An epidermotropic canine papillomavirus with malignant potential contains an E5 gene and establishes a unique genus.

A novel canine papillomavirus, CfPV-2, was cloned from a footpad lesion of a golden retriever. Unlike the known canine oral papillomavirus (COPV), which has a double-stranded DNA genome size of 8607 bps, the genome of CfPV-2 is 8101 bps. Some of this size difference is due to an abbreviated early-late region (ELR), which is 1200 bps shorter than that of COPV.

An atlas of differential gene expression during early Xenopus embryogenesis.

We have carried out a large-scale, semi-automated whole-mount in situ hybridization screen of 8369 cDNA clones in Xenopus laevis embryos. We confirm that differential gene expression is prevalent during embryogenesis since 24% of the clones are expressed non-ubiquitously and 8% are organ or cell type specific marker genes. Sequence analysis and clustering yielded 723 unique genes displaying a differential expression pattern.

Equine papillomavirus type 1: complete nucleotide sequence and characterization of recombinant virus-like particles composed of the EcPV-1 L1 major capsid protein.

Equus caballus papillomavirus type 1 (EcPV-1) was isolated from a cutaneous papilloma, the most common neoplasm in horses. The complete EcPV-1 nucleotide sequence and genomic organization were determined. Phylogenetic analysis showed that EcPV-1 is a close-to-root papillomavirus, with only distant relationships to the fibropapillomaviruses and the benign cutaneous papillomaviruses.

In situ analysis of gene expression in Xenopus embryos.

The molecular anatomy of the vertebrate embryo was systematically analysed through gene expression during early development of the Xenopus frog using whole-mount in situ hybridization. Expression patterns are documented and assembled into the database Axeldb (http://www.dkfz-heidelberg.

The transmembrane protein XFLRT3 forms a complex with FGF receptors and promotes FGF signalling.

Fibroblast growth factors (FGFs) signal through high-affinity tyrosine kinase receptors to regulate a diverse range of cellular processes, including cell growth, differentiation and migration, as well as cell death. Here we identify XFLRT3, a member of a leucine-rich-repeat transmembrane protein family, as a novel modulator of FGF signalling. XFLRT3 is co-expressed with FGFs, and its expression is both induced after activation and downregulated after inhibition of FGF signalling.

Nucleotide sequence and phylogenetic classification of candidate human papilloma virus type 92.

From a basal cell carcinoma (BCC) the complete genome of candidate human papillomavirus (HPV) type 92 was characterized. Phylogenetically, the candidate HPV 92 was relatively distantly related to other cutaneous HPV types within the B1 group. By quantitative real time PCR, 94 viral copies were present per cell in the BCC and another BCC contained 1 viral copy per cell.

Kremen proteins are Dickkopf receptors that regulate Wnt/beta-catenin signalling.

The Wnt family of secreted glycoproteins mediate cell cell interactions during cell growth and differentiation in both embryos and adults. Canonical Wnt signalling by way of the beta-catenin pathway is transduced by two receptor families. Frizzled proteins and lipoprotein-receptor-related proteins 5 and 6 (LRP5/6) bind Wnts and transmit their signal by stabilizing intracellular beta-catenin.

Heterogeneity of TT virus related sequences isolated from human tumour biopsy specimens.

TT viruses have recently been reported in serum samples from varying percentages of human blood donors and in patients with chronic liver disease. However, no association with human pathology has yet been reported. In a pilot study we analysed 162 biopsy specimens from various human cancers and from colon polyps for the presence of TT virus related sequences by polymerase chain reaction using three sets of nested primers for TT virus detection.