan extension via calorie restriction are not fully elucidated, but possibly involve significant alterations in energy metabolism, oxidative damage, insulin sensitivity, and functional changes in both the neuroendocrine and sympathetic nervous systems. Ongoing studies of prolonged energy restriction in humans are now making it possible to analyze changes in these aging biomarkers to unravel some of the mechanisms of its antiaging phenomenon. SUMMARY: With the incremental expansion of research endeavors in the area of energy or calorie restriction, data on the effects of calorie restriction in animal models and humans are becoming more accessible. Detailed analyses from controlled human trials involving long-term calorie restriction will allow investigators to link observed alterations in body composition down to changes in molecular pathways and gene expression, with their possible effects on the biomarkers of aging.

Aging↗

In vivo restriction by LlaI is encoded by three genes, arranged in an operon with llaIM, on the conjugative Lactococcus plasmid pTR2030.

The LlaI restriction and modification (R/M) system is encoded on pTR2030, a 46.2-kb conjugative plasmid from Lactococcus lactis. The llaI methylase gene, sequenced previously, encodes a functional type IIS methylase and is located approximately 5 kb upstream from the abiA gene, encoding abortive phage resistance. In this study, the sequence of the region between llaIM and abiA was determined and revealed four consecutive open reading frames (ORFs). Northern (RNA) analysis showed that the four ORFs were part of a 7-kb operon with llaIM and the downstream abiA gene on a separate transcriptional unit. The deduced protein sequence of ORF2 revealed a P-loop consensus motif for ATP/GTP-binding sites and a three-part consensus motif for GTP-binding proteins. Data bank searches with the deduced protein sequences for all four ORFs revealed no homology except for ORF2 with MerB, in three regions that coincided with the GTP-binding motifs in both proteins. To phenotypically analyze the llaI operon, a 9.0-kb fragment was cloned into a high-copy-number lactococcal shuttle vector, pTRKH2. The resulting construct, pTRK370, exhibited a significantly higher level of in vivo restriction and modification in L. lactis NCK203 than the low-copy-number parental plasmid, pTR2030. A combination of deletion constructions and frameshift mutations indicated that the first three ORFs were involved in LlaI restriction, and they were therefore designated llaI.1, llaI.2, and llaI.3. Mutating llaI.1 completely abolished restriction, while disrupting llaI.2 or llaI.3 allowed an inefficient restriction of phage DNA to occur, manifested primarily by a variable plaque phenotype. ORF4 had no discernible effect on in vivo restriction. A frameshift mutation in llaIM proved lethal to L. lactis NCK203, implying that the restriction component was active without the modification subunit. These results suggested that the LlaI R/M system is unlike any other R/M system studied to date and has diverged from the type IIS class of restriction enzymes by acquiring some characteristics reminiscent of type I enzymes.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Modulation of EcoKI restriction in vivo: role of the lambda Gam protein and plasmid metabolism.

Two novel types of alleviation of DNA restriction by the EcoKI restriction endonuclease are described. The first type depends on the presence of the gam gene product (Gam protein) of bacteriophage lambda. The efficiency of plating of unmodified phage lambda is greatly increased when the restricting Escherichia coli K-12 host carries a gam+ plasmid. The effect is particularly striking in wild-type strains and, to a lesser extent, in the presence of sbcC and recA mutations. In all cases, Gam-dependent alleviation of restriction requires active recBCD genes of the host and recombination (red) genes of the infecting phage. The enhanced capacity of Gam-expressing cells to repair DNA strand breaks might account for this phenomenon. The second type is caused by the presence of a plasmid in a restricting host lacking RecBCD enzyme. Commonly used plasmids such as the cloning vector pACYC184 can produce such an effect in strains carrying recB single mutations or in recBC sbcBC strains. Plasmid-mediated restriction alleviation in recBC sbcBC strains is independent of the host RecF, RecJ, and RecA proteins and phage recombination functions. The presence of plasmids can also relieve restriction in recD strains. This effect depends, however, on the RecA function in the host. The molecular mechanism of the plasmid-mediated restriction alleviation remains unclear.

Bacterial Proteins↗

Proteasome inhibition reveals that a functional preintegration complex intermediate can be generated during restriction by diverse TRIM5 proteins.

The primate TRIM5 proteins constitute a class of restriction factors that prevent host cell infection by retroviruses from different species. The TRIM5 proteins act early after virion entry and prevent viral reverse transcription products from accumulating. We recently found that proteasome inhibitors altered the rhesus monkey TRIM5alpha restriction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1), allowing reverse transcription products to accumulate even though viral infection remained blocked. To assess whether sensitivity to proteasome inhibitors was a common feature of primate TRIM5 proteins, we conducted a similar analysis of restriction mediated by owl monkey TRIM-cyclophilin A (CypA) or human TRIM5alpha. Similar to rhesus monkey TRIM5alpha restriction, proteasome inhibition prevented owl monkey TRIM-CypA restriction of HIV-1 reverse transcription, even though HIV-1 infection and the output of 2-LTR circles remained impaired. Likewise, proteasome inhibition alleviated human TRIM5alpha restriction of N-tropic murine leukemia virus reverse transcription. Finally, HIV-1 reverse transcription products escaping rhesus TRIM5alpha restriction by proteasome inhibition were fully competent for integration in vitro, demonstrating that TRIM5alpha likely prevents the viral cDNA from accessing chromosomal target DNA. Collectively, these data indicate that the diverse TRIM5 proteins inhibit retroviral infection in multiple ways and that inhibition of reverse transcription products is not necessary for TRIM5-mediated restriction of retroviral infection.

