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Is alternative splicing of apoptotic genes playing a role in the response to DNA or mitochondrial damage?
Yes, alternative splicing seem to play a key role in the response to DNA or mitocondrial damage as suggested by the number of apoptotic genes that are alternatively spliced, with often antagonistic roles of the isoforms generated.
Cancer chemotherapeutic agents such as cisplatin exert their cytotoxic effect by inducing DNA damage and activating programmed cell death (apoptosis). The tumour-suppressor protein p53 is an important activator of apoptosis. Although p53-deficient cancer cells are less responsive to chemotherapy, their resistance i...
Which oncogenes are able to induce cellular senescence?
Cellular senescence can be induced through activation or inactivation of a number of oncogenes, such as Ras, c-Abl, Raf, Myc, Skp2, BRAF, AKT, HDAC2, p38 MAPK, Caveolin-1 and Mek1.
Oncogenic activation of the mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase cascade in murine fibroblasts initiates a senescence-like cell cycle arrest that depends on the ARF/p53 tumor suppressor pathway. To investigate whether p53 is sufficient to induce senescence, we introduced a conditional murine p53 allele (p53(val13...
What is HbVar?
HbVar (http://globin.cse.psu.edu) is a relational database of hemoglobin variants and thalassemia mutations. Extensive information is recorded for each variant and mutation, including a description of the variant and associated pathology, hematology, electrophoretic mobility, methods of isolation, stability information...
We have constructed a relational database of hemoglobin variants and thalassemia mutations, called HbVar, which can be accessed on the web at http://globin.cse.psu.edu. Extensive information is recorded for each variant and mutation, including a description of the variant and associated pathology, hematology, elect...
Can DMSO as an additive improve proteomic analysis results?
Quantitative precisions improved significantly when DMSO (dimethylsulfoxide) was added to the matrix solution. Introducing to the 80% formic acid injection solution an organic solvent such as acetonitrile or acetonitrile-DMSO induced further retention selectivity, and increasing levels of organic solvents reduced on-co...
In this report we explore the use of MALDI-FTICR mass spectrometry for the quantitative analysis of five HIV-1 protease inhibitors in cell lysates. 2,5-Dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHB) was used as the matrix. From a quantitative perspective, DHB is usually a poor matrix due to its poor shot-to-shot and poor spot-to-spot...
The antibodies MK-3475 and CT-011 have shown promising results in treating malignancies. Which protein are they targeting?
Modulation of the immune system by targeting coinhibitory and costimulatory receptors has become a promising new approach of immunotherapy for cancer. OBJECTIVE: CT-011 is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that modulates the immune response through interaction with PD-1, a protein belonging to the B7 receptor family...
PURPOSE: CT-011 is a humanized IgG1 monoclonal antibody that modulates the immune response through interaction with PD-1, a protein belonging to the B7 receptor family present on lymphocytes. The objectives of this phase I study were to assess the dose-limiting toxicities, to determine the maximum tolerated dose, a...
Which are the different proteins/isoforms encoded but the ASPH (aspartate beta-hydroxylase) gene in humans?
Alternative splicing of the locus AbetaH-J-J (asparetyl-beta-hydroxylase) generates three functionally distinct proteins: an enzyme, AbetaH (aspartyl-beta-hydroxylase), a structural protein of the sarcoplasmic reticulum membrane (junctin), and an integral membrane calcium binding protein (junctate). Aspartyl (asparagin...
The mouse aspartyl beta-hydroxylase gene (Asph, BAH) has been cloned and characterized. The mouse BAH gene spans 200 kilobase pairs of genomic DNA and contains 24 exons. Of three major BAH-related transcripts, the two largest (6,629 and 4,419 base pairs) encode full-length protein and differ only in the use of alte...
List processes which are under the control of the YAP protein.
Yes-associated protein (YAP), a transcription coactivator, is the major downstream effector of the Hippo pathway, which plays a critical role in organ size control, cell poliferation and cancer development and tissue homeostasis and differentiation.
Protein geranylgeranylation (GGylation) is an important biochemical process for many cellular signaling molecules. Previous studies have shown that GGylation is essential for cell survival in many types of cancer. However, the molecular mechanism mediating the cell survival effect remains elusive. In this report, we...
What family do mDia proteins belong in?
mDia proteins are members of the formin family.
OBJECTIVE: To compare communication in triadic (three-person) and dyadic (two-person) older patient medical interviews and to determine the influence of the presence of a third person on the physician-older patient relationship. DESIGN: Matched sample of dyadic and triadic audiotaped outpatient medical visits. Audio...
Is nucleosome eviction ATP-dependent?
Yes, nucleosome eviction and chromatin remodelling depends on ATP
ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling complexes play a critical role in chromatin dynamics. A large number of in vitro studies have pointed towards nucleosome sliding as the principal remodeling outcome of SWI/SNF action, whereas few have described histone octamer transfer as the principal outcome. In contrast, recent ...
Is TREM2 associated with Alzheimer's disease in humans?
TREM2 variants have been found to be associated with early as well as with late onset Alzheimer's disease.
Triggering Receptor Expressed on Myeloid cells (TREM)2 deficiency originates a genetic syndrome characterized by bone cysts and presenile dementia, named Nasu-Hakola disease (NHD). Early onset dementia and marked involvement of frontal regions are features characterizing both NHD and other kinds of neurodegenerativ...
Which is the most common measure of differences between dinucleotide relative abundance "genomic signatures"
The concept of a genomic signature was introduced with the observation of species-type specific Dinucleotide Relative Abundance Profiles (DRAPs). The set of dinucleotide odds ratios or 'general design' is a remarkably stable property of the DNA of an organism, and can be used to discriminate between sequences from diff...
Early biochemical experiments established that the set of dinucleotide odds ratios or 'general design' is a remarkably stable property of the DNA of an organism, which is essentially the same in protein-coding DNA, bulk genomic DNA, and in different renaturation rate and density gradient fractions of genomic DNA in...
Name a method for enrichment of arginine-methylated peptides.
Immunoaffinity purification using specific antibodies has been used in order to perform enrichment of methylated peptides.
Protein methylation is a common posttranslational modification that mostly occurs on arginine and lysine residues. Arginine methylation has been reported to regulate RNA processing, gene transcription, DNA damage repair, protein translocation, and signal transduction. Lysine methylation is best known to regulate hi...
