0000000001304794
AUTHOR
Jerry Pelletier
The Wilms' tumor suppressor gene (wt1) product regulates Dax-1 gene expression during gonadal differentiation.
Gonadal differentiation is dependent upon a molecular cascade responsible for ovarian or testicular development from the bipotential gonadal ridge. Genetic analysis has implicated a number of gene products essential for this process, which include Sry, WT1, SF-1, and DAX-1. We have sought to better define the role of WT1 in this process by identifying downstream targets of WT1 during normal gonadal development. We have noticed that in the developing murine gonadal ridge, wt1 expression precedes expression of Dax-1, a nuclear receptor gene. We document here that the spatial distribution profiles of both proteins in the developing gonad overlap. We also demonstrate that WT1 can activate the D…
Polyoxygenated Cyclohexenes and Other Constituents of Cleistochlamys kirkii Leaves.
Thirteen new metabolites, including the polyoxygenated cyclohexene derivatives cleistodiendiol (1), cleistodienol B (3), cleistenechlorohydrins A (4) and B (5), cleistenediols A-F (6-11), cleistenonal (12), and the butenolide cleistanolate (13), 2,5-dihydroxybenzyl benzoate (cleistophenolide, 14), and eight known compounds (2, 15-21) were isolated from a MeOH extract of the leaves of Cleistochlamys kirkii. The purified metabolites were identified by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses, whereas the absolute configurations of compounds 1, 17, and 19 were established by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The configuration of the exocyclic double bond of compound 2 was revised base…
Anaplastic Wilms' tumour, a subtype displaying poor prognosis, harbours p53 gene mutations
The genetics of Wilms' tumour (WT), a paediatric malignancy of the kidney, is complex. Inactivation of the tumour suppressor gene, WT1, is associated with tumour aetiology in approximately 10-15% of WTs. Chromosome 17p changes have been noted in cytogenetic studies of WTs, prompting us to screen 140 WTs for p53 mutations. When histopathology reports were available, p53 mutations were present in eight of eleven anaplastic WTs, a tumour subtype associated with poor prognosis. Amplification of MDM2, a gene whose product binds and sequesters p53, was excluded. Our results indicate that p53 alterations provide a molecular marker for anaplastic WTs.
Functional characterization of ORCTL2--an organic cation transporter expressed in the renal proximal tubules.
AbstractChromosome 11p15.5 harbors a gene or genes involved in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome that confer(s) susceptibility to Wilms' tumor, rhabdomyosarcoma, and hepatoblastoma. We have previously identified a transcript at 11p15.5 which encodes a putative membrane transport protein, designated organic cation transporter-like 2 (ORCTL2), that shares homology with tetracycline resistance proteins and bacterial multidrug resistance proteins. In this report, we have investigated the transport properties of ORCTL2 and show that this protein can confer resistance to chloroquine and quinidine when overexpressed in bacteria. Immunohistochemistry analyses performed with anti-ORCTL2 polyc.onal antibod…
A New Benzopyranyl Cadenane Sesquiterpene and Other Antiplasmodial and Cytotoxic Metabolites from Cleistochlamys kirkii
Phytochemical investigations of ethanol root bark and stem bark extracts of Cleistochlamys kirkii (Benth.) Oliv. (Annonaceae) yielded a new benzopyranyl cadinane-type sesquiterpene (cleistonol, 1) alongside 12 known compounds (2&ndash
Nuclear localization of the protein encoded by the Wilms’ tumor gene WT1 in embryonic and adult tissues
ABSTRACT The human Wilms’ tumor gene WT1 encodes a putative transcription factor implicated in tumorigenesis and in specifying normal urogenital development. We have studied the distribution of WT1 protein and mRNA using immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Monoclonal antibodies were raised against a peptide specific to the first alternative splice site of WT1. Two antibodies specifically reacted on Western blot to this WT1 isoform. Immunofluorescence localized WT1 protein to podocytes during mesonephric and metanephric development. In situ hybridization revealed a similar pattern of expression except that WT1 mRNA was also present in metanephric blastema and renal vesicles. Mess…
Functional characterization of human nucleosome assembly protein-2 (NAP1L4) suggests a role as a histone chaperone.
