UTX condensation underlies its tumour-suppressive activity.

UTX (also known as KDM6A) encodes a histone H3K27 demethylase and is an important tumour suppressor that is frequently mutated in human cancers. However, as the demethylase activity of UTX is often dispensable for mediating tumour suppression and developmental regulation, the underlying molecular activity of UTX remains unknown. Here we show that phase separation of UTX underlies its chromatin-regulatory activity in tumour suppression.

Recurrent cis-SAGe chimeric RNA, D2HGDH-GAL3ST2, in prostate cancer.

Neighboring genes transcribing in the same direction can form chimeric RNAs via cis-splicing (cis-SAGe). Previously, we reported 16 novel cis-SAGe chimeras in prostate cancer cell lines, and performed in silico validation on 14 pairs of normal and tumor samples from Chinese patients. However, whether these fusions exist in different populations, as well as their clinical implications, remains unclear.

Role of CTCF in Regulating SLC45A3-ELK4 Chimeric RNA.

The chimeric RNA, SLC45A3-ELK4, was found to be a product of cis-splicing between the two adjacent genes (cis-SAGe). Despite the biological and clinical significance of SLC45A3-ELK4, its generating mechanism has not been elucidated. It was shown in one cell line that the binding of transcription factor CTCF to the insulators located at or near the gene boundaries, inversely correlates with the level of the chimera.

Discovery of CTCF-sensitive Cis-spliced fusion RNAs between adjacent genes in human prostate cells.

Genes or their encoded products are not expected to mingle with each other unless in some disease situations. In cancer, a frequent mechanism that can produce gene fusions is chromosomal rearrangement. However, recent discoveries of RNA trans-splicing and cis-splicing between adjacent genes (cis-SAGe) support for other mechanisms in generating fusion RNAs.

Probe binding to host proteins: a cause for false positive signals in viroid detection by tissue hybridization.

Molecular hybridization assay, especially involving the use of tissues directly, has been developed as a rapid, simple and important technique for plant pathogen detection and/or gene expression analysis on a large scale. In theory, this method relies on the specific binding of a labeled probe to a target nucleotide sequence. However, occasional false positive reactions can pose a problem in its application and the cause is often not well understood.