| 1. |
- Meinander, K., et al.
(författare)
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Pseudopeptides with a centrally positioned alkene-based disulphide bridge mimetic stimulate kallikrein-related peptidase 3 activity
- 2013
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Ingår i: Medchemcomm. - : Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC). - 2040-2503 .- 2040-2511. ; 4:3, s. 549-553
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Pseudopeptides based on the kallikrein-related peptidase 3 (KLK3) activating bicyclic peptide “C-4” comprising hydrocarbon-based disulphide bridge mimetics have been synthesized. After investigating different synthetic approaches, the pseudopeptides were successfully cyclized from two L-allylglycine side chains via an alkene ring-closing metathesis reaction during the peptide synthesis. The alkene-linker was formed in a 1 : 1 E/Z isomer ratio. The resulting pseudopeptides were almost as potent as the parent peptide, increasing the activity of KLK3 over four-fold at 200 μg ml−1 (130–140 μM) concentrations.
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| 2. |
- Feng, L, et al.
(författare)
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Technique for strand-specific gene-expression analysis and monitoring of primer-independent cDNA synthesis in reverse transcription
- 2012
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Ingår i: BioTechniques. - : Future Science Ltd. - 1940-9818 .- 0736-6205. ; 52:4, s. 263-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Primer-independent cDNA synthesis during reverse transcription hinders quantitative analysis of bidirectional mRNA synthesis in eukaryotes as well as in cells infected with RNA viruses. We report a simple RT-PCR-based assay for strand-specific gene-expression analysis. By modifying the cDNA sequence during reverse transcription, the opposite strands of target sequences can be simultaneously detected by postamplification melting curve analysis and primer-initiated transcripts are readily distinguished from nonspecifically primed cDNA. We have utilized this technique to optimize the specificity of reverse transcription on a panel of 15 target genes. Primer-independent reverse transcription occurred for all target sequences when reverse transcription was performed at 42°C and accounted for 11%–57% of the final PCR amplification products. By raising the reaction temperature to 55°C, the specificity of reverse transcription could be increased without significant loss of sensitivity. We have also demonstrated the utility of this technique for analysis of (+) and (-) RNA synthesis of influenza A virus in infected cells. Thus, this technique represents a powerful tool for analysis of bidirectional RNA synthesis.
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| 3. |
- Boecker, W., et al.
(författare)
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K5/K14-positive cells contribute to salivary gland-like breast tumors with myoepithelial differentiation
- 2013
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Ingår i: Modern Pathology. - : Elsevier BV. - 0893-3952. ; 26:8, s. 1086-1100
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Salivary gland-like tumors of the breast show a great variety of architectural patterns and cellular differentiations such as glandular, myoepithelial, squamous, and even mesenchymal phenotypes. However, currently little is known about the evolution and cellular differentiation of these tumors. For that reason, we performed an in situ triple immunofluorescence lineage/differentiation tracing (isTILT) and qRT-PCR study of basal (K5/K14), glandular (K7/K8/18), and epidermal-specific squamous (K10) keratins, p63, and smooth muscle actin (SMA; myoepithelial marker) with the aim to construct and trace different cell lineages and define their cellular hierarchy in tumors with myoepithelial differentiation. isTILT analysis of a series of 28 breast, salivary, and lacrimal gland tumors, including pleomorphic adenomas (n = 8), epithelial-myoepithelial tumors (n = 9), and adenoid cystic carcinomas (n = 11) revealed that all tumor types contained K5/K14-positive progenitor cells in varying frequencies from a few percent up to 15%. These K5/K14-positive tumor cells were found to differentiate to glandular-(K8/18-positive) and myoepithelial-lineage (SMA-positive)-specific cells and were also shown to generate various heterologeous cell differentiations such as squamous and mesenchymal progenies. p63 was co-expressed with K5/K14 in basal-like progenitor cells, myoepithelial, and squamous cells but not in glandular cells. Our results show that the corresponding counterpart tumors of breast and salivary/lacrimal glands have identical cellular compositions. Taken together, our isTILT and RNA-expression data indicate that look-alike tumors of the breast represent a special subgroup of basal-type tumors with benign or usually low malignant potential.
