Craniosynostosis is a congenital developmental disorder involving premature fusion of cranial sutures, which results in an abnormal shape of the skull. Significant progress in understanding the molecular basis of this phenotype has been made for a small number of syndromic craniosynostosis forms. Nevertheless, in the majority of the approximately 100 craniosynostosis syndromes and in non-syndro...

The proprotein convertase furin participates in the maturation/bioactivation of a variety of proproteins involved in chondrogenesis events. These include parathyroid hormone-related peptide (PTHrP), an autocrine/paracrine factor that is crucial to both normal cartilage development and cartilage-related pathological processes. Despite the known importance of furin activity in the bioactivation o...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Atherosclerosis is a complex subclinical cardiovascular disorder with a substantial genetic component. This study sought to identify genetic loci influencing carotid plaque in 2 independent samples. METHODS B-mode ultrasound was performed to determine the presence and area of carotid plaque. Variance components analysis was used to test for linkage using 383 autosomal m...

The gene for cartilage oligomeric matrix protein (COMP) encodes a noncollagenous matrix protein that is expressed predominantly in cartilage. COMP gene expression is deficient in the Sox9-null mouse, but the molecular mechanism remains unknown. We have previously delineated a 30-bp negative regulatory element (NRE) and a 51-bp positive regulatory element (PRE) in the regulatory region of the CO...

Genome editing (GE) is one of the most efficient and useful molecular approaches to correct effects gene mutations in hereditary monogenetic diseases, including β-thalassemia. CRISPR-Cas9 has been proposed for effective correction β-thalassemia mutation, obtaining high-level “ de novo ” production adult hemoglobin (HbA). In addition primary causing β-thalassemia, several reports demonstrate tha...