Causation of cancer by ionizing radiation and genomic instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Streffer, Christian

2013-01-01

The causation of cancer by ionizing radiation has been shown in many epidemiological (with exposed humans) as well as experimental studies with mammals especially mice but also rats, dogs and monkeys. Risk values have been determined in medium radiation dose ranges (∼100 to 2,000 mSv). However, in the low dose range (<100 mSv) the situation is unclear and unsolved up to now. A better knowledge of the mechanisms for the development of cancer in humans over decades after low to medium radiation exposures is necessary for the understanding of the open questions. An increase of chromosomal aberrations and other genetic changes have been frequently observed directly after radiation exposures in many cell systems including human cells. However, in 1989 it was found that an increase of genomic instability occurred after irradiation of mouse zygotes in the fibroblasts of the neonates developing from the irradiated zygotes. That means genomic instability developed many cell generations later in cells which never had been exposed to various qualities of ionizing radiations in vivo and any treatment and secondary cancers developed in photon irradiated M.Hodgkin patients preferentially in those patients who showed a comparatively high genomic instability in their lymphocytes. Since several decades it has been experienced that certain cancer patients show an extremely high radio-sensitivity. This clinical observation has been confirmed by experimental investigations with cells of such patients. It has been proven that this increased radio-sensitivity is due to genetic mutations. A number of syndromes could be defined on such a genetic basis like ataxia telangiectasia, bloom's syndrome, fanconi anemia, retinoblasoma and others. In all these syndromes mutations occur in genes which are to regulation of the cell cycle or DNA repair (preferentially repair of DSBs). These patients with an increased radio-sensitivity frequently develop cancer - very often lymphoma - and they also

Tolerance of Whole-Genome Doubling Propagates Chromosomal Instability and Accelerates Cancer Genome Evolution

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dewhurst, Sally M.; McGranahan, Nicholas; Burrell, Rebecca A.

2014-01-01

The contribution of whole-genome doubling to chromosomal instability (CIN) and tumor evolution is unclear. We use long-term culture of isogenic tetraploid cells from a stable diploid colon cancer progenitor to investigate how a genome-doubling event affects genome stability over time. Rare cells...

Air pollution and genomic instability: The role of particulate matter in lung carcinogenesis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santibáñez-Andrade, Miguel; Quezada-Maldonado, Ericka Marel; Osornio-Vargas, Álvaro; Sánchez-Pérez, Yesennia; García-Cuellar, Claudia M.

2017-01-01

In this review, we summarize and discuss the evidence regarding the interaction between air pollution, especially particulate matter (PM), and genomic instability. PM has been widely studied in the context of several diseases, and its role in lung carcinogenesis gained relevance due to an increase in cancer cases for which smoking does not seem to represent the main risk factor. According to epidemiological and toxicological evidence, PM acts as a carcinogenic factor in humans, inducing high rates of genomic alterations. Here, we discuss not only how PM is capable of inducing genomic instability during the carcinogenic process but also how our genetic background influences the response to the sources of damage. - Highlights: • Air pollution represents a worldwide problem with impact on human health. • Particulate matter (PM) has a recognized carcinogenic potential in humans. • Lung cancer susceptibility depends on gene-environment interactions. • Epidemiological and experimental evidence links PM exposure to genomic instability. • PM and genomic instability are co-dependent factors during cancer continuum. - We summarize the association between particulate matter (a component of air pollution) and genomic instability as well as discuss how new strategies to study the impact of air pollution on genomic instability and lung-cancer development could improve our understanding of the lung-cancer genome.

Oxidative DNA damage causes mitochondrial genomic instability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Science.gov (United States)

Doudican, Nicole A; Song, Binwei; Shadel, Gerald S; Doetsch, Paul W

2005-06-01

Mitochondria contain their own genome, the integrity of which is required for normal cellular energy metabolism. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced by normal mitochondrial respiration can damage cellular macromolecules, including mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), and have been implicated in degenerative diseases, cancer, and aging. We developed strategies to elevate mitochondrial oxidative stress by exposure to antimycin and H(2)O(2) or utilizing mutants lacking mitochondrial superoxide dismutase (sod2Delta). Experiments were conducted with strains compromised in mitochondrial base excision repair (ntg1Delta) and oxidative damage resistance (pif1Delta) in order to delineate the relationship between these pathways. We observed enhanced ROS production, resulting in a direct increase in oxidative mtDNA damage and mutagenesis. Repair-deficient mutants exposed to oxidative stress conditions exhibited profound genomic instability. Elimination of Ntg1p and Pif1p resulted in a synergistic corruption of respiratory competency upon exposure to antimycin and H(2)O(2). Mitochondrial genomic integrity was substantially compromised in ntg1Delta pif1Delta sod2Delta strains, since these cells exhibit a total loss of mtDNA. A stable respiration-defective strain, possessing a normal complement of mtDNA damage resistance pathways, exhibited a complete loss of mtDNA upon exposure to antimycin and H(2)O(2). This loss was preventable by Sod2p overexpression. These results provide direct evidence that oxidative mtDNA damage can be a major contributor to mitochondrial genomic instability and demonstrate cooperation of Ntg1p and Pif1p to resist the introduction of lesions into the mitochondrial genome.

Study of genomic instability induced by low dose ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seoane, A.; Crudeli, C.; Dulout, F.

2006-01-01

The crews of commercial flights and services staff of radiology and radiotherapy from hospitals are exposed to low doses of ionizing radiation. Genomic instability includes those adverse effects observed in cells, several generations after the exposure occurred. The purpose of this study was to analyze the occurrence of genomic instability by very low doses of ionizing radiation [es

Myc-dependent genome instability and lifespan in Drosophila.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christina Greer

Full Text Available The Myc family of transcription factors are key regulators of cell growth and proliferation that are dysregulated in a large number of human cancers. When overexpressed, Myc family proteins also cause genomic instability, a hallmark of both transformed and aging cells. Using an in vivo lacZ mutation reporter, we show that overexpression of Myc in Drosophila increases the frequency of large genome rearrangements associated with erroneous repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs. In addition, we find that overexpression of Myc shortens adult lifespan and, conversely, that Myc haploinsufficiency reduces mutation load and extends lifespan. Our data provide the first evidence that Myc may act as a pro-aging factor, possibly through its ability to greatly increase genome instability.

Introns Protect Eukaryotic Genomes from Transcription-Associated Genetic Instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Bonnet, Amandine; Grosso, Ana R; Elkaoutari, Abdessamad; Coleno, Emeline; Presle, Adrien; Sridhara, Sreerama C; Janbon, Guilhem; Géli, Vincent; de Almeida, Sérgio F; Palancade, Benoit

2017-08-17

Transcription is a source of genetic instability that can notably result from the formation of genotoxic DNA:RNA hybrids, or R-loops, between the nascent mRNA and its template. Here we report an unexpected function for introns in counteracting R-loop accumulation in eukaryotic genomes. Deletion of endogenous introns increases R-loop formation, while insertion of an intron into an intronless gene suppresses R-loop accumulation and its deleterious impact on transcription and recombination in yeast. Recruitment of the spliceosome onto the mRNA, but not splicing per se, is shown to be critical to attenuate R-loop formation and transcription-associated genetic instability. Genome-wide analyses in a number of distant species differing in their intron content, including human, further revealed that intron-containing genes and the intron-richest genomes are best protected against R-loop accumulation and subsequent genetic instability. Our results thereby provide a possible rationale for the conservation of introns throughout the eukaryotic lineage. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The elevation of radiation load on ecosystems and genome instability of organisms

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gaziyev, A. I.; Bezlepkin, V.Q.

2002-01-01

prophylaxis of human disorders. Thus, it was found that the action of low-dose ionizing radiation on living organisms might induce an adaptive repair response in them aimed at decreasing the genetic consequences of the exposure. However, the potentialities of defense and repair systems of an organism are limited, so an increase in genome lesions may cause inheritable mutations, cancer and other pathologies, and death. DNA lesions caused by ionizing radiation in small and sublethal doses can essentially be repaired, whereas unrepaired lesions and errors of repair, replication, and recombination systems lead to formation of mutational changes in DNA sequences. These changes may be transmitted to daughter cells and induce genome instability in the progeny. Induced genome instability in survived somatic cells is characterized by persistence of a high level of acquired variability in many generations of these cells. Genome instability manifests itself as an increased frequency of karyotypic anomalies, chromosome and gene mutations, clonal heterogeneity, and malignant transformation in the progeny of cells exposed to DNA-damaging agents. Besides, cells with genome instability show increased amplification of genes and changes in their expression, as well as disturbances in their differentiation, delays in reproductive death and other phenotypic characters of abnormal development. Whereas some progress has been made towards knowledge of genome instability in the somatic cells of mammals, the radiation-induced genome instability in germ cells transmitted to individuals of the next generation is still not clearly understood. At the same time, evidence has been obtained which suggests that the transmission of genome instability to the somatic cells of the progeny from the germ cells of gamma - radiation-exposed parents is possible. This conclusion is based on the data on mutation frequency in the progeny of parents exposed to DNA-damaging agents. For instance, a significant increase in

Ectopic Expression of Testis Germ Cell Proteins in Cancer and Its Potential Role in Genomic Instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aaraby Yoheswaran Nielsen

2016-06-01

Full Text Available Genomic instability is a hallmark of human cancer and an enabling factor for the genetic alterations that drive cancer development. The processes involved in genomic instability resemble those of meiosis, where genetic material is interchanged between homologous chromosomes. In most types of human cancer, epigenetic changes, including hypomethylation of gene promoters, lead to the ectopic expression of a large number of proteins normally restricted to the germ cells of the testis. Due to the similarities between meiosis and genomic instability, it has been proposed that activation of meiotic programs may drive genomic instability in cancer cells. Some germ cell proteins with ectopic expression in cancer cells indeed seem to promote genomic instability, while others reduce polyploidy and maintain mitotic fidelity. Furthermore, oncogenic germ cell proteins may indirectly contribute to genomic instability through induction of replication stress, similar to classic oncogenes. Thus, current evidence suggests that testis germ cell proteins are implicated in cancer development by regulating genomic instability during tumorigenesis, and these proteins therefore represent promising targets for novel therapeutic strategies.

Enhanced micronucleus formation in the descendants of {gamma}-ray-irradiated tobacco cells: Evidence for radiation-induced genomic instability in plant cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Yokota, Yuichiro, E-mail: yokota.yuichiro@jaea.go.jp [Life Science and Biotechnology Division, Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki-machi, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Funayama, Tomoo; Hase, Yoshihiro [Life Science and Biotechnology Division, Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki-machi, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan); Hamada, Nobuyuki [Radiation Safety Research Center, Nuclear Technology Research Laboratory, Central Research Institute of Electric Power Industry, 2-11-1 Iwado-kita, Komae, Tokyo 201-8511 (Japan); Kobayashi, Yasuhiko; Tanaka, Atsushi; Narumi, Issay [Life Science and Biotechnology Division, Quantum Beam Science Directorate, Japan Atomic Energy Agency, 1233 Watanuki-machi, Takasaki, Gunma 370-1292 (Japan)

2010-09-10

Ionizing radiation-induced genomic instability has been documented in various end points such as chromosomal aberrations and mutations, which arises in the descendants of irradiated mammalian or yeast cells many generations after the initial insult. This study aimed at addressing radiation-induced genomic instability in higher plant tobacco cells. We thus investigated micronucleus (MN) formation and cell proliferation in tobacco cells irradiated with {gamma}-rays and their descendants. In {gamma}-irradiated cells, cell cycle was arrested at G{sub 2}/M phase at around 24 h post-irradiation but released afterward. In contrast, MN frequency peaked at 48 h post-irradiation. Almost half of 40 Gy-irradiated cells had MN at 48 h post-irradiation, but proliferated as actively as sham-irradiated cells up to 120 h post-irradiation. Moreover, the descendants that have undergone at least 22 generations after irradiation still showed a two-fold MN frequency compared to sham-irradiated cells. This is the direct evidence for radiation-induced genomic instability in tobacco cells.

An update on the mechanisms and pathophysiological consequences of genomic instability with a focus on ionizing radiation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Streffer C

2015-12-01

Full Text Available Christian Streffer Institute for Medical Radiobiology, University Clinics Essen, Essen, Germany Abstract: The genome of eukaryotic cells is generally instable. DNA damage occurs by endogenous processes and exogenous toxic agents. The efficient DNA repair pathways conserve the genetic information to a large extent throughout the life. However, exposure to genotoxic agents can increase the genomic instability. This phenomenon develops in a delayed manner after approximately 20 and more cell generations. It is comparatively thoroughly investigated after the exposure to ionizing radiation. The increase of genomic instability has been observed after exposures to ionizing radiation in vitro and in vivo as well as with many different types of radiation. The effect is induced over a wide dose range, and it has been found with cell death, chromosomal damage, cell transformations, mutations, double-strand breaks, malformations, and cancers. No specific chromosomes or genomic sites have been observed for such events. The increased genomic instability can be transmitted to the next generation. Possible mechanisms such as oxidative stress (mitochondria may be involved, reduced DNA repair, changes in telomeres, epigenetic effects are discussed. A second wave of oxidative stress has been observed after radiation exposures with considerably high doses as well as with cytotoxic agents at time periods when an increased genomic instability was seen. However, the increase of genomic instability also happens to much lower radiation doses. Hypoxia induces an increase of genomic instability. This effect is apparently connected with a reduction of DNA repair. Changes of telomeres appear as the most probable mechanisms for the increase of genomic instability. Syndromes have been described with a genetic predisposition for high radiosensitivity. These individuals show an increase of cancer, a deficient DNA repair, a disturbed regulation of the cell cycle, and an

Role of oxidative DNA damage in genome instability and cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bignami, M.; Kunkel, T.

2009-01-01

Inactivation of mismatch repair (MMR) is associated with a dramatic genomic instability that is observed experimentally as a mutator phenotype and micro satellite instability (MSI). It has been implicit that the massive genetic instability in MMR defective cells simply reflects the accumulation of spontaneous DNA polymerase errors during DNA replication. We recently identified oxidation damage, a common threat to DNA integrity to which purines are very susceptible, as an important cofactor in this genetic instability

Evaluation of Genomic Instability in the Abnormal Prostate

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Haaland-Pullus, Christina; Griffith, Jeffrey K

2006-01-01

...: prognosis and diagnosis. Several tools are being used to investigate this effect, specifically the assessment of telomere length, allelic imbalance, and methylation status, all markers of genomic instability...

Evaluation of Genomic Instability in the Abnormal Prostate

National Research Council Canada - National Science Library

Haaland-Pullus, Christina; Griffth, Jeffrey K

2008-01-01

...: prognosis and diagnosis. Several tools are being used to investigate this effect, specifically the assessment of telomere length, allelic imbalance, and methylation status, all markers of genomic instability...

Research for genetic instability of human genome

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hori, T.; Takahashi, E.; Tsuji, H.; Yamauchi, M.; Murata, M.

1992-01-01

In the present review paper, the potential relevance of chromosomal fragile sites to carcinogenesis and mutagenesis is discussed based on our own and other's studies. Recent evidence indicate that fragile sites may act as predisposition factors involved in chromosomal instability of the human genome and that the sites may be preferential targets for various DNA damaging agents including ionizing radiation. It is also demonstrated that some critical genomic rearrangements at the fragile sites may contribute towards oncogenesis and that individuals carrying heritable form of fragile site may be at the risk. Although clinical significance of autosomal fragile sites has been a matter of discussion, a fragile site of the X chromosome is known to be associated with an X-linked genetic diseases, called fragile X syndrome. Molecular events leading to the fragile X syndrome have recently been elucidated. The fragile X genotype can be characterized by an increased amount of p(CCG)n repeat DNA sequence in the FMR-1 gene and the repeated sequences are shown to be unstable in both meiosis and mitosis. These repeats might exhibit higher mutation rate than is generally seen in the human genome. Further studies on the fragile sites in molecular biology and radiation biology will yield relevant data to the molecular mechanisms of genetic instability of the human genome as well as to better assessment of genetic effect of ionizing radiation. (author)

Induction of genomic instability and activation of autophagy in artificial human aneuploid cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ariyoshi, Kentaro [Hirosaki University, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki 036-8564 (Japan); Miura, Tomisato; Kasai, Kosuke; Fujishima, Yohei [Department of Biomedical Sciences, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki 036-8564 (Japan); Oshimura, Mitsuo [Chromosome Engineering Research Center (CERC), Tottori University, Nishicho 86, Yonago, Tottori 683-8503 (Japan); Yoshida, Mitsuaki A., E-mail: ariyoshi@hirosaki-u.ac.jp [Hirosaki University, Institute of Radiation Emergency Medicine, 66-1 Hon-cho, Hirosaki 036-8564 (Japan)

2016-08-15

Highlights: • Clones with artificial aneuploidy of chromosome 8 or chromosome 22 both show inhibited proliferation and genomic instability. • Increased autophagy was observed in the artificially aneuploid clones. • Inhibition of autophagy resulted in increased genomic instability and DNA damage. • Intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species were up-regulated in the artificially aneuploid clones. - Abstract: Chromosome missegregation can lead to a change in chromosome number known as aneuploidy. Although aneuploidy is a known hallmark of cancer cells, the various mechanisms by which altered gene and/or DNA copy number facilitate tumorigenesis remain unclear. To understand the effect of aneuploidy occurring in non-tumorigenic human breast epithelial cells, we generated clones harboring artificial aneuploidy using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer. Our results demonstrate that clones with artificial aneuploidy of chromosome 8 or chromosome 22 both show inhibited proliferation and genomic instability. Also, the increased autophagy was observed in the artificially aneuploidy clones, and inhibition of autophagy resulted in increased genomic instability and DNA damage. In addition, the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species were up-regulated in the artificially aneuploid clones, and inhibition of autophagy further increased the production of reactive oxygen species. Together, these results suggest that even a single extraneous chromosome can induce genomic instability, and that autophagy triggered by aneuploidy-induced stress is a mechanism to protect cells bearing abnormal chromosome number.

Induction of genomic instability and activation of autophagy in artificial human aneuploid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ariyoshi, Kentaro; Miura, Tomisato; Kasai, Kosuke; Fujishima, Yohei; Oshimura, Mitsuo; Yoshida, Mitsuaki A.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Clones with artificial aneuploidy of chromosome 8 or chromosome 22 both show inhibited proliferation and genomic instability. • Increased autophagy was observed in the artificially aneuploid clones. • Inhibition of autophagy resulted in increased genomic instability and DNA damage. • Intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species were up-regulated in the artificially aneuploid clones. - Abstract: Chromosome missegregation can lead to a change in chromosome number known as aneuploidy. Although aneuploidy is a known hallmark of cancer cells, the various mechanisms by which altered gene and/or DNA copy number facilitate tumorigenesis remain unclear. To understand the effect of aneuploidy occurring in non-tumorigenic human breast epithelial cells, we generated clones harboring artificial aneuploidy using microcell-mediated chromosome transfer. Our results demonstrate that clones with artificial aneuploidy of chromosome 8 or chromosome 22 both show inhibited proliferation and genomic instability. Also, the increased autophagy was observed in the artificially aneuploidy clones, and inhibition of autophagy resulted in increased genomic instability and DNA damage. In addition, the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species were up-regulated in the artificially aneuploid clones, and inhibition of autophagy further increased the production of reactive oxygen species. Together, these results suggest that even a single extraneous chromosome can induce genomic instability, and that autophagy triggered by aneuploidy-induced stress is a mechanism to protect cells bearing abnormal chromosome number.

Research for genetic instability of human genome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hori, T.; Takahashi, E.; Tsuji, H.; Yamauchi, M. (National Inst. of Radiological Sciences, Chiba (Japan)); Murata, M.

1992-01-01

In the present review paper, the potential relevance of chromosomal fragile sites to carcinogenesis and mutagenesis is discussed based on our own and other's studies. Recent evidence indicate that fragile sites may act as predisposition factors involved in chromosomal instability of the human genome and that the sites may be preferential targets for various DNA damaging agents including ionizing radiation. It is also demonstrated that some critical genomic rearrangements at the fragile sites may contribute towards oncogenesis and that individuals carrying heritable form of fragile site may be at the risk. Although clinical significance of autosomal fragile sites has been a matter of discussion, a fragile site of the X chromosome is known to be associated with an X-linked genetic diseases, called fragile X syndrome. Molecular events leading to the fragile X syndrome have recently been elucidated. The fragile X genotype can be characterized by an increased amount of p(CCG)n repeat DNA sequence in the FMR-1 gene and the repeated sequences are shown to be unstable in both meiosis and mitosis. These repeats might exhibit higher mutation rate than is generally seen in the human genome. Further studies on the fragile sites in molecular biology and radiation biology will yield relevant data to the molecular mechanisms of genetic instability of the human genome as well as to better assessment of genetic effect of ionizing radiation. (author).

Study on the relationship between DNA-PKcs and genomic instability and hyper-radiosensitivity

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yang Kang; Zhu Jiayun; Ding Nan; Li Junhong; Hu Wentao; Su Fengtao; He Jinpeng; Li Sha

2010-01-01

To investigate the relationship between DNA-PKcs and genome instability and hyper-radiosensitivity, human glioma cell lines M059K and M059J, as a model expressing wild-type DNA-PKcs and a model defective in DNA-PKcs activity, were exposed to low doses of X-rays. Cells survival fractions were assessed by colony-forming assay and Cytochalasin-B micronucleus assay was employed to detect the genomic instability happening in each single irradiated colony. It has been found that as the post-incubation time increased, M059K cells expressing wild-type DNA-PKcs exhibited low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity and showed a similar genomic instability after 0.2 Gy and 0.6 Gy irradiations, but the M059J cells lacking in DNA-PKcs didn't present low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity and showed a higher genomic instability of 0.6 Gy than that of 0.2 Gy. The results indicate that DNA-PKcs may act as one of the key factors that lead to low-dose hyper-radiosensitivity. (authors)

Detection of genomic instability in hypospadias patients by random ...

African Journals Online (AJOL)

DIRECTOR

2011-05-16

May 16, 2011 ... organism including bacteria (Sahoo et al., 2010), fungi. (Motlagh and Anvari ... technique that detects genomic alteration correlated with human tumor is .... chromosomal instability among hypospadias patients. REFERENCES.

Instability of plastid DNA in the nuclear genome.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Anna E Sheppard

2009-01-01

Full Text Available Functional gene transfer from the plastid (chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes to the nucleus has been an important driving force in eukaryotic evolution. Non-functional DNA transfer is far more frequent, and the frequency of such transfers from the plastid to the nucleus has been determined experimentally in tobacco using transplastomic lines containing, in their plastid genome, a kanamycin resistance gene (neo readymade for nuclear expression. Contrary to expectations, non-Mendelian segregation of the kanamycin resistance phenotype is seen in progeny of some lines in which neo has been transferred to the nuclear genome. Here, we provide a detailed analysis of the instability of kanamycin resistance in nine of these lines, and we show that it is due to deletion of neo. Four lines showed instability with variation between progeny derived from different areas of the same plant, suggesting a loss of neo during somatic cell division. One line showed a consistent reduction in the proportion of kanamycin-resistant progeny, suggesting a loss of neo during meiosis, and the remaining four lines were relatively stable. To avoid genomic enlargement, the high frequency of plastid DNA integration into the nuclear genome necessitates a counterbalancing removal process. This is the first demonstration of such loss involving a high proportion of recent nuclear integrants. We propose that insertion, deletion, and rearrangement of plastid sequences in the nuclear genome are important evolutionary processes in the generation of novel nuclear genes. This work is also relevant in the context of transgenic plant research and crop production, because similar processes to those described here may be involved in the loss of plant transgenes.

Radiation-induced genomic instability driven by de novo chromosomal rearrangement hot spots

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Grosovsky, A.J.; Allen, R.N.; Moore, S.R.

2003-01-01

Genomic instability has become generally recognized as a critical contributor to tumor progression by generating the necessary number of genetic alterations required for expression of a clinically significant malignancy. Our study of chromosomal instability investigates the hypothesis that chromosomal rearrangements can generate novel breakage-prone sites, resulting in instability acting predominantly in cis. Here we present an analysis of the karyotypic distribution of instability associated chromosomal rearrangements in TK6 and derivative human lymphoblasts. Karyotypic analysis performed on a total of 455 independent clones included 183 rearrangements distributed among 100 separate unstable clones. The results demonstrate that the breakpoints of chromosomal rearrangements in unstable clones are non-randomly distributed throughout the genome. This pattern is statistically significant, and incompatible with expectations for random breakage associated with loss or alteration of a trans-acting factor. Furthermore, specific chromosomal breakage hot spots associated with instability have been identified; these occur in several independent unstable clones and are often repeatedly broken and rejoined during the outgrowth of an individual clone. In complimentary studies, genomic instability was generated without any exposure to a DNA-damaging agent, but rather by transfection with alpha heterochromatin DNA. In a prospective analysis, human-hamster hybrid AL cells containing a single human chromosome 11 were transfected with heterochromatic alpha DNA repeats and clones were analyzed by chromosome 11 painting. Transfection with alpha DNA was associated with karyotypic heterogeneity in 40% of clones examined; control transfections with plasmid alone did not lead to karyotypic heterogeneity

Reciprocal Regulation between DNA-PKcs and Snail1 Conferring Genomic Instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Seo, Haeng Ran; Lee, Hae June; Jin, Yeung Bae; Bae, Sang Woo; Lee, Yun Sil; Kim, Nam Hee; Kim, Hyun Sil; Nam, Hyung Wook; Yook, Jong In

2010-01-01

Although the roles of DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) involving non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) of DNA repair are well recognized, the biological mechanisms and regulators by which DNA-PKcs regulate genomic instability are not clearly defined. We show herein that DNA-PKcs activity resulting from DNA damage caused by ionizing radiation (IR) phosphorylates Snail1 at serine 100, which results in increased Snail1 expression and its function by inhibition of GSK-3-mediated phosphorylation. Furthermore, Snail1 phosphorylated at serine 100 can reciprocally inhibit kinase activity of DNA-PKcs, resulting in an inhibition to recruit DNA-PKcs or Ku70/80 to a DNA double-strand break site, and ultimately inhibition of DNA repair activity. The impairment of repair activity by a direct interaction between Snail1 and DNA-PKcs increases the resistance to DNA damaging agents, such as IR, and genomic instability. Our findings provide a novel cellular mechanism for induction of genomic instability by reciprocal regulation of DNA-PKcs and Snail1

A biological-based model that links genomic instability, bystander effects, and adaptive response

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Scott, B.R.

2004-01-01

This paper links genomic instability, bystander effects, and adaptive response in mammalian cell communities via a novel biological-based, dose-response model called NEOTRANS 3 . The model is an extension of the NEOTRANS 2 model that addressed stochastic effects (genomic instability, mutations, and neoplastic transformation) associated with brief exposure to low radiation doses. With both models, ionizing radiation produces DNA damage in cells that can be associated with varying degrees of genomic instability. Cells with persistent problematic instability (PPI) are mutants that arise via misrepair of DNA damage. Progeny of PPI cells also have PPI and can undergo spontaneous neoplastic transformation. Unlike NEOTRANS 2 , with NEOTRANS 3 newly induced mutant PPI cells and their neoplastically transformed progeny can be suppressed via our previously introduced protective apoptosis-mediated (PAM) process, which can be activated by low linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. However, with NEOTRANS 3 (which like NEOTRANS 2 involves cross-talk between nongenomically compromised [e.g., nontransformed, nonmutants] and genomically compromised [e.g., mutants, transformants, etc.] cells), it is assumed that PAM is only activated over a relatively narrow, dose-rate-dependent interval (D PAM ,D off ); where D PAM is a small stochastic activation threshold, and D off is the stochastic dose above which PAM does not occur. PAM cooperates with activated normal DNA repair and with activated normal apoptosis in guarding against genomic instability. Normal repair involves both error-free repair and misrepair components. Normal apoptosis and the error-free component of normal repair protect mammals by preventing the occurrence of mutant cells. PAM selectively removes mutant cells arising via the misrepair component of normal repair, selectively removes existing neoplastically transformed cells, and probably selectively removes other genomically compromised cells when it is activated

Genomic instability and radiation risk in molecular pathways to colon cancer.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Jan Christian Kaiser

Full Text Available Colon cancer is caused by multiple genomic alterations which lead to genomic instability (GI. GI appears in molecular pathways of microsatellite instability (MSI and chromosomal instability (CIN with clinically observed case shares of about 15-20% and 80-85%. Radiation enhances the colon cancer risk by inducing GI, but little is known about different outcomes for MSI and CIN. Computer-based modelling can facilitate the understanding of the phenomena named above. Comprehensive biological models, which combine the two main molecular pathways to colon cancer, are fitted to incidence data of Japanese a-bomb survivors. The preferred model is selected according to statistical criteria and biological plausibility. Imprints of cell-based processes in the succession from adenoma to carcinoma are identified by the model from age dependences and secular trends of the incidence data. Model parameters show remarkable compliance with mutation rates and growth rates for adenoma, which has been reported over the last fifteen years. Model results suggest that CIN begins during fission of intestinal crypts. Chromosomal aberrations are generated at a markedly elevated rate which favors the accelerated growth of premalignant adenoma. Possibly driven by a trend of Westernization in the Japanese diet, incidence rates for the CIN pathway increased notably in subsequent birth cohorts, whereas rates pertaining to MSI remained constant. An imbalance between number of CIN and MSI cases began to emerge in the 1980s, whereas in previous decades the number of cases was almost equal. The CIN pathway exhibits a strong radio-sensitivity, probably more intensive in men. Among young birth cohorts of both sexes the excess absolute radiation risk related to CIN is larger by an order of magnitude compared to the MSI-related risk. Observance of pathway-specific risks improves the determination of the probability of causation for radiation-induced colon cancer in individual patients

Epigenetic dysregulation underlies radiation-induced transgenerational genome instability in vivo

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Koturbash, Igor; Baker, Mike; Loree, Jonathan; Kutanzi, Kristy; Hudson, Darryl; Pogribny, Igor; Sedelnikova, Olga; Bonner, William; Kovalchuk, Olga

2006-01-01

Purpose: Although modern cancer radiation therapy has led to increased patient survival rates, the risk of radiation treatment-related complications is becoming a growing problem. Among various complications, radiation also poses a threat to the progeny of exposed parents. It causes transgenerational genome instability that is linked to transgenerational carcinogenesis. Although the occurrence of transgenerational genome instability, which manifests as elevated delayed and nontargeted mutation, has been well documented, the mechanisms by which it arises remain obscure. We hypothesized that epigenetic alterations may play a pivotal role in the molecular etiology of transgenerational genome instability. Methods and Materials: We studied the levels of cytosine DNA methylation in somatic tissues of unexposed offspring upon maternal, paternal, or combined parental exposure. Results: We observed a significant loss of global cytosine DNA methylation in the thymus tissue of the offspring upon combined parental exposure. The loss of DNA methylation was paralleled by a significant decrease in the levels of maintenance (DNMT1) and de novo methyltransferases DNMT3a and 3b and methyl-CpG-binding protein MeCP2. Along with profound changes in DNA methylation, we noted a significant accumulation of DNA strand breaks in thymus, which is a radiation carcinogenesis target organ. Conclusions: The observed changes were indicative of a profound epigenetic dysregulation in the offspring, which in turn could lead to genome destabilization and possibly could serve as precursor for transgenerational carcinogenesis. Future studies are clearly needed to address the cellular and carcinogenic repercussions of those changes

Initiation of genome instability and preneoplastic processes through loss of Fhit expression.

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Joshua C Saldivar

Full Text Available Genomic instability drives tumorigenesis, but how it is initiated in sporadic neoplasias is unknown. In early preneoplasias, alterations at chromosome fragile sites arise due to DNA replication stress. A frequent, perhaps earliest, genetic alteration in preneoplasias is deletion within the fragile FRA3B/FHIT locus, leading to loss of Fhit protein expression. Because common chromosome fragile sites are exquisitely sensitive to replication stress, it has been proposed that their clonal alterations in cancer cells are due to stress sensitivity rather than to a selective advantage imparted by loss of expression of fragile gene products. Here, we show in normal, transformed, and cancer-derived cell lines that Fhit-depletion causes replication stress-induced DNA double-strand breaks. Using DNA combing, we observed a defect in replication fork progression in Fhit-deficient cells that stemmed primarily from fork stalling and collapse. The likely mechanism for the role of Fhit in replication fork progression is through regulation of Thymidine kinase 1 expression and thymidine triphosphate pool levels; notably, restoration of nucleotide balance rescued DNA replication defects and suppressed DNA breakage in Fhit-deficient cells. Depletion of Fhit did not activate the DNA damage response nor cause cell cycle arrest, allowing continued cell proliferation and ongoing chromosomal instability. This finding was in accord with in vivo studies, as Fhit knockout mouse tissue showed no evidence of cell cycle arrest or senescence yet exhibited numerous somatic DNA copy number aberrations at replication stress-sensitive loci. Furthermore, cells established from Fhit knockout tissue showed rapid immortalization and selection of DNA deletions and amplifications, including amplification of the Mdm2 gene, suggesting that Fhit loss-induced genome instability facilitates transformation. We propose that loss of Fhit expression in precancerous lesions is the first step in the

Detection of genomic instability in normal human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to 238Pu

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kennedy, C.H.; Fukushima, N.H.; Neft, R.E.; Lechner, J.F.

1994-01-01

Alpha particle-emitting radon daughters constitute a risk for development of lung cancer in humans. The development of this disease involves multiple genetic alterations. These changes and the time course they follow are not yet defined despite numerous in vitro endeavors to transform human lung cells with various physical or chemical agents. However, genomic instability, characterized both by structural and numerical chromosomal aberrations and by elevated rates of point mutations, is a common feature of tumor cells. Further, both types of genomic instability have been reported in the noncancerous progeny of normal murine hemopoietic cells exposed in vitro to α-particles. The purpose of this investigation was to determine if genomic instability is also a prominent feature of normal human bronchial epithelial cells exposed to α-particle irradiation from the decay of inhaled radon daughters

Loss of RMI2 Increases Genome Instability and Causes a Bloom-Like Syndrome.

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Damien F Hudson

2016-12-01

Full Text Available Bloom syndrome is a recessive human genetic disorder with features of genome instability, growth deficiency and predisposition to cancer. The only known causative gene is the BLM helicase that is a member of a protein complex along with topoisomerase III alpha, RMI1 and 2, which maintains replication fork stability and dissolves double Holliday junctions to prevent genome instability. Here we report the identification of a second gene, RMI2, that is deleted in affected siblings with Bloom-like features. Cells from homozygous individuals exhibit elevated rates of sister chromatid exchange, anaphase DNA bridges and micronuclei. Similar genome and chromosome instability phenotypes are observed in independently derived RMI2 knockout cells. In both patient and knockout cell lines reduced localisation of BLM to ultra fine DNA bridges and FANCD2 at foci linking bridges are observed. Overall, loss of RMI2 produces a partially active BLM complex with mild features of Bloom syndrome.

Radiation-induced genomic instability, and the cloning and functional analysis of its related gene

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Muto, Masahiro; Kanari, Yasuyoshi; Kubo, Eiko; Yamada, Yutaka

2000-01-01

Exposure to ionizing radiation produces a number of biological consequences including gene mutations, chromosome aberrations, cellular transformation and cell death. The classical view has been that mutations occur at the sites of DNA damage, that is, damage produced by radiation is converted into a mutation during subsequent DNA replication or as a consequence of enzymatic repair processes. However, many investigators have presented evidence for an alternative mechanism to explain these biological effects. This evidence suggests that radiation may induce a process of genomic instability that is transmissible over many generations of cell replication and that serves to enhance the probability of the occurrence of such genetic effects among the progeny of the irradiated cell after many generations of cell replication. If such a process exists in vivo, it could have significant implications for mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Exposure of B10 mice to fractionated X-irradiation induces a high incidence of thymic lymphomas, whereas the incidence in STS/A mice is very low. Such strain differences are presumably determined genetically, and various genetic factors have been reported to be involved in radiation-induced lymphomagenesis. The mechanism of radiation-induced lymphomagenesis appears to develop through a complex and multistep process. Using this experimental system, we characterized the prelymphoma cells induced by radiation, and identified the genetic changes preceding the development of thymic lymphomas by comparing the oncogenic alterations with the pattern of T cell receptor (TCR) γ rearrangements. In these studies, the latent expression of some chromosomal aberrations and p53 mutations in irradiated progeny has been interpreted to be a manifestation of genomic instability. In the present report we review the results of in vivo studies conducted in our laboratory that support the hypothesis of genomic instability induced by radiation, and we describe the

The Role of DNA Methylation Changes in Radiation-Induced Transgenerational Genomic Instability and Bystander Effects in cranial irradiated Mice

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Zhang, Meng; Sun, Yeqing; Gao, Yinglong; Zhang, Baodong

Heavy-ion radiation could lead to genome instability in the germline, and therefore to transgenerational genome and epigenome instability in offspring of exposed males. The exact mechanisms of radiation-induced genome instability in directly exposed and in bystander organ remain obscure, yet accumulating evidence points to the role of DNA methylation changes in genome instability development. The potential of localized body-part exposures to affect the germline and thus induce genome and epigenome changes in the progeny has not been studied. To investigate whether or not the paternal cranial irradiation can exert deleterious changes in the protected germline and the offsprings, we studied the alteration of DNA methylation in the shielded testes tissue. Here we report that the localized paternal cranial irradiation results in a significant altered DNA methylation in sperm cells and leads to a profound epigenetic dysregulation in the unexposed progeny conceived 3 months after paternal exposure. The possible molecular mechanisms and biological consequences of the observed changes are discussed. Keywords: Heavy-ion radiation; Transgenerational effect; Genomic Instability Bystander Effects; DNA methylation.

Profiles of Genomic Instability in High-Grade Serous Ovarian Cancer Predict Treatment Outcome

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Wang, Zhigang C.; Birkbak, Nicolai Juul; Culhane, Aedín C.

2012-01-01

Purpose: High-grade serous cancer (HGSC) is the most common cancer of the ovary and is characterized by chromosomal instability. Defects in homologous recombination repair (HRR) are associated with genomic instability in HGSC, and are exploited by therapy targeting DNA repair. Defective HRR cause...

Higher-Density Culture in Human Embryonic Stem Cells Results in DNA Damage and Genome Instability

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Kurt Jacobs

2016-03-01

Full Text Available Human embryonic stem cells (hESC show great promise for clinical and research applications, but their well-known proneness to genomic instability hampers the development to their full potential. Here, we demonstrate that medium acidification linked to culture density is the main cause of DNA damage and genomic alterations in hESC grown on feeder layers, and this even in the short time span of a single passage. In line with this, we show that increasing the frequency of the medium refreshments minimizes the levels of DNA damage and genetic instability. Also, we show that cells cultured on laminin-521 do not present this increase in DNA damage when grown at high density, although the (long-term impact on their genomic stability remains to be elucidated. Our results explain the high levels of genome instability observed over the years by many laboratories worldwide, and show that the development of optimal culture conditions is key to solving this problem.

Amplification of HER2 is a marker for global genomic instability

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Love Brad

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic alterations of the proto-oncogene c-erbB-2 (HER-2/neu are associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The variable clinical outcomes seen in patients with similar HER2 status, given similar treatments, suggests that the effects of amplification of HER2 can be influenced by other genetic changes. To assess the broader genomic implications of structural changes at the HER2 locus, we investigated relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status in patients with invasive breast cancer. Methods HER2 status was determined using the PathVysion® assay. DNA was extracted after laser microdissection from the 181 paraffin-embedded HER2 amplified (n = 39 or HER2 negative (n = 142 tumor specimens with sufficient tumor available to perform molecular analysis. Allelic imbalance (AI was assessed using a panel of microsatellite markers representing 26 chromosomal regions commonly altered in breast cancer. Student t-tests and partial correlations were used to investigate relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status. Results The frequency of AI was significantly higher (P P Conclusion The poor prognosis associated with HER2 amplification may be attributed to global genomic instability as cells with high frequencies of chromosomal alterations have been associated with increased cellular proliferation and aggressive behavior. In addition, high levels of DNA damage may render tumor cells refractory to treatment. In addition, specific alterations at chromosomes 11q13, 16q22-q24, and 18q21, all of which have been associated with aggressive tumor behavior, may serve as genetic modifiers to HER2 amplification. These data not only improve our understanding of HER in breast pathogenesis but may allow more accurate risk profiles and better treatment options to be developed.

Characterization of genomic instability in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and engaging teaching strategies described in two curricula

Science.gov (United States)

Keller, Alexandra P.

