Amsacta moorei Entomopoxvirus inhibitor of apoptosis suppresses cell death by binding Grim and Hid.

Inhibitor of apoptosis (iap) genes have been identified in the genomes of two independent families of insect viruses, the Baculoviridae and the Entomopoxvirinae. In this report, we examined the functional attributes of the Amsacta moorei entomopoxvirus-encoded IAP protein (AMV-IAP). The binding specificity of the individual baculoviral IAP repeat (BIR) domains of AMV-IAP was investigated by using a random-peptide, phage display library, and sequences similar to the amino termini of proapoptotic Drosophila proteins in the Reaper/Hid/Grim family were identified.

Identification of nine novel arylsulfatase a (ARSA) gene mutations in patients with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD).

Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder caused by mutations of the arylsulfatase A (ARSA) gene. We have investigated more than fifty MLD patients using allele-specific PCR assays to detect the pseudodeficiency (PD) allele and several common MLD mutations, followed by comprehensive nucleotide sequencing of the ARSA gene to detect rare or private mutations. Here we report the identification of nine novel microlesions in the ARSA gene: five missense mutations (c.