Publications by authors named "Rebecca A Keough"

CRTR-1 is a member of the CP2 family of transcription factors. Unlike other members of the family which are widely expressed, CRTR-1 expression shows specific spatio-temporal regulation. Gene targeting demonstrates that CRTR-1 plays a central role in the maturation and function of the salivary glands and the kidney.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study focuses on the differentiation of embryonic stem (ES) cells into primitive ectoderm-like (EPL) cells, which is crucial for developing cell therapies, using a specific biological factor in the conditioned medium called MEDII.
  • Through fractionation of MEDII, researchers identified that l-proline, a low-molecular-weight amino acid, is essential for the differentiation of ES cells into EPL cells, as blocking l-proline uptake inhibited this process.
  • Additionally, while the mTOR signaling pathway is involved in the activity of l-proline, it alone does not suffice to change the phenotype of ES cells, highlighting a unique role of l-proline in regulating pluripotency and differentiation.
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Understanding networks of interacting proteins is a major goal in cell biology. The survival of motor neurons protein (SMN) interacts, directly or indirectly, with a large number of other proteins and reduced levels of SMN cause the inherited disorder spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Some SMN interactions are stable and stoichiometric, such as those with gemins, while others are expected to be transient and substoichiometric, such as the functional interaction of SMN with coilin in Cajal bodies.

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Myb-binding protein 1a (Mybbp1a) was originally identified as a c-myb proto-oncogene product (c-Myb)-interacting protein, and also binds to various other transcription factors. The 160-kDa Mybbp1a protein (p160(MBP)) is ubiquitously expressed and is post-translationally processed in some types of cells to generate an amino-terminal 67 kDa fragment (p67(MBP)). Despite its interaction with various transcription factors, Mybbp1a is localized predominantly, but not exclusively, in nucleoli.

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Prep1 is known to interact in vivo with Pbx1 to regulate development and organogenesis. We have identified a novel Prep1-interacting protein, p160 c-Myb binding protein (p160). p160 and Pbx1 compete for Prep1 in vitro, and p160 inhibits Prep1-dependent HoxB2 expression in retinoic acid-treated NT2-D1 cells.

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Myb is a key transcription factor that can regulate proliferation, differentiation, and apoptosis, predominantly in the haemopoietic system. Abnormal expression of Myb is associated with a number of cancers, both haemopoietic and non-haemopoietic. In order to better understand the role of Myb in normal and tumorigenic processes, we undertook a cDNA array screen to identify genes that are regulated by this factor.

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The identification of Myb 'target' genes will not only aid in the understanding of how overexpression of Myb, or expression of activated forms of Myb, leads to cellular transformation but will also shed light on its role in normal cells. Using a combination of an estrogen-regulated Myb-transformed cell line (ERMYB) and PCR-based subtractive hybridization, we have identified the gene (GSTM1) encoding the detoxification enzyme glutathione S-transferase M1 as being transcriptionally upregulated by Myb. Functional analysis of the GSTM1 promoter using reporter assays indicated that both the DNA binding and transactivation domains of Myb were required for transcriptional activation.

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Myb-binding protein 1a (Mybbp1a) is a novel nuclear protein localized predominantly, but not exclusively, in nucleoli. Although initially isolated as a c-Myb interacting protein, Mybbp1a is expressed ubiquitously, associates with a number of different transcription factors, and may play a role in both RNA polymerase I- and II-mediated transcriptional regulation. However, its precise function remains unclear.

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