EZH2 is required for parathyroid and thymic development through differentiation of the third pharyngeal pouch endoderm.

The Ezh2 gene encodes a histone methyltransferase of the polycomb repressive complex 2 that methylates histone H3 lysine 27. In this study, we investigated whether EZH2 has a role in the development of the pharyngeal apparatus and whether it regulates the expression of the Tbx1 gene, which encodes a key transcription factor required in pharyngeal development. To these ends, we performed genetic in vivo experiments with mouse embryos and used mouse embryonic stem cell (ESC)-based protocols to probe endoderm and cardiogenic mesoderm differentiation.

Halting the FGF/FGFR axis leads to antitumor activity in Waldenström macroglobulinemia by silencing MYD88.

The human fibroblast growth factor/fibroblast growth factor receptor (FGF/FGFR) axis deregulation is largely involved in supporting the pathogenesis of hematologic malignancies, including Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). WM is still an incurable disease, and patients succumb because of disease progression. Therefore, novel therapeutics designed to specifically target deregulated signaling pathways in WM are required.

Epigenetic Aberrations in Multiple Myeloma.

Multiple myeloma (MM) is a plasma cell dyscrasia characterized by proliferation of clonal plasma cells within the bone marrow. Several advances in defining key processes responsible for MM pathogenesis and disease progression have been made; and dysregulation of epigenetics, including DNA methylation and histone modification, has emerged as a crucial regulator of MM pathogenesis. In the present review article, we will focus on the role of epigenetic modifications within the specific context of MM.

TBX1 and Basal Cell Carcinoma: Expression and Interactions with and Signaling.

Early events of basal cell carcinoma (BCC) tumorigenesis are triggered by inappropriate activation of SHH signaling, via the loss of () or by activating mutations of (). TBX1 is a key regulator of pharyngeal development, mainly through expression in multipotent progenitor cells of the cardiopharyngeal lineage. This transcription factor is connected to several major signaling systems, such as FGF, WNT, and SHH, and it has been linked to cell proliferation and to the regulation of cell shape and cell dynamics.

Left pulmonary artery in 22q11.2 deletion syndrome. Echocardiographic evaluation in patients without cardiac defects and role of Tbx1 in mice.

Introduction And Hypothesis: Patients with 22q11 deletion syndrome (22q11.2DS) present, in about 75% of cases, typical patterns of cardiac defects, with a particular involvement on the ventricular outflow tract and great arteries. However, in this genetic condition the dimensions of the pulmonary arteries (PAs) never were specifically evaluated.

p53 Suppression partially rescues the mutant phenotype in mouse models of DiGeorge syndrome.

T-box 1 (Tbx1), a gene encoding a T-box transcription factor, is required for embryonic development in humans and mice. Half dosage of this gene in humans causes most of the features of the DiGeorge or Velocardiofacial syndrome phenotypes, including aortic arch and cardiac outflow tract abnormalities. Here we found a strong genetic interaction between Tbx1 and transformation related protein 53 (Trp53).

Early thyroid development requires a Tbx1-Fgf8 pathway.

The thyroid develops within the pharyngeal apparatus from endodermally-derived cells. The many derivatives of the pharyngeal apparatus develop at similar times and sometimes from common cell types, explaining why many syndromic disorders express multiple birth defects affecting different structures that share a common pharyngeal origin. Thus, different derivatives may share common genetic networks during their development.