Functional and sequence analysis of human neuroglobin gene promoter region.

Neuroglobin (Ngb), a recently found oxygen-binding protein belonging to the vertebrate globin family, is mainly expressed in neurons of brains and eyes. Current studies have revealed diverse potential functions of Ngb and it was found to be able to reduce the severity of stroke and Alzheimer's disease, implying its importance in brains. However, the mechanism of Ngb regulation of transcription has not been elucidated yet.

Detecting exon deletions and duplications of the DMD gene using Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA).

Objectives: To evaluate the efficacy of Multiplex Ligation-dependent Probe Amplification (MLPA) technique in comparison with the traditional multiplex PCR assay in detection of exon deletions and duplications of the DMD gene.

Design And Methods: The sensitivity and accuracy of MLPA were assessed and compared with the multiplex PCR in a total of 63 subjects including 43 subjects with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) or Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and 20 female carriers.

Results: MLPA was able to detect all the known deletions and duplications; it detected four additional mutations that had been missed by multiplex PCR.

Male genital tract antioxidant enzymes: their source, function in the female, and ability to preserve sperm DNA integrity in the golden hamster.

Recently, we reported that male accessory sex gland (ASG) secretions protect sperm genomic integrity by demonstrating that DNA damage was more extensive in sperm not exposed to the secretions. The present study was conducted to find out if ASGs secrete the main antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx or GSH-Px), and catalase (CAT) and if the most abundant one, SOD, can protect those sperm that were not exposed to ASG secretions against NADPH-induced oxidative stress. Four experimental groups of male golden hamsters were used: intact animals with proven fertility, animals with all major ASGs removed (TX), animals that were bilaterally vasectomized, and sham-operated controls.