Association of angiotensin-converting enzyme I gene I/D polymorphism with endometrial but not with ovarian cancer.

Associations have been found between the angiotensin-converting enzyme insertion deletion (I/D) polymorphism (ACE I/D) and endometrial and epithelial ovarian cancer (EC and EOC, respectively). In this study, the following frequencies for each of three ACE polymorphisms, DD, ID, and II, respectively, were observed: in the EC group, 55, 24, and 21% versus the control group 39, 40, and 21% (p = 0.033*); in the EOC group 49, 36, and 15% versus the control group 49, 33, and 18% (p = 0.

Assessment of glutathione S-transferaseM1 (GSTM1) and its polymorphisms GSTM1 null in the response to treatment with chemotherapy in advanced ovarian carcinoma.

Objective: To assess if the genotype of the glutathione S-transferase M1 (GSTM1) enzyme and its GSTM1 null polymorphism can influence the response to chemotherapeutic treatment of advanced ovarian cancer.

Methods: Case-control study of 112 patients with advanced ovarian cancer submitted to chemotherapy during the period from January 1995 to December 2005. The tissue to study the GSTM1 genotype and its deletion came from surgical staging to treat ovarian cancer.

Progesterone receptor (PROGINS) polymorphism and the risk of ovarian cancer.

The present case-control study evaluates the role of the progesterone receptor (PR) polymorphism known as PROGINS as a risk factor for ovarian cancer development and investigates the association between these genetic variants and clinical/pathologic variables of ovarian cancer. PROGINS polymorphism was examined, by polymerase chain reaction, in a total of 80 patients with ovarian cancer and 282 control subjects. The frequencies of PROGINS polymorphism T1/T1, T1/T2, and T2/T2 were 71.

Transcriptome analysis of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis cells undergoing mycelium-to-yeast transition.

Paracoccidioides brasiliensis is a thermodimorphic fungus associated with paracoccidioidomycosis (PCM), a systemic mycosis prevalent in South America. In humans, infection starts by inhalation of fungal propagules, which reach the pulmonary epithelium and transform into the yeast parasitic form. Thus, the mycelium-to-yeast transition is of particular interest because conversion to yeast is essential for infection.

Microarray analyses of Xylella fastidiosa provide evidence of coordinated transcription control of laterally transferred elements.

Genetically distinct strains of the plant bacterium Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) are responsible for a variety of plant diseases, accounting for severe economic damage throughout the world. Using as a reference the genome of Xf 9a5c strain, associated with citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC), we developed a microarray-based comparison involving 12 Xf isolates, providing a thorough assessment of the variation in genomic composition across the group. Our results demonstrate that Xf displays one of the largest flexible gene pools characterized to date, with several horizontally acquired elements, such as prophages, plasmids, and genomic islands (GIs), which contribute up to 18% of the final genome.

Competitive hybridization on spotted microarrays as a tool to conduct comparative genomic analyses of Xylella fastidiosa strains.

Xylella fastidiosa strains are responsible for several plant diseases and since such isolates display a broad host range and complex biological behavior, genomic comparisons employing microarray hybridizations may provide an effective method to compare them. Thus, we performed a thorough validation of this type of approach using two recently sequenced strains of this phytopathogen. By matching microarray hybridization results to direct sequence comparisons, we were able to establish precise cutoff ratios for common and exclusive sequences, allowing the identification of exclusive genes involved in important biological traits.