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Early appearance of stem/progenitor cells with neural-like characteristics in human cord blood mononuclear fraction cultured in vitro.

OBJECTIVE: The exposure of human umbilical cord blood mononuclear cells devoid of hematopoietic stem cells (HUCB-MNCsCD34-) to defined culture condition promotes their conversion into neural lineage. We have asked the question if observed fate change of HUCB-MNCsCD34- results from direct conversion of hematopoietic precursors into neural-like phenotypes due to expression of overlapping genetic program or, alternatively, these neural phenotypes arise from sequential differentiation of more primitive progenitors (embryonic-like cells) preexisting in HUCB-MNCsCD34- fraction. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HUCB-MNCs negatively selected for CD34 antigens were cultured in vitro up to 14 days. Changes in stem/neural cell genes and proteins were successively evaluated during this period and after evoked neuronal differentiation of cells in the presence of RA or BDNF or cocultured with neonatal rat brain astrocytes. RESULTS: Freshly isolated HUCB-MNCsCD34- expressed pluripotent cell markers: Oct3/4, Sox2, and Rex1 genes. During 24 hours of culture the frequency of Oct3/4 immunopositive cells increased markedly with parallel enlargement of "side population" and CD133+ cell appearance. Concomitantly, cultured cells start to form aggregates and express pro-neural genes, i.e., enhanced Sox2, OTX1, Nestin, GFAP, and NF-200. During the next days of culture immunoreactions for beta-tubulin III, MAP2, GFAP, S100beta, Doublecortin, and GalC were induced with reciprocal lowering of stem cell gene and protein markers. At this stage cells successively adhered to the bottom, dispersed, and decreased proliferation rate (Ki67 expression). Additional treatments with neuromorphogenes or coculturing with rat brain primary culture induced further differentiation of these neural precursors toward more advanced neuronal phenotypes. CONCLUSIONS: HUCB-MNCs(CD34-) fraction contains embryonic-like stem/progenitor cells which increase rapidly but transiently in culture, then differentiate spontaneously after cell aggregate adhesion toward neural lineage. Neurally promoted cells from 10-14 DIV culture acquire three main neural-like phenotypes, i.e., neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. In this respect they are promising candidates for experimental treatment of neuronal injury; however, the final proof for conversion of HUCB cells to neural cells can be obtained through transplantation experiments.

Animals↗

Association of polymorphisms in P2RX7 and CaMKKb with anxiety disorders.

BACKGROUND: There is considerable evidence that genetic factors play an important role in the pathophysiology of affective disorders including bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and anxiety disorders. Long-term follow up studies as well as drug treatment studies suggest that these clinical conditions share a number of pathophysiological commonalities including genetic variables. One possible candidate region is located on chromosome 12q24.31, originated from previous linkage and association studies with bipolar disorder and unipolar depression. This region contains two candidate genes for purinergic ligand-gated ion channels, P2RX7 and P2RX4, and one gene coding for calmodulin-dependent protein kinase kinase b (CaMKKb). METHODS: In the present study, we investigated the genetic associations between 15 SNPs in the candidate genes P2RX7, P2RX4 and CaMKKb on chromosome 12q24.31 in 179 patients with anxiety disorders and syndromal panic attacks versus 462 healthy controls. RESULTS: One nominal case-control association could be detected for a SNP in the 5'UTR region of P2RX4, which did not remain significant after correction for multiple testing. We found, however, a prominent association between severity of panic- and agoraphobia symptoms and an exonic SNP (rs3817190) in the CaMKKb gene and a trend for association with an exonic SNP in P2RX7 (rs1718119) with severity scores in the panic- and agoraphobia scale. CONCLUSION: The locus 12q24.31 seems to be an important genetic region for anxiety, bipolar and unipolar disorders, suggesting a genetic overlap in the group of affective disorders. The specific contribution of the herein reported gene polymorphisms to the clinical condition is still unclear and warrants further analysis.

Adult↗

QTL analysis identifies multiple behavioral dimensions in ethological tests of anxiety in laboratory mice.

