No abstract

We have used a cDNA clone for human phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) to examine the chromosomal localization of three members of the human PGK gene family. Using somatic cell hybrids segregating portions of several X-autosome translocations as well as a clone panel of hybrids segregating radiation-induced fragments of the human X chromosome, we assign a PGK pseudogene to the region Xq11-Xq13, proximal to the functional X-linked PGK gene located in Xq13. In addition, using a panel of 24 somatic cell hybrids, we assign an autosomal PGK-related DNA sequence to human chromosome 19.

SUMMARYThe study used DNA fingerprint typing (spoligotyping and Heminested-Inverse-PCR) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis from all culture-confirmed inner London patients over a 12-month period to describe transmission. The methodology was evaluated by comparison with standard IS6110 typing and by examining its ability to identify known household clusters of cases. Isolates sharing indistinguishable typing patterns using both techniques were defined as clustered. Clusters were investigated to identify epidemiological links. The methodology showed good discriminatory power and identified known household clusters of cases. Of 694 cultureconfirmed cases, 563 (81 %) were typed. Eleven (2 %) were due to laboratory crosscontamination and were excluded. Of the remaining 552 isolates 148 (27 %) were clustered. Multivariate analysis indicated that clustering was more common in those with pulmonary smear positive disease (P 0n02) ; those born in the United Kingdom (P 0n0003) and in patients living in south London (P l 0n02). There was also a trend towards clustering being more common in those not known to have HIV infection (P l 0n051). The results suggest that in inner London, recent local transmission makes an important contribution to notification rates.

Sixty-eight independent hybrid clones were isolated after irradiated normal human lymphocytes were fused with Chinese hamster fibroblasts lacking hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase activity. The cells were grown under selective conditions requiring retention of the X chromosome-linked locus for human hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase. The frequency and patterns of cotransference of human phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase with the selected marker and with additional X-linked enzymatic markers confirm X linkage of the structural gene for human phosphoribosylpyrophosphate synthetase and support assignment of this gene to a position on the long arm of the X, between the loci for alpha-galactosidase and hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase.

We have investigated the role of two rapid PCR-based typing methods, IS6110-based PCR and spacer-oligonucleotide typing, within a national tuberculosis reference service. The validity of clusters with IS6110 restriction fragment length polymorphism fingerprints with less than 6 bands was also investigated in the context of referred isolates.