In transformed tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum) plastids, we flank the marker genes with recombinase target sites to facilitate their posttransformation excision. The P1 phage loxP sites are identical 34-bp direct repeats, whereas the phiC31 phage attB/attP sites are 54- and 215-bp sequences with partial homology within the 54-bp region. Deletions in the plastid genome are known to occur by recombin...

In Drosophila melanogaster the male specific lethal (MSL) complex is required for upregulation of expression of most X-linked genes in males, thereby achieving X chromosome dosage compensation. The MSL complex is highly enriched across most active X-linked genes with a bias towards the 3' end. Previous studies have shown that gene transcription facilitates MSL complex binding but the type of pr...

Inherited human prion diseases, such as fatal familial insomnia (FFI) and familial Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (fCJD), are associated with autosomal dominant mutations in the human prion protein gene PRNP and accumulation of PrPSc, an abnormal isomer of the normal host protein PrPC, in the brain of affected individuals. PrPSc is the principal component of the transmissible neurotoxic prion agent....

CITED2 is a transcriptional co-activator with 3 conserved domains shared with other CITED family members and a unique Serine-Glycine Rich Junction (SRJ) that is highly conserved in placental mammals. Loss of Cited2 in mice results in cardiac and aortic arch malformations, adrenal agenesis, neural tube and placental defects, and partially penetrant defects in left-right patterning. By screening ...

Conventional treatment for cancer such as surgical resection and chemotherapy can cause damage in cases with advanced cancers. Moreover, the identification of tumor-specific targets has great importance in T-cell therapies. For decades, T cell activity has been stimulated to improve anti-tumor activity. Bispecific antibodies have attracted strong interest from pharmaceutical companies, for thei...

The development of transgenic insect technology has the potential to combat a broad range of vector-borne diseases and insect pests. Current technologies involve transposable genetic elements such as piggyBac, Hermes, mariner-Mos1 and Minos. These have been used successfully to integrate transgenes into the genomes of numerous insect species, including Diptera, Lepidoptera, Coleoptera and Hymen...

nature methods | ADVANCE ONLINE PUBLICATION | be subdivided into three domains (Fig. 1a) that perform specific and independent functions: the DNA-binding and dimerization domain (DBD) containing a Zn2-Cys6 motif that recognizes and binds to UAS or QUAS sites; a middle domain (MD) that has no clear function but that might be involved in endogenous regulation or stability; and a transcriptional a...