Cancer arises through an accumulation of mutations in the genome. In cancer cells, mutations are frequently caused by DNA rearrangements, which include chromosomal breakages, deletions, insertions, and translocations. Such events contribute to genomic instability, a known hallmark of cancer. To study cycles of chromosomal instability, we are using baker's yeast as a model organism. In yeast, a ChrVII system was previously developed (Admire et al., 2006), in which a disomic yeast strain was used to identify regions of instability on ChrVII. Using this system, a fragile site on the left arm of ChrVII (Admire et al., 2006) was identified and characterized. This study led to insight into mechanisms involved in chromosomal rearrangements and mutations that arise from them as well as to an understanding of mechanisms involved in genomic instability. To further our understanding of genomic instability, I devised a strategy to study instability on a different chromosome (ChrV) (Figure 3), so that we could determine whether lessons learned from the ChrVII system are applicable to other chromosomes, and/or whether other mechanisms of instability could be identified. A suitable strain was generated and analyzed, and our findings suggest that frequencies of instability on the right arm of ChrV are similar to those found in ChrVII. The results from the work in ChrV described in this paper support the idea that the instability found on ChrVII is not an isolated occurrence. My research was supported by an NSF GK-12 grant. The aim of this grant is to improve science education in middle schools, and as part of my participation in this program, I studied and practiced effective science communication methodologies. In attempts to explain my research to middle school students, I collaborated with others to develop methods for explaining genetics and the most important techniques I used in my research. While developing these methods, I learned more about what motivates people to learn

Overexpressed of RAD51 suppresses recombination defects: a possible mechanism to reverse genomic instability

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Schild, David; Wiese, Claudia

2009-10-15

RAD51, a key protein in the homologous recombinational DNA repair (HRR) pathway, is the major strand-transferase required for mitotic recombination. An important early step in HRR is the formation of single-stranded DNA (ss-DNA) coated by RPA (a ss-DNA binding protein). Displacement of RPA by RAD51 is highly regulated and facilitated by a number of different proteins known as the 'recombination mediators'. To assist these recombination mediators, a second group of proteins also is required and we are defining these proteins here as 'recombination co-mediators'. Defects in either recombination mediators or comediators, including BRCA1 and BRCA2, lead to impaired HRR that can genetically be complemented for (i.e. suppressed) by overexpression of RAD51. Defects in HRR have long been known to contribute to genomic instability leading to tumor development. Since genomic instability also slows cell growth, precancerous cells presumably require genomic restabilization to gain a growth advantage. RAD51 is overexpressed in many tumors, and therefore, we hypothesize that the complementing ability of elevated levels of RAD51 in tumors with initial HRR defects limits genomic instability during carcinogenic progression. Of particular interest, this model may also help explain the high frequency of TP53 mutations in human cancers, since wild-type p53 represses RAD51.

Gastric cancers of Western European and African patients show different patterns of genomic instability

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Mulder Chris JJ

2011-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Infection with H. pylori is important in the etiology of gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is infrequent in Africa, despite high frequencies of H. pylori infection, referred to as the African enigma. Variation in environmental and host factors influencing gastric cancer risk between different populations have been reported but little is known about the biological differences between gastric cancers from different geographic locations. We aim to study genomic instability patterns of gastric cancers obtained from patients from United Kingdom (UK and South Africa (SA, in an attempt to support the African enigma hypothesis at the biological level. Methods DNA was isolated from 67 gastric adenocarcinomas, 33 UK patients, 9 Caucasian SA patients and 25 native SA patients. Microsatellite instability and chromosomal instability were analyzed by PCR and microarray comparative genomic hybridization, respectively. Data was analyzed by supervised univariate and multivariate analyses as well as unsupervised hierarchical cluster analysis. Results Tumors from Caucasian and native SA patients showed significantly more microsatellite instable tumors (p Conclusions Gastric cancers from SA and UK patients show differences in genetic instability patterns, indicating possible different biological mechanisms in patients from different geographical origin. This is of future clinical relevance for stratification of gastric cancer therapy.

A novel ATM-dependent checkpoint defect distinct from loss of function mutation promotes genomic instability in melanoma.

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Spoerri, Loredana; Brooks, Kelly; Chia, KeeMing; Grossman, Gavriel; Ellis, Jonathan J; Dahmer-Heath, Mareike; Škalamera, Dubravka; Pavey, Sandra; Burmeister, Bryan; Gabrielli, Brian

2016-05-01

Melanomas have high levels of genomic instability that can contribute to poor disease prognosis. Here, we report a novel defect of the ATM-dependent cell cycle checkpoint in melanoma cell lines that promotes genomic instability. In defective cells, ATM signalling to CHK2 is intact, but the cells are unable to maintain the cell cycle arrest due to elevated PLK1 driving recovery from the arrest. Reducing PLK1 activity recovered the ATM-dependent checkpoint arrest, and over-expressing PLK1 was sufficient to overcome the checkpoint arrest and increase genomic instability. Loss of the ATM-dependent checkpoint did not affect sensitivity to ionizing radiation demonstrating that this defect is distinct from ATM loss of function mutations. The checkpoint defective melanoma cell lines over-express PLK1, and a significant proportion of melanomas have high levels of PLK1 over-expression suggesting this defect is a common feature of melanomas. The inability of ATM to impose a cell cycle arrest in response to DNA damage increases genomic instability. This work also suggests that the ATM-dependent checkpoint arrest is likely to be defective in a higher proportion of cancers than previously expected. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Bystander effects, adaptive response and genomic instability induced by prenatal irradiation

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Streffer, Christian [Institute for Science and Ethics, University Duisburg-Essen, Auf dem Sutan 12, D-45239 Essen (Germany)]. E-mail: streffer.essen@t-online.de

2004-12-02

The developing human embryo and fetus undergo very radiosensitive stages during the prenatal development. It is likely that the induction of low dose related effects such as bystander effects, the adaptive response, and genomic instability would have profound effects on embryonic and fetal development. In this paper, I review what has been reported on the induction of these three phenomena in exposed embryos and fetuses. All three phenomena have been shown to occur in murine embryonic or fetal cells and structures, although the induction of an adaptive response (and also likely the induction of bystander effects) are limited in terms of when during development they can be induced and the dose or dose-rate used to treat animals in utero. In contrast, genomic instability can be induced throughout development, and the effects of radiation exposure on genome instability can be observed for long times after irradiation including through pre- and postnatal development and into the next generation of mice. There are clearly strain-specific differences in the induction of these phenomena and all three can lead to long-term detrimental effects. This is true for the adaptive response as well. While induction of an adaptive response can make fetuses more resistant to some gross developmental defects induced by a subsequent high dose challenge with ionizing radiation, the long-term effects of this low dose exposure are detrimental. The negative effects of all three phenomena reflect the complexity of fetal development, a process where even small changes in the timing of gene expression or suppression can have dramatic effects on the pattern of biological events and the subsequent development of the mammalian organism.

Amplification of HER2 is a marker for global genomic instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellsworth, Rachel E; Ellsworth, Darrell L; Patney, Heather L; Deyarmin, Brenda; Love, Brad; Hooke, Jeffrey A; Shriver, Craig D

2008-01-01

Genomic alterations of the proto-oncogene c-erbB-2 (HER-2/neu) are associated with aggressive behavior and poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. The variable clinical outcomes seen in patients with similar HER2 status, given similar treatments, suggests that the effects of amplification of HER2 can be influenced by other genetic changes. To assess the broader genomic implications of structural changes at the HER2 locus, we investigated relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status in patients with invasive breast cancer. HER2 status was determined using the PathVysion ® assay. DNA was extracted after laser microdissection from the 181 paraffin-embedded HER2 amplified (n = 39) or HER2 negative (n = 142) tumor specimens with sufficient tumor available to perform molecular analysis. Allelic imbalance (AI) was assessed using a panel of microsatellite markers representing 26 chromosomal regions commonly altered in breast cancer. Student t-tests and partial correlations were used to investigate relationships between genomic instability and HER2 status. The frequency of AI was significantly higher (P < 0.005) in HER2 amplified (27%) compared to HER2 negative tumors (19%). Samples with HER2 amplification showed significantly higher levels of AI (P < 0.05) at chromosomes 11q23, 16q22-q24 and 18q21. Partial correlations including ER status and tumor grade supported associations between HER2 status and alterations at 11q13.1, 16q22-q24 and 18q21. The poor prognosis associated with HER2 amplification may be attributed to global genomic instability as cells with high frequencies of chromosomal alterations have been associated with increased cellular proliferation and aggressive behavior. In addition, high levels of DNA damage may render tumor cells refractory to treatment. In addition, specific alterations at chromosomes 11q13, 16q22-q24, and 18q21, all of which have been associated with aggressive tumor behavior, may serve as genetic modifiers to HER2

Centrosome Dysfunction Contributes To Chromosome Instability, Chromoanagenesis And Genome Reprograming In Cancer.

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German A Pihan

2013-11-01

Full Text Available The unique ability of centrosomes to nucleate and organize microtubules makes them unrivaled conductors of important interphase processes, such as intracellular payload traffic, cell polarity, cell locomotion, and organization of the immunologic synapse. But it is in mitosis that centrosomes loom large, for they orchestrate, with clockmaker’s precision, the assembly and functioning of the mitotic spindle, ensuring the equal partitioning of the replicated genome into daughter cells. Centrosome dysfunction is inextricably linked to aneuploidy and chromosome instability, both hallmarks of cancer cells. Several aspects of centrosome function in normal and cancer cells have been molecularly characterized during the last two decades, greatly enhancing our mechanistic understanding of this tiny organelle. Whether centrosome defects alone can cause cancer, remains unanswered. Until recently, the aggregate of the evidence had suggested that centrosome dysfunction, by deregulating the fidelity of chromosome segregation, promotes and accelerates the characteristic Darwinian evolution of the cancer genome enabled by increased mutational load and/or decreased DNA repair. Very recent experimental work has shown that missegreated chromosomes resulting from centrosome dysfunction may experience extensive DNA damage, suggesting additional dimensions to the role of centrosomes in cancer. Centrosome dysfunction is particularly prevalent in tumors in which the genome has undergone extensive structural rearrangements and chromosome domain reshuffling. Ongoing gene reshuffling reprograms the genome for continuous growth, survival, and evasion of the immune system. Manipulation of molecular networks controlling centrosome function may soon become a viable target for specific therapeutic intervention in cancer, particularly since normal cells, which lack centrosome alterations, may be spared the toxicity of such therapies.

Early telomere shortening and genomic instability in tubo-ovarian preneoplastic lesions.

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Chene, Gautier; Tchirkov, Andrei; Pierre-Eymard, Eleonore; Dauplat, Jacques; Raoelfils, Ines; Cayre, Anne; Watkin, Emmanuel; Vago, Philippe; Penault-Llorca, Frederique

2013-06-01

Genetic instability plays an important role in ovarian carcinogenesis. We investigated the level of telomere shortening and genomic instability in early and preinvasive stages of ovarian cancer, serous tubal intraepithelial carcinoma (STIC), and tubo-ovarian dysplasia (TOD). Fifty-one TOD from prophylactic salpingo-oophorectomies with BRCA1 or 2 mutation, 12 STICs, 53 tubo-ovarian high-grade serous carcinoma, and 36 noncancerous controls were laser capture microdissected from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded sections, analyzed by comparative genomic hybridization (array CGH) and for telomere length (using quantitative real-time PCR based on the Cawthon's method). TOD and STICs were defined by morphologic scores and immunohistochemical expressions of p53, Ki67, and γH2AX. TOD showed marked telomere shortening compared with noncancerous controls (P STICs had even shorter telomeres than TOD (P = 0.0008). Ovarian carcinoma had shorter telomeres than controls but longer than STICs and dysplasia. In TOD, telomeres were significantly shorter in those with BRCA1 mutation than in those with BRCA2 mutation (P = 0.005). In addition, γH2AX expression in TOD and STIC groups with short telomeres was significantly increased (P STICs. The total number of genetic alterations was the highest in ovarian cancers. These findings suggest that genetic instability occurs in early stages of ovarian tumorigenesis. STICs and noninvasive dysplasia are likely an important step in early serous ovarian neoplasia. ©2013 AACR

Transposable elements as stress adaptive capacitors induce genomic instability in fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae.

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Sonia Chadha

Full Text Available A fundamental problem in fungal pathogenesis is to elucidate the evolutionary forces responsible for genomic rearrangements leading to races with fitter genotypes. Understanding the adaptive evolutionary mechanisms requires identification of genomic components and environmental factors reshaping the genome of fungal pathogens to adapt. Herein, Magnaporthe oryzae, a model fungal plant pathogen is used to demonstrate the impact of environmental cues on transposable elements (TE based genome dynamics. For heat shock and copper stress exposed samples, eight TEs belonging to class I and II family were employed to obtain DNA profiles. Stress induced mutant bands showed a positive correlation with dose/duration of stress and provided evidences of TEs role in stress adaptiveness. Further, we demonstrate that genome dynamics differ for the type/family of TEs upon stress exposition and previous reports of stress induced MAGGY transposition has underestimated the role of TEs in M. oryzae. Here, we identified Pyret, MAGGY, Pot3, MINE, Mg-SINE, Grasshopper and MGLR3 as contributors of high genomic instability in M. oryzae in respective order. Sequencing of mutated bands led to the identification of LTR-retrotransposon sequences within regulatory regions of psuedogenes. DNA transposon Pot3 was identified in the coding regions of chromatin remodelling protein containing tyrosinase copper-binding and PWWP domains. LTR-retrotransposons Pyret and MAGGY are identified as key components responsible for the high genomic instability and perhaps these TEs are utilized by M. oryzae for its acclimatization to adverse environmental conditions. Our results demonstrate how common field stresses change genome dynamics of pathogen and provide perspective to explore the role of TEs in genome adaptability, signalling network and its impact on the virulence of fungal pathogens.

Double-strand break repair-adox: Restoration of suppressed double-strand break repair during mitosis induces genomic instability.

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Terasawa, Masahiro; Shinohara, Akira; Shinohara, Miki

2014-12-01

Double-strand breaks (DSBs) are one of the severest types of DNA damage. Unrepaired DSBs easily induce cell death and chromosome aberrations. To maintain genomic stability, cells have checkpoint and DSB repair systems to respond to DNA damage throughout most of the cell cycle. The failure of this process often results in apoptosis or genomic instability, such as aneuploidy, deletion, or translocation. Therefore, DSB repair is essential for maintenance of genomic stability. During mitosis, however, cells seem to suppress the DNA damage response and proceed to the next G1 phase, even if there are unrepaired DSBs. The biological significance of this suppression is not known. In this review, we summarize recent studies of mitotic DSB repair and discuss the mechanisms of suppression of DSB repair during mitosis. DSB repair, which maintains genomic integrity in other phases of the cell cycle, is rather toxic to cells during mitosis, often resulting in chromosome missegregation and aberration. Cells have multiple safeguards to prevent genomic instability during mitosis: inhibition of 53BP1 or BRCA1 localization to DSB sites, which is important to promote non-homologous end joining or homologous recombination, respectively, and also modulation of the non-homologous end joining core complex to inhibit DSB repair. We discuss how DSBs during mitosis are toxic and the multiple safeguard systems that suppress genomic instability. © 2014 The Authors. Cancer Science published by Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd on behalf of Japanese Cancer Association.

Lack of specificity of chromosome breaks resulting from radiation-induced genomic instability in Chinese hamster cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Trott, K.-R.; Teibe, A.

1998-01-01

In V79 Chinese hamster cells, radiation-induced genomic instability results in a persistently increased frequency of micronuclei, dicentric chromosomes and apoptosis and in decreased colony-forming ability. These manifestations of radiation-induced genomic instability may be attributed to an increased rate of chromosome breakage events many generations after irradiation. This chromosomal instability does not seem to be a property which has been inflicted on individual chromosomes at the time of irradiation. Rather, it appears to be secondary to an increased level of non-specific clastogenic factors in the progeny of most if not all irradiated cells. This conclusion is drawn from the observations presented here, that all the chromosomes in surviving V79 cells are involved in the formation of dicentric chromosome aberrations 1 or 2 weeks after irradiation with about equal probability if corrections are made for chromosome length. (orig.)

Radiation and chemotherapy bystander effects induce early genomic instability events: telomere shortening and bridge formation coupled with mitochondrial dysfunction.

LENUS (Irish Health Repository)

Gorman, Sheeona

2012-02-01

The bridge breakage fusion cycle is a chromosomal instability mechanism responsible for genomic changes. Radiation bystander effects induce genomic instability; however, the mechanism driving this instability is unknown. We examined if radiation and chemotherapy bystander effects induce early genomic instability events such as telomere shortening and bridge formation using a human colon cancer explant model. We assessed telomere lengths, bridge formations, mitochondrial membrane potential and levels of reactive oxygen species in bystander cells exposed to medium from irradiated and chemotherapy-treated explant tissues. Bystander cells exposed to media from 2Gy, 5Gy, FOLFOX treated tumor and matching normal tissue showed a significant reduction in telomere lengths (all p values <0.018) and an increase in bridge formations (all p values <0.017) compared to bystander cells treated with media from unirradiated tissue (0Gy) at 24h. There was no significant difference between 2Gy and 5Gy treatments, or between effects elicited by tumor versus matched normal tissue. Bystander cells exposed to media from 2Gy irradiated tumor tissue showed significant depolarisation of the mitochondrial membrane potential (p=0.012) and an increase in reactive oxygen species levels. We also used bystander cells overexpressing a mitochondrial antioxidant manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) to examine if this antioxidant could rescue the mitochondrial changes and subsequently influence nuclear instability events. In MnSOD cells, ROS levels were reduced (p=0.02) and mitochondrial membrane potential increased (p=0.04). These events were coupled with a decrease in percentage of cells with anaphase bridges and a decrease in the number of cells undergoing telomere length shortening (p values 0.01 and 0.028 respectively). We demonstrate that radiation and chemotherapy bystander responses induce early genomic instability coupled with defects in mitochondrial function. Restoring mitochondrial

PTEN C-Terminal Deletion Causes Genomic Instability and Tumor Development

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Zhuo Sun

2014-03-01

Full Text Available Tumor suppressor PTEN controls genomic stability and inhibits tumorigenesis. The N-terminal phosphatase domain of PTEN antagonizes the PI3K/AKT pathway, but its C-terminal function is less defined. Here, we describe a knockin mouse model of a nonsense mutation that results in the deletion of the entire Pten C-terminal region, referred to as PtenΔC. Mice heterozygous for PtenΔC develop multiple spontaneous tumors, including cancers and B cell lymphoma. Heterozygous deletion of the Pten C-terminal domain also causes genomic instability and common fragile site rearrangement. We found that Pten C-terminal disruption induces p53 and its downstream targets. Simultaneous depletion of p53 promotes metastasis without influencing the initiation of tumors, suggesting that p53 mainly suppresses tumor progression. Our data highlight the essential role of the PTEN C terminus in the maintenance of genomic stability and suppression of tumorigenesis.

A mutation in the centriole-associated protein centrin causes genomic instability via increased chromosome loss in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii

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Marshall Wallace F

2005-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background The role of centrioles in mitotic spindle function remains unclear. One approach to investigate mitotic centriole function is to ask whether mutation of centriole-associated proteins can cause genomic instability. Results We addressed the role of the centriole-associated EF-hand protein centrin in genomic stability using a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii centrin mutant that forms acentriolar bipolar spindles and lacks the centrin-based rhizoplast structures that join centrioles to the nucleus. Using a genetic assay for loss of heterozygosity, we found that this centrin mutant showed increased genomic instability compared to wild-type cells, and we determined that the increase in genomic instability was due to a 100-fold increase in chromosome loss rates compared to wild type. Live cell imaging reveals an increased rate in cell death during G1 in haploid cells that is consistent with an elevated rate of chromosome loss, and analysis of cell death versus centriole copy number argues against a role for multipolar spindles in this process. Conclusion The increased chromosome loss rates observed in a centrin mutant that forms acentriolar spindles suggests a role for centrin protein, and possibly centrioles, in mitotic fidelity.

CHF Enhancement by Surface Patterning based on Hydrodynamic Instability Model

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Seo, Han; Bang, In Cheol [UNIST, Ulsan (Korea, Republic of)

2015-05-15

If the power density of a device exceeds the CHF point, bubbles and vapor films will be covered on the whole heater surface. Because vapor films have much lower heat transfer capabilities compared to the liquid layer, the temperature of the heater surface will increase rapidly, and the device could be damaged due to the heater burnout. Therefore, the prediction and the enhancement of the CHF are essential to maximizing the efficient heat removal region. Numerous studies have been conducted to describe the CHF phenomenon, such as hydrodynamic instability theory, macrolayer dryout theory, hot/dry spot theory, and bubble interaction theory. The hydrodynamic instability model, proposed by Zuber, is the predominant CHF model that Helmholtz instability attributed to the CHF. Zuber assumed that the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability wavelength is related to the Helmholtz wavelength. Lienhard and Dhir proposed a CHF model that Helmholtz instability wavelength is equal to the most dangerous RT wavelength. In addition, they showed the heater size effect using various heater surfaces. Lu et al. proposed a modified hydrodynamic theory that the Helmholtz instability was assumed to be the heater size and the area of the vapor column was used as a fitting factor. The modified hydrodynamic theories were based on the change of Helmholtz wavelength related to the RT instability wavelength. In the present study, the change of the RT instability wavelength, based on the heater surface modification, was conducted to show the CHF enhancement based on the heater surface patterning in a plate pool boiling. Sapphire glass was used as a base heater substrate, and the Pt film was used as a heating source. The patterning surface was based on the change of RT instability wavelength. In the present work the study of the CHF was conducted using bare Pt and patterned heating surfaces.

BYSTANDER EFFECTS GENOMIC INSTABILITY, ADAPTIVE RESPONSE AND CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT FOR RADIAION AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURES

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BYSTANDER EFFECTS, GENOMIC INSTABILITY, ADAPTIVE RESPONSE AND CANCER RISK ASSESSMENT FOR RADIATION AND CHEMICAL EXPOSURESR. Julian PrestonEnvironmental Carcinogenesis Division, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Research Triangle Park, N.C. 27711, USAThere ...

Genomic stability during cellular reprogramming: Mission impossible?

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Joest, Mathieu von; Búa Aguín, Sabela; Li, Han, E-mail: han.li@pasteur.fr

2016-06-15

The generation of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from adult somatic cells is one of the most exciting discoveries in recent biomedical research. It holds tremendous potential in drug discovery and regenerative medicine. However, a series of reports highlighting genomic instability in iPSCs raises concerns about their clinical application. Although the mechanisms cause genomic instability during cellular reprogramming are largely unknown, several potential sources have been suggested. This review summarizes current knowledge on this active research field and discusses the latest efforts to alleviate the genomic insults during cellular reprogramming to generate iPSCs with enhanced quality and safety.

Pomegranate Intake Protects Against Genomic Instability Induced by Medical X-rays In Vivo in Mice.

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Nallanthighal, Sameera; Shirode, Amit B; Judd, Julius A; Reliene, Ramune

2016-01-01

Ionizing radiation (IR) is a well-documented human carcinogen. The increased use of IR in medical procedures has doubled the annual radiation dose and may increase cancer risk. Genomic instability is an intermediate lesion in IR-induced cancer. We examined whether pomegranate extract (PE) suppresses genomic instability induced by x-rays. Mice were treated orally with PE and exposed to an x-ray dose of 2 Gy. PE intake suppressed x-ray-induced DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in peripheral blood and chromosomal damage in bone marrow. We hypothesized that PE-mediated protection against x-ray-induced damage may be due to the upregulation of DSB repair and antioxidant enzymes and/or increase in glutathione (GSH) levels. We found that expression of DSB repair genes was not altered (Nbs1 and Rad50) or was reduced (Mre11, DNA-PKcs, Ku80, Rad51, Rad52 and Brca2) in the liver of PE-treated mice. Likewise, mRNA levels of antioxidant enzymes were reduced (Gpx1, Cat, and Sod2) or were not altered (HO-1 and Sod1) as a function of PE treatment. In contrast, PE-treated mice with and without IR exposure displayed higher hepatic GSH concentrations than controls. Thus, ingestion of pomegranate polyphenols is associated with inhibition of x-ray-induced genomic instability and elevated GSH, which may reduce cancer risk.

Aberrant methylation and associated transcriptional mobilization of Alu elements contributes to genomic instability in hypoxia.

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Pal, Arnab; Srivastava, Tapasya; Sharma, Manish K; Mehndiratta, Mohit; Das, Prerna; Sinha, Subrata; Chattopadhyay, Parthaprasad

2010-11-01

Hypoxia is an integral part of tumorigenesis and contributes extensively to the neoplastic phenotype including drug resistance and genomic instability. It has also been reported that hypoxia results in global demethylation. Because a majority of the cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) islands are found within the repeat elements of DNA, and are usually methylated under normoxic conditions, we suggested that retrotransposable Alu or short interspersed nuclear elements (SINEs) which show altered methylation and associated changes of gene expression during hypoxia, could be associated with genomic instability. U87MG glioblastoma cells were cultured in 0.1% O₂ for 6 weeks and compared with cells cultured in 21% O₂ for the same duration. Real-time PCR analysis showed a significant increase in SINE and reverse transcriptase coding long interspersed nuclear element (LINE) transcripts during hypoxia. Sequencing of bisulphite treated DNA as well as the Combined Bisulfite Restriction Analysis (COBRA) assay showed that the SINE loci studied underwent significant hypomethylation though there was patchy hypermethylation at a few sites. The inter-alu PCR profile of DNA from cells cultured under 6-week hypoxia, its 4-week revert back to normoxia and 6-week normoxia showed several changes in the band pattern indicating increased alu mediated genomic alteration. Our results show that aberrant methylation leading to increased transcription of SINE and reverse transcriptase associated LINE elements could lead to increased genomic instability in hypoxia. This might be a cause of genetic heterogeneity in tumours especially in variegated hypoxic environment and lead to a development of foci of more aggressive tumour cells. © 2009 The Authors Journal compilation © 2010 Foundation for Cellular and Molecular Medicine/Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Bystander-mediated genomic instability after high LET radiation in murine primary haemopoietic stem cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowler, Deborah A.; Moore, Stephen R.; Macdonald, Denise A.; Smyth, Sharon H.; Clapham, Peter; Kadhim, Munira A.

2006-01-01

Communication between irradiated and unirradiated (bystander) cells can result in responses in unirradiated cells that are similar to responses in their irradiated counterparts. The purpose of the current experiment was to test the hypothesis that bystander responses will be similarly induced in primary murine stem cells under different cell culture conditions. The experimental systems used here, co-culture and media transfer, are similar in that they both restrict communication between irradiated and bystander cells to media borne factors, but are distinct in that with the media transfer technique, cells can only communicate after irradiation, and with co-culture, cells can communication before, during and after irradiation. In this set of parallel experiments, cell type, biological endpoint, and radiation quality and dose, were kept constant. In both experimental systems, clonogenic survival was significantly decreased in all groups, whether irradiated or bystander, suggesting a substantial contribution of bystander effects (BE) to cell killing. Genomic instability (GI) was induced under all radiation and bystander conditions in both experiments, including a situation where unirradiated cells were incubated with media that had been conditioned for 24 h with irradiated cells. The appearance of delayed aberrations (genomic instability) 10-13 population doublings after irradiation was similar to the level of initial chromosomal damage, suggesting that the bystander factor is able to induce chromosomal alterations soon after irradiation. Whether these early alterations are related to those observed at later timepoints remains unknown. These results suggest that genomic instability may be significantly induced in a bystander cell population whether or not cells communicate during irradiation

Non-homologous end-joining genes are not inactivated in human radiation-induced sarcomas with genomic instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lefevre, S.H.; Coquelle, A.; Gonin-Laurent, N.

2005-01-01

DNA double-strand break (DSB) repair pathways are implicated in the maintenance of genomic stability. However the alterations of these pathways, as may occur in human tumor cells with strong genomic instability, remain poorly characterized. We analyzed the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) and the presence of mutations for a series of genes implicated in DSB repair by non-homologous end-joining in five radiation-induced sarcomas devoid of both active Tp53 and Rb1. LOH was recurrently observed for 8 of the 9 studied genes (KU70, KU80, XRCC4, LIG4, Artemis, MRE11, RAD50, NBS1) but not for DNA-PKcs. No mutation was found in the remaining allele of the genes with LOH and the mRNA expression did not correlate with the allelic status. Our findings suggest that non-homologous end-joining repair pathway alteration is unlikely to be involved in the high genomic instability observed in these tumors. (author)

Nitric oxide coordinates development of genomic instability in realization of combined effect with ionizing radiation.

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Mikhailenko, V M; Diomina, E A; Muzalov, I I; Gerashchenko, B I

2013-03-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the ability of environmental nitrogen oxides or natural nitric oxide (NO) donors to modify free radicals ba-lance and development of genomic instability alone or in combination with ionizing radiation. Genotoxicity and cytogenetic abnormalities were assessed in vitro in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) isolated from healthy humans or in vivo in rats PBL. Human PBL were treated with physiologically relevant NO donor - S-Nitrosoglutathione and X-ray irradiation. The inhalation treatment of animals with NO was carried out in chamber with purified gaseous NO mixed inside with air. Levels of S-Nitrosohemoglobin and methemoglobin in the blood were assessed with electron paramagnetic resonance. The total level of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species in PBL was determined fluorometrically, and serum levels of reactive oxygen species was determined by spectrophotometric assay. DNA damages were assessed by alkaline single-cell gel electrophoresis. The frequency of chromosomal aberrations in human PBL measured with the conventional cytogenetic assay in metaphase cells on short-term (52 h) and long-term (72 h) cultures. Environmental nitrogen oxides or release of NO from stable complexes with biomolecules (such as S-Nitrosothiols) intensified generation of free radicals, DNA damage and development of genomic instability alone or in combination with ionizing radiation. Treatment of PBL by S-Nitrosoglutathione caused prevalent induction of chromatid type but irradiation - chromosome aberrations. The dose dependence of chromatid-type aberrations observed in human PBL after combined influence of S-Nitrosoglutathione and ionizing radiation indicates a crucial role of NO in the formation of chromosomal instability. NO can deregulate free radicals balance resulted in genotoxic effect, posttranslational modification of repair enzymes and thus coordinated development of genomic instability and increase of cancer risk.

Perspectives on the role of bystander effect and genomic instability on therapy-induced secondary malignancy

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Perumal, Venkatachalam; Raavi, Venkateswarlu; Kanagaraj, Karthik; Shangamithra, V.; Paul, Solomon F.D.; Chinnadurai, M.

2017-01-01

Deviation from the orchestra of regulated cell division into unregulated and then result into the formation of tumor, is known as carcinogenesis. While causes and hallmarks of many cancer types are well established, newer concepts on tumor cell response to treatment, challenges established therapeutic regime and drives into alternative toward the better management. The phenomena of therapeutics induced bystander response, and genomic instability on late effects of cancer therapy is emerging as a newer challenge. Bystander response is defined as the manifestation of radiation/chemotherapy drug signatures on the unexposed cells which are in the closer vicinity of the directly exposed; on the other hand, genomic instability is defined as the expression of radiation/chemotherapy drug signatures in the progeny of exposed cells. Unequivocally, existence of those phenomena has been demonstrated with many cell types (both in vitro and in vivo) followed by radiation and widely used chemotherapeutic drugs. Nevertheless, it is also revealed that the effects are variable and depend on dose, type of radiation/chemicals agents, experimental model, type of donor and recipient cells, and biomarkers adopted; moreover, to observe those effects, reactive oxygen species has been reported as leading mediators of those responses when compared to other molecules such as interleukins, cytokines, and inflammatory markers. Available data on those phenomena and our findings suggest that a role of therapeutic drugs induced bystander effects, and genomic instability on the development of secondary malignancy cannot be ruled out completely. (author)

TopBP1/Dpb11 binds DNA anaphase bridges to prevent genome instability.

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Germann, Susanne M; Schramke, Vera; Pedersen, Rune Troelsgaard; Gallina, Irene; Eckert-Boulet, Nadine; Oestergaard, Vibe H; Lisby, Michael

2014-01-06

DNA anaphase bridges are a potential source of genome instability that may lead to chromosome breakage or nondisjunction during mitosis. Two classes of anaphase bridges can be distinguished: DAPI-positive chromatin bridges and DAPI-negative ultrafine DNA bridges (UFBs). Here, we establish budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae and the avian DT40 cell line as model systems for studying DNA anaphase bridges and show that TopBP1/Dpb11 plays an evolutionarily conserved role in their metabolism. Together with the single-stranded DNA binding protein RPA, TopBP1/Dpb11 binds to UFBs, and depletion of TopBP1/Dpb11 led to an accumulation of chromatin bridges. Importantly, the NoCut checkpoint that delays progression from anaphase to abscission in yeast was activated by both UFBs and chromatin bridges independently of Dpb11, and disruption of the NoCut checkpoint in Dpb11-depleted cells led to genome instability. In conclusion, we propose that TopBP1/Dpb11 prevents accumulation of anaphase bridges via stimulation of the Mec1/ATR kinase and suppression of homologous recombination.

Associations between circulating carotenoids, genomic instability and the risk of high-grade prostate cancer.

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Nordström, Tobias; Van Blarigan, Erin L; Ngo, Vy; Roy, Ritu; Weinberg, Vivian; Song, Xiaoling; Simko, Jeffry; Carroll, Peter R; Chan, June M; Paris, Pamela L

2016-03-01

Carotenoids are a class of nutrients with antioxidant properties that have been purported to protect against cancer. However, the reported associations between carotenoids and prostate cancer have been heterogeneous and lacking data on interactions with nucleotide sequence variations and genomic biomarkers. To examine the associations between carotenoid levels and the risk of high-grade prostate cancer, also considering antioxidant-related genes and tumor instability. We measured plasma levels of carotenoids and genotyped 20 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) in SOD1, SOD2, SOD3, XRCC1, and OGG1 among 559 men with non-metastatic prostate cancer undergoing radical prostatectomy. We performed copy number analysis in a subset of these men (n = 67) to study tumor instability assessed as Fraction of the Genome Altered (FGA). We examined associations between carotenoids, genotypes, tumor instability and risk of high-grade prostate cancer (Gleason grade ≥ 4 + 3) using logistic and linear regression. Circulating carotenoid levels were inversely associated with the risk of high-grade prostate cancer; odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) comparing highest versus lowest quartiles were: 0.34 (95% CI: 0.18-0.66) for α-carotene, 0.31 (95% CI: 0.15-0.63) for β-carotene, 0.55 (0.28-1.08) for lycopene and 0.37 (0.18-0.75) for total carotenoids. SNPs rs25489 in XRCC1, rs699473 in SOD3 and rs1052133 in OGG1 modified these associations for α-carotene, β-carotene and lycopene, respectively (P ≤ 0.05). The proportion of men with a high degree of FGA increased with Gleason Score (P carotenoids at diagnosis, particularly among men carrying specific somatic variations, were inversely associated with risk of high-grade prostate cancer. In exploratory analyses, higher lycopene level was associated with less genomic instability among men with low-grade disease which is novel and supports the hypothesis that lycopene may inhibit progression of

Estimation of low-dose radiation-responsive proteins in the absence of genomic instability in normal human fibroblast cells.

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Yim, Ji-Hye; Yun, Jung Mi; Kim, Ji Young; Nam, Seon Young; Kim, Cha Soon

2017-11-01

Low-dose radiation has various biological effects such as adaptive responses, low-dose hypersensitivity, as well as beneficial effects. However, little is known about the particular proteins involved in these effects. Here, we sought to identify low-dose radiation-responsive phosphoproteins in normal fibroblast cells. We assessed genomic instability and proliferation of fibroblast cells after γ-irradiation by γ-H2AX foci and micronucleus formation analyses and BrdU incorporation assay, respectively. We screened fibroblast cells 8 h after low-dose (0.05 Gy) γ-irradiation using Phospho Explorer Antibody Microarray and validated two differentially expressed phosphoproteins using Western blotting. Cell proliferation proceeded normally in the absence of genomic instability after low-dose γ-irradiation. Phospho antibody microarray analysis and Western blotting revealed increased expression of two phosphoproteins, phospho-NFκB (Ser536) and phospho-P70S6K (Ser418), 8 h after low-dose radiation. Our findings suggest that low-dose radiation of normal fibroblast cells activates the expression of phospho-NFκB (Ser536) and phospho-P70S6K (Ser418) in the absence of genomic instability. Therefore, these proteins may be involved in DNA damage repair processes.

The problem of induced genomic instability in the child organism under conditions of long-term effect of small radiation doses

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suskov, I.I.; Kuz'mina, N.S.

2001-01-01

The phenomenological aspects of the genomic instability induced in the descendants of the multi-divided cells having been exposed to the radiation are examined. It is demonstrated that the regularity of the genomic instability induction do not correspond to the classical conception of the radiation genetics (hit principle and target theory). The mechanisms and the biological significance of this new genetic phenomenon in the child organism under conditions of low-intensive effect of small-dose radiation and its connection with the state of health are discussed [ru

Radiation-induced genomic instability is associated with DNA methylation changes in cultured human keratinocytes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kaup, Sahana; Grandjean, Valerie; Mukherjee, Rajarshi; Kapoor, Aparna; Keyes, Edward; Seymour, Colin B.; Mothersill, Carmel E.; Schofield, Paul N.

2006-01-01

The mechanism by which radiation-induced genomic instability is initiated, propagated and effected is currently under intense scrutiny. We have investigated the potential role of altered genomic methylation patterns in the cellular response to irradiation and have found evidence for widespread dysregulation of CpG methylation persisting up to 20 population doublings post-irradiation. Similar effects are seen with cells treated with medium from irradiated cells (the 'bystander effect') rather than subjected to direct irradiation. Using an arbitrarily primed methylation sensitive PCR screening method we have demonstrated that irradiation causes reproducible alterations in the methylation profile of a human keratinocyte cell line, HPV-G, and have further characterised one of these sequences as being a member of a retrotransposon element derived sequence family on chromosome 7; MLT1A. Multiple changes were also detected in the screen, which indicate that although the response of cells is predominantly hypermethylation, specific hypomethylation occurs as well. Sequence specific changes are also reported in the methylation of the pericentromeric SAT2 satellite sequence. This is the first demonstration that irradiation results in the induction of heritable methylation changes in mammalian cells, and provides a link between the various non-radiological instigators of genomic instability, the perpetuation of the unstable state and several of its manifestations

Genomic instability in rat: Breakpoints induced by ionising radiation and interstitial telomeric-like sequences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camats, Nuria; Ruiz-Herrera, Aurora; Parrilla, Juan Jose; Acien, Maribel; Paya, Pilar; Giulotto, Elena; Egozcue, Josep; Garcia, Francisca; Garcia, Montserrat

2006-01-01

The Norwegian rat (Rattus norvegicus) is the most widely studied experimental species in biomedical research although little is known about its chromosomal structure. The characterisation of possible unstable regions of the karyotype of this species would contribute to the better understanding of its genomic architecture. The cytogenetic effects of ionising radiation have been widely used for the study of genomic instability, and the importance of interstitial telomeric-like sequences (ITSs) in instability of the genome has also been reported in previous studies in vertebrates. In order to describe the unstable chromosomal regions of R. norvegicus, the distribution of breakpoints induced by X-irradiation and ITSs in its karyotype were analysed in this work. For the X-irradiation analysis, 52 foetuses (from 14 irradiated rats) were studied, 4803 metaphases were analysed, and a total of 456 breakpoints induced by X-rays were detected, located in 114 chromosomal bands, with 25 of them significantly affected by X-irradiation (hot spots). For the analysis of ITSs, three foetuses (from three rats) were studied, 305 metaphases were analysed and 121 ITSs were detected, widely distributed in the karyotype of this species. Seventy-six percent of all hot spots analysed in this study were co-localised with ITSs

Genomic instability in rat: Breakpoints induced by ionising radiation and interstitial telomeric-like sequences

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Camats, Nuria [Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain); Departament de Biologia Cel.lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain); Ruiz-Herrera, Aurora [Departament de Biologia Cel.lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain); Parrilla, Juan Jose [Servicio de Ginecologia y Obstetricia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Ctra, Madrid-Cartagena, s/n, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia (Spain); Acien, Maribel [Servicio de Ginecologia y Obstetricia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Ctra, Madrid-Cartagena, s/n, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia (Spain); Paya, Pilar [Servicio de Ginecologia y Obstetricia, Hospital Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca, Ctra, Madrid-Cartagena, s/n, El Palmar, 30120 Murcia (Spain); Giulotto, Elena [Dipartimento di Genetica e Microbiologia Adriano Buzzati Traverso, Universita degli Studi di Pavia, 27100 Pavia (Italy); Egozcue, Josep [Departament de Biologia Cel.lular, Fisiologia i Immunologia Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain); Garcia, Francisca [Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain); Garcia, Montserrat [Institut de Biotecnologia i Biomedicina (IBB), Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain) and Departament de Biologia Cellular, Fisiologia i Immunologia Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona, 08193 Barcelona (Spain)]. E-mail: Montserrat.Garcia.Caldes@uab.es

2006-03-20

The Norwegian rat (Rattus norvegicus) is the most widely studied experimental species in biomedical research although little is known about its chromosomal structure. The characterisation of possible unstable regions of the karyotype of this species would contribute to the better understanding of its genomic architecture. The cytogenetic effects of ionising radiation have been widely used for the study of genomic instability, and the importance of interstitial telomeric-like sequences (ITSs) in instability of the genome has also been reported in previous studies in vertebrates. In order to describe the unstable chromosomal regions of R. norvegicus, the distribution of breakpoints induced by X-irradiation and ITSs in its karyotype were analysed in this work. For the X-irradiation analysis, 52 foetuses (from 14 irradiated rats) were studied, 4803 metaphases were analysed, and a total of 456 breakpoints induced by X-rays were detected, located in 114 chromosomal bands, with 25 of them significantly affected by X-irradiation (hot spots). For the analysis of ITSs, three foetuses (from three rats) were studied, 305 metaphases were analysed and 121 ITSs were detected, widely distributed in the karyotype of this species. Seventy-six percent of all hot spots analysed in this study were co-localised with ITSs.