Why do we use "N-terminal proteomics"?
N-terminal proteomics allows the systematic identification of protease/peptidase cleavage events revealing substrate cleavage specificities.
We present here a novel proteomics design for systematic identification of protease cleavage events by quantitative N-terminal proteomics, circumventing the need for time-consuming manual validation. We bypass the singleton detection problem of protease-generated neo-N-terminal peptides by introducing differential ...
List omics technologies comprised in system biology.
System biology combines various omics technologies such as genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, metabolomics, epigenomics, glucomics, degradomics and fluxomics.
Biomarkers are currently widely used to diagnose diseases, monitor treatments, and evaluate potential drug candidates. Research of differential Omics accelerate the advancements of biomarkers' discovery. By extracting biological knowledge from the 'omics' through integration, integrative system biology creates pred...
Rindopepimut is an analog of which growth factor?
Rindopepimut is an analog of EGFRvIII. It is being tested for treatment of glioblastoma multiforme
Celldex Therapeutics is developing rindopepimut (CDX-110), a 14-mer injectable peptide vaccine for the potential treatment of glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Rindopepimut specifically targets a novel junctional epitope of the EGFR deletion mutant EGFRvIII, which is a constitutively active receptor that is expressed ...
Which gene mutations are responsible for isolated Non-compaction cardiomyopathy?
The gene mutations that have been shown to be the causes of isolated non-compaction cardiomyopathy are alpha-tropomyosin, alpha-tropomyosin, troponin T and desmoplakin
Isolated non-compaction of the ventricular myocardium (INVM), sometimes referred to as 'spongy myocardium', is a congenital and exceedingly rare cardiomyopathy. Isolated ventricular non-compaction occurs in the absence of other structural heart diseases and, hypothetically, it is due to the arrest of myocardial mor...
From which tissue was the NCI-H520 cell-line derived?
Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line NCI-H520. Squamous cell carcinoma cell line NCI-H520.
The antitumor effect of CGP41251 (4'-N-benzoyl staurosporine), a selective protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, was examined on two kinds of human non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell lines (adenocarcinoma: A549 and squamous cell carcinoma: NCI-H520). CGP41251 at 0.5 or 1.0 microM inhibited the proliferation of the...
Have mutations in the Polycomb group been found in human diseases?
Yes, different members of the Polycomb family have been found mutated in diseases such as primary microcephaly, nonsyndromic cleft lip and several cancers (including hemotopoietic malignancies, esophageal carcinoma, head and neck cancer or prostate cancer). Exact anser: Yes
Endometrial stromal sarcomas (ESS) represent <10% of all uterine sarcomas. Cytogenetic data on this tumor type are limited to 32 cases, and the karyotypes are often complex, but the pattern of rearrangement is nevertheless clearly nonrandom with particularly frequent involvement of chromosome arms 6p and 7p. Recent...
Describe the mechanism of action of drisapersen
Drisapersen is a 2'-O-methyl-phosphorothioate oligonucleotide designed to skip exon 51 in dystrophin pre-mRNA to restore the reading frame of the mRNA. It has potential for treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy.
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: The most encouraging recent advances regarding pharmacological agents for treating Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) are summarized. Emphasis is given to compounds acting downstream of dystrophin, the protein lacking in DMD, on cellular pathways leading to pathological consequences. The author hi...
Is microRNA(miRNA) 29 involved in post-ischemic cardiac remodeling?
miRNA 29 is involved in post-ischemic myocardial remodeling in particular in the peri-infarctual zone. miRNA 29 produces apoptosis and enhances fibrotic response.
BACKGROUND: Hemodynamic load regulates myocardial function and gene expression. We tested the hypothesis that afterload and preload, despite similar average load, result in different phenotypes. METHODS AND RESULTS: Afterload and preload were compared in mice with transverse aortic constriction (TAC) and aortocaval ...
What is the incidence of Edwards syndrom in the european population?
Between 0.125 and 39 in every 1000 live births. Most probably 1:5000 of live-born.
BACKGROUND: Maternal serum triple marker screening (alpha-fetoprotein, human chorionic gonadotropin, and unconjugated estriol) can detect 60-70% of Down syndrome and 60% of Edwards syndrome. Previous studies have reported that positive serum screening is related to other fetal chromosomal abnormalities, pregcy comp...
Is exonuclease Xrn1 a component of the P-bodies?
In eukaryotic cells, XRN1 is often found in particles known as processing bodies (P bodies) together with other proteins involved in the 5' → 3' degradation pathway, such as DCP2 and the helicase DHH1 (Me31B). In yeast and human tissue culture cells, Xrn1 has been shown to be a component of P-bodies (processing bodies...
Decapping is a central step in eukaryotic mRNA turnover. Recent studies have identified several factors involved in catalysis and regulation of decapping. These include the following: an mRNA decapping complex containing the proteins Dcp1 and Dcp2; a nucleolar decapping enzyme, X29, involved in the degradation of U...
What is the substrate of the microbial enzyme inulinase?
The inulinase acts on the beta-(2,1)-D-fructoside links in inulin releasing D-fructose.
Strains belonging to the yeast species Kluyveromyces marxianus have been isolated from a great variety of habitats, which results in a high metabolic diversity and a substantial degree of intraspecific polymorphism. As a consequence, several different biotechnological applications have been investigated with this y...
What is the treatment of acute myocarditis?
Treatment of acute myocarditis includes antiinflammatory drugs like ibuoprofen and steroids, inotropic agents and mechanical support (intra-aortic ballon pump). TandemHeart percutaneous ventricular assist device may be used in some, more compromised, patients for few days.
OBJECTIVE: To clarify the effects of Astragalus Membranaceus (AM) combined with taurine and/or coenzyme Q10(CoQ10) on coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) murine myocarditis. METHODS: Viral myocarditis model was created by intraperitoneal inoculation with CVB3 solution and were treated by saline, AM, taurine, CoQ10, AM + taurin...
List causative genes for autosomal recessive forms of monogenic Parkinson's disease
Causative genes for autosomal recessive forms of monogenic Parkinson's disease are: PARK2 PARK7 PINK1 PARK9 PARK14 PARK15
Mutations of the parkin gene on chromosome 6 cause autosomal recessive, early onset parkinsonism. This is the most frequent form of monogenic parkinsonism so far identified. The associated phenotypical spectrum encompasses early onset, levodopa-responsive parkinsonism (average onset in the early 30s in Europe), and ...
