MicroRNAs-221 and -222 are highly upregulated in several solid tumors, including melanomas. We demonstrate that the proto-oncogene ETS-1, involved in the pathogenesis of cancers of different origin, is a transcriptional regulator of miR-222 by direct binding to its promoter region. Differently from 293FT cells or early stage melanomas, where unphosphorylated ETS-1 represses miR-222 transcriptio...

Susceptibility of sheep to scrapie, a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of small ruminants, is strongly influenced by polymorphisms of the prion protein gene (PRNP). Breeding programs have been implemented to increase scrapie resistance in sheep populations; though desirable, a similar approach has not yet been applied in goats. European studies have now suggested that several polymorphis...

Epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) is the leading cause of female reproductive system cancer mortality in females. The majority of cases of ovarian carcinomas are not identified until a late stage. Identifying the molecular changes that occur during the development and progression of ovarian cancer is an urgent requirement. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have been identified as gene expression regulators that...

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short, non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate gene expression and have been shown to participate in almost every cellular process. Several miRNAs have recently been implicated in glucose metabolism, but the roles of miRNAs in insulin-resistant conditions, such as obesity or type 2 diabetes, are largely unknown. Herein, we focused on miR-222, the expression o...

In wild-type trimethylamine dehydrogenase, residue Arg-222 is positioned close to the isoalloxazine N1/C2 positions of the 6S-cysteinyl FMN. The positively charged guanidino group of Arg-222 is thought to stabilize negative charge as it develops at the N1 position of the flavin during flavinylation of the enzyme. Three mutant trimethylamine dehydrogenases were constructed to alter the nature of...

The (222)Rn concentration in air was measured in a thermal water spa used as a hydrotherapy centre in Tunisia. The associated health risk for employees and patients due to the inhalation of (222)Rn and its progeny was estimated. A protection scheme for the employees of the spas has been designed. Results show that the (222)Rn concentration varies in the range 33-589 Bq m(-3). The (222)Rn concen...

A 3-week-feeding study (1-21 d post-hatch) was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of total curcuminoids (TCMN), as an antioxidant, to ameliorate the adverse effects of aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) in broiler chickens. Turmeric powder (Curcuma longa L.) that contained 2.55 % TCMN was used as a source of TCMN. Six cage replicates of five chicks each were assigned to each of six dietary treatments, which i...

BACKGROUND MiR-221 and miR-222 are two highly homologous microRNAs whose upregulation has been recently described in several types of human tumors, for some of which their oncogenic role was explained by the discovery of their target p27, a key cell cycle regulator. We previously showed this regulatory relationship in prostate carcinoma cell lines in vitro, underlying the role of miR-221/222 as...

MicroRNAs (miRs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression primarily through translational repression. In erythropoietic (E) culture of cord blood CD34+ progenitor cells, the level of miR 221 and 222 is gradually and sharply down-modulated. Hypothetically, this decline could promote erythropoiesis by unblocking expression of key functional proteins. Indeed, (i) bioinformatic analys...