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| 4. |
- Brill, L. B., 2nd, et al.
(författare)
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Analysis of MYB expression and MYB-NFIB gene fusions in adenoid cystic carcinoma and other salivary neoplasms
- 2011
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Ingår i: Modern Pathology. - : Elsevier BV. - 1530-0285 .- 0893-3952. ; 24:9, s. 1169-76
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Recent studies have shown that the recurrent t(6;9)(q22-23;p23-24) translocation in adenoid cystic carcinoma results in a novel fusion of the MYB proto-oncogene with the transcription factor gene NFIB. To determine the frequency of this finding, we used RT-PCR assays of the MYB and MYB-NFIB fusion transcripts, and immunohistochemistry for the MYB protein, to study adenoid cystic carcinomas and other epithelial tumors of the salivary glands, and head and neck region. MYB-NFIB fusion transcript was detected in 25 of 29 (86%) frozen adenoid cystic carcinoma tumor samples, and in 14 of 32 (44%) formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded adenoid cystic carcinoma tumor specimens. In contrast, the MYB-NFIB fusion was not expressed in non-adenoid cystic carcinoma neoplasms of the head and neck, confirming the high specificity of the MYB-NFIB fusion. Adenoid cystic carcinomas from various anatomic sites, including salivary gland, sinonasal cavity, tracheobronchial tree, larynx, breast, and vulva were repeatedly fusion-positive, indicating that adenoid cystic carcinomas located in different anatomic sites not only have important morphologic features in common, but also probably evolve through activation of the same molecular pathways. Studies of the expression of MYB revealed that 89% of the tumors, including both fusion-positive and fusion-negative cases, overexpressed MYB RNA. Similarly, 82% of adenoid cystic carcinomas stained positive for MYB protein, compared with 14% of non-adenoid cystic carcinoma neoplasms, indicating that MYB immunostaining may be useful for the diagnosis of adenoid cystic carcinoma, but that neoplasms sometimes in the differential diagnosis are also labeled. The latter are, however, fusion-negative. In summary, our studies show that MYB activation through gene fusion or other mechanisms is a major oncogenic event in adenoid cystic carcinoma occurring at various anatomic sites. In addition to being a diagnostically useful biomarker for adenoid cystic carcinoma, MYB and its downstream effectors are also novel potential therapeutic targets.
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| 5. |
- Ran, Liang, et al.
(författare)
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Genome Erosion in a Nitrogen-Fixing Vertically Transmitted Endosymbiotic Multicellular Cyanobacterium
- 2010
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 5:7
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: An ancient cyanobacterial incorporation into a eukaryotic organism led to the evolution of plastids (chloroplasts) and subsequently to the origin of the plant kingdom. The underlying mechanism and the identities of the partners in this monophyletic event remain elusive.Methodology/Principal Findings: To shed light on this evolutionary process, we sequenced the genome of a cyanobacterium residing extracellularly in an endosymbiosis with a plant, the water-fern Azolla filiculoides Lam. This symbiosis was selected as it has characters which make it unique among extant cyanobacterial plant symbioses: the cyanobacterium lacks autonomous growth and is vertically transmitted between plant generations. Our results reveal features of evolutionary significance. The genome is in an eroding state, evidenced by a large proportion of pseudogenes (31.2%) and a high frequency of transposable elements (,600) scattered throughout the genome. Pseudogenization is found in genes such as the replication initiator dnaA and DNA repair genes, considered essential to free-living cyanobacteria. For some functional categories of genes pseudogenes are more prevalent than functional genes. Loss of function is apparent even within the ‘core’ gene categories of bacteria, such as genes involved in glycolysis and nutrient uptake. In contrast, serving as a critical source of nitrogen for the host, genes related to metabolic processes such as cell differentiation and nitrogen-fixation are well preserved.Conclusions/Significance: This is the first finding of genome degradation in a plant symbiont and phenotypically complex cyanobacterium and one of only a few extracellular endosymbionts described showing signs of reductive genome evolution. Our findings suggest an ongoing selective streamlining of this cyanobacterial genome which has resulted in an organism devoted to nitrogen fixation and devoid of autonomous growth. The cyanobacterial symbiont of Azolla can thus be considered at the initial phase of a transition from free-living organism to a nitrogen-fixing plant entity, a transition process which may mimic what drove the evolution of chloroplasts from a cyanobacterial ancestor.