How does ranolazine affect calcium handling in the heart
Ranolazine has only a small effect on the basal calcium current, while it greatly affects whole cell calcium current when facilitated by beta-adrenoceptor or histamine receptor activation. Ranolazine is a novel agent that inhibits the late sodium current thereby reducing cellular sodium and calcium overload. Ranolazine...
1. Ranolazine has protective effects against ischaemia as exemplified by a reduction of the associated enzyme release and an attenuation of the fall of ATP and other metabolic changes. It has been suggested that ranolazine may affect GTP-binding proteins involved in the beta-adrenergic protein kinase A (PKA) cascad...
Which is the primary distinction between the Reverse Warburg effect and the conventional Warburg effect?
The conventional "Warburg effect" reffers to the metabolic shift of cancer cells towards aerobic glycolysis, due to mitochondrial dysfunction. The "reverse Warburg effect" or "parasitic" energy-transfer, is a model of "two-compartment tumor metabolism". In this model, cancer cells secrete hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), ini...
Here, we propose a new model for understanding the Warburg effect in tumor metabolism. Our hypothesis is that epithelial cancer cells induce the Warburg effect (aerobic glycolysis) in neighboring stromal fibroblasts. These cancer-associated fibroblasts, then undergo myo-fibroblastic differentiation, and secrete lac...
What is the role of per genes in circadian rhythm control?
PER1 and PER2 genes are involved in cell cycle regulation and tumor suppression, controlling expression of genes such as c-Myc, Cyclin D1, Cyclin A, Mdm-2 and Gadd45alpha.
Period (Per) genes are key circadian rhythm regulators in mammals. Expression of mouse Per (mPer) genes has a diurnal pattern in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and in peripheral tissues. Genetic ablation mPER1 and mPER2 function results in a complete loss of circadian rhythm control based on wheel-running activity in ...
Can sorafenib activate AMPK?
Sorafenib induces persisten AMPK activation
The multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is under clinical investigation for the treatment of many solid tumors, but in most cases, the molecular target responsible for the clinical effect is unknown. Furthermore, enhancing the effectiveness of sorafenib using combination strategies is a major clinical challenge. Here, ...
What tyrosine kinase, involved in a Philadelphia- chromosome positive chronic myelogenous leukemia, is the target of Imatinib (Gleevec)?
The fusion protein BCR-ABL
Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a clonal hematopoietic stem cell disorder characterized by Philadelphia chromosome and resultant production of the constitutively activated BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. Imatinib (STI571), selective inhibitor of the ABL-tyrosine kinase, inhibits the activity of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase. ...
When was empagliflozin FDA approved?
Empagliflozin was approved in 2014 by the European Commission and the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).
OBJECTIVE: To review available studies of empagliflozin, a sodium glucose co-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitor approved in 2014 by the European Commission and the United States Food and Drug Administration for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). DATA SOURCES: PubMed was searched using the search terms em...
Which R/bioconductor package is used for integrative genomics visualizations?
Sushi.R is a flexible, quantitative and integrative genomic visualizations for publication-quality multi-panel figures using common genomic data formats including Browser Extensible Data (BED), bedGraph and Browser Extensible Data Paired-End (BEDPE). Sushi.R is open source and made publicly available through GitHub (ht...
List symptoms of congenital toxoplasmosis triad.
Classic triad of toxoplasmosis include hydrocephalus, cerebral calcification and chorioretinitis.
Toxoplasma gondii was discovered by scientists working in North Africa and Brazil around 100 years ago. The parasite has since been found to be capable of infecting all warm-blooded animals including humans making it one of the most successful parasitic organisms worldwide. The pathogenic potential of T. gondii was...
How many genes are imprinted in the human genome?
Among approximately 70 known imprinted genes are some causing disorders affecting growth, metabolism and cancer predisposition.
DNA methylation is a covalent modification of the nucleotide cytosine that is stably inherited at the dinucleotide CpG by somatic cells, and 70% of CpG dinucleotides in the genome are methylated. The exception to this pattern of methylation are CpG islands, CpG-rich sequences that are protected from methylation, an...
Is exome sequencing efficient for the detection of germline mutations?
Exome sequencing is an efficient, sensitive, rapid and relatively cheap method for detection of germline mutations.
The advent of next-generation sequencing technologies has revolutionized the study of genetic variation in the human genome. Whole-genome sequencing currently represents the most comprehensive strategy for variant detection genome-wide but is costly for large sample sizes, and variants detected in noncoding regions...
Which cellular processes are regulated by Nanog?
The pluripotency sustaining factor Nanog, controls a cascade of pathways that are intricately connected to govern pluripotency, self-renewal, genome surveillance and cell fate determination. Elevated expression of Nanog has also been reported to result in clonal expansion of murine ESCs, but it also plays a role in tum...
Nanog is a newly identified homeodomain gene that functions to sustain the pluripotency of embryonic stem cells. However, the molecular mechanism through which og regulates stem cell pluripotency remains unknown. Mouse og encodes a polypeptide of 305 residues with a divergent homeodomain similar to those in the NK-...
In which cells are A-type lamins expressed?
In the rat brain, lamin A and C are expressed in relatively equal amounts, while the expressions of lamin B1 and B2 vary depending on the cell type. Human cells with reduced expression of the major B-type lamin protein, lamin B1, were generated using RNA interference. In addition, horizontal cells and a subpopulation o...
The peripheral lamina of eukaryotic nuclei is composed of polypeptides called lamins that vary in number from one to four according to organism, cell type, and differentiated state of the cells. Early embryonic cells and stem cells of mammals generally possess only lamin B while lamins A and C appear later during d...
What is the definition of autophagy?
There are several definitions of autophagy. Among them, autophagy can be defined as a non- apoptotic programmed cell death that consists on a catabolic trafficking pathway for bulk destruction and turnover of long-lived proteins and organelles via regulated lysosomal degradation.
Apoptosis is a physiological method of cell death commonly referred to as programmed cell death. However, non-apoptotic programmed cell death, such as autophagy and programmed necrosis, has been characterized by morphological criteria. In view of the human therapeutic use of DEX, and considering that no difference ...
Gene silencing can be achieved by RNA interference (RNAi) in eukaryotic organisms. What is the name of the analogous process in prokaryotic organisms?
