Desmin enters the nucleus of cardiac stem cells and modulates Nkx2.5 expression by participating in transcription factor complexes that interact with the nkx2.5 gene.

The transcription factor Nkx2.5 and the intermediate filament protein desmin are simultaneously expressed in cardiac progenitor cells during commitment of primitive mesoderm to the cardiomyogenic lineage. Up-regulation of Nkx2.

Duplication of the caspase-12 prodomain and inactivation of NLRC4/IPAF in the dog.

Caspases-1, 4, 5, and 12 and other proteins containing caspase recruitment domains (CARDs) play crucial roles in the induction of inflammatory processes. Recently, hybrid caspase-1/4 mRNAs encoding proteases with two CARDs were identified in cat and dog, indicating that the molecular machinery of caspase-dependent inflammation has an unconventional composition in members of the order Carnivora. Here we extended these studies and identified, both in cat and dog, splice variants of caspase-12, which also contained two CARDs.

Identification of a novel exon encoding the amino-terminus of the predominant caspase-5 variants.

Caspase-5 is a caspase-1-like protease with pro-apoptotic and pro-inflammatory activities. Here we have identified a novel exon at the 5'-end of the human caspase-5 gene. This novel exon was present in six alternatively spliced caspase-5 mRNA variants expressed in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) and encoded the previously unknown amino-terminus of caspase-5.