Search results for "CHROMOSOME"

Evidences for the reconstruction of Chromosome HSA7 evolutionary dynamics

2011

What can chromosomes tell us about the origin of primates?

2011

Morphological, karyological and taxonomic remarks on Ferulago nodosa (L.) Boiss. (Apiaceae)

2012

Abstract Western (Sicilian) and eastern (Balcan-aegean) populations of the Balcan-tyrrhenian Ferulago nodosa are reported to be different in some morphological characters, and were considered different species by some authors in XIX century. In this work, fruit and pollen morphologies have been compared in Sicilian and Cretan plants; also, the chromosome number of Sicilian plants has been ascertained. Preliminary results highlight a general homogeneity between the two populations, nevertheless showing significant differences in some parameters (fruit form, pollen size). For this reason, and considering the geographic disjunction of the Sicilian plants, the two populations are proposed to be…

Apolipoprotein E polymorphism influences not only cerebral senile plaque load but also Alzheimer-type neurofibrillary tangle formation.

1995

Only recently, evidence was provided that apolipoprotein E allele epsilon 4 located on Chromosome 19 is associated with late onset (i.e. senile) sporadic Alzheimer's disease. Histologically, Alzheimer's disease is associated with intraneuronal neurofibrillary changes and extraneuronal A4/beta-amyloid deposition. We set out with a histological staging system which considers the gradual development of Alzheimer's disease-related histological changes over time and correlates highly with the cognitive decline ante mortem. Our analysis revealed that both the mean stage for A4/beta-amyloid deposits and the mean stage for neurofibrillary tangles get significantly shifted upwards in epsilon 4-carri…

Neuronal cell cycle: the neuron itself and its circumstances.

2015

Neurons are usually regarded as postmitotic cells that undergo apoptosis in response to cell cycle reactivation. Nevertheless, recent evidence indicates the existence of a defined developmental program that induces DNA replication in specific populations of neurons, which remain in a tetraploid state for the rest of their adult life. Similarly, de novo neuronal tetraploidization has also been described in the adult brain as an early hallmark of neurodegeneration. The aim of this review is to integrate these recent developments in the context of cell cycle regulation and apoptotic cell death in neurons. We conclude that a variety of mechanisms exists in neuronal cells for G1/S and G2/M check…

orthoFind Facilitates the Discovery of Homologous and Orthologous Proteins

2015

Finding homologous and orthologous protein sequences is often the first step in evolutionary studies, annotation projects, and experiments of functional complementation. Despite all currently available computational tools, there is a requirement for easy-to-use tools that provide functional information. Here, a new web application called orthoFind is presented, which allows a quick search for homologous and orthologous proteins given one or more query sequences, allowing a recurrent and exhaustive search against reference proteomes, and being able to include user databases. It addresses the protein multidomain problem, searching for homologs with the same domain architecture, and gives a si…

Early induction of genetic instability and apoptosis by arsenic in cultured Chinese hamster cells

2002

In order to assess at what time from the beginning of exposure inorganic arsenic can give rise to genetic instability and trigger apoptosis, V79-C13 Chinese hamster cells were treated with 10 microM sodium arsenite for 24 h. Under these conditions, cell survival was >70% and cells showed neither an increase in chromosome aberration frequency nor a delay in cell cycle progression. Investigations, which were carried out every 6 h during the treatment, revealed an early appearance of genetically unstable cells, namely micronucleated, multinucleated and mononucleated 'giant' cells, as well as apoptotic cells. Indirect immunostaining using anti-beta-tubulin antibody showed severe alterations in …

Enhancer trap infidelity in Drosophila optomotor-blind

2013

Reporter gene activity in enhancer trap lines is often implicitly assumed to mirror quite faithfully the endogenous expression of the "trapped" gene, even though there are numerous examples of enhancer trap infidelity. optomotor-blind (omb) is a 160 kb gene in which 16 independent P-element enhancer trap insertions of three different types have been mapped in a range of more than 60 kb. We have determined the expression pattern of these elements in wing, eye-antennal and leg imaginal discs as well as in the pupal tergites. We noted that one pGawB insertion (omb (P4) ) selectively failed to report parts of the omb pattern even though the missing pattern elements were apparent in all other 15…

In silico and in vitro comparative analysis to select, validate and test SNPs for human identification.

2007

Abstract Background The recent advances in human genetics have recently provided new insights into phenotypic variation and genome variability. Current forensic DNA techniques involve the search for genetic similarities and differences between biological samples. Consequently the selection of ideal genomic biomarkers for human identification is crucial in order to ensure the highest stability and reproducibility of results. Results In the present study, we selected and validated 24 SNPs which are useful in human identification in 1,040 unrelated samples originating from three different populations (Italian, Benin Gulf and Mongolian). A Rigorous in silico selection of these markers provided …

Senataxin defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 2 is involved in the defence against oxidative DNA damage

2007

Adefective response to DNA damage is observed in several human autosomal recessive ataxias with oculomotor apraxia, including ataxia-telangiectasia. We report that senataxin, defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia (AOA) type 2, is a nuclear protein involved in the DNA damage response. AOA2 cells are sensitive to H2O2, camptothecin, and mitomycin C, but not to ionizing radiation, and sensitivity was rescued with full-length SETX cDNA. AOA2 cells exhibited constitutive oxidative DNA damage and enhanced chromosomal instability in response to H2O2. Rejoining of H2O2-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was significantly reduced in AOA2 cells compared to controls, and there was no evidence fo…