Validation of a Liquid Biopsy Protocol for Canine BRAFV595E Variant Detection in Dog Urine and Its Evaluation as a Diagnostic Test Complementary to Cytology.

A significant proportion of canine urothelial carcinomas carry the driver valine to glutamic acid variation (V595E) in BRAF kinase. The detection of V595E may prove suitable to guide molecularly targeted therapies and support non-invasive diagnosis of the urogenital system by means of a liquid biopsy approach using urine. Three cohorts and a control group were included in this multi-step validation study which included setting up a digital PCR assay.

Pml nuclear body disruption cooperates in APL pathogenesis and impairs DNA damage repair pathways in mice.

A hallmark of acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) is altered nuclear architecture, with disruption of promyelocytic leukemia (PML) nuclear bodies (NBs) mediated by the PML-retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) oncoprotein. To address whether this phenomenon plays a role in disease pathogenesis, we generated a knock-in mouse model with NB disruption mediated by 2 point mutations (C62A/C65A) in the Pml RING domain. Although no leukemias developed in Pml mice, these transgenic mice also expressing RARα linked to a dimerization domain (p50-RARα model) exhibited a doubling in the rate of leukemia, with a reduced latency period.

Mycobacterium bovis infection in domestic pigs in Great Britain.

Mycobacterium bovis, the causative agent of bovine tuberculosis (TB), infects a wide range of wild and domestic mammals. Despite a control programme spanning decades, M. bovis infection levels in cattle in Great Britain (GB) have continued to rise over recent years.

Species-specific variation in RELA underlies differences in NF-κB activity: a potential role in African swine fever pathogenesis.

African swine fever virus (ASFV) is a highly infectious disease of domestic pigs, with virulent isolates causing a rapidly fatal hemorrhagic fever. In contrast, the porcine species endogenous to Africa tolerate infection. The ability of the virus to persist in one host while killing another genetically related host implies that disease severity may be, in part, modulated by host genetic variation.

Comparative analysis of c-kit gene expression and c-Kit immunoreactivity in horses with and without obstructive intestinal disease.

Previous immunohistochemical studies targeting the receptor tyrosine kinase (c-Kit) have demonstrated an apparent reduction in the number of gastrointestinal pacemaker cells--the interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC)--in horses with intestinal motility disorders. This study compared the level of transcription of the c-kit gene encoding this receptor in horses with and without such motility disorders. Transcription levels of this gene were also compared to the density of ICC immunohistochemically positive for the c-Kit antigen.