| 1. |
- Ceulemans, Shana, et al.
(författare)
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Evidence for the involvement of the glucocorticoid receptor gene in bipolar disorder in an isolated northern Swedish population
- 2011
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Ingår i: Bipolar Disorders. - Malden, USA : John Wiley & Sons. - 1398-5647 .- 1399-5618. ; 13:7-8, s. 614-623
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives: Dysfunction of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is one of the most consistent findings in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. The potential role of genes related to HPA axis function has been investigated extensively in major depression. However, in bipolar disorder (BPD) such studies are scarce. We performed a systematic HapMap-based association study of six genes crucial for HPA axis function in relation to BPD. Methods: Haplotype tagging single nucleotide polymorphisms (htSNPs) were selected in order to identify all haplotypes with a frequency of more than 1% in the genes encoding the glucocorticoid receptor (GR), mineralocorticoid receptor (MR), corticotrophin releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRH-R1) and 2 (CRH-R2), CRH binding protein (CRH-BP), and FK binding protein 5 (FKBP5). This resulted in a total selection of 225 SNPs that were genotyped and analyzed in 309 BPD patients and 364 matched control individuals all originating from an isolated northern Swedish population. Results: Consistent evidence for an association with BPD was found for NR3C1, the gene encoding GR. Almost all SNPs in two adjacent haplotype blocks contributed to the positive signal, comprised of significant single marker, sliding window, and haplotype-specific p-values. All these results point to a moderately frequent (10–15%) susceptibility haplotype covering the entire coding region and 3? untranslated region (UTR) of NR3C1. Conclusions: This study contributes to the growing evidence for a role of the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) in vulnerability to mood disorders, and BPD in particular, and warrants further in vitro investigation of the at-risk haplotypes with respect to disease etiology. However, this association might be restricted to this specific population, as it is observed in a rather small sample from an isolated population without replication, and data from large meta-analyses for genome-wide association studies in BPD do not show the GR as a very strong candidate.
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| 2. |
- Nylinder, Stephan, 1975, et al.
(författare)
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A dated species-tree approach to the trans-Pacific disjunction of the genus Jovellana (Calceolariaceae, Lamiales)
- 2012
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Ingår i: Taxon. - 0040-0262. ; 61:2, s. 381-391
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The genus Jovellana is the sister group to the larger genus Calceolaria, together composing the family Calceolariaceae. Four species are currently recognised, two in New Zealand J. sinclairii, J. repens) and two in Chile (J. punctata, J. violacea). The distribution is disjunct across the Pacific Ocean and has long been believed to be a remnant of an ancient vicariance following the break-up of Gondwana. In this study we infer a species-tree phylogeny of the genus using three chloroplast and four nuclear DNA sequences. By exploring three modes of estimating stem and crown ages of the family Calceolariaceae, a Jovellana species tree could be inferred and dated using a secondary calibration. With this approach we can demonstrate that genetic data, despite slightly different signals from unlinked and linked molecular markers, support the idea that the presence of Jovellana in New Zealand is the result of recent long-distance dispersal across the Pacific Ocean from South America.
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| 3. |
- Pagels, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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Redox sensing by a Rex-family repressor is involved in the regulation of anaerobic gene expression in Staphylococcus aureus
- 2010
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Ingår i: Molecular Microbiology. - : Wiley. - 1365-2958 .- 0950-382X. ; 76:5, s. 1142-1161
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- P>An alignment of upstream regions of anaerobically induced genes in Staphylococcus aureus revealed the presence of an inverted repeat, corresponding to Rex binding sites in Streptomyces coelicolor. Gel shift experiments of selected upstream regions demonstrated that the redox-sensing regulator Rex of S. aureus binds to this inverted repeat. The binding sequence - TTGTGAAW(4)TTCACAA - is highly conserved in S. aureus. Rex binding to this sequence leads to the repression of genes located downstream. The binding activity of Rex is enhanced by NAD+ while NADH, which competes with NAD+ for Rex binding, decreases the activity of Rex. The impact of Rex on global protein synthesis and on the activity of fermentation pathways under aerobic and anaerobic conditions was analysed by using a rex-deficient strain. A direct regulatory effect of Rex on the expression of pathways that lead to anaerobic NAD+ regeneration, such as lactate, formate and ethanol formation, nitrate respiration, and ATP synthesis, is verified. Rex can be considered a central regulator of anaerobic metabolism in S. aureus. Since the activity of lactate dehydrogenase enables S. aureus to resist NO stress and thus the innate immune response, our data suggest that deactivation of Rex is a prerequisite for this phenomenon.
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| 4. |
- Senje, Lovisa, et al.
(författare)
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Diagnostics for studies of novel laser ion acceleration mechanisms.
- 2014
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Ingår i: Review of Scientific Instruments. - : AIP Publishing. - 1089-7623 .- 0034-6748. ; 85:11
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Diagnostic for investigating and distinguishing different laser ion acceleration mechanisms has been developed and successfully tested. An ion separation wide angle spectrometer can simultaneously investigate three important aspects of the laser plasma interaction: (1) acquire angularly resolved energy spectra for two ion species, (2) obtain ion energy spectra for multiple species, separated according to their charge to mass ratio, along selected axes, and (3) collect laser radiation reflected from and transmitted through the target and propagating in the same direction as the ion beam. Thus, the presented diagnostic constitutes a highly adaptable tool for accurately studying novel acceleration mechanisms in terms of their angular energy distribution, conversion efficiency, and plasma density evolution.
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| 5. |
- Speliotes, Elizabeth K., et al.
(författare)
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Association analyses of 249,796 individuals reveal 18 new loci associated with body mass index
- 2010
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Ingår i: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 42:11, s. 937-948
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Obesity is globally prevalent and highly heritable, but its underlying genetic factors remain largely elusive. To identify genetic loci for obesity susceptibility, we examined associations between body mass index and ~2.8 million SNPs in up to 123,865 individuals with targeted follow up of 42 SNPs in up to 125,931 additional individuals. We confirmed 14 known obesity susceptibility loci and identified 18 new loci associated with body mass index (P < 5 × 10−8), one of which includes a copy number variant near GPRC5B. Some loci (at MC4R, POMC, SH2B1 and BDNF) map near key hypothalamic regulators of energy balance, and one of these loci is near GIPR, an incretin receptor. Furthermore, genes in other newly associated loci may provide new insights into human body weight regulation.
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| 6. |
- Van Schijndel, Jessica E., et al.
(författare)
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Dual association of a TRKA polymorphism with schizophrenia
- 2011
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Ingår i: Psychiatric Genetics. - : Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. - 0955-8829 .- 1473-5873. ; 21:3, s. 125-131
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- OBJECTIVE: An interaction between predisposing genes and environmental stressors is thought to underlie the neurodevelopmental disorder schizophrenia. In a targeted gene screening, we previously found that the minor allele of the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs6336 in the neurotrophic tyrosine kinase receptor 1 (NTRK1/TRKA) gene is associated with schizophrenia as a risk factor.METHODS: We genotyped the TRKA SNP in a total of eight independent Caucasian schizophrenia case-control groups.RESULT: Remarkably, although in five of the groups a higher frequency of the risk allele was indeed found in the patients compared with the controls, in the three other groups the SNP acted as a protective factor.CONCLUSION: An intriguing possibility is that this dual character of the TRKA SNP is caused by its interaction with endophenotypic and/or epistatic factors.
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