Bacteria have developed several defense mechanisms against bacteriophages over evolutionary time, but the concept of prokaryotic RNA interference mediated defense mechanism against phages and other invading genetic elements has emerged only recently. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) to...
BACKGROUND: All archaeal and many bacterial genomes contain Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindrome Repeats (CRISPR) and variable arrays of the CRISPR-associated (cas) genes that have been previously implicated in a novel form of DNA repair on the basis of comparative analysis of their protein product sequ...
Between which types of DNA bases are mutational biases introduced due to directional mutation pressure?
The rates of substitution mutations in two directions, v (from an AT-pair to a GC-pair) and u (from a GC-pair to an AT-pair), are usually not the same. Thereafter, the effect of mutation on a genome is not random but has a directionality toward higher or lower GC content of DNA. The net effect, v/(u + v), has previousl...
The genetic code has been influenced by directional mutation pressure affecting the base composition of DNA, sometimes in the direction of increased GC content and at other times, in the direction of AT. Such pressure led to changes in species-specific usages of codons and tRNA anticodons, and also in amino acid as...
Is it feasible to determine the complete proteome of yeast?
Yes, since the complete genome of yeast is known.
N-Myristoylation is an irreversible modification that affects the membrane binding properties of crucial cytoplasmic proteins from signal transduction cascades. We characterized the two putative N-myristoyltransferases of Arabidopsis thaliana as a means of investigating the entire N-myristoylation proteome (N-myris...
Which mutations of alpha-myosin heavy chain gene are implicated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy?
The following mutations of alpha-myosin heavy chain gene are implicated in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: R403Q; Q1065H and Arg-249-->Gln
To analyze potential functional consequences of myosin heavy chain (MHC) mutations identified in patients with familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (FHC), we have assessed the stability of the mutant MHCs and their ability to form thick filaments. Constructs encoding wild-type rat alpha MHC and seven corresponding ...
Which are the cardiac manifestations of Marfan syndrome?
Cardiac manifestations of Marfan syndrome include aortic root dilation,aortic regurgitation, mitral valve prolapse and mitral valve regurgitation.
Marfan's syndrome in its complete and incomplete forms takes very often a course with cardiac complications, predetermining the fate of such patients. The incomplete forms often present difficulties for the timely etiological elucidation of the cardiac changes leading to a retardation in the prescribing a rational ...
How is connected "isolated Non-compaction cardiomyopathy" with dilated cardiomyopathy?
Mutations in cardiac beta-myosin heavy chain and alpha-tropomyosin link isolated Non-compaction cardiomyopathy with dilated cardiomyopathy
BACKGROUND: Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is characterized by idiopathic dilatation and systolic contractile dysfunction of the ventricle(s) leading to an impaired systolic function. The origin of DCM is heterogeneous, but genetic transmission of the disease accounts for up to 50% of the cases. Mutations in alpha-tr...
What is the role of AMPK in diabetic cardiomyopathy?
AMPK activation protects cardiac structure and function by increasing cardiac autophagy in the diabetic heart. Decreased AMPK activity and the subsequent reduction in cardiac autophagy are central to the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. In fact, dissociation of Bcl-2 from Beclin1 may be an important mechanism ...
In obese rodents, excess myocardial lipid accumulation (lipotoxicity) of myocardium may cause cardiomyopathy that in the obese Zucker diabetic fatty (ZDF) fa/fa rat can be prevented by treatment with troglitazone (TGZ). To determine the underlying mechanisms, we measured total 5'-AMP-activated kinase (AMPK) protein...
Are circRNAs associated with diseases and traits?
Yes. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) play a crucial role in fine tuning the level of miRNA mediated regulation of gene expression by sequestering the miRNAs. Their interaction with disease associated miRNAs indicates that circular RNAs are important for disease regulation.
Circular RNAs are new players in regulation of post transcriptional gene expression. Animal genomes express many circular RNAs from diverse genomic locations. A recent study has validated a fairly large number of circular RNAs in human, mouse, and nematode. Circular RNAs play a crucial role in fine tuning the level...
Which is the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes?
the most common cause of sudden cardiac death in young athletes is hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
Sudden death in athletes is a rare but tragic occurrence. Congenital cardiovascular abnormalities, usually asymptomatic and often undiagnosed during life, are the main causes in young athletes. Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and congenital coronary anomalies are the most commonly occurring disorders. Idiopathic concen...
Could the Menzerath-Altmann law be proved mathematically trivial in genomes?
Yes. The view of Menzerath-Altmann law in genomes, as inevitable, is seriously flawed.
Menzerath's law, the tendency of Z (the mean size of the parts) to decrease as X (the number of parts) increases, is found in language, music and genomes. Recently, it has been argued that the presence of the law in genomes is an inevitable consequence of the fact that Z=Y/X, which would imply that Z scales with X ...
What is the rate of survival after commotio cordis?
Survival rates for commotio cordis are low, even when resuscitation is performed. Survival rates vary between 10% and 28%.
Commotio cordis is the condition of sudden cardiac death or near sudden cardiac death after blunt, low-impact chest wall trauma in the absence of structural cardiac abnormality. Ventricular fibrillation is the most commonly reported induced arrhythmia in commotio cordis. Blunt impact injury to the chest with a base...
What is the oldest human sample analysed by paleontology proteomics?
The Tyrolean Iceman's brain is the oldest (5300 years old) human sample that has been studied by paleoproteomics.
The application of high-resolution analytical techniques to characterize ancient bone proteins requires clean, efficient extraction to obtain high quality data. Here, we evaluated many different protocols from the literature on ostrich cortical bone and moa cortical bone to evaluate their yield and relative purity ...
What are the results of loss of the protein Lon1 in the plant Arabidopsis?
Loss of Lon1 in Arabidopsis changes the mitochondrial proteome leading to altered metabolite profiles and growth retardation. Additionaly, seedling establishment is also impaired.
Maintece of protein quality control and turnover is essential for cellular homeostasis. In plant organelles this biological process is predomitly performed by ATP-dependent proteases. Here, a genetic screen was performed that led to the identification of Arabidopsis thaliana Lon1 protease mutants that exhibit a pos...
Which gene is involved in Giant Axonal Neuropathy?
Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease caused by autosomal recessive mutations in the GAN gene resulting in a loss of a ubiquitously expressed protein, gigaxonin
Giant axonal neuropathy (GAN) is an autosomal recessive neurologic disorder clinically characterized by a severe polyneuropathy, CNS abnormalities, and characteristic tightly curled hair. Recently, mutations in the gigaxonin gene have been identified as the underlying genetic defect. The authors report two novel mu...
Are there studies representing the involvement of Notch mutations in neurodegenerative diseases such as Down syndrome, Pick's and Prion's disease, and cadasil syndrome?
The Notch signaling pathway is an evolutionarily conserved, intercellular signaling mechanism essential for proper embryonic development in organisms as diverse as insects, nematodes, echinoderms and mammals. Disruptions in conserved developmental pathways frequently result in inherited congenital anomalies in humans. ...
In addition to neuronal vacuolation and astrocytic hypertrophy, dendritic atrophy is a prominent feature of prion disease. Because increased Notch-1 expression and cleavage releasing its intracellular domain (NICD) inhibit both dendrite growth and maturation, we measured their levels in brains from mice inoculated ...
Are there any functional differences between Mfd and its human Cocaine syndrome protein B (CSB) homolog?
Both Cockayne syndrome protein B (CSB) and Mfd are involved in transcription-coupled repair. CSB is the human TCR coupling factor and Mfd is the bacterial TCR coupling factor. However, unlike Mfd, CSB does not act as a helicase nor does it dissociate stalled RNA polymerase II, suggesting a coupling mechanism in humans ...
Transcription is coupled to repair in Escherichia coli and in humans. Proteins encoded by the mfd gene in E. coli and by the ERCC6/CSB gene in humans, both of which possess the so-called helicase motifs, are required for the coupling reaction. It has been shown that the Mfd protein is an ATPase but not a helicase a...
What is membrane scission?
Membrane scission is the final step in order to complete the budding process, pinching off of the vesicle. To promote membrane scission, dynamin proteins polymerize, wrap around, and constrict the membrane. The scission of biological membranes is facilitated by a variety of protein complexes that bind and manipulate li...
Respiratory syncytial virus is a single-stranded RNA virus in the Paramyxoviridae family that preferentially assembles and buds from the apical surface of polarized epithelial cells, forming filamentous structures that contain both viral proteins and the genomic RNA. Recent studies have described both viral and hos...
How many TAp73 isoforms have been identified in humans?
The TP73 gene, due to the presence of two promoters (P1 and P2) in its 5' flanking region, encodes a fully transcriptionally active domain (TAp73) and the amino terminus deleted (ΔNp73). TAp73 possesses pro-apoptotic properties, while deltaNp73 has anti-apoptotic functions. Alternative 3'-end splicing results in genera...
Inactivation of the tumour suppressor p53 is the most common defect in cancer cells. p53 is a sequence specific transcription factor that is activated in response to various forms of genotoxic stress to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Induction of p53 is subjected to complex and strict control through sever...
Is the yeast Μac1 transcription factor induced upon copper deficiency?
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, transcriptional responses to copper deficiency are mediated by the copper-responsive transcription factor Mac1. Ace1 mediates copper-induced gene expression in cells exposed to stressful levels of copper salts, whereas Mac1 activates a subset of genes under copper-deficient conditions.
In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, copper ions regulate gene expression through the two transcriptional activators, Ace1 and Mac1. Ace1 mediates copper-induced gene expression in cells exposed to stressful levels of copper salts, whereas Mac1 activates a subset of genes under copper-deficient conditions. DNA microarray h...
What is the mechanism of DNA replication termination in vertebrates?
Eukaryotic DNA replication terminates when replisomes from adjacent replication origins converge. Termination involves local completion of DNA synthesis, decatenation of daughter molecules and replisome disassembly. DNA synthesis does not slow detectably as forks approach each other, and leading strands pass each other...
Which are the different members/isoforms of the Ras oncogenes?
Ras proteins are proto-oncogenes that are frequently mutated in human cancers. Three closely related isoforms, HRAS, KRAS and NRAS, are expressed in all cells and have overlapping but distinctive functions.
Among the wealth of information that we have gathered about Ras in the past decade, the introduction of the concept of space in the field has constituted a major revolution that has enabled many pieces of the Ras puzzle to fall into place. In the early days, it was believed that Ras functioned exclusively at the pl...
Which is the subcellular localization of ERAP2?
Endoplasmic reticulum aminopeptidase 2 (ERAP2) is localized to the luminal side of the endoplasmic reticulum.
The placental leucine aminopeptidase (P-LAP), adipocyte-derived leucine aminopeptidase (A-LAP) and leukocyte-derived aminopeptidase (L-RAP) belong to one distinct group of the M1 family of amimopeptidases, which we term the "Oxytocinase subfamily". They share HEXXH(X)18E Zn-binding and GAMEN motifs essential for th...
Have thyronamines effects on fat tissue?
There is not clear evidence that thyronamines have direct effect on adipose tissue
The thyroid hormone decarboxylation product, 3,5,3'-triiodothyronamine (T3AM), has been shown to inhibit the cAMP production stimulated by isoproterenol in turkey erythrocytes. This adrenergic receptor binding inhibition was not shown by the thyroid hormones nor by tyramine, but was observed for 3,5-diiodotyramine,...
What are the names of anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody that is used for treatment of multiple sclerosis patients?
Alemtuzumab and Campath-1H are the names of anti-CD52 monoclonal antibody that is used for treatment of multiple sclerosis patients. It has been shown to be effective for treatment naive and treatment resistant multiple sclerosis patients.
The central nervous system lesions of multiple sclerosis (MS) can be detected by magnetic resoce imaging (MRI) and the initial perivascular inflammatory component is distinguished by the presence of gadolinium enhancement. To assess the effect of systemic lymphocyte depletion on disease activity, seven patients wit...
Is there a package in R/bioconductor for classification of alternative splicing?
Yes. SpliceR is an R package for classification of alternative splicing and prediction of coding potential from RNA-seq data.
BACKGROUND: RNA-seq data is currently underutilized, in part because it is difficult to predict the functional impact of alternate transcription events. Recent software improvements in full-length transcript deconvolution prompted us to develop spliceR, an R package for classification of alternative splicing and pr...
Which brain structures have been investigated as potential targets for deep brain stimulation of patients suffering from major depression?
