Search results for "structures"
showing 10 items of 4815 documents
An Intronic cis-Regulatory Element Is Crucial for the Alpha Tubulin Pl-Tuba1a Gene Activation in the Ciliary Band and Animal Pole Neurogenic Domains …
2017
In sea urchin development, structures derived from neurogenic territory control the swimming and feeding responses of the pluteus as well as the process of metamorphosis. We have previously isolated an alpha tubulin family member of Paracentrotus lividus (Pl-Tuba1a, formerly known as Pl-Talpha2) that is specifically expressed in the ciliary band and animal pole neurogenic domains of the sea urchin embryo. In order to identify cis-regulatory elements controlling its spatio-temporal expression, we conducted gene transfer experiments, transgene deletions and site specific mutagenesis. Thus, a genomic region of about 2.6 Kb of Pl-Tuba1a, containing four Interspecifically Conserved Regions (ICRs…
Retinal homeobox promotes cell growth, proliferation and survival of mushroom body neuroblasts in the Drosophila brain.
2016
Abstract The Drosophila mushroom bodies, centers of olfactory learning and memory in the fly ‘forebrain’, develop from a set of neural stem cells (neuroblasts) that generate a large number of Kenyon cells (KCs) during sustained cell divisions from embryonic to late pupal stage. We show that retinal homeobox ( rx ), encoding for an evolutionarily conserved transcription factor, is required for proper development of the mushroom bodies. Throughout development rx is expressed in mushroom body neuroblasts (MBNBs), their ganglion mother cells (MB-GMCs) and young KCs. In the absence of rx function, MBNBs form correctly but exhibit a reduction in cell size and mitotic activity, whereas overexpress…
Microparticles harbouring Sonic hedgehog morphogen improve the vasculogenesis capacity of endothelial progenitor cells derived from myocardial infarc…
2019
Aims Endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) play a role in endothelium integrity maintenance and regeneration. Decreased numbers of EPC or their impaired function correlates with an increase in cardiovascular events. Thus, EPC are important predictors of cardiovascular mortality and morbidity. Microparticles carrying Sonic hedgehog (Shh) morphogen (MPShh+) trigger pro-angiogenic responses, both in endothelial cells and in ischaemic rodent models. Here, we propose that MPShh+ regulates EPC function, thus enhancing vasculogenesis, and correcting the defects in dysfunctional EPC obtained from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients. Methods and results The mechanisms underlying Shh pathway func…
Detecting mutations by eBWT
2018
In this paper we develop a theory describing how the extended Burrows-Wheeler Transform (eBWT) of a collection of DNA fragments tends to cluster together the copies of nucleotides sequenced from a genome G. Our theory accurately predicts how many copies of any nucleotide are expected inside each such cluster, and how an elegant and precise LCP array based procedure can locate these clusters in the eBWT. Our findings are very general and can be applied to a wide range of different problems. In this paper, we consider the case of alignment-free and reference-free SNPs discovery in multiple collections of reads. We note that, in accordance with our theoretical results, SNPs are clustered in th…
The colored longest common prefix array computed via sequential scans
2018
Due to the increased availability of large datasets of biological sequences, the tools for sequence comparison are now relying on efficient alignment-free approaches to a greater extent. Most of the alignment-free approaches require the computation of statistics of the sequences in the dataset. Such computations become impractical in internal memory when very large collections of long sequences are considered. In this paper, we present a new conceptual data structure, the colored longest common prefix array (cLCP), that allows to efficiently tackle several problems with an alignment-free approach. In fact, we show that such a data structure can be computed via sequential scans in semi-exter…
Alignment-free sequence comparison using absent words
2018
Sequence comparison is a prerequisite to virtually all comparative genomic analyses. It is often realised by sequence alignment techniques, which are computationally expensive. This has led to increased research into alignment-free techniques, which are based on measures referring to the composition of sequences in terms of their constituent patterns. These measures, such as $q$-gram distance, are usually computed in time linear with respect to the length of the sequences. In this paper, we focus on the complementary idea: how two sequences can be efficiently compared based on information that does not occur in the sequences. A word is an {\em absent word} of some sequence if it does not oc…
Upgrading from iMac to iMicro
2017
In this issue of Immunity, Takata et al. (2017) describe a novel method to differentiate macrophages from iPSCs. These cells, which they call iMacs, are similar to yolk-sac-derived macrophages and are capable of undergoing terminal differentiation into tissue-resident-like macrophages in vitro and in vivo.
Comparison of environmental risk factors for esophageal atresia, anorectal malformations, and the combined phenotype in 263 German families
2015
Esophageal atresia with or without tracheoesophageal fistula (EA/TEF) and anorectal malformations (ARM) represent the severe ends of the fore- and hindgut malformation spectra. Previous research suggests that environmental factors are implicated in their etiology. These risk factors might indicate the influence of specific etiological mechanisms on distinct developmental processes (e.g. fore- vs. hindgut malformation). The present study compared environmental factors in patients with isolated EA/TEF, isolated ARM, and the combined phenotype during the periconceptional period and the first trimester of pregnancy in order to investigate the hypothesis that fore- and hindgut malformations invo…
FGFR a promising druggable target in cancer: Molecular biology and new drugs.
2017
Abstract: Introduction: The Fibroblast Growth Factor Receptor (FGFR) family consists of Tyrosine Kinase Receptors (TKR) involved in several biological functions. Recently, alterations of FGFR have been reported to be important for progression and development of several cancers. In this setting, different studies are trying to evaluate the efficacy of different therapies targeting FGFR. Areas Covered: This review summarizes the current status of treatments targeting FGFR, focusing on the trials that are evaluating the FGFR profile as inclusion criteria: Multi-Target, Pan-FGFR Inhibitors and anti-FGF (Fibroblast Growth Factor)/FGFR Monoclonal Antibodies. Expert opinion: Most of the TKR share …
Complexity of gap junctions between horizontal cells of the carp retina.
2016
In the vertebrate retina, horizontal cells (HCs) reveal homologous coupling by gap junctions (gj), which are thought to consist of different connexins (Cx). However, recent studies in mouse, rabbit and zebrafish retina indicate that individual HCs express more than one connexin. To provide further insights into the composition of gj connecting HCs and to determine whether HCs express multiple connexins, we examined the molecular identity and distribution of gj between HCs of the carp retina. We have cloned four carp connexins designated Cx49.5, Cx55.5, Cx52.6 and Cx53.8 with a close relationship to connexins previously reported in HCs of mouse, rabbit and zebrafish, respectively. Using in s…