Gone with the Species: From Gene Loss to Gene Extinction.

Background: Vertebrae protein-coding genes exhibit remarkable diversity and are organized into many gene families. These gene families have emerged through various gene duplication events, the most prominent being the two rounds of whole-genome duplication (WGD). The current research project analyzed a unique class of genes called "singletons".

CpG Islands, Gene Expression and Pseudogenization: A Case for a Potential Trilogy.

Background: The promoters of mammalian genes contain clusters of CG dinucleotides known as CpG islands. Most mammalian housekeeping genes predominantly contain CpG islands (CGIs), facilitating gene transcription. Numerous studies have explored the physiological implications of the relationship between CGIs and gene expression.

Identification, Genome Sequencing, and Characterizations of Sourced from Pakistan.

The stomach's colonization by () results in gastritis, ulcers, and stomach cancer. Frequently, pain is treated with medication, but resistant infections are not. Therefore, it is important to find pharmacological targets and improved treatments for resistant strains.

Lack of CpG islands in human unitary pseudogenes and its implication.

CpG islands (CGIs) are aggregation of CpG dinucleotides in the promoters of mammalian genes. These CGIs are present in almost all the housekeeping genes and some tissue-specific genes in the mammalian genome. Extensive research has been done on the prevalence and role of CGIs in protein-coding genes.

Foxc1 and Foxc2 deletion causes abnormal lymphangiogenesis and correlates with ERK hyperactivation.

The lymphatic vasculature is essential for maintaining interstitial fluid homeostasis, and dysfunctional lymphangiogenesis contributes to various pathological processes, including inflammatory disease and tumor metastasis. Mutations in FOXC2 are dominantly associated with late-onset lymphedema; however, the precise role of FOXC2 and a closely related factor, FOXC1, in the lymphatic system remains largely unknown. Here we identified a molecular cascade by which FOXC1 and FOXC2 regulate ERK signaling in lymphatic vessel growth.

Foxc1 Regulates Early Cardiomyogenesis and Functional Properties of Embryonic Stem Cell Derived Cardiomyocytes.

Embryonic Stem Cells (ESCs) hold great potential for regeneration of damaged myocardium, however the molecular circuitry that guides ESC differentiation into cardiomyocytes remains poorly understood. This is exemplified by the elusive role of the transcription factor, Foxc1, during cardiac development. The only known Foxc1 target during heart development is Tbx1.

A lymphatic defect causes ocular hypertension and glaucoma in mice.

Glaucoma is a leading cause of blindness, afflicting more than 60 million people worldwide. Increased intraocular pressure (IOP) due to impaired aqueous humor drainage is a major risk factor for the development of glaucoma. Here, we demonstrated that genetic disruption of the angiopoietin/TIE2 (ANGPT/TIE2) signaling pathway results in high IOP, buphthalmos, and classic features of glaucoma, including retinal ganglion degeneration and vision loss.

Murine Notch1 is required for lymphatic vascular morphogenesis during development.

Background: The transmembrane receptor Notch1 is a critical regulator of arterial differentiation and blood vessel sprouting. Recent evidence shows that functional blockade of Notch1 and its ligand, Dll4, leads to postnatal lymphatic defects in mice. However, the precise role of the Notch signaling pathway in lymphatic vessel development has yet to be defined.

Coculture of autologous limbal and conjunctival epithelial cells to treat severe ocular surface disorders: long-term survival analysis.

Background: Cultivated limbal epithelium for reconstruction of corneal surface is a well-established procedure; however, it is not adequate for damage which also extensively involves the conjunctiva. In severe cases of ocular surface damage that warrant additional conjunctival transplantation apart from cultivated limbal stem cell transplantation, we describe the long-term survival of a novel method of cocultivating autologous limbal and conjunctival epithelium on a single substrate.

Materials And Methods: Forty eyes of 39 patients with severe limbal stem cell deficiency and conjunctival scarring or symblepharon underwent transplantation of autologous cocultivated epithelium on human amniotic membrane.

Antibacterial activity of the venom of Heterometrus xanthopus.

Heterometrus xanthopus (Scorpion) is one of the most venomous and ancient arthropods. Its venom contains anti-microbial peptides like hadrurin, scorpine, Pandinin 1, and Pandinin 2 that are able to effectively kill multidrug-resistant pathogens. The present study was conducted to evaluate the anti-bacterial activity of H.

EphA2/Ephrin-A1 signaling complexes restrict corneal epithelial cell migration.

Purpose: Eph/ephrin signaling proteins are present in the corneal epithelium, where their function remains unknown. The authors examined the role of the EphA2 receptor and ephrin-A1 ligand in human corneal epithelial cell migration.

Methods: Immunohistochemical analysis of EphA2 and ephrin-A1 in healthy and diabetic corneas was performed in concert with linear scratch wound healing studies in primary and telomerase-immortalized human corneal epithelial cells.

Forkhead box transcription factor FoxC1 preserves corneal transparency by regulating vascular growth.

