Transcriptional Activity of Some Genes Involved in Apoptosis in Patients with Vulvar Lichen Sclerosus.

Lichen sclerosus of the vulva is a common, but poorly studied disease. We assessed the level of transcriptional activity of APAF1, BAX, BCL2, BIRC5, CCND1, DAPK1, MCL1, and MYC genes encoding products that control apoptosis in the samples of tissues affected by vulvar lichen sclerosus and adjacent control tissues (n=24). Analysis of transcriptional activity was performed by real-time PCR using specific primers and SYBR Green intercalating dye.

Genetic Markers as Risk Factors for the Development of Impulsive-Compulsive Behaviors in Patients with Parkinson's Disease Receiving Dopaminergic Therapy.

Impulsive-compulsive and related behavioral disorders (ICD) are drug-induced non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD). Recently research has focused on evaluating whether ICD could be predicted and managed using a pharmacogenetic approach based on dopaminergic therapies, which are the main risk factors. The aim of our study was to evaluate the role of candidate genes such as , , , , , , , , gene polymorphisms in the pathogenesis of ICD in PD.

Role of PPARs in Progression of Anxiety: Literature Analysis and Signaling Pathways Reconstruction.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR) group includes three isoforms encoded by PPARG, PPARA, and PPARD genes. High concentrations of PPARs are found in parts of the brain linked to anxiety development, including hippocampus and amygdala. Among three PPAR isoforms, PPARG demonstrates the highest expression in CNS, where it can be found in neurons, astrocytes, and glial cells.

Genetic Biomarkers of Panic Disorder: A Systematic Review.

(1) Background: Although panic disorder (PD) is one of the most common anxiety disorders severely impacting quality of life, no effective genetic testing exists; known data on possible genetic biomarkers is often scattered and unsystematic which complicates further studies. (2) Methods: We used PathwayStudio 12.3 (Elsivier, Netherlands) to acquire literature data for further manual review and analysis.

gene polymorphism in Russian patients with panic disorder.

Background: Panic disorder is a complex disease of unclear etiology but with an apparent genetic component. gene product is involved in many cell processes owing to its function-regulation of the level of a second messenger cAMP. gene polymorphism has been shown to be associated with some mental disorders including panic disorder.

Association of GA genotype of SNP rs4680 in COMT gene with psoriasis.

Psoriasis is a multigene and multifactorial skin disease with heterogeneous genetic inheritance. Mental disorders participate in the development of psoriasis as predisposing factors; a correlation of dermatological diseases with pathological anxiety and stress was shown. Meanwhile, there are no studies describing molecular mechanisms of the linkages between psycho-emotional disorders and skin diseases.

Psychodermatology: a molecular link between psoriasis and anxiety disorder.

This article describes premises for the development of psychodermatology. An analysis of research literature and data is presented based on the example of psoriasis and anxiety disorder. Protein molecules with altered concentrations in patients with psoriasis and anxiety disorder compared to controls are identified (chemokine [C-C motif] ligand 2, corticotropin-release hormone, growth hormone 1, leptin, and tumor necrosis factor with increased concentration and brain-derived neurotrophic factor with decreased concentration).

[A clinical and genetic study of impulsive-compulsive disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease].

Aim: To evaluate the frequency and spectrum of impulsive-compulsive disorders (ICDs) in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) without dopaminergic medication and among patients receiving dopaminergic replacement therapy, depending on personality type, genetic factors, and to determine the influence of ICDs on the development of other non-motor manifestations of the disease.

Material And Methods: Three hundred and eighty-six consecutive patients with idiopathic PD, including untreated patients with PD (de novo) and patients receiving dopaminergic replacement therapy during one year, were examined. ICDs were evaluated with QUIP and diagnostic criteria.

[Methylation of the genes for the microRNAs miR-129-2 and miR-9-1, changes in their expression, and activation of their potential target genes in clear cell renal cell carcinoma].

