RESUMEN
The loss of the tail is among the most notable anatomical changes to have occurred along the evolutionary lineage leading to humans and to the 'anthropomorphous apes'1-3, with a proposed role in contributing to human bipedalism4-6. Yet, the genetic mechanism that facilitated tail-loss evolution in hominoids remains unknown. Here we present evidence that an individual insertion of an Alu element in the genome of the hominoid ancestor may have contributed to tail-loss evolution. We demonstrate that this Alu element-inserted into an intron of the TBXT gene7-9-pairs with a neighbouring ancestral Alu element encoded in the reverse genomic orientation and leads to a hominoid-specific alternative splicing event. To study the effect of this splicing event, we generated multiple mouse models that express both full-length and exon-skipped isoforms of Tbxt, mimicking the expression pattern of its hominoid orthologue TBXT. Mice expressing both Tbxt isoforms exhibit a complete absence of the tail or a shortened tail depending on the relative abundance of Tbxt isoforms expressed at the embryonic tail bud. These results support the notion that the exon-skipped transcript is sufficient to induce a tail-loss phenotype. Moreover, mice expressing the exon-skipped Tbxt isoform develop neural tube defects, a condition that affects approximately 1 in 1,000 neonates in humans10. Thus, tail-loss evolution may have been associated with an adaptive cost of the potential for neural tube defects, which continue to affect human health today.
Asunto(s)
Empalme Alternativo , Evolución Molecular , Hominidae , Proteínas de Dominio T Box , Cola (estructura animal) , Animales , Humanos , Ratones , Empalme Alternativo/genética , Elementos Alu/genética , Modelos Animales de Enfermedad , Genoma/genética , Hominidae/anatomía & histología , Hominidae/genética , Intrones/genética , Defectos del Tubo Neural/genética , Defectos del Tubo Neural/metabolismo , Fenotipo , Isoformas de Proteínas/deficiencia , Isoformas de Proteínas/genética , Isoformas de Proteínas/metabolismo , Proteínas de Dominio T Box/deficiencia , Proteínas de Dominio T Box/genética , Proteínas de Dominio T Box/metabolismo , Cola (estructura animal)/anatomía & histología , Cola (estructura animal)/embriología , Exones/genéticaRESUMEN
GAEC1 is a novel gene located at 7q22.1 that was detected in our previous work in esophageal cancer. The aims of the present study are to identify the copy number of GAEC1 in different colorectal tissues including carcinomas, adenomas, and nonneoplastic tissues and characterize any links to pathologic factors. The copy number of GAEC1 was studied by evaluating the quantitative amplification of GAEC1 DNA in 259 colorectal tissues (144 adenocarcinomas, 31 adenomas, and 84 nonneoplastic tissues) using real-time polymerase chain reaction. Copy number of GAEC1 DNA in colorectal adenocarcinomas was higher in comparison with nonneoplastic colorectum. Seventy-nine percent of the colorectal adenocarcinomas showed amplification and 15% showed deletion of GAEC1 (P < .0001). Of the adenomas, 90% showed deletion of GAEC1, with the remaining 10% showing normal copy number. The differences in GAEC1 copy number between colorectal adenocarcinoma, colorectal adenoma, and nonneoplastic colorectal tissue are significant (P < .0001). GAEC1 copy number was significantly higher in adenocarcinomas located in distal colorectum compared with proximal colon (P = .03). In conclusion, GAEC1 copy number was significantly different between colorectal adenocarcinomas, adenomas, and nonneoplastic colorectal tissues. The copy number was also related to the site of the cancer. These findings along with previous work in esophageal cancer imply that GAEC1 is commonly involved in the pathogenesis of colorectal adenocarcinoma.
Asunto(s)
Adenocarcinoma/genética , Adenoma/genética , Neoplasias Colorrectales/genética , Proteínas Nucleares/genética , Adenocarcinoma/metabolismo , Adenoma/metabolismo , Adolescente , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Niño , Neoplasias Colorrectales/metabolismo , Neoplasias Colorrectales/patología , Femenino , Dosificación de Gen , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Mucinas/biosíntesis , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
Poly(organophosphazene)-doxorubicin (DOX) conjugate bearing hydrophobic L-isoleucine ethyl ester (IleOEt) and hydrophilic alpha-amino-omega-methoxy-poly(ethylene glycol) with molecular weight of 550 Da (AMPEG 550) along with carboxylic acid as a functional group was synthesized to create a drug delivery system, which is based on locally injectable, biodegradable, and thermosensitive hydrogels. In addition to the evaluation of the in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities, the physicochemical properties, hydrolytic degradation, and DOX release profile of the poly(organophosphazene)-DOX conjugate were determined. The aqueous solution of the polymer-DOX conjugate showed a sol-gel transition behavior depending on temperature changes. Based on the in vivo antitumor activities of the locally injected poly(organophosphazene)-DOX conjugate into the tumor-induced nude mice, the conjugate hydrogel after the local injection at the tumor site was shown to inhibit tumor growth more effectively with less toxicity and much longer than doxorubicin and saline as controls, indicating that tumor active DOX from the conjugate hydrogel is released slowly over a longer period of time and effectively accumulated locally in the tumor sites. These results suggest that the poly(organophosphazene)-doxorubicin conjugates hold great potential for use in preclinical and clinical studies as single and/or combination therapies.