KYNU, a novel potential target that underpins CD44-promoted breast tumour cell invasion.

Using a validated tetracycline-off-inducible CD44 expression system in mouse model, we have previously demonstrated that the hyaluronan (HA) receptor CD44 promotes breast cancer (BC) metastasis to the liver. To unravel the mechanisms that underpin CD44-promoted BC cell invasion, RNA samples were isolated from two cell models: (a) a tetracycline (Tet)-Off-regulated expression system of the CD44s in MCF-7 cells and; (b) as a complementary approach, the highly metastatic BC cells, MDA-MB-231, were cultured in the presence and absence of 50 µg/mL of HA. Kynureninase (KYNU), identified by Microarray analysis, was up-regulated by 3-fold upon induction and activation of CD44 by HA; this finding suggests that KYNU is a potential novel transcriptional target of CD44-downtstream signalling.

Disruption of the Arabidopsis SMC4 gene, AtCAP-C, compromises gametogenesis and embryogenesis.

In higher eukaryotes, the condensin complex is a multisubunit apparatus that plays a pivotal role in the coordinated condensation of chromatin during mitosis. The catalytic subunits, CAP-E and CAP-C, members of the SMC family of ATPases, form a heterodimer, the activity of which is controlled by the non-SMC subunits CAP-D2, CAP-G and CAP-H. Here, we report the characterization of a T-DNA insertion mutant of the Arabidopsis CAP-C gene.

Dmc1 fluorescent foci in prophase I nuclei of diploid, triploid and hybrid lilies.

We examined the distribution of meiotic epitopes for the Dmc1 protein of lilies in a normal diploid, a triploid, and in a diploid species-hybrid. The triploid has an extra chromosome set; all three sets align, but only two of the three axes intimately pair at a given location. Our findings with the triploid support the idea that retention of the foci until the pachytene stage requires a successful homology check and synaptonemal complex (SC) initiation; the number of foci in the triploid diminishes by approximately 30% from early zygotene to pachytene, and the triploid pachytene values are similar to the pachytene values of the diploid.