Quantification of Self-renewal in Murine Mammosphere Cultures.

The mammary gland is characterized by extensive regeneration capacity, as it goes through massive hormonal changes throughout the life cycle of a female. The role of mammary stem cells (MaSCs) is widely studied both in the physiological/developmental context and with regards to breast carcinogenesis. In this aspect, ex vivo studies focused on MaSC properties are highly sought after.

p53 Loss in Breast Cancer Leads to Myc Activation, Increased Cell Plasticity, and Expression of a Mitotic Signature with Prognostic Value.

Loss of p53 function is invariably associated with cancer. Its role in tumor growth was recently linked to its effects on cancer stem cells (CSCs), although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Here, we show that c-myc is a transcriptional target of p53 in mammary stem cells (MaSCs) and is activated in breast tumors as a consequence of p53 loss.

Mutations in the small GTPase gene RAB39B are responsible for X-linked mental retardation associated with autism, epilepsy, and macrocephaly.

Human Mental Retardation (MR) is a common and highly heterogeneous pediatric disorder affecting around 3% of the general population; at least 215 X-linked MR (XLMR) conditions have been described, and mutations have been identified in 83 different genes, encoding proteins with a variety of function, such as chromatin remodeling, synaptic function, and intracellular trafficking. The small GTPases of the RAB family, which play an essential role in intracellular vesicular trafficking, have been shown to be involved in MR. We report here the identification of mutations in the small GTPase RAB39B gene in two male patients.