Inflammation and Kidney Injury in Diabetic African American Men.

African Americans are disproportionately burdened by diabetic kidney disease (DKD). However, little is known about the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the onset and progression of DKD in this population. The goal of the current study was to determine the association between specific inflammation markers and kidney injury in diabetic African American men.

Two cases of Legg-Perthes and intellectual disability in Tricho-Rhino-Phalangeal syndrome type 1 associated with novel TRPS1 mutations.

Tricho-Rhino-Phalangeal syndrome is a rare autosomal dominant genetic disorder caused by mutations in the TRPS1 gene. This malformation syndrome is characterized by distinctive craniofacial features including sparse scalp hair, bulbous tip of the nose, long flat philtrum, thin upper vermilion border, and protruding ears. Skeletal abnormalities include cone-shaped epiphyses at the phalanges, hip malformations, and short stature.

A high throughput mutagenic analysis of yeast sumo structure and function.

Sumoylation regulates a wide range of essential cellular functions through diverse mechanisms that remain to be fully understood. Using S. cerevisiae, a model organism with a single essential SUMO gene (SMT3), we developed a library of >250 mutant strains with single or multiple amino acid substitutions of surface or core residues in the Smt3 protein.

Gpi19, the Saccharomyces cerevisiae homologue of mammalian PIG-P, is a subunit of the initial enzyme for glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor biosynthesis.

Glycosylphosphatidylinositols (GPIs) are attached to the C termini of some glycosylated secretory proteins, serving as membrane anchors for many of those on the cell surface. Biosynthesis of GPIs is initiated by the transfer of N-acetylglucosamine (GlcNAc) from UDP-GlcNAc to phosphatidylinositol. This reaction is carried out at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by an enzyme complex called GPI-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase (GPI-GlcNAc transferase).