Analysis of medaka GAP43 gene promoter activity in transgenic lines.

We produced transgenic medaka fish lines that mimicked the expression of the GAP43 gene. Fish lines with the proximal 2-kilobase (kb) 5'-untranslated region (UTR) as the expression promoter specifically expressed enhanced green fluorescent protein (EGFP) in neural tissues, such as the brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves, and its expression decreased with growth, but persisted until adulthood. A functional analysis of the promoter using partially deleted UTRs revealed that functions related to neural tissue-specific promoter activity were widely distributed in the region upstream of the proximal 400-b.

Mosaic gene expression analysis of semaphorin-plexin interactions in Caenorhabditis elegans using the IR-LEGO single-cell gene induction system.

Genetic mosaic analysis is a powerful means of addressing the sites of gene action in multicellular organisms. In conventional genetic analysis, the generation of desired mosaic patterns is difficult to control due to the randomness of generating the genetic mosaic which often renders the analysis laborious and time consuming. The infrared laser-evoked gene operator (IR-LEGO) microscope system facilitates genetic mosaic analysis by enabling gene induction in targeted single cells in a living organism.

Focal adhesion ribonucleoprotein complex proteins are major humoral cancer antigens and targets in autoimmune diseases.

Despite the accumulating evidences of the significance of humoral cancer immunity, its molecular mechanisms have largely remained elusive. Here we show that B-cell repertoire sequencing of 102 clinical gastric cancers and molecular biological analyses unexpectedly reveal that the major humoral cancer antigens are not case-specific neo-antigens but are rather commonly identified as ribonucleoproteins (RNPs) in the focal adhesion complex. These common antigens are shared as autoantigens with multiple autoimmune diseases, suggesting a direct molecular link between cancer- and auto-immunity on the focal adhesion RNP complex.

Generation of Xeroderma Pigmentosum-A Patient-Derived Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell Line for Use As Future Disease Model.

Xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XP-A) is a genetic disorder in which there is an abnormality in nucleotide excision repair that causes hypersensitivity to sunlight and multiple skin cancers. The development of central and peripheral neurological disorders not correlated to ultraviolet light exposure is associated with XP-A. The genes responsible for XP-A have been identified and a XPA knockout mouse has been generated.