Subgenual cingulate gyrus, the anterior limb of the capsula interna, nucleus accumbens, medial forebrain bundle, habenula, and caudate nucleus have been investigated as potential targeted for the deep brain stimulation of patients suffering from major depression.
Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder associated with recurrent intrusive thoughts and repetitive behaviors. Although conventional pharmacological and/or psychological treatments are well established and effective in treating OCD, symptoms remain unchanged in up to 30% of patients. Deep brain s...
Is alemtuzumab effective for remission induction in patients diagnosed with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia?
Yes, alemtuzumab (anti-CD52, Campath-1H) is effective for remission induction in patients diagnosed with T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia. Alemtuzumab can be administered in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents or as mono-therapy. Response rate to alemtuzumab is more than 90%. Alemtuzumab therapy is associated ...
Certain features that make an antigen a good candidate for antibody therapy have been defined. CD52 is a 21- to 28-kd nonmodulating cell surface glycosylphosphatidylinositol-linked glycoprotein that is abundantly expressed (up to 5 x 10(5) molecules per cell) on most normal and maligt lymphocytes and monocytes. Its...
What is the association between moon cycle and rupture risk of intracranial aneurysms?
It has been reported that moon phases correlate with the incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage due to ruptured intracranial aneurysms. However, other authors have found no correlation between incidence of aneurysmal SAH, location of the aneurysm, initial clinical presentation, or amount of subarachnoid blood ...
OBJECTIVE: To analyze the impact of the lunar cycle and season on the incidence of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: The medical records of 111 patients who were admitted over a 5-year period to our department because of aneurysmal SAH were retrospectively reviewed. The date of aneurysm...
Is there an association between TERT promoter mutation and survival of glioblastoma patients?
Telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter are associated with shorter survival of glioblastoma patients. Prognostic value of TERT mutations for poor survival is largely due to their inverse correlation with IDH1 mutations.
BACKGROUND: Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) is a heterogeneous, highly aggressive primary brain tumor with strongly variable patient survival. Because reliable prognostic biomarkers are lacking, we investigated the relation between telomerase-associated parameters and the disease course. METHODS: Telomerase-associated...
Is bapineuzumab effective for treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease?
Clinical trials have demonstrated that bapineuzumab, a humanized monoclonal antibody against the end terminus of amyloid plaques, is not effective for treatment of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The burden of beta amyloid plaques was reduced in response to bapineuzumab therapy. However, bapineuzumab therapy did not...
Ya que la población mundial sigue envejeciendo, la Enfermedad de Alzheimer presenta una crisis inminente para la salud pública, que si se descuida, amenazará con sobrecargar los sistemas de atención de salud en el mundo desarrollado. Para abordar significativamente el síntoma más catastrófico y devastador de la Enf...
Which deiodinase polymorphisms are implicated in arterial hypertension?
Two deiodinase polymorphisms are implicated in arterial hypertension: Ala92 type 2 deiodinase allele and rs7140952 polymorphism of DIO2
Accumulating evidence suggests that genes of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid pathway influence susceptibility to hypertension. Type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase is responsible for the conversion of thyroxine to tri-iodothyronine for use in peripheral tissues. The present study evaluated whether a type 2 iodothyron...
At which kind of individuals is pharmacological treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism effective in reducing cardiovascular events?
Treatment of subclinical hypothyroidism is associated with fewer cardiovascular events in younger individuals, but this issue has not been resolved yet in elderly people.
Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH), defined by elevated serum levels of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) with normal levels of free thyroid hormones, is common in adults, especially in women over 60 years of age. Among individuals with this condition, up to two-thirds have serum TSH levels between 5-10 mU/L and thyroi...
Is intense physical activity associated with longevity?
YES:
OBJECTIVE: To compare the long term survival of a group of athletes taking prolonged vigorous physical exercise to that of the general population. DESIGN: Follow up of a cohort of participants in the Dutch eleven cities ice skating tour (a race and recreational tour) over a distance of 200 kilometers. SETTING: Data o...
How homoplasy affects phylogenetic reconstruction?
Evolutionary processes create both newly derived characteristics shared by related descendant lineages (homology) and "false" similarities which confound phylogenetic reconstruction (homoplasy). Homology arises by divergent evolution from a common ancestor and provides us with a phylogenetic signal, while homoplasy ari...
DNA hybridization is a "distance method" for phylogenetic reconstruction and, as such, shares a set of assumptions, advantages, and problems with other techniques that do not directly employ character data. The technique purports to measure the average percent mismatch of homologous nucleotide sequences between the...
What is known about the association between the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy and risk for autism in offspring?
Greater risk for autism spectrum disorders has been reported among mothers that have used selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy. However, others did not find an association between the use of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors during pregnancy and risk for autism in offspring. Also, selective se...
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), such as citalopram (CTM), have been widely prescribed for major depressive disorder, not only for adult populations, but also for children and pregt mothers. Recent evidence suggests that chronic SSRI exposure in adults increases serotonin (5-HT) levels in the raphe ...
Which transcription factors are involved in E-cadherin repression during EMT?
Downregulation of E-cadherin is a crucial event for epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in embryonic development and cancer progression. Overexpression of Snail1 (Snail), Snail2 (Slug), Zeb1, Twist, SIP1 and DeltaEF1 have been found to mediate E-cadherin repression, induce the mesenchymal markers vimentin and fi...
Downregulation of E-cadherin is a crucial event for epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT) in embryonic development and cancer progression. Using the EpFosER mammary tumour model we show that during EMT, upregulation of the transcriptional regulator deltaEF1 coincided with transcriptional repression of E-cadher...
Is desmin an intermediate filament protein involved in Dilated Cardiomyopathy (DCM)?
According to the predominant view, desmin mutations cause dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Mice deficient in desmin, the muscle-specific member of the intermediate filament gene family, display defects in all muscle types and particularly in the myocardium. Desmin null hearts develop cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and dilated ...
The cardiac cytoskeleton and the extracellular matrix play an essential role for maintaining cellular integrity and function of the myocardium. The network of microtubules and intermediate filaments are disrupted by the inflammatory reaction which depends on resident cells (myocytes, fibroblasts, endothel cells) an...
Is lambrolizumab effective for treatment of patients with melanoma ?
Lambrolizumab, a programmed death-1 receptor (PD-1)/its ligand (PD-L1) antibody, has been shown to be effective for treatment of patients with melanoma. High rate of sustained tumor regression with mainly minimal adverse effects in melanoma patients treated with lambrolizumab has been reported. Because of all these rea...
