We have reported that clinically relevant concentrations of valproic acid (VPA) up-regulate the G-protein-coupled melatonin MT1 receptor in rat C6 glioma cells. To determine whether this effect occurs in vivo, the effects of chronic VPA treatment on the expression of both melatonin receptor subtypes, MT1 and MT2, were examined in the rat brain. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (R...

In Drosophila melanogaster, mesencephalic astrocyte-derived neurotrophic factor (DmMANF) is an evolutionarily conserved ortholog of mammalian MANF and cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF), which have been shown to promote the survival of dopaminergic neurons in the brain. We observed especially high levels of DmMANF in the visual system of Drosophila, particularly in the first optic neu...

Astrocytes and neurons in the central nervous system (CNS) interact functionally to mediate processes as diverse as neuroprotection, neurogenesis and synaptogenesis. Moreover, the interaction can be homotypic, implying that astrocyte-derived secreted molecules affect their adjacent neurons optimally vs remote neurons. Astrocytes produce neurotrophic and extracellular matrix molecules that affec...

The short-chain branched fatty acid, valproic acid (2-propylpentanoicacid), has long been in use clinically as an anticonvulsant and mood-stabilizing drug. Recently, VPA has been shown to inhibit the activity of histone deacetylases (HDACs), resulting in chromatin remodelling and changes in gene expression. Although the molecular mechanism for VPA action in the central nervous system (CNS) is n...

Ovarian cancer is the seventh most common type of cancer and the eighth most common cause of cancer-associated mortality among women. A number of studies have hypothesized that the expression status of certain genes may be used to predict prognosis in ovarian cancer. In the present study, the RNA expression data from next-generation sequencing and the clinical information of 413 patients from T...

To determine the genetic etiology of complex diseases, a common study design is to recruit affected sib/relative pairs (ASP/ARP) and evaluate their genome-wide distribution of identical by descent (IBD)-sharing using a set of highly polymorphic markers. Other attributes or environmental exposures of the ASP/ARP, which are thought to affect liability to disease, are sometimes collected. Conceiva...

The transmission of malaria parasites to mosquitoes relies on the rapid induction of sexual reproduction upon their ingestion into a blood meal. Haploid female and male gametocytes become activated and emerge from their host cells, and the males enter the cell cycle to produce eight microgametes. The synchronized nature of gametogenesis allowed us to investigate phosphorylation signaling during...

The arginine-rich protein (ARP) gene was recently cloned and localized to human chromosome band 3p21. Recent reports have suggested that ARP is mutated in a high percentage of different human tumors. We amplified and sequenced the multiple arginine coding area of the ARP gene in primary head and neck, non-small cell lung, and renal cell cancers. We found a high frequency of genetic changes in t...