Showing papers by "Bruce W. Birren published in 1998"

The mouse pudgy mutation disrupts Delta homologue Dll3 and initiation of early somite boundaries

Abstract: Pudgy (pu) homozygous mice exhibit clear patterning defects at the earliest stages of somitogenesis, resulting in adult mice with severe vertebral and rib deformities. By positional cloning and complementation, we have determined that the pu phenotype is caused by a mutation in the delta-like 3 gene (Dll3), which is homologous to the Notch-ligand Delta in Drosophila. Histological and molecular marker analyses show that the pu mutation disrupts the proper formation of morphological borders in early somite formation and of rostral-caudal compartment boundaries within somites. Viability analysis also indicates an important role in early development. The results point to a key role for a Notch-signalling pathway in the initiation of patterning of vertebrate paraxial mesoderm.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 bacterial artificial chromosomes: strategies for mapping, screening, and sequencing 100 kb loci of the 5.9 Mb genome.

Abstract: Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an opportunistic bacterial pathogen frequently found in nosocomial infections and is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cystic fibrosis. To facilitate molecular studies of this organism, we have generated a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library. Genomic DNA was isolated from the prototype strain PAOl, partially digested with HindIII, size selected after pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and used to construct a BAC library using the pBeloBACll vector. DNAs from approximately 850 clones, representing more than 9.5-fold physical coverage of the 5.9-Mb PAOl genome, were analyzed after Spel and HindIII digestions and agarose gel electrophoresis. The BAC library had clones with insert fragments ranging from 20 to more than 290 kb. A subset of 264 BACs having inserts >80 kb, representing >4 genome equivalents, were rearrayed into 96-well plates, and a clone pooling and PCR screening strategy was developed. The PCR library screening enabled the identificati...