Search results for "DNA Primers"
showing 10 items of 317 documents
Immunoselection in vivo: independent loss of MHC class I and melanocyte differentiation antigen expression in metastatic melanoma
1997
Peptides derived from melanocyte differentiation antigens have been identified as targets for MHC class I-restricted cytolytic T lymphocytes (CTLs) in human melanoma Regression of antigen-expressing tumors as well as selection of antigen-loss variants in the presence of antigen-specific CTLs have previously been reported. In the present study, we determined the expression of the melanocyte differentiation antigens Melan A/MART-1 and tyrosinase by mRNA analysis and by immunohistochemical staining with the monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) A103 and T311. Co-expression of Melan A/MART-1 and tyrosinase was detected by both methods in 18/20 melanomas tested. However, immunohistochemistry provided add…
Two novel mutations at exon 8 of the Sequestosome 1 (SQSTM1) gene in an Italian series of patients affected by Paget's disease of bone (PDB).
2003
PDB is genetically heterogeneous. Mutations of the sequestosome1 gene have been reported in sporadic and familial forms of Paget's in patients of French Canadian and British descent. Mutational analyses in different ethnic groups are needed to accurately investigate hereditary diseases. We describe two novel mutations of sequestosome1 in 62 Italian sporadic patients, confirming the role of the encoded protein in this disorder. Introduction: Paget's disease of bone (PDB) is a relatively common disease of bone metabolism reported to affect up to 3% of whites over 55 years of age. The disorder is genetically heterogeneous, and at present, there is scientific evidence that at least eight differ…
HCV replication in mononuclear cells stimulates anti-HCV-secreting B cells and reflects nonresponsiveness to interferon-α
1995
Recently, it was demonstrated in chronic hepatitis C that the release of IgG and IgM anti-HCV antibodies by mononuclear cells (PBMCs) correlated with inflammatory activity, HCV persistence in serum, and negative outcome from antiviral therapy. Thus, persistent antigenic stimulation of the antibody-secreting B cells has been suggested. In this study, PBMCs were derived from 13 patients with chronic hepatitis C. Nucleic acids were extracted by the guanidine-thiocyanate-method, and plus- and minus-stranded HCV-RNAs were determined using primers from the 5'-untranslated region of HCV. Simultaneously, unstimulated PBMCs were cultured for 8 days and anti-HCV antibodies were detected in the supern…
Isolated hevein-like domains, but not 31-kd endochitinases, are responsible for IgE-mediated in vitro and in vivo reactions in latex-fruit syndrome.
2005
Background Individuals with natural rubber latex allergy often have immediate reactions to plant-derived foods and fresh fruits, such as avocado and banana. IgE of these patients has been shown to bind endochitinases containing an N-terminal hevein-like domain (HLD). However, evidence on 31-kd endochitinase-induced reactions in vivo is lacking. Objective We sought to assess the clinical significance of 31-kd endochitinases and isolated HLDs in latex-fruit syndrome. Methods The 31-kd endochitinases and corresponding HLDs were purified or produced from avocado, banana, latex, and wheat germ. Skin prick test reactivities against purified proteins were examined in 15 patients with natural rubbe…
Dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans: clinical, pathological, and genetic (COL1A1-PDGFB ) study with therapeutic implications.
2009
Aims: To analyse the presence of collagen type I alpha 1–platelet-derived growth factor beta (COL1A1–PDGFB) transcripts in 20 cases of dermatofibrosarcoma protuberans (DFSP) and to assess the relationship between COL1A1 breakpoints and clinical and histopathological variables. Methods and results: Multiplex reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction was carried out using frozen tissue. Our series contained 14 men and six women. Histologically, most cases were of conventional type (n = 9), followed by fibrosarcoma (n = 4), Bednar tumour (n = 2), sclerosing (n = 2), myoid (n = 1) and atrophic (n = 1) DFSP, and giant cell fibroblastoma (n = 1). Immunohistochemistry revealed CD34 express…
Successful application of preimplantation genetic diagnosis for hypokalaemic periodic paralysis.
2009
Hypokalaemic periodic paralysis is a rare dominant inherited disease where a person suffers sudden falls of circulating potassium concentrations, producing muscle weakness and sometimes severe paralysis. Attacks can occur as frequently as several times a day or once in a year. The age of onset is usually adolescence but symptoms can appear as early as 10 years of age. Muscle weakness can compromise vital functions such as breathing or swallowing and heart arrhythmias are also frequent during attacks. Preimplantation genetic diagnosis, an early form of prenatal diagnosis for couples at risk of transmitting inherited diseases, was used to prevent the transmission of this disease. Six polymorp…
A possible association between the CCK-AR gene and persistent auditory hallucinations in schizophrenia.
2004
AbstractRecent studies have suggested that DNA variations in the CCK-AR gene might predispose individuals to schizophrenia and particularly to auditory hallucinations (AH). The aim of this study is to assess the association between AH, using a specific scale for AH in schizophrenia (PSYRATS), and the CCK-AR polymorphism at 779 in a Spanish sample. A total of 105 DSM-IV schizophrenic patients with AH and 93 unrelated controls were studied. Twenty-two patients were considered as persistent auditory hallucinators, which showed similar clinical and demographic characteristic than patients with episodic AH, but with the exception of the PSYRATS values. The persistent AH group showed an excess of…
Identification of two novel polymorphisms and a rare deletion variant in the human dopamine D4 receptor gene
1995
We report two novel polymorphisms and a rare deletion variant in the human dopaine D4 receptor gene. The two polymorphisms are characterized by single base pair substitutions, namely a G-->C transversion changing codon 11 from GGG (encoding Gly) to CGG (encoding Arg) and a C-->T transition in position -11 upstream from the start codon. The Arg11 variant occurs at a frequency of about 1% and the C-->T transition at a frequency of about 7% in German control subjects (n = 148). Allele frequencies observed in patients suffering from schizophrenia (n = 256) and bipolar affective disorder (n = 99) were similar. The deletion variant is characterized by a 21 bp deletion affecting codons 36 to 42 co…
Tyrosine hydroxylase Val-81-Met polymorphism associated with early-onset alcoholism
2005
The present study examined the association of the Tyrosine hydroxylase Val-81-Met polymorphism with alcohol dependence. One hundred and fifty-nine patients in a psychiatric unit with alcohol dependence were genotyped as well as 92 healthy volunteers. The Val allele was more frequent in patients with alcohol dependence (69.5%) than in controls (62.5%). This effect was largely due to the association with early-onset alcoholism (77.8%), whereas no difference was noted between late-onset patients and controls. Our results suggest a role for tyrosine hydroxylase in early-onset alcoholism.
HSF1-controlled and age-associated chaperone capacity in neurons and muscle cells of C. elegans.
2010
Protein stability under changing conditions is of vital importance for the cell and under the control of a fine-tuned network of molecular chaperones. Aging and age-related neurodegenerative diseases are directly associated with enhanced protein instability. Employing C. elegans expressing GFP-tagged luciferase as a reporter for evaluation of protein stability we show that the chaperoning strategy of body wall muscle cells and neurons is significantly different and that both are differently affected by aging. Muscle cells of young worms are largely resistant to heat stress, which is directly mediated by the stress response controlled through Heat Shock Transcription Factor 1. During recover…