Estrogens and IL-12 play a pivotal role in the development and progression of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC); at the same time, estrogen receptor β2 and (interleukin-12 receptor β2)IL-12Rβ2 are their important receptors, respectively. With the functions of ERβ2 and IL-12Rβ2 explored further in NSCLC, some questions on the relation between ...

MIA, a small soluble secreted protein, is functionally important for progression of malignant melanoma. We recently revealed that p54(nrb) acts as a mediator of MIA action. In this study, we characterize the transcriptional regulation of p54(nrb) by MIA to explain MIA's molecular action. We identified one highly conserved region in ...

Hybridization is a prominent process among natural plant populations that can result in phenotypic novelty, heterosis, and changes in gene expression. The effects of intraspecific hybridization on F1 hybrid gene expression were investigated using parents from divergent, natural populations of Cirsium arvense, an invasive Compositae weed. Using an RNA-seq approach, ...

Mutations in BCOR (Bcl6 corepressor) are found in patients with oculo-facio-cardio-dental (OFCD) syndrome, a congenital disorder affecting visual system development, and loss of function studies in zebrafish and Xenopus demonstrate a role for Bcor during normal optic cup development in preventing colobomata. The mechanism whereby BCOR functions during eye development ...

Alterations of symbiosis between microbiota and intestinal epithelial cells (IEC) are associated with intestinal and systemic pathologies. Interactions between bacterial products (MAMPs) and Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are known to be mandatory for IEC homeostasis, but how TLRs may time homeostatic functions with circadian changes is unknown. Our functional and molecular ...

BACKGROUND: Osmotic stress transcription factor 1/transforming growth factor-β-stimulated clone 22 domain3 (Ostf1/Tsc22d3) is a transcription factor that plays an osmoregulatory role in euryhaline fishes. Its mRNA and protein levels are up-regulated under hyperosmotic stress. However, its osmoregulatory and developmental functions have not been studied in any stenohaline freshwater fishes. Zebrafish ...

Heterosis is a commonly observed phenomenon in nature and refers to the superior performance of hybrids relative to both parents. The molecular mechanisms of heterosis are mostly unknown. Quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping has been used to explain the genetic basis of heterosis, and large amounts of QTLs have been ...

A number of transcription factors that are expressed within most, if not all, embryonic neuroblast (NB) lineages participate in neural subtype specification. Some have been extensively studied in several NB lineages (e.g. components of the temporal gene cascade) whereas others only within specific NB lineages. To what extent they function ...

MOTIVATION: Algorithms predicting miR-mRNA interactions generate high numbers of possible interactions, many of which might be non-existent or irrelevant in a certain biological context. It is desirable to develop a transparent, user-friendly, unbiased tool to enrich miR-mRNA predictions. RESULTS: The miMsg algorithm uses matched miR/mRNA expression data to enrich miR-mRNA ...

An expansion of glutamines within the human ataxin-1 protein underlies spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1), a dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder characterized by ataxia and loss of cerebellar Purkinje neurons. Although the mechanisms linking the mutation to the disease remain unclear, evidence indicates it involves a combination of both gain and ...

The industrially important species of corynebacteria viz. Corynebacterium acetoacidophilum appear to be alternative hosts for recombinant protein production; despite many efforts, a strong promoter-based system in corynebacteria has not been established so far. Described here is a T7 promoter-based expression system which was functional in both gram-positive C. acetoacidophilum and ...

c-Jun, the major component of the AP-1 transcription factor complex, has important functions in cellular proliferation and oncogenic transformation. The RING domain-containing protein RACO-1 functions as a c-Jun coactivator that molecularly links growth factor signalling to AP-1 transactivation. Here we demonstrate that RACO-1 is present as a nuclear dimer and ...

A subset of gastric (intestinal-type) and esophageal (Barrett) adenocarcinoma features HER2 protein overexpression. Consistent evidence demonstrates that microRNAs have a major role in HER2 (dys)regulation. MiR-125a-5p and miR125b expressions were tested in the spectrum of lesions in the gastroesophageal carcinogenic cascade, also correlating miR-125a-5p/125b levels with HER2 status. MiR-125a-5p and ...

Disrupted-In-Schizophrenia 1 (DISC1), a risk factor for major mental illnesses, has been studied extensively in the context of neurodevelopment. However, the role of DISC1 in neuronal signaling, particularly in conjunction with intracellular cascades that occur in response to dopamine, a neurotransmitter implicated in numerous psychiatric disorders, remains elusive. Previous data ...

RNA transcripts are generally classified into polyA-plus and polyA-minus subgroups due to the presence or absence of a polyA tail at the 3' end. Even though a number of physiologically and pathologically important polyA-minus RNAs have been recently identified, a systematic analysis of the expression and function of these transcripts ...