Animals↗

Trim-cyclophilin A fusion proteins can restrict human immunodeficiency virus type 1 infection at two distinct phases in the viral life cycle.

The Trim5alpha protein from several primates restricts retroviruses in a capsid (CA)-dependent manner. In owl monkeys, the B30.2 domain of Trim5 has been replaced by cyclophilin A (CypA) following a retrotransposition. Restriction of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) by the resulting Trim5-CypA fusion protein depends on CA binding to CypA, suggesting both that the B30.2 domain might be involved in CA binding and that the tripartite RING motif, B-BOX, and coiled coil (RBCC) motif domain can function independently of the B30.2 domain in restriction. To investigate the potential of RBCCs from other Trims to participate in restricting HIV-1, CypA was fused to the RBCC of Trim1, Trim18, and Trim19 and tested for restriction. Despite low identity within the RBCC domain, all fusion proteins were found to restrict HIV-1 but not the nonbinding G89V mutant, indicating that the overall structure of RBCC and not its primary sequence was important for the restriction function. The critical interaction between CA and Trim-CypA appears to take place soon after viral entry. Quantitative PCR analysis of viral reverse transcriptase products revealed that the different fusion proteins block HIV-1 at two distinct stages of its life cycle, either prior to reverse transcription or just before integration. With Trim1 and Trim18, this timing is dependent on the length of the Trim component of the fusion protein. These observations suggest that restriction factor binding can have different mechanistic consequences.

Antiviral Restriction Factors↗

Postnatal food restriction in the rat as a model for a low nephron endowment.

A low nephron endowment may be associated with hypertension. Nephrogenesis is the process that leads to the formation of nephrons until week 36 of gestation in humans and may be inhibited by many factors like intrauterine growth restriction and premature birth. To study the consequences of a low glomerular number, animal models have been developed. We describe a model of postnatal food restriction in the rat in which litter size is increased to 20 pups, which leads to growth restriction. In the rat, active nephrogenesis continues until postnatal day 8, which coincides with the growth restriction in our model. Design-based stereological methods were used to estimate glomerular number and volume. Our results show an approximately 25% lower glomerular number in rats after postnatal food restriction (30,800 glomeruli/kidney) compared with control rats (39,600 glomeruli/kidney, P < 0.001). Mean glomerular volume was increased by 35% in the growth-restricted rats (P = 0.006). There was a significant negative correlation between glomerular volume and glomerular number (r = -0.76, P < 0.001). We conclude that postnatal food restriction in the rat leads to a low nephron endowment with compensatory enlargement. It is therefore a suitable model to study the effect of intrauterine growth restriction or prematurity on kidney development and the consequences of a reduced glomerular number in later life.

Animal Diseases↗

Life-long calorie restriction in Fischer 344 rats attenuates age-related loss in skeletal muscle-specific force and reduces extracellular space.

The decline in muscle function is associated with an age-related decrease in muscle mass and an age-related decline in strength. However, decreased strength is not solely due to decreased muscle mass. The age-related decline in muscle-specific force (force/muscle cross-sectional area), a measure of intrinsic muscle function, also contributes to age-related strength decline, and the mechanisms by which this occurs are only partially known. Moreover, changes in the extracellular space could have a profound effect on skeletal muscle function. Life-long calorie restriction in rodents has shown to be a powerful anti-aging intervention. In this study, we examine whether calorie restriction is able to attenuate the loss of muscle function and elevations in extracellular space associated with aging. We hypothesize that calorie restriction attenuates the age-associated decline in specific force and increases in extracellular space. Measurements of in vitro contractile properties of the extensor digitorum longus (type II) and soleus (type I) muscles from 12-mo and 26- to 28-mo-old ad libitum-fed, as well as 27- to 28-mo-old life-long calorie-restricted male Fischer 344 rats, were performed. We found that calorie restriction attenuated the age-associated decline in muscle mass-to-body mass ratio (mg/g) and strength-to-body mass ratio (N/kg) in the extensor digitorum longus muscle (P < 0.05) but not in the soleus muscle (P > 0.05). Importantly, muscle-specific force (N/cm2) in the extensor digitorum longus, but not in the soleus muscle, of the old calorie-restricted rats was equal to that of the young 12-mo-old animals. Moreover, the age-associated increase in extracellular space was reduced in the fast-twitch extensor digitorum longus muscle (P < 0.05) but not in the soleus muscle with calorie restriction. We also found a significant correlation between the extracellular space and the muscle-specific force in the extensor digitorum longus (r = -0.58; P < 0.05) but not in the soleus muscle (r = -0.38; P > 0.05). Hence, this study shows a loss of muscle function with age and suggests that long-term calorie restriction is an effective intervention against the loss of muscle function with age.