Genomic instability in mutation induction on normal human fibroblasts irradiated with chronic low-dose radiations in heavy-ion radiation field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, M.; Tsuruoka, C.; Uchihori, Y.; Yasuda, H.; Fujitaka, K.

2003-01-01

Full text: At a time when manned space exploration is more a reality with the planned the International Space Station (ISS) underway, the potential exposure of crews in a spacecraft to chronic low-dose radiations in the field of low-flux galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and the subsequent biological effects have become one of the major concerns of space science. We have studied both in vitro life span and genomic instability in cellular effects in normal human skin fibroblasts irradiated with chronic low-dose radiations in heavy-ion radiation field. Cells were cultured in a CO2 incubator, which was set in the irradiation room for the biological study of heavy ions in the Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) at National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS), and irradiated with scattered radiations produced from heavy ions. Absorbed dose measured using a thermoluminescence dosimeter (TLD) and a Si-semiconductor detector was to be around 1.4 mGy per day when operating the HIMAC machine for biological experiments. The total population doubling number (tPDN) of low-dose irradiated cells was significantly smaller (79-93%) than that of unirradiated cells. The results indicate that the life span of the cell population shortens by irradiating with low-dose scattered radiations in the heavy-ion irradiation field. Genomic instability in cellular responses was examined to measure either cell killing or mutation induction in low-dose accumulated cells after exposing to X-ray challenging doses. The results showed that there was no enhanced effect on cell killing between low-dose accumulated and unirradiated cells after exposing to defined challenging doses of 200kV X rays. On the contrary, the mutation frequency on hprt locus of low-dose accumulated cells was much higher than that of unirradiated cells. The results suggested that genomic instability was induced in mutagenesis by the chronic low-dose irradiations in heavy-ion radiation field

Occupational exposure to anesthetics leads to genomic instability, cytotoxicity and proliferative changes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Souza, Kátina M.; Braz, Leandro G.; Nogueira, Flávia R.; Souza, Marajane B.; Bincoleto, Lahis F.; Aun, Aline G.; Corrente, José E.; Carvalho, Lídia R.; Braz, José Reinaldo C.; Braz, Mariana G.

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Anesthesiologists exposed to the most commonly used anesthetic gases were evaluated. • No alterations were detected for lymphocyte DNA damage detected by the comet assay. • Decreased frequencies of basal cells were detected in exfoliated buccal cells (BMCyt). • Increased frequencies of micronucleus and cytotoxicity were observed in BMCyt assay. • Anesthesiologists have genomic instability due to occupational exposure. - Abstract: Data on the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of occupational exposure to the most frequently used volatile anesthetics are limited and controversial. The current study is the first to evaluate genomic instability, cell death and proliferative index in exfoliated buccal cells (EBC) from anesthesiologists. We also evaluated DNA damage and determined the concentrations of the anesthetic gases most commonly used in operating rooms. This study was conducted on physicians who were allocated into two groups: the exposed group, which consisted of anesthesiologists who had been exposed to waste anesthetic gases (isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane and nitrous oxide − N 2 O) for at least two years; and the control group, which consisted of non-exposed physicians matched for age, sex and lifestyle with the exposed group. Venous blood and EBC samples were collected from all participants. Basal DNA damage was evaluated in lymphocytes by the comet assay, whereas the buccal micronucleus (MN) cytome (BMCyt) assay was applied to evaluate genotoxic and cytotoxic effects. The concentrations of N 2 O and anesthetics were measured via a portable infrared spectrophotometer. The average concentration of waste gases was greater than 5 parts per million (ppm) for all of the halogenated anesthetics and was more than 170 ppm for N 2 O, expressed as a time-weighted average. There was no significant difference between the groups in relation to lymphocyte DNA damage. The exposed group had higher frequencies of MN, karyorrhexis and pyknosis, and

Occupational exposure to anesthetics leads to genomic instability, cytotoxicity and proliferative changes

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Souza, Kátina M.; Braz, Leandro G.; Nogueira, Flávia R.; Souza, Marajane B.; Bincoleto, Lahis F.; Aun, Aline G. [Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, UNESP − Univ Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Anestesiologia, Botucatu (Brazil); Corrente, José E.; Carvalho, Lídia R. [Instituto de Biociências de Botucatu, UNESP − Univ Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Bioestatística, Botucatu (Brazil); Braz, José Reinaldo C. [Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, UNESP − Univ Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Anestesiologia, Botucatu (Brazil); Braz, Mariana G., E-mail: mgbraz@hotmail.com [Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, UNESP − Univ Estadual Paulista, Departamento de Anestesiologia, Botucatu (Brazil)

2016-09-15

Highlights: • Anesthesiologists exposed to the most commonly used anesthetic gases were evaluated. • No alterations were detected for lymphocyte DNA damage detected by the comet assay. • Decreased frequencies of basal cells were detected in exfoliated buccal cells (BMCyt). • Increased frequencies of micronucleus and cytotoxicity were observed in BMCyt assay. • Anesthesiologists have genomic instability due to occupational exposure. - Abstract: Data on the genotoxic and mutagenic effects of occupational exposure to the most frequently used volatile anesthetics are limited and controversial. The current study is the first to evaluate genomic instability, cell death and proliferative index in exfoliated buccal cells (EBC) from anesthesiologists. We also evaluated DNA damage and determined the concentrations of the anesthetic gases most commonly used in operating rooms. This study was conducted on physicians who were allocated into two groups: the exposed group, which consisted of anesthesiologists who had been exposed to waste anesthetic gases (isoflurane, sevoflurane, desflurane and nitrous oxide − N{sub 2}O) for at least two years; and the control group, which consisted of non-exposed physicians matched for age, sex and lifestyle with the exposed group. Venous blood and EBC samples were collected from all participants. Basal DNA damage was evaluated in lymphocytes by the comet assay, whereas the buccal micronucleus (MN) cytome (BMCyt) assay was applied to evaluate genotoxic and cytotoxic effects. The concentrations of N{sub 2}O and anesthetics were measured via a portable infrared spectrophotometer. The average concentration of waste gases was greater than 5 parts per million (ppm) for all of the halogenated anesthetics and was more than 170 ppm for N{sub 2}O, expressed as a time-weighted average. There was no significant difference between the groups in relation to lymphocyte DNA damage. The exposed group had higher frequencies of MN, karyorrhexis and

Cross-Field Current Instabilities in Thin Ionization Layers and the Enhanced Aurora

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Johnson, Jay R.; Okuda, Hideo

2008-01-01

Nearly half of the time, auroral displays exhibit thin, bright layers known as 'enhanced aurora'. There is a substantial body of evidence that connects these displays with thin, dense, heavy ion layers in the E-region. Based on the spectral characteristics of the enhanced layers, it is believed that they result when wave-particle interaction heats ambient electrons to energies at or just above the 17 eV ionization energy of N2. While there are several possible instabilities that could produce suprathermal electrons in thin layers, there has been no clear theoretical investigation which examines in detail how wave instabilities in the thin ionization layers could develop and produce the suprathermal electrons. We examine instabilities which would occur in thin, dense, heavy ion layers using extensive analytical analysis combined with particle simulations. We analyze a cross field current instability that is found to be strongly unstable in the heavy ion layers. Electrostatic simulations show that substantial heating of the ambient electrons occurs with energization at or above the N2 ionization energy.

Chromosomal instability induced by ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, W.F.; Marder, B.A.; Day, J.P.

1995-01-01

There is accumulating evidence indicating genomic instability can manifest multiple generations after cellular exposure to DNA damaging agents. For instance, some cells surviving exposure to ionizing radiations show delayed reproductive cell death, delayed mutation and / or delayed chromosomal instability. Such instability, especially chromosome destabilization has been implicated in mutation, gene amplification, cellular transformation, and cell killing. To investigate chromosomal instability following DNA damage, we have used fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect chromosomal rearrangements in a human/hamster somatic hybrid cell line following exposure to ionizing radiation. Delayed chromosomal instability was detected when multiple populations of uniquely arranged metaphases were observed in clonal isolates raised from single cells. The relationship between delayed chromosomal destabilization and other endpoints of genomic instability, namely; delayed mutation and gene amplification will be discussed, as will the potential cytogenetic and molecular mechanisms contributing to delayed chromosomal instability

Genomic instability and the role of radiation quality

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadhim, M. A.; Hill, M. A.; Moore, S. R.

2006-01-01

Genomic instability (GI) is a hallmark of tumorigenic progression and is observed as delayed genetic damage in the progeny of irradiated and unirradiated bystander cells. The expression of GI can be influenced by genotype, cell type and radiation quality. While several studies have demonstrated the induction of GI by high and low-linear energy transfer (LET) radiation, our work on human and mouse primary cell systems has shown LET-dependent differences in the induction and expression of GI. These differences might be attributed to differences in radiation track structure, dose rate, contribution of bystander cells and radiation dose. This paper reviews the role of radiation quality in the induction of GI and describe the possible mechanisms underlining the observed differences between radiation types on its induction. The experimental results presented suggest that dose might be the most significant factor in determining induction of GI after low-LET radiation. (authors)

High Genomic Instability Predicts Survival in Metastatic High-Risk Neuroblastoma

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Sara Stigliani

2012-09-01

Full Text Available We aimed to identify novel molecular prognostic markers to better predict relapse risk estimate for children with high-risk (HR metastatic neuroblastoma (NB. We performed genome- and/or transcriptome-wide analyses of 129 stage 4 HR NBs. Children older than 1 year of age were categorized as “short survivors” (dead of disease within 5 years from diagnosis and “long survivors” (alive with an overall survival time ≥ 5 years. We reported that patients with less than three segmental copy number aberrations in their tumor represent a molecularly defined subgroup with a high survival probability within the current HR group of patients. The complex genomic pattern is a prognostic marker independent of NB-associated chromosomal aberrations, i.e., MYCN amplification, 1p and 11q losses, and 17q gain. Integrative analysis of genomic and expression signatures demonstrated that fatal outcome is mainly associated with loss of cell cycle control and deregulation of Rho guanosine triphosphates (GTPases functioning in neuritogenesis. Tumors with MYCN amplification show a lower chromosome instability compared to MYCN single-copy NBs (P = .0008, dominated by 17q gain and 1p loss. Moreover, our results suggest that the MYCN amplification mainly drives disruption of neuronal differentiation and reduction of cell adhesion process involved in tumor invasion and metastasis. Further validation studies are warranted to establish this as a risk stratification for patients.

Analysis of genomic instability in bronchial cells from uranium miners

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Neft, R.E.; Belinsky, S.A.; Gilliland, F.D.; Lechner, J.F.

1994-01-01

Epidemiological studies show that underground uranium miners have a radon progeny exposure-dependent increased risk for developing lung cancer. The odds ratio for lung cancer in uranium miners increase for all cumulative exposures above 99 Working Level Months. In addition, there is a strong multiplicative effect of cigarette smoking on the development of lung cancer in uranium miners. The purpose of this investigation was to determine whether or not early genetic changes, as indicated by genomic instability, can be detected in bronchial cells from uranium miners. Investigations of this nature may serve as a means of discovering sub-clinical disease and could lead to earlier detection of lung cancer and a better prognosis for the patient

Human RTEL1 deficiency causes Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome with short telomeres and genome instability.

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Le Guen, Tangui; Jullien, Laurent; Touzot, Fabien; Schertzer, Michael; Gaillard, Laetitia; Perderiset, Mylène; Carpentier, Wassila; Nitschke, Patrick; Picard, Capucine; Couillault, Gérard; Soulier, Jean; Fischer, Alain; Callebaut, Isabelle; Jabado, Nada; Londono-Vallejo, Arturo; de Villartay, Jean-Pierre; Revy, Patrick

2013-08-15

Hoyeraal-Hreidarsson syndrome (HHS), a severe variant of dyskeratosis congenita (DC), is characterized by early onset bone marrow failure, immunodeficiency and developmental defects. Several factors involved in telomere length maintenance and/or protection are defective in HHS/DC, underlining the relationship between telomere dysfunction and these diseases. By combining whole-genome linkage analysis and exome sequencing, we identified compound heterozygous RTEL1 (regulator of telomere elongation helicase 1) mutations in three patients with HHS from two unrelated families. RTEL1 is a DNA helicase that participates in DNA replication, DNA repair and telomere integrity. We show that, in addition to short telomeres, RTEL1-deficient cells from patients exhibit hallmarks of genome instability, including spontaneous DNA damage, anaphase bridges and telomeric aberrations. Collectively, these results identify RTEL1 as a novel HHS-causing gene and highlight its role as a genomic caretaker in humans.

Induction of genetic instability by ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Little, J.B.

1999-01-01

Evidence is presented to support the hypothesis that radiation may induce a heritable, genome-wide process of instability that leads to an enhanced frequency of genetic changes occurring among the progeny of the original irradiated cell. This instability is transmissible over many generations of cell replication. Mutational instability is induced in a relatively large fraction (approximately 10 %) of the cell population, and may be modulated by factors acting in vivo. Thus, it cannot be a targeted event involving a specific gene or set of genes. There is no dose-response relationship in the range 2-12 Gy, suggesting that the instability phenotype may be induced by quite low radiation doses. The molecular mechanisms associated with the genesis of mutations in unstable populations differ from those for direct X-ray-induced mutations. These results suggest that it may not be possible to predict the nature of the dose-response relationship for the ultimate genetic effects of radiation based on a qualitative or quantitative analysis of the original DNA lesions. (author)

Hund's Induced Fermi-Liquid Instabilities and Enhanced Quasiparticle Interactions.

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De' Medici, Luca

2017-04-21

Hund's coupling is shown to generally favor, in a doped half-filled Mott insulator, an increase in the compressibility culminating in a Fermi-liquid instability towards phase separation. The largest effect is found near the frontier between an ordinary and an orbitally decoupled ("Hund's") metal. The increased compressibility implies an enhancement of quasiparticle scattering, thus favoring other possible symmetry breakings. This physics is shown to happen in simulations of the 122 Fe-based superconductors, possibly implying the relevance of this mechanism in the enhancement of the critical temperature for superconductivity.

RECQL5 Suppresses Oncogenic JAK2-Induced Replication Stress and Genomic Instability

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Edwin Chen

2015-12-01

Full Text Available JAK2V617F is the most common oncogenic lesion in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs. Despite the ability of JAK2V617F to instigate DNA damage in vitro, MPNs are nevertheless characterized by genomic stability. In this study, we address this paradox by identifying the DNA helicase RECQL5 as a suppressor of genomic instability in MPNs. We report increased RECQL5 expression in JAK2V617F-expressing cells and demonstrate that RECQL5 is required to counteract JAK2V617F-induced replication stress. Moreover, RECQL5 depletion sensitizes JAK2V617F mutant cells to hydroxyurea (HU, a pharmacological inducer of replication stress and the most common treatment for MPNs. Using single-fiber chromosome combing, we show that RECQL5 depletion in JAK2V617F mutant cells impairs replication dynamics following HU treatment, resulting in increased double-stranded breaks and apoptosis. Cumulatively, these findings identify RECQL5 as a critical regulator of genome stability in MPNs and demonstrate that replication stress-associated cytotoxicity can be amplified specifically in JAK2V617F mutant cells through RECQL5-targeted synthetic lethality.

Mechanisms of Low Dose Radio-Suppression of Genomic Instability

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Engelward, Bevin P. [Massachusetts Inst. of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA (United States)

2009-09-16

The major goal of this project is to contribute toward the elucidation of the impact of long term low dose radiation on genomic stability. We have created and characterized novel technologies for delivering long term low dose radiation to animals, and we have studied genomic stability by applying cutting edge molecular analysis technologies. Remarkably, we have found that a dose rate that is 300X higher than background radiation does not lead to any detectable genomic damage, nor is there any significant change in gene expression for genes pertinent to the DNA damage response. These results point to the critical importance of dose rate, rather than just total dose, when evaluating public health risks and when creating regulatory guidelines. In addition to these studies, we have also further developed a mouse model for quantifying cells that have undergone a large scale DNA sequence rearrangement via homologous recombination, and we have applied these mice in studies of both low dose radiation and space radiation. In addition to more traditional approaches for assessing genomic stability, we have also explored radiation and possible beneficial effects (adaptive response), long term effects (persistent effects) and effects on communication among cells (bystander effects), both in vitro and in vivo. In terms of the adaptive response, we have not observed any significant induction of an adaptive response following long term low dose radiation in vivo, delivered at 300X background. In terms of persistent and bystander effects, we have revealed evidence of a bystander effect in vivo and with researchers at and demonstrated for the first time the molecular mechanism by which cells “remember” radiation exposure. Understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms by which radiation can induce genomic instability is fundamental to our ability to assess the biological impact of low dose radiation. Finally, in a parallel set of studies we have explored the effects of heavy

Bystander effects in UV-induced genomic instability: Antioxidants inhibit delayed mutagenesis induced by ultraviolet A and B radiation

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Dahle Jostein

2005-01-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic instability is characteristic of many types of human cancer. Recently, we reported that ultraviolet radiation induced elevated mutation rates and chromosomal instability for many cell generations after ultraviolet irradiation. The increased mutation rates of unstable cells may allow them to accumulate aberrations that subsequently lead to cancer. Ultraviolet A radiation, which primarily acts by oxidative stress, and ultraviolet B radiation, which initially acts by absorption in DNA and direct damage to DNA, both produced genomically unstable cell clones. In this study, we have determined the effect of antioxidants on induction of delayed mutations by ultraviolet radiation. Delayed mutations are indicative of genomic instability. Methods Delayed mutations in the hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (hprt gene were detected by incubating the cells in medium selectively killing hprt mutants for 8 days after irradiation, followed by a 5 day period in normal medium before determining mutation frequencies. Results The UVB-induced delayed hprt mutations were strongly inhibited by the antioxidants catalase, reduced glutathione and superoxide dismutase, while only reduced glutathione had a significant effect on UVA-induced delayed mutations. Treatment with antioxidants had only minor effects on early mutation frequenies, except that reduced glutathione decreased the UVB-induced early mutation frequency by 24 %. Incubation with reduced glutathione was shown to significantly increase the intracellular amount of reduced glutathione. Conclusion The strong effects of these antioxidants indicate that genomic instability, which is induced by the fundamentally different ultraviolet A and ultraviolet B radiation, is mediated by reactive oxygen species, including hydrogen peroxide and downstream products. However, cells take up neither catalase nor SOD, while incubation with glutathione resulted in increased intracellular levels of

Developmental defects and genomic instability after x-irradiation of wild-type and genetically modified mouse pre-implantation and early post-implantation embryos

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacquet, P

2012-01-01

Results obtained from the end of the 1950s suggested that ionizing radiation could induce foetal malformations in some mouse strains when administered during early pre-implantation stages. Starting in 1989, data obtained in Germany also showed that radiation exposure during that period could lead to a genomic instability in the surviving foetuses. Furthermore, the same group reported that both malformations and genomic instability could be transmitted to the next generation foetuses after exposure of zygotes to relatively high doses of radiation. As such results were of concern for radiation protection, we investigated this in more detail during recent years, using mice with varying genetic backgrounds including mice heterozygous for mutations involved in important cellular processes like DNA repair, cell cycle regulation or apoptosis. The main parameters which were investigated included morphological development, genomic instability and gene expression in the irradiated embryos or their own progeny. The aim of this review is to critically reassess the results obtained in that field in the different laboratories and to try to draw general conclusions on the risks of developmental defects and genomic instability from an exposure of early embryos to moderate doses of ionizing radiation. Altogether and in the range of doses normally used in diagnostic radiology, the risk of induction of embryonic death and of congenital malformation following the irradiation of a newly fertilised egg is certainly very low when compared to the ‘spontaneous’ risks for such effects. Similarly, the risk of radiation induction of a genomic instability under such circumstances seems to be very small. However, this is not a reason to not apply some precaution principles when possible. One way of doing this is to restrict the use of higher dose examinations on all potentially pregnant women to the first ten days of their menstrual cycle when conception is very unlikely to have occurred

R-loops cause genomic instability in T helper lymphocytes from patients with Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

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Sarkar, Koustav; Han, Seong-Su; Wen, Kuo-Kuang; Ochs, Hans D; Dupré, Loïc; Seidman, Michael M; Vyas, Yatin M

2017-12-15

Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome (WAS), X-linked thrombocytopenia (XLT), and X-linked neutropenia, which are caused by WAS mutations affecting Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome protein (WASp) expression or activity, manifest in immunodeficiency, autoimmunity, genomic instability, and lymphoid and other cancers. WASp supports filamentous actin formation in the cytoplasm and gene transcription in the nucleus. Although the genetic basis for XLT/WAS has been clarified, the relationships between mutant forms of WASp and the diverse features of these disorders remain ill-defined. We sought to define how dysfunctional gene transcription is causally linked to the degree of T H cell deficiency and genomic instability in the XLT/WAS clinical spectrum. In human T H 1- or T H 2-skewing cell culture systems, cotranscriptional R-loops (RNA/DNA duplex and displaced single-stranded DNA) and DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) were monitored in multiple samples from patients with XLT and WAS and in normal T cells depleted of WASp. WASp deficiency provokes increased R-loops and R-loop-mediated DSBs in T H 1 cells relative to T H 2 cells. Mechanistically, chromatin occupancy of serine 2-unphosphorylated RNA polymerase II is increased, and that of topoisomerase 1, an R-loop preventing factor, is decreased at R-loop-enriched regions of IFNG and TBX21 (T H 1 genes) in T H 1 cells. These aberrations accompany increased unspliced (intron-retained) and decreased spliced mRNA of IFNG and TBX21 but not IL13 (T H 2 gene). Significantly, increased cellular load of R-loops and DSBs, which are normalized on RNaseH1-mediated suppression of ectopic R-loops, inversely correlates with disease severity scores. Transcriptional R-loop imbalance is a novel molecular defect causative in T H 1 immunodeficiency and genomic instability in patients with WAS. The study proposes that cellular R-loop load could be used as a potential biomarker for monitoring symptom severity and prognostic outcome in the XLT-WAS clinical spectrum

Yeast Sub1 and human PC4 are G-quadruplex binding proteins that suppress genome instability at co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA.

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Lopez, Christopher R; Singh, Shivani; Hambarde, Shashank; Griffin, Wezley C; Gao, Jun; Chib, Shubeena; Yu, Yang; Ira, Grzegorz; Raney, Kevin D; Kim, Nayun

2017-06-02

G-quadruplex or G4 DNA is a non-B secondary DNA structure consisting of a stacked array of guanine-quartets that can disrupt critical cellular functions such as replication and transcription. When sequences that can adopt Non-B structures including G4 DNA are located within actively transcribed genes, the reshaping of DNA topology necessary for transcription process stimulates secondary structure-formation thereby amplifying the potential for genome instability. Using a reporter assay designed to study G4-induced recombination in the context of an actively transcribed locus in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we tested whether co-transcriptional activator Sub1, recently identified as a G4-binding factor, contributes to genome maintenance at G4-forming sequences. Our data indicate that, upon Sub1-disruption, genome instability linked to co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA in Top1-deficient cells is significantly augmented and that its highly conserved DNA binding domain or the human homolog PC4 is sufficient to suppress G4-associated genome instability. We also show that Sub1 interacts specifically with co-transcriptionally formed G4 DNA in vivo and that yeast cells become highly sensitivity to G4-stabilizing chemical ligands by the loss of Sub1. Finally, we demonstrate the physical and genetic interaction of Sub1 with the G4-resolving helicase Pif1, suggesting a possible mechanism by which Sub1 suppresses instability at G4 DNA. © The Author(s) 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

Dioxin induces genomic instability in mouse embryonic fibroblasts.

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Merja Korkalainen

Full Text Available Ionizing radiation and certain other exposures have been shown to induce genomic instability (GI, i.e., delayed genetic damage observed many cell generations later in the progeny of the exposed cells. The aim of this study was to investigate induction of GI by a nongenotoxic carcinogen, 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD. Mouse embryonic fibroblasts (C3H10T1/2 were exposed to 1, 10 or 100 nM TCDD for 2 days. Micronuclei (MN and expression of selected cancer-related genes were assayed both immediately and at a delayed point in time (8 days. For comparison, similar experiments were done with cadmium, a known genotoxic agent. TCDD treatment induced an elevated frequency of MN at 8 days, but not directly after the exposure. TCDD-induced alterations in gene expression were also mostly delayed, with more changes observed at 8 days than at 2 days. Exposure to cadmium produced an opposite pattern of responses, with pronounced effects immediately after exposure but no increase in MN and few gene expression changes at 8 days. Although all responses to TCDD alone were delayed, menadione-induced DNA damage (measured by the Comet assay, was found to be increased directly after a 2-day TCDD exposure, indicating that the stability of the genome was compromised already at this time point. The results suggested a flat dose-response relationship consistent with dose-response data reported for radiation-induced GI. These findings indicate that TCDD, although not directly genotoxic, induces GI, which is associated with impaired DNA damage response.

MicroRNA-34a promotes genomic instability by a broad suppression of genome maintenance mechanisms downstream of the oncogene KSHV-vGPCR.

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Krause, Claudia J; Popp, Oliver; Thirunarayanan, Nanthakumar; Dittmar, Gunnar; Lipp, Martin; Müller, Gerd

2016-03-01

The Kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV)-encoded chemokine receptor vGPCR acts as an oncogene in Kaposi's sarcomagenesis. Until now, the molecular mechanisms by which the vGPCR contributes to tumor development remain incompletely understood. Here, we show that the KSHV-vGPCR contributes to tumor progression through microRNA (miR)-34a-mediated induction of genomic instability. Large-scale analyses on the DNA, gene and protein level of cell lines derived from a mouse model of vGPCR-driven tumorigenesis revealed that a vGPCR-induced upregulation of miR-34a resulted in a broad suppression of genome maintenance genes. A knockdown of either the vGPCR or miR-34a largely restored the expression of these genes and confirmed miR-34a as a downstream effector of the KSHV-vGPCR that compromises genome maintenance mechanisms. This novel, protumorigenic role of miR-34a questions the use of miR-34a mimetics in cancer therapy as they could impair genome stability.

Genomic Instability Promoted by Overexpression of Mismatch Repair Factors in Yeast: A Model for Understanding Cancer Progression.

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Chakraborty, Ujani; Dinh, Timothy A; Alani, Eric

2018-04-13

Mismatch repair (MMR) proteins act in spellchecker roles to excise misincorporation errors that occur during DNA replication. Curiously, large-scale analyses of a variety of cancers showed that increased expression of MMR proteins often correlated with tumor aggressiveness, metastasis, and early recurrence. To better understand these observations, we used the TCGA and GENT databases to analyze MMR protein expression in cancers. We found that the MMR genes MSH2 and MSH6 are overexpressed more frequently than MSH3 , and that MSH2 and MSH6 are often co-overexpressed as a result of copy number amplifications of these genes. These observations encouraged us to test the effects of upregulating MMR protein levels in baker's yeast, where we can sensitively monitor genome instability phenotypes associated with cancer initiation and progression. Msh6 overexpression (2 to 4-fold) almost completely disrupted mechanisms that prevent recombination between divergent DNA sequences by interacting with the DNA polymerase processivity clamp PCNA and by sequestering the Sgs1 helicase. Importantly, co-overexpression of Msh2 and Msh6 (∼8-fold) conferred, in a PCNA interaction dependent manner, several genome instability phenotypes including increased mutation rate, increased sensitivity to the DNA replication inhibitor hydroxyurea and the DNA damaging agents methyl methanesulfonate and 4-nitroquinoline N-oxide, and elevated loss of heterozygosity. Msh2 and Msh6 co-overexpression also altered the cell cycle distribution of exponentially growing cells, resulting in an increased fraction of unbudded cells, consistent with a larger percentage of cells in G1. These novel observations suggested that overexpression of MSH factors affected the integrity of the DNA replication fork, causing genome instability phenotypes that could be important for promoting cancer progression. Copyright © 2018, Genetics.

Radiation-induced hyperproliferation of intestinal crypts results in elevated genome instability with inactive p53-related genomic surveillance.

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Zhou, Xin; Ma, Xiaofei; Wang, Zhenhua; Sun, Chao; Wang, Yupei; He, Yang; Zhang, Hong

2015-12-15

Radiation-induced hyperproliferation of intestinal crypts is well documented, but its potential tumorigenic effects remain elusive. Here we aim to determine the genomic surveillance process during crypt hyperproliferation, and its consequential outcome after ionizing radiation. Crypt regeneration in the intestine was induced by a single dose of 12Gy abdominal irradiation. γ-H2AX, 53BP1 and DNA-PKcs were used as DNA repair surrogates to investigate the inherent ability of intestinal crypt cells to recognize and repair double-strand breaks. Ki67 staining and the 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine incorporation assay were used to study patterns of cell proliferation in regenerating crypts. Staining for ATM, p53, Chk1 and Chk2 was performed to study checkpoint activation and release. Apoptosis was evaluated through H&E staining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (dUTP) nick-end labeling. The ATM-p53 pathway was immediately activated after irradiation. A second wave of DSBs in crypt cells was observed in regenerating crypts, accompanied with significantly increased chromosomal bridges. The p53-related genomic surveillance pathway was not active during the regeneration phase despite DSBs and chromosomal bridges in the cells of regenerating crypts. Non-homologous end joining (NHEJ) DSBs repair was involved in the DSBs repair process, as indicated by p-DNA-PKcs staining. Intestinal crypt cells retained hyperproliferation with inactive p53-related genomic surveillance system. NHEJ was involved in the resultant genomic instability during hyperproliferation. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Radiation-induced genomic instability: Are epigenetic mechanisms the missing link?

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Aypar, Umut; Morgan, William F.; Baulch, Janet E.

2011-02-01

Purpose: This review examines the evidence for the hypothesis that epigenetics are involved in the initiation and perpetuation of radiation-induced genomic instability (RIGI). Conclusion: In addition to the extensively studied targeted effects of radiation, it is now apparent that non-targeted delayed effects such as RIGI are also important post-irradiation outcomes. In RIGI, unirradiated progeny cells display phenotypic changes at delayed times after radiation of the parental cell. RIGI is thought to be important in the process of carcinogenesis, however, the mechanism by which this occurs remains to be elucidated. In the genomically unstable clones developed by Morgan and colleagues, radiation-induced mutations, double-strand breaks, or changes in mRNA levels alone could not account for the initiation or perpetuation of RIGI. Since changes in the DNA sequence could not fully explain the mechanism of RIGI, inherited epigenetic changes may be involved. Epigenetics are known to play an important role in many cellular processes and epigenetic aberrations can lead to carcinogenesis. Recent studies in the field of radiation biology suggest that the changes in methylation patterns may be involved in RIGI. Together these clues have led us to hypothesize that epigenetics may be the missing link in understanding the mechanism behind RIGI.

Functional assessment of human enhancer activities using whole-genome STARR-sequencing.

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Liu, Yuwen; Yu, Shan; Dhiman, Vineet K; Brunetti, Tonya; Eckart, Heather; White, Kevin P

2017-11-20

Genome-wide quantification of enhancer activity in the human genome has proven to be a challenging problem. Recent efforts have led to the development of powerful tools for enhancer quantification. However, because of genome size and complexity, these tools have yet to be applied to the whole human genome.  In the current study, we use a human prostate cancer cell line, LNCaP as a model to perform whole human genome STARR-seq (WHG-STARR-seq) to reliably obtain an assessment of enhancer activity. This approach builds upon previously developed STARR-seq in the fly genome and CapSTARR-seq techniques in targeted human genomic regions. With an improved library preparation strategy, our approach greatly increases the library complexity per unit of starting material, which makes it feasible and cost-effective to explore the landscape of regulatory activity in the much larger human genome. In addition to our ability to identify active, accessible enhancers located in open chromatin regions, we can also detect sequences with the potential for enhancer activity that are located in inaccessible, closed chromatin regions. When treated with the histone deacetylase inhibitor, Trichostatin A, genes nearby this latter class of enhancers are up-regulated, demonstrating the potential for endogenous functionality of these regulatory elements. WHG-STARR-seq provides an improved approach to current pipelines for analysis of high complexity genomes to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of transcriptional regulation.

Delayed chromosomal instability induced by DNA damage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morgan, W.F.; Marder, B.A.; Day, J.P.

1994-01-01

Cellular exposure to DNA damaging agents rapidly results in a dose dependent increase in chromosomal breakage and gross structural chromosomal rearrangements. Over recent years, evidence has been accumulating indicating genomic instability can manifest multiple generations after cellular exposure to physical and chemical DNA damaging agents. Genomic instability manifests in the progeny of surviving cells, and has been implicated in mutation, gene application, cellular transformation, and cell killing. To investigate chromosome instability following DNA damage, we have used fluorescence in situ hybridization to detect chromosomal rearrangements in a human/hamster somatic hybrid cell line following exposure to ionizing radiation. Delayed chromosomal instability was detected when multiple populations of uniquely arranged metaphases were observed in clonal isolates raised from single cells surviving X-irradiation many generations after exposure. At higher radiation doses, chromosomal instability was observed in a relatively high frequency of surviving clones and, in general, those clones showed delayed chromosome instability also showed reduced survival as measured by colony forming ability

Warburg effect and translocation-induced genomic instability: two yeast models for cancer cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tosato, Valentina; Grüning, Nana-Maria; Breitenbach, Michael; Arnak, Remigiusz; Ralser, Markus; Bruschi, Carlo V.

2013-01-01

Yeast has been established as an efficient model system to study biological principles underpinning human health. In this review we focus on yeast models covering two aspects of cancer formation and progression (i) the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), which recapitulates metabolic features of cancer cells, including the Warburg effect, and (ii) chromosome bridge-induced translocation (BIT) mimiking genome instability in cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to study cancer cell metabolism, as exponentially growing yeast cells exhibit many metabolic similarities with rapidly proliferating cancer cells. The metabolic reconfiguration includes an increase in glucose uptake and fermentation, at the expense of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (the Warburg effect), and involves a broad reconfiguration of nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Both in yeast and humans, the regulation of this process seems to have a central player, PK, which is up-regulated in cancer, and to occur mostly on a post-transcriptional and post-translational basis. Furthermore, BIT allows to generate selectable translocation-derived recombinants (“translocants”), between any two desired chromosomal locations, in wild-type yeast strains transformed with a linear DNA cassette carrying a selectable marker flanked by two DNA sequences homologous to different chromosomes. Using the BIT system, targeted non-reciprocal translocations in mitosis are easily inducible. An extensive collection of different yeast translocants exhibiting genome instability and aberrant phenotypes similar to cancer cells has been produced and subjected to analysis. In this review, we hence provide an overview upon two yeast cancer models, and extrapolate general principles for mimicking human disease mechanisms in yeast.

Warburg effect and translocation-induced genomic instability: two yeast models for cancer cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Tosato, Valentina [International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste (Italy); Grüning, Nana-Maria [Cambridge System Biology Center, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Breitenbach, Michael [Division of Genetics, Department of Cell Biology, University of Salzburg, Salzburg (Austria); Arnak, Remigiusz [International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste (Italy); Ralser, Markus [Cambridge System Biology Center, Department of Biochemistry, University of Cambridge, Cambridge (United Kingdom); Bruschi, Carlo V., E-mail: bruschi@icgeb.org [International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Trieste (Italy)

2013-01-18

Yeast has been established as an efficient model system to study biological principles underpinning human health. In this review we focus on yeast models covering two aspects of cancer formation and progression (i) the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK), which recapitulates metabolic features of cancer cells, including the Warburg effect, and (ii) chromosome bridge-induced translocation (BIT) mimiking genome instability in cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to study cancer cell metabolism, as exponentially growing yeast cells exhibit many metabolic similarities with rapidly proliferating cancer cells. The metabolic reconfiguration includes an increase in glucose uptake and fermentation, at the expense of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (the Warburg effect), and involves a broad reconfiguration of nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Both in yeast and humans, the regulation of this process seems to have a central player, PK, which is up-regulated in cancer, and to occur mostly on a post-transcriptional and post-translational basis. Furthermore, BIT allows to generate selectable translocation-derived recombinants (“translocants”), between any two desired chromosomal locations, in wild-type yeast strains transformed with a linear DNA cassette carrying a selectable marker flanked by two DNA sequences homologous to different chromosomes. Using the BIT system, targeted non-reciprocal translocations in mitosis are easily inducible. An extensive collection of different yeast translocants exhibiting genome instability and aberrant phenotypes similar to cancer cells has been produced and subjected to analysis. In this review, we hence provide an overview upon two yeast cancer models, and extrapolate general principles for mimicking human disease mechanisms in yeast.

WARBURG EFFECT AND TRANSLOCATION-INDUCED GENOMIC INSTABILITY: TWO YEAST MODELS FOR CANCER CELLS

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Valentina eTosato

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Yeast has been established as an efficient model system to study biological principles underpinning human health. In this review we focus on yeast models covering two aspects of cancer formation and progression i the activity of pyruvate kinase (PK, which recapitulates metabolic features of cancer cells, including the Warburg effect, and ii Bridge-Induced chromosome Translocation (BIT mimicking genome instability in cancer. Saccharomyces cerevisiae is an excellent model to study cancer cell metabolism, as exponentially growing yeast cells exhibit many metabolic similarities with rapidly proliferating cancer cells. The metabolic reconfiguration includes an increase in glucose uptake and fermentation, at the expense of respiration and oxidative phosphorylation (the Warburg effect, and involves a broad reconfiguration of nucleotide and amino acid metabolism. Both in yeast and humans, the regulation of this process seems to have a central player, pyruvate kinase, which is up-regulated in cancer, and to occur mostly on a post-transcriptional and posttranslational basis. Furthermore, BIT allows to generate selectable translocation-derived recombinants (translocants, between any two desired chromosomal locations, in wild-type yeast strains transformed with a linear DNA cassette carrying a selectable marker flanked by two DNA sequences homologous to different chromosomes. Using the Bridge-Induced Translocation system, targeted non-reciprocal translocations in mitosis are easily inducible. An extensive collection of different yeast translocants exhibiting genome instability and aberrant phenotypes similar to cancer cells has been produced and subjected to analysis. In this review, we hence provide an overview upon two yeast cancer models, and extrapolate general principles for mimicking human disease mechanisms in yeast.

PRDM9 variation strongly influences recombination hot-spot activity and meiotic instability in humans.

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Berg, Ingrid L; Neumann, Rita; Lam, Kwan-Wood G; Sarbajna, Shriparna; Odenthal-Hesse, Linda; May, Celia A; Jeffreys, Alec J

2010-10-01

PRDM9 has recently been identified as a likely trans regulator of meiotic recombination hot spots in humans and mice. PRDM9 contains a zinc finger array that, in humans, can recognize a short sequence motif associated with hot spots, with binding to this motif possibly triggering hot-spot activity via chromatin remodeling. We now report that human genetic variation at the PRDM9 locus has a strong effect on sperm hot-spot activity, even at hot spots lacking the sequence motif. Subtle changes within the zinc finger array can create hot-spot nonactivating or enhancing variants and can even trigger the appearance of a new hot spot, suggesting that PRDM9 is a major global regulator of hot spots in humans. Variation at the PRDM9 locus also influences aspects of genome instability-specifically, a megabase-scale rearrangement underlying two genomic disorders as well as minisatellite instability-implicating PRDM9 as a risk factor for some pathological genome rearrangements.

Is there a common mechanism underlying genomic instability, bystander effects and other nontargeted effects of exposure to ionizing radiation?

