Publications by authors named "Rebekah de Nys"

The last decade has seen a rapid increase in studies utilising a genetically modified probiotic, Nissle 1917 (EcN), as a chassis for cancer treatment and detection. This approach relies on the ability of EcN to home to and selectively colonise tumours over normal tissue, a characteristic common to some bacteria that is thought to result from the low-oxygen, nutrient-rich and immune-privileged niche the tumour provides. Pre-clinical studies have used genetically modified EcN to deliver therapeutic payloads that show efficacy in reducing tumour burden as a result of high-tumour and low off-target colonisation.

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Clustering Epilepsy (CE) is a neurological disorder caused by pathogenic variants of the Protocadherin 19 (PCDH19) gene. PCDH19 encodes a protein involved in cell adhesion and Estrogen Receptor α mediated-gene regulation. To gain further insights into the molecular role of PCDH19 in the brain, we investigated the PCDH19 interactome in the developing mouse hippocampus and cortex.

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Clustering Epilepsy (CE) is an epileptic disorder with neurological comorbidities caused by heterozygous variants of the X chromosome gene Protocadherin 19 (PCDH19). Recent studies have implicated dysregulation of the Nuclear Hormone Receptor (NHR) pathway in CE pathogenesis. To obtain a comprehensive overview of the impact and mechanisms of loss of PCDH19 function in CE pathogenesis, we have performed epigenomic, transcriptomic and proteomic analysis of CE relevant models.

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Steroids yield great influence on neurological development through nuclear hormone receptor (NHR)-mediated gene regulation. We recently reported that cell adhesion molecule protocadherin 19 (encoded by the gene) is involved in the coregulation of steroid receptor activity on gene expression. variants cause early-onset developmental epileptic encephalopathy clustering epilepsy (CE), with altered steroidogenesis and NHR-related gene expression being identified in these individuals.

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Article Synopsis
  • PCDH19 is a molecule crucial for brain function, and mutations in this gene lead to a specific form of epilepsy known as PCDH19-clustering epilepsy.
  • Recent advancements in DNA sequencing have increased the identification of PCDH19 variants, many of which have unclear implications for the disease.
  • By applying a combination of advanced in silico tools and experimental assays, researchers improved the accuracy of variant classification related to PCDH19 from 50% to 93%, thereby enhancing the understanding of its pathogenicity.
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