Complementing Cancer Metastasis.

Complement is an effector of innate immunity and a bridge connecting innate immunity and subsequent adaptive immune responses. It is essential for protection against infections and for orchestrating inflammatory responses. Recent studies have also demonstrated contribution of the complement system to several homeostatic processes that are traditionally not considered to be involved in immunity.

MiR-26b, upregulated in Alzheimer's disease, activates cell cycle entry, tau-phosphorylation, and apoptosis in postmitotic neurons.

MicroRNA (miRNA) functions in the pathogenesis of major neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) are only beginning to emerge. We have observed significantly elevated levels of a specific miRNA, miR-26b, in the defined pathological areas of human postmortem brains, starting from early stages of AD (Braak III). Ectopic overexpression of miR-26b in rat primary postmitotic neurons led to the DNA replication and aberrant cell cycle entry (CCE) and, in parallel, increased tau-phosphorylation, which culminated in the apoptotic cell death of neurons.

CPEB1 regulates the expression of MTDH/AEG-1 and glioblastoma cell migration.

Cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein 1 (CPEB1) is an mRNA-binding protein present in both neurons and glia. CPEB1 is capable of both repressing mRNA translation and activating it depending upon its phosphorylation state. CPEB1-bound mRNAs are held in translational dormancy until CPEB1 is phosphorylated, leading to the cytoplasmic polyadenylation of the bound mRNA that triggers translation.

Genetic analysis of cavefish reveals molecular convergence in the evolution of albinism.

The genetic basis of vertebrate morphological evolution has traditionally been very difficult to examine in naturally occurring populations. Here we describe the generation of a genome-wide linkage map to allow quantitative trait analysis of evolutionarily derived morphologies in the Mexican cave tetra, a species that has, in a series of independent caves, repeatedly evolved specialized characteristics adapted to a unique and well-studied ecological environment. We focused on the trait of albinism and discovered that it is linked to Oca2, a known pigmentation gene, in two cave populations.