BACKGROUND: The programmed death 1 (PD-1) receptor is a negative regulator of T-cell effector mechanisms that limits immune responses against cancer. We tested the anti-PD-1 antibody lambrolizumab (previously known as MK-3475) in patients with advanced melanoma. METHODS: We administered lambrolizumab intravenously a...
List human diseases involving genomic imprinting.
Prader Willi Syndrome Angelman syndrome Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome Hydatidiform mole Cancer Silver-Russell syndrome Diabetes
The phenomenon of parental imprinting has become increasingly important in disciplines such as evolution, genetics, molecular biology, embryology and pathology. Principally, parental imprinting refers to a parent-of-origin dependent expression of a subset of autosomal loci, independent of the sex of the offspring. ...
Why are insulators necessary in gene therapy vectors?
a) They inhibit oncogene activation upon vector integration and b) They maximize the probability of vector expression upon integration in heterochromatinic regions
Low efficiency of gene transfer is the main obstacle for a clinically effective gene therapy at the level of the pluripotent hematopoietic stem cell. Another important aspect of stem cell gene therapy, the actual expression of the transduced genes, has only been investigated adequately in very few studies, mainly f...
Which deficiency is the cause of restless leg syndrome?
It has been well-documented that iron deficiency is the cause of restless leg syndrome. Magnesium and ferritin were also associated with restless leg syndrome.
INTRODUCTION: The restless legs syndrome is characterized by an unpleasant sensation in the legs which causes an imperative need to move the legs and is therefore considered to be a disorder of movement. When it appears before going to sleep, it may interfere with falling asleep and lead to a sleep-deficit. DEVELOPM...
What histone modification is recognized by the bromodomain?
Acetylated lysines in histones (generally H3 and H4)
The coordination of chromatin remodeling with chromatin modification is a central topic in gene regulation. The yeast chromatin remodeling complex RSC bears multiple bromodomains, motifs for acetyl-lysine and histone tail interaction. Here, we identify and characterize Rsc4 and show that it bears tandem essential b...
What memory problems are reported in the " Gulf war syndrome"?
Loss of memory and dysmnesia are memory problems reported in the " Gulf war syndrome". Patients suffering from this syndrome often have other nonspecific symptoms such as fatigue, skin rash, headache, muscle and joint pain and sexual dysfunction.
BACKGROUND: Numerous questions have been raised about the health consequences to veterans of the Gulf War but most particularly to issues concerning women, who were deployed in unprecedented numbers. Little is known about the health consequences to women of wartime stressors, in general, or the environmental and jo...
Is cadasil syndrome a hereditary disease?
Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy (CADASIL) is an inherited cerebral small vessel disease, clinically characterized by migraine, recurrent transient ischemic attacks or strokes, psychiatric disorders and cognitive decline. Strokes are typically ischemic, while he...
Cerebral autosomal domit arteriopathy with subcortical infarct and leukoencephalopathy: A rare syndrome raising anesthetic concerns! BACKGROUND: The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is widely used to measure neurological deficits, evaluate the effectiveness of treatment and predict outcome in acute...
Which neuroendocrine tumors are associated with specific tumor syndromes?
Neuroendocrine tumors are a heterogeneous group of benign and malignant neoplasias, detectable in the context of hereditary tumor syndromes in up to 30% of cases. Neuroendocrine tumors include medullary thyroid carcinoma, gastroenteropancreatic tumors, pheochromocytoma, and paraganglioma.
Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are a heterogeneous group of benign and maligt neoplasias, detectable in the context of hereditary tumor syndromes in up to 30% of cases. The pathogenic understanding of NETs has increased considerably during the last decade, mainly due to the identification of underlying genetic defects...
How many periods of regulatory innovation led to the evolution of vertebrates?
Investigators proposed that there have been three extended periods in the evolution of gene regulatory elements. Early vertebrate evolution was characterized by regulatory gains near transcription factors and developmental genes, but this trend was replaced by innovations near extracellular signaling genes, and then in...
Is nintedanib effective for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis?
Yes, nintedanib is approved for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis treatment. Nintedanib was shown to slow the decline in lung function, decrease acute exacerbations, decrease the annual rate of decline in forced vital capacity and increase time to acute exacerbation.
The tyrosine kinase inhibitor nintedanib (BIBF 1120) is in clinical development for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. To explore its mode of action, nintedanib was tested in human lung fibroblasts and mouse models of lung fibrosis. Human lung fibroblasts expressing platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF...
What is the role of SERCA in diabetic cardiomyopathy?
Diabetic cardiomyopathy is accompanied by reduced SERCA levels and activity in later stages. The up-regulation of SERCA2a in the early phase of type 2 diabetes is an important physiological adaptation of the heart.
Slowed relaxation in diabetic cardiomyopathy (CM) is partially related to diminished expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+-ATPase SERCA2a. To evaluate the impact of SERCA2a overexpression on SR Ca2+ handling in diabetic CM, we 1) generated transgenic rats harboring a human cytomegalovirus enhancer/chic...
Is pesticide exposure associated with polyneuropathy?
Yes, it is associated with peripheral neuropathy.
A follow-up (1985, 1990, 1991) study revealed in female workers of hydroponic hothouses an increase of the incidence of nervous system diseases depending on the length of work (vegeto-vascular dystonia, angiodystonic syndromes, vegeto-sensory polyneuropathy). It is suggested that the main cause of nervous lesions i...
What is the methodological principle of ChIA-PET?
Chromatin interaction analysis with paired-end tag sequencing (ChIA-PET) is a new technology to study genome-wide long-range chromatin interactions bound by protein factors. To minimize non-specific noise and reduce complexity, as well as to increase the specificity of the chromatin interaction analysis, chromatin immu...
Genomes are organized into three-dimensional structures, adopting higher-order conformations inside the micron-sized nuclear spaces (7, 2, 12). Such architectures are not random and involve interactions between gene promoters and regulatory elements (13). The binding of transcription factors to specific regulatory ...
Is there an association between borna virus and brain tumor?
There is no data to suggest an association between borna virus and brain tumor. Borna disease virus establishes a persistent infection in the central nervous system of vertebrate animal species as well as in tissue cultures causing cellular damage. Infected neural cells, include astrocytes, neurons, oligodendroglioma c...
