The X-linked RHOX cluster encodes a set of homeobox genes that are selectively expressed in the reproductive tract. Members of the RHOX cluster regulate target genes important for spermatogenesis promote male fertility in mice. Studies show that demethylating agents strongly upregulate the expression of mouse Rhox genes, suggesting that they are regulated by DNA methylation. However, whether th...

Background: Recent studies have found some genetic variants as a risk factor for autoimmune diseases such as Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Cluster of Differentiation 226 (CD226) is one of the risk factors for MS.  Objectives: The present study aimed to evaluate the gene expression of CD226, and its protein serum level in peripheral blood samples of MS patients and healthy individuals. Materials & ...

Changing light conditions, caused by the rotation of earth resulting in day and night or growth on the surface or within a substrate, result in considerably altered physiological processes in fungi. For the biotechnological workhorse Trichoderma reesei, regulation of glycoside hydrolase gene expression, especially cellulase expression was shown to be a target of light dependent gene regulation....

A cluster composed of four structural and two regulatory genes found in several species of the fungal genus Fusarium (class Sordariomycetes) is responsible for the production of the red pigment bikaverin. We discovered that the unrelated fungus Botrytis cinerea (class Leotiomycetes) contains a cluster of five genes that is highly similar in sequence and gene order to the Fusarium bikaverin clus...

Bile acids are highly abundant steroids with important functions in vertebrate digestion. Their catabolism by bacteria is an important component of the carbon cycle, contributes to gut ecology, and has potential commercial applications. We found that Rhodococcus jostii RHA1 grows well on cholate, as well as on its conjugates, taurocholate and glycocholate. The transcriptome of RHA1 growing on c...

The chromosomal iroBCDEN gene cluster first described for Salmonella enterica is involved in the uptake of catecholate-type siderophore compounds. An orthologous gene cluster has recently been detected in Escherichia coli strains which cause extraintestinal disease. This E. coli iroBCDEN gene cluster has an impact on virulence and has been reported to be located in a pathogenicity island on the...

We have identified the first gene lying on the centromeric side of the alpha-globin gene cluster on human 16p13.3. The gene, called 16pHQG;16 (HGMW-approved symbol LUC7L), is widely transcribed and lies in the opposite orientation with respect to the alpha-globin genes. This gene may represent a mammalian heterochromatic gene, encoding a putative RNA-binding protein similar to the yeast Luc7p s...

The nucleotide sequences of the upstream regions of the botulinum neurotoxin type A1 (BoNT/A1) cluster of Clostridium botulinum strain NCTC 2916 and the BoNT/A2 cluster of strain Kyoto-F were determined. A novel gene, designated orfx3, was identified following the orfx2 gene in both clusters. ORF-X2 and ORF-X3 exhibit similarity to the BoNT cluster associated P-47 protein. The BoNT/A1 and BoNT/...