| 11. |
- Martrat, Griselda, et al.
(författare)
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Exploring the link between MORF4L1 and risk of breast cancer
- 2011
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Ingår i: Breast Cancer Research. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1465-5411 .- 1465-542X. ; 13:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Proteins encoded by Fanconi anemia (FA) and/or breast cancer (BrCa) susceptibility genes cooperate in a common DNA damage repair signaling pathway. To gain deeper insight into this pathway and its influence on cancer risk, we searched for novel components through protein physical interaction screens. Methods: Protein physical interactions were screened using the yeast two-hybrid system. Co-affinity purifications and endogenous co-immunoprecipitation assays were performed to corroborate interactions. Biochemical and functional assays in human, mouse and Caenorhabditis elegans models were carried out to characterize pathway components. Thirteen FANCD2-monoubiquitinylation-positive FA cell lines excluded for genetic defects in the downstream pathway components and 300 familial BrCa patients negative for BRCA1/2 mutations were analyzed for genetic mutations. Common genetic variants were genotyped in 9,573 BRCA1/2 mutation carriers for associations with BrCa risk. Results: A previously identified co-purifying protein with PALB2 was identified, MRG15 (MORF4L1 gene). Results in human, mouse and C. elegans models delineate molecular and functional relationships with BRCA2, PALB2, RAD51 and RPA1 that suggest a role for MRG15 in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Mrg15-deficient murine embryonic fibroblasts showed moderate sensitivity to g-irradiation relative to controls and reduced formation of Rad51 nuclear foci. Examination of mutants of MRG15 and BRCA2 C. elegans orthologs revealed phenocopy by accumulation of RPA-1 (human RPA1) nuclear foci and aberrant chromosomal compactions in meiotic cells. However, no alterations or mutations were identified for MRG15/MORF4L1 in unclassified FA patients and BrCa familial cases. Finally, no significant associations between common MORF4L1 variants and BrCa risk for BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation carriers were identified: rs7164529, P-trend = 0.45 and 0.05, P-2df = 0.51 and 0.14, respectively; and rs10519219, P-trend = 0.92 and 0.72, P-2df = 0.76 and 0.07, respectively. Conclusions: While the present study expands on the role of MRG15 in the control of genomic stability, weak associations cannot be ruled out for potential low-penetrance variants at MORF4L1 and BrCa risk among BRCA2 mutation carriers.
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| 12. |
- Sylwan, Lina, 1975-
(författare)
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Site-Specific Recombination : Integrases, Accessory Factors and DNA Targets of P2-like Coliphages
- 2010
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The temperate coliphage P2 and its family members integrate their genomes into the host Escherichia coli chromosome by a site-specific recombination mechanism to form lysogeny. Integration takes place between the complex phage attP site and the simple bacterial attB site and is catalyzed by the phage encoded integrase (Int). Similar to the archetype λ Int, the P2-like phage integrases are heterobivalent tyrosine recombinases which possess the ability to simultaneously bind two different and distant types of DNA sequences within the attP region. To bridge the core and the flanking arm-binding sites in attP, the integrase requires the assistance of accessory factors that bend the DNA; the host encoded IHF and the phage encoded Cox protein. Cox acts as a directionality factor by being required for integration but is inhibitory for the excisive reaction. The purpose of this doctoral thesis has been to gain a more detailed knowledge of the site-specific recombination systems of phages P2 and WΦ, which are close relatives but integrate into different host targets. The future aim is to develop these systems for targeted integration into the genome of higher eukaryotes. The P2 Int and an N-terminal truncation of the integrase were shown to bind cooperatively together with IHF or Cox to the DNA targets, however the N-truncated protein lost its ability to bind to the arm sequence. WΦ Cox was shown to bind cooperatively with WΦ Int to attP whereas the opposite was evident for WΦ Cox and IHF. The 27 nucleotides that are identical between the core and attB of phage P2 were investigated for their importance in binding and recombination. The right part of the core was shown to be the primary Int binding site where one single base substitution was shown to abolish P2 Int binding and recombination. An alanine scanning of the two predicted alpha-helices in the presumed core-binding domain of P2 Int was carried out in order to identify amino acids involved in binding to the core. An in vivo excisive assay and an in vivo integrative assay were used resulting in the identification of four amino acids as candidates for core-binding. The fact that the recombination reaction shows directionality renders the site-specific recombination systems of the P2-like phages attractive to develop as tools for safe and efficient non-viral gene delivery in humans. The wild-type P2 integrase was shown to accept a human attB sequence and localizes to the nucleus in human cell lines. The work presented in this thesis has increased our understanding of the site-specific recombination systems of the phages P2 and WΦ and provides a basis for further characterization and development for future use in a eukaryotic context.
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| 13. |
- Zanardo, Giovanna, et al.
(författare)
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SPECTRAL AND MORPHOLOGICAL ANALYSIS OF THE REMNANT OF SUPERNOVA 1987A WITH ALMA AND ATCA
- 2014
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Ingår i: Astrophysical Journal. - 0004-637X .- 1538-4357. ; 796:2
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We present a comprehensive spectral and morphological analysis of the remnant of supernova (SN) 1987A with the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The non-thermal and thermal components of the radio emission are investigated in images from 94 to 672 GHz (lambda 3.2 mm to 450 mu m), with the assistance of a high-resolution 44 GHz synchrotron template from the ATCA, and a dust template from ALMA observations at 672 GHz. An analysis of the emission distribution over the equatorial ring in images from 44 to 345 GHz highlights a gradual decrease of the east-to-west asymmetry ratio with frequency. We attribute this to the shorter synchrotron lifetime at high frequencies. Across the transition from radio to far infrared, both the synchrotron/dust-subtracted images and the spectral energy distribution (SED) suggest additional emission beside the main synchrotron component (S-nu proportional to nu(-0.73)) and the thermal component originating from dust grains at T similar to 22 K. This excess could be due to free-free flux or emission from grains of colder dust. However, a second flat-spectrum synchrotron component appears to better fit the SED, implying that the emission could be attributed to a pulsar wind nebula (PWN). The residual emission is mainly localized west of the SN site, as the spectral analysis yields -0.4 less than or similar to alpha less than or similar to -0.1 across the western regions, with alpha similar to 0 around the central region. If there is a PWN in the remnant interior, these data suggest that the pulsar may be offset westward from the SN position.
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