Genomic organization and expression analysis of mouse kynurenine aminotransferase II, a possible factor in the pathophysiology of Huntington's disease.

Decreased levels of the endogenous neuroprotectant kynurenic acid (KYNA) have been observed in the brain of Huntington's Disease (HD) patients and may be related to neuronal loss in this disorder. This reduction may be caused by a dysfunction of kynurenine aminotransferase II (KAT II), the major enzyme responsible for the synthesis of KYNA in the brain. Towards understanding the role of KAT II in HD, we isolated and characterized the cDNA sequence and determined the genomic organization of mouse KAT II (mKat-2).

Strategies for mutational analysis of the large multiexon ATM gene using high-density oligonucleotide arrays.

Mutational analysis of large genes with complex genomic structures plays an important role in medical genetics. Technical limitations associated with current mutation screening protocols have placed increased emphasis on the development of new technologies to simplify these procedures. High-density arrays of >90,000-oligonucleotide probes, 25 nucleotides in length, were designed to screen for all possible heterozygous germ-line mutations in the 9.

Application of the premature chromosome condensation assay in simulated partial-body radiation exposures: evaluation of the use of an automated metaphase-finder.

The premature chromosome condensation (PCC) assay has been proposed as a useful and rapid end point for biological dosimetry following accidental high-dose radiation overexposures. A major benefit of the PCC assay is that it does not require cells to divide for evaluation of cytogenetic damage. The PCC assay was performed on isolated human peripheral lymphocytes exposed in vitro to doses from 1 to 9 Gy of 250 kVp x-rays.