SOX (SRY-related HMG box) proteins are transcription factors that have critical roles in the regulation of numerous developmental processes. They share at least 50% homology in their HMG domains, which bind the DNA element AACAAT. How different SOX proteins achieve specific regulation of target genes is not known. We determined the DNA-binding specificity of SOX9 using a random oligonucleotide ...

More efficient isolation and identification of cancer stem cells (CSCs) would help in determining their fundamental roles in tumor biology. The classical tool for this purpose is anchorage-independent tumorsphere culture. We compared the effects of differently textured culture plates and serum deprivation on the acquisition of CSC properties of A172 glioblastoma cells. Cells were cultured on st...

BEST1 is highly and preferentially expressed in the retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) and causes Best macular dystrophy when mutated. We previously demonstrated that the human BEST1 upstream region -154 to +38 bp is sufficient to direct expression in the RPE of transgenic mice, and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) and OTX2 regulate this BEST1 promoter. However, a number of q...

Intermediate-filament Nestin and group B1 SOX transcription factors (SOX1/2/3) are often employed as markers for neural primordium, suggesting their regulatory link. We have identified adjacent and essential SOX and POU factor binding sites in the Nestin neural enhancer. The 30-bp sequence of the enhancer including these sites (Nes30) showed a nervous system-specific and SOX-POU-dependent enhan...

Sox family transcription factors play essential roles in cell differentiation, development, and sex determination. Sox2 was previously thought to be the sole Sox protein expressed in mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells. Sox2 associates with Oct3/4 to maintain self-renewal of ES cells. In the current study, digital differential display identified transcripts for an additional Sox family member, Sox1...

Pluripotent embryonic stem (ES) cells can generate all cell types, but how cell lineages are initially specified and maintained during development remains largely unknown. Different classes of Sox transcription factors are expressed during neurogenesis and have been assigned important roles from early lineage specification to neuronal differentiation. Here we characterize the genome-wide bindin...

Chronic high surface ozone (O3) levels and the increasing sulfur oxides (SOx = SO2+SO4) ambient concentrations over South Coast (SC) and other areas of California (CA) are affected by both local emissions and long-range transport. In this paper, multi-scale tracer, full-chemistry and adjoint simulations using the STEM atmospheric chemistry model are conducted to assess the contribution of local...

SOX proteins form a large family of transcription factors related by a DNA-binding domain known as the HMG box. Some 30 Sox genes have been identified in mammals and orthologues have been found in a wide range of other metazoans. Sox genes are highly conserved and are known to play important roles in embryonic development, including roles in gonadal, central nervous system, neural crest and ske...

AIM The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of chemotherapy with molecular-targeting agents on liver metastases from colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS Six patients with synchronous colorectal liver metastases who underwent hepatectomy after chemotherapy with S-1 and oxaliplatin (SOX) between January 2010 and December 2011 at the Department of Surgery, Kashiwa Hospital, the Jike...