NPHS1 encodes the structural protein nephrin, which has a crucial role in the filtration barrier of the glomerular podocyte. Mutations or deregulation of NPHS1 are associated with a variety of renal diseases, including the Finnish type congenital nephrotic syndrome. This study analyzed a potential regulation of nephrin by the Wilms' tumor protein, Wt1. Using an inducible U2OS osteosarcoma cell ...

The Wilms' tumour suppressor gene, WT1, is mutated in 10-15% of Wilms' tumours and encodes zinc-finger proteins with diverse cellular functions critical for nephrogenesis, genitourinary development, haematopoiesis and sex determination. Here we report that a novel alternative WT1 transcript, AWT1, is co-expressed with WT1 in renal and haematopoietic cells. AWT1 maintains WT1 exonic structure be...

The Wilms’ tumour gene (Wt1) was originally identified as a gene involved in predisposition to the childhood kidney cancer Wilms tumour. Wt1 conventional KOs are embryonic lethal. The mutant embryos die before E13.5 days due to cardiac defects and spleen, kidney, and gonads fail to form. The role of Wt1 in haematopoiesis is controversial. Some evidence suggests that Wt1 is required for embryoni...

The Wilms’ tumour gene (Wt1) was originally identified as a gene involved in predisposition to the childhood kidney cancer Wilms tumour. Wt1 conventional KOs are embryonic lethal. The mutant embryos die before E13.5 days due to cardiac defects and spleen, kidney, and gonads fail to form. The role of Wt1 in haematopoiesis is controversial. Some evidence suggests that Wt1 is required for embryoni...

The WT1 tumor-suppressor gene is expressed by many forms of acute myeloid leukemia. Inhibition of this expression can lead to the differentiation and reduced growth of leukemia cells and cell lines, suggesting that WT1 participates in regulating the proliferation of leukemic cells. However, the role of WT1 in normal hematopoiesis is not well understood. To investigate this question, we have use...

T cells recognizing tumor-associated Ags such as Wilms tumor protein (WT1) are thought to exert potent antitumor reactivity. However, no consistent high-avidity T cell responses have been demonstrated in vaccination studies with WT1 as target in cancer immunotherapy. The aim of this study was to investigate the possible role of negative thymic selection on the avidity and specificity of T cells...

The antiestrogen tamoxifen has been used in the treatment of hormone-responsive breast cancer for over a decade. The loss of estrogen receptor (ER) expression is the most common mechanism for de novo antiestrogen resistance. Wilms’ tumor 1 suppressor gene (WT1) is a clinically useful marker that is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients; its high level expression is frequently...

The antiestrogen tamoxifen has been used in the treatment of hormone-responsive breast cancer for over a decade. The loss of estrogen receptor (ER) expression is the most common mechanism for de novo antiestrogen resistance. Wilms' tumor 1 suppressor gene (WT1) is a clinically useful marker that is associated with poor prognosis in breast cancer patients; its high level expression is frequently...

The Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) gene plays an essential role in early development and differentiation of the urinary tract, particularly the kidneys. Aberrant transcriptional activity of WT1 is a key finding in the genesis of Wilms tumors (WTs). However, the mechanisms responsible for this alteration remain poorly understood. In the present study, we examined the methylation pattern of a putative CCCTC...

Wilms tumor 1 (WT1) mutations have recently been identified in approximately 10% of adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with normal cytogenetics (CN-AML) and are associated with poor outcome. Using array-based comparative genome hybridization in pediatric CN-AML samples, we detected a WT1 deletion in one sample. The other WT1 allele was mutated. This prompted us to further investigate the role o...