Xylose transport studies with xylose-utilizing Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains expressing heterologous and homologous permeases.

In the present study, we modified xylose uptake properties of a recombinant xylose-utilizing yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae by expression of heterologous and homologous permease-encoding genes. In a mutant yeast strain with the main seven hexose transporter genes deleted, and engineered for xylose utilization, we screened an expression cDNA library of the filamentous fungus Trichoderma reesei (Hypocrea jecorina) for enhanced growth on xylose plates. One cDNA clone with significant homology to fungal sugar transporters was obtained, but when the clone was retransformed into the host, it did not support significant growth on xylose.

Bone morphogenetic protein 7 is widely overexpressed in primary breast cancer.

Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMP) make up a family of extracellular signaling molecules that play a critical role in vertebrate development and both inhibit and stimulate growth in cancer cells. BMP7 was recently identified in our genomewide copy number and expression survey as being activated through amplification in breast cancer cell lines. In the present study, we further explored BMP7 gene copy number and expression changes in 22 breast cancer cell lines and 146 primary breast tumors.

The serine-threonine protein phosphatase PPM1D is frequently activated through amplification in aggressive primary breast tumours.

The serine-threonine protein phosphatase PPM1D is likely to play an important role in tumorigenesis. Through inactivation of p38 MAPK, PPM1D acts as a negative feedback regulator of p53 tumour suppressor gene and controls the expression of other cell cycle regulatory proteins, such as CCND1. In addition, recent knock-out mouse studies implicated PPM1D in the regulation of p16 expression and the RB tumour suppressor pathway.

A novel mutation in the third extracellular domain of the tumor necrosis factor receptor 1 in a Finnish family with autosomal-dominant recurrent fever.

Objective: To investigate the presence of TRAPS (tumor necrosis factor receptor-associated periodic syndrome), which is a recently defined, dominantly inherited autoinflammatory syndrome caused by mutations in the tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily 1A gene (TNFRSF1A, CD120a), in a Finnish family with recurrent fever.

Methods: The TNFRSF1A gene was sequenced in both affected and unaffected family members. Flow cytometry and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay analyses were used to assess membrane expression and serum levels of the TNFRSF1A protein, respectively.

Only a small portion of the cytoplasmic progesterone receptor is associated with Hsp90 in vivo.

In cell extracts all of the nonliganded steroid receptor molecules are found as an oligomeric complex with Hsp90 and other proteins. In previous studies we have shown that Wild-type Hsp90 and progesterone receptor (PR) are located in different cell compartments (Tuohimaa et al. [1993] Proc.