Protein expression patterns of identified neurons and of sprouting cells from the leech central nervous system

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Genetic investigation of central nervous system (CNS) tumors provides valuable information about the genes regulating proliferation, differentiation, angiogenesis, migration and apoptosis in the CNS. The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of genetic polymorphisms (codon 31 and 3' untranslated region, 3'UTR) and protein expression of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 1A (CDKN1A) gene in patients with and without CNS tumors. DESIGN AND SETTING: Analytical cross-sectional study with a control group, at the Molecular Biology Laboratory, Pediatric Oncology Department, Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto. METHODS: 41 patients with CNS tumors and a control group of 161 subjects without cancer and paires for sex, age and ethnicity were genotyped using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP). Protein analysis was performed on 36 patients with CNS tumors, using the Western Blotting technique. RESULTS: The frequencies of the heterozygote (Ser/Arg) and polymorphic homozygote (Arg/Arg) genotypes of codon 31 in the control subjects were 28.0% and 1.2%, respectively. However, the 3'UTR site presented frequencies of 24.2% (C/T) and 0.6% (T/T). These frequencies were not statistically different (P > 0.05) from those seen in the patients with CNS tumors (19.4% and 0.0%, codon 31; 15.8% and 2.6%, 3'UTR site). Regarding the protein expression in ependymomas, 66.67% did not express the protein CDKN1A. The results for medulloblastomas and astrocytomas were similar: neither of them expressed the protein (57.14% and 61.54%, respectively). CONCLUSION: No significant differences in protein expression patterns or polymorphisms of CDKN1A in relation to the three types of CNS tumors were observed among Brazilian subjects.

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IDENTIFICATION, SEQUENCE AND EXPRESSION OF A CRUSTACEAN CARDIOACTIVE PEPTIDE (CCAP) GENE IN THE MOTHMANDUCA SEXTA

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.204.16.2803 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 204 (16) ◽

pp. 2803-2816 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

P. K. LOI ◽

S. A. EMMAL ◽

Y. PARK ◽

N. J. TUBLITZ

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Gene Structure ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Amino Acid Residues ◽

Coding Region ◽

Genome Database ◽

Reading Frame ◽

Crustacean Cardioactive Peptide ◽

Embryonic Life

SUMMARYThe crustacean cardioactive peptide (CCAP) gene was isolated from the tobacco hawkmoth Manduca sexta. The gene has an open reading frame of 125 amino acid residues containing a single, complete copy of CCAP. Analysis of the gene structure revealed three introns interrupting the coding region. A comparison of the M. sexta CCAP gene with the Drosophila melanogaster genome database reveals significant similarities in sequence and gene structure.The spatial and temporal expression patterns of the CCAP gene in the M. sexta central nervous system were determined in all major post-embryonic stages using in situ hybridization techniques. The CCAP gene is expressed in a total of 116 neurons in the post-embryonic M. sextacentral nervous system. Nine pairs of cells are observed in the brain, 4.5 pairs in the subesophageal ganglion, three pairs in each thoracic ganglion(T1-T3), three pairs in the first abdominal ganglion (A1), five pairs each in the second to sixth abdominal ganglia (A2-A6) and 7.5 pairs in the terminal ganglion. The CCAP gene is expressed in every ganglion in each post-embryonic stage, except in the thoracic ganglia of first- and second-instar larvae. The number of cells expressing the CCAP gene varies during post-embryonic life,starting at 52 cells in the first instar and reaching a maximum of 116 shortly after pupation. One set of thoracic neurons expressing CCAP mRNA shows unusual variability in expression levels immediately prior to larval ecdysis. Using previously published CCAP immunocytochemical data, it was determined that 91 of 95 CCAP-immunopositive neurons in the M. sexta central nervous system also express the M. sexta CCAP gene, indicating that there is likely to be only a single CCAP gene in M. sexta.

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Postembryonic patterns of expression of cut, a locus regulating sensory organ identity in Drosophila

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.117.2.441 ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 117 (2) ◽

pp. 441-450 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

K. Blochlinger ◽

L.Y. Jan ◽

Y.N. Jan

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Malpighian Tubules ◽

Follicle Cells ◽

Wing Margin ◽

Sensory Organs ◽

Tracheal System ◽

Organ Identity ◽

The Central Nervous System

The cut locus is both necessary and sufficient to specify the identity of a class of sensory organs in Drosophila embryos. It is also expressed in and required for the development of a number of other embryonic tissues, such as the central nervous system, the Malpighian tubules and the tracheal system. We here describe the expression of cut in the precursors of adult sensory organs. We also show that cut is expressed in cells of the prospective wing margin and correlate the wing margin phenotype caused by two cut mutations with altered cut expression patterns. Finally, we observe cut-expressing cells in other adult tissues, including Malpighian tubules, muscles, the central nervous system and ovarian follicle cells.

