Microarray profiling of skeletal muscle sarcoplasmic reticulum proteins

Microarrays were developed to profile the level of proteins associated with calcium regulation in sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) isolated from porcine Longissimus muscle. The microarrays consisted of SR preparations printed onto to glass slides and probed with monoclonal antibodies to 7 target proteins. Proteins investigated included: ryanodine receptor, (RyR), dihydropyridine receptor, (DHPR), triadin (TRI), calsequestrin (CSQ), 90 kDa junctional protein (JSR90), and fast-twitch and slow-twitch SR calcium ATPases (SERCA1 and SERCA2). Signal from a fluorescently-labeled detection antibody was measured and quantitated using a slide reader. The microarray developed was also employed to profile Longissimus muscle SR proteins from halothane genotyped animals. Significant (P<0.05) reductions in levels of several proteins were found including: RyR, CSQ, TRI, DHPR and SERCA2 in SR samples from halothane positive animals. The results illustrate the potential of microarrays as a tool for profiling SR proteins and aiding investigations of calcium regulation.     

Microarray profiling of monocytic differentiation reveals miRNA-mRNA intrinsic correlation

MiRNAs (microRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs involved in mammalian gene expression of cellular processes including differentiation, apoptosis and cancer development. Both specific miRNAs and mRNAs have been identified during monocytic differentiation, but their interactions have not been fully characterized. Here we report that by genome-wide microarray analysis for U937 monocytic differentiation induced by TPA, a large number of miRNAs and mRNAs were differentially expressed, and by bioinformatics analysis could demonstrate that their functional pathway patterns overlap strongly. While expected negative correlation between the expression levels of miRNAs and their target mRNAs was seen, several positive correlations between miRNAs and host mRNAs were also observed, such as C13orf25/miR17, MCM7/miR93, and MGC14376/miR22. These microarray data were verified by quantitative RT-PCR, and the TPA-induced differentiation of U937 cells was confirmed by flow cytometric analysis. Our study suggests an intrinsic correlation between miRNAs and mRNAs underlying their interactions which would provide new insights for defining the mechanisms occurring during monocytic differentiation.     

人NPCEDRG基因启动子的克隆及CCAAT/NFY结合位点初步分析

NPCEDRG基因是采用基因定位候选克隆策略获得的一个鼻咽癌候选抑瘤基因.NPCEDRG在鼻咽癌细胞和组织中表达下调,重新恢复NPCEDRG基因在CNE2细胞系的表达,可部分逆转CNE2的恶性表型.为揭示NPCEDRG基因在鼻咽癌细胞和组织中表达下调的分子机制,联合应用生物信息学和报告基因载体系统分析方法对NPCEDRG基因启动子区进行克隆及功能分析,系统发育进化足迹分析结果表明,NPCEDRG基因5′端调控区-180～+235 bp区间在脊椎动物中高度保守,该保守区域中存在包括CCAAT/NFY、STAT1和SP1等转录因子结合位点.构建Luc和/或EGFP报告基因表达载体并检测其启动子活性,-146～-8 bp区域有较强的启动子活性,电泳迁移阻滞分析实验(EMSA)提示,CCAAT/NFY转录因子结合位点是NPCEDRG基因的转录调控元件.因此,研究确定-146～-8 bp区域是NPCEDRG基因核心启动子区域且启动子核心元件CCAAT/NFY可能参与NPCEDRG基因的转录调控.     

Complete genome sequence of Gordonia bronchialis type strain (3410)

Gordonia bronchialis Tsukamura 1971 is the type species of the genus. G. bronchialis is a human-pathogenic organism that has been isolated from a large variety of human tissues. Here we describe the features of this organism, together with the complete genome sequence and annotation. This is the first completed genome sequence of the family Gordoniaceae. The 5,290,012 bp long genome with its 4,944 protein-coding and 55 RNA genes is part of the Genomic Encyclopedia of Bacteria and Archaea project.     

Microarray expression profiling of Spodoptera litura in response to oxidative stress

To examine the expression profile of oxidative stress responsive genes in Spodoptera litura, we constructed a cDNA library from S. litura injected with hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)). Using a microarray chip composed of 2,964 cDNAs, we screened gene expression at 1, 3, 5, 7, and 9 h post H(2)O(2) injection. Data were clustered into 15 groups of genes that behave similarly across each time course. Seventy-three genes were identified as being at least twofold up- or downregulated after treatment with H(2)O(2) in S. litura. We constructed expressed sequence tags (ESTs) for genes that changed at least twofold after treatment with H(2)O(2) . The functional classification of these ESTs based on Gene Ontology showed that the ESTs are rich in genes involved in oxidoreductase activity (5.7%), defense (14.3%), cellular process (22.9%), and development (17.1%).     

Microarray profiling of HepG2 cells ectopically expressing NDRG2

Previous studies have demonstrated that N-Myc downstream-regulated gene 2 (NDRG2) is a tumor suppressor that is downregulated in many human cancers and when overexpressed, can inhibit tumor growth and metastasis. However, its molecular function, its modulatory targets, and signaling pathways associated with it remain unclear. Here, in an effort to identify the genes modulated by NDRG2 expression, a microarray study was conducted to detect the expression profile of HepG2 cells overexpressing NDRG2 or LacZ. Gene Ontology (GO) biological process analysis revealed that genes related to G protein signaling pathway were upregulated. Five of them were selected and verified by real-time PCR. Gene sets related to M phase of cell cycle were downregulated. This was in agreement with cell cycle analysis. Signaling pathway analysis demonstrated apparent augmented hematopoietic cell lineage pathway and cell adhesion, but reduced glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-anchor biosynthesis, protein degradation and SNARE interactions. Furthermore, through motif analysis and experimental validation, we found that the p38 phosphorylation can be increased by NDRG2. Our research provides the molecular basis for understanding the role of NDRG2 in tumor cells and raises interesting questions about its mechanisms and potential use in cancer therapy.     

A search tool for identification and analysis of conserved sequence patterns in Saccharomyces spp. orthologous promoter

We describe a web-based resource to identify, search and analyze sequence patterns conserved in the multiple sequence alignments of orthologous promoters from closely related / distant Saccharomyces spp. The webtool interfaces with a database where conserved sequence patterns (greater than 4 bp) have been previously extracted from genome-wide promoter alignments, allowing one to carry out user-defined genome-wide searches for conserved sequences to assist in the discovery of novel promoter elements based on comparative genomics. The web-based server can be accessed at http://www2.imtech.res.in/ anand/sacch_prom_pat.html.     

Broad compatibility between yeast UAS elements and core promoters and identification of promoter elements that determine cofactor specificity

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