ARF6 Is an Actionable Node that Orchestrates Oncogenic GNAQ Signaling in Uveal Melanoma.

Activating mutations in Gαq proteins, which form the α subunit of certain heterotrimeric G proteins, drive uveal melanoma oncogenesis by triggering multiple downstream signaling pathways, including PLC/PKC, Rho/Rac, and YAP. Here we show that the small GTPase ARF6 acts as a proximal node of oncogenic Gαq signaling to induce all of these downstream pathways as well as β-catenin signaling. ARF6 activates these diverse pathways through a common mechanism: the trafficking of GNAQ and β-catenin from the plasma membrane to cytoplasmic vesicles and the nucleus, respectively.

[Cloning and characterization of cDNAs of cardiotoxin-like protein in Bungarus multicinctus venom gland].

The venom of elapid snakes contains a number of small proteins that display a broad spectrum of pharmacological activities. In study on the neurotoxin from the venom gland of Bungarus multicinctus, five cDNA sequences (MNCTL1-a,MNCTL1-b,MNCTL1-c,MNCTL1-d and MNCTL2) encoding two novel proteins were obtained from the total RNA by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. Among them, four sequences (MNCTL1-b,MNCTL1-c,MNCTL1-d and MNCTL2) are at the length of 505 bp, composing of a 32 bp 5'-untranslational region,a 212 bp 3'-untranslational region, and a 261 bp open reading frame which encodes a 20 amino acids of signal peptide and a 65 amino acids of mature peptide.