BACKGROUND: Ethological tests of anxiety-related behaviors, such as the open field arena and elevated plus maze, are often carried out on transgenic animals in the attempt to correlate gene function with a behavioral phenotype. However, the interpretation of such tests is problematic, as it is probable that different tests measure different aspects of behavior; indeed, anxiety may not be a unitary phenomenon. Here, we address these questions by asking whether behaviors in five ethological tests of anxiety are under the influence of a common set of genes. RESULTS: Using over 1600 F2 intercross animals, we demonstrate that separate, but overlapping, genetic effects can be detected that influence different behavioral dimensions in the open field, elevated plus maze, square maze, light-dark box, and mirror chamber. We find quantitative trait loci (QTLs) on chromosomes 1, 4, and 15 that operate in four tests of anxiety but can be differentiated by their action on behavior in threatening and nonthreatening environments and by whether habituation of the animals to an aversive environment alters their influence. QTLs on chromosomes 7, 12, 14, 18, and X influenced a subset of behavioral measures. CONCLUSIONS: The chromosome 15 QTL acts primarily on avoidance behavior, the chromosome 1 QTL influences exploration, and the QTL on chromosome 4 influences activity. However, the effects of loci on other chromosomes are not so readily reconciled with our current understanding of the psychology of anxiety. Genetic effects on behaviors in these tests are more complex than expected and may not reflect an influence on anxiety.

Animals↗

A plant receptor-like kinase required for both bacterial and fungal symbiosis.

Most higher plant species can enter a root symbiosis with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, in which plant carbon is traded for fungal phosphate. This is an ancient symbiosis, which has been detected in fossils of early land plants. In contrast, the nitrogen-fixing root nodule symbioses of plants with bacteria evolved more recently, and are phylogenetically restricted to the rosid I clade of plants. Both symbioses rely on partially overlapping genetic programmes. We have identified the molecular basis for this convergence by cloning orthologous SYMRK ('symbiosis receptor-like kinase') genes from Lotus and pea, which are required for both fungal and bacterial recognition. SYMRK is predicted to have a signal peptide, an extracellular domain comprising leucine-rich repeats, a transmembrane and an intracellular protein kinase domain. Lotus SYMRK is required for a symbiotic signal transduction pathway leading from the perception of microbial signal molecules to rapid symbiosis-related gene activation. The perception of symbiotic fungi and bacteria is mediated by at least one common signalling component, which could have been recruited during the evolution of root nodule symbioses from the already existing arbuscular mycorrhiza symbiosis.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Homozygous defects in LMNA, encoding lamin A/C nuclear-envelope proteins, cause autosomal recessive axonal neuropathy in human (Charcot-Marie-Tooth disorder type 2) and mouse.

The Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disorders comprise a group of clinically and genetically heterogeneous hereditary motor and sensory neuropathies, which are mainly characterized by muscle weakness and wasting, foot deformities, and electrophysiological, as well as histological, changes. A subtype, CMT2, is defined by a slight or absent reduction of nerve-conduction velocities together with the loss of large myelinated fibers and axonal degeneration. CMT2 phenotypes are also characterized by a large genetic heterogeneity, although only two genes---NF-L and KIF1Bbeta---have been identified to date. Homozygosity mapping in inbred Algerian families with autosomal recessive CMT2 (AR-CMT2) provided evidence of linkage to chromosome 1q21.2-q21.3 in two families (Zmax=4.14). All patients shared a common homozygous ancestral haplotype that was suggestive of a founder mutation as the cause of the phenotype. A unique homozygous mutation in LMNA (which encodes lamin A/C, a component of the nuclear envelope) was identified in all affected members and in additional patients with CMT2 from a third, unrelated family. Ultrastructural exploration of sciatic nerves of LMNA null (i.e., -/-) mice was performed and revealed a strong reduction of axon density, axonal enlargement, and the presence of nonmyelinated axons, all of which were highly similar to the phenotypes of human peripheral axonopathies. The finding of site-specific amino acid substitutions in limb-girdle muscular dystrophy type 1B, autosomal dominant Emery-Dreifuss muscular dystrophy, dilated cardiomyopathy type 1A, autosomal dominant partial lipodystrophy, and, now, AR-CMT2 suggests the existence of distinct functional domains in lamin A/C that are essential for the maintenance and integrity of different cell lineages. To our knowledge, this report constitutes the first evidence of the recessive inheritance of a mutation that causes CMT2; additionally, we suggest that mutations in LMNA may also be the cause of the genetically overlapping disorder CMT2B1.