Methylation of promoter CpG islands and microRNA (miRNA) interactions with mRNAs of target genes are epigenetic mechanisms that play a crucial role in deregulation of gene expression and signaling pathways in tumors. Altered expression of six chromosome 3p genes (RARB(2), SEMA3B, RHOA, GPX1, NKIRAS1, and CHL1) and two miRNA genes (MIR-129-2 and MIR-9-1) was observed in primary clear cell renal cell carcinomas (ccRCCs, 31-48 samples) by RT-PCR and qPCR. Significant downregulation (p < 0.

[Migraine and depression: efficacy and safety of antidepressant therapy].

Aim: To study an influence of depression on the course of migraine and the efficacy of antidepressants in treatment of depression associated with migraine.

Material And Methods: The study consisted of 544 patients with migraine including 240 patients with depression. Patients were examined at the first visit, after 6 months (visit 2) and one year (visit 3).

Biomarkers of migraine: Part 1 - Genetic markers.

Background: Migraine is a multifactorial socially significant disease affecting the peripheral and central nervous system. The diagnosis of "migraine" is still the only clinical, and additional methods of inspection are only required to avoid secondary headaches if certain "signs of danger". Accordingly, the search for biomarkers of migraine, confirming the diagnosis, rather than refuting others, is the leading vector in this scientific field.

[Brain-derived neurotrophic factor gene (BDNF) polymorphism among Moscow citizens].

Recent studies showed that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) can participate in pathogenesis of various CNS disorders, being connected with proliferation, differentiation, and survival of neurons. In present study, analysis of occurrence rate was performed for three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in BDNF gene (rs6267 (A/G) allele A-0.265; rs2049046 (A/T) allele A-0.

Agrobacterium tumefaciens responses to plant-derived signaling molecules.

As a special phytopathogen, Agrobacterium tumefaciens infects a wide range of plant hosts and causes plant tumors also known as crown galls. The complexity of Agrobacterium-plant interaction has been studied for several decades. Agrobacterium pathogenicity is largely attributed to its evolved capabilities of precise recognition and response to plant-derived chemical signals.

RHOA, SEMA3B, and CKAP2 expression in leukaemia of different types: the results of a pilot experiment.

The transcriptional activity of RHOA, SEMA3B, and CKAP2 genes was assessed in blood samples of leukaemia patients and healthy donors. In the blood of healthy donors, RHOA and CKAP2 gene expression was not detected, and low SEMA3B gene expression was observed. Significant elevation of expression of all the three genes was shown in the case of acute myelogenous leukaemia.

Effects of MTHFR gene polymorphism on the clinical and electrophysiological characteristics of migraine.

Background: It was previously shown that the MTHFR gene polymorphism correlated with an increased risk of migraine, particularly migraine with aura. The substitution of cytosine for thymine at the position 677 of the MTHFR gene leads to formation of the thermolabile form of the protein and development of hyperhomocysteinemia, which increases the probability of migraine. The purpose of this study was to determine whether the replacement of C677T in the gene MTHFR influenced any particular symptoms of the disease.

[Alteration of SEMA3B gene expression levels in epithelial tumors].

Gene expression decreasing in tumors permits to suggest tumor-suppressor activities for these genes. Thus, mRNA quantity decrease was found for SEMA3B gene in many cell lines of small cell (SCLC) and non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and it is well-known that SEMA3B suppresses growth of the NCI-H1299 non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) cell line and tumor formation in nude mice. The aim of this work was to study spectrum of SEMA3B expression level in epithelial tumors of various locations.

IDentification and Analysis of the Arabidopsis Thaliana Atfas4 Gene Whose Overexpression Results in the Development of A Fasciated Stem.

Using a new pEnLox vector employed to generate gain-of-function mutants in Arabidopsis thaliana, the AtFAS4 mutant has been obtained and analyzed. The mutant is characterized by super-expression of the At1g33390 gene, which leads to the occurrence of a mutant phenotype - stem fasciation. The level of expression of the AtFAS4 gene in normally developing A.