INTRODUCTION: Much attention has recently been focused on therapeutic angiogenesis as a treatment for erectile dysfunction (ED). The apelin and apelin receptor (APJ) system is known to cause endothelium-dependent vasodilatation and to be involved in angiogenesis. AIM: To examine the differential expression of apelin and APJ in animal models of ...

Mutations in the PLEKHG4 (puratrophin-1) gene are associated with the heritable neurological disorder autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia. However, the biochemical functions of this gene product have not been described. We report here that expression of Plekhg4 in the murine brain is developmentally regulated, with pronounced expression in the newborn midbrain ...

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effects of benzo[a]pyrene (B[a]P), a major toxic component of cigarette smoke, on the expression of Slug and to determine the effect of B[a]P/Slug on the invasive properties of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS). METHOD: The expression of Slug was measured by real-time PCR following the ...

The Egr family of transcription factors plays a key role in long-term plasticity and memory in a number of vertebrate species. Here we identify and characterize ApEgr (GenBank: KC608221), an Egr homolog in the marine mollusk Aplysia californica. ApEgr codes for a predicted 593-amino acid protein with the highly conserved ...

Like ubiquitin, the small ubiquitin-related modifier (SUMO) proteins can form oligomeric "chains," but the biological functions of these superstructures are not well understood. Here, we created mutant yeast strains unable to synthesize SUMO chains (smt3(allR)) and subjected them to high-content microscopic screening, synthetic genetic array (SGA) analysis, and high-density transcript ...

[This corrects the article on p. e1002967 in vol. 9.].

In order to adapt to changing environmental conditions and regulate intracellular events such as division, cells are constantly producing new RNAs while discarding old or defective transcripts. These functions require the coordination of numerous ribonucleases that precisely cleave and trim newly made transcripts to produce functional molecules, and rapidly destroy ...

The functional organization of eukaryotic genomes correlates with specific patterns of histone methylations. Regulatory regions in genomes such as enhancers and promoters differ in their extent of methylation of histone H3 at lysine-4 (H3K4), but it is largely unknown how the different methylation states are specified and controlled. Here, we ...

The C. elegans modENCODE consortium has defined in vivo binding sites for a large array of transcription factors by ChIP-seq. In this paper, we present examples that illustrate how this compendium of ChIP-seq data can drive biological insights not possible with analysis of individual factors. First, we analyze the number ...

In metazoans, microRNAs play a critical role in the posttranscriptional regulation of genes required for cell proliferation and differentiation. MicroRNAs themselves are regulated by a multitude of mechanisms influencing their transcription and posttranscriptional maturation. However, there is only sparse knowledge on pathways regulating the mature, functional form of microRNA. Here, ...

Wound healing requires a proper functioning of keratinocytes that migrate, proliferate and lead to a competent wound closure. Impaired wound healing might be due to a disturbed keratinocyte function caused by the wound environment. Basically, chronic wound fluid (CWF) differs from acute wound fluid (AWF). The aim of this study ...

For a panel of cancer related proteins, the aim was to shed light on which molecular level the expression of each protein was mainly regulated in breast tumors, and to investigate whether differences in regulation were reflected in different molecular subtypes. DNA, mRNA and protein lysates from 251 breast tumor ...

The five human ING genes encode at least 15 splicing isoforms, most of which affect cell growth, differentiation and apoptosis through their ability to alter gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms. Since their discovery in 1996, ING proteins have been classified as type II tumour suppressors on the basis of reports describing ...

Regulated fluid secretion is crucial for the function of most organs. In vertebrates, the chloride channel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is a master regulator of fluid secretion. Although the biophysical properties of CFTR have been well characterized in vitro, little is known about its in vivo role during ...

Cytokinins play critical roles in plant growth and development, with the transcriptional response to cytokinin being mediated by the type-B response regulators. In Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana), type-B response regulators (ARABIDOPSIS RESPONSE REGULATORS; ARRs) form three subfamilies based on phylogenic analysis, subfamily-1 having seven members and subfamilies 2 and 3 each ...

BACKGROUND: Finding genes that are differentially expressed between conditions is an integral part of understanding the molecular basis of phenotypic variation. In the past decades, DNA microarrays have been used extensively to quantify the abundance of mRNA corresponding to different genes, and more recently high-throughput sequencing of cDNA (RNA-seq) has ...

The eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF4E is overexpressed in many human malignancies where it is typically a harbinger of poor prognosis. eIF4E is positioned as a nexus in post-transcriptional gene expression. To carry out these functions, eIF4E needs to bind the m7G cap moiety on mRNAs. It plays critical roles ...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small noncoding RNAs that are known to have critical functions across various biological processes. Simultaneous activities of multiple miRNAs can be monitored from their expression profiles under various conditions. We often build up co-expression networks from such profiles. Unfortunately, due to the change of ...

Microglia express AMPA (α-amino-hydroxy-5-methyl-isoxazole-4-propionate)-type of glutamate (Glu) receptors (AMPAR), which are highly Ca2+ impermeable due to the expression of GluA2. However, the functional importance of AMPAR in microglia remains to be investigated, especially under pathological conditions. As low expression of GluA2 was reported in some neurodegenerative diseases, GluA2-/- mice were ...