We have used the reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction technique to gain insight into the pathogenesis of encephalitis caused by Borna disease virus (BDV). RNA specific for BDV was first detected in the olfactory bulb of intranasally infected rats at 6 days postinfection (p.i.). At 14 days p.i., high leve...
List medication interfering with purine metabolism that are used for treatment of T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia?
Deoxycoformycin and pentostatin are purine analogs that interfere with purine metabolism and are used for treatment of T-cell prolymphocytic leukemia patients.
BACKGROUND: B-cell prolymphocytic leukemias or T-cell prolymphocytic leukemias are aggressive variants of chronic lymphoid leukemias. The small studies conducted to date have shown median survival durations of approximately 3 years for patients who have B-cell prolymphocytic leukemia and 7.5 months for those who ha...
Does PU.1 (SPI1) affect NF-kB binding?
Recent data demonstrate that developmental transcription factors like the macrophage fate-determining Pu.1 set the stage for the activity of ubiquitous transcription factors activated by inflammatory stimuli, like NF-kB, AP-1, and interferon regulatory factors (IRFs). Within 1217 bp of upstream sequence, 3 sites for NF...
The leukocyte integrin p150,95 (CD11c/CD18) is involved in a number of cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix interactions and mediates signal transduction into the cytoplasm. p150,95 is expressed on cells of the myeloid lineage as well as on certain activated T and B lymphocytes, and its expression is regulated du...
Does the majority of the mitochondrial genomes abide to the second parity rule (PR2)?
A large number of mitochondrial genomes significantly deviate from the 2nd parity rule, in contrast to the eubacterial ones. This behaviour of the large majority of the mitochondrial genomes may be attributed to their distinct mode of replication, which is fundamentally different from the one of the eubacteria.
Based on 152 mitochondrial genomes and 36 bacterial chromosomes that have been completely sequenced, as well as three long contigs for human chromosomes 6, 21, and 22, we examined skews of mononucleotide frequencies and the relative abundance of dinucleotides in one DNA strand. Each group of these genomes has its o...
What is the association between h-index and academic rank in academic neurosurgery?
Greater h-index is associated with greater academic rank in academic neurosurgery. The h indices increased significantly with increasing academic rank, with the median for instructors, assistant professors, associate professors, and professors was shown to be 2, 5, 10, and 19, respectively. In addition, h-index was sho...
OBJECT: The authors undertook a study to estimate the relative academic impact of neurosurgical departments in Canada and the US using the h index, a measure of the number of citations received by a collection of work. METHODS: The study included 99 departments of neurosurgery with residency programs participating i...
Is there an association between bruxism and reflux?
Yes, bruxism is associated with reflux. Sleep bruxism is prevalent in GERD patients.
Regurgitation of food by rumination has rarely been reported in latency-age children. A 7-year-old boy had symptoms of rumination, gagging, bruxism, and enuresis. During the oppositional stage of development many unresolved conflicts had developed between the patient and his parents. Short-term psychotherapy which ...
What is known about the value of mindfulness interventions in prostate cancer patients?
In prostate cancer patients, mindfulness interventions were well accepted and were effective in reducing stress, anxiety, avoidance, fear of cancer recurrence, cortisol levels and blood pressure, and improving quality of life, sleep quality and immune system functioning. In addition, mindfulness interventions promoted ...
The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that the regular practice of mindfulness meditation is associated with increased physiological levels of melatonin. Melatonin may be related to a variety of biologic functions important in maintaining health and preventing disease, including breast and prostate ...
What is known about prostate cancer screening in the UK ?
There is still no national screening programme established in the UK. Prostate cancer screening of asymptomatic men is not recommended by the National Screening Council at present and is not encouraged in the NHS. However, PSA tests are being performed for prostate cancer screening. The CAP and ProtecT trials are aimed...
We used a nested case-control design on data from men in four prospective studies (from the UK, Maryland in the USA, and two from Finland) with available stored serum samples to determine whether there was an advantage in measuring both free prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and total PSA as a potential screening tes...
Which hormone abnormalities are common in Williams syndrome ?
Thyroid hormone abnormalities are common in Williams syndrome. Oxytocin and vasopressin, cortisol, growth hormone and calcitonin were also implicated in the Williams syndrome.
We have investigated the possibility of mutations in the calcitonin/calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) gene in children with Williams syndrome. Involvement of the calcitonin/CGRP gene in Williams syndrome is postulated on the basis that Williams syndrome children often have infantile hypercalcemia and deficient ...
The secreted frizzled-related protein 3 (sFPR3) is altered in human cancers. Are its level found to increase or to decrease?
SFRPs are down-regulated in several cancers and this is often correlated with poor prognosis, as has been shown for breast, colorectal, and a number of other cancers. (PMID: 21494614) We performed tissue microarray and found that the level of sFRP3 protein was high in normal kidney, low in primary renal cancer tissues,...
Wnt signaling pathway is important for development and carcinogenesis. Alterations of this pathway, such as mutations in adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene and activation mutations of beta-catenin, would result in stabilization of beta-catenin and subsequent translocation to nucleus where genes are transcribed. ...
Albumin depletion is a common first step for proteomic analysis of CSF fluid. What is the advantage and disadvantage of this procedure?
Depletion of the high abundant protein Albumin from CSF samples is improving the detection of lower abundant proteins but may also lead to the potential loss of non-target proteins.
Glycoproteins in cerebrospinal fluid are found to be altered in Alzheimer patients compared to healthy control individuals. We have utilized micro-solution isoelectric focusing and affinity chromatography, prior to gel electrophoresis to enable site-specific structural determination of the N-linked glycans in apoli...
How are lincRNA affecting the regulation of gene expression?
lincRNA may function either as modulators of epigenetic mark deposition or as endogenous antagonists for microRNA binding. A lincRNA, linc-RoR, may function as a key competing endogenous RNA to link the network of miRNAs and core TFs, e.g., Oct4, Sox2, and Nanog. Mdig is involved in the regulation of H3K9me3 to influen...
Mammalian long intergenic noncoding RNAs (lincRNAs) are best known for modulating transcription. Here we report a posttranscriptional function for lincRNA-p21 as a modulator of translation. Association of the RNA-binding protein HuR with lincRNA-p21 favored the recruitment of let-7/Ago2 to lincRNA-p21, leading to l...