Requirement of for the integration of guidance cues in cell migration.

The intricate patterns of cell migration that are found throughout development are generated through a vast array of guidance cues. Responding integratively to distinct, often conflicting, migratory signals is probably crucial for cells to reach their correct destination. is a master transcription factor with key roles in neural development that include the control of cell migration.

A time-lapse and quantitative modelling analysis of neural stem cell motion in the absence of directional cues and in electric fields.

Neural stem cell (NSC) migration is an important component of their developmental function and therapeutic potential. Understanding their mode of migration and their response to guidance cues can contribute to improved therapies for CNS repair, in which appropriate homing to sites of injury is essential. Using time-lapse imaging, we have analyzed the NSC mode of migration in vitro, both in the absence of directional cues and in the presence of applied electric fields (EFs), previously shown to constitute a strong directional signal for these cells.

Identification of novel mutant PAX6 alleles in Indian cases of familial aniridia.

Background: Haploinsufficiency at the PAX6 locus causes aniridia, a panocular eye condition characterized by iris hypoplasia and a variety of other anterior and posterior eye defects leading to poor vision. This study was performed to identify novel PAX6 mutations that lead to familial aniridia in Indian patients.

Methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from affected individuals (clinically diagnosed aniridia) from nine unrelated aniridic pedigrees, unaffected family members, and unrelated normal controls.

Is there a functional link between gene interdigitation and multi-species conservation of synteny blocks?

It is often overlooked that, in addition to the integrity of protein-coding sequences (PCSs), human health is crucially linked to the normal expression of genes by cis-regulatory sequences (CRSs). These CRSs often lie at some considerable distance from the PCSs whose expression they control and often within other genes. The resulting gene interdigitation can make long-range CRS identification and characterisation difficult.