Publications by authors named "Anja Hirmer"

Article Synopsis
  • RNA helicases are important for maintaining RNA levels in cells and are linked to diseases, such as SMARD1, which is associated with the IGHMBP2 protein.* -
  • IGHMBP2 helps in translating specific mRNAs by preventing ribosome stalling, which is crucial for synthesizing proteins involved in the THO complex, important for mRNA production and export.* -
  • Problems with IGHMBP2 regulation can disrupt cellular processes and may play a role in the development of SMARD1, highlighting potential targets for new treatments.*
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Pre-mRNA splicing by the spliceosome is an essential step in the maturation of nearly all human mRNAs. Mutations in six spliceosomal proteins, PRPF3, PRPF4, PRPF6, PRPF8, PRPF31 and SNRNP200, cause retinitis pigmentosa (RP), a disease characterized by progressive photoreceptor degeneration. All splicing factors linked to RP are constituents of the U4/U6.

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Disturbances in the general mRNA metabolism have been recognized as a major defect in a growing number of hereditary human diseases. One prominent example of this disease group is Retinitis pigmentosa (RP), characterized by selective loss of photoreceptor cells. RP can be caused by dominant mutations in key factors of the pre-mRNA processing spliceosome.

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Purpose: In experimental eye research, zebrafish has become a powerful model for human retina disorders. The purpose of the present study is the characterization of antibodies commonly employed in zebrafish models for rod photoreceptor degeneration.

Methods: The 1D4 monoclonal antibody, developed against bovine rhodopsin, has been widely used in studies addressing structural and functional features of rhodopsin and was reported as an informative marker to stain rod outer segments in both mice and zebrafish.

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Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a common hereditary eye disease that causes blindness due to a progressive loss of photoreceptors in the retina. RP can be elicited by mutations that affect the tri-snRNP subunit of the pre-mRNA splicing machinery, but how defects in this essential macromolecular complex transform into a photoreceptor-specific phenotype is unknown. We have modeled the disease in zebrafish by silencing the RP-associated splicing factor Prpf31 and observed detrimental effects on visual function and photoreceptor morphology.

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La-related proteins (LARPs) belong to an evolutionarily conserved family of factors with predicted roles in RNA metabolism. Here, we have analyzed the cellular interactions and function of LARP4B, a thus far uncharacterized member of the LARP family. We show that LARP4B is a cytosolic protein that accumulates upon arsenite treatment in cellular stress granules.

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