Algeria↗

ES2, a gene deleted in DiGeorge syndrome, encodes a nuclear protein and is expressed during early mouse development, where it shares an expression domain with a Goosecoid-like gene.

ES2 is a gene deleted in DiGeorge syndrome (DGS) and velocardiofacial syndrome (VCFS) which has homologs in species as distant as Caenorhabditis elegans and Drosophila . The function of ES2 is unknown, and the predicted protein sequence does not contain motifs which suggest a particular role in the developmental defects present in DGS and VCFS. Here we show that the mouse homolog, Es2 , is transcribed in two forms resulting from the use of alternative polyadenylation signals. Structural analysis programs predict that the Es2 -encoded peptide has a coiled-coil domain, and transfection experiments with an Es2 -green fluorescent protein (GFP) fusion construct show that the peptide is recruited into the nucleus. Es2 is highly expressed during mouse embryogenesis from E7 onwards. In situ hybridization with an RNA probe revealed that the gene is widely expressed; however, relatively higher expression was detected in the nervous system, with a particularly high area of expression in a sub-region of the pons. The Es2 expression domain in the pons is shared with a Goosecoid-like gene ( Gscl) which is located upstream of Es2 , and raises the possibility that the two genes share regulatory elements and/or interact in this region of the developing brain. This finding suggests that different genes in the deleted region may be functionally related and might explain the occurrence of the characteristic phenotype in patients with non-overlapping genetic lesions.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Genetic studies of the schizoaffective syndrome: a selective review.

The diagnostic validity of the schizoaffective syndrome is assessed from a genetic vantage point. Five studies are reviewed that meet specific methodological requirements. No evidence is provided for the transmission of schizoaffective disorder as a diagnostic entity. The relationship of the schizoaffective syndrome to manic-depressive illness and to schizophrenia is unresolved, and genetic overlap exists between these two disorders in the transmission of the syndrome, with the larger contribution coming from affective disorder, and schizophrenia contributing primarily a severity of illness factor.

Adult↗

In vitro propagation and transcriptional profiling of human mammary stem/progenitor cells.

Although the existence of mammary stem cells has been suggested by serial transplantation studies in mice, their identification has been hindered by the lack of specific surface markers, and by the absence of suitable in vitro assays for testing stem cell properties: self-renewal and ability to generate differentiated progeny. We have developed an in vitro cultivation system that allows for propagation of human mammary epithelial cells (HMECs) in an undifferentiated state, based on their ability to proliferate in suspension, as nonadherent mammospheres. We demonstrate that nonadherent mammospheres are enriched in early progenitor/stem cells and able to differentiate along all three mammary epithelial lineages and to clonally generate complex functional structures in reconstituted 3D culture systems. Gene expression analysis of cells isolated from nonadherent mammospheres revealed overlapping genetic programs with other stem and progenitor cells and identified new markers that may be useful in the identification of mammary stem cells. The isolation and characterization of these stem cells should help elucidate the molecular pathways that govern normal mammary development and carcinogenesis.

Benzimidazoles↗

Anhidrotic and achromians lesions in incontinentia pigmenti.

Three women subsequently shown to have incontinentia pigmenti (IP) presented with white hairless streaks on the limbs as the predominant cutaneous abnormality. Seven other patients with IP diagnosed in infancy were reviewed to establish the frequency of this sign. It was found in all of them, and in the otherwise unaffected mother of three affected girls. A focal absence of sweating in these lesions is reported here for the first time. There are other similarities with anhidrotic ectodermal dysplasia, suggesting a genetic overlap between these two X-linked conditions.

Adolescent↗

Molecular characterization of vancomycin-resistant enterococci from hospitalized patients and poultry products in The Netherlands.

Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) pose an emerging health risk, but little is known about the precise epidemiology of the genes coding for vancomycin resistance. To determine whether the bacterial flora of consumer poultry serves as a gene reservoir, the level of contamination of poultry products with VRE was determined. VRE were genotyped by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and transposon structure mapping was done by PCR. The vanX-vanY intergenic regions of several strains were further analyzed by sequencing. A total of 242 of 305 (79%) poultry products were found to be contaminated with VRE. Of these VRE, 142 (59%) were high-level-vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus faecium strains (VREF). PFGE revealed extensive VREF heterogeneity. Two genotypes were found nationwide on multiple occasions: type A (22 of 142 VREF [15%]) and type B (14 of 142 VREF [10%]). No PFGE-deduced genetic overlap was found when VREF from humans were compared with VREF from poultry. Two vanA transposon types were identified among poultry strains. In 59 of 142 (42%) of the poultry VREF, the size of the intergenic region between vanX and vanY was approximately 1,300 bp. This transposon type was not found in human VREF. In contrast, all human strains and 83 of 142 (58%) of the poultry VREF contained an intergenic region 543 bp in size. Sequencing of this 543-bp intergenic vanX-vanY region demonstrated full sequence conservation. Though preliminary, these data suggest that dissemination of the resistance genes carried on transposable elements may be of greater importance than clonal dissemination of resistant strains. This observation is important for developing strategies to control the spread of glycopeptide resistance.

Animals↗

The fungal vacuole: composition, function, and biogenesis.

The fungal vacuole is an extremely complex organelle that is involved in a wide variety of functions. The vacuole not only carries out degradative processes, the role most often ascribed to it, but also is the primary storage site for certain small molecules and biosynthetic precursors such as basic amino acids and polyphosphate, plays a role in osmoregulation, and is involved in the precise homeostatic regulation of cytosolic ion and basic amino acid concentration and intracellular pH. These many functions necessitate an intricate interaction between the vacuole and the rest of the cell; the vacuole is part of both the secretory and endocytic pathways and is also directly accessible from the cytosol. Because of the various roles and properties of the vacuole, it has been possible to isolate mutants which are defective in various vacuolar functions including the storage and uptake of metabolites, regulation of pH, sorting and processing of vacuolar proteins, and vacuole biogenesis. These mutants show a remarkable degree of genetic overlap, suggesting that these functions are not individual, discrete properties of the vacuole but, rather, are closely interrelated.

Fungi↗

Molecular characterisation of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma in patients under 40.

BACKGROUND: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) rarely affects people under 40. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether the clinical, pathomorphological and genetic features of PDAC occurring in young patients (<or=40 years) differ from those in elderly patients. METHODS: Clinical and pathomorphological data were obtained from seven patients presenting with PDAC, with age ranging from 35 to 40 years of age (mean 38 years). All tumours were characterised by using immunohistochemistry and molecular genetics. RESULTS: All seven patients were women and lacked an association to cancer-predisposing genetic syndromes. Four patients were smokers and one had non-hereditary chronic pancreatitis. Pathomorphologically, tumours in three patients displayed moderate differentiation and four showed poor differentiation including one adenosquamous carcinoma. All tumours showed overexpression of transforming growth factor beta1 and loss or significant reduction of Smad4. Accumulation of p53 and overexpression of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) were seen in five and four patients, respectively. No expression of p16, oestrogen hormone receptor or progesterone receptor was found. Mismatch repair gene products (MutL homologue 1 (MLH1), MSH2 and MSH6) were expressed in all tumours. Mutational analyses showed K-ras mutations in only three of the seven tumours. CONCLUSION: A large clinical, pathomorphological and genetic overlap of PDAC in young patients aged under 40 is seen with that in elderly patients. The existence of yet undefined initiating events of pancreatic carcinogenesis is suggested by the low rate of K-ras mutations, in at least a subgroup of young patients.

Adult↗

Familial occurrence of dementia and parkinsonism: a systematic review.

