Synthetic lethality of retinoblastoma mutant cells in the Drosophila eye by mutation of a novel peptidyl prolyl isomerase gene.

Mutations that inactivate the retinoblastoma (Rb) pathway are common in human tumors. Such mutations promote tumor growth by deregulating the G1 cell cycle checkpoint. However, uncontrolled cell cycle progression can also produce new liabilities for cell survival.

Regulation of neurotransmitter vesicles by the homeodomain protein UNC-4 and its transcriptional corepressor UNC-37/groucho in Caenorhabditis elegans cholinergic motor neurons.

Motor neuron function depends on neurotransmitter release from synaptic vesicles (SVs). Here we show that the UNC-4 homeoprotein and its transcriptional corepressor protein UNC-37 regulate SV protein levels in specific Caenorhabditis elegans motor neurons. UNC-4 is expressed in four classes (DA, VA, VC, and SAB) of cholinergic motor neurons.

Effects of oxidation and reduction on the binding of transcription factors to cis-regulatory elements located in the FGF-4 gene.

Previous studies have shown that the addition of reducing agents to the culture medium of embryonic cell lines stimulates their growth. Moreover, recent studies have shown that the redox state of several transcription factors affects their binding to DNA. In light of these findings, we employed gel mobility shift analysis to examine the effects of oxidation and reduction on the ability of transcription factors to bind cis-regulatory elements located in the FGF-4 gene, which is expressed during early mammalian development.