Search results for "sequence analysis"
showing 10 items of 1349 documents
Mating systems and protein–protein interactions determine evolutionary rates of primate sperm proteins
2013
To assess the relative impact of functional constraint and post-mating sexual selection on sequence evolution of reproductive proteins, we examined 169 primate sperm proteins. In order to recognize potential genome-wide trends, we additionally analysed a sample of altogether 318 non-reproductive (brain and postsynaptic) proteins. Based on cDNAs of eight primate species (Anthropoidea), we observed that pre-mating sperm proteins engaged in sperm composition and assembly show significantly lower incidence of site-specific positive selection and overall lower non-synonymous to synonymous substitution rates ( d N / d S ) across sites as compared with post-mating sperm proteins involved in capac…
Exome chip association study excluded the involvement of rare coding variants with large effect sizes in the etiology of anorectal malformations
2019
IntroductionAnorectal malformations (ARM) are rare congenital malformations, resulting from disturbed hindgut development. A genetic etiology has been suggested, but evidence for the involvement of specific genes is scarce. We evaluated the contribution of rare and low-frequency coding variants in ARM etiology, assuming a multifactorial model.MethodsWe analyzed 568 Caucasian ARM patients and 1,860 population-based controls using the Illumina Human Exome Beadchip array, which contains >240,000 rare and low-frequency coding variants. GenomeStudio clustering and calling was followed by re-calling of 'no-calls' using zCall for patients and controls simultaneously. Single variant and gene-bas…
Distinct immune evasion in APOBEC ‐enriched, HPV ‐negative HNSCC
2020
Immune checkpoint inhibition leads to response in some patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Robust biomarkers are lacking to date. We analyzed viral status, gene expression signatures, mutational load and mutational signatures in whole exome and RNA-sequencing data of the HNSCC TCGA dataset (n = 496) and a validation set (DKTK MASTER cohort, n = 10). Public single-cell gene expression data from 17 HPV-negative HNSCC were separately reanalyzed. APOBEC3-associated TCW motif mutations but not total single nucleotide variant burden were significantly associated with inflammation. This association was restricted to HPV-negative HNSCC samples. An APOBEC-enriched, HPV-negat…
Identification and characterization of a gene encoding a putative mouse Rho GTPase activating protein gene 8, Arhgap8.
2003
Rho GTPase activating proteins promote the intrinsic GTP hydrolysis activity of Rho family proteins. We isolated a putative mouse ortholog of the human Rho GTPase activating protein 8, ARHGAP8. The open reading frame encodes a peptide of 387 amino acids with high homology to human ARHGAP8 in its N-terminal domain. Both radiation hybrid mapping and fluorescent in situ hybridization localized the gene to mouse chromosome 15E. The 23 kb genomic Arhgap8 sequence consists of eight exons and seven introns. Northern blot and RT-PCR analyses showed that a transcript of approximately 1.9 kb is ubiquitously expressed in various adult mouse tissues with particularly strong expression in kidney.
Frequency and characterization of DNA methylation defects in children born SGA
2012
Various genes located at imprinted loci and regulated by epigenetic mechanisms are involved in the control of growth and differentiation. The broad phenotypic variability of imprinting disorders suggests that individuals with inborn errors of imprinting might remain undetected among patients born small for gestational age (SGA). We evaluated quantitative DNA methylation analysis at differentially methylated regions (DMRs) of 10 imprinted loci (PLAGL1, IGF2R DMR2, GRB10, H19 DMR, IGF2, MEG3, NDN, SNRPN, NESP, NESPAS) by bisulphite pyrosequencing in 98 patients born SGA and 50 controls. For IGF2R DMR2, methylation patterns of additional 47 parent pairs and one mother (95 individuals) of patie…
Apolipoprotein CI is a physiological regulator of cholesteryl ester transfer protein activity in human plasma but not in rabbit plasma
2009
Plasma cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity is high in rabbits, intermediate in humans, and nondetectable in rodents. Human apolipoprotein CI (apoCI) was found to be a potent inhibitor of CETP. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of rabbit and human apoCI to modulate the interaction of CETP with HDLs and to evaluate to which extent apoCI contributes to plasma cholesteryl ester transfer rate in normolipidemic humans and rabbits. Rabbit apoCI gene was cloned and sequenced, rabbit and human apoCI were purified to homogeneity, and their ability to modify the surface charge properties and the CETP inhibitory potential of HDL were compared. It is demonstrated that unlik…
Life cycle of Renylaima capensis, a brachylaimid trematode of shrews and slugs in South Africa: two-host and three-host transmission modalities sugge…
2012
Abstract Background The life cycle of the brachylaimid trematode species Renylaima capensis, infecting the urinary system of the shrew Myosorex varius (Mammalia: Soricidae: Crocidosoricinae) in the Hottentots Holland Nature Reserve, South Africa, has been elucidated by a study of its larval stages, epizootiological data in local snails and mammals during a 34-year period, and its verification with mtDNA sequencing. Methods Parasites obtained from dissected animals were mounted in microscope slides for the parasitological study and measured according to standardized methods. The mitochondrial DNA cox 1 gene was sequenced by the dideoxy chain-termination method. Results The slugs Ariostralis …
Identification and characterization of PlAlix, the Alix homologue from the Mediterranean sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus.
2013
The sea urchin provides a relatively simple and tractable system for analyzing the early stages of embryo development. Here, we use the sea urchin species, Paracentrotus lividus, to investigate the role of Alix in key stages of embryogenesis, namely the egg fertilization and the first cleavage division. Alix is a multifunctional protein involved in different cellular processes including endocytic membrane trafficking, filamentous (F)-actin remodeling, and cytokinesis. Alix homologues have been identified in different metazoans; in these organisms, Alix is involved in oogenesis and in determination/differentiation events during embryo development. Herein, we describe the identification of th…
Genes coding for intermediate filament proteins closely related to the hagfish "thread keratins (TK)" alpha and gamma also exist in lamprey, teleosts…
2005
The "thread keratins (TK)" alpha and gamma so far have been considered highly specialized intermediate filament (IF) proteins restricted to hagfish. From lamprey, we now have sequenced five novel IF proteins closely related to TKalpha and TKgamma, respectively. Moreover, we have detected corresponding sequences in EST and genomic databases of teleosts and amphibians. The structure of the TKalpha genes and the positions of their deduced amino acid sequences in a phylogenetic tree clearly support their classification as type II keratins. The genes encoding TKgamma show a structure typical for type III IF proteins, whereas their positions in phylogenetic trees favor a close relationship to the…
Somatic mutation profiles as molecular classifiers of ulcerative colitis-associated colorectal cancer.
2021
Ulcerative colitis increases colorectal cancer risk by mechanisms that remain incompletely understood. We approached this question by determining the genetic and epigenetic profiles of colitis-associated colorectal carcinomas (CA-CRC). The findings were compared to Lynch syndrome (LS), a different form of cancer predisposition that shares the importance of immunological factors in tumorigenesis. CA-CRCs (n=27) were investigated for microsatellite instability, CpG island methylator phenotype, and somatic mutations of 999 cancer-relevant genes ("Pan-cancer" panel). A subpanel of "Pan-cancer" design (578 genes) was used for LS colorectal tumors (n=28). Mutational loads and signatures stratifie…