0000000000073631
AUTHOR
Ina Kirmes
Novel <b><i>VANGL1</i></b> Gene Mutations in 144 Slovakian, Romanian and German Patients with Neural Tube Defects
Neural tube defects (NTDs) are a group of congenital malformations of the central nervous system occurring at an average rate of 1 per 1,000 human pregnancies worldwide. Numerous genetic and environmental factors are discussed to be relevant in their etiology. In mice, mutants in >200 genes including the planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway are known to cause NTDs, and recently, heterozygous mutations in the human <i>VANGL1</i> gene have been described in a small subset of patients with NTDs. We performed a <i>VANGL1</i> mutation analysis in 144 unrelated individuals with NTDs from Slovakia, Romania and Germany and identified 3 heterozygous missense mutations: c.613…
Doxorubicin induces wide-spread transcriptional changes in the myocardium of hearts distinguishing between mice with preserved and impaired cardiac function
Abstract Aims Doxorubicin (DOX) is an important drug for the treatment of various tumor entities. However, the occurrence of heart failure limits its application. This study investigated differential gene expression profiles in the left and right ventricles of DOX treated mice with either preserved or impaired myocardial function. We provide new mechanistic insights into the pathophysiology of DOX-induced heart failure and have discovered pathways that counteract DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. Main methods We used in total 48 male mice and applied a chronic low dose DOX administration (5 mg/kg per injection, in total 20 mg/kg over 4 weeks) to induce heart failure. Echocardiographic parameters …