Syntenin controls migration, growth, proliferation, and cell cycle progression in cancer cells.

The scaffold protein syntenin abounds during fetal life where it is important for developmental movements. In human adulthood, syntenin gain-of-function is increasingly associated with various cancers and poor prognosis. Depending on the cancer model analyzed, syntenin affects various signaling pathways.

Use of Maximum Likelihood-Mixed Models to select stable reference genes: a case of heat stress response in sheep.

Background: Reference genes with stable expression are required to normalize expression differences of target genes in qPCR experiments. Several procedures and companion software have been proposed to find the most stable genes. Model based procedures are attractive because they provide a solid statistical framework.

Changes in HSP gene and protein expression in natural scrapie with brain damage.

Heat shock proteins (Hsp) perform cytoprotective functions such as apoptosis regulation and inflammatory response control. These proteins can also be secreted to the extracellular medium, acting as inflammatory mediators, and their chaperone activity permits correct folding of proteins and avoids the aggregation of anomalous isoforms. Several studies have proposed the implication of Hsp in prion diseases.

Characterization of the ovine ribosomal protein SA gene and its pseudogenes.

Background: The ribosomal protein SA (RPSA), previously named 37-kDa laminin receptor precursor/67-kDa laminin receptor (LRP/LR) is a multifunctional protein that plays a role in a number of pathological processes, such as cancer and prion diseases. In all investigated species, RPSA is a member of a multicopy gene family consisting of one full length functional gene and several pseudogenes. Therefore, for studies on RPSA related pathways/pathologies, it is important to characterize the whole family and to address the possible function of the other RPSA family members.

Polymorphisms in the HSP90AA1 5' flanking region are associated with scrapie incubation period in sheep.

Susceptibility to scrapie is mainly controlled by point mutations at the PRNP locus. However, additional quantitative trait loci (QTL) have been identified across the genome including a region in OAR18. The gene which encodes the inducible form of the cytoplasmic Hsp90 chaperone (HSP90AA1) maps within this region and seems to be associated with the resistance/susceptibility to scrapie in sheep.

Microsatellite based genetic diversity and population structure of the endangered Spanish Guadarrama goat breed.

Background: Assessing genetic biodiversity and population structure of minor breeds through the information provided by neutral molecular markers, allows determination of their extinction risk and to design strategies for their management and conservation. Analysis of microsatellite loci is known to be highly informative in the reconstruction of the historical processes underlying the evolution and differentiation of animal populations. Guadarrama goat is a threatened Spanish breed which actual census (2008) consists of 3057 females and 203 males distributed in 22 populations more or less isolated.

A SNP in the HSP90AA1 gene 5' flanking region is associated with the adaptation to differential thermal conditions in the ovine species.

Molecular chaperones have long been understood to be preferentially transcribed in response to multiple perturbations of the cellular homeostasis. In this study, several polymorphisms in the gene encoding the inducible form of the cytoplasmic Hsp90 (HSP90AA1) were addressed in 24 sheep breeds reared in different climatic regions of Europe, Africa, and Asia. Significant differences in the genotype frequencies for a C/G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) located at position -660 in the HSP90AA1 5'flanking region were found between the different breeds.

Structural and functional analysis of the HSP90AA1 gene: distribution of polymorphisms among sheep with different responses to scrapie.

Scrapie is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy in sheep and goats. Susceptibility to this neurodegenerative disease is mainly controlled by point mutations at the PRNP locus. Other genes, apart from PRNP, have been reported to modulate resistance/susceptibility to scrapie.

Structural and functional analysis of the ovine laminin receptor gene (RPSA): Possible involvement of the LRP/LR protein in scrapie response.

Scrapie is a prion disease affecting sheep and goats. Susceptibility to this neurodegenerative disease shows polygenic variance. The involvement of the laminin receptor (LRP/LR) in the metabolism and propagation of prions has previously been demonstrated.

IL-1 family members as candidate genes modulating scrapie susceptibility in sheep: localization, partial characterization, and expression.

Scrapie (SC) is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSE) in sheep and goats. Susceptibility to this neurodegenerative disease is controlled mainly by point mutations at the PRNP locus. Other genes, apart from PRNP, have been reported to modulate resistance/susceptibility to SC.