Normal vision requires the precise control of vascular growth to maintain corneal transparency. Here we provide evidence for a unique mechanism by which the Forkhead box transcription factor FoxC1 regulates corneal vascular development. Murine Foxc1 is essential for development of the ocular anterior segment, and in humans, mutations have been identified in Axenfeld-Rieger syndrome, a disorder characterized by anterior segment dysgenesis.

In vitro culture and expansion of human limbal epithelial cells.

Limbal stem cells (LSCs) have an important role in the maintenance of the corneal surface epithelium, and autologous cultured limbal epithelial cell transplantations have contributed substantially to the treatment of the visually disabling condition known as LSC deficiency. In this protocol, we describe a method of establishing human limbal epithelial cell cultures by a feeder-free explant culture technique using a small limbal biopsy specimen and human amniotic membrane (hAM) as the culture substrate. This protocol is free of animal-derived products and involves the use of human recombinant growth factors.

MicroRNA-205 promotes keratinocyte migration via the lipid phosphatase SHIP2.

microRNA-205 (miR-205) and miR-184 coordinately regulate the lipid phosphatase SHIP2 for Akt survival signaling in keratinocytes. As the PI3K-Akt pathway has also been implicated in regulating the actin cytoskeleton and cell motility, we investigated the role that these 2 miRNAs play in keratinocyte migration. We used antagomirs (antago) to reduce the levels of miR-205 and miR-184 in primary human epidermal keratinocytes (HEKs) and corneal epithelial keratinocytes (HCEKs) as well as direct SHIP2 silencing using siRNA oligos.

Limbal stem cells: application in ocular biomedicine.

Corneal opacification due to limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) is an important cause for ocular morbidity, resulting from a number of intrinsic and extrinsic factors. While the extrinsic factors include conditions such as chemical or thermal injuries, intrinsic include dysfunction, or reduction in the number of stem cells either due to pathological changes in autoimmune diseases or secondary to certain clinical conditions such as diabetes, dry eye disorders, or multiple previous eye surgeries. LSCD is characterized by a classic triad of signs -- conjunctivalization, neovascularization and decrease in vision.

MicroRNA-184 antagonizes microRNA-205 to maintain SHIP2 levels in epithelia.

Despite their potential to regulate approximately one-third of the whole genome, relatively few microRNA (miRNA) targets have been experimentally validated, particularly in stratified squamous epithelia. Here we demonstrate not only that the lipid phosphatase SHIP2 is a target of miRNA-205 (miR-205) in epithelial cells, but, more importantly, that the corneal epithelial-specific miR-184 can interfere with the ability of miR-205 to suppress SHIP2 levels. This is the first example of a miRNA negatively regulating another to maintain levels of a target protein.

Mesenchymal cells from limbal stroma of human eye.

Purpose: Mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) are self-renewing, multipotent cells that are present in many adult tissues, including bone marrow, trabecular bone, adipose, and muscle. The presence of such cells of mesenchymal origin and their role during the wound healing of ocular injuries are currently being explored by many studies worldwide. In this study, we aimed to report the presence of mesenchymal cells resembling bone marrow-derived cells (MSC-BM) in the limbus of the human eye.

In vivo survival and stratification of cultured limbal epithelium.

A 6-year-old Bangladeshi girl presented with total limbal stem cell deficiency in the left eye, secondary to a 6-month-old chemical injury. The patient had also previously undergone two limbal transplantation surgeries. At the authors' centre the child underwent autologous cultured limbal epithelium transplantation, on human amniotic membrane, without the use of air-lift technique.

Pseudoepitheliomatous hyperplasia mimicking ocular surface squamous neoplasia following cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation.

A 12-year-old girl with total limbal stem cell deficiency in the right eye following chemical burns underwent autologous cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation from the healthy left eye. Postoperatively at 6 weeks a mass at the limbus was noted, which increased in size and involved infero-nasal limbus extending over 5 mm on bulbar conjunctiva. It was a gelatinous, placoid freely movable mass with irregular surface, multiple intralesional cysts without feeder vessels or intrinsic vascularization and stained brilliantly with rose bengal.

Clinical outcome of autologous cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation.

Purpose: To report the clinical outcome of autologous cultivated limbal epithelial transplantation.

Methods: Eighty-six patients' records and their clinical photographs were reviewed for demographics, primary etiology, type of limbal transplantation, ocular surface stability, visual acuity, final outcome and possible factors affecting outcome and complications.

Results: Eighty-eight eyes of 86 patients with limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD) underwent autologous cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation between March 2001 and May 2003, with a mean follow-up of 18.

Early results of penetrating keratoplasty after cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation.

Objective: To describe the early results of penetrating keratoplasty (PKP) in patients who had previously undergone cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation.

Methods: Medical records of patients with limbal stem cell deficiency due to chemical burns who underwent PKP after cultivated limbal epithelium transplantation were reviewed for demographics, primary etiology, type of limbal transplantation, ocular surface stability, visual acuity, graft clarity, and complications. Histopathologic features of the recipient corneal buttons were studied with special attention to epithelial status.