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, William F.

2003-01-01

A number of nontargeted and delayed effects associated with radiation exposure have now been described. These include radiation-induced genomic instability, death-inducing and bystander effects, clastogenic factors and transgenerational effects. It is unlikely that these nontargeted effects are directly induced by cellular irradiation. Instead, it is proposed that some as yet to be identified secreted factor can be produced by irradiated cells that can stimulate effects in nonirradiated cells (death-inducing and bystander effects, clastogenic factors) and perpetuate genomic instability in the clonally expanded progeny of an irradiated cell. The proposed factor must be soluble and capable of being transported between cells by cell-to-cell gap junction communication channels. Furthermore, it must have the potential to stimulate cellular cytokines and/or reactive oxygen species. While it is difficult to imagine a role for such a secreted factor in contributing to transgenerational effects, the other nontargeted effects of radiation may all share a common mechanism.

Distinct Mechanisms of Nuclease-Directed DNA-Structure-Induced Genetic Instability in Cancer Genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhao, Junhua; Wang, Guliang; Del Mundo, Imee M; McKinney, Jennifer A; Lu, Xiuli; Bacolla, Albino; Boulware, Stephen B; Zhang, Changsheng; Zhang, Haihua; Ren, Pengyu; Freudenreich, Catherine H; Vasquez, Karen M

2018-01-30

Sequences with the capacity to adopt alternative DNA structures have been implicated in cancer etiology; however, the mechanisms are unclear. For example, H-DNA-forming sequences within oncogenes have been shown to stimulate genetic instability in mammals. Here, we report that H-DNA-forming sequences are enriched at translocation breakpoints in human cancer genomes, further implicating them in cancer etiology. H-DNA-induced mutations were suppressed in human cells deficient in the nucleotide excision repair nucleases, ERCC1-XPF and XPG, but were stimulated in cells deficient in FEN1, a replication-related endonuclease. Further, we found that these nucleases cleaved H-DNA conformations, and the interactions of modeled H-DNA with ERCC1-XPF, XPG, and FEN1 proteins were explored at the sub-molecular level. The results suggest mechanisms of genetic instability triggered by H-DNA through distinct structure-specific, cleavage-based replication-independent and replication-dependent pathways, providing critical evidence for a role of the DNA structure itself in the etiology of cancer and other human diseases. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

DHX9 helicase is involved in preventing genomic instability induced by alternatively structured DNA in human cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Jain, Aklank; Bacolla, Albino; Del Mundo, Imee M; Zhao, Junhua; Wang, Guliang; Vasquez, Karen M

2013-12-01

Sequences that have the capacity to adopt alternative (i.e. non-B) DNA structures in the human genome have been implicated in stimulating genomic instability. Previously, we found that a naturally occurring intra-molecular triplex (H-DNA) caused genetic instability in mammals largely in the form of DNA double-strand breaks. Thus, it is of interest to determine the mechanism(s) involved in processing H-DNA. Recently, we demonstrated that human DHX9 helicase preferentially unwinds inter-molecular triplex DNA in vitro. Herein, we used a mutation-reporter system containing H-DNA to examine the relevance of DHX9 activity on naturally occurring H-DNA structures in human cells. We found that H-DNA significantly increased mutagenesis in small-interfering siRNA-treated, DHX9-depleted cells, affecting mostly deletions. Moreover, DHX9 associated with H-DNA in the context of supercoiled plasmids. To further investigate the role of DHX9 in the recognition/processing of H-DNA, we performed binding assays in vitro and chromatin immunoprecipitation assays in U2OS cells. DHX9 recognized H-DNA, as evidenced by its binding to the H-DNA structure and enrichment at the H-DNA region compared with a control region in human cells. These composite data implicate DHX9 in processing H-DNA structures in vivo and support its role in the overall maintenance of genomic stability at sites of alternatively structured DNA.

Enhanced annotations and features for comparing thousands of Pseudomonas genomes in the Pseudomonas genome database.

Science.gov (United States)

Winsor, Geoffrey L; Griffiths, Emma J; Lo, Raymond; Dhillon, Bhavjinder K; Shay, Julie A; Brinkman, Fiona S L

2016-01-04

The Pseudomonas Genome Database (http://www.pseudomonas.com) is well known for the application of community-based annotation approaches for producing a high-quality Pseudomonas aeruginosa PAO1 genome annotation, and facilitating whole-genome comparative analyses with other Pseudomonas strains. To aid analysis of potentially thousands of complete and draft genome assemblies, this database and analysis platform was upgraded to integrate curated genome annotations and isolate metadata with enhanced tools for larger scale comparative analysis and visualization. Manually curated gene annotations are supplemented with improved computational analyses that help identify putative drug targets and vaccine candidates or assist with evolutionary studies by identifying orthologs, pathogen-associated genes and genomic islands. The database schema has been updated to integrate isolate metadata that will facilitate more powerful analysis of genomes across datasets in the future. We continue to place an emphasis on providing high-quality updates to gene annotations through regular review of the scientific literature and using community-based approaches including a major new Pseudomonas community initiative for the assignment of high-quality gene ontology terms to genes. As we further expand from thousands of genomes, we plan to provide enhancements that will aid data visualization and analysis arising from whole-genome comparative studies including more pan-genome and population-based approaches. © The Author(s) 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Nucleic Acids Research.

p53-Dependent suppression of genome instability in germ cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Otozai, Shinji [Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Osaka University School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Ishikawa-Fujiwara, Tomoko [Department of Radiation Biology and Medical Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, B4, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Oda, Shoji [Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8562 (Japan); Kamei, Yasuhiro [Department of Radiation Biology and Medical Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, B4, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Ryo, Haruko [Nomura Project, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Osaka 565-0085 (Japan); Sato, Ayuko [Department of Pathology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501 (Japan); Nomura, Taisei [Nomura Project, National Institute of Biomedical Innovation, Osaka 565-0085 (Japan); Mitani, Hiroshi [Department of Integrated Biosciences, Graduate School of Frontier Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Chiba 277-8562 (Japan); Tsujimura, Tohru [Department of Pathology, Hyogo College of Medicine, Hyogo 663-8501 (Japan); Inohara, Hidenori [Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Osaka University School of Medicine, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan); Todo, Takeshi, E-mail: todo@radbio.med.osaka-u.ac.jp [Department of Radiation Biology and Medical Genetics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, B4, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, Osaka 565-0871 (Japan)

2014-02-15

Highlights: • Radiation-induced microsatellite instability (MSI) was investigated in medaka fish. • msh2{sup −/−} fish had a high frequency of spontaneous MSI. • p53{sup −/−} fish had a high frequency of radiation-induced MSI. • p53 and msh2 suppress MSI by different pathways: mismatch removal and apoptosis. - Abstract: Radiation increases mutation frequencies at tandem repeat loci. Germline mutations in γ-ray-irradiated medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) were studied, focusing on the microsatellite loci. Mismatch-repair genes suppress microsatellite mutation by directly removing altered sequences at the nucleotide level, whereas the p53 gene suppresses genetic alterations by eliminating damaged cells. The contribution of these two defense mechanisms to radiation-induced microsatellite instability was addressed. The spontaneous mutation frequency was significantly higher in msh2{sup −/−} males than in wild-type fish, whereas there was no difference in the frequency of radiation-induced mutations between msh2{sup −/−} and wild-type fish. By contrast, irradiated p53{sup −/−} fish exhibited markedly increased mutation frequencies, whereas their spontaneous mutation frequency was the same as that of wild-type fish. In the spermatogonia of the testis, radiation induced a high level of apoptosis both in wild-type and msh2{sup −/−} fish, but negligible levels in p53{sup −/−} fish. The results demonstrate that the msh2 and p53 genes protect genome integrity against spontaneous and radiation-induced mutation by two different pathways: direct removal of mismatches and elimination of damaged cells.

p53-Dependent suppression of genome instability in germ cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Otozai, Shinji; Ishikawa-Fujiwara, Tomoko; Oda, Shoji; Kamei, Yasuhiro; Ryo, Haruko; Sato, Ayuko; Nomura, Taisei; Mitani, Hiroshi; Tsujimura, Tohru; Inohara, Hidenori; Todo, Takeshi

2014-01-01

Highlights: • Radiation-induced microsatellite instability (MSI) was investigated in medaka fish. • msh2 −/− fish had a high frequency of spontaneous MSI. • p53 −/− fish had a high frequency of radiation-induced MSI. • p53 and msh2 suppress MSI by different pathways: mismatch removal and apoptosis. - Abstract: Radiation increases mutation frequencies at tandem repeat loci. Germline mutations in γ-ray-irradiated medaka fish (Oryzias latipes) were studied, focusing on the microsatellite loci. Mismatch-repair genes suppress microsatellite mutation by directly removing altered sequences at the nucleotide level, whereas the p53 gene suppresses genetic alterations by eliminating damaged cells. The contribution of these two defense mechanisms to radiation-induced microsatellite instability was addressed. The spontaneous mutation frequency was significantly higher in msh2 −/− males than in wild-type fish, whereas there was no difference in the frequency of radiation-induced mutations between msh2 −/− and wild-type fish. By contrast, irradiated p53 −/− fish exhibited markedly increased mutation frequencies, whereas their spontaneous mutation frequency was the same as that of wild-type fish. In the spermatogonia of the testis, radiation induced a high level of apoptosis both in wild-type and msh2 −/− fish, but negligible levels in p53 −/− fish. The results demonstrate that the msh2 and p53 genes protect genome integrity against spontaneous and radiation-induced mutation by two different pathways: direct removal of mismatches and elimination of damaged cells

Predicting Tissue-Specific Enhancers in the Human Genome

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pennacchio, Len A.; Loots, Gabriela G.; Nobrega, Marcelo A.; Ovcharenko, Ivan

2006-07-01

Determining how transcriptional regulatory signals areencoded in vertebrate genomes is essential for understanding the originsof multi-cellular complexity; yet the genetic code of vertebrate generegulation remains poorly understood. In an attempt to elucidate thiscode, we synergistically combined genome-wide gene expression profiling,vertebrate genome comparisons, and transcription factor binding siteanalysis to define sequence signatures characteristic of candidatetissue-specific enhancers in the human genome. We applied this strategyto microarray-based gene expression profiles from 79 human tissues andidentified 7,187 candidate enhancers that defined their flanking geneexpression, the majority of which were located outside of knownpromoters. We cross-validated this method for its ability to de novopredict tissue-specific gene expression and confirmed its reliability in57 of the 79 available human tissues, with an average precision inenhancer recognition ranging from 32 percent to 63 percent, and asensitivity of 47 percent. We used the sequence signatures identified bythis approach to assign tissue-specific predictions to ~;328,000human-mouse conserved noncoding elements in the human genome. Byoverlapping these genome-wide predictions with a large in vivo dataset ofenhancers validated in transgenic mice, we confirmed our results with a28 percent sensitivity and 50 percent precision. These results indicatethe power of combining complementary genomic datasets as an initialcomputational foray into the global view of tissue-specific generegulation in vertebrates.

Anticipation of Personal Genomics Data Enhances Interest and Learning Environment in Genomics and Molecular Biology Undergraduate Courses.

Science.gov (United States)

Weber, K Scott; Jensen, Jamie L; Johnson, Steven M

2015-01-01

An important discussion at colleges is centered on determining more effective models for teaching undergraduates. As personalized genomics has become more common, we hypothesized it could be a valuable tool to make science education more hands on, personal, and engaging for college undergraduates. We hypothesized that providing students with personal genome testing kits would enhance the learning experience of students in two undergraduate courses at Brigham Young University: Advanced Molecular Biology and Genomics. These courses have an emphasis on personal genomics the last two weeks of the semester. Students taking these courses were given the option to receive personal genomics kits in 2014, whereas in 2015 they were not. Students sent their personal genomics samples in on their own and received the data after the course ended. We surveyed students in these courses before and after the two-week emphasis on personal genomics to collect data on whether anticipation of obtaining their own personal genomic data impacted undergraduate student learning. We also tested to see if specific personal genomic assignments improved the learning experience by analyzing the data from the undergraduate students who completed both the pre- and post-course surveys. Anticipation of personal genomic data significantly enhanced student interest and the learning environment based on the time students spent researching personal genomic material and their self-reported attitudes compared to those who did not anticipate getting their own data. Personal genomics homework assignments significantly enhanced the undergraduate student interest and learning based on the same criteria and a personal genomics quiz. We found that for the undergraduate students in both molecular biology and genomics courses, incorporation of personal genomic testing can be an effective educational tool in undergraduate science education.

Condensin II mutation causes T-cell lymphoma through tissue-specific genome instability

Science.gov (United States)

Woodward, Jessica; Taylor, Gillian C.; Soares, Dinesh C.; Boyle, Shelagh; Sie, Daoud; Read, David; Chathoth, Keerthi; Vukovic, Milica; Tarrats, Nuria; Jamieson, David; Campbell, Kirsteen J.; Blyth, Karen; Acosta, Juan Carlos; Ylstra, Bauke; Arends, Mark J.; Kranc, Kamil R.; Jackson, Andrew P.; Bickmore, Wendy A.

2016-01-01

Chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer, but mitotic regulators are rarely mutated in tumors. Mutations in the condensin complexes, which restructure chromosomes to facilitate segregation during mitosis, are significantly enriched in cancer genomes, but experimental evidence implicating condensin dysfunction in tumorigenesis is lacking. We report that mice inheriting missense mutations in a condensin II subunit (Caph2nes) develop T-cell lymphoma. Before tumors develop, we found that the same Caph2 mutation impairs ploidy maintenance to a different extent in different hematopoietic cell types, with ploidy most severely perturbed at the CD4+CD8+ T-cell stage from which tumors initiate. Premalignant CD4+CD8+ T cells show persistent catenations during chromosome segregation, triggering DNA damage in diploid daughter cells and elevated ploidy. Genome sequencing revealed that Caph2 single-mutant tumors are near diploid but carry deletions spanning tumor suppressor genes, whereas P53 inactivation allowed Caph2 mutant cells with whole-chromosome gains and structural rearrangements to form highly aggressive disease. Together, our data challenge the view that mitotic chromosome formation is an invariant process during development and provide evidence that defective mitotic chromosome structure can promote tumorigenesis. PMID:27737961

p53 protects against genome instability following centriole duplication failure

Science.gov (United States)

Lambrus, Bramwell G.; Uetake, Yumi; Clutario, Kevin M.; Daggubati, Vikas; Snyder, Michael; Sluder, Greenfield

2015-01-01

Centriole function has been difficult to study because of a lack of specific tools that allow persistent and reversible centriole depletion. Here we combined gene targeting with an auxin-inducible degradation system to achieve rapid, titratable, and reversible control of Polo-like kinase 4 (Plk4), a master regulator of centriole biogenesis. Depletion of Plk4 led to a failure of centriole duplication that produced an irreversible cell cycle arrest within a few divisions. This arrest was not a result of a prolonged mitosis, chromosome segregation errors, or cytokinesis failure. Depleting p53 allowed cells that fail centriole duplication to proliferate indefinitely. Washout of auxin and restoration of endogenous Plk4 levels in cells that lack centrioles led to the penetrant formation of de novo centrioles that gained the ability to organize microtubules and duplicate. In summary, we uncover a p53-dependent surveillance mechanism that protects against genome instability by preventing cell growth after centriole duplication failure. PMID:26150389

Radiation-induced chromosomal instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ritter, S.

1999-01-01

Recent studies on radiation-induced chromosomal instability in the progeny of exposed mammalian cells were briefly described as well as other related studies. For the analysis of chromosomal damage in clones, cells were seeded directly after exposure in cell well-dish to form single cell clones and post-irradiation chromosome aberrations were scored. Both exposure to isoeffective doses of X-ray or 270 MeV/u C-ions (13 keV/μm) increased the number of clones with abnormal karyotype and the increase was similar for X-ray and for C-ions. Meanwhile, in the progeny of cells for mass cultures, there was no indication of a delayed expression of chromosomal damage up to 40 population doublings after the exposure. A high number of aberrant cells were only observed directly after exposure to 10.7 MeV/u O-ions, i.e. in the first cycle cells and decreased with subsequent cell divisions. The reason for these differences in the radiation-induced chromosomal instability between clonal isolates and mass culture has not been clarified. Recent studies indicated that genomic instability occurs at a high frequency in the progeny of cells irradiated with both sparsely and densely ionizing radiation. Such genomic instability is thought likely to increase the risk of carcinogenesis, but more data are required for a well understanding of the health risks resulting from radiation-induced delayed instability. (M.N.)

Delayed chromosomal instability caused by large deletion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ojima, M.; Suzuki, K.; Kodama, S.; Watanabe, M.

2003-01-01

Full text: There is accumulating evidence that genomic instability, manifested by the expression of delayed phenotypes, is induced by X-irradiation but not by ultraviolet (UV) light. It is well known that ionizing radiation, such as X-rays, induces DNA double strand breaks, but UV-light mainly causes base damage like pyrimidine dimers and (6-4) photoproducts. Although the mechanism of radiation-induced genomic instability has not been thoroughly explained, it is suggested that DNA double strand breaks contribute the induction of genomic instability. We examined here whether X-ray induced gene deletion at the hprt locus induces delayed instability in chromosome X. SV40-immortalized normal human fibroblasts, GM638, were irradiated with X-rays (3, 6 Gy), and the hprt mutants were isolated in the presence of 6-thioguanine (6-TG). A 2-fold and a 60-fold increase in mutation frequency were found by 3 Gy and 6 Gy irradiation, respectively. The molecular structure of the hprt mutations was determined by multiplex polymerase chain reaction of nine exons. Approximately 60% of 3 Gy mutants lost a part or the entire hprt gene, and the other mutants showed point mutations like spontaneous mutants. All 6 Gy mutants show total gene deletion. The chromosomes of the hprt mutants were analyzed by Whole Human Chromosome X Paint FISH or Xq telomere FISH. None of the point or partial gene deletion mutants showed aberrations of X-chromosome, however total gene deletion mutants induced translocations and dicentrics involving chromosome X. These results suggest that large deletion caused by DNA double strand breaks destabilizes chromosome structure, which may be involved in an induction of radiation-induced genomic instability

The influence of elevated endogenous free radical production on apoptosis and genomic instability in transgenic growth hormone mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lemon, J.A.; Rollo, D.; Boreham, D.R.

2003-01-01

Full text: Previous studies have shown transgenic growth hormone mice (TGM) have significantly elevated levels of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS) and lipid peroxidation, shortened lifespan (approximately 50% of normal siblings), greatly enhanced learning in youth, and accelerated aging with a rapid age-related loss of cognitive abilities. A complex oral antioxidant supplement was found to completely abolish the cognitive decline and significantly extend longevity in TGM. We have determined in a recently completed experiment studying radiation-induced apoptosis that the antioxidant supplement significantly reduces the elevated level of apoptosis seen in untreated old TGM compared to age-matched controls. It was also determined that older normal mice treated with the supplement also show a reduction in apoptosis. We are conducting experiments using spectral karyotyping to examine genomic instability in TGM and their normal siblings, that indicate, given their elevated ROS, TGM show an increase in chromosome aberrations compared to normal controls. Based on our previous experiments we speculate that TGM treated with the antioxidant supplement are expected to show a reduction in ROS induced chromosome aberrations

Transgenerational developmental effects and genomic instability after X-irradiation of preimplantation embryos: Studies on two mouse strains

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jacquet, P.; Buset, J.; Neefs, M.; Vankerkom, J.; Benotmane, M.A.; Derradji, H.; Hildebrandt, G.; Baatout, S.

2010-01-01

Recent results have shown that irradiation of a single cell, the zygote or 1-cell embryo of various mouse strains, could lead to congenital anomalies in the fetuses. In the Heiligenberger strain, a link between the radiation-induced congenital anomalies and the development of a genomic instability was also suggested. Moreover, further studies showed that in that strain, both congenital anomalies and genomic instability could be transmitted to the next generation. The aim of the experiments described in this paper was to investigate whether such non-targeted transgenerational effects could also be observed in two other radiosensitive mouse strains (CF1 and ICR), using lower radiation doses. Irradiation of the CF1 and ICR female zygotes with 0.2 or 0.4 Gy did not result in a decrease of their fertility after birth, when they had reached sexual maturity. Moreover, females of both strains that had been X-irradiated with 0.2 Gy exhibited higher rates of pregnancy, less resorptions and more living fetuses. Additionally, the mean weight of living fetuses in these groups had significantly increased. Exencephaly and dwarfism were observed in CF1 fetuses issued from control and X-irradiated females. In the control group of that strain, polydactyly and limb deformity were also found. The yields of abnormal fetuses did not differ significantly between the control and X-irradiated groups. Polydactyly, exencephaly and dwarfism were observed in fetuses issued from ICR control females. In addition to these anomalies, gastroschisis, curly tail and open eye were observed at low frequencies in ICR fetuses issued from X-irradiated females. Again, the frequencies of abnormal fetuses found in the different groups did not differ significantly. In both CF1 and ICR mouse strains, irradiation of female zygotes did not result in the development of a genomic instability in the next generation embryos. Overall, our results suggest that, at the moderate doses used, developmental defects

Transgenerational developmental effects and genomic instability after X-irradiation of preimplantation embryos: Studies on two mouse strains

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jacquet, P., E-mail: pjacquet@sckcen.be [Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, SCK.CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium); Buset, J.; Neefs, M. [Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, SCK.CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium); Vankerkom, J. [Division of Environmental Research, VITO, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium); Benotmane, M.A.; Derradji, H. [Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, SCK.CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium); Hildebrandt, G. [Department of Radiotherapy and Radiation Oncology, University of Leipzig, Stephanstrasse 9a, D-04103 Leipzig (Germany); Department of Radiotherapy, University of Rostock, Suedring 75, D-18059 Rostock (Germany); Baatout, S. [Molecular and Cellular Biology, Institute for Environment, Health and Safety, SCK.CEN, Boeretang 200, B-2400 Mol (Belgium)

2010-05-01

Recent results have shown that irradiation of a single cell, the zygote or 1-cell embryo of various mouse strains, could lead to congenital anomalies in the fetuses. In the Heiligenberger strain, a link between the radiation-induced congenital anomalies and the development of a genomic instability was also suggested. Moreover, further studies showed that in that strain, both congenital anomalies and genomic instability could be transmitted to the next generation. The aim of the experiments described in this paper was to investigate whether such non-targeted transgenerational effects could also be observed in two other radiosensitive mouse strains (CF1 and ICR), using lower radiation doses. Irradiation of the CF1 and ICR female zygotes with 0.2 or 0.4 Gy did not result in a decrease of their fertility after birth, when they had reached sexual maturity. Moreover, females of both strains that had been X-irradiated with 0.2 Gy exhibited higher rates of pregnancy, less resorptions and more living fetuses. Additionally, the mean weight of living fetuses in these groups had significantly increased. Exencephaly and dwarfism were observed in CF1 fetuses issued from control and X-irradiated females. In the control group of that strain, polydactyly and limb deformity were also found. The yields of abnormal fetuses did not differ significantly between the control and X-irradiated groups. Polydactyly, exencephaly and dwarfism were observed in fetuses issued from ICR control females. In addition to these anomalies, gastroschisis, curly tail and open eye were observed at low frequencies in ICR fetuses issued from X-irradiated females. Again, the frequencies of abnormal fetuses found in the different groups did not differ significantly. In both CF1 and ICR mouse strains, irradiation of female zygotes did not result in the development of a genomic instability in the next generation embryos. Overall, our results suggest that, at the moderate doses used, developmental defects

Transgenerational genomic instability in children of irradiated parents as a result of the Chernobyl Nuclear Accident

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Aghajanyan, Anna; Suskov, Igor

2009-01-01

The study of families irradiated as a result of the accident at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant revealed significantly increased aberrant genomes frequencies (AGFs) not only in irradiated parents (n = 106, p 137 Cs) of peripheral blood samples from the children and their parents at doses of 0.1, 0.2 and 0.3 Gy. The spectrum and frequency of chromosome aberrations were studied in the 1st and 2nd cell generations. The average AGF was significantly increased at all doses (except 0.1 Gy) in children of irradiated parents, as compared to children born from non-irradiated parents. Amplification of cells with single-break chromosome aberrations in mitosis 2, as compared to mitosis 1, suggests the replication mechanism of realization of potential damage in DNA and the occurrence of genomic instability in succeeding cell generations.

The role of free radicals and stress signalling in persistent genomic instability induced by long wavelength UV light

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Phillipson, R.; McMillan, T.J.

2003-01-01

Induction of persistent genomic instability has commonly been investigated with ionising radiation. It has been characterised as a decrease in plating efficiency, and an increase in chromosomal aberrations and mutation frequency in the progeny of cells that survive the initial irradiation. We now present data demonstrating the phenomenon following exposure to long-wavelength solar UV-A (320-400nm) radiation at environmentally relevant doses. Using the spontaneously immortalised human skin keratinocyte line, HaCaT, we observed a significant decrease in plating efficiency (77 +/- 2% of control), and increase in micronuclei (2.5 fold) and mutation frequency (2 fold), 7 days after the initial radiation insult. Modification of UV-A-induced instability by incubation with exogenous catalase implicated reactive oxygen species (ROS), in-particular hydrogen peroxide, in the production and/or maintenance of the phenomenon. Assessment of anti-oxidant enzymes revealed a significant increase in glutathione-s-transferase activity (158 +/- 4% of control) at day 7 in the irradiated cell population, which was inhibited by incubation with exogenous catalase (97 +/- 3%), providing further evidence for an ROS-mediated pathway. Furthermore, inhibition of UV-A-induced micronuclei at day 7 by the flavonoid-containing-protein inhibitor diphenyleneiodonium (DPI) indicates that the NADPH oxidase family of enzymes may be involved in this phenomenon. Measurement of superoxide production by the cytochrome c reduction assay revealed that the irradiated cell population produce 50% more superoxide than the unirradiated controls, and that incubation with DPI led to a preferential reduction in superoxide production in the UV-A treated population at day 7. Finally, NADPH oxidase activity is increased significantly over controls in UV-A-treated cells. These data demonstrate that oxidative stress, analogous to that produced by ionising radiation, induces persistent genomic instability through a

[Study of genome instability using DNA fingerprinting of the offspring of male mice subjected to chronic low dose gamma irradiation].

Science.gov (United States)

Bezlepkin, V G; Vasil'eva, G V; Lomaeva, M G; Sirota, N P; Gaziev, A I

2000-01-01

By a polymerase chain reaction with an arbitrary primer (AP-PCR), the possibility of transmission of genome instability to somatic cells of the offspring (F1 generation) from male parents of mice exposed to chronic low-level gamma-radiation was studied. Male BALB/c mice 15 days after exposure to 10-50 cGy were mated with unirradiated females. Biopsies were taken from tale tips of two month-old offspring mice and DNA was isolated. The primer in the AP-PCR was a 20-mer oligonucleotide flanking the microsatellite locus Atp1b2 on chromosome 11 of the mouse. A comparative analysis of individual fingerprints of AP-PCR products on DNA-templates from the offspring of irradiated and unirradiated male mice revealed an increased variability of microsatellite-associated sequences in the genome of the offspring of the males exposed to 25 and 50 cGy. The DNA-fingerprints of the offspring of male mice exposed to chronic irradiation with the doses 10 and 25 cGy 15 days before fertilization (at the post-meiotic stage of spermatogenesis) showed an increased frequency of "non-parent bands". The results of the study point to the possibility of transmission to the offspring somatic cells of changes increasing genome instability from male parents exposed to chronic low-level radiation prior to fertilization.

Chromosomal instability in the progeny of irradiated parents

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Voro btsova, I.E.; Vorobyova, M.V.; Bogomazova, A.N.

1997-01-01

Genomic instability have been demonstrated in irradiated cells as the increased frequency of sporadic chromosome aberrations persisted over multiple generations of cell divisions. We found that chromosomal instability characterized as well the somatic cells of irradiated parents progeny. It means that radiation induced genomic instability can be transmitted via germ line cells. As a measure of instability the sensitivity of chromosomes to radiation was estimated. In animal experiments the irradiation of mature germ cells of male rats (dose - 4.5 Gy of X-rays) increase the frequency of chromosome aberrations induced by challenging irradiation in regenerating hepatocytes, in bone marrow cells and in fetal fibroblasts in the progeny of irradiated male rats. The chromosomal sensitivity of cultivated lymphocytes to in vitro irradiation (1.5 Gy of γ(rays 137 Cs) is increased in the children born parents undergone antitumor radiotherapy or worked as 'liquidators' of Chernobyl accident consequences before conception in comparison to the children of unexposed parents. The cytogenetic radiosensitivity of lymphocytes to irradiation in vitro is also increased in children evacuated from contaminated by radionuclides areas ('positive' control group). The increased spontaneous frequency of chromatid-type acentric was found in all group of children with irradiation history. The instability of genome of irradiated parents progeny seems could be the mechanism of these health effects. (authors)

Genomic Instability: The Driving Force behind Refractory/Relapsing Hodgkin’s Lymphoma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Knecht, Hans; Righolt, Christiaan; Mai, Sabine

2013-01-01

In classical Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) the malignant mononuclear Hodgkin (H) and multinuclear, diagnostic Reed-Sternberg (RS) cells are rare and generally make up <3% of the total cellular mass of the affected lymph nodes. During recent years, the introduction of laser micro-dissection techniques at the single cell level has substantially improved our understanding of the molecular pathogenesis of HL. Gene expression profiling, comparative genomic hybridization analysis, micro-RNA expression profiling and viral oncogene sequencing have deepened our knowledge of numerous facets of H- and RS-cell gene expression deregulation. The question remains whether disturbed signaling pathways and deregulated transcription factors are at the origin of refractory/relapsing Hodgkin’s lymphoma or whether these hallmarks are at least partially related to another major factor. We recently showed that the 3D nuclear organization of telomeres and chromosomes marked the transition from H- to RS-cells in HL cell lines. This transition is associated with progression of telomere dysfunction, shelterin disruption and progression of complex chromosomal rearrangements. We reported analogous findings in refractory/relapsing HL and identified the shelterin proteins TRF1, TRF2 and POT1 as targets of the LMP1 oncogene in post-germinal center B-cells. Here we summarize our findings, including data not previously published, and propose a model in which progressive disruption of nuclear integrity, a form of genomic instability, is the key-player in refractory/relapsing HL. Therapeutic approaches should take these findings into account

[Instability and sensitivity of the genome of healthy children in Magnitogorsk].

Science.gov (United States)

Ingel', F I; Krivtsova, E K; Iurtseva, N A; Antipanova, N A; Legostaeva, T B

2013-01-01

Problem of the influence of factors of the industrial city on the hereditary apparatus of its residents has not been fully resolved, because of traditionally in such studies only the pollution of environment components is taken into account. However the existence of a set of contributing socialfactors that modify the genotoxic effects ofpollution, requires the creation of a new methodology for genetic and toxicological studies. For this purpose, in Magnitogorsk, where one of Russia's largest steel plants is located, we conducted a comprehensive survey, whose tasks included the analysis of the influence of the complex of exogenous and endogenous factors on the genome of children. In this publication there are presented the results of the fifth fragment of this work - the analysis of instability and individual sensitivity of the genome of 166 children of 5-7 years, residing in two districts of Magnitogorsk: around the steel plant and on the opposite bank of Ural river, where there are no large-scale industrial enterprises. The study was conducted in the micronucleus test on peripheral blood lymphocytes cultured with cytochalasin B. For assessment of individual sensitivity of genome blood cultures were exposed to standard N-methyl-N-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG) mutagen. Cytogenetic analysis was performed in binucleated cells accordingly to international protocol, as well as with the use of an extended protocol including 32 indices. Average group frequency of binuclear cells with micronuclei (0.5-0.7%) were found not differ from the levels defined in children residing in Europe, and not differ between areas of the town. However the extended protocol of cytogenetic analysis discovered that the real frequency of dividing cells with lesions in blood cultures of children was 1,49-1,66%. Higher spontaneous proliferative activity of the cells and the frequency of dividing cells with injuries were found in blood cultures of children residing in settlements around the

Investigation of genomic instability by assay of DNA fingerprint from the offspring of male mice exposed to chronic low-level γ-radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bezlepkin, V.G.; Vasil'eva, G.V.; Lomaeva, M.G.; Sirota, N.P.; Gaziev, A.I.

2000-01-01

By polymerase chain reaction with arbitrary primer (AP-PCR), the possibility of transmission of genome instability to somatic cells of the offspring (F 1 generation) from male parents of mice exposed to chronic low-dose γ-radiation was studied. Male mice 15 days after exposure to 10-50 cGy were mated with unirradiated females. Biopsies were taken from tale tips of two month-old mice progeny for DNA separation. Primer in the AP-PCR was 20-mer oligonucleotide flanking the micro-satellite locus Atplb2 on chromosome 11 of the mouse. Comparative analysis of individual fingerprints of AP-PCR products on DNA-templates from the offspring of irradiated and unirradiated male mice revealed an increased variability of micro-satellite-associated sequences in the genome of the offspring of males exposed to 25 and 50 cGy. DNA-fingerprints of the offspring of male mice exposed to chronic irradiation doses 10 and 25 cGy. 15 days before fertilization (at the post-meiotic stage of spermatogenesis) showed an increased frequency of non-parent bands. Result of the study point to the possibility of transmission to the offspring somatic cells of changes increasing genome instability from male parents exposed to chronic low-dose radiation prior to fertilization [ru

Genome instability in Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Sybesma, W.; Molenaar, D.; IJcken, W. van; Venema, K.; Korta, R.

2013-01-01

We describe here a comparative genome analysis of three dairy product isolates of Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (LGG) and the ATCC 53103 reference strain to the published genome sequence of L. rhamnosus GG. The analysis showed that in two of three isolates, major DNA segments were missing from the

Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects: related inflammatory-type responses to radiation-induced stress and injury? A review.

Science.gov (United States)

Lorimore, S A; Wright, E G

2003-01-01

To review studies of radiation responses in the haemopoietic system in the context of radiation-induced genomic instability, bystander effects and inflammatory-type processes. There is considerable evidence that cells that themselves are not exposed to ionizing radiation but are the progeny of cells irradiated many cell divisions previously may express a high frequency of gene mutations, chromosomal aberrations and cell death. These effects are collectively known as radiation-induced genomic instability. A second untargeted effect results in non-irradiated cells exhibiting responses typically associated with direct radiation exposure but occurs as a consequence of contact with irradiated cells or by receiving soluble signals from irradiated cells. These effects are collectively known as radiation-induced bystander effects. Reported effects include increases or decreases in damage-inducible and stress-related proteins; increases or decreases in reactive oxygen species, cell death or cell proliferation, and induction of mutations and chromosome aberrations. This array of responses is reminiscent of effects mediated by cytokines and other similar regulatory factors that may involve, but do not necessarily require, gap junction-mediated transfer, have multiple inducers and a variety of context-dependent consequences in different cell systems. That chromosomal instability in haemopoietic cells can be induced by an indirect bystander-type mechanism both in vitro and in vivo provides a potential link between these two untargeted effects and there are radiation responses in vivo consistent with the microenvironment contributing secondary cell damage as a consequence of an inflammatory-type response to radiation-induced injury. Intercellular signalling, production of cytokines and free radicals are features of inflammatory responses that have the potential for both bystander-mediated and persisting damage as well as for conferring a predisposition to malignancy. The

Dormant origins as a built-in safeguard in eukaryotic DNA replication against genome instability and disease development.

Science.gov (United States)

Shima, Naoko; Pederson, Kayla D

2017-08-01

DNA replication is a prerequisite for cell proliferation, yet it can be increasingly challenging for a eukaryotic cell to faithfully duplicate its genome as its size and complexity expands. Dormant origins now emerge as a key component for cells to successfully accomplish such a demanding but essential task. In this perspective, we will first provide an overview of the fundamental processes eukaryotic cells have developed to regulate origin licensing and firing. With a special focus on mammalian systems, we will then highlight the role of dormant origins in preventing replication-associated genome instability and their functional interplay with proteins involved in the DNA damage repair response for tumor suppression. Lastly, deficiencies in the origin licensing machinery will be discussed in relation to their influence on stem cell maintenance and human diseases. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence that personal genome testing enhances student learning in a course on genomics and personalized medicine.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Keyan Salari

Full Text Available An emerging debate in academic medical centers is not about the need for providing trainees with fundamental education on genomics, but rather the most effective educational models that should be deployed. At Stanford School of Medicine, a novel hands-on genomics course was developed in 2010 that provided students the option to undergo personal genome testing as part of the course curriculum. We hypothesized that use of personal genome testing in the classroom would enhance the learning experience of students. No data currently exist on how such methods impact student learning; thus, we surveyed students before and after the course to determine its impact. We analyzed responses using paired statistics from the 31 medical and graduate students who completed both pre-course and post-course surveys. Participants were stratified by those who did (N = 23 or did not (N = 8 undergo personal genome testing. In reflecting on the experience, 83% of students who underwent testing stated that they were pleased with their decision compared to 12.5% of students who decided against testing (P = 0.00058. Seventy percent of those who underwent personal genome testing self-reported a better understanding of human genetics on the basis of having undergone testing. Further, students who underwent personal genome testing demonstrated an average 31% increase in pre- to post-course scores on knowledge questions (P = 3.5×10(-6; this was significantly higher (P = 0.003 than students who did not undergo testing, who showed a non-significant improvement. Undergoing personal genome testing and using personal genotype data in the classroom enhanced students' self-reported and assessed knowledge of genomics, and did not appear to cause significant anxiety. At least for self-selected students, the incorporation of personal genome testing can be an effective educational tool to teach important concepts of clinical genomic testing.

Nuclear DNA-Content in Mesenchymal Lesions in Dogs: Its Value as Marker of Malignancy and Extent of Genomic Instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boerkamp, Kim M.; Rutteman, Gerard R.; Kik, Marja J. L.; Kirpensteijn, Jolle; Schulze, Christoph; Grinwis, Guy C. M.

2012-01-01

DNA-aneuploidy may reflect the malignant nature of mesenchymal proliferations and herald gross genomic instability as a mechanistic factor in tumor genesis. DNA-ploidy and -index were determined by flow cytometry in canine inflammatory or neoplastic mesenchymal tissues and related to clinico-pathological features, biological behavior and p53 gene mutational status. Half of all sarcomas were aneuploid. Benign mesenchymal neoplasms were rarely aneuploid and inflammatory lesions not at all. The aneuploidy rate was comparable to that reported for human sarcomas with significant variation amongst subtypes. DNA-ploidy status in canines lacked a relation with histological grade of malignancy, in contrast to human sarcomas. While aneuploidy was related to the development of metastases in soft tissue sarcomas it was not in osteosarcomas. No relation amongst sarcomas was found between ploidy status and presence of P53 gene mutations. Heterogeneity of the DNA index between primary and metastatic sarcoma sites was present in half of the cases examined. Hypoploidy is more common in canine sarcomas and hyperploid cases have less deviation of the DNA index than human sarcomas. The variation in the presence and extent of aneuploidy amongst sarcoma subtypes indicates variation in genomic instability. This study strengthens the concept of interspecies variation in the evolution of gross chromosomal aberrations during cancer development

Nuclear DNA-Content in Mesenchymal Lesions in Dogs: Its Value as Marker of Malignancy and Extent of Genomic Instability

Science.gov (United States)

Boerkamp, Kim M.; Rutteman, Gerard R.; Kik, Marja J. L.; Kirpensteijn, Jolle; Schulze, Christoph; Grinwis, Guy C. M.

