0000000000420111
AUTHOR
Francisco Sánchez-sánchez
Pigment epithelium-derived factor is a niche signal for neural stem cell renewal.
Adult stem cells are characterized by self-renewal and multilineage differentiation, and these properties seem to be regulated by signals from adjacent differentiated cell types and by extracellular matrix molecules, which collectively define the stem cell "niche." Self-renewal is essential for the lifelong persistence of stem cells, but its regulation is poorly understood. In the mammalian brain, neurogenesis persists in two germinal areas, the subventricular zone (SVZ) and the hippocampus, where continuous postnatal neuronal production seems to be supported by neural stem cells (NSCs). Here we show that pigment epithelium-derived factor (PEDF) is secreted by components of the murine SVZ a…
Attenuation of disease phenotype through alternative translation initiation in low-penetrance retinoblastoma
Hereditary predisposition to retinoblastoma (RB) is caused by germline mutations in the retinoblastoma 1 (RB1) gene and transmits as an autosomal dominant trait. In the majority of cases disease develops in greater than 90% of carriers. However, reduced penetrance with a large portion of disease-free carrier is seen in some families. Unambiguous identification of the predisposing mutation in these families is important for accurate risk prediction in relatives and their genetic counseling but also provides conceptual information regarding the relationship between the RB1 genotype and the disease phenotype. In this study we report a novel mutation detected in 10 individuals of an extended fa…
A novel constitutional mutation affecting splicing of retinoblastoma tumor suppressor gene intron 23 causes partial loss of pRB activity.
Hereditary predisposition to retinoblastoma is caused by germ line mutations in the RB1 gene. Genetic counseling of affected individuals and accurate risk prediction for their families requires identification of the disease causing mutation. Furthermore, the nature of a mutation can determine genetic penetrance, disease presentation and prognosis. We describe, and functionally characterize here, a novel mutant allele of RB1 present in the germ line of a patient with sporadic bilateral retinoblastoma. The mutation generates an operational splice acceptor site resulting in a predicted protein product with loss of 81 amino acids from its carboxy terminus. We demonstrate that the aberrantly spl…