Aging↗

Differential responses of circulating prolactin, GH, and ACTH levels and distribution and activity of submaxillary lymph node lymphocytes to calorie restriction in male Lewis and Wistar rats.

OBJECTIVES: Calorie restriction has been associated with anorexia in growing individuals, but the mechanisms involved are not known. Also, the effects of carbohydrates and lipid restriction in growing individuals were not studied. The aim of this study was to determine whether 66% calorie restriction (lipids and carbohydrates) differentially affects growing rats of the Wistar or Lewis strains. METHODS: Growing male Wistar and Lewis rats were subjected to 66% calorie restriction for 4 weeks. Plasma prolactin, growth hormone (GH), and adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) levels were measured by specific radioimmunoassays. Likewise, lymphocytes from submaxillary lymph nodes were aseptically obtained to study absolute number of lymphocytes, cell surface markers (CD4+, CD8+, CD4+CD8+, B, and T cells), and proliferation. RESULTS: The body weight gain was lower in Lewis than in Wistar rats and was blunted in both strains by calorie restriction. Wistar and Lewis rats exhibited differential patterns of plasma prolactin, ACTH, and GH levels as well as proliferative capacities of T and B cells and their distribution in the submaxillary lymph nodes. Calorie restriction increased plasma prolactin and ACTH levels in Lewis as compared with Wistar rats. However, the plasma GH levels were diminished in both strains of rats by calorie restriction. All changes in plasma prolactin ACTH and GH levels seemed to correlate with the modifications observed in the distributions of T and B subsets in the submaxillary lymph nodes as well as in their proliferative capacity. CONCLUSIONS: Calorie restriction differentially modifies the secretory patterns of prolactin, GH, and ACTH in Lewis and in Wistar rats. These changes may explain, at least in part, the associated modifications in the proliferative capacity of submaxillary lymph node lymphocytes and in their distribution.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗

Construction of two near-kilobase resolution restriction maps of the 5' regulatory region of the human apolipoprotein B gene by quantitative DNA fiber mapping (QDFM).

Quantitative DNA fiber mapping (QDFM) is a high-resolution technique for physical mapping of DNA. The method is based on hybridization of fluorescently labeled DNA probes to individual DNA molecules stretched on a chemically modified glass surface. We now demonstrate and validate a rapid QDFM-based approach for the mapping of multiple restriction sites and precise localization of restriction fragments in large genomic clones. Restriction fragments of a 70-kb P1 clone (P1-70) containing the 5' region of the human apolipo-protein B gene (APOB) were subcloned and mapped along straightened P1-70 DNA molecules. Multicolor fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and digital image analysis allowed us to rapidly position 29 restriction fragments, ranging in size from 0.5 kb to 8 kb, and to map 43 restriction sites. The restriction map obtained by QDFM was in excellent agreement with information obtained by RecA-assisted restriction endonuclease (RARE) cleavage, long-range PCR, and DNA sequence analyses of the P1-70 clone. These data demonstrate that QDFM is a rapid, reliable method for detailed restriction site-mapping of large DNA clones.

Apolipoproteins B↗

Dietary sodium restriction rapidly improves large elastic artery compliance in older adults with systolic hypertension.

We determined the temporal effects of dietary sodium restriction on large elastic artery compliance and systolic blood pressure (SBP) in 12 untreated, older (64+/-2 years) men and women (6 each) with stage 1 systolic hypertension. After baseline measurements subjects were assigned to 4 weeks of low or normal sodium intake (randomized, crossover design). Urinary sodium excretion was reduced by 60% by the end of week 1 of sodium restriction (54+/-11 mmol/d, P<0.01) versus baseline (135+/-14). Compared with baseline (0.11+/-0.01 mm/mm Hg), carotid artery compliance was increased by 27% (to 0.14+/-0.02, P<0.05) at the end of week 1 of sodium restriction, attaining peak levels by week 2 (+46%, to 0.16+/-0.02, P<0.01). Similarly, supine resting brachial artery SBP was reduced by >5 mm Hg by week 1 of sodium restriction, attaining peak reductions by week 2 (-12 mm Hg, P<0.01 versus baseline). The 24-hour ambulatory SBP was approximately 3 mm Hg lower at week 1 of sodium restriction and approximately 6 mm Hg lower by week 2 (P<0.01 versus baseline). The reductions in resting SBP from baseline to week 2 of sodium restriction were strongly related to the corresponding increases in carotid compliance (r=0.80, P<0.01). Urinary sodium excretion, carotid artery compliance, and SBP were not different during normal sodium intake versus baseline. Other subject characteristics were not different across conditions. Sodium restriction rapidly improves large elastic artery compliance in older adults with stage 1 systolic hypertension. These improvements in central arterial compliance appear to be a key mechanism in the rapid normalization of SBP by sodium restriction in these patients.

Aged↗