Parkinson's disease with dementia (PDD) and dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) are common clinical dementias characterized neuropathologically by the presence of cortical Lewy body pathology and with distinct clinical and neurobiological similarities. Importantly, genetic factors seem to play a key role in the pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease. In the current article, we examine the evidence for a genetic component to DLB and PDD by reviewing studies of familial PDD and DLB as well as familial coincidental PDD and DLB, and report the genes involved. There is a convincing genetic overlap between both syndromes, suggesting that they share a common etiological factor.

Adult↗

The familial aggregation of psychotic symptoms in bipolar disorder pedigrees.

OBJECTIVE: Symptomatic overlap between affective disorders and schizophrenia has long been noted. More recently, family and linkage studies have provided some evidence for overlapping genetic susceptibility between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. If shared genes are responsible for the psychotic manifestations of both disorders, these genes may result in clustering of psychotic symptoms in some bipolar disorder pedigrees. The authors tested this hypothesis in families ascertained for a genetic study of bipolar disorder. METHOD: Rates of psychotic symptoms-defined as hallucinations or delusions-during affective episodes were compared in families of 47 psychotic and 18 nonpsychotic probands with bipolar I disorder. The analysis included 202 first-degree relatives with major affective disorder. RESULTS: Significantly more families of psychotic probands than families of nonpsychotic probands (64% versus 28%) contained at least one relative who had affective disorder with psychotic symptoms. Significantly more affectively ill relatives of psychotic probands than of nonpsychotic probands (34% versus 11%) had psychotic symptoms. An analysis of clustering of psychotic subjects across all families revealed significant familial aggregation. Clustering of psychosis was also apparent when only bipolar I disorder was considered the affected phenotype. CONCLUSIONS: Psychotic bipolar disorder may delineate a subtype of value for genetic and biological investigations. Families with this subtype should be used to search for linkage in chromosomal regions 10p12-13, 13q32, 18p11.2, and 22q11-13, where susceptibility genes common to bipolar disorder and schizophrenia may reside. Putative schizophrenia-associated biological markers, such as abnormal evoked response, oculomotor, and neuroimaging measures, could similarly be explored in such families.

Adult↗

Genetic influences on specific versus nonspecific language impairment in 4-year-old twins.

The present study addresses the distinction between specific (SLI) and nonspecific (NLI) language impairment at an etiological level by estimating the relative genetic and environmental contributions to language impairment in children with SLI and NLI. Drawing on a large longitudinal twin study, we tested a sample of 356 four-and-a-half-year-old children with low language ability and their twin partners at home on a range of language and nonverbal measures. For children whose language and nonverbal abilities were both low (NLI), genetic influence on language impairment was moderate and shared environmental influence was substantial. A similar pattern emerged for children whose language difficulties occurred in apparent isolation (SLI), although there was a trend for the genetic effects to be smaller for SLI than for NLI: Group heritability was .18 for SLI and .52 for NLI. Probandwise cross-concordances were suggestive of some genetic overlap between these two groups, but not with a subgroup of children with more severe cognitive delay.

Child, Preschool↗

Unique gene expression profile based on pathologic response in epithelial ovarian cancer.

PURPOSE: We investigated whether tumor tissue obtained at diagnosis expresses a specific gene profile that is predictive of findings at second-look surgery in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Tumor tissue obtained at the time of diagnosis was profiled with oligonucleotide microarrays. Class prediction analysis was performed in a training set of 24 patients who had undergone a second-look procedure. The resultant predictive signature was then tested on an independent validation set comprised of 36 patients. RESULTS: A 93-gene signature referred to as the Chemotherapy Response Profile (CRP) was identified through its association with pathologic complete response. When applied to a separate validation set, the CRP distinguished between patients with unfavorable versus favorable overall survival (median 41 months v not yet reached, respectively, log-rank P = .007), with a median follow-up of 52 months. The signature maintained independent prognostic value in multivariate analysis, controlling for other known prognostic factors such as age, stage, grade, and debulking status. There was no genetic overlap between the CRP and our previously described Ovarian Cancer Prognostic Profile (OCPP), which demonstrated similar prognostic value. The combination of the CRP and OCPP yielded better prognostic discrimination then either profile alone. Genes present in the CRP include BAX, a proapoptotic protein previously associated with chemotherapy response in ovarian cancer. CONCLUSION: Identification of a gene expression profile based on pathologic response in EOC provides independent prognostic information and offers potential insights into the mechanism of drug resistance. Efforts to identify a more tailored profile using selected genes from both the CRP and OCPP are underway.

