Publications by authors named "Asha E Worsham"
Article Synopsis
- Researchers identified a previously unknown protein called SMA20 in pig sperm, which is related to the PMIS2 gene and consists of 126 amino acids, including transmembrane segments without a signal peptide.
- The SMA20 gene is specific to testes and shows significant evolutionary divergence across different mammal groups, particularly the highest variability in an alanine- and proline-rich region.
- SMA20 is localized to specific parts of pig sperm cells, indicating it plays a unique role in fertilization among placental mammals, having evolved independently after separating from other mammalian groups like marsupials.
Correlating gene expression patterns with biomechanical properties of connective tissues provides insights into the molecular processes underlying the tissue growth and repair. Cadaveric specimens such as human knees are widely considered suitable for biomechanical studies, but their usefulness for gene expression experiments is potentially limited by the unavoidable, nuclease-mediated degradation of RNA. Here, we tested whether valid gene expression profiles can be obtained using degraded RNA from human anterior cruciate ligaments (ACLs).
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