[A new member of the WAS genes family (WASF4)].

The exon-intron structure of the human WASF4 gene has been determined. The in silico analysis of the gene promoter region was performed and the presence of transcription factor binding sites was shown. The highest similarity between the WASF4 protein and the human WASF2 protein was revealed.

Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic investigation of the electric-field-induced reorientation of the nematic 7CPB with different prealignment.

Time-resolved Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) polarization spectroscopy was employed to study the electric-field-induced reorientation of nematic p-cyanophenyl-p-n-heptylbenzoate (7CPB) in the bulk of the cell and near (within 1 microm) the surface of the electrodes. The initial orientation of 7CPB on the germanium electrodes was varied in order to obtain information concerning the behavior of the liquid crystalline molecules in the boundary region. Model systems containing the 7CPB on rubbed polyimide and poly(vinyl alcohol), non-rubbed polyimide and poly(vinyl alcohol), and blank germanium were prepared and investigated.

Thermal stability of dehydrophenylalanine-containing model peptides as probed by infrared spectroscopy: a case study of an alpha-helical and a 3(10)-helical peptide.

The temperature-dependent secondary-structural changes in the two known helical model peptides Boc-Val-deltaPhe-Ala-Leu-Gly-OMe (1; alpha-helical) and Boc-Leu-Phe-Ala-deltaPhe-Leu-OMe (2; 3(10)-helical), which both comprise a single dehydrophenylalanine (deltaPhe) residue, were investigated by means of FT-IR spectroscopy (peptide film on KBr). Both the first-order and the better-resolved second-order derivative IR spectra of 1 and 2 were analyzed. The nu(NH) (3240-3340 cm(-1)), the Amide-I (1600-1700 cm(-1)), and the Amide-II (1510-1580 cm(-1)) regions of 1 and 2 showed significant differences in thermal-denaturation experiments (22 degrees --> 144 degrees), with the 3(10)-helical peptide (2) being considerably more stable.

[Activation of RHOA gene transcription in epithelial tumors may be caused by gene amplification and/or demethylation of its promotor region].

RHOA protein, a member of small GTPases family, is implicated in cell morphogenesis, adhesion, and in cell cycle regulation. RHOA gene (3p21.31) exhibits cell transformation activity, and therefore gene is considered as a potential oncogene.

Analysis of a new homozygous deletion in the tumor suppressor region at 3p12.3 reveals two novel intronic noncoding RNA genes.

Homozygous deletions or loss of heterozygosity (LOH) at human chromosome band 3p12 are consistent features of lung and other malignancies, suggesting the presence of a tumor suppressor gene(s) (TSG) at this location. Only one gene has been cloned thus far from the overlapping region deleted in lung and breast cancer cell lines U2020, NCI H2198, and HCC38. It is DUTT1 (Deleted in U Twenty Twenty), also known as ROBO1, FLJ21882, and SAX3, according to HUGO.

[Comparison CCR5de132 mutation in the CCR5 gene frequencies in Russians, Tuvinians, and in different groups of HIV-infected individuals].

The 32-bp deletion (CCR5del32 mutation) in the CCR5 (chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5) gene, encoding CCR5 chemokine receptor, is one of the factors determining natural resistance to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV-1) infection. In the present study, the samples of Russians (n = 107), Tuvinians (n = 50), and HIV-infected individuals were examined for the presence of CCR5del32 mutation in the CCR5 gene. The CCR5del32 allele frequency in Russians and Tuvinians constituted 7.

TGFalpha reactivates imprinted Igf2 in the parthenogenetic mice embryos and placenta.

Imprinted genes play important roles in the mammalian development. In the parthenogenetic embryos (PE) there is only expression of maternally expressed genes. Therefore, PEs are appropriate experimental models to study genomic imprinting controlling mechanisms.