[Neurotrophins and their receptors in tumors].

Neurotrophins are structurally related growth polypeptide factors that play an essential role in the development and functioning of the vertebrate nervous system. They provide forming and survival of different neuron populations of the central and peripheral nervous system. Neurotrophins are also involved in the processes of higher nervous activity.

[Structural and functional analyses of the Hfb1, Hmob3 and Hmob33 cDNAs as an example of human brain-specific gene studies].

Brain-specific human genes were studied over the recent years in the Department of Molecular Bases of Human Genetics, Institute of Molecular Genetics. Clones Hfb1, Hmob3, and Hmob33 were selected from human brain cDNA libraries by differential screening. The clones were sequenced, mapped, and tested for expression in various human tissues.

[Brain-specific sequence Hfb1 is part of the 3'-untranslated region of the human complexin 2 gene: new data from in vitro and in silico experiments].

A genomic clone hybridizing with brain-specific sequence Hfb1 was isolated from a chromosome 5 consmid library. Hfb1 proved to correspond to a new gene exon which codes for a large 3'-untranslated region of the mRNA for synaptic protein complexin 2. Together with the 985-nt Hfb1 cDNA (EMBL Y15167) isolated previously from a cDNA library of the frontal cerebral cortex, the primary structure was established for genomic clone Ghfb sized more than 4 kb.