BACKGROUND Dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) converts dihydrofolate (DHF) into tetrahydrofolate (THF) and plays an essential role in cell metabolism and cellular growth. Folic acid from multivitamins needs to be reduced by DHFR before it participates in cellular reactions. OBJECTIVES We examined the relation of a 19-base pair (bp) deletion polymorphism of the DHFR gene with the risk of breast ca...

The HLA-G molecule is expressed on trophoblast cells at the feto-maternal interface, where it interacts with local immune cells, and upholds tolerance against the semi-allogeneic fetus. Aberrant HLA-G expression in the placenta and reduced soluble HLA-G levels are observed in pregnancy complications, partly explained by HLA-G polymorphisms which are associated with differences in the alternativ...

ZD6474 is an inhibitor of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor-2 (VEGFR-2/KDR) tyrosine kinase, with additional activity against epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase. ZD6474 inhibits angiogenesis and growth of a wide range of tumor models in vivo. Gefitinib ("Iressa") is a selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor that blocks signal transduction pathways implicated in c...

early-onset, generalized primary torsion dystonia (ptd) is an autosomal dominant disorder, characterized by involuntary movements and abnormal postures. the majority of cases are caused by a 3-bp deletion (gag deletion at position 946) in the dyt1 gene on chromosome 9q34 that allows for specific genetic testing. forty eight patients with early onset primary torsion dystonia were screened for th...

An abnormality in the c-sis protooncogene was identified in leukocyte DNA from members of a family predisposed to the development of meningioma, and was found to be associated with the development of the tumor in those individuals. Molecular analysis of this abnormality demonstrated a deletion within the fifth intron of the c-sis gene. The normal c-sis gene has an Alu sequence in this region wh...

the induction and regulation of broodiness is of the most important role of prolactin in avian species.the promoter region of the prolactin gene is an appropriate model for studying tissue-specific andhormonally-regulated activation of gene transcription. in this study, the association between prolactinpromoter region alleles and egg production in fars native chickens was investigated. in total...

Escherichia coli delta cya-283 is a 75-bp in-frame deletion overlapping the 5' end of delta cya-854; delta cya-201 is a 41-bp frameshift deletion overlapping the 3' end of delta cya-854. Sequence repeats were found at the boundaries of delta cya-283 and delta cya-201, suggesting a mechanism for deletion formation. Recombinant DNA procedures were used to construct a strain in which the total cya...

Essential thrombocythemia (ET), polycythemia vera (PV), and primary myelofibrosis (PMF) are Philadelphia chromosome-negative myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) characterized by increased myeloid proliferation. The gain of function induced by the Janus kinase 2 mutation, JAK2 V617F , has been reported in most PV and in more than half of ET and PMF cases. 1 However, the presence of different dis...