Messenger RNAs (mRNAs) in higher eukaryotes that encode proteins important for the assembly of the translational apparatus (e.g., ribosomal proteins) often harbor a pyrimidine-rich motif at the extreme 5' end known as a 5' terminal oligopyrimidine (5'TOP) sequence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTranscriptional regulators encoded by the Myocyte Enhancer Factor 2 (MEF2) gene family play a fundamental role in cardiac development, homeostasis and pathology. Previous studies indicate that MEF2A protein-protein interactions serve as a network hub in several cardiomyocyte cellular processes. Based on the idea that interactions with regulatory protein partners underly the diverse roles of MEF2A in cardiomyocyte gene expression, we undertook a systematic unbiased screen of the MEF2A protein interactome in primary cardiomyocytes using an affinity purification-based quantitative mass spectrometry approach.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe telomerase holoenzyme is critical for maintaining eukaryotic genome integrity. In addition to a reverse transcriptase and an RNA template, telomerase contains additional proteins that protect the telomerase RNA and promote holoenzyme assembly. Here we report that the methyl phosphate capping enzyme (MePCE) Bmc1/Bin3 is a stable component of the S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPannexin 1 (Panx1) forms ATP-permeable membrane channels that play roles in the nervous system. The analysis of roles in both standard and pathological conditions benefits from a model organism with rapid development and early onset of behaviors. Such a model was developed by ablating the zebrafish panx1a gene using TALEN technology.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMyocyte Enhancer Factor 2 (MEF2) mediates cardiac remodelling in heart failure (HF) and is also a target of β-adrenergic signalling, a front-line treatment for HF. We identified global gene transcription networks involved in HF with and without β-blocker treatment. Experimental HF by transverse aortic constriction (TAC) in a MEF2 "sensor" mouse model (6 weeks) was followed by four weeks of β-blockade with Atenolol (AT) or Solvent (Sol) treatment.
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