Confirmation that SNPs in the high mobility group‐A2 gene (HMGA2) are associated with adult height in the Japanese population; wide‐ranging population survey of height‐related SNPs in HMGA2

Adult height is a highly heritable trait in that multiple genes are involved. Recent genome‐wide association studies have identified a novel single‐nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs1042725 in the high mobility group‐A2 gene (HMGA2) and shown it to be associated with human height in Caucasian populations. We performed a replication study to examine the associations between SNPs in HMGA2 and adult height in the Japanese population based on autopsy cases. Although we could not confirm a significant association between rs1042725 in HMGA2 and adult height, another SNP, rs7968902, in the gene achieved significance for its association in the same populations, and the effect was the same as that documented previously. These findings permit us to conclude that the SNPs in HMGA2 are common variants influencing human height across different populations. Moreover, a worldwide population study of these SNPs using 14 different populations including Asians, Africans and Caucasians demonstrated that both haplotypes and genotypes for three height‐related SNPs (rs1042725, rs7968682 and rs7968902) in HMGA2 were distributed in an ethnicity‐dependent manner. This information will be useful for clarifying the genetic basis of human height.     

Aromatic hydroxylation with peroxymonophosphoric acid

Aromatic hydroxylation of mesitylene, phenol and anisole (ArH) with peroxymonosphosphoric acid (H₃PO₅) in acetonitrile has been studied. H₃PO₅ is shown to be an effective reagent for aromatic hydroxylation, the reactivity being comparable to that with CF₃CO₃H. Mesitylene gives mesitol (over 70%). The hydroxylation with H₃PO₅ is ca 100 fold faster than that with MeCO₃H or PhCO₃H. The rate equation is: v = k₂[ArH][H₃PO₅] instead of our previous one. The oxidation is catalyzed by H₂SO₄, giving a linear plot of log k₂ vs H₀ with a slope of 1.26 for phenol and 1.17 for mesitylene.     

Apparent Production of Enzymatically Synthesized Amylose in DMSO by Means of Calcium Alginate Hydrogel Beads/DMSO System

In this paper, we describe the apparent production of enzymatically synthesized amylose in DMSO by means of the calcium alginate hydrogel beads/DMSO system as the reaction field of the phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization. When the calcium alginate hydrogel beads including glucose-1-phosphate, maltoheptaose, and phosphorylase were suspended in DMSO and the system was slowly stirred at 40°C for 12 h, the reaction proceeded to produce amylose, which eluted to the DMSO solution. The obtained amylose was purified by the treatment with ion-exchange resins, and its structure was confirmed by the ¹H NMR spectrum. The time-course experiment in the present system revealed that the phosphorylase-catalyzed enzymatic polymerization was carried out for 15 min on the inside of the calcium alginate hydrogel beads and the produced amylose was gradually eluted to the surrounding DMSO solution. The comparison of the present system with the general enzymatic polymerization in aqueous buffer solution suggested that the yield and the degree of polymerization of amylose in the present system were comparable to those in aqueous buffer solution.