Abstract Histones are thought to play a key role in regulating gene expression at the level of DNA packaging. Recent evidence suggests that transcriptional activation requires competition of transcription factors with histones for binding to regulatory regions and that there may be several mechanisms by which this is achieved. We have characterized a human nucleosome assembly protein, NAP-2, previously identified by positional cloning at 11p15.5, a region implicated in several disease processes including Wilms tumor (WT) etiology. The deduced amino acid sequence of NAP-2 indicates that it encodes a protein with a potential nuclear localization motif and two clusters of highly acidic residue…
Isoflavones and Rotenoids from the Leaves of Millettia oblata ssp. teitensis
A new isoflavone, 8-prenylmilldrone (1), and four new rotenoids, oblarotenoids A−D (2−5), along with nine known compounds (6−14), were isolated from the CH2Cl2/CH3OH (1:1) extract of the leaves of Millettia oblata ssp. teitensis by chromatographic separation. The purified compounds were identified by NMR spectroscopic and mass spectrometric analyses, whereas the absolute configurations of the rotenoids were established on the basis of chiroptical data and in some cases by single-crystal X-ray crystallography. Maximaisoflavone J (11) and oblarotenoid C (4) showed weak activity against the human breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 with IC50 values of 33.3 and 93.8 μM, respectively. peerReviewed
Divergently Transcribed Overlapping Genes Expressed in Liver and Kidney and Located in the 11p15.5 Imprinted Domain
Human chromosomal band 11p15.5 has been shown to contain genes involved in the development of several pediatric and adult tumors and in Beckwith-Wiedemann syndrome (BWS). Overlapping P1 artificial chromosome clones from this region have been used as templates for genomic sequencing in an effort to identify candidate genes for these disorders. PowerBLAST identified several matches with expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from fetal brain and liver cDNA libraries. Northern blot analysis indicated that two of the genes identified by these ESTs encode transcripts of 1-1.5 kb with predominant expression in fetal and adult liver and kidney. With RT-PCR and RACE, full-length transcripts were isolated f…
CCDC 1497772: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Stephen S. Nyandoro, Joan J. E. Munissi, Amra Gruhonjic, Sandra Duffy, Fangfang Pan, Rakesh Puttreddy, John P. Holleran, Paul A. Fitzpatrick, Jerry Pelletier, Vicky M. Avery, Kari Rissanen, Máté Erdélyi|2017|J.Nat.Prod.|80|114|doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b00759
CCDC 1061111: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Tsegaye Deyou, Marco Makungu, Matthias Heydenreich, Fangfang Pan, Amra Gruhonjic, Paul A. Fitzpatrick, Andreas Koch, Solomon Derese, Jerry Pelletier, Kari Rissanen, Abiy Yenesew, and Máté Erdélyi|2017|J.Nat.Prod.|80|2060|doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.7b00255
CCDC 1937081: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Stephen S. Nyandoro, Gasper Maeda, Joan J.E. Munissi, Amra Gruhonjic, Paul A. Fitzpatrick, Sofia Lindblad, Sandra Duffy, Jerry Pelletier, Fangfang Pan, Rakesh Puttreddy, Vicky M. Avery, Máté Erdélyi|2019|Molecules|24|2746|doi:10.3390/molecules24152746
CCDC 1497770: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Stephen S. Nyandoro, Joan J. E. Munissi, Amra Gruhonjic, Sandra Duffy, Fangfang Pan, Rakesh Puttreddy, John P. Holleran, Paul A. Fitzpatrick, Jerry Pelletier, Vicky M. Avery, Kari Rissanen, Máté Erdélyi|2017|J.Nat.Prod.|80|114|doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b00759
CCDC 1497771: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Stephen S. Nyandoro, Joan J. E. Munissi, Amra Gruhonjic, Sandra Duffy, Fangfang Pan, Rakesh Puttreddy, John P. Holleran, Paul A. Fitzpatrick, Jerry Pelletier, Vicky M. Avery, Kari Rissanen, Máté Erdélyi|2017|J.Nat.Prod.|80|114|doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.6b00759
CCDC 1937082: Experimental Crystal Structure Determination
Related Article: Stephen S. Nyandoro, Gasper Maeda, Joan J.E. Munissi, Amra Gruhonjic, Paul A. Fitzpatrick, Sofia Lindblad, Sandra Duffy, Jerry Pelletier, Fangfang Pan, Rakesh Puttreddy, Vicky M. Avery, Máté Erdélyi|2019|Molecules|24|2746|doi:10.3390/molecules24152746