Shariant platform: Enabling evidence sharing across Australian clinical genetic-testing laboratories to support variant interpretation.

Sharing genomic variant interpretations across laboratories promotes consistency in variant assertions. A landscape analysis of Australian clinical genetic-testing laboratories in 2017 identified that, despite the national-accreditation-body recommendations encouraging laboratories to submit genotypic data to clinical databases, fewer than 300 variants had been shared to the ClinVar public database. Consultations with Australian laboratories identified resource constraints limiting routine application of manual processes, consent issues, and differences in interpretation systems as barriers to sharing.

Senataxin plays an essential role with DNA damage response proteins in meiotic recombination and gene silencing.

Senataxin, mutated in the human genetic disorder ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2), plays an important role in maintaining genome integrity by coordination of transcription, DNA replication, and the DNA damage response. We demonstrate that senataxin is essential for spermatogenesis and that it functions at two stages in meiosis during crossing-over in homologous recombination and in meiotic sex chromosome inactivation (MSCI). Disruption of the Setx gene caused persistence of DNA double-strand breaks, a defect in disassembly of Rad51 filaments, accumulation of DNA:RNA hybrids (R-loops), and ultimately a failure of crossing-over.

A novel role for hSMG-1 in stress granule formation.

hSMG-1 is a member of the phosphoinositide 3 kinase-like kinase (PIKK) family with established roles in nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) of mRNA containing premature termination codons and in genotoxic stress responses to DNA damage. We report here a novel role for hSMG-1 in cytoplasmic stress granule (SG) formation. Exposure of cells to stress causing agents led to the localization of hSMG-1 to SG, identified by colocalization with TIA-1, G3BP1, and eIF4G.

Low levels of ATM in breast cancer patients with clinical radiosensitivity.

Background And Purpose: Adjuvant radiotherapy for cancer can result in severe adverse side effects for normal tissues. In this respect, individuals with anomalies of the ATM (ataxia telangiectasia) protein/gene are of particular interest as they may be at risk of both breast cancer and clinical radiosensitivity. The association of specific ATM gene mutations with these pathologies has been well documented, however, there is uncertainty regarding pathological thresholds for the ATM protein.

Functional role for senataxin, defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 2, in transcriptional regulation.

Ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by cerebellar ataxia and oculomotor apraxia. The gene mutated in AOA2, SETX, encodes senataxin, a putative DNA/RNA helicase which shares high homology to the yeast Sen1p protein and has been shown to play a role in the response to oxidative stress. To investigate further the function of senataxin, we identified novel senataxin-interacting proteins, the majority of which are involved in transcription and RNA processing, including RNA polymerase II.

Stress-induced gene expression profiling in the black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon.

Cultured shrimp are continuously exposed to variable environmental conditions that have been associated with stress and subsequent outbreaks of disease. To investigate the effect of environmental stress on Penaeus monodon gene expression, a 3,853 random cDNA microarray chip was generated with clones originating from six stress-enriched hemocyte libraries generated by suppression subtractive hybridization and a normal hemocyte cDNA library. Changes in temporal gene expression were analyzed from shrimp exposed to hypoxic, hyperthermic, and hypoosmotic conditions; 3.

Senataxin, defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia type 2, is involved in the defense against oxidative DNA damage.

A defective response to DNA damage is observed in several human autosomal recessive ataxias with oculomotor apraxia, including ataxia-telangiectasia. We report that senataxin, defective in ataxia oculomotor apraxia (AOA) type 2, is a nuclear protein involved in the DNA damage response. AOA2 cells are sensitive to H2O2, camptothecin, and mitomycin C, but not to ionizing radiation, and sensitivity was rescued with full-length SETX cDNA.

The effect of larval age on morphology and gene expression during ascidian metamorphosis.

Metamorphosis is both an ecological and a developmental genetic transition that an organism undergoes as a normal part of ontogeny. Many organisms have the ability to delay metamorphosis when conditions are unsuitable. This strategy carries obvious benefits, but may also result in severe consequences for older larvae that run low on energy.

Deficiency in the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinase causes down-regulation of ATM.

Previous reports have suggested a connection between reduced levels of the catalytic subunit of DNA-dependent protein kinases (DNA-PKcs), a component of the nonhomologous DNA double-strand breaks end-joining system, and a reduction in ATM. We studied this possible connection in other DNA-PKcs-deficient cell types, and following knockdown of DNA-PKcs with small interfering RNA, Chinese hamster ovary V3 cells, lacking DNA-PKcs, had reduced levels of ATM and hSMG-1, but both were restored after transfection with PRKDC. Atm levels were also reduced in murine scid cells.

Regulation of the aprX-lipA operon of Pseudomonas fluorescens B52: differential regulation of the proximal and distal genes, encoding protease and lipase, by ompR-envZ.

The production of lipase and protease from psychrotrophic strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens may result in spoilage of dairy products. The lipase (lipA) and alkaline metalloprotease (aprX) genes of P. fluorescens B52 are regulated by temperature and are located at opposite ends of an operon which contains eight genes and spans 14 kb.

Gene expression during early ascidian metamorphosis requires signalling by Hemps, an EGF-like protein.

Hemps, a novel epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like protein, is expressed during larval development and early metamorphosis in the ascidian Herdmania curvata and plays a direct role in triggering metamorphosis. In order to identify downstream genes in the Hemps pathway we used a gene expression profiling approach, in which we compared post-larvae undergoing normal metamorphosis with larval metamorphosis blocked with an anti-Hemps antibody. Molecular profiling revealed that there are dynamic changes in gene expression within the first 30 minutes of normal metamorphosis with a significant portion of the genome (approximately 49%) being activated or repressed.

Ecological regulation of development: induction of marine invertebrate metamorphosis.

In the marine environment a wide range of invertebrates have a pelagobenthic lifecycle that includes planktonic larval and benthic adult phases. Transition between these morphologically and ecologically distinct phases typically occurs when the developmentally competent larva comes into contact with a species-specific environmental cue. This cue acts as a morphogenetic signal that induces the completion of the postlarval/juvenile/adult developmental program at metamorphosis.

The aprX-lipA operon of Pseudomonas fluorescens B52: a molecular analysis of metalloprotease and lipase production.

Extracellular protease and lipase production by psychrotrophic strains of Pseudomonas fluorescens is repressed by iron and regulated by temperature. The regulation of protease and lipase has been investigated in P. fluorescens B52.

Temperature regulation of protease in Pseudomonas fluorescens LS107d2 by an ECF sigma factor and a transmembrane activator.

The production of extracellular enzymes by Pseudomonas fluorescens is important with respect to phytopathogenesis and, in the case of psychrotrophic strains, food spoilage. The production of extracellular protease has been previously reported to be dependent on temperature in psychrotrophic strains of P. fluorescens; production is decreased above the optimum growth temperature with a relatively small change in growth rate.