| 1. |
- Cameron, D., et al.
(author)
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Replica Management in the European Data Grid Project
- 2004
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In: Journal of Grid Computing. - 1570-7873 .- 1572-9184. ; 2:4, s. 341-351
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Within the European DataGrid project, Work Package 2 has designed and implemented a set of integrated replica management services for use by data intensive scientific applications. These services, based on the web services model, enable movement and replication of data at high speed from one geographical site to another, management of distributed replicated data, optimization of access to data, and the provision of a metadata management tool. In this paper we describe the architecture and implementation of these services and evaluate their performance under demanding Grid conditions.
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| 2. |
- Archey, WB, et al.
(author)
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Increased CpG methylation of the estrogen receptor gene in BRCA1-linked estrogen receptor-negative breast cancers
- 2002
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In: Oncogene. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-5594 .- 0950-9232. ; 21:46, s. 7034-7041
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- A distinctive feature of BRCA1-linked breast cancers is that they typically do not express estrogen receptor-alpha (ERalpha). Previous investigation suggests that methylation of CpGs within the ERa promoter mediates repression of gene expression in some ERalpha-negative breast cancers. To determine if methylation of CpGs within the ERalpha promoter is associated with BRCA1-linked breast cancers, we evaluated methylation in exon 1 of the ERalpha gene in 40 ERalpha-negative breast cancers, 20 of which were non BRCA1-linked and 20 BRCA1-linked. CpG methylation was evaluated by either methylation-sensitive restriction digest (HpaII), methylation-sensitive PCR (MSP), or direct sequencing of bisulfite-treated genomic DNA. Results from HpaII digests and MSP documented a high degree of methylation, the MSP data showing slightly higher methylation in the BRCA1-linked group. CpGs analysed by direct sequencing showed an overall average methylation of 25% among non BRCA1-linked cancers and 40% among BRCA1-linked cancers (P=0.0031). The most notable difference was found at five particular CpGs, each of which exhibited a greater than twofold increase in methylation in the BRCA1-linked group compared to the non BRCA1-linked group (P < 0.03 for each CpG). Methylation of certain critical CpGs may represent an important factor in transcriptional repression of the ERa gene in BRCA1-linked breast cancers.
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| 3. |
- Bergö, Martin, 1970, et al.
(author)
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Inactivation of Icmt inhibits transformation by oncogenic K-Ras and B-Raf
- 2004
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In: J Clin Invest. ; 113:4, s. 539-550
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Isoprenylcysteine carboxyl methyltransferase (Icmt) methylates the carboxyl-terminal isoprenylcysteine of CAAX proteins (e.g., Ras and Rho proteins). In the case of the Ras proteins, carboxyl methylation is important for targeting of the proteins to the plasma membrane. We hypothesized that a knockout of Icmt would reduce the ability of cells to be transformed by K-Ras. Fibroblasts harboring a floxed Icmt allele and expressing activated K-Ras (K-Ras-Icmt(flx/flx)) were treated with Cre-adenovirus, producing K-Ras-Icmt(Delta/Delta) fibroblasts. Inactivation of Icmt inhibited cell growth and K-Ras-induced oncogenic transformation, both in soft agar assays and in a nude mice model. The inactivation of Icmt did not affect growth factor-stimulated phosphorylation of Erk1/2 or Akt1. However, levels of RhoA were greatly reduced as a consequence of accelerated protein turnover. In addition, there was a large Ras/Erk1/2-dependent increase in p21(Cip1), which was probably a consequence of the reduced levels of RhoA. Deletion of p21(Cip1) restored the ability of K-Ras-Icmt(Delta/Delta) fibroblasts to grow in soft agar. The effect of inactivating Icmt was not limited to the inhibition of K-Ras-induced transformation: inactivation of Icmt blocked transformation by an oncogenic form of B-Raf (V599E). These studies identify Icmt as a potential target for reducing the growth of K-Ras- and B-Raf-induced malignancies.
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| 4. |
- Bergö, Martin, 1970, et al.
(author)
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On the physiological importance of endoproteolysis of CAAX proteins: heart-specific RCE1 knockout mice develop a lethal cardiomyopathy
- 2004
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In: J Biol Chem. ; 279:6, s. 4729-4736
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Proteins terminating with a CAAX motif, such as the Ras proteins and the nuclear lamins, undergo post-translational modification of a C-terminal cysteine with an isoprenyl lipid via a process called protein prenylation. After prenylation, the last three residues of CAAX proteins are clipped off by Rce1, an integral membrane endoprotease of the endoplasmic reticulum. Prenylation is crucial to the function of many CAAX proteins, but the physiologic significance of endoproteolytic processing has remained obscure. To address this issue, we used Cre/loxP recombination techniques to create mice lacking Rce1 in the heart, an organ where Rce1 is expressed at particularly high levels. The hearts from heart-specific Rce1 knockout mice manifested reduced levels of both the Rce1 mRNA and CAAX endoprotease activity, and the hearts manifested an accumulation of CAAX protein substrates. The heart-specific Rce1 knockout mice initially appeared healthy but died starting at 3-5 months of age. By 10 months of age, approximately 70% of the mice had died. Pathological studies revealed that the heart-specific Rce1 knockout mice had a dilated cardiomyopathy. By contrast, liver-specific Rce1 knockout mice appeared healthy, had normal transaminase levels, and had normal liver histology. These studies indicate that the endoproteolytic processing of CAAX proteins is essential for cardiac function but is less important for the liver.
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