2012-01-01

DNA-aneuploidy may reflect the malignant nature of mesenchymal proliferations and herald gross genomic instability as a mechanistic factor in tumor genesis. DNA-ploidy and -index were determined by flow cytometry in canine inflammatory or neoplastic mesenchymal tissues and related to clinico-pathological features, biological behavior and p53 gene mutational status. Half of all sarcomas were aneuploid. Benign mesenchymal neoplasms were rarely aneuploid and inflammatory lesions not at all. The aneuploidy rate was comparable to that reported for human sarcomas with significant variation amongst subtypes. DNA-ploidy status in canines lacked a relation with histological grade of malignancy, in contrast to human sarcomas. While aneuploidy was related to the development of metastases in soft tissue sarcomas it was not in osteosarcomas. No relation amongst sarcomas was found between ploidy status and presence of P53 gene mutations. Heterogeneity of the DNA index between primary and metastatic sarcoma sites was present in half of the cases examined. Hypoploidy is more common in canine sarcomas and hyperploid cases have less deviation of the DNA index than human sarcomas. The variation in the presence and extent of aneuploidy amongst sarcoma subtypes indicates variation in genomic instability. This study strengthens the concept of interspecies variation in the evolution of gross chromosomal aberrations during cancer development. PMID:24213507

Nuclear DNA-Content in Mesenchymal Lesions in Dogs: Its Value as Marker of Malignancy and Extent of Genomic Instability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boerkamp, Kim M., E-mail: K.M.Boerkamp@uu.nl; Rutteman, Gerard R. [Department of Clinical Science of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UU, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM, Utrecht (Netherlands); Kik, Marja J. L. [Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UU, Yalelaan 1, 3508 TD, Utrecht (Netherlands); Kirpensteijn, Jolle [Department of Clinical Science of Companion Animals, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UU, Yalelaan 104, 3584 CM, Utrecht (Netherlands); Schulze, Christoph; Grinwis, Guy C. M. [Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UU, Yalelaan 1, 3508 TD, Utrecht (Netherlands)

2012-12-03

DNA-aneuploidy may reflect the malignant nature of mesenchymal proliferations and herald gross genomic instability as a mechanistic factor in tumor genesis. DNA-ploidy and -index were determined by flow cytometry in canine inflammatory or neoplastic mesenchymal tissues and related to clinico-pathological features, biological behavior and p53 gene mutational status. Half of all sarcomas were aneuploid. Benign mesenchymal neoplasms were rarely aneuploid and inflammatory lesions not at all. The aneuploidy rate was comparable to that reported for human sarcomas with significant variation amongst subtypes. DNA-ploidy status in canines lacked a relation with histological grade of malignancy, in contrast to human sarcomas. While aneuploidy was related to the development of metastases in soft tissue sarcomas it was not in osteosarcomas. No relation amongst sarcomas was found between ploidy status and presence of P53 gene mutations. Heterogeneity of the DNA index between primary and metastatic sarcoma sites was present in half of the cases examined. Hypoploidy is more common in canine sarcomas and hyperploid cases have less deviation of the DNA index than human sarcomas. The variation in the presence and extent of aneuploidy amongst sarcoma subtypes indicates variation in genomic instability. This study strengthens the concept of interspecies variation in the evolution of gross chromosomal aberrations during cancer development.

Nuclear DNA-Content in Mesenchymal Lesions in Dogs: Its Value as Marker of Malignancy and Extent of Genomic Instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Christoph Schulze

2012-12-01

Full Text Available DNA-aneuploidy may reflect the malignant nature of mesenchymal proliferations and herald gross genomic instability as a mechanistic factor in tumor genesis. DNA-ploidy and -index were determined by flow cytometry in canine inflammatory or neoplastic mesenchymal tissues and related to clinico-pathological features, biological behavior and p53 gene mutational status. Half of all sarcomas were aneuploid. Benign mesenchymal neoplasms were rarely aneuploid and inflammatory lesions not at all. The aneuploidy rate was comparable to that reported for human sarcomas with significant variation amongst subtypes. DNA-ploidy status in canines lacked a relation with histological grade of malignancy, in contrast to human sarcomas. While aneuploidy was related to the development of metastases in soft tissue sarcomas it was not in osteosarcomas. No relation amongst sarcomas was found between ploidy status and presence of P53 gene mutations. Heterogeneity of the DNA index between primary and metastatic sarcoma sites was present in half of the cases examined. Hypoploidy is more common in canine sarcomas and hyperploid cases have less deviation of the DNA index than human sarcomas. The variation in the presence and extent of aneuploidy amongst sarcoma subtypes indicates variation in genomic instability. This study strengthens the concept of interspecies variation in the evolution of gross chromosomal aberrations during cancer development.

Small molecules enhance CRISPR genome editing in pluripotent stem cells.

Science.gov (United States)

Yu, Chen; Liu, Yanxia; Ma, Tianhua; Liu, Kai; Xu, Shaohua; Zhang, Yu; Liu, Honglei; La Russa, Marie; Xie, Min; Ding, Sheng; Qi, Lei S

2015-02-05

The bacterial CRISPR-Cas9 system has emerged as an effective tool for sequence-specific gene knockout through non-homologous end joining (NHEJ), but it remains inefficient for precise editing of genome sequences. Here we develop a reporter-based screening approach for high-throughput identification of chemical compounds that can modulate precise genome editing through homology-directed repair (HDR). Using our screening method, we have identified small molecules that can enhance CRISPR-mediated HDR efficiency, 3-fold for large fragment insertions and 9-fold for point mutations. Interestingly, we have also observed that a small molecule that inhibits HDR can enhance frame shift insertion and deletion (indel) mutations mediated by NHEJ. The identified small molecules function robustly in diverse cell types with minimal toxicity. The use of small molecules provides a simple and effective strategy to enhance precise genome engineering applications and facilitates the study of DNA repair mechanisms in mammalian cells. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Phyllanthus emblica Fruit Extract Activates Spindle Assembly Checkpoint, Prevents Mitotic Aberrations and Genomic Instability in Human Colon Epithelial NCM460 Cells

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Xihan Guo

2016-09-01

Full Text Available The fruit of Phyllanthus emblica Linn. (PE has been widely consumed as a functional food and folk medicine in Southeast Asia due to its remarkable nutritional and pharmacological effects. Previous research showed PE delays mitotic progress and increases genomic instability (GIN in human colorectal cancer cells. This study aimed to investigate the similar effects of PE by the biomarkers related to spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC, mitotic aberrations and GIN in human NCM460 normal colon epithelial cells. Cells were treated with PE and harvested differently according to the biomarkers observed. Frequencies of micronuclei (MN, nucleoplasmic bridge (NPB and nuclear bud (NB in cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay were used as indicators of GIN. Mitotic aberrations were assessed by the biomarkers of chromosome misalignment, multipolar division, chromosome lagging and chromatin bridge. SAC activity was determined by anaphase-to- metaphase ratio (AMR and the expression of core SAC gene budding uninhibited by benzimidazoles related 1 (BubR1. Compared with the control, PE-treated cells showed (1 decreased incidences of MN, NPB and NB (p < 0.01; (2 decreased frequencies of all mitotic aberration biomarkers (p < 0.01; and (3 decreased AMR (p < 0.01 and increased BubR1 expression (p < 0.001. The results revealed PE has the potential to protect human normal colon epithelial cells from mitotic and genomic damages partially by enhancing the function of SAC.

Adaptive response and genomic instability: allosteric response of genome to negative impact

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sasaki, Masao S.

2010-01-01

Currently, there is an upsurge concern on the unique response of living cells to low dose ionizing radiation for its inconformity to the existing paradigm of the biological action of radiation and its impact on the current understanding of risk evaluation of health effect of radiation in our workplace and environment. For the allosteric response to have significance, the cells must have an excellent sensing mechanism to discriminate tolerable and intolerable signals. In a series of experiments with mammalian, including human, cells, we demonstrated a novel sensing and signaling mechanism in the low-dose irradiated cells that was mediated by a PKCα-p3BMAPK-PLCδ1 feedback regulatory loop. Upon irradiation, PKCα is immediately activated, which in turn activate p38MAPK. The activation of p38MAPK is feedbacked to the activation of PKCα via PLCδ1, which catalyzes the hydrolysis of PtdInsP2 to generate PKCα-directed second messengers DAG and lnsP3. At low doses, the PKCα and p38MAPK continue to be activated for long time through this feedback loop, but when the cells encounter the high dose (>10 cGy or equivalent), the feedback loop is immediately comes to shutdown by deprivation of PKCα protein, known as down-regulation of PKC signaling. Thus, PKCα plays a key role in the long lasting nature of adaptive response to low doses and a binary switch to the genomic instability by too much signals. Tumor suppressor protein, p53, is a downstream effecter

Genomic instability in quartz dust exposed rat lungs: Is inflammation responsible?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Albrecht, C; Schins, R P F [Institut fuer Umweltmedizinische Forschung (IUF) at the Heinrich Heine University Duesseldorf (Germany); Demircigil, G Cakmak; Coskun, Erdem [Gazi University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology, Ankara (Turkey); Schooten, F J van [Nutrition and Toxicology Research Institute Maastricht (NUTRIM), Department of Health Risk Analysis and Toxicology, University of Maastricht (Netherlands); Borm, P J A [Centre of Expertise in Life Sciences (Cel), Hogeschool Zuyd, Heerlen (Netherlands); Knaapen, A M, E-mail: catrin.albrecht@uni-duesseldorf.d

2009-02-01

the aluminium coated quartz intermediate effects were found. These findings were in line with the kinetics of inflammation and epithelial proliferation in the rat lungs for the different treatments. Notably, a highly significant correlation was observed between neutrophil numbers and micronucleus frequencies, indicative for a role of inflammation in eliciting genomic instability in target cells of quartz-induced carcinogenesis. Our ongoing investigations focus on the evaluation of the causality between both in relation to quartz exposure.

Molecular Mechanisms of Radiation-Induced Genomic Instability in Human Cells

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Howard L. Liber; Jeffrey L. Schwartz

2005-10-31

There are many different model systems that have been used to study chromosome instability. What is clear from all these studies is that conclusions concerning chromosome instability depend greatly on the model system and instability endpoint that is studied. The model system for our studies was the human B-lymphoblastoid cell line TK6. TK6 was isolated from a spontaneously immortalized lymphoblast culture. Thus there was no outside genetic manipulation used to immortalize them. TK6 is a relatively stable p53-normal immortal cell line (37). It shows low gene and chromosome mutation frequencies (19;28;31). Our general approach to studying instability in TK6 cells has been to isolate individual clones and analyze gene and chromosome mutation frequencies in each. This approach maximizes the possibility of detecting low frequency events that might be selected against in mass cultures.

Combined array-comparative genomic hybridization and single-nucleotide polymorphism-loss of heterozygosity analysis reveals complex changes and multiple forms of chromosomal instability in colorectal cancers

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gaasenbeek, Michelle; Howarth, Kimberley; Rowan, Andrew J

2006-01-01

Cancers with chromosomal instability (CIN) are held to be aneuploid/polyploid with multiple large-scale gains/deletions, but the processes underlying CIN are unclear and different types of CIN might exist. We investigated colorectal cancer cell lines using array-comparative genomic hybridization...

Direct and inverted repeats elicit genetic instability by both exploiting and eluding DNA double-strand break repair systems in mycobacteria.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ewelina A Wojcik

Full Text Available Repetitive DNA sequences with the potential to form alternative DNA conformations, such as slipped structures and cruciforms, can induce genetic instability by promoting replication errors and by serving as a substrate for DNA repair proteins, which may lead to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs. However, the contribution of each of the DSB repair pathways, homologous recombination (HR, non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ and single-strand annealing (SSA, to this sort of genetic instability is not fully understood. Herein, we assessed the genome-wide distribution of repetitive DNA sequences in the Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Escherichia coli genomes, and determined the types and frequencies of genetic instability induced by direct and inverted repeats, both in the presence and in the absence of HR, NHEJ, and SSA. All three genomes are strongly enriched in direct repeats and modestly enriched in inverted repeats. When using chromosomally integrated constructs in M. smegmatis, direct repeats induced the perfect deletion of their intervening sequences ~1,000-fold above background. Absence of HR further enhanced these perfect deletions, whereas absence of NHEJ or SSA had no influence, suggesting compromised replication fidelity. In contrast, inverted repeats induced perfect deletions only in the absence of SSA. Both direct and inverted repeats stimulated excision of the constructs from the attB integration sites independently of HR, NHEJ, or SSA. With episomal constructs, direct and inverted repeats triggered DNA instability by activating nucleolytic activity, and absence of the DSB repair pathways (in the order NHEJ>HR>SSA exacerbated this instability. Thus, direct and inverted repeats may elicit genetic instability in mycobacteria by 1 directly interfering with replication fidelity, 2 stimulating the three main DSB repair pathways, and 3 enticing L5 site-specific recombination.

Direct and inverted repeats elicit genetic instability by both exploiting and eluding DNA double-strand break repair systems in mycobacteria.

Science.gov (United States)

Wojcik, Ewelina A; Brzostek, Anna; Bacolla, Albino; Mackiewicz, Pawel; Vasquez, Karen M; Korycka-Machala, Malgorzata; Jaworski, Adam; Dziadek, Jaroslaw

2012-01-01

Repetitive DNA sequences with the potential to form alternative DNA conformations, such as slipped structures and cruciforms, can induce genetic instability by promoting replication errors and by serving as a substrate for DNA repair proteins, which may lead to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). However, the contribution of each of the DSB repair pathways, homologous recombination (HR), non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) and single-strand annealing (SSA), to this sort of genetic instability is not fully understood. Herein, we assessed the genome-wide distribution of repetitive DNA sequences in the Mycobacterium smegmatis, Mycobacterium tuberculosis and Escherichia coli genomes, and determined the types and frequencies of genetic instability induced by direct and inverted repeats, both in the presence and in the absence of HR, NHEJ, and SSA. All three genomes are strongly enriched in direct repeats and modestly enriched in inverted repeats. When using chromosomally integrated constructs in M. smegmatis, direct repeats induced the perfect deletion of their intervening sequences ~1,000-fold above background. Absence of HR further enhanced these perfect deletions, whereas absence of NHEJ or SSA had no influence, suggesting compromised replication fidelity. In contrast, inverted repeats induced perfect deletions only in the absence of SSA. Both direct and inverted repeats stimulated excision of the constructs from the attB integration sites independently of HR, NHEJ, or SSA. With episomal constructs, direct and inverted repeats triggered DNA instability by activating nucleolytic activity, and absence of the DSB repair pathways (in the order NHEJ>HR>SSA) exacerbated this instability. Thus, direct and inverted repeats may elicit genetic instability in mycobacteria by 1) directly interfering with replication fidelity, 2) stimulating the three main DSB repair pathways, and 3) enticing L5 site-specific recombination.

Genomic instability induced by 137Cs γ-ray irradiation in CHL surviving cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Yue Jingyin; Liu Bingchen; Wu Hongying; Zhou Jiwen; Mu Chuanjie

1999-01-01

Objective: To study in parallel several possible manifestations of instability of surviving CHL cells after irradiation, namely the frequencies of mutation at locus, micronuclei and apoptosis. Methods: The frequencies of mutation at HGPRT locus, micronuclei and apoptosis were assayed at various times in surviving cells irradiated with γ-rays. Results: The surviving cells showed a persistently increased frequency of mutation at the HGPRT locus after irradiation until 53 days. Mutant fraction as high as 10 -4 was scored, tens of times higher than those assayed in control cells studied in parallel. The frequency of bi nucleated cells with micronuclei determined within 24 hours after irradiation increased with dose and reached a peak value of (26.58 +- 2.48)% at 3 Gy, decreasing at higher doses to a plateau around 20%. The micronucleus frequency decreased steeply to about (14.47 +- 2.39)% within the first 3 days post-irradiation, and fluctuated at around 10% up to 56 days post-irradiation. The delayed efficiency of irradiated cells was significantly decreased. The frequency of apoptosis peaked about (24.90 +- 4.72)% at 10 Gy 48 h post-irradiation (γ-ray dose between 3-10 Gy) and then decreased to about 12% within 3 days. It was significantly higher than in control cells until 14 days. Conclusions: It shows that genomic instability induced by radiation can be transmitted to the progeny of surviving cells and may take many forms of expression such as lethal mutation, chromosome aberrations, gene mutation, etc

Non-random distribution of instability-associated chromosomal rearrangement breakpoints in human lymphoblastoid cells

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moore, Stephen R.; Papworth, David; Grosovsky, Andrew J.

2006-01-01

Genomic instability is observed in tumors and in a large fraction of the progeny surviving irradiation. One of the best-characterized phenotypic manifestations of genomic instability is delayed chromosome aberrations. Our working hypothesis for the current study was that if genomic instability is in part attributable to cis mechanisms, we should observe a non-random distribution of chromosomes or sites involved in instability-associated rearrangements, regardless of radiation quality, dose, or trans factor expression. We report here the karyotypic examination of 296 instability-associated chromosomal rearrangement breaksites (IACRB) from 118 unstable TK6 human B lymphoblast, and isogenic derivative, clones. When we tested whether IACRB were distributed across the chromosomes based on target size, a significant non-random distribution was evident (p < 0.00001), and three IACRB hotspots (chromosomes 11, 12, and 22) and one IACRB coldspot (chromosome 2) were identified. Statistical analysis at the chromosomal band-level identified four IACRB hotspots accounting for 20% of all instability-associated breaks, two of which account for over 14% of all IACRB. Further, analysis of independent clones provided evidence within 14 individual clones of IACRB clustering at the chromosomal band level, suggesting a predisposition for further breaks after an initial break at some chromosomal bands. All of these events, independently, or when taken together, were highly unlikely to have occurred by chance (p < 0.000001). These IACRB band-level cluster hotspots were observed independent of radiation quality, dose, or cellular p53 status. The non-random distribution of instability-associated chromosomal rearrangements described here significantly differs from the distribution that was observed in a first-division post-irradiation metaphase analysis (p = 0.0004). Taken together, these results suggest that genomic instability may be in part driven by chromosomal cis mechanisms

VERSE: a novel approach to detect virus integration in host genomes through reference genome customization.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Qingguo; Jia, Peilin; Zhao, Zhongming

2015-01-01

Fueled by widespread applications of high-throughput next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies and urgent need to counter threats of pathogenic viruses, large-scale studies were conducted recently to investigate virus integration in host genomes (for example, human tumor genomes) that may cause carcinogenesis or other diseases. A limiting factor in these studies, however, is rapid virus evolution and resulting polymorphisms, which prevent reads from aligning readily to commonly used virus reference genomes, and, accordingly, make virus integration sites difficult to detect. Another confounding factor is host genomic instability as a result of virus insertions. To tackle these challenges and improve our capability to identify cryptic virus-host fusions, we present a new approach that detects Virus intEgration sites through iterative Reference SEquence customization (VERSE). To the best of our knowledge, VERSE is the first approach to improve detection through customizing reference genomes. Using 19 human tumors and cancer cell lines as test data, we demonstrated that VERSE substantially enhanced the sensitivity of virus integration site detection. VERSE is implemented in the open source package VirusFinder 2 that is available at http://bioinfo.mc.vanderbilt.edu/VirusFinder/.

Carpal instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmitt, R.; Froehner, S.; Coblenz, G.; Christopoulos, G.

2006-01-01

This review addresses the pathoanatomical basics as well as the clinical and radiological presentation of instability patterns of the wrist. Carpal instability mostly follows an injury; however, other diseases, like CPPD arthropathy, can be associated. Instability occurs either if the carpus is unable to sustain physiologic loads (''dyskinetics'') or suffers from abnormal motion of its bones during movement (''dyskinematics''). In the classification of carpal instability, dissociative subcategories (located within proximal carpal row) are differentiated from non-dissociative subcategories (present between the carpal rows) and combined patterns. It is essential to note that the unstable wrist initially does not cause relevant signs in standard radiograms, therefore being ''occult'' for the radiologic assessment. This paper emphasizes the high utility of kinematographic studies, contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and MR arthrography for detecting these predynamic and dynamic instability stages. Later in the natural history of carpal instability, static malalignment of the wrist and osteoarthritis will develop, both being associated with significant morbidity and disability. To prevent individual and socio-economic implications, the handsurgeon or orthopedist, as well as the radiologist, is challenged for early and precise diagnosis. (orig.)

Induction of chromosomal instability in human lymphoblasts by low doses of γ-radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gibbons, C.F.; Grosovsky, A.J.

2003-01-01

Full text: Genomic instability is a hallmark of tumorigenic progression, and a similar phenotype is also observed in a high fraction (10 - 50%) of cells that survive exposure to ionizing radiation. In both cases unstable clones are characterized by non-clonal chromosomal rearrangements, which are indicative of a high rate of genetic change during the outgrowth of an unstable parental cell. We postulate that the remarkably high frequency of radiation-induced genomic instability is incompatible with a mutational mechanism for a specific gene, or even a large family of genes. Rather, we hypothesize that a major portion of instability is attributable to the formation of chromosomal rearrangement junction sequences that act as de novo chromosomal breakage hotspots. We further suggest that critical target sequences, which represent at least 10% of the genome and include repetitive DNA sequences such as those found in centromeric heterochromatin, can be involved in breakage and rearrangement hotspots that drive persistent genomic instability and karyotypic heterogeneity. Since chromosomal damage is induced even by low dose radiation exposure, we hypothesize that this phenotype can be efficiently induced at doses that are relevant to environmental, occupational, or medical exposure. In the present study, TK6 human B-lymphoblastoid cells were irradiated with 0, 10, 20 and 200cGy, in order to provide a set of data points for single, low dose exposures. Independent clones were analyzed karyotypically approximately 40 generations after radiation exposure. Preliminary results suggest that the fraction of clones exhibiting genomic instability after 20 cGy (0.16) is similar to and statistically indistinguishable from the fraction of unstable clones following 200 cGy (0.2) exposure. These findings support the hypothesis that instability following radiation, and perhaps also in cancer, primarily reflects non-mutational mechanisms

Loss of yeast peroxiredoxin Tsa1p induces genome instability through activation of the DNA damage checkpoint and elevation of dNTP levels.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hei-Man Vincent Tang

2009-10-01

Full Text Available Peroxiredoxins are a family of antioxidant enzymes critically involved in cellular defense and signaling. Particularly, yeast peroxiredoxin Tsa1p is thought to play a role in the maintenance of genome integrity, but the underlying mechanism is not understood. In this study, we took a genetic approach to investigate the cause of genome instability in tsa1Delta cells. Strong genetic interactions of TSA1 with DNA damage checkpoint components DUN1, SML1, and CRT1 were found when mutant cells were analyzed for either sensitivity to DNA damage or rate of spontaneous base substitutions. An elevation in intracellular dNTP production was observed in tsa1Delta cells. This was associated with constitutive activation of the DNA damage checkpoint as indicated by phosphorylation of Rad9/Rad53p, reduced steady-state amount of Sml1p, and induction of RNR and HUG1 genes. In addition, defects in the DNA damage checkpoint did not modulate intracellular level of reactive oxygen species, but suppressed the mutator phenotype of tsa1Delta cells. On the contrary, overexpression of RNR1 exacerbated this phenotype by increasing dNTP levels. Taken together, our findings uncover a new role of TSA1 in preventing the overproduction of dNTPs, which is a root cause of genome instability.

Staining Against Phospho-H2AX (gamma-H2AX) as a Marker for DNA Damage and Genomic Instability in Cancer Tissues and Cells

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Nagelkerke, A.P.; Span, P.N.

2016-01-01

Phospho-H2AX or gamma-H2AX- is a marker of DNA double-stranded breaks and can therefore be used to monitor DNA repair after, for example, irradiation. In addition, positive staining for phospho-H2AX may indicate genomic instability and telomere dysfunction in tumour cells and tissues. Here, we

Radiation-induced transgenerational instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Dubrova, Yuri E

2003-10-13

To date, the analysis of mutation induction has provided an irrefutable evidence for an elevated germline mutation rate in the parents directly exposed to ionizing radiation and a number of chemical mutagens. However, the results of numerous publications suggest that radiation may also have an indirect effect on genome stability, which is transmitted through the germ line of irradiated parents to their offspring. This review describes the phenomenon of transgenerational instability and focuses on the data showing increased cancer incidence and elevated mutation rates in the germ line and somatic tissues of the offspring of irradiated parents. The possible mechanisms of transgenerational instability are also discussed.

Genomic instability of osteosarcoma cell lines in culture: impact on the prediction of metastasis relevant genes.

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Roman Muff

Full Text Available Osteosarcoma is a rare but highly malignant cancer of the bone. As a consequence, the number of established cell lines used for experimental in vitro and in vivo osteosarcoma research is limited and the value of these cell lines relies on their stability during culture. Here we investigated the stability in gene expression by microarray analysis and array genomic hybridization of three low metastatic cell lines and derivatives thereof with increased metastatic potential using cells of different passages.The osteosarcoma cell lines showed altered gene expression during in vitro culture, and it was more pronounced in two metastatic cell lines compared to the respective parental cells. Chromosomal instability contributed in part to the altered gene expression in SAOS and LM5 cells with low and high metastatic potential. To identify metastasis-relevant genes in a background of passage-dependent altered gene expression, genes involved in "Pathways in cancer" that were consistently regulated under all passage comparisons were evaluated. Genes belonging to "Hedgehog signaling pathway" and "Wnt signaling pathway" were significantly up-regulated, and IHH, WNT10B and TCF7 were found up-regulated in all three metastatic compared to the parental cell lines.Considerable instability during culture in terms of gene expression and chromosomal aberrations was observed in osteosarcoma cell lines. The use of cells from different passages and a search for genes consistently regulated in early and late passages allows the analysis of metastasis-relevant genes despite the observed instability in gene expression in osteosarcoma cell lines during culture.

Genomic instability of osteosarcoma cell lines in culture: impact on the prediction of metastasis relevant genes.

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Muff, Roman; Rath, Prisni; Ram Kumar, Ram Mohan; Husmann, Knut; Born, Walter; Baudis, Michael; Fuchs, Bruno

2015-01-01

Osteosarcoma is a rare but highly malignant cancer of the bone. As a consequence, the number of established cell lines used for experimental in vitro and in vivo osteosarcoma research is limited and the value of these cell lines relies on their stability during culture. Here we investigated the stability in gene expression by microarray analysis and array genomic hybridization of three low metastatic cell lines and derivatives thereof with increased metastatic potential using cells of different passages. The osteosarcoma cell lines showed altered gene expression during in vitro culture, and it was more pronounced in two metastatic cell lines compared to the respective parental cells. Chromosomal instability contributed in part to the altered gene expression in SAOS and LM5 cells with low and high metastatic potential. To identify metastasis-relevant genes in a background of passage-dependent altered gene expression, genes involved in "Pathways in cancer" that were consistently regulated under all passage comparisons were evaluated. Genes belonging to "Hedgehog signaling pathway" and "Wnt signaling pathway" were significantly up-regulated, and IHH, WNT10B and TCF7 were found up-regulated in all three metastatic compared to the parental cell lines. Considerable instability during culture in terms of gene expression and chromosomal aberrations was observed in osteosarcoma cell lines. The use of cells from different passages and a search for genes consistently regulated in early and late passages allows the analysis of metastasis-relevant genes despite the observed instability in gene expression in osteosarcoma cell lines during culture.

Instabilities in strongly coupled plasmas

CERN Document Server

Kalman, G J

2003-01-01

The conventional Vlasov treatment of beam-plasma instabilities is inappropriate when the plasma is strongly coupled. In the strongly coupled liquid state, the strong correlations between the dust grains fundamentally affect the conditions for instability. In the crystalline state, the inherent anisotropy couples the longitudinal and transverse polarizations, and results in unstable excitations in both polarizations. We summarize analyses of resonant and non-resonant, as well as resistive instabilities. We consider both ion-dust streaming and dust beam-plasma instabilities. Strong coupling, in general, leads to an enhancement of the growth rates. In the crystalline phase, a resonant transverse instability can be excited.

Role of Ku80-dependent end-joining in delayed genomic instability in mammalian cells surviving ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Suzuki, Keiji; Kodama, Seiji; Watanabe, Masami

2010-01-01

Ionizing radiation induces delayed destabilization of the genome in the progenies of surviving cells. This phenomenon, which is called radiation-induced genomic instability, is manifested by delayed induction of radiation effects, such as cell death, chromosome aberration, and mutation in the progeny of cells surviving radiation exposure. Previously, there was a report showing that delayed cell death was absent in Ku80-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, however, the mechanism of their defect has not been determined. We found that delayed induction of DNA double strand breaks and chromosomal breaks were intact in Ku80-deficient cells surviving X-irradiation, whereas there was no sign for the production of chromosome bridges between divided daughter cells. Moreover, delayed induction of dicentric chromosomes was significantly compromised in those cells compared to the wild-type CHO cells. Reintroduction of the human Ku86 gene complimented the defective DNA repair and recovered delayed induction of dicentric chromosomes and delayed cell death, indicating that defective Ku80-dependent dicentric induction was the cause of the absence of delayed cell death. Since DNA-PKcs-defective cells showed delayed phenotypes, Ku80-dependent illegitimate rejoining is involved in delayed impairment of the integrity of the genome in radiation-survived cells.

Role of Ku80-dependent end-joining in delayed genomic instability in mammalian cells surviving ionizing radiation

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Suzuki, Keiji, E-mail: kzsuzuki@nagasaki-u.ac.jp [Course of Life Sciences and Radiation Research, Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, Nagasaki University, 1-12-4 Sakamoto, Nagasaki 852-8523 (Japan); Kodama, Seiji [Research Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, Osaka Prefecture University, 1-2 Gakuen-machi, Sakai 599-8570 (Japan); Watanabe, Masami [Kyoto University Research Reactor Institute, Kumatori-cho Sennan-gun, Osaka 590-0494 (Japan)

2010-01-05

Ionizing radiation induces delayed destabilization of the genome in the progenies of surviving cells. This phenomenon, which is called radiation-induced genomic instability, is manifested by delayed induction of radiation effects, such as cell death, chromosome aberration, and mutation in the progeny of cells surviving radiation exposure. Previously, there was a report showing that delayed cell death was absent in Ku80-deficient Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, however, the mechanism of their defect has not been determined. We found that delayed induction of DNA double strand breaks and chromosomal breaks were intact in Ku80-deficient cells surviving X-irradiation, whereas there was no sign for the production of chromosome bridges between divided daughter cells. Moreover, delayed induction of dicentric chromosomes was significantly compromised in those cells compared to the wild-type CHO cells. Reintroduction of the human Ku86 gene complimented the defective DNA repair and recovered delayed induction of dicentric chromosomes and delayed cell death, indicating that defective Ku80-dependent dicentric induction was the cause of the absence of delayed cell death. Since DNA-PKcs-defective cells showed delayed phenotypes, Ku80-dependent illegitimate rejoining is involved in delayed impairment of the integrity of the genome in radiation-survived cells.

Significance of genomic instability in breast cancer in atomic bomb survivors: analysis of microarray-comparative genomic hybridization

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Oikawa Masahiro

2011-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background It has been postulated that ionizing radiation induces breast cancers among atomic bomb (A-bomb survivors. We have reported a higher incidence of HER2 and C-MYC oncogene amplification in breast cancers from A-bomb survivors. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of A-bomb radiation exposure on genomic instability (GIN, which is an important hallmark of carcinogenesis, in archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE tissues of breast cancer by using microarray-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH. Methods Tumor DNA was extracted from FFPE tissues of invasive ductal cancers from 15 survivors who were exposed at 1.5 km or less from the hypocenter and 13 calendar year-matched non-exposed patients followed by aCGH analysis using a high-density oligonucleotide microarray. The total length of copy number aberrations (CNA was used as an indicator of GIN, and correlation with clinicopathological factors were statistically tested. Results The mean of the derivative log ratio spread (DLRSpread, which estimates the noise by calculating the spread of log ratio differences between consecutive probes for all chromosomes, was 0.54 (range, 0.26 to 1.05. The concordance of results between aCGH and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH for HER2 gene amplification was 88%. The incidence of HER2 amplification and histological grade was significantly higher in the A-bomb survivors than control group (P = 0.04, respectively. The total length of CNA tended to be larger in the A-bomb survivors (P = 0.15. Correlation analysis of CNA and clinicopathological factors revealed that DLRSpread was negatively correlated with that significantly (P = 0.034, r = -0.40. Multivariate analysis with covariance revealed that the exposure to A-bomb was a significant (P = 0.005 independent factor which was associated with larger total length of CNA of breast cancers. Conclusions Thus, archival FFPE tissues from A-bomb survivors are useful for

Significance of genomic instability in breast cancer in atomic bomb survivors: analysis of microarray-comparative genomic hybridization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Oikawa, Masahiro; Yoshiura, Koh-ichiro; Kondo, Hisayoshi; Miura, Shiro; Nagayasu, Takeshi; Nakashima, Masahiro

2011-01-01

It has been postulated that ionizing radiation induces breast cancers among atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors. We have reported a higher incidence of HER2 and C-MYC oncogene amplification in breast cancers from A-bomb survivors. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of A-bomb radiation exposure on genomic instability (GIN), which is an important hallmark of carcinogenesis, in archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues of breast cancer by using microarray-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Tumor DNA was extracted from FFPE tissues of invasive ductal cancers from 15 survivors who were exposed at 1.5 km or less from the hypocenter and 13 calendar year-matched non-exposed patients followed by aCGH analysis using a high-density oligonucleotide microarray. The total length of copy number aberrations (CNA) was used as an indicator of GIN, and correlation with clinicopathological factors were statistically tested. The mean of the derivative log ratio spread (DLRSpread), which estimates the noise by calculating the spread of log ratio differences between consecutive probes for all chromosomes, was 0.54 (range, 0.26 to 1.05). The concordance of results between aCGH and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2 gene amplification was 88%. The incidence of HER2 amplification and histological grade was significantly higher in the A-bomb survivors than control group (P = 0.04, respectively). The total length of CNA tended to be larger in the A-bomb survivors (P = 0.15). Correlation analysis of CNA and clinicopathological factors revealed that DLRSpread was negatively correlated with that significantly (P = 0.034, r = -0.40). Multivariate analysis with covariance revealed that the exposure to A-bomb was a significant (P = 0.005) independent factor which was associated with larger total length of CNA of breast cancers. Thus, archival FFPE tissues from A-bomb survivors are useful for genome-wide aCGH analysis. Our results suggested that A

Significance of genomic instability in breast cancer in atomic bomb survivors: analysis of microarray-comparative genomic hybridization.

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Oikawa, Masahiro; Yoshiura, Koh-ichiro; Kondo, Hisayoshi; Miura, Shiro; Nagayasu, Takeshi; Nakashima, Masahiro

2011-12-07

It has been postulated that ionizing radiation induces breast cancers among atomic bomb (A-bomb) survivors. We have reported a higher incidence of HER2 and C-MYC oncogene amplification in breast cancers from A-bomb survivors. The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of A-bomb radiation exposure on genomic instability (GIN), which is an important hallmark of carcinogenesis, in archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissues of breast cancer by using microarray-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH). Tumor DNA was extracted from FFPE tissues of invasive ductal cancers from 15 survivors who were exposed at 1.5 km or less from the hypocenter and 13 calendar year-matched non-exposed patients followed by aCGH analysis using a high-density oligonucleotide microarray. The total length of copy number aberrations (CNA) was used as an indicator of GIN, and correlation with clinicopathological factors were statistically tested. The mean of the derivative log ratio spread (DLRSpread), which estimates the noise by calculating the spread of log ratio differences between consecutive probes for all chromosomes, was 0.54 (range, 0.26 to 1.05). The concordance of results between aCGH and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for HER2 gene amplification was 88%. The incidence of HER2 amplification and histological grade was significantly higher in the A-bomb survivors than control group (P = 0.04, respectively). The total length of CNA tended to be larger in the A-bomb survivors (P = 0.15). Correlation analysis of CNA and clinicopathological factors revealed that DLRSpread was negatively correlated with that significantly (P = 0.034, r = -0.40). Multivariate analysis with covariance revealed that the exposure to A-bomb was a significant (P = 0.005) independent factor which was associated with larger total length of CNA of breast cancers. Thus, archival FFPE tissues from A-bomb survivors are useful for genome-wide aCGH analysis. Our results suggested that A

Telomeres and viruses: common themes of genome maintenance

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Deng, Zhong; Wang, Zhuo; Lieberman, Paul M.

2012-01-01

Genome maintenance mechanisms actively suppress genetic instability associated with cancer and aging. Some viruses provoke genetic instability by subverting the host’s control of genome maintenance. Viruses have their own specialized strategies for genome maintenance, which can mimic and modify host cell processes. Here, we review some of the common features of genome maintenance utilized by viruses and host chromosomes, with a particular focus on terminal repeat (TR) elements. The TRs of cellular chromosomes, better known as telomeres, have well-established roles in cellular chromosome stability. Cellular telomeres are themselves maintained by viral-like mechanisms, including self-propagation by reverse transcription, recombination, and retrotransposition. Viral TR elements, like cellular telomeres, are essential for viral genome stability and propagation. We review the structure and function of viral repeat elements and discuss how they may share telomere-like structures and genome protection functions. We consider how viral infections modulate telomere regulatory factors for viral repurposing and can alter normal host telomere structure and chromosome stability. Understanding the common strategies of viral and cellular genome maintenance may provide new insights into viral–host interactions and the mechanisms driving genetic instability in cancer. PMID:23293769

Chromosomal instability can be induced by the formation of breakage-prone chromosome rearrangement junctions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, R.N.; Ritter, L.; Moore, S.R.; Grosovsky, A.J.

2003-01-01

Full text: Studies in our lab have led to the hypothesis that chromosomal rearrangements can generate novel breakage-prone sites, resulting in chromosomal instability acting predominantly in cis. For example, specific breakage of large blocks of centromeric region heterochromatin on chromosome 16q by treatment with 2,6-diaminopurine (DAP) is associated with repeated rearrangement of chromosome 16q during outgrowth of DAP-treated clones, thereby establishing a link between the initial site of damage and the occurrence of persistent chromosomal instability. Similarly, karyotypic analysis of gamma ray induced instability demonstrated that chromosomal rearrangements in sub-clones were significantly clustered near the site of previously identified chromosomal rearrangement junctions in unstable parental clones. This study investigates the hypothesis that integration of transfected sequences into host chromosomes could create breakage-prone junction regions and persistent genomic instability without exposure to DNA-damage agents. These junctions may mimic the unstable chromosomal rearrangements induced by DAP or radiation, and thus provide a test of the broader hypothesis that instability can to some extent be attributed to the formation of novel chromosomal breakage hot spots. These experiments were performed using human-hamster hybrid AL cells containing a single human chromosome 11, which was used to monitor instability in a chromosomal painting assay. AL cells were transfected with a 2.5 Kb fragment containing multiple copies of the 180 bp human alpha heterochromatic repeat, which resulted in chromosomal instability in 41% of the transfected clones. Parallel exposure to gamma-radiation resulted in a similar level of chromosomal instability, although control transfections with plasmid alone did not lead to karyotypic instability. Chromosomal instability induced by integration of alpha heterochromatic repeats was also frequently associated with delayed reproductive

Genomic instability in human actinic keratosis and squamous cell carcinoma

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Cabral, Luciana Sanches; Neto, Cyro Festa; Sanches, José A; Ruiz, Itamar R G

2011-01-01

OBJECTIVE: To compare the repetitive DNA patterns of human actinic keratoses and squamous cell carcinomas to determine the genetic alterations that are associated with malignant transformation. INTRODUCTION: Cancer cells are prone to genomic instability, which is often due to DNA polymerase slippage during the replication of repetitive DNA and to mutations in the DNA repair genes. The progression of benign actinic keratoses to malignant squamous cell carcinomas has been proposed by several authors. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Eight actinic keratoses and 24 squamous cell carcinomas (SCC), which were pair-matched to adjacent skin tissues and/or leucocytes, were studied. The presence of microsatellite instability (MSI) and the loss of heterozygosity (LOH) in chromosomes 6 and 9 were investigated using nine PCR primer pairs. Random Amplified Polymorphic DNA patterns were also evaluated using eight primers. RESULTS: MSI was detected in two (D6S251, D9S50) of the eight actinic keratosis patients. Among the 8 patients who had squamous cell carcinoma-I and provided informative results, a single patient exhibited two LOH (D6S251, D9S287) and two instances of MSI (D9S180, D9S280). Two LOH and one example of MSI (D6S251) were detected in three out of the 10 patients with squamous cell carcinoma-II. Among the four patients with squamous cell carcinoma-III, one patient displayed three MSIs (D6S251, D6S252, and D9S180) and another patient exhibited an MSI (D9S280). The altered random amplified polymorphic DNA ranged from 70% actinic keratoses, 76% squamous cell carcinoma-I, and 90% squamous cell carcinoma-II, to 100% squamous cell carcinoma-III. DISCUSSION: The increased levels of alterations in the microsatellites, particularly in D6S251, and the random amplified polymorphic DNA fingerprints were statistically significant in squamous cell carcinomas, compared with actinic keratoses. CONCLUSION: The overall alterations that were observed in the repetitive DNA of actinic keratoses and

Effects of As2O3 on DNA methylation, genomic instability, and LTR retrotransposon polymorphism in Zea mays.

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Erturk, Filiz Aygun; Aydin, Murat; Sigmaz, Burcu; Taspinar, M Sinan; Arslan, Esra; Agar, Guleray; Yagci, Semra

2015-12-01

Arsenic is a well-known toxic substance on the living organisms. However, limited efforts have been made to study its DNA methylation, genomic instability, and long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposon polymorphism causing properties in different crops. In the present study, effects of As2O3 (arsenic trioxide) on LTR retrotransposon polymorphism and DNA methylation as well as DNA damage in Zea mays seedlings were investigated. The results showed that all of arsenic doses caused a decreasing genomic template stability (GTS) and an increasing Random Amplified Polymorphic DNAs (RAPDs) profile changes (DNA damage). In addition, increasing DNA methylation and LTR retrotransposon polymorphism characterized a model to explain the epigenetically changes in the gene expression were also found. The results of this experiment have clearly shown that arsenic has epigenetic effect as well as its genotoxic effect. Especially, the increasing of polymorphism of some LTR retrotransposon under arsenic stress may be a part of the defense system against the stress.

