Search results for "chromatin"
showing 10 items of 490 documents
The effect of cancer on sperm DNA fragmentation as measured by the sperm chromatin dispersion test
2008
The percentage of spermatozoa with fragmented DNA from cancer patients before surgery, chemotherapy, or radiotherapy treatments was compared with infertile male patients in an assisted reproduction program and with sperm donors of proven fertility. The percentages of DNA fragmentation were 34.3% in cancer patients, 30.9% in infertile men whose partners did not become pregnant, 28.8% in men who partners became pregnant, and 10.8% in fertile sperm donors. The DNA fragmentation of sperm donors was statistically significantly lower compared the other groups. No statistically significant differences were found in the levels of DNA fragmentation when comparing cancer types, including those of tes…
Evolution of chromatin-remodeling complexes: comparative genomics reveals the ancient origin of "novel" compensasome genes.
2003
Dosage compensation in Drosophila is mediated by a complex, called compensasome, com- posed of at least five proteins and two noncoding RNAs. Genes encoding compensasome proteins have been collectively named male-specific lethals or msls. Recent work showed that three of the Drosophila msls (msl-3, mof, and mle) have an ancient origin. In this study, I describe likely orthologues of the two re- maining msls, msl-1 and msl-2, in several inverte- brates and vertebrates. The MSL-2 protein is the only one found in Drosophila and vertebrate genomes that contains both a RING finger and a peculiar type of CXC domain, related to the one present in Enhancer of Zeste proteins. MSL-1 also contains two…
RADHA - a new male germ line-specific chromosomal protein of Drosophila
1999
A new chromosomal protein - RADHA - of Drosophila is described that is specific for the male germ line. It is encoded by a single-copy gene, located in the region 96C-D of D. melanogaster polytene chromosomes. Transcription of the radha gene is restricted to the primary spermatocyte stage. The protein initially accumulates in some of the Y-chromosomal lampbrush loops. After meiosis it is found in the nuclei of spermatids and might be involved in chromatin rearrangement processes in the male germ line. RADHA is a basic protein with a C-terminal leucine zipper region and several segments capable of forming coiled-coil structures.
Pentoxifylline Prevents Loss of PP2A Phosphatase Activity and Recruitment of Histone Acetyltransferases to Proinflammatory Genes in Acute Pancreatitis
2009
Mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are considered major signal transducers early during the development of acute pancreatitis. Pentoxifylline is a phosphodiesterase inhibitor with marked anti-inflammatory properties through blockade of extracellular signal regulated kinase (ERK) phosphorylation and tumor necrosis factor alpha production. Our aim was to elucidate the mechanism of action of pentoxifylline as an anti-inflammatory agent in acute pancreatitis. Necrotizing pancreatitis induced by taurocholate in rats and taurocholate-treated AR42J acinar cells were studied. Phosphorylation of ERK and ERK kinase (MEK1/2), as well as PP2A, PP2B, and PP2C serine/threonine phosphatase activiti…
Stage-specific germ-cell marker genes are expressed in all mouse pluripotent cell types and emerge early during induced pluripotency.
2011
Embryonic stem cells (ESCs) generated from the in-vitro culture of blastocyst stage embryos are known as equivalent to blastocyst inner cell mass (ICM) in-vivo. Though several reports have shown the expression of germ cell/pre-meiotic (GC/PrM) markers in ESCs, their functional relevance for the pluripotency and germ line commitment are largely unknown. In the present study, we used mouse as a model system and systematically analyzed the RNA and protein expression of GC/PrM markers in ESCs and found them to be comparable to the expression of cultured pluripotent cells originated from the germ line. Further, siRNA knockdown experiments have demonstrated the parallel maintenance and independen…
New molecular markers for the evaluation of gamete quality.
2013
Purpose: Only 30 % of IVF cycles result in a pregnancy, so that multiple embryos need to be replaced, per treatment cycle, to increase pregnancy rates, resulting in a multiple gestation rate of 25 %. The use of new markers in the gamete selection, could reduce the number of the oocytes to be fertilized and embryos to be produced, but the tools to evidence the gamete competence remain unavailable and more studies are needed to identify bio-markers to select the best oocyte and sperm to produce embryos with higher implantation potentiality. Methods: To define oocyte competence, the apoptosis of the surrounding cumulus cells and the oxygen consumption rates for individual oocytes before fertil…
Comparative Analysis of Chromatin-Delivered Biomarkers in the Monitoring of Sepsis and Septic Shock: A Pilot Study
2021
Sepsis management remains one of the most important challenges in modern clinical practice. Rapid progression from sepsis to septic shock is practically unpredictable, hence the critical need for sepsis biomarkers that can help clinicians in the management of patients to reduce the probability of a fatal outcome. Circulating nucleoproteins released during the inflammatory response to infection, including neutrophil extracellular traps, nucleosomes, and histones, and nuclear proteins like HMGB1, have been proposed as markers of disease progression since they are related to inflammation, oxidative stress, endothelial damage, and impairment of the coagulation response, among other pathological…
A bioinformatics analysis of Lamin-A regulatory network: a perspective on epigenetic involvement in Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome.
2012
Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS) is a rare human genetic disease that leads to premature aging. HGPS is caused by mutation in the Lamin-A (LMNA) gene that leads, in affected young individuals, to the accumulation of the progerin protein, usually present only in aging differentiated cells. Bioinformatics analyses of the network of interactions of the LMNA gene and transcripts are presented. The LMNA gene network has been analyzed using the BioGRID database (http://thebiogrid.org/) and related analysis tools such as Osprey (http://biodata.mshri.on.ca/osprey/servlet/Index) and GeneMANIA ( http://genemania.org/). The network of interaction of LMNA transcripts has been further analyze…
Id2 leaves the chromatin of the E2F4-p130-controlled c-myc promoter during hepatocyte priming for liver regeneration
2006
The Id (inhibitor of DNA binding or inhibitor of differentiation) helix–loop–helix proteins are involved in the regulation of cell growth, differentiation and cancer. The fact that the molecular mechanisms of liver regeneration are not completely understood prompted us to study the fate of Id2 in proliferating liver. Id2 increases in liver regeneration after partial hepatectomy, following the early induction of its gene. Co-immunoprecipitation shows that Id2 forms a complex with E2F4, p130 and mSin3A in quiescent liver and all these components are present at the c-myc promoter as shown using ChIP (chromatin immunoprecipitation). Activation of c-myc during hepatocyte priming (G0–G1 transitio…
Genetic identification of a network of factors that functionally interact with the nucleosome remodeling ATPase ISWI.
2008
Nucleosome remodeling and covalent modifications of histones play fundamental roles in chromatin structure and function. However, much remains to be learned about how the action of ATP-dependent chromatin remodeling factors and histone-modifying enzymes is coordinated to modulate chromatin organization and transcription. The evolutionarily conserved ATP-dependent chromatin-remodeling factor ISWI plays essential roles in chromosome organization, DNA replication, and transcription regulation. To gain insight into regulation and mechanism of action of ISWI, we conducted an unbiased genetic screen to identify factors with which it interacts in vivo. We found that ISWI interacts with a network o…