In epithelial collective migration, leader and follower cells migrate while maintaining cell-cell adhesion and tissue polarity. We have identified a conserved protein and interactors required for maintaining cell adhesion during a simple collective migration in the developing C. elegans male gonad. LINKIN is a previously uncharacterized, transmembrane protein conserved throughout Metazoa. We id...

The mitochondrial uniporter is a selective Ca(2+) channel regulated by MICU1, an EF hand-containing protein in the organelle's intermembrane space. MICU1 physically associates with and is co-expressed with a paralog, MICU2. To clarify the function of MICU1 and its relationship to MICU2, we used gene knockout (KO) technology. We report that HEK-293T cells lacking MICU1 or MICU2 lose a normal thr...

We demonstrate for the first time in vertebrates, that alternative splicing of interferon (IFN) genes can lead to a functional intracellular IFN (iIFN). Fish IFN genes possess introns and in rainbow trout three alternatively spliced transcripts of the IFN1 gene exist. Two of the encoded IFNs are predicted to lack a signal peptide. When overexpressed these iIFNs induce antiviral responses. Varia...

In the present study, the effect of N,N-dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate (DMAEMA) conjugation onto branched poly(ethylenimine) (PEI) with different grafting degree was examined for gene delivery applications. The DMAEMA-grafted-PEI conjugates were characterized and complexed with plasmid DNA (pDNA) at various concentrations, and the physicochemical properties, cell viability, and in vitro transf...

To study the specific actions of relaxin through RXFP1 in human cells, it would be advantageous to develop cell populations with permanent RXFP1 knockdown (KD). We have developed and assessed four microRNA against human RXFP1. One of the four designed microRNA displayed significant RXFP1 KD as assessed by reduced relaxin binding when co-transfected with human RXFP1 into HEK-293T cells. The sele...

The LINE-1 retrotransposon (L1) encodes two proteins, ORF1p and ORF2p, which bind to the L1 RNA in cis, forming a ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complex that is critical for retrotransposition. Interactions with both permissive and repressive host factors pervade every step of the L1 life cycle. Until recently, limitations in detection and production precluded in-depth characterization of L1 RNPs. Ind...

Elevated dopamine efflux through the dopamine transporter may underlie some forms of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), according to MazeiRobison et al. The authors identified a mutant form of dopamine transporter in two siblings with ADHD and expressed the mutant and wild-type forms in HEK-293T cells. Although expression levels and dopamine uptake were similar for mutant and wild...

A series of mononuclear ruthenium arene complexes with thiosemicarbazone (TSC) ligands (A-type, 1-8) and their corresponding di-nuclear analogues (B-type, 9-16) were synthesized and characterized by NMR, elemental analysis and HR-ESI-mass spectrometry. The molecular structures of 1, 2, 6, 9-11 and 13-16 were determined using single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis. The Gibbs free energy of th...

Myostatin (MSTN) is a secreted growth factor expressed in skeletal muscle and adipose tissue that negatively regulates skeletal muscle mass. Gene knockout of MSTN can result in increasing muscle mass in sheep. The objectives were to investigate whether myostatin gene can be edited in sheep by transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) in tandem with single-stranded DNA oligonucleo...