Mob Genet Elements
September 2016
The horizontal gene transfer facilitated by mobile genetic elements impacts almost all areas of bacterial evolution, including the accretion and dissemination of antimicrobial-resistance genes in the human and animal pathogen Staphylococcus aureus. Genome surveys of staphylococcal plasmids have revealed an unexpected paucity of conjugation and mobilization loci, perhaps suggesting that conjugation plays only a minor role in the evolution of this genus. In this letter we present the DNA sequences of historically documented staphylococcal conjugative plasmids and highlight that at least 3 distinct and widely distributed families of conjugative plasmids currently contribute to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiochem Biophys Res Commun
October 2012
Matrigel is a medium rich in extracellular matrix (ECM) components used for three-dimensional cell culture and is known to alter cellular phenotypes and gene expression. microRNAs (miRNAs) are small, non-coding RNAs that regulate gene expression and have roles in cancer. While miRNA profiles of numerous cell lines cultured on plastic have been reported, the influence of Matrigel-based culture on cancer cell miRNA expression is largely unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is frequently overexpressed in cancer and is an important therapeutic target. Aberrant expression and function of microRNAs have been associated with tumorigenesis. Bioinformatic predictions suggest that the human EGFR mRNA 3'-untranslated region contains three microRNA-7 (miR-7) target sites, which are not conserved across mammals.
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