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| 6. |
- Wetterskog, Daniel, 1978, et al.
(författare)
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Mutation profiling of adenoid cystic carcinomas from multiple anatomical sites identifies mutations in the RAS pathway, but no KIT mutations
- 2013
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Ingår i: Histopathology. - : Wiley. - 0309-0167. ; 62:4, s. 543-550
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Aims The majority of adenoid cystic carcinomas (AdCCs), regardless of anatomical site, harbour the MYB–NFIB fusion gene. The aim of this study was to characterize the repertoire of somatic genetic events affecting known cancer genes in AdCCs. Methods and results DNA was extracted from 13 microdissected breast AdCCs, and subjected to a mutation survey using the Sequenom OncoCarta Panel v1.0. Genes found to be mutated in any of the breast AdCCs and genes related to the same canonical molecular pathways, as well as KIT, a proto-oncogene whose protein product is expressed in AdCCs, were sequenced in an additional 68 AdCCs from various anatomical sites by Sanger sequencing. Using the Sequenom MassARRAY platform and Sanger sequencing, mutations in BRAF and HRAS were identified in three and one cases, respectively (breast, and head and neck). KIT, which has previously been reported to be mutated in AdCCs, was also investigated, but no mutations were identified. Conclusions Our results demonstrate that mutations in genes pertaining to the canonical RAS pathway are found in a minority of AdCCs, and that activating KIT mutations are either absent or remarkably rare in these cancers, and unlikely to constitute a driver and therapeutic target for patients with AdCC.
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| 7. |
- Forsgård, Richard A., 1987-, et al.
(författare)
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Deoxycholic acid induced changes in electrophysiological parameters and macromolecular permeability in murine small intestine with and without functional enteric nervous system plexuses
- 2014
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Ingår i: Neurogastroenterology and Motility. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1350-1925 .- 1365-2982. ; 26:8, s. 1179-1187
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: We have previously shown in mice that the fecal proportion and concentration of the hydrophobic bile acid deoxycholic acid (DCA) is elevated with high-fat feeding and that these changes are able to disrupt the intestinal barrier function. The aim of this study was to investigate whether these changes are mediated by the enteric nervous system (ENS).Methods: The function of the ENS in the small intestinal tissues of mice was compromised by two different methods: by removing the seromuscular layer and by incubating the intact tissues with tetrodotoxin (TTX), a neural conduction blocker, before DCA treatment. Tissues with or without functional plexuses were mounted into a Ussing chamber system and treated with 3 mM DCA for 20 min. After DCA treatment, the intestinal permeability to fluorescein was assessed. Short-circuit current (I-sc) and transepithelial resistance (TER) were recorded throughout the experiment.Key Results: DCA increased intestinal fluorescein permeability only in tissues where the seromuscular layer was removed. In tissues with intact seromuscular layer, DCA induced a significant increase in TER, which was attenuated by blocking of the neural function by TTX.Conclusions & Inferences: The results of this study suggest that the DCA-induced increase observed in fluorescein permeability is not mediated through neural pathways, but more due to a direct effect on the epithelium. However, as TTX was able to attenuate the DCA-induced increase in TER, it can be speculated that DCA is also able to elicit responses through neural pathways.
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