Adenocarcinoma, Clear Cell↗

Beyond years of schooling: Genetic associations across educational milestones in two Norwegian cohorts.

Although educational attainment is heritable, years-of-education (EduYears) measures are not designed to show how genetic associations vary across discrete educational milestones. In the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa; N&#x2009;=&#x2009;120,527) and the Norwegian Twin Registry (N&#x2009;=&#x2009;8,910), we combined genome-wide association studies (GWAS), polygenic indices (PGIs), and twin models to characterize genetic associations with high-school completion and bachelor's, master's, and doctoral attainment. In transition-specific analyses conditional on prior attainment, observed-scale common-variant heritability (h2SNP) and PGI discrimination followed an inverse-U pattern, peaking for progression from high-school completion to attainment of at least a bachelor's degree (HS&#x2009;&#x2192;&#x2009;BSc&#x2009;+&#x2009;; h2SNP&#x2009;&#x2248;&#x2009;0.14; R2Tjur&#x2009;&#x2248;&#x2009;0.05) and declining at postgraduate transitions. Genetic correlations (rg) with large-scale GWAS of EduYears (EA4) and intelligence were high at earlier transitions but lower at later ones (for EA4, rg&#x2009;&#x2248;&#x2009;0.92 at HS&#x2009;&#x2192;&#x2009;BSc+ and &#x2248; 0.38 at MSc&#x2009;&#x2192;&#x2009;PhD). In cumulative analyses of attained status in the full cohort, the point-estimate gap between twin- and SNP-based heritability narrowed from &#x2248; 0.38 at high-school completion to &#x2248; 0.11 at PhD, while genetic overlap was lower for distant than adjacent milestones (rg&#x2009;&#x2248;&#x2009;0.71 for high-school completion versus PhD and &#x2248; 0.92 for adjacent milestones). Sensitivity analyses using an alternative intelligence GWAS and additional PGIs showed similar transition-specific trajectories. At the doctoral transition, estimates were obtained among individuals who had attained at least a master's degree, so attenuation there must be interpreted in light of selection and range restriction. Because EduYears converts distinct credentials and progression steps into a single numerical scale, estimates expressed per additional year should not be interpreted as though one year has the same meaning across the educational sequence. Milestone-preserving analyses make that hidden structure visible and sharpen the interpretation of education GWAS and PGIs.

Journal Article↗

No evidence of ARAF, CRAF and MET mutations in BRAFT1799A negative human papillary thyroid carcinoma.

The MAPK signaling pathway plays a crucial role in tumorgenesis and cell proliferation in human papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC). Ret/PTC rearrangements, RAS and BRAF mutations, the main non-overlapping genetic alterations all leading to MAPK cascade activation, are cumulatively identified in 60-80% of PTCs. In approximately one-fourth of the cases, oncogenic background potentially contributing to MAPK activation in PTC might be different. We therefore attempted to evaluate the mutational status of genes encoding other members of RAF family known to act upstream of MAPKs, ARAF and CRAF (RAF-1). In addition we also analyzed the MET gene that encodes hepatocyte growth factor/scatter factor receptor overexpressed in most of PTCs and a MAPK cascade contributor. In 129 Japanese patients with PTC, BRAF(T1799A) was detected in 65 cases (50.4%), and the remaining 64 tumor specimens were subjected to mutation analysis of kinase domains of ARAF, CRAF and MET genes, and hotspots of K- and N-RAS genes. No ARAF, CRAF, MET, K- and N-RAS mutations were revealed. Based on these observations, we concluded that despite the fact that ARAF, CRAF and MET are actively expressed, alterations of these genes are rare in PTC and unlikely to play a perceptible role in the molecular pathogenesis of this type of human malignancy.

Carcinoma, Papillary↗