Computational analysis of prodomain cysteines in human TGF-β proteins reveals frequent loss of disulfide-dependent regulation in tumors.

The functionally diverse members of the human Transforming Growth Factor-β (TGF-β) family are tightly regulated. TGF-β regulation includes 2 disulfide-dependent mechanisms-dimerization and partner protein binding. The specific cysteines participating in these regulatory mechanisms are known in just 3 of the 33 human TGF-β proteins.

New resources for the Drosophila 4th chromosome: FRT101F enabled mitotic clones and Bloom syndrome helicase enabled meiotic recombination.

Genes on the long arm of the Drosophila melanogaster 4th chromosome are difficult to study because the chromosome lacks mitotic and meiotic recombination. Without recombination numerous standard methods of genetic analysis are impossible. Here, we report new resources for the 4th.