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Characterization of an amphioxus paired box gene, AmphiPax2/5/8: developmental expression patterns in optic support cells, nephridium, thyroid-like structures and pharyngeal gill slits, but not in the midbrain-hindbrain boundary region

Development ◽

10.1242/dev.126.6.1295 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 126 (6) ◽

pp. 1295-1304 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Z. Kozmik ◽

N.D. Holland ◽

A. Kalousova ◽

J. Paces ◽

M. Schubert ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gene Expression ◽

Central Nervous System ◽

Nervous System ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Boundary Region ◽

Developmental Expression ◽

Developmental Gene Expression ◽

Expression Evidence ◽

Engrailed Genes ◽

Otic Vesicles

On the basis of developmental gene expression, the vertebrate central nervous system comprises: a forebrain plus anterior midbrain, a midbrain-hindbrain boundary region (MHB) having organizer properties, and a rhombospinal domain. The vertebrate MHB is characterized by position, by organizer properties and by being the early site of action of Wnt1 and engrailed genes, and of genes of the Pax2/5/8 subfamily. Wada and others (Wada, H., Saiga, H., Satoh, N. and Holland, P. W. H. (1998) Development 125, 1113–1122) suggested that ascidian tunicates have a vertebrate-like MHB on the basis of ascidian Pax258 expression there. In another invertebrate chordate, amphioxus, comparable gene expression evidence for a vertebrate-like MHB is lacking. We, therefore, isolated and characterized AmphiPax2/5/8, the sole member of this subfamily in amphioxus. AmphiPax2/5/8 is initially expressed well back in the rhombospinal domain and not where a MHB would be expected. In contrast, most of the other expression domains of AmphiPax2/5/8 correspond to expression domains of vertebrate Pax2, Pax5 and Pax8 in structures that are probably homologous - support cells of the eye, nephridium, thyroid-like structures and pharyngeal gill slits; although AmphiPax2/5/8 is not transcribed in any structures that could be interpreted as homologues of vertebrate otic placodes or otic vesicles. In sum, the developmental expression of AmphiPax2/5/8 indicates that the amphioxus central nervous system lacks a MHB resembling the vertebrate isthmic region. Additional gene expression data for the developing ascidian and amphioxus nervous systems would help determine whether a MHB is a basal chordate character secondarily lost in amphioxus. The alternative is that the MHB is a vertebrate innovation.

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Investigating the Tissue Specific Expression Patterns of Murine Semaphorins 3C, 4D, 4G, 6A and 7A in Primary Lymphoid Tissues

Microscopy and Microanalysis ◽

10.1017/s1431927600026453 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 7 (S2) ◽

pp. 76-77

Author(s):

Sreedevi Chalasani ◽

David Matthes

Keyword(s):

Central Nervous System ◽

T Cells ◽

Nervous System ◽

Cell Survival ◽

Neuronal Development ◽

Expression Patterns ◽

Human Neutrophils ◽

Lymphoid Tissues ◽

Specific Expression ◽

Est Analysis

Semaphorins are primarily known for the important role they play in the guidance of growth cones during neuronal development. There is evidence, however, that semaphorins are expressed outside the nervous system as well, suggesting a wider scope for semaphorin function. The overall objective of our study is to identify the functions of semaphorins outside central nervous system especially in T cell development. Some of the 20 semaphorins have been shown to have extra-neural functions that include (for different semaphorins) bone differentiation, promotion of B-cell survival and aggregation, and activation of T-cells. Apart from central nervous system statement of most semaphorins, one semaphorin (CD 100) has transcripts in T cells, B cells, neutrophils, monocytes and granulocytes. EST analysis suggests that other semaphorins are expressed in lymphoid tissues such as thymus, spleen, tonsil, and the interfollicular areas and germinal centers of lymph nodes.Semaphorins have been related to several cell survival mechanisms, immunosuppression and promotion of cell death resistance. in preliminary studies our lab found that viral semaphorins inhibit the migration of human T cells and human SEMA3A can inhibit migration of human neutrophils.

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