Chromosomal Instability in Gastric Cancer Biology

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Saffiyeh Saboor Maleki

2017-05-01

Full Text Available Gastric cancer (GC is the fifth most common cancer in the world and accounts for 7% of the total cancer incidence. The prognosis of GC is dismal in Western countries due to late diagnosis: approximately 70% of the patients die within 5 years following initial diagnosis. Recently, integrative genomic analyses led to the proposal of a molecular classification of GC into four subtypes, i.e.,microsatellite-instable, Epstein-Barr virus–positive, chromosomal-instable (CIN, and genomically stable GCs. Molecular classification of GC advances our knowledge of the biology of GC and may have implications for diagnostics and patient treatment. Diagnosis of microsatellite-instable GC and Epstein-Barr virus–positive GC is more or less straightforward. Microsatellite instability can be tested by immunohistochemistry (MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6 and/or molecular-biological analysis. Epstein-Barr virus–positive GC can be tested by in situ hybridization (Epstein-Barr virus encoded small RNA. However, with regard to CIN, testing may be more complicated and may require a more in-depth knowledge of the underlying mechanism leading to CIN. In addition, CIN GC may not constitute a distinct subgroup but may rather be a compilation of a more heterogeneous group of tumors. In this review, we aim to clarify the definition of CIN and to point out the molecular mechanisms leading to this molecular phenotype and the challenges faced in characterizing this type of cancer.

The Quiescent Cellular State is Arf/p53-Dependent and Associated with H2AX Downregulation and Genome Stability

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Mitsuko Masutani

2012-05-01

Full Text Available Cancer is a disease associated with genomic instability and mutations. Excluding some tumors with specific chromosomal translocations, most cancers that develop at an advanced age are characterized by either chromosomal or microsatellite instability. However, it is still unclear how genomic instability and mutations are generated during the process of cellular transformation and how the development of genomic instability contributes to cellular transformation. Recent studies of cellular regulation and tetraploidy development have provided insights into the factors triggering cellular transformation and the regulatory mechanisms that protect chromosomes from genomic instability.

Phosphate steering by Flap Endonuclease 1 promotes 5′-flap specificity and incision to prevent genome instability

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Tsutakawa, Susan E.

2017-06-27

DNA replication and repair enzyme Flap Endonuclease 1 (FEN1) is vital for genome integrity, and FEN1 mutations arise in multiple cancers. FEN1 precisely cleaves single-stranded (ss) 5\\'-flaps one nucleotide into duplex (ds) DNA. Yet, how FEN1 selects for but does not incise the ss 5\\'-flap was enigmatic. Here we combine crystallographic, biochemical and genetic analyses to show that two dsDNA binding sites set the 5\\'polarity and to reveal unexpected control of the DNA phosphodiester backbone by electrostatic interactions. Via phosphate steering\\', basic residues energetically steer an inverted ss 5\\'-flap through a gateway over FEN1\\'s active site and shift dsDNA for catalysis. Mutations of these residues cause an 18,000-fold reduction in catalytic rate in vitro and large-scale trinucleotide (GAA) repeat expansions in vivo, implying failed phosphate-steering promotes an unanticipated lagging-strand template-switch mechanism during replication. Thus, phosphate steering is an unappreciated FEN1 function that enforces 5\\'-flap specificity and catalysis, preventing genomic instability.

New type of genome instability in Drosophila melanogaster

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Georgiev, P.G.; Simonova, O.B.; Gerasimova, T.I.

1988-01-01

During crossing of two stable laboratory lines, y 2 sc 1w aG and Df(1)Pgd-kz/FM4, y 31d sc 8 dm B, consistent instability originated reproducibly in progeny containing a y 2 sc 1 w aG chromosome and autosomes of both lines. It is expressed in active mutagenesis observed over the course of several tens of generations. Destabilization occurs independently of direction of crossing. Mutagenesis occurs both in somatic and in sex cells of males and females. It displays high locus specificity. A transpositional nature was shown for at least some of the mutations. Results of the experiments concerning hybridization in situ with different mobile elements indicates an absence or low frequency of tranpositional bursts in the system. Possible mechanisms of induction of genetic instability in the system described are discussed

Enhancing Biology Instruction with the Human Genome Project

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Buxeda, Rosa J.; Moore-Russo, Deborah A.

2003-01-01

The Human Genome Project (HGP) is a recent scientific milestone that has received notable attention. This article shows how a biology course is using the HGP to enhance students' experiences by providing awareness of cutting edge research, with information on new emerging career options, and with opportunities to consider ethical questions raised…

The DNA-instability test as a specific marker of malignancy and its application to detect cancer clones in borderline malignancy

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M Fukuda

2009-06-01

Full Text Available Recent progress in cytogenetic and biochemical mutator assay technologies has enabled us to detect single gene alterations and gross chromosomal rearrangements, and it became clear that all cancer cells are genetically unstable. In order to detect the genome-wide instability of cancer cells, a new simple method, the DNA-instability test, was developed. The methods to detect genomic instability so far reported have only demonstrated the presence of qualitative and quantitative alterations in certain specific genomic loci. In contrast to these commonly used methods to reveal the genomic instability at certain specific DNA regions, the newly introduced DNA-instability test revealed the presence of physical DNA-instability in the entire DNA molecule of a cancer cell nucleus as revealed by increased liability to denature upon HCl hydrolysis or formamide exposure. When this test was applied to borderline malignancies, cancer clones were detected in all cases at an early-stage of cancer progression. We proposed a new concept of “procancer” clones to define those cancer clones with “functional atypia” showing positivities for various cancer markers, as well as DNA-instability testing, but showing no remarkable ordinary “morphological atypia” which is commonly used as the basis of histopathological diagnosis of malignancy.

Current Hypotheses on How Microsatellite Instability Leads to Enhanced Survival of Lynch Syndrome Patients

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Kristen M. Drescher

2010-01-01

Full Text Available High levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-high are a cardinal feature of colorectal tumors from patients with Lynch Syndrome. Other key characteristics of Lynch Syndrome are that these patients experience fewer metastases and have enhanced survival when compared to patients diagnosed with microsatellite stable (MSS colorectal cancer. Many of the characteristics associated with Lynch Syndrome including enhanced survival are also observed in patients with sporadic MSI-high colorectal cancer. In this review we will present the current state of knowledge regarding the mechanisms that are utilized by the host to control colorectal cancer in Lynch Syndrome and why these same mechanisms fail in MSS colorectal cancers.

Current hypotheses on how microsatellite instability leads to enhanced survival of Lynch Syndrome patients.

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Drescher, Kristen M; Sharma, Poonam; Lynch, Henry T

2010-01-01

High levels of microsatellite instability (MSI-high) are a cardinal feature of colorectal tumors from patients with Lynch Syndrome. Other key characteristics of Lynch Syndrome are that these patients experience fewer metastases and have enhanced survival when compared to patients diagnosed with microsatellite stable (MSS) colorectal cancer. Many of the characteristics associated with Lynch Syndrome including enhanced survival are also observed in patients with sporadic MSI-high colorectal cancer. In this review we will present the current state of knowledge regarding the mechanisms that are utilized by the host to control colorectal cancer in Lynch Syndrome and why these same mechanisms fail in MSS colorectal cancers.

Tertiary Epimutations – A Novel Aspect of Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance Promoting Genome Instability

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McCarrey, John R.; Lehle, Jake D.; Raju, Seetha S.; Wang, Yufeng; Nilsson, Eric E.; Skinner, Michael K.

2016-01-01

Exposure to environmental factors can induce the epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of disease. Alterations to the epigenome termed “epimutations” include “primary epimutations” which are epigenetic alterations in the absence of genetic change and “secondary epimutations” which form following an initial genetic change. To determine if secondary epimutations contribute to transgenerational transmission of disease following in utero exposure to the endocrine disruptor vinclozolin, we exposed pregnant female rats carrying the lacI mutation-reporter transgene to vinclozolin and assessed the frequency of mutations in kidney tissue and sperm recovered from F1 and F3 generation progeny. Our results confirm that vinclozolin induces primary epimutations rather than secondary epimutations, but also suggest that some primary epimutations can predispose a subsequent accelerated accumulation of genetic mutations in F3 generation descendants that have the potential to contribute to transgenerational phenotypes. We therefore propose the existence of “tertiary epimutations” which are initial primary epimutations that promote genome instability leading to an accelerated accumulation of genetic mutations. PMID:27992467

Genome-Enhanced Detection and Identification (GEDI of plant pathogens

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Nicolas Feau

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Plant diseases caused by fungi and Oomycetes represent worldwide threats to crops and forest ecosystems. Effective prevention and appropriate management of emerging diseases rely on rapid detection and identification of the causal pathogens. The increase in genomic resources makes it possible to generate novel genome-enhanced DNA detection assays that can exploit whole genomes to discover candidate genes for pathogen detection. A pipeline was developed to identify genome regions that discriminate taxa or groups of taxa and can be converted into PCR assays. The modular pipeline is comprised of four components: (1 selection and genome sequencing of phylogenetically related taxa, (2 identification of clusters of orthologous genes, (3 elimination of false positives by filtering, and (4 assay design. This pipeline was applied to some of the most important plant pathogens across three broad taxonomic groups: Phytophthoras (Stramenopiles, Oomycota, Dothideomycetes (Fungi, Ascomycota and Pucciniales (Fungi, Basidiomycota. Comparison of 73 fungal and Oomycete genomes led the discovery of 5,939 gene clusters that were unique to the targeted taxa and an additional 535 that were common at higher taxonomic levels. Approximately 28% of the 299 tested were converted into qPCR assays that met our set of specificity criteria. This work demonstrates that a genome-wide approach can efficiently identify multiple taxon-specific genome regions that can be converted into highly specific PCR assays. The possibility to easily obtain multiple alternative regions to design highly specific qPCR assays should be of great help in tackling challenging cases for which higher taxon-resolution is needed.

Genomic instability in mice is greater in Fanconi anemia caused by deficiency of Fancd2 than Fancg.

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Reliene, Ramune; Yamamoto, Mitsuko L; Rao, P Nagesh; Schiestl, Robert H

2010-12-01

Fanconi anemia (FA) results from mutations in the FANC genes and is characterized by bone marrow failure, birth defects, and a high incidence of cancer. FANCG is a part of the FA core complex that is responsible for monoubiquitination of FANCD2 and FANCI. The precise role of the FA pathway is not well understood, although it may be involved in homologous recombination (HR), nonhomologous end joining, and translesion synthesis (TLS). Fancd2(-/-) mice have a more severe phenotype than Fancg(-/-), and other FA core complex-deficient mice, although both Fancg and Fancd2 belong to the same FA pathway. We hypothesized that Fancd2 deficiency results in a more severe phenotype because Fancd2 also has a FA pathway-independent function in the maintenance of genomic integrity. To test this hypothesis, we determined the level of DNA damage and genomic instability in Fancd2(-/-), Fancg(-/-), and wild-type controls. Fancd2(-/-) mice displayed a higher magnitude of chromosomal breakage and micronucleus formation than the wild-type or Fancg(-/-) mice. Also, DNA strand breaks were increased in Fancd2(-/-) but not in Fancg(-/-) mice. In addition, Fancd2(-/-) mice displayed an elevated frequency of DNA deletions, resulting from HR at the endogenous p(un) locus. In contrast, in Fancg(-/-) mice, the frequency of DNA deletions was decreased. Thus, Fancd2 but not Fancg deficiency results in elevated chromosomal/DNA breakage and permanent genome rearrangements. This provides evidence that Fancd2 plays an additional role in the maintenance of genomic stability than Fancg, which might explain the higher predisposition to cancer seen in the Fancd2(-/-) mice.

Genomic instability and telomere fusion of canine osteosarcoma cells.

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Junko Maeda

Full Text Available Canine osteosarcoma (OSA is known to present with highly variable and chaotic karyotypes, including hypodiploidy, hyperdiploidy, and increased numbers of metacentric chromosomes. The spectrum of genomic instabilities in canine OSA has significantly augmented the difficulty in clearly defining the biological and clinical significance of the observed cytogenetic abnormalities. In this study, eight canine OSA cell lines were used to investigate telomere fusions by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH using a peptide nucleotide acid probe. We characterized each cell line by classical cytogenetic studies and cellular phenotypes including telomere associated factors and then evaluated correlations from this data. All eight canine OSA cell lines displayed increased abnormal metacentric chromosomes and exhibited numerous telomere fusions and interstitial telomeric signals. Also, as evidence of unstable telomeres, colocalization of γ-H2AX and telomere signals in interphase cells was observed. Each cell line was characterized by a combination of data representing cellular doubling time, DNA content, chromosome number, metacentric chromosome frequency, telomere signal level, cellular radiosensitivity, and DNA-PKcs protein expression level. We have also studied primary cultures from 10 spontaneous canine OSAs. Based on the observation of telomere aberrations in those primary cell cultures, we are reasonably certain that our observations in cell lines are not an artifact of prolonged culture. A correlation between telomere fusions and the other characteristics analyzed in our study could not be identified. However, it is important to note that all of the canine OSA samples exhibiting telomere fusion utilized in our study were telomerase positive. Pending further research regarding telomerase negative canine OSA cell lines, our findings may suggest telomere fusions can potentially serve as a novel marker for canine OSA.

Bloom syndrome ortholog HIM-6 maintains genomic stability in C. elegans.

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Grabowski, Melissa M; Svrzikapa, Nenad; Tissenbaum, Heidi A

2005-12-01

Bloom syndrome is caused by mutation of the Bloom helicase (BLM), a member of the RecQ helicase family. Loss of BLM function results in genomic instability that causes a high incidence of cancer. It has been demonstrated that BLM is important for maintaining genomic stability by playing a role in DNA recombination and repair; however, the exact function of BLM is not clearly understood. To determine the mechanism by which BLM controls genomic stability in vivo, we examined the phenotypes caused by mutation of the C. elegans BLM helicase ortholog, HIM-6. We find that the loss of HIM-6 leads to genomic instability as evidenced by an increased number of genomic insertions and deletions, which results in visible random mutant phenotypes. In addition to the mutator phenotype, him-6 mutants have a low brood size, a high incidence of males, a shortened life span, and an increased amount of germ line apoptosis. Upon exposure to high temperature, him-6 mutants that are serially passed become sterile demonstrating a mortal germ line phenotype. Our data suggest a model in which loss of HIM-6 results in genomic instability due to an increased number of DNA lesions, which either cannot be repaired and/or are introduced by low fidelity recombination events. The increased level of genomic instability that leads to him-6(ok412) mutants having a shortened life span.

Transcription as a Threat to Genome Integrity.

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Gaillard, Hélène; Aguilera, Andrés

2016-06-02

Genomes undergo different types of sporadic alterations, including DNA damage, point mutations, and genome rearrangements, that constitute the basis for evolution. However, these changes may occur at high levels as a result of cell pathology and trigger genome instability, a hallmark of cancer and a number of genetic diseases. In the last two decades, evidence has accumulated that transcription constitutes an important natural source of DNA metabolic errors that can compromise the integrity of the genome. Transcription can create the conditions for high levels of mutations and recombination by its ability to open the DNA structure and remodel chromatin, making it more accessible to DNA insulting agents, and by its ability to become a barrier to DNA replication. Here we review the molecular basis of such events from a mechanistic perspective with particular emphasis on the role of transcription as a genome instability determinant.

Chromosomal Replication Complexity: A Novel DNA Metrics and Genome Instability Factor.

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Andrei Kuzminov

2016-10-01

Full Text Available As the ratio of the copy number of the most replicated to the unreplicated regions in the same chromosome, the definition of chromosomal replication complexity (CRC appears to leave little room for variation, being either two during S-phase or one otherwise. However, bacteria dividing faster than they replicate their chromosome spike CRC to four and even eight. A recent experimental inquiry about the limits of CRC in Escherichia coli revealed two major reasons to avoid elevating it further: (i increased chromosomal fragmentation and (ii complications with subsequent double-strand break repair. Remarkably, examples of stable elevated CRC in eukaryotic chromosomes are well known under various terms like "differential replication," "underreplication," "DNA puffs," "onion-skin replication," or "re-replication" and highlight the phenomenon of static replication fork (sRF. To accurately describe the resulting "amplification by overinitiation," I propose a new term: "replification" (subchromosomal overreplication. In both prokaryotes and eukaryotes, replification, via sRF processing, causes double-strand DNA breaks and, with their repair elevating chromosomal rearrangements, represents a novel genome instability factor. I suggest how static replication bubbles could be stabilized and speculate that some tandem duplications represent such persistent static bubbles. Moreover, I propose how static replication bubbles could be transformed into tandem duplications, double minutes, or inverted triplications. Possible experimental tests of these models are discussed.

Critical target and dose and dose-rate responses for the induction of chromosomal instability by ionizing radiation

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Limoli, C. L.; Corcoran, J. J.; Milligan, J. R.; Ward, J. F.; Morgan, W. F.

1999-01-01

To investigate the critical target, dose response and dose-rate response for the induction of chromosomal instability by ionizing radiation, bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU)-substituted and unsubstituted GM10115 cells were exposed to a range of doses (0.1-10 Gy) and different dose rates (0.092-17.45 Gy min(-1)). The status of chromosomal stability was determined by fluorescence in situ hybridization approximately 20 generations after irradiation in clonal populations derived from single progenitor cells surviving acute exposure. Overall, nearly 700 individual clones representing over 140,000 metaphases were analyzed. In cells unsubstituted with BrdU, a dose response was found, where the probability of observing delayed chromosomal instability in any given clone was 3% per gray of X rays. For cells substituted with 25-66% BrdU, however, a dose response was observed only at low doses (1.0 Gy), the incidence of chromosomal instability leveled off. There was an increase in the frequency and complexity of chromosomal instability per unit dose compared to cells unsubstituted with BrdU. The frequency of chromosomal instability appeared to saturate around approximately 30%, an effect which occurred at much lower doses in the presence of BrdU. Changing the gamma-ray dose rate by a factor of 190 (0.092 to 17.45 Gy min(-1)) produced no significant differences in the frequency of chromosomal instability. The enhancement of chromosomal instability promoted by the presence of the BrdU argues that DNA comprises at least one of the critical targets important for the induction of this end point of genomic instability.

Genome Architecture and Its Roles in Human Copy Number Variation

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Lu Chen

2014-12-01

Full Text Available Besides single-nucleotide variants in the human genome, large-scale genomic variants, such as copy number variations (CNVs, are being increasingly discovered as a genetic source of human diversity and the pathogenic factors of diseases. Recent experimental findings have shed light on the links between different genome architectures and CNV mutagenesis. In this review, we summarize various genomic features and discuss their contributions to CNV formation. Genomic repeats, including both low-copy and high-copy repeats, play important roles in CNV instability, which was initially known as DNA recombination events. Furthermore, it has been found that human genomic repeats can also induce DNA replication errors and consequently result in CNV mutations. Some recent studies showed that DNA replication timing, which reflects the high-order information of genomic organization, is involved in human CNV mutations. Our review highlights that genome architecture, from DNA sequence to high-order genomic organization, is an important molecular factor in CNV mutagenesis and human genomic instability.

Enhanced production of fructosyltransferase in Aspergillus oryzae by genome shuffling.

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Wang, Shenghai; Duan, Mengjie; Liu, Yalan; Fan, Sen; Lin, Xiaoshan; Zhang, Yi

2017-03-01

To breed Aspergillus oryzae strains with high fructosyltransferase (FTase) activity using intraspecific protoplast fusion via genome-shuffling. A candidate library was developed using UV/LiCl of the conidia of A. oryzae SBB201. By screening for enzyme activity and cell biomass, two mutants (UV-11 and UV-76) were chosen for protoplast fusion and subsequent genome shuffling. After three rounds of genome recombination, a fusion mutant RIII-7 was obtained. Its FTase activity was 180 U g -1 , approximately double that of the original strain, and RIII-7 was genetically stable. In fermentation culture, FTase activity of the genome-shuffled strain reached a maximum of 353 U g -1 using substrate-feeding method, and this value was approximately 3.4-times higher than that of the original strain A. oryzae SBB201. Intraspecific protoplast fusion of A. oryzae significantly enhanced FTase activity and generated a potentially useful strain for industrial production.

Enhancing Targeted Genomic DNA Editing in Chicken Cells Using the CRISPR/Cas9 System

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Wang, Ling; Yang, Likai; Guo, Yijie; Du, Weili; Yin, Yajun; Zhang, Tao; Lu, Hongzhao

2017-01-01

The CRISPR/Cas9 system has enabled highly efficient genome targeted editing for various organisms. However, few studies have focused on CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease-mediated chicken genome editing compared with mammalian genomes. The current study combined CRISPR with yeast Rad52 (yRad52) to enhance targeted genomic DNA editing in chicken DF-1 cells. The efficiency of CRISPR/Cas9 nuclease-induced targeted mutations in the chicken genome was increased to 41.9% via the enrichment of the dual-reporter surrogate system. In addition, the combined effect of CRISPR nuclease and yRad52 dramatically increased the efficiency of the targeted substitution in the myostatin gene using 50-mer oligodeoxynucleotides (ssODN) as the donor DNA, resulting in a 36.7% editing efficiency after puromycin selection. Furthermore, based on the effect of yRad52, the frequency of exogenous gene integration in the chicken genome was more than 3-fold higher than that without yRad52. Collectively, these results suggest that ssODN is an ideal donor DNA for targeted substitution and that CRISPR/Cas9 combined with yRad52 significantly enhances chicken genome editing. These findings could be extensively applied in other organisms. PMID:28068387

Possible radioprotective effect of folic acid supplementation on low dose ionizing radiation-induced genomic instability in vitro.

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Padula, Gisel; Ponzinibbio, María Virginia; Seoane, Analia I

2016-08-01

Ionizing radiation (IR) induces DNA damage through production of single and double-strand breaks and reactive oxygen species (ROS). Folic acid (FA) prevents radiation-induced DNA damage by modification of DNA synthesis and/or repair and as a radical scavenger. We hypothesized that in vitro supplementation with FA will decrease the sensitivity of cells to genetic damage induced by low dose of ionizing radiation. Annexin V, comet and micronucleus assays were performed in cultured CHO cells. After 7 days of pre-treatment with 0, 100, 200 or 300 nM FA, cultures were exposed to radiation (100 mSv). Two un-irradiated controls were executed (0 and 100 nM FA). Data were statistically analyzed with X2-test and linear regression analysis (P 0.05). We observed a significantly decreased frequency of apoptotic cells with the increasing FA concentration (P <0.05). The same trend was observed when analyzing DNA damage and chromosomal instability (P <0.05 for 300 nM). Only micronuclei frequencies showed significant differences for linear regression analysis (R2=94.04; P <0.01). Our results have demonstrated the radioprotective effect of folic acid supplementation on low dose ionizing radiation-induced genomic instability in vitro; folate status should be taken into account when studying the effect of low dose radiation in environmental or occupational exposure.

Cadmium-induced genomic instability in Arabidopsis: Molecular toxicological biomarkers for early diagnosis of cadmium stress.

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Wang, Hetong; He, Lei; Song, Jie; Cui, Weina; Zhang, Yanzhao; Jia, Chunyun; Francis, Dennis; Rogers, Hilary J; Sun, Lizong; Tai, Peidong; Hui, Xiujuan; Yang, Yuesuo; Liu, Wan

2016-05-01

Microsatellite instability (MSI) analysis, random-amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD), and methylation-sensitive arbitrarily primed PCR (MSAP-PCR) are methods to evaluate the toxicity of environmental pollutants in stress-treated plants and human cancer cells. Here, we evaluate these techniques to screen for genetic and epigenetic alterations of Arabidopsis plantlets exposed to 0-5.0 mg L(-1) cadmium (Cd) for 15 d. There was a substantial increase in RAPD polymorphism of 24.5, and in genomic methylation polymorphism of 30.5-34.5 at CpG and of 14.5-20 at CHG sites under Cd stress of 5.0 mg L(-1) by RAPD and of 0.25-5.0 mg L(-1) by MSAP-PCR, respectively. However, only a tiny increase of 1.5 loci by RAPD occurred under Cd stress of 4.0 mg L(-1), and an additional high dose (8.0 mg L(-1)) resulted in one repeat by MSI analysis. MSAP-PCR detected the most significant epigenetic modifications in plantlets exposed to Cd stress, and the patterns of hypermethylation and polymorphisms were consistent with inverted U-shaped dose responses. The presence of genomic methylation polymorphism in Cd-treated seedlings, prior to the onset of RAPD polymorphism, MSI and obvious growth effects, suggests that these altered DNA methylation loci are the most sensitive biomarkers for early diagnosis and risk assessment of genotoxic effects of Cd pollution in ecotoxicology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The role of radiation types and dose in induced genomic instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadhim Munira, A.

2007-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Genomic Instability (GI) is defined as long-term alterations induced by low-dose exposure to a variety of genotoxic agents in mammalian cells that act to increase the 'apparent' spontaneous mutation frequency.GI is a hallmark of tumorigenic progression and is observed in the progeny of irradiated and bystander cells as the delayed and stochastic appearance of de novo chromosomal aberrations, gene mutations and delayed lethal mutations both in vitro and in vivo. It occurs at a frequency several orders of magnitude greater than would be expected for mutation in a single gene, implying that GI is a multigenic phenomenon. The expression of GI can be influenced by genotype, cell type and radiation quality; however the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. While several studies have demonstrated GI induction by high and low LET radiation, our work on human and mouse primary cell systems has shown significant differences in the capacity to induce GI and the spectrum of alterations depending on LET. These differences might be attributed to differences in radiation track structure, radiation dose and radiation exposure regime (distribution of hit and un hit cells). In this presentation I shall review the role of radiation quality; describe the possible mechanisms underlining the observed differences between radiation type and present results of experiments demonstrating that the dose of low LET radiation might be the most significant factor in determining the role of radiation type in the induction of GI.

Environmental and molecular characterization of systems which affect genome alteration in pseudomonas aeruginosa

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Miller, R.V.; Kokjohn, T.A.; Sayler, G.S.

1990-01-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is used as a model organism to study genome alteration in freshwater microbial populations and horizontal gene transmission by both transduction and conjugation has been demonstrated. The studies have also provided data which suggest that intracellular genome instability may be increased in the aquatic environment as a result of stresses encountered by the cell in this habitat. The role of the P. aeruginosa recA analog in regulating genome instability is also addressed

Non-targeted and delayed effects of exposure to ionizing radiation: I. Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects in vitro

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Morgan, William F.

2003-01-01

A long-standing dogma in the radiation sciences is that energy from radiation must be deposited in the cell nucleus to elicit a biological effect. A number of non-targeted, delayed effects of ionizing radiation have been described that challenge this dogma and pose new challenges to evaluating potential hazards associated with radiation exposure. These effects include induced genomic instability and non-targeted bystander effects. The in vitro evidence for non-targeted effects in radiation biology will be reviewed, but the question as to how one extrapolates from these in vitro observations to the risk of radiation-induced adverse health effects such as cancer remains open.

Genome-wide analysis in UK Biobank identifies four loci associated with mood instability and genetic correlation with major depressive disorder, anxiety disorder and schizophrenia.

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Ward, Joey; Strawbridge, Rona J; Bailey, Mark E S; Graham, Nicholas; Ferguson, Amy; Lyall, Donald M; Cullen, Breda; Pidgeon, Laura M; Cavanagh, Jonathan; Mackay, Daniel F; Pell, Jill P; O'Donovan, Michael; Escott-Price, Valentina; Smith, Daniel J

2017-11-30

Mood instability is a core clinical feature of affective and psychotic disorders. In keeping with the Research Domain Criteria approach, it may be a useful construct for identifying biology that cuts across psychiatric categories. We aimed to investigate the biological validity of a simple measure of mood instability and evaluate its genetic relationship with several psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder (BD), schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of mood instability in 53,525 cases and 60,443 controls from UK Biobank, identifying four independently associated loci (on chromosomes 8, 9, 14 and 18), and a common single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based heritability estimate of ~8%. We found a strong genetic correlation between mood instability and MDD (r g  = 0.60, SE = 0.07, p = 8.95 × 10 -17 ) and a small but significant genetic correlation with both schizophrenia (r g  = 0.11, SE = 0.04, p = 0.01) and anxiety disorders (r g  = 0.28, SE = 0.14, p = 0.04), although no genetic correlation with BD, ADHD or PTSD was observed. Several genes at the associated loci may have a role in mood instability, including the DCC netrin 1 receptor (DCC) gene, eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2B subunit beta (eIF2B2), placental growth factor (PGF) and protein tyrosine phosphatase, receptor type D (PTPRD). Strengths of this study include the very large sample size, but our measure of mood instability may be limited by the use of a single question. Overall, this work suggests a polygenic basis for mood instability. This simple measure can be obtained in very large samples; our findings suggest that doing so may offer the opportunity to illuminate the fundamental biology of mood regulation.

The synergistic effect of chemical carcinogens enhances Epstein-Barr virus reactivation and tumor progression of nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells.

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Fang, Chih-Yeu; Huang, Sheng-Yen; Wu, Chung-Chun; Hsu, Hui-Yu; Chou, Sheng-Ping; Tsai, Ching-Hwa; Chang, Yao; Takada, Kenzo; Chen, Jen-Yang

2012-01-01

Seroepidemiological studies imply a correlation between Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation and the development of nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). N-nitroso compounds, phorbols, and butyrates are chemicals found in food and herb samples collected from NPC high-risk areas. These chemicals have been reported to be risk factors contributing to the development of NPC, however, the underlying mechanism is not fully understood. We have demonstrated previously that low dose N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine (MNNG, 0.1 µg/ml) had a synergistic effect with 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and sodium butyrate (SB) in enhancing EBV reactivation and genome instability in NPC cells harboring EBV. Considering that residents in NPC high-risk areas may contact regularly with these chemical carcinogens, it is vital to elucidate the relation between chemicals and EBV and their contributions to the carcinogenesis of NPC. In this study, we constructed a cell culture model to show that genome instability, alterations of cancer hallmark gene expression, and tumorigenicity were increased after recurrent EBV reactivation in NPC cells following combined treatment of TPA/SB and MNNG. NPC cells latently infected with EBV, NA, and the corresponding EBV-negative cell, NPC-TW01, were periodically treated with MNNG, TPA/SB, or TPA/SB combined with MNNG. With chemically-induced recurrent reactivation of EBV, the degree of genome instability was significantly enhanced in NA cells treated with a combination of TPA/SB and MNNG than those treated individually. The Matrigel invasiveness, as well as the tumorigenicity in mouse, was also enhanced in NA cells after recurrent EBV reactivation. Expression profile analysis by microarray indicates that many carcinogenesis-related genes were altered after recurrent EBV reactivation, and several aberrations observed in cell lines correspond to alterations in NPC lesions. These results indicate that cooperation between chemical carcinogens can

Complex DNA Damage: A Route to Radiation-Induced Genomic Instability and Carcinogenesis

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Ifigeneia V. Mavragani

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Cellular effects of ionizing radiation (IR are of great variety and level, but they are mainly damaging since radiation can perturb all important components of the cell, from the membrane to the nucleus, due to alteration of different biological molecules ranging from lipids to proteins or DNA. Regarding DNA damage, which is the main focus of this review, as well as its repair, all current knowledge indicates that IR-induced DNA damage is always more complex than the corresponding endogenous damage resulting from endogenous oxidative stress. Specifically, it is expected that IR will create clusters of damage comprised of a diversity of DNA lesions like double strand breaks (DSBs, single strand breaks (SSBs and base lesions within a short DNA region of up to 15–20 bp. Recent data from our groups and others support two main notions, that these damaged clusters are: (1 repair resistant, increasing genomic instability (GI and malignant transformation and (2 can be considered as persistent “danger” signals promoting chronic inflammation and immune response, causing detrimental effects to the organism (like radiation toxicity. Last but not least, the paradigm shift for the role of radiation-induced systemic effects is also incorporated in this picture of IR-effects and consequences of complex DNA damage induction and its erroneous repair.

Genomic instability after targeted irradiation of human lymphocytes: Evidence for inter-individual differences under bystander conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kadhim, Munira A.; Lee, Ryonfa; Moore, Stephen R.; Macdonald, Denise A.; Chapman, Kim L.; Patel, Gaurang; Prise, Kevin M.

2010-01-01

Environmental 222 radon exposure is a human health concern, and many studies demonstrate that very low doses of high LET α-particle irradiation initiate deleterious genetic consequences in both irradiated and non-irradiated bystander cells. One consequence, radiation-induced genomic instability (RIGI), is a hallmark of tumorigenesis and is often assessed by measuring delayed chromosomal aberrations. We utilised a technique that facilitates transient immobilization of primary lymphocytes for targeted microbeam irradiation and have reported that environmentally relevant doses, e.g. a single 3 He 2+ particle traversal to a single cell, are sufficient to induce RIGI. Herein we sought to determine differences in radiation response in lymphocytes isolated from five healthy male donors. Primary lymphocytes were irradiated with a single particle per cell nucleus. We found evidence for inter-individual variation in radiation response (RIGI, measured as delayed chromosome aberrations). Although this was not highly significant, it was possibly masked by high levels of intra-individual variation. While there are many studies showing a link between genetic predisposition and RIGI, there are few studies linking genetic background with bystander effects in normal human lymphocytes. In an attempt to investigate inter-individual variation in the induction of bystander effects, primary lymphocytes were irradiated with a single particle under conditions where fractions of the population were traversed. We showed a marked genotype-dependent bystander response in one donor after exposure to 15% of the population. The findings may also be regarded as a radiation-induced genotype-dependent bystander effect triggering an instability phenotype.

Genomic instability after targeted irradiation of human lymphocytes: Evidence for inter-individual differences under bystander conditions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kadhim, Munira A., E-mail: mkadhim@brookes.ac.uk [School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP (United Kingdom); Lee, Ryonfa [Biophysics, GSI Helmholtzzentrum fuer Schwerionenforschung GmbH, Planckstrasse 1, D-64291 Darmstadt (Germany); Moore, Stephen R.; Macdonald, Denise A. [Radiation and Genome Stability Unit, Medical Research Council, Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD (United Kingdom); Chapman, Kim L. [School of Life Sciences, Oxford Brookes University, Oxford OX3 0BP (United Kingdom); Patel, Gaurang; Prise, Kevin M. [Centre for Cancer Research and Cell Biology, Queen' s University Belfast, Belfast BT9 7BL (United Kingdom)

2010-06-01

Environmental {sup 222}radon exposure is a human health concern, and many studies demonstrate that very low doses of high LET {alpha}-particle irradiation initiate deleterious genetic consequences in both irradiated and non-irradiated bystander cells. One consequence, radiation-induced genomic instability (RIGI), is a hallmark of tumorigenesis and is often assessed by measuring delayed chromosomal aberrations. We utilised a technique that facilitates transient immobilization of primary lymphocytes for targeted microbeam irradiation and have reported that environmentally relevant doses, e.g. a single {sup 3}He{sup 2+} particle traversal to a single cell, are sufficient to induce RIGI. Herein we sought to determine differences in radiation response in lymphocytes isolated from five healthy male donors. Primary lymphocytes were irradiated with a single particle per cell nucleus. We found evidence for inter-individual variation in radiation response (RIGI, measured as delayed chromosome aberrations). Although this was not highly significant, it was possibly masked by high levels of intra-individual variation. While there are many studies showing a link between genetic predisposition and RIGI, there are few studies linking genetic background with bystander effects in normal human lymphocytes. In an attempt to investigate inter-individual variation in the induction of bystander effects, primary lymphocytes were irradiated with a single particle under conditions where fractions of the population were traversed. We showed a marked genotype-dependent bystander response in one donor after exposure to 15% of the population. The findings may also be regarded as a radiation-induced genotype-dependent bystander effect triggering an instability phenotype.

APC/C Dysfunction Limits Excessive Cancer Chromosomal Instability.

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Sansregret, Laurent; Patterson, James O; Dewhurst, Sally; López-García, Carlos; Koch, André; McGranahan, Nicholas; Chao, William Chong Hang; Barry, David J; Rowan, Andrew; Instrell, Rachael; Horswell, Stuart; Way, Michael; Howell, Michael; Singleton, Martin R; Medema, René H; Nurse, Paul; Petronczki, Mark; Swanton, Charles

2017-02-01

Intercellular heterogeneity, exacerbated by chromosomal instability (CIN), fosters tumor heterogeneity and drug resistance. However, extreme CIN correlates with improved cancer outcome, suggesting that karyotypic diversity required to adapt to selection pressures might be balanced in tumors against the risk of excessive instability. Here, we used a functional genomics screen, genome editing, and pharmacologic approaches to identify CIN-survival factors in diploid cells. We find partial anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) dysfunction lengthens mitosis, suppresses pharmacologically induced chromosome segregation errors, and reduces naturally occurring lagging chromosomes in cancer cell lines or following tetraploidization. APC/C impairment caused adaptation to MPS1 inhibitors, revealing a likely resistance mechanism to therapies targeting the spindle assembly checkpoint. Finally, CRISPR-mediated introduction of cancer somatic mutations in the APC/C subunit cancer driver gene CDC27 reduces chromosome segregation errors, whereas reversal of an APC/C subunit nonsense mutation increases CIN. Subtle variations in mitotic duration, determined by APC/C activity, influence the extent of CIN, allowing cancer cells to dynamically optimize fitness during tumor evolution. We report a mechanism whereby cancers balance the evolutionary advantages associated with CIN against the fitness costs caused by excessive genome instability, providing insight into the consequence of CDC27 APC/C subunit driver mutations in cancer. Lengthening of mitosis through APC/C modulation may be a common mechanism of resistance to cancer therapeutics that increase chromosome segregation errors. Cancer Discov; 7(2); 218-33. ©2017 AACR.See related commentary by Burkard and Weaver, p. 134This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 115. ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Suppression of Genomic Instabilities Caused by Chromosome Mis-segregation: A Perspective From Studying BubR1 and Sgo1

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Dai, Wei

2013-01-01

Aneuploidy is a major manifestation of chromosomal instability, which is defined as a numerical abnormality of chromosomes in diploid cells. It is highly prevalent in a variety of human malignancies. Increased chromosomal instability is the major driving force for tumor development and progression. To suppress genomic stability during cell division, eukaryotic cells have evolved important molecular mechanisms, commonly referred to as checkpoints. The spindle checkpoint ensures that cells with defective mitotic spindles or a defective interaction between the spindles and kinetochores do not initiate chromosomal segregation during mitosis. Extensive studies have identified and characterized more than a dozen genes that play important roles in the regulation of the spindle checkpoint in mammalian cells. During the past decade, we have carried out extensive investigation of the role of BubR1 (Bub1-related kinase) and Sgo1 (shugoshin 1), two important gene products that safeguard accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis. This mini-review summarizes our studies, as well as those by other researchers in the field, on the functions of these two checkpoint proteins and their molecular regulation during mitosis. Further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the spindle checkpoint regulation has the potential to identify important mitotic targets for rational anticancer drug design. PMID:20040454

Suppression of Genomic Instabilities Caused by Chromosome Mis-segregation: A Perspective From Studying BubR1 and Sgo1

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Wei Dai

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Aneuploidy is a major manifestation of chromosomal instability, which is defined as a numerical abnormality of chromosomes in diploid cells. It is highly prevalent in a variety of human malignancies. Increased chromosomal instability is the major driving force for tumor development and progression. To suppress genomic stability during cell division, eukaryotic cells have evolved important molecular mechanisms, commonly referred to as checkpoints. The spindle checkpoint ensures that cells with defective mitotic spindles or a defective interaction between the spindles and kinetochores do not initiate chromosomal segregation during mitosis. Extensive studies have identified and characterized more than a dozen genes that play important roles in the regulation of the spindle checkpoint in mammalian cells. During the past decade, we have carried out extensive investigation of the role of BubR1 (Bub1-related kinase and Sgo1 (shugoshin 1, two important gene products that safeguard accurate chromosome segregation during mitosis. This mini-review summarizes our studies, as well as those by other researchers in the field, on the functions of these two checkpoint proteins and their molecular regulation during mitosis. Further elucidation of the molecular mechanisms of the spindle checkpoint regulation has the potential to identify important mitotic targets for rational anticancer drug design.