Digital transcriptome analysis by next-generation sequencing discovers substantial mRNA variants. Variation in gene expression underlies many biological processes and holds a key to unravelling mechanism of common diseases. However, the current methods for construction of co-expression networks using overall gene expression are originally designed for microarray expression data, and they ...

Non-specific pharmacological inhibition of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) family of enzymes has largely beneficial effects in a variety of diverse contexts including cancer, cognitive function, and neurodegeneration. This review will discuss the role of individual HDAC isoforms in brain function during development and in the adult. Importantly class I and ...

The beneficial effects of certain herbal medicines on cutaneous function have been appreciated for centuries. Among these agents, chrysanthemum extract, apigenin, has been used for skin care, particularly in China, for millennia. However, the underlying mechanisms by which apigenin benefits the skin are not known. In this study, we first ...

Previous studies have shown that singers tend to sharpen phrase-peak tones as compared with equally tempered tuning (ETT). Here we test the hypothesis that this can serve the purpose of musical expressivity. Data were drawn from earlier recordings, where a professional baritone sang excerpts as void of musical expression as ...

Tribolium castaneum is a well-characterised model insect, whose short germ-band mode of embryonic development is characteristic of many insect species and differs from the exhaustively studied Drosophila. Mechanisms of early neurogenesis, however, show significant conservation with Drosophila, as a characteristic pattern of neuroblasts arises from neuroectoderm proneural clusters in response ...

Populus euphratica, a typical hydro-halophyte, is ideal for studying salt stress responses in woody plants. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous non-coding small RNAs that fulfilled an important post-transcriptional regulatory function. MiRNA may regulate tolerance to salt stress but this has not been widely studied in P. euphratica. In this investigation, the ...

The dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) in the ventral striatum is thought to influence motivation and motor functions. Although the expression of DRD3 in the ventral striatum has been shown to exhibit 24-h variations, the mechanisms underlying the variation remain obscure. Here, we demonstrated that molecular components of the circadian clock ...

Th17 lymphocytes and its main cytokine, IL-17, play an important role in autoimmune thyroid diseases, such as intractable Graves disease (GD). IL-17 signals are transmitted through its receptor, IL-17RA. The intrathyroid expression of IL-17RA in intractable GD is not understood. In this study, ELISA was used to measure serum IL-17 ...

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short non-coding regulatory RNAs that control gene expression usually producing translational repression and gene silencing. High-throughput sequencing technologies have revealed heterogeneity at length and sequence level for the majority of mature miRNAs (IsomiRs). Most isomiRs can be explained by variability in either Dicer1 or Drosha ...

The prevalence of obesity has led to a surge of interest in understanding the detailed mechanisms underlying adipocyte development. Many protein-coding genes, mRNAs, and microRNAs have been implicated in adipocyte development, but the global expression patterns and functional contributions of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) during adipogenesis have not been explored. ...

Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been recently recognized as a major class of regulators in mammalian systems. LncRNAs function by diverse and heterogeneous mechanisms in gene regulation, and are key contributors to development, neurological disorders, and cancer. This emerging importance of lncRNAs, along with recent reports of a functional lncRNA ...

Abstract PHD3 prolyl 4-hydroxylase belongs to 2-oxoglutarate and iron-dependent dioxygenases. Together with the two closest paralogues, PHD1 and PHD2, these enzymes have been identified as cellular oxygen sensors that can mark the hypoxia-inducible factor-alpha (HIF-α) for pVHL-mediated proteasomal destruction. Although having overlapping functions with PHD1 and PHD2, PHD3 markedly differs ...

Barley (Hordeum vulgare) spikes are developmentally switched from two-rowed to six-rowed by a single recessive gene, six-rowed spike 1 (vrs1), which encodes a homeodomain-leucine zipper I class transcription factor. Vrs1 is a paralog of HvHox2 and both were generated by duplication of an ancestral gene. HvHox2 is conserved among cereals, ...

Gene regulation is a key factor in gaining a full understanding of molecular biology. microRNA (miRNA), a novel class of non-coding RNA, has recently been found to be one crucial class of post-transactional regulators, and play important roles in cancer. One essential step to understand the regulatory effect of miRNAs ...

Ras GTPases are important regulators of pathways controlling proliferation, differentiation and transformation. Three ubiquitously expressed almost identical Ras genes are not functionally redundant; this has been attributed to their distinctive trafficking and localization profiles. A palmitoylation cycle controls the correct compartmentalization of H-Ras and N-Ras. We review recent data that ...

Expression of soluble and functional proteins has been one of the critical challenges to many aspects of synthetic biology, metabolic and protein engineering. Among the current methods for expression of target proteins, constitutive expression systems offer several advantages over inducible systems, which require a chemical or physical inducer. In a ...