Sven Bergström

Three variants of parathyroid hormone-related protein messenger RNA are expressed in human mammary gland

PTH-related protein (PTHrP) is found in a variety of tissues; particularly high levels are present in human milk. The structure of the human PTHrP gene is complex, and alternative splicing allows expression of three different variants PTHrP139, PTHrP173, and PTHrP141, respectively. To determine which of the variants are expressed in human mammary gland a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method was elaborated, distinguishing the three variants. mRNA isolated from human milk cells, human mammary epithelial cells (HMEC) and human nonlactating mammary gland cells were analyzed. The RT-PCR experiments resulted in amplification of DNA fragments corresponding to all three variants for all three cell sources tested. The nucleotide sequences of the PCR fragments were determined and verified to be identical to the reported sequences. Hence, it is concluded that human mammary gland epithelial cells express three variants of PTHrP. Whether these have different physiologic effects in the mammary gland or in the breast fed infant remain to be explored.

Chromosome and Megaplasmid Sequences of Borrelia anserina (Sakharoff 1891), the Agent of Avian Spirochetosis and Type Species of the Genus

ABSTRACT Sequences of the linear chromosome and plasmids of Borrelia anserina, the cause of avian spirochetosis of poultry, revealed a smaller genome than those of other Borrelia spp. transmitted by argasid ticks. Missing or disrupted genes included a dam methylase and those in the pathway for synthesis of phospholipids from glycerol.