Composition driven structural instability in perovskite ferroelectrics

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Chao Xu

2017-04-01

Full Text Available Ferroelectric solid solutions usually exhibit enhanced functional properties at the morphotropic phase boundary separating two ferroelectric phases with different orientations of polarization. The underlying mechanism is generally associated with polarization rotational instability and the flattened free energy profile. In this work we show that the polarization extensional instability can also be induced at the morphotropic phase boundary beyond the reported polar-nonpolar phase boundary. The piezoelectricity enhanced by this mechanism exhibits excellent thermal stability, which helps to develop high performance piezoelectric materials with good temperature stability.

Combining magnetic sorting of mother cells and fluctuation tests to analyze genome instability during mitotic cell aging in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

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Patterson, Melissa N; Maxwell, Patrick H

2014-10-16

Saccharomyces cerevisiae has been an excellent model system for examining mechanisms and consequences of genome instability. Information gained from this yeast model is relevant to many organisms, including humans, since DNA repair and DNA damage response factors are well conserved across diverse species. However, S. cerevisiae has not yet been used to fully address whether the rate of accumulating mutations changes with increasing replicative (mitotic) age due to technical constraints. For instance, measurements of yeast replicative lifespan through micromanipulation involve very small populations of cells, which prohibit detection of rare mutations. Genetic methods to enrich for mother cells in populations by inducing death of daughter cells have been developed, but population sizes are still limited by the frequency with which random mutations that compromise the selection systems occur. The current protocol takes advantage of magnetic sorting of surface-labeled yeast mother cells to obtain large enough populations of aging mother cells to quantify rare mutations through phenotypic selections. Mutation rates, measured through fluctuation tests, and mutation frequencies are first established for young cells and used to predict the frequency of mutations in mother cells of various replicative ages. Mutation frequencies are then determined for sorted mother cells, and the age of the mother cells is determined using flow cytometry by staining with a fluorescent reagent that detects bud scars formed on their cell surfaces during cell division. Comparison of predicted mutation frequencies based on the number of cell divisions to the frequencies experimentally observed for mother cells of a given replicative age can then identify whether there are age-related changes in the rate of accumulating mutations. Variations of this basic protocol provide the means to investigate the influence of alterations in specific gene functions or specific environmental conditions on

Detection of genomic instability in descendants of male mice exposed to chronic low-level gamma-radiation using the test 'adaptive response'

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rozanova, O.M.; Zaichkina, S.I.; Akhmadieva, A.; Aptikaeva, G.F.; Klokov, D.J.

2003-01-01

Full text: The goal of the present study was to examine whether the genomic instability can be revealed in vivo using the test 'adaptive response' (AR). Two-month-old BALB/C male mice were subjected to chronic irradiation in the gamma-field with a dose of 0.1 Gy (0.01 Gy/day) and a dose of 0.5 Gy (0.01 and 0.05 Gy/day). Control animals were kept under similar conditions but without irradiation. Fifteen days after the irradiation, males from the irradiated and control groups were mated in separate cages with unirradiated females for 2 weeks. The males, descendants from irradiated and unirradiated parents, at an age of two months were subjected to additional irradiation with a dose of 1.5 Gy. To reveal the genetic instability using the AR test, another group of males, the descendants from irradiated and unirradiated parents, were exposed to acute irradiation by the scheme of AR: with an adapting dose (D1) of 0.1 Gy (0.125 Gy/min) followed after a day by a challenging dose (D2) of 1.5 Gy (0.47 Gy/min). After 28 h, the animals of all groups were killed. Bone marrow specimens for calculating micronuclei (MN) in polychromatophyl erythrocytes (PCE) were prepared. It was found that in descendants that resulted from unirradiated parents and the parents irradiated with a dose of 0.1 Gy, the percentages of PCE with injuries were nearly equal. Upon irradiation of parents with a dose of 0.5 Gy, the percentage of PCE with MN in descendants increased. The examination of radiosensitivity of descendants from irradiated parents showed that the percentage of PCE with MN decreased three-to-fourfold (depending on the dose of irradiation of the parents) compared to descendants from unirradiated parents. If the descendants from exposed parents were irradiated by the scheme of AR, no AR was observed. Thus, the experimental data indicated that, it is possible to detect the transition of gamma-radiation-induced genomic instability in sex cells of male parents into somatic cells of mice (F1

Genomic features of human limb specific enhancers.

Science.gov (United States)

Ali, Shahid; Amina, Bibi; Anwar, Saneela; Minhas, Rashid; Parveen, Nazia; Nawaz, Uzma; Azam, Syed Sikandar; Abbasi, Amir Ali

2016-10-01

To elucidate important cellular and molecular interactions that regulate patterning and skeletal development, vertebrate limbs served as a model organ. A growing body of evidence from detailed studies on a subset of limb regulators like the HOXD cluster or SHH, reveals the importance of enhancers in limb related developmental and disease processes. Exploiting the recent genome-wide availability of functionally confirmed enhancer dataset, this study establishes regulatory interactions for dozens of human limb developmental genes. From these data, it appears that the long-range regulatory interactions are fairly common during limb development. This observation highlights the significance of chromosomal breaks/translocations in human limb deformities. Transcriptional factor (TF) analysis predicts that the differentiation of early nascent limb-bud into future territories entail distinct TF interaction networks. Conclusively, an important motivation for annotating the human limb specific regulatory networks is to pave way for the systematic exploration of their role in disease and evolution. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

A comparison of 100 human genes using an alu element-based instability model.

Science.gov (United States)

Cook, George W; Konkel, Miriam K; Walker, Jerilyn A; Bourgeois, Matthew G; Fullerton, Mitchell L; Fussell, John T; Herbold, Heath D; Batzer, Mark A

2013-01-01

The human retrotransposon with the highest copy number is the Alu element. The human genome contains over one million Alu elements that collectively account for over ten percent of our DNA. Full-length Alu elements are randomly distributed throughout the genome in both forward and reverse orientations. However, full-length widely spaced Alu pairs having two Alus in the same (direct) orientation are statistically more prevalent than Alu pairs having two Alus in the opposite (inverted) orientation. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. It has been hypothesized that this imbalance is the consequence of anomalous inverted Alu pair interactions. One proposed mechanism suggests that inverted Alu pairs can ectopically interact, exposing both ends of each Alu element making up the pair to a potential double-strand break, or "hit". This hypothesized "two-hit" (two double-strand breaks) potential per Alu element was used to develop a model for comparing the relative instabilities of human genes. The model incorporates both 1) the two-hit double-strand break potential of Alu elements and 2) the probability of exon-damaging deletions extending from these double-strand breaks. This model was used to compare the relative instabilities of 50 deletion-prone cancer genes and 50 randomly selected genes from the human genome. The output of the Alu element-based genomic instability model developed here is shown to coincide with the observed instability of deletion-prone cancer genes. The 50 cancer genes are collectively estimated to be 58% more unstable than the randomly chosen genes using this model. Seven of the deletion-prone cancer genes, ATM, BRCA1, FANCA, FANCD2, MSH2, NCOR1 and PBRM1, were among the most unstable 10% of the 100 genes analyzed. This algorithm may lay the foundation for comparing genetic risks posed by structural variations that are unique to specific individuals, families and people groups.

Suppression of gross chromosomal rearrangements by a new alternative replication factor C complex

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Banerjee, Soma; Sikdar, Nilabja; Myung, Kyungjae

2007-01-01

Defects in DNA replication fidelity lead to genomic instability. Gross chromosomal rearrangement (GCR), a type of genomic instability, is highly enhanced by various initial mutations affecting DNA replication. Frequent observations of GCRs in many cancers strongly argue the importance of maintaining high fidelity of DNA replication to suppress carcinogenesis. Recent genome wide screens in Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified a new GCR suppressor gene, ELG1, enhanced level of genome instability gene 1. Its physical interaction with proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and complex formation with Rfc2-5p proteins suggest that Elg1 functions to load/unload PCNA onto DNA during a certain DNA metabolism. High level of DNA damage accumulation and enhanced phenotypes with mutations in genes involved in cell cycle checkpoints, homologous recombination (HR), or chromatin assembly in the elg1 strain suggest that Elg1p-Rfc2-5p functions in a fundamental DNA metabolism to suppress genomic instability

Chromosomal instability drives metastasis through a cytosolic DNA response.

Science.gov (United States)

Bakhoum, Samuel F; Ngo, Bryan; Laughney, Ashley M; Cavallo, Julie-Ann; Murphy, Charles J; Ly, Peter; Shah, Pragya; Sriram, Roshan K; Watkins, Thomas B K; Taunk, Neil K; Duran, Mercedes; Pauli, Chantal; Shaw, Christine; Chadalavada, Kalyani; Rajasekhar, Vinagolu K; Genovese, Giulio; Venkatesan, Subramanian; Birkbak, Nicolai J; McGranahan, Nicholas; Lundquist, Mark; LaPlant, Quincey; Healey, John H; Elemento, Olivier; Chung, Christine H; Lee, Nancy Y; Imielenski, Marcin; Nanjangud, Gouri; Pe'er, Dana; Cleveland, Don W; Powell, Simon N; Lammerding, Jan; Swanton, Charles; Cantley, Lewis C

2018-01-25

Chromosomal instability is a hallmark of cancer that results from ongoing errors in chromosome segregation during mitosis. Although chromosomal instability is a major driver of tumour evolution, its role in metastasis has not been established. Here we show that chromosomal instability promotes metastasis by sustaining a tumour cell-autonomous response to cytosolic DNA. Errors in chromosome segregation create a preponderance of micronuclei whose rupture spills genomic DNA into the cytosol. This leads to the activation of the cGAS-STING (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase-stimulator of interferon genes) cytosolic DNA-sensing pathway and downstream noncanonical NF-κB signalling. Genetic suppression of chromosomal instability markedly delays metastasis even in highly aneuploid tumour models, whereas continuous chromosome segregation errors promote cellular invasion and metastasis in a STING-dependent manner. By subverting lethal epithelial responses to cytosolic DNA, chromosomally unstable tumour cells co-opt chronic activation of innate immune pathways to spread to distant organs.

Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Genomic Instability in Brca-Deficient Cells

Science.gov (United States)

2014-11-01

increased by hydroxyurea, ATR inhibition, deregulated c-Myc expression and by PARPi treatment of BRCA1 deficient cells. This work was recently published...Genome Stability." 6: May 27, 2013-Collaborative Research Center 655 from Cells to Tissues seminar series at the Max-Planck-Institute in Dresden, Germany ...Eisenach, Germany -“Genome Stability during DNA Replication” 8: May 3, 2013- Chemical and Systems Biology Department Seminar Series at Stanford

Telomere-mediated chromosomal instability triggers TLR4 induced inflammation and death in mice.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rabindra N Bhattacharjee

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Telomeres are essential to maintain chromosomal stability. Cells derived from mice lacking telomerase RNA component (mTERC-/- mice display elevated telomere-mediated chromosome instability. Age-dependent telomere shortening and associated chromosome instability reduce the capacity to respond to cellular stress occurring during inflammation and cancer. Inflammation is one of the important risk factors in cancer progression. Controlled innate immune responses mediated by Toll-like receptors (TLR are required for host defense against infection. Our aim was to understand the role of chromosome/genome instability in the initiation and maintenance of inflammation. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We examined the function of TLR4 in telomerase deficient mTERC-/- mice harbouring chromosome instability which did not develop any overt immunological disorder in pathogen-free condition or any form of cancers at this stage. Chromosome instability was measured in metaphase spreads prepared from wildtype (mTERC+/+, mTERC+/- and mTERC-/- mouse splenocytes. Peritoneal and/or bone marrow-derived macrophages were used to examine the responses of TLR4 by their ability to produce inflammatory mediators TNFalpha and IL6. Our results demonstrate that TLR4 is highly up-regulated in the immune cells derived from telomerase-null (mTERC-/- mice and lipopolysaccharide, a natural ligand for TLR4 stabilises NF-kappaB binding to its promoter by down-regulating ATF-3 in mTERC-/- macrophages. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our findings implied that background chromosome instability in the cellular level stabilises the action of TLR4-induced NF-kappaB action and sensitises cells to produce excess pro-inflammatory mediators. Chromosome/genomic instability data raises optimism for controlling inflammation by non-toxic TLR antagonists among high-risk groups.

From Utopia to Science: Challenges of Personalised Genomics Information for Health Management and Health Enhancement

Science.gov (United States)

2009-01-01

From 1900 onwards, scientists and novelists have explored the contours of a future society based on the use of “anthropotechnologies” (techniques applicable to human beings for the purpose of performance enhancement ranging from training and education to genome-based biotechnologies). Gradually but steadily, the technologies involved migrated from (science) fiction into scholarly publications, and from “utopia” (or “dystopia”) into science. Building on seminal ideas borrowed from Nietzsche, Peter Sloterdijk has outlined the challenges inherent in this development. Since time immemorial, and at least since the days of Plato’s Academy, human beings have been interested in possibilities for (physical or mental) performance enhancement. We are constantly trying to improve ourselves, both collectively and individually, for better or for worse. At present, however, new genomics-based technologies are opening up new avenues for self-amelioration. Developments in research facilities using animal models may to a certain extent be seen as expeditions into our own future. Are we able to address the bioethical and biopolitical issues awaiting us? After analyzing and assessing Sloterdijk’s views, attention will shift to a concrete domain of application, namely sport genomics. For various reasons, top athletes are likely to play the role of genomics pioneers by using personalized genomics information to adjust diet, life-style, training schedules and doping intake to the strengths and weaknesses of their personalized genome information. Thus, sport genomics may be regarded as a test bed where the contours of genomics-based self-management are tried out. PMID:20234832

The effects of in utero irradiation on mutation induction and transgenerational instability in mice

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barber, Ruth C.; Hardwick, Robert J.; Shanks, Morag E.; Glen, Colin D.; Mughal, Safeer K.; Voutounou, Mariel; Dubrova, Yuri E.

2009-01-01

Epidemiological evidence suggests that the deleterious effects of prenatal irradiation can manifest during childhood, resulting in an increased risk of leukaemia and solid cancers after birth. However, the mechanisms underlying the long-term effects of foetal irradiation remain poorly understood. This study was designed to analyse the impact of in utero irradiation on mutation rates at expanded simple tandem repeat (ESTR) DNA loci in directly exposed mice and their first-generation (F 1 ) offspring. ESTR mutation frequencies in the germline and somatic tissues of male and female mice irradiated at 12 days of gestation remained highly elevated during adulthood, which was mainly attributed to a significant increase in the frequency of singleton mutations. The prevalence of singleton mutations in directly exposed mice suggests that foetal irradiation results in genomic instability manifested both in utero and during adulthood. The frequency of ESTR mutation in the F 1 offspring of prenatally irradiated male mice was equally elevated across all tissues, which suggests that foetal exposure results in transgenerational genomic instability. In contrast, maternal in utero exposure did not affect the F 1 stability. Our data imply that the passive erasure of epigenetic marks in the maternal genome can diminish the transgenerational effects of foetal irradiation and therefore provide important clues to the still unknown mechanisms of radiation-induced genomic instability. The results of this study offer a plausible explanation for the effects of in utero irradiation on the risk of leukaemia and solid cancers after birth.

Interactions Between HIV-1 Gag and Viral RNA Genome Enhance Virion Assembly

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Dilley, Kari A; Nikolaitchik, Olga A; Galli, Andrea

2017-01-01

between Gag and viral RNA are required for the enhancement of particle production. Taken together, these studies are consistent with our previous hypothesis that specific dimeric viral RNA:Gag interactions are the nucleation event of infectious virion assembly, ensuring that one RNA dimer is packaged......Most HIV-1 virions contain two copies of full-length viral RNA, indicating that genome packaging is efficient and tightly regulated. However, the structural protein Gag is the only component required for the assembly of noninfectious virus-like particles and the viral RNA is dispensable...... in this process. The mechanism that allows HIV-1 to achieve such high efficiency of genome packaging when a packageable viral RNA is not required for virus assembly is currently unknown. In this report, we examined the role of HIV-1 RNA in virus assembly and found that packageable HIV-1 RNA enhances particle...

Reflex muscle contraction in anterior shoulder instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Wallace, D A; Beard, D J; Gill, R H; Eng, B; Carr, A J

1997-01-01

Reduced proprioception may contribute to recurrent anterior shoulder instability. Twelve patients with unilateral shoulder instability were investigated for evidence of deficient proprioception with an activated pneumatic cylinder and surface electromyography electrodes; the contralateral normal shoulder was used as a control. The latency between onset of movement and the detection of muscle contraction was used as an index of proprioception. No significant difference in muscle contraction latency was detected between the stable and unstable shoulders, suggesting that there was no significant defect in muscular reflex activity. This study does not support the use proprioception-enhancing physiotherapy in the treatment of posttraumatic anterior shoulder instability.

From NGS assembly challenges to instability of fungal mitochondrial genomes: A case study in genome complexity.

Science.gov (United States)

Misas, Elizabeth; Muñoz, José Fernando; Gallo, Juan Esteban; McEwen, Juan Guillermo; Clay, Oliver Keatinge

2016-04-01

The presence of repetitive or non-unique DNA persisting over sizable regions of a eukaryotic genome can hinder the genome's successful de novo assembly from short reads: ambiguities in assigning genome locations to the non-unique subsequences can result in premature termination of contigs and thus overfragmented assemblies. Fungal mitochondrial (mtDNA) genomes are compact (typically less than 100 kb), yet often contain short non-unique sequences that can be shown to impede their successful de novo assembly in silico. Such repeats can also confuse processes in the cell in vivo. A well-studied example is ectopic (out-of-register, illegitimate) recombination associated with repeat pairs, which can lead to deletion of functionally important genes that are located between the repeats. Repeats that remain conserved over micro- or macroevolutionary timescales despite such risks may indicate functionally or structurally (e.g., for replication) important regions. This principle could form the basis of a mining strategy for accelerating discovery of function in genome sequences. We present here our screening of a sample of 11 fully sequenced fungal mitochondrial genomes by observing where exact k-mer repeats occurred several times; initial analyses motivated us to focus on 17-mers occurring more than three times. Based on the diverse repeats we observe, we propose that such screening may serve as an efficient expedient for gaining a rapid but representative first insight into the repeat landscapes of sparsely characterized mitochondrial chromosomes. Our matching of the flagged repeats to previously reported regions of interest supports the idea that systems of persisting, non-trivial repeats in genomes can often highlight features meriting further attention. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

State of human genome at low-doses ecological influences

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mel'nov, S.B.; Rytik, P.G.; Kruchinskij, N.G.; Kovalev, V.A.; Palamar, L.A.; Senyuk, O.F.

2005-01-01

The results of analysis of the state of genome (amounts of single strand breaks in DNA) of the persons exposed to influence of complex 'Chernobyl factor' in remote terms after a failure on ChNPP are resulted. Findings allowed to expose the increase of level of single strand breaks in DNA at the chronically irradiated persons mainly carry adaptive character and probably can be related to instability of genome. Thus at organism level growth of mutational pressure and strengthening of instability of cellular genome is related to the change of spectrum of biological characteristics, in particular individual reaction of somatic cells of victims on additional mutagens influences. The indicated changes can testify to existence of potential risk of remote genetic consequences of long-term irradiation influence in low doses

Anomalous plasma transport due to electron temperature gradient instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tokuda, Sinji; Ito, Hiroshi; Kamimura, Tetsuo.

1979-01-01

The collisionless drift wave instability driven by an electron temperature inhomogeneity (electron temperature gradient instability) and the enhanced transport processes associated with it are studied using a two-and-a-half dimensional particle simulation code. The simulation results show that quasilinear diffusion in phase space is an important mechanism for the saturation of the electron temperature gradient instability. Also, the instability yields particle fluxes toward the hot plasma regions. The heat conductivity of the electron temperature perpendicular to the magnetic field, T sub(e'), is not reduced by magnetic shear but remains high, whereas the heat conductivity of the parallel temperature, T sub(e''), is effectively reduced, and the instability stabilized. (author)

Gravitational instability of thermally anisotropic plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Singh, B.; Kalra, G.L.

1986-01-01

The equations of Chew, Goldberger, and Low (1956) modified to include the heat flux vector and self-gravitation are used to study the gravitational instability of unbounded plasma placed in a uniform static magnetic field. The linear stability analysis shows that some of the additional terms which arise as a result of higher moments are of the same order of magnitude as the terms in the original Chew, Goldberger, and Low theory. The influence of these terms on the gravitational instability has been specially examined. It is found that the gravitational instability sets in at a comparatively shorter wavelength and the growth rate is enhanced owing to the inclusion of these terms in the case where the propagation vector is along the magnetic field. The condition for instability is, however, unaltered when the direction of propagation is transverse to the direction of magnetic field. 19 references

A comparison of 100 human genes using an alu element-based instability model.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

George W Cook

Full Text Available The human retrotransposon with the highest copy number is the Alu element. The human genome contains over one million Alu elements that collectively account for over ten percent of our DNA. Full-length Alu elements are randomly distributed throughout the genome in both forward and reverse orientations. However, full-length widely spaced Alu pairs having two Alus in the same (direct orientation are statistically more prevalent than Alu pairs having two Alus in the opposite (inverted orientation. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. It has been hypothesized that this imbalance is the consequence of anomalous inverted Alu pair interactions. One proposed mechanism suggests that inverted Alu pairs can ectopically interact, exposing both ends of each Alu element making up the pair to a potential double-strand break, or "hit". This hypothesized "two-hit" (two double-strand breaks potential per Alu element was used to develop a model for comparing the relative instabilities of human genes. The model incorporates both 1 the two-hit double-strand break potential of Alu elements and 2 the probability of exon-damaging deletions extending from these double-strand breaks. This model was used to compare the relative instabilities of 50 deletion-prone cancer genes and 50 randomly selected genes from the human genome. The output of the Alu element-based genomic instability model developed here is shown to coincide with the observed instability of deletion-prone cancer genes. The 50 cancer genes are collectively estimated to be 58% more unstable than the randomly chosen genes using this model. Seven of the deletion-prone cancer genes, ATM, BRCA1, FANCA, FANCD2, MSH2, NCOR1 and PBRM1, were among the most unstable 10% of the 100 genes analyzed. This algorithm may lay the foundation for comparing genetic risks posed by structural variations that are unique to specific individuals, families and people groups.

Crossing the LINE toward genomic instability: LINE-1 retrotransposition in cancer

Science.gov (United States)

Kemp, Jacqueline; Longworth, Michelle

2015-12-01

Retrotransposons are repetitive DNA sequences that are positioned throughout the human genome. Retrotransposons are capable of copying themselves and mobilizing new copies to novel genomic locations in a process called retrotransposition. While most retrotransposon sequences in the human genome are incomplete and incapable of mobilization, the LINE-1 retrotransposon, which comprises approximately 17% of the human genome, remains active. The disruption of cellular mechanisms that suppress retrotransposon activity is linked to the generation of aneuploidy, a potential driver of tumor development. When retrotransposons insert into a novel genomic region, they have the potential to disrupt the coding sequence of endogenous genes and alter gene expression, which can lead to deleterious consequences for the organism. Additionally, increased LINE-1 copy numbers provide more chances for recombination events to occur between retrotransposons, which can lead to chromosomal breaks and rearrangements. LINE-1 activity is increased in various cancer cell lines and in patient tissues resected from primary tumors. LINE-1 activity also correlates with increased cancer metastasis. This review aims to give a brief overview of the connections between LINE-1 retrotransposition and the loss of genome stability. We will also discuss the mechanisms that repress retrotransposition in human cells and their links to cancer.

Faraday instability on patterned surfaces

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Jie; Rubinstein, Gregory; Jacobi, Ian; Stone, Howard

2013-11-01

We show how micro-scale surface patterning can be used to control the onset of the Faraday instability in thin liquid films. It is well known that when a liquid film on a planar substrate is subject to sufficient vibrational accelerations, the free surface destabilizes, exhibiting a family of non-linear standing waves. This instability remains a canonical problem in the study of spontaneous pattern formation, but also has practical uses. For example, the surface waves induced by the Faraday instability have been studied as a means of enhanced damping for mechanical vibrations (Genevaux et al. 2009). Also the streaming within the unstable layer has been used as a method for distributing heterogeneous cell cultures on growth medium (Takagi et al. 2002). In each of these applications, the roughness of the substrate significantly affects the unstable flow field. We consider the effect of patterned substrates on the onset and behavior of the Faraday instability over a range of pattern geometries and feature heights where the liquid layer is thicker than the pattern height. Also, we describe a physical model for the influence of patterned roughness on the destabilization of a liquid layer in order to improve the design of practical systems which exploit the Faraday instability.

Enhanced quasi-static particle-in-cell simulation of electron cloud instabilities in circular accelerators

Science.gov (United States)

Feng, Bing

Electron cloud instabilities have been observed in many circular accelerators around the world and raised concerns of future accelerators and possible upgrades. In this thesis, the electron cloud instabilities are studied with the quasi-static particle-in-cell (PIC) code QuickPIC. Modeling in three-dimensions the long timescale propagation of beam in electron clouds in circular accelerators requires faster and more efficient simulation codes. Thousands of processors are easily available for parallel computations. However, it is not straightforward to increase the effective speed of the simulation by running the same problem size on an increasingly number of processors because there is a limit to domain size in the decomposition of the two-dimensional part of the code. A pipelining algorithm applied on the fully parallelized particle-in-cell code QuickPIC is implemented to overcome this limit. The pipelining algorithm uses multiple groups of processors and optimizes the job allocation on the processors in parallel computing. With this novel algorithm, it is possible to use on the order of 102 processors, and to expand the scale and the speed of the simulation with QuickPIC by a similar factor. In addition to the efficiency improvement with the pipelining algorithm, the fidelity of QuickPIC is enhanced by adding two physics models, the beam space charge effect and the dispersion effect. Simulation of two specific circular machines is performed with the enhanced QuickPIC. First, the proposed upgrade to the Fermilab Main Injector is studied with an eye upon guiding the design of the upgrade and code validation. Moderate emittance growth is observed for the upgrade of increasing the bunch population by 5 times. But the simulation also shows that increasing the beam energy from 8GeV to 20GeV or above can effectively limit the emittance growth. Then the enhanced QuickPIC is used to simulate the electron cloud effect on electron beam in the Cornell Energy Recovery Linac

Cerebrospinal Fluid Enhancement on Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery Images After Carotid Artery Stenting with Neuroprotective Balloon Occlusions: Hemodynamic Instability and Blood–Brain Barrier Disruption

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ogami, Ryo; Nakahara, Toshinori; Hamasaki, Osamu; Araki, Hayato; Kurisu, Kaoru

2011-01-01

Purpose: A rare complication of carotid artery stenting (CAS), prolonged reversible neurological symptoms with delayed cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) space enhancement on fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images, is associated with blood–brain barrier (BBB) disruption. We prospectively identified patients who showed CSF space enhancement on FLAIR images. Methods: Nineteen patients—5 acute-phase and 14 scheduled—underwent 21 CAS procedures. Balloon catheters were navigated across stenoses, angioplasty was performed using a neuroprotective balloon, and stents were placed with after dilation under distal balloon protection. CSF space hyperintensity or obscuration on FLAIR after versus before CAS indicated CSF space enhancement. Correlations with clinical factors were examined. Results: CSF space was enhanced on FLAIR in 12 (57.1%) cases. Postprocedural CSF space enhancement was significantly related to age, stenosis rate, acute-stage procedure, and total occlusion time. All acute-stage CAS patients showed delayed enhancement. Only age was associated with delayed CSF space enhancement in scheduled CAS patients. Conclusions: Ischemic intolerance for severe carotid artery stenosis and temporary neuroprotective balloon occlusion, causing reperfusion injury, seem to be the main factors that underlie BBB disruption with delayed CSF space enhancement shortly after CAS, rather than sudden poststenting hemodynamic change. Our results suggest that factors related to hemodynamic instability or ischemic intolerance seem to be associated with post-CAS BBB vulnerability. Patients at risk for hemodynamic instability or with ischemic intolerance, which decrease BBB integrity, require careful management to prevent intracranial hemorrhagic and other post-CAS complications.

Detection of chromosomal instability in α-irradiated and bystander human fibroblasts

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ponnaiya, Brian; Jenkins-Baker, Gloria; Bigelow, Alan; Marino, Stephen; Geard, Charles R.

2004-01-01

There is increasing evidence biological responses to ionizing radiation are not confined to those cells that are directly hit, but may be seen in the progeny at subsequent generations (genomic instability) and in non-irradiated neighbors of irradiated cells (bystander effects). These so called non-targeted phenomena would have significant contributions to radiation-induced carcinogenesis, especially at low doses where only a limited number of cells in a population are directed hit. Here we present data using a co-culturing protocol examining chromosomal instability in α-irradiated and bystander human fibroblasts BJ1-htert. At the first cell division following exposure to 0.1 and 1 Gy α-particles, irradiated populations demonstrated a dose dependent increase in chromosome-type aberrations. At this time bystander BJ1-htert populations demonstrated elevated chromatid-type aberrations when compared to controls. Irradiated and bystander populations were also analyzed for chromosomal aberrations as a function of time post-irradiation. When considered over 25 doublings, all irradiated and bystander populations had significantly higher frequencies of chromatid aberrations when compared to controls (2-3-fold over controls) and were not dependent on dose. The results presented here support the link between the radiation-induced phenomena of genomic instability and the bystander effect

An analysis of possible off target effects following CAS9/CRISPR targeted deletions of neuropeptide gene enhancers from the mouse genome.

Science.gov (United States)

Hay, Elizabeth Anne; Khalaf, Abdulla Razak; Marini, Pietro; Brown, Andrew; Heath, Karyn; Sheppard, Darrin; MacKenzie, Alasdair

2017-08-01

We have successfully used comparative genomics to identify putative regulatory elements within the human genome that contribute to the tissue specific expression of neuropeptides such as galanin and receptors such as CB1. However, a previous inability to rapidly delete these elements from the mouse genome has prevented optimal assessment of their function in-vivo. This has been solved using CAS9/CRISPR genome editing technology which uses a bacterial endonuclease called CAS9 that, in combination with specifically designed guide RNA (gRNA) molecules, cuts specific regions of the mouse genome. However, reports of "off target" effects, whereby the CAS9 endonuclease is able to cut sites other than those targeted, limits the appeal of this technology. We used cytoplasmic microinjection of gRNA and CAS9 mRNA into 1-cell mouse embryos to rapidly generate enhancer knockout mouse lines. The current study describes our analysis of the genomes of these enhancer knockout lines to detect possible off-target effects. Bioinformatic analysis was used to identify the most likely putative off-target sites and to design PCR primers that would amplify these sequences from genomic DNA of founder enhancer deletion mouse lines. Amplified DNA was then sequenced and blasted against the mouse genome sequence to detect off-target effects. Using this approach we were unable to detect any evidence of off-target effects in the genomes of three founder lines using any of the four gRNAs used in the analysis. This study suggests that the problem of off-target effects in transgenic mice have been exaggerated and that CAS9/CRISPR represents a highly effective and accurate method of deleting putative neuropeptide gene enhancer sequences from the mouse genome. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Transgenerational induction of leukaemia following parental irradiation. Genomic instability and the bystander in vivo

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lord, B.I. [Paterson Institute for Cancer Research, Christie Hospital NHS Trust, Manchester (United Kingdom)

2003-07-01

caused by radiation results in changes to haemopoiesis that demand stem cell proliferation, thus leading to elevated genomic instability which may be exploited by secondary leukaemia inducing agents - and evidence will be presented to demonstrate this potential. Additionally, changes in the regulatory haemopoietic microenvironment can be seen as the in vivo form of the potentiating 'bystander'. (author)

Comparative analysis of genome maintenance genes in naked mole rat, mouse, and human

NARCIS (Netherlands)

S.L. Macrae (Sheila L.); Q. Zhang (Quanwei); C. Lemetre (Christophe); I. Seim (Inge); R.B. Calder (Robert B.); J.H.J. Hoeijmakers (Jan); Y. Suh (Yousin); V.N. Gladyshev (Vadim N.); A. Seluanov (Andrei); V. Gorbunova (Vera); J. Vijg (Jan); Z.D. Zhang (Zhengdong D.)

2015-01-01

textabstractGenome maintenance (GM) is an essential defense system against aging and cancer, as both are characterized by increased genome instability. Here, we compared the copy number variation and mutation rate of 518 GM-associated genes in the naked mole rat (NMR), mouse, and human genomes. GM

Enhancer Identification through Comparative Genomics

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Visel, Axel; Bristow, James; Pennacchio, Len A.

2006-10-01

With the availability of genomic sequence from numerousvertebrates, a paradigm shift has occurred in the identification ofdistant-acting gene regulatory elements. In contrast to traditionalgene-centric studies in which investigators randomly scanned genomicfragments that flank genes of interest in functional assays, the modernapproach begins electronically with publicly available comparativesequence datasets that provide investigators with prioritized lists ofputative functional sequences based on their evolutionary conservation.However, although a large number of tools and resources are nowavailable, application of comparative genomic approaches remains far fromtrivial. In particular, it requires users to dynamically consider thespecies and methods for comparison depending on the specific biologicalquestion under investigation. While there is currently no single generalrule to this end, it is clear that when applied appropriately,comparative genomic approaches exponentially increase our power ingenerating biological hypotheses for subsequent experimentaltesting.

Genomic instability induced in distant progeny of bystander cells depends on the connexins expressed in the irradiated cells.

Science.gov (United States)

de Toledo, Sonia M; Buonanno, Manuela; Harris, Andrew L; Azzam, Edouard I

2017-10-01

To examine the time window during which intercellular signaling though gap junctions mediates non-targeted (bystander) effects induced by moderate doses of ionizing radiation; and to investigate the impact of gap junction communication on genomic instability in distant progeny of bystander cells. A layered cell culture system was developed to investigate the propagation of harmful effects from irradiated normal or tumor cells that express specific connexins to contiguous bystander normal human fibroblasts. Irradiated cells were exposed to moderate mean absorbed doses from 3.7 MeV α particle, 1000 MeV/u iron ions, 600 MeV/u silicon ions, or 137 Cs γ rays. Following 5 h of co-culture, pure populations of bystander cells, unexposed to secondary radiation, were isolated and DNA damage and oxidative stress was assessed in them and in their distant progeny (20-25 population doublings). Increased frequency of micronucleus formation and enhanced oxidative changes were observed in bystander cells co-cultured with confluent cells exposed to either sparsely ionizing ( 137 Cs γ rays) or densely ionizing (α particles, energetic iron or silicon ions) radiations. The irradiated cells propagated signals leading to biological changes in bystander cells within 1 h of irradiation, and the effect required cellular coupling by gap junctions. Notably, the distant progeny of isolated bystander cells also exhibited increased levels of spontaneous micronuclei. This effect was dependent on the type of junctional channels that coupled the irradiated donor cells with the bystander cells. Previous work showed that gap junctions composed of connexin26 (Cx26) or connexin43 (Cx43) mediate toxic bystander effects within 5 h of co-culture, whereas gap junctions composed of connexin32 (Cx32) mediate protective effects. In contrast, the long-term progeny of bystander cells expressing Cx26 or Cx43 did not display elevated DNA damage, whereas those coupled by Cx32 had enhanced DNA

Nencki Genomics Database--Ensembl funcgen enhanced with intersections, user data and genome-wide TFBS motifs.

Science.gov (United States)

Krystkowiak, Izabella; Lenart, Jakub; Debski, Konrad; Kuterba, Piotr; Petas, Michal; Kaminska, Bozena; Dabrowski, Michal

2013-01-01

We present the Nencki Genomics Database, which extends the functionality of Ensembl Regulatory Build (funcgen) for the three species: human, mouse and rat. The key enhancements over Ensembl funcgen include the following: (i) a user can add private data, analyze them alongside the public data and manage access rights; (ii) inside the database, we provide efficient procedures for computing intersections between regulatory features and for mapping them to the genes. To Ensembl funcgen-derived data, which include data from ENCODE, we add information on conserved non-coding (putative regulatory) sequences, and on genome-wide occurrence of transcription factor binding site motifs from the current versions of two major motif libraries, namely, Jaspar and Transfac. The intersections and mapping to the genes are pre-computed for the public data, and the result of any procedure run on the data added by the users is stored back into the database, thus incrementally increasing the body of pre-computed data. As the Ensembl funcgen schema for the rat is currently not populated, our database is the first database of regulatory features for this frequently used laboratory animal. The database is accessible without registration using the mysql client: mysql -h database.nencki-genomics.org -u public. Registration is required only to add or access private data. A WSDL webservice provides access to the database from any SOAP client, including the Taverna Workbench with a graphical user interface.

Clustering Table of the genome insert site of Drosophila GAL4 enhancer trap lines (Cluster List) - GETDB | LSDB Archive [Life Science Database Archive metadata

Lifescience Database Archive (English)

Full Text Available ster List) Data detail Data name Clustering Table of the genome insert site of Drosophila GAL4 enhancer trap...se Site Policy | Contact Us Clustering Table of the genome insert site of Drosophila GAL4 enhancer trap lines (Cluster List) - GETDB | LSDB Archive ... ...stering Table of the genome insert site of Drosophila GAL4 enhancer trap lines (Clu...switchLanguage; BLAST Search Image Search Home About Archive Update History Data List Contact us GETDB Clu

Transient Activation of Apomixis in Sexual Neotriploids May Retain Genomically Altered States and Enhance Polyploid Establishment

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Diego Hojsgaard

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Polyploid genomes evolve and follow a series of dynamic transfigurations along with adaptation and speciation. The initial formation of a new polyploid individual within a diploid population usually involves a triploid bridge, a two-step mechanism of cell fusions between ubiquitous (reduced and rare (unreduced gametes. The primary fusion event creates an intermediate triploid individual with unbalanced genome sets, a situation of genomic-shock characterized by gene expression dysregulation, high dosage sensitivity, disturbed cell divisions, and physiological and reproductive attributes drastically altered. This near-sterile neotriploid must produce (even eupolyploids through secondary fusion events to restore genome steadiness, meiotic balance, and fertility required for the demographic establishment of a nascent lineage. Natural conditions locate several difficulties to polyploid establishment, including the production of highly unbalanced and rarely unreduced (euploid gametes, frequency-dependent disadvantages (minority cytotype exclusion, severe fitness loss, and ecological competition with diploid parents. Persistence and adaptation of neopolyploids depend upon genetic and phenotypic novelty coupled to joint selective forces that preserve shock-induced genomic changes (subgenome homeolog partitioning and drive meiotic (reproductive stabilization and ecological diversification. Thus, polyploid establishment through the triploid bridge is a feasible but not ubiquitous process that requires a number of low-probability events and singular circumstances. Yet, frequencies of polyploids suggest that polyploid establishment is a pervasive process. To explain this disparity, and supported in experimental evidence, I propose that situations like hybridization and ploidy-state transitions associated to genomic shock and substantial developmental alterations can transiently activate apomixis as a mechanism to halt genomic instability and cancel factors

Ionising radiation and trans-generational instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vrhovac, I.; Niksic, G.

2007-01-01

Indirect monitoring of the impact posed by ionising radiation to the genome instability of the descendants, consequent to the irradiation of one of their parents, boils down to the investigation of changes occurring exclusively in the mini-satellite loci of the cells constituting the gametal developmental line. The resultant mini-satellite mutations are expressed in their percentages, and equal to the ratio of the number of mutated alleles in that particular generation over the total number of alleles present. The impact of ionising radiation to the irradiated parent's offspring was first noticed on haematopoietic mouse stem-cells. Even though an irradiated cell of a female parent lacks any mutations whatsoever, daughter cells present with the increased mutation rates. The observed phenomenon of the so called trans-generational instability has been defined as the occurrence of mutations in the genome of individuals originating from the irradiated ancestors. Due to the aforementioned, one can conclude that these mutations need not be present in the irradiated parental cells, and do not necessarily vanish in the next few generations, but may result in the increase in mutation rates observed in the latter. The results of the investigations performed on the animal model, as well as of those carried out in human population, point to the occurrence of significant changes to be found on mini-satellite loci of the descending generation, while the mechanism underlying those changes hasn't been completely clarified yet, and, therefore, calls for the further investigation. (author)

R-loops: targets for nuclease cleavage and repeat instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Freudenreich, Catherine H

2018-01-11

R-loops form when transcribed RNA remains bound to its DNA template to form a stable RNA:DNA hybrid. Stable R-loops form when the RNA is purine-rich, and are further stabilized by DNA secondary structures on the non-template strand. Interestingly, many expandable and disease-causing repeat sequences form stable R-loops, and R-loops can contribute to repeat instability. Repeat expansions are responsible for multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including Huntington's disease, myotonic dystrophy, and several types of ataxias. Recently, it was found that R-loops at an expanded CAG/CTG repeat tract cause DNA breaks as well as repeat instability (Su and Freudenreich, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114, E8392-E8401, 2017). Two factors were identified as causing R-loop-dependent breaks at CAG/CTG tracts: deamination of cytosines and the MutLγ (Mlh1-Mlh3) endonuclease, defining two new mechanisms for how R-loops can generate DNA breaks (Su and Freudenreich, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 114, E8392-E8401, 2017). Following R-loop-dependent nicking, base excision repair resulted in repeat instability. These results have implications for human repeat expansion diseases and provide a paradigm for how RNA:DNA hybrids can cause genome instability at structure-forming DNA sequences. This perspective summarizes mechanisms of R-loop-induced fragility at G-rich repeats and new links between DNA breaks and repeat instability.

Mix and hydrodynamic instabilities on NIF

Science.gov (United States)

Smalyuk, V. A.; Robey, H. F.; Casey, D. T.; Clark, D. S.; Döppner, T.; Haan, S. W.; Hammel, B. A.; MacPhee, A. G.; Martinez, D.; Milovich, J. L.; Peterson, J. L.; Pickworth, L.; Pino, J. E.; Raman, K.; Tipton, R.; Weber, C. R.; Baker, K. L.; Bachmann, B.; Berzak Hopkins, L. F.; Bond, E.; Caggiano, J. A.; Callahan, D. A.; Celliers, P. M.; Cerjan, C.; Dixit, S. N.; Edwards, M. J.; Felker, S.; Field, J. E.; Fittinghoff, D. N.; Gharibyan, N.; Grim, G. P.; Hamza, A. V.; Hatarik, R.; Hohenberger, M.; Hsing, W. W.; Hurricane, O. A.; Jancaitis, K. S.; Jones, O. S.; Khan, S.; Kroll, J. J.; Lafortune, K. N.; Landen, O. L.; Ma, T.; MacGowan, B. J.; Masse, L.; Moore, A. S.; Nagel, S. R.; Nikroo, A.; Pak, A.; Patel, P. K.; Remington, B. A.; Sayre, D. B.; Spears, B. K.; Stadermann, M.; Tommasini, R.; Widmayer, C. C.; Yeamans, C. B.; Crippen, J.; Farrell, M.; Giraldez, E.; Rice, N.; Wilde, C. H.; Volegov, P. L.; Gatu Johnson, M.

2017-06-01

Several new platforms have been developed to experimentally measure hydrodynamic instabilities in all phases of indirect-drive, inertial confinement fusion implosions on National Ignition Facility. At the ablation front, instability growth of pre-imposed modulations was measured with a face-on, x-ray radiography platform in the linear regime using the Hydrodynamic Growth Radiography (HGR) platform. Modulation growth of "native roughness" modulations and engineering features (fill tubes and capsule support membranes) were measured in conditions relevant to layered DT implosions. A new experimental platform was developed to measure instability growth at the ablator-ice interface. In the deceleration phase of implosions, several experimental platforms were developed to measure both low-mode asymmetries and high-mode perturbations near peak compression with x-ray and nuclear techniques. In one innovative technique, the self-emission from the hot spot was enhanced with argon dopant to "self-backlight" the shell in-flight. To stabilize instability growth, new "adiabat-shaping" techniques were developed using the HGR platform and applied in layered DT implosions.

Preferential retrotransposition in aging yeast mother cells is correlated with increased genome instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Patterson, Melissa N; Scannapieco, Alison E; Au, Pak Ho; Dorsey, Savanna; Royer, Catherine A; Maxwell, Patrick H

2015-10-01

Retrotransposon expression or mobility is increased with age in multiple species and could promote genome instability or altered gene expression during aging. However, it is unclear whether activation of retrotransposons during aging is an indirect result of global changes in chromatin and gene regulation or a result of retrotransposon-specific mechanisms. Retromobility of a marked chromosomal Ty1 retrotransposon in Saccharomyces cerevisiae was elevated in mother cells relative to their daughter cells, as determined by magnetic cell sorting of mothers and daughters. Retromobility frequencies in aging mother cells were significantly higher than those predicted by cell age and the rate of mobility in young populations, beginning when mother cells were only several generations old. New Ty1 insertions in aging mothers were more strongly correlated with gross chromosome rearrangements than in young cells and were more often at non-preferred target sites. Mother cells were more likely to have high concentrations and bright foci of Ty1 Gag-GFP than their daughter cells. Levels of extrachromosomal Ty1 cDNA were also significantly higher in aged mother cell populations than their daughter cell populations. These observations are consistent with a retrotransposon-specific mechanism that causes retrotransposition to occur preferentially in yeast mother cells as they begin to age, as opposed to activation by phenotypic changes associated with very old age. These findings will likely be relevant for understanding retrotransposons and aging in many organisms, based on similarities in regulation and consequences of retrotransposition in diverse species. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The induction of genomic instability in related human lymphoblasts following exposure to Cs gamma radiation vs accelerated 56Fe Ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evans, H.H.; Horng, M.-F.; Ricanati, M.; Diaz-Insua, M.

2003-01-01

Full text: The induction of genomic instability by exposure to Cs-137 gamma radiation and Fe-56 accelerated ions was investigated by measuring the frequency and characteristics of TK6 and WTK1 unstable clones isolated 36 generations after exposure. While the two cell lines are related, TK6 is more sensitive to radiation, has normal p53 expression, and is repair deficient. Clones surviving the radiation and respective controls were analyzed for 17 characteristics including chromosomal aberrations, growth defects, alterations in response to a second radiation and mutant frequencies at two different loci. Putative unstable clones were defined as those exhibiting a significant alteration in one or more characteristics as compared to the respective control medians. Over half of the unstable WTK1 clones and over 90% of the TK6 unstable clones surviving exposure to either radiation exhibited chromosomal instability, the major aberrations consisting of chromatid breaks and dicentric chromosomes formed by end-to-end fusions. Alterations in the other measured characteristics occurred much less often than cytogenetic alterations in the TK6 unstable clones. The phenotype of the WTK1 unstable clones was more diverse and complex than in the case of TK6 unstable clones. The phenotype of the TK6 unstable clones differed in the survivors of Cs-137 vs. Fe-56. In the clones surviving Cs-137, the aberrations consisted mainly of dicentric chromosomes, while clones surviving exposure to Fe-56 exhibited both breaks and dicentrics. The uniform prevalence of chromosomal aberrations in the unstable TK6 clones vs. the relatively diverse phenotype of the unstable WTK1 clones suggests that the deficiency in DNA double-strand break repair in TK6 cells may be accompanied by a deficiency in telomere maintenance that leads to telomere fusion, dicentric chromosomes, anaphase bridges, breakage and the occurrence of chromosomal instability in the majority of clones isolated following exposure

Genome dynamics of short oligonucleotides: the example of bacterial DNA uptake enhancing sequences.

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Mohammed Bakkali

Full Text Available Among the many bacteria naturally competent for transformation by DNA uptake-a phenomenon with significant clinical and financial implications- Pasteurellaceae and Neisseriaceae species preferentially take up DNA containing specific short sequences. The genomic overrepresentation of these DNA uptake enhancing sequences (DUES causes preferential uptake of conspecific DNA, but the function(s behind this overrepresentation and its evolution are still a matter for discovery. Here I analyze DUES genome dynamics and evolution and test the validity of the results to other selectively constrained oligonucleotides. I use statistical methods and computer simulations to examine DUESs accumulation in Haemophilus influenzae and Neisseria gonorrhoeae genomes. I analyze DUESs sequence and nucleotide frequencies, as well as those of all their mismatched forms, and prove the dependence of DUESs genomic overrepresentation on their preferential uptake by quantifying and correlating both characteristics. I then argue that mutation, uptake bias, and weak selection against DUESs in less constrained parts of the genome combined are sufficient enough to cause DUESs accumulation in susceptible parts of the genome with no need for other DUES function. The distribution of overrepresentation values across sequences with different mismatch loads compared to the DUES suggests a gradual yet not linear molecular drive of DNA sequences depending on their similarity to the DUES. Other genomically overrepresented sequences, both pro- and eukaryotic, show similar distribution of frequencies suggesting that the molecular drive reported above applies to other frequent oligonucleotides. Rare oligonucleotides, however, seem to be gradually drawn to genomic underrepresentation, thus, suggesting a molecular drag. To my knowledge this work provides the first clear evidence of the gradual evolution of selectively constrained oligonucleotides, including repeated, palindromic and protein

Resonant Drag Instabilities in protoplanetary disks: the streaming instability and new, faster-growing instabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Squire, Jonathan; Hopkins, Philip F.

2018-04-01

We identify and study a number of new, rapidly growing instabilities of dust grains in protoplanetary disks, which may be important for planetesimal formation. The study is based on the recognition that dust-gas mixtures are generically unstable to a Resonant Drag Instability (RDI), whenever the gas, absent dust, supports undamped linear modes. We show that the "streaming instability" is an RDI associated with epicyclic oscillations; this provides simple interpretations for its mechanisms and accurate analytic expressions for its growth rates and fastest-growing wavelengths. We extend this analysis to more general dust streaming motions and other waves, including buoyancy and magnetohydrodynamic oscillations, finding various new instabilities. Most importantly, we identify the disk "settling instability," which occurs as dust settles vertically into the midplane of a rotating disk. For small grains, this instability grows many orders of magnitude faster than the standard streaming instability, with a growth rate that is independent of grain size. Growth timescales for realistic dust-to-gas ratios are comparable to the disk orbital period, and the characteristic wavelengths are more than an order of magnitude larger than the streaming instability (allowing the instability to concentrate larger masses). This suggests that in the process of settling, dust will band into rings then filaments or clumps, potentially seeding dust traps, high-metallicity regions that in turn seed the streaming instability, or even overdensities that coagulate or directly collapse to planetesimals.

Effects of the instability enhanced friction on relative ion densities in a two-ion species low-temperature plasma

Science.gov (United States)

Vukovic, Mirko

2011-10-01

The instability enhanced friction theory of Baalrud & Hegna (Phys. Plasmas 18, 023505 (2011)) predicts that for comparable ion densities the ions nearly reach a common velocity near the sheath edge in a low temperature plasma. The theory was experimentally confirmed by Yip, Hershkowitz, & Severn (Phys. Rev. Letters 104, 225003 (2010)). We will explore the effects of the theory on relative ion densities in a numerical simulation of an Ar/Xe plasma. Results for a 0D plasma model (Lieberman, Lichtenberg, Principles of Plasma Discharges and Materials Processing, 2005) will be presented.

Recent Insights into the Control of Human Papillomavirus (HPV Genome Stability, Loss, and Degradation

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Chris Fisher

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Most human papillomavirus (HPV antiviral strategies have focused upon inhibiting viral DNA replication, but it is increasingly apparent that viral DNA levels can be chemically controlled by approaches that promote its instability. HPVs and other DNA viruses have a tenuous relationship with their hosts. They must replicate and hide from the DNA damage response (DDR and innate immune systems, which serve to protect cells from foreign or "non-self" DNA, and yet they draft these same systems to support their life cycles. DNA binding antiviral agents promoting massive viral DNA instability and elimination are reviewed. Mechanistic studies of these agents have identified genetic antiviral enhancers and repressors, antiviral sensitizers, and host cell elements that protect and stabilize HPV genomes. Viral DNA degradation appears to be an important means of controlling HPV DNA levels in some cases, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. These findings may prove useful not only for understanding viral DNA persistence but also in devising future antiviral strategies.

Recent Insights into the Control of Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Genome Stability, Loss, and Degradation.

Science.gov (United States)

Fisher, Chris

2015-01-01

Most human papillomavirus (HPV) antiviral strategies have focused upon inhibiting viral DNA replication, but it is increasingly apparent that viral DNA levels can be chemically controlled by approaches that promote its instability. HPVs and other DNA viruses have a tenuous relationship with their hosts. They must replicate and hide from the DNA damage response (DDR) and innate immune systems, which serve to protect cells from foreign or "non-self" DNA, and yet they draft these same systems to support their life cycles. DNA binding antiviral agents promoting massive viral DNA instability and elimination are reviewed. Mechanistic studies of these agents have identified genetic antiviral enhancers and repressors, antiviral sensitizers, and host cell elements that protect and stabilize HPV genomes. Viral DNA degradation appears to be an important means of controlling HPV DNA levels in some cases, but the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. These findings may prove useful not only for understanding viral DNA persistence but also in devising future antiviral strategies.

Chromosomal instability as a prognostic marker in cervical cancer

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

How, Christine; Bruce, Jeff; So, Jonathan; Pintilie, Melania; Haibe-Kains, Benjamin; Hui, Angela; Clarke, Blaise A; Hedley, David W; Hill, Richard P; Milosevic, Michael; Fyles, Anthony; Liu, Fei-Fei

2015-01-01

Cervical cancer is the third most common cancer in women globally, and despite treatment, distant metastasis and nodal recurrence will still develop in approximately 30% of patients. The ability to predict which patients are likely to experience distant relapse would allow clinicians to better tailor treatment. Previous studies have investigated the role of chromosomal instability (CIN) in cancer, which can promote tumour initiation and growth; a hallmark of human malignancies. In this study, we sought to examine the published CIN70 gene signature in a cohort of cervical cancer patients treated at the Princess Margaret (PM) Cancer Centre and an independent cohort of The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cervical cancer patients, to determine if this CIN signature associated with patient outcome. Cervical cancer samples were collected from 79 patients, treated between 2000–2007 at the PM, prior to undergoing curative chemo-radiation. Total RNA was extracted from each patient sample and analyzed using the GeneChip Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 array (Affymetrix). High CIN70 scores were significantly related to increased chromosomal alterations in TCGA cervical cancer patients, including a higher percentage of genome altered and a higher number of copy number alterations. In addition, this same CIN70 signature was shown to be predictive of para-aortic nodal relapse in the PM Cancer Centre cohort. These findings demonstrate that chromosomal instability plays an important role in cervical cancer, and is significantly associated with patient outcome. For the first time, this CIN70 gene signature provided prognostic value for patients with cervical cancer

Maintaining Genome Stability: The Role of Helicases and Deaminases

Science.gov (United States)

2008-07-01

Errors in duplicating DNA can result in genomic instability, leading to various human diseases, such as cancer, immune system disorder, muscle dystrophy ...as cancer, immune system disorder, muscle dystrophy , and neurodegenerations. Thus, maintaining genomic integrity is vital to the normal growth of...31–38. Eberharter, A., R. Ferreira and P. Becker , 2005 Dynamic chro- matin: concerted nucleosome remodelling and acetylation. Biol. Chem. 386: 745

Measuring the Levels of Ribonucleotides Embedded in Genomic DNA.

Science.gov (United States)

Meroni, Alice; Nava, Giulia M; Sertic, Sarah; Plevani, Paolo; Muzi-Falconi, Marco; Lazzaro, Federico

2018-01-01

Ribonucleotides (rNTPs) are incorporated into genomic DNA at a relatively high frequency during replication. They have beneficial effects but, if not removed from the chromosomes, increase genomic instability. Here, we describe a fast method to easily estimate the amounts of embedded ribonucleotides into the genome. The protocol described is performed in Saccharomyces cerevisiae and allows us to quantify altered levels of rNMPs due to different mutations in the replicative polymerase ε. However, this protocol can be easily applied to cells derived from any organism.

Genomic and epigenetic instability in chordoma: current insights

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Feng Y

2014-05-01

Full Text Available Yong Feng,1,2 Jacson K Shen,1,3 Francis J Hornicek,1,3 Zhenfeng Duan1,3 1Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; 2Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Union Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Sarcoma Biology Laboratory, Center for Sarcoma and Connective Tissue Oncology, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, USA Abstract: Chordoma is a malignant bone tumor, which currently can only be defined by histologic and immunohistochemical criteria. There are no prognostic biomarkers to predict the clinical outcome or response to treatment yet. Currently, chordoma pathogenesis is very poorly understood; however, recent large-scale genetic and epigenetic studies have identified some of the underlying mechanisms and pathways that may contribute to the disease. In this review, we summarize the most recent findings in the field of chordoma genomics and epigenomics, from comparative genomic hybridization to evaluate chromosomal alteration, large-scale deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA sequencing to determine the gene mutation, microarray to access messenger ribonucleic acid (RNA and microRNA gene expression, and DNA-methylation profiling. These studies may also hold valuable clinical potential in the management of chordoma. Keywords: chordoma, chromosomal alterations, sequencing, miRNA, DNA methylation

The expanding universe of cohesin functions: a new genome stability caretaker involved in human disease and cancer.

Science.gov (United States)

Mannini, Linda; Menga, Stefania; Musio, Antonio

2010-06-01

Cohesin is responsible for sister chromatid cohesion, ensuring the correct chromosome segregation. Beyond this role, cohesin and regulatory cohesin genes seem to play a role in preserving genome stability and gene transcription regulation. DNA damage is thought to be a major culprit for many human diseases, including cancer. Our present knowledge of the molecular basis underlying genome instability is extremely limited. Mutations in cohesin genes cause human diseases such as Cornelia de Lange syndrome and Roberts syndrome/SC phocomelia, and all the cell lines derived from affected patients show genome instability. Cohesin mutations have also been identified in colorectal cancer. Here, we will discuss the human disorders caused by alterations of cohesin function, with emphasis on the emerging role of cohesin as a genome stability caretaker.

Nonlinear 2D convection and enhanced cross-field plasma transport near the MHD instability threshold

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pastukhov, V.P.; Chudin, N.V.

2003-01-01

Results of theoretical study and computer simulations of nonlinear 2D convection induced by a convective MHD instability near its threshold in FRC-like non-paraxial magnetic confinement system are presented. An appropriate closed set of weakly nonideal reduced MHD equations is derived to describe the self-consistent plasma dynamics. It is shown that the convection forms nonlinear large scale stochastic vortices (convective cells), which tend to restore and to maintain the marginally stable pressure pro e and result in an essentially nonlocal enhanced heat transport. A large amount of data on the structure of the nascent convective flows is obtained and analyzed. The computer simulations of long time plasma evolutions demonstrate such features of the resulting anomalous transport as pro e consistency, L-H transition, external transport barrier, pinch of impurities, etc. (author)

GENOMIC ANALYSIS OF PLANT-ASSOCIATED BACTERIA AND THEIR POTENTIAL IN ENHANCING PHYTOREMEDIATION EFFICIENCY

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Artur Piński

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Phytoremediation is an emerging technology that uses plants in order to cleanup pollutants including xenobiotics and heavy metals from soil, water and air. Inoculation of plants with plant growth promoting endophytic and rhizospheric bacteria can enhance efficiency of phytoremediation. Genomic analysis of four plant-associated strains belonging to the Stenotrophomonas maltophilia species revealed the presence of genes encoding proteins involved in plant growth promotion, biocontrol of phytopathogens, biodegradation of xenobiotics, heavy metals resistance and plant-bacteria-environment interaction. The results of this analysis suggest great potential of bacteria belonging to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia species in enhancing phytoremediation efficiency.

A Simple Predictive Enhancer Syntax for Hindbrain Patterning Is Conserved in Vertebrate Genomes.

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Joseph Grice

Full Text Available Determining the function of regulatory elements is fundamental for our understanding of development, disease and evolution. However, the sequence features that mediate these functions are often unclear and the prediction of tissue-specific expression patterns from sequence alone is non-trivial. Previous functional studies have demonstrated a link between PBX-HOX and MEIS/PREP binding interactions and hindbrain enhancer activity, but the defining grammar of these sites, if any exists, has remained elusive.Here, we identify a shared sequence signature (syntax within a heterogeneous set of conserved vertebrate hindbrain enhancers composed of spatially co-occurring PBX-HOX and MEIS/PREP transcription factor binding motifs. We use this syntax to accurately predict hindbrain enhancers in 89% of cases (67/75 predicted elements from a set of conserved non-coding elements (CNEs. Furthermore, mutagenesis of the sites abolishes activity or generates ectopic expression, demonstrating their requirement for segmentally restricted enhancer activity in the hindbrain. We refine and use our syntax to predict over 3,000 hindbrain enhancers across the human genome. These sequences tend to be located near developmental transcription factors and are enriched in known hindbrain activating elements, demonstrating the predictive power of this simple model.Our findings support the theory that hundreds of CNEs, and perhaps thousands of regions across the human genome, function to coordinate gene expression in the developing hindbrain. We speculate that deeply conserved sequences of this kind contributed to the co-option of new genes into the hindbrain gene regulatory network during early vertebrate evolution by linking patterns of hox expression to downstream genes involved in segmentation and patterning, and evolutionarily newer instances may have continued to contribute to lineage-specific elaboration of the hindbrain.

Colorectal carcinomas from Middle East: Molecular and tissue microarray analysis of genomic instability pathways

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bavi, P.P.; Abubaker, Jehad A.; Jehan, Zeenath D.; Al-Jomah, Naif A.; Siraj, Abdul K.; Al-Harbi, Sayer R.; Atizado, Valerie L.; Uddin, S.; Al-Kuraya, Khawla S.; Abduljabbar, Alaa S.; Al-Homoud, Samar J.; Ashari, Luai H.; Al-Sanea, Nasser A.; Al-Dayel, Fouad H.

2008-01-01

Objective was to evaluate the overall incidence of microsatellite instability (MSI), hereditary non polyposis colorectal cancer and tumor suppressor gene (TP53) mutations in Saudi colorectal carcinomas. We studied the MSI pathway in Saudi colorectal cancers (CRC) from 179 unselected patients using 2 methods: MSI by polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry detection of mutL homologs 1 and mutS homologs 2 proteins. The TP53 mutations were studied by sequencing exons 5, 6, 7 and 8. Of the 150 colorectal carcinomas analyzed for MSI, 16% of the tumors showed high level instability (MSI-H), 19.3% had low level instability (MSI-L) and the remaining 64% tumors were stable. Survival of the MSI-H group was better as compared to the MSI-L or microsatellite stable group (p=0.0217). In the MSI-H group, 48% were familial MSI tumors which could be attributable to the high incidence of consanguinity in the Saudi population. The TP53 mutations were found in 24% of the cases studied. A high production of familial MSI cases and a lower incidence of TP53 mutations are some of the hallmarks of the Saudi colorectal carcinomas which need to be explored further. (author)

Genome health nutrigenomics and nutrigenetics--diagnosis and nutritional treatment of genome damage on an individual basis.

Science.gov (United States)

Fenech, Michael

2008-04-01

The term nutrigenomics refers to the effect of diet on gene expression. The term nutrigenetics refers to the impact of inherited traits on the response to a specific dietary pattern, functional food or supplement on a specific health outcome. The specific fields of genome health nutrigenomics and genome health nutrigenetics are emerging as important new research areas because it is becoming increasingly evident that (a) risk for developmental and degenerative disease increases with DNA damage which in turn is dependent on nutritional status and (b) optimal concentration of micronutrients for prevention of genome damage is also dependent on genetic polymorphisms that alter function of genes involved directly or indirectly in uptake and metabolism of micronutrients required for DNA repair and DNA replication. Development of dietary patterns, functional foods and supplements that are designed to improve genome health maintenance in humans with specific genetic backgrounds may provide an important contribution to a new optimum health strategy based on the diagnosis and individualised nutritional treatment of genome instability i.e. Genome Health Clinics.

Anisotropic gravitational instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polyachenko, V.L.; Fridman, A.M.

1988-01-01

Exact solutions of stability problems are obtained for two anisotropic gravitational systems of different geometries - a layer of finite thickness at rest and a rotating cylinder of finite radius. It is shown that the anisotropic gravitational instability which develops in both cases is of Jeans type. However, in contrast to the classical aperiodic Jeans instability, this instability is oscillatory. The physics of the anisotropic gravitational instability is investigated. It is shown that in a gravitating layer this instability is due, in particular, to excitation of previously unknown interchange-Jeans modes. In the cylinder, the oscillatory Jeans instability is associated with excitation of a rotational branch, this also being responsible for the beam gravitational instability. This is the reason why this instability and the anisotropic gravitational instability have so much in common

Antioxidant Supplementation Reduces Genomic Aberrations in Human Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells

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Junfeng Ji

2014-01-01

Full Text Available Somatic cells can be reprogrammed to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs using oncogenic transcription factors. However, this method leads to genetic aberrations in iPSCs via unknown mechanisms, which may limit their clinical use. Here, we demonstrate that the supplementation of growth media with antioxidants reduces the genome instability of cells transduced with the reprogramming factors. Antioxidant supplementation did not affect transgene expression level or silencing kinetics. Importantly, iPSCs made with antioxidants had significantly fewer de novo copy number variations, but not fewer coding point mutations, than iPSCs made without antioxidants. Our results suggest that the quality and safety of human iPSCs might be enhanced by using antioxidants in the growth media during the generation and maintenance of iPSCs.

Comparative Genomics of Methanopyrus sp. SNP6 and KOL6 Revealing Genomic Regions of Plasticity Implicated in Extremely Thermophilic Profiles

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Zhiliang Yu

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Methanopyrus spp. are usually isolated from harsh niches, such as high osmotic pressure and extreme temperature. However, the molecular mechanisms for their environmental adaption are poorly understood. Archaeal species is commonly considered as primitive organism. The evolutional placement of archaea is a fundamental and intriguing scientific question. We sequenced the genomes of Methanopyrus strains SNP6 and KOL6 isolated from the Atlantic and Iceland, respectively. Comparative genomic analysis revealed genetic diversity and instability implicated in niche adaption, including a number of transporter- and integrase/transposase-related genes. Pan-genome analysis also defined the gene pool of Methanopyrus spp., in addition of ~120-Kb genomic region of plasticity impacting cognate genomic architecture. We believe that Methanopyrus genomics could facilitate efficient investigation/recognition of archaeal phylogenetic diverse patterns, as well as improve understanding of biological roles and significance of these versatile microbes.

Mirror Instability in the Turbulent Solar Wind

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hellinger, Petr [Astronomical Institute, CAS, Bocni II/1401,CZ-14100 Prague (Czech Republic); Landi, Simone; Verdini, Andrea; Franci, Luca [Dipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Università degli Studi di Firenze Largo E. Fermi 2, I-50125 Firenze (Italy); Matteini, Lorenzo, E-mail: petr.hellinger@asu.cas.cz [Department of Physics, Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ (United Kingdom)

2017-04-01

The relationship between a decaying strong turbulence and the mirror instability in a slowly expanding plasma is investigated using two-dimensional hybrid expanding box simulations. We impose an initial ambient magnetic field perpendicular to the simulation box, and we start with a spectrum of large-scale, linearly polarized, random-phase Alfvénic fluctuations that have energy equipartition between kinetic and magnetic fluctuations and a vanishing correlation between the two fields. A turbulent cascade rapidly develops, magnetic field fluctuations exhibit a Kolmogorov-like power-law spectrum at large scales and a steeper spectrum at sub-ion scales. The imposed expansion (taking a strictly transverse ambient magnetic field) leads to the generation of an important perpendicular proton temperature anisotropy that eventually drives the mirror instability. This instability generates large-amplitude, nonpropagating, compressible, pressure-balanced magnetic structures in a form of magnetic enhancements/humps that reduce the perpendicular temperature anisotropy.

Enhancing faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genome resources.

Science.gov (United States)

Cooper, James W; Wilson, Michael H; Derks, Martijn F L; Smit, Sandra; Kunert, Karl J; Cullis, Christopher; Foyer, Christine H

2017-04-01

Grain legume improvement is currently impeded by a lack of genomic resources. The paucity of genome information for faba bean can be attributed to the intrinsic difficulties of assembling/annotating its giant (~13 Gb) genome. In order to address this challenge, RNA-sequencing analysis was performed on faba bean (cv. Wizard) leaves. Read alignment to the faba bean reference transcriptome identified 16 300 high quality unigenes. In addition, Illumina paired-end sequencing was used to establish a baseline for genomic information assembly. Genomic reads were assembled de novo into contigs with a size range of 50-5000 bp. Over 85% of sequences did not align to known genes, of which ~10% could be aligned to known repetitive genetic elements. Over 26 000 of the reference transcriptome unigenes could be aligned to DNA-sequencing (DNA-seq) reads with high confidence. Moreover, this comparison identified 56 668 potential splice points in all identified unigenes. Sequence length data were extended at 461 putative loci through alignment of DNA-seq contigs to full-length, publicly available linkage marker sequences. Reads also yielded coverages of 3466× and 650× for the chloroplast and mitochondrial genomes, respectively. Inter- and intraspecies organelle genome comparisons established core legume organelle gene sets, and revealed polymorphic regions of faba bean organelle genomes. © The Author 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Experimental Biology.

Genome-scale regression analysis reveals a linear relationship for promoters and enhancers after combinatorial drug treatment

KAUST Repository

Rapakoulia, Trisevgeni

2017-08-09

Motivation: Drug combination therapy for treatment of cancers and other multifactorial diseases has the potential of increasing the therapeutic effect, while reducing the likelihood of drug resistance. In order to reduce time and cost spent in comprehensive screens, methods are needed which can model additive effects of possible drug combinations. Results: We here show that the transcriptional response to combinatorial drug treatment at promoters, as measured by single molecule CAGE technology, is accurately described by a linear combination of the responses of the individual drugs at a genome wide scale. We also find that the same linear relationship holds for transcription at enhancer elements. We conclude that the described approach is promising for eliciting the transcriptional response to multidrug treatment at promoters and enhancers in an unbiased genome wide way, which may minimize the need for exhaustive combinatorial screens.

Enhancing faba bean (Vicia faba L.) genome resources

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Cooper, James W.; Wilson, Michael H.; Derks, M.F.L.; Smit, Sandra; Kunert, Karl J.; Cullis, Christopher; Foyer, C.H.

2017-01-01

Grain legume improvement is currently impeded by a lack of genomic resources. The paucity of genome information for faba bean can be attributed to the intrinsic difficulties of assembling/annotating its giant (~13 Gb) genome. In order to address this challenge, RNA-sequencing analysis was performed

Collisional Rayleigh-Taylor instability and shear-flow in equatorial Spread-F plasma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

N. Chakrabarti

2003-05-01

Full Text Available Collisional Rayleigh-Taylor (RT instability is considered in the bottom side of the equatorial F-region. By a novel nonmodal calculation it is shown that for an applied shear flow in equilibrium, the growth of the instability is considerably reduced. Finite but small amounts of diffusion enhances the stabilization process. The results may be relevant to the observations of long-lived irregularities at the bottom-side of the F-layer.Key words. Ionosphere (ionospheric irregularities, equatorial ionosphere, plasma waves and instabilities

Non-targeted and delayed effects of exposure to ionizing radiation: II. Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects in vivo, clastogenic factors and transgenerational effects

Science.gov (United States)

Morgan, William F.

2003-01-01

The goal of this review is to summarize the evidence for non-targeted and delayed effects of exposure to ionizing radiation in vivo. Currently, human health risks associated with radiation exposures are based primarily on the assumption that the detrimental effects of radiation occur in irradiated cells. Over the years a number of non-targeted effects of radiation exposure in vivo have been described that challenge this concept. These include radiation-induced genomic instability, bystander effects, clastogenic factors produced in plasma from irradiated individuals that can cause chromosomal damage when cultured with nonirradiated cells, and transgenerational effects of parental irradiation that can manifest in the progeny. These effects pose new challenges to evaluating the risk(s) associated with radiation exposure and understanding radiation-induced carcinogenesis.

Sites of instability in the human TCF3 (E2A) gene adopt G-quadruplex DNA structures in vitro

Science.gov (United States)

Williams, Jonathan D.; Fleetwood, Sara; Berroyer, Alexandra; Kim, Nayun; Larson, Erik D.

2015-01-01

The formation of highly stable four-stranded DNA, called G-quadruplex (G4), promotes site-specific genome instability. G4 DNA structures fold from repetitive guanine sequences, and increasing experimental evidence connects G4 sequence motifs with specific gene rearrangements. The human transcription factor 3 (TCF3) gene (also termed E2A) is subject to genetic instability associated with severe disease, most notably a common translocation event t(1;19) associated with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The sites of instability in TCF3 are not randomly distributed, but focused to certain sequences. We asked if G4 DNA formation could explain why TCF3 is prone to recombination and mutagenesis. Here we demonstrate that sequences surrounding the major t(1;19) break site and a region associated with copy number variations both contain G4 sequence motifs. The motifs identified readily adopt G4 DNA structures that are stable enough to interfere with DNA synthesis in physiological salt conditions in vitro. When introduced into the yeast genome, TCF3 G4 motifs promoted gross chromosomal rearrangements in a transcription-dependent manner. Our results provide a molecular rationale for the site-specific instability of human TCF3, suggesting that G4 DNA structures contribute to oncogenic DNA breaks and recombination. PMID:26029241

Enhanced heterologous protein productivity by genome reduction in Lactococcus lactis NZ9000.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhu, Duolong; Fu, Yuxin; Liu, Fulu; Xu, Haijin; Saris, Per Erik Joakim; Qiao, Mingqiang

2017-01-03

The implementation of novel chassis organisms to be used as microbial cell factories in industrial applications is an intensive research field. Lactococcus lactis, which is one of the most extensively studied model organisms, exhibits superior ability to be used as engineered host for fermentation of desirable products. However, few studies have reported about genome reduction of L. lactis as a clean background for functional genomic studies and a model chassis for desirable product fermentation. Four large nonessential DNA regions accounting for 2.83% in L. lactis NZ9000 (L. lactis 9 k) genome (2,530,294 bp) were deleted using the Cre-loxP deletion system as the first steps toward a minimized genome in this study. The mutants were compared with the parental strain in several physiological traits and evaluated as microbial cell factories for heterologous protein production (intracellular and secretory expression) with the red fluorescent protein (RFP) and the bacteriocin leucocin C (LecC) as reporters. The four mutants grew faster, yielded enhanced biomass, achieved increased adenosine triphosphate content, and diminished maintenance demands compared with the wild strain in the two media tested. In particular, L. lactis 9 k-4 with the largest deletion was identified as the optimum candidate host for recombinant protein production. With nisin induction, not only the transcriptional efficiency but also the production levels of the expressed reporters were approximately three- to fourfold improved compared with the wild strain. The expression of lecC gene controlled with strong constitutive promoters P5 and P8 in L. lactis 9 k-4 was also improved significantly. The genome-streamlined L. lactis 9 k-4 outcompeted the parental strain in several physiological traits assessed. Moreover, L. lactis 9 k-4 exhibited good properties as platform organism for protein production. In future works, the genome of L. lactis will be maximally reduced by using our specific design

Actomyosin drives cancer cell nuclear dysmorphia and threatens genome stability.

Science.gov (United States)

Takaki, Tohru; Montagner, Marco; Serres, Murielle P; Le Berre, Maël; Russell, Matt; Collinson, Lucy; Szuhai, Karoly; Howell, Michael; Boulton, Simon J; Sahai, Erik; Petronczki, Mark

2017-07-24

Altered nuclear shape is a defining feature of cancer cells. The mechanisms underlying nuclear dysmorphia in cancer remain poorly understood. Here we identify PPP1R12A and PPP1CB, two subunits of the myosin phosphatase complex that antagonizes actomyosin contractility, as proteins safeguarding nuclear integrity. Loss of PPP1R12A or PPP1CB causes nuclear fragmentation, nuclear envelope rupture, nuclear compartment breakdown and genome instability. Pharmacological or genetic inhibition of actomyosin contractility restores nuclear architecture and genome integrity in cells lacking PPP1R12A or PPP1CB. We detect actin filaments at nuclear envelope rupture sites and define the Rho-ROCK pathway as the driver of nuclear damage. Lamin A protects nuclei from the impact of actomyosin activity. Blocking contractility increases nuclear circularity in cultured cancer cells and suppresses deformations of xenograft nuclei in vivo. We conclude that actomyosin contractility is a major determinant of nuclear shape and that unrestrained contractility causes nuclear dysmorphia, nuclear envelope rupture and genome instability.

Super-enhancers: Asset management in immune cell genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Witte, Steven; O'Shea, John J; Vahedi, Golnaz

2015-09-01

Super-enhancers (SEs) are regions of the genome consisting of clusters of regulatory elements bound with very high amounts of transcription factors, and this architecture appears to be the hallmark of genes and noncoding RNAs linked with cell identity. Recent studies have identified SEs in CD4(+) T cells and have further linked these regions to single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated with immune-mediated disorders, pointing to an important role for these structures in the T cell differentiation and function. Here we review the features that define SEs, and discuss their function within the broader understanding of the mechanisms that define immune cell identity and function. We propose that SEs present crucial regulatory hubs, coordinating intrinsic and extrinsic differentiation signals, and argue that delineating these regions will provide important insight into the factors and mechanisms that define immune cell identity. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Enhancement of Plant Productivity in the Post-Genomics Era.

Science.gov (United States)

Thao, Nguyen Phuong; Tran, Lam-Son Phan

2016-08-01

and larger scale. In their article, Onda and Mochida detailed how to use these technologies in fully characterizing the genetic diversity or multigenecity within a particular plant species. The authors discussed the constant innovation of sequencing platforms which has made sequencing technologies become more superior and more powerful than ever before. Additionally, the efforts result in not only further cut down of the sequencing cost and increase in the sequencing speed, but also improvement in sequencing accuracy and extended sequencing application to studies at both DNA and RNA levels. Such knowledge will help the scientists interpret, at least partially, how plants can adapt to various environmental conditions, or how different cultivars can respond differently to the same stress. Another article by Ong et al. also laid emphasis on the importance of various high-throughput sequencing platforms, thanks to which a large number of genomic databases supplied with detailed annotation and useful bioinformatics tools have been established to assist geneticists. Readers can find in this review the summary of available plant-specific genomic databases up-to-date and popular web-based resources that are relevant for comparative genomics, plant evolution and phylogenomics studies. These, along with other approaches, such as quantitative trait locus and genome-wide association study, will lay foundation for prediction and identification of genes or alleles responsible for valuable agronomic traits, contributing to the enhancement of plant productivity by genetic engineering approach. In this thematic issue, specific examples for crop improvement are also demonstrated. The first showcase is given by Nongpiur et al. who provided evidence that synergistic employment of genomics approaches and high-throughput gene expression methods have aided in dissecting the salinity-responsive signaling pathway, identifying genes involved in the stress response and selecting candidate genes

Global chromosomal structural instability in a subpopulation of starving Escherichia coli cells.

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Dongxu Lin

2011-08-01

Full Text Available Copy-number variations (CNVs constitute very common differences between individual humans and possibly all genomes and may therefore be important fuel for evolution, yet how they form remains elusive. In starving Escherichia coli, gene amplification is induced by stress, controlled by the general stress response. Amplification has been detected only encompassing genes that confer a growth advantage when amplified. We studied the structure of stress-induced gene amplification in starving cells in the Lac assay in Escherichia coli by array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH, with polymerase chain reaction (pcr and DNA sequencing to establish the structures generated. About 10% of 300 amplified isolates carried other chromosomal structural change in addition to amplification. Most of these were inversions and duplications associated with the amplification event. This complexity supports a mechanism similar to that seen in human non-recurrent copy number variants. We interpret these complex events in terms of repeated template switching during DNA replication. Importantly, we found a significant occurrence (6 out of 300 of chromosomal structural changes that were apparently not involved in the amplification event. These secondary changes were absent from 240 samples derived from starved cells not carrying amplification, suggesting that amplification happens in a differentiated subpopulation of stressed cells licensed for global chromosomal structural change and genomic instability. These data imply that chromosomal structural changes occur in bursts or showers of instability that may have the potential to drive rapid evolution.

Current filamentation caused by the electrochemical instability in a fully ionized plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Haines, M.G.; Marsh, F.

1983-01-01

This chapter is primarily concerned with the non-linear development of electrothermal instabilities in a fully ionized plasma discharge in which the current is predominantly carried parallel to an applied magnetic field, as in the Tokamak configuration. Discusses instabilities with wave-number K perpendicular to magnetic field B and current J; the non-linear steady state; amplitude of the filaments; and runaway electrons and ion acoustic instabilities. Concludes that the steady non-linear amplitude of the fully developed instability shows a spiky filamentary structure with the possibility of the generation of runaway electrons and ion acoustic turbulence in the current maxima. Finds that the addition of bremsstrahlung radiation loss enhances the instability, reducing the critical ratio of T /SUB e/ to T /SUB i/ for its onset, and yielding a maximum ion temperature attainable by Joule heating and equipartition

Surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy of genomic DNA from in vitro grown tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) cultivars before and after plant cryopreservation.

Science.gov (United States)

Muntean, Cristina M; Leopold, Nicolae; Tripon, Carmen; Coste, Ana; Halmagyi, Adela

2015-06-05

In this work the surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectra of five genomic DNAs from non-cryopreserved control tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill. cultivars Siriana, Darsirius, Kristin, Pontica and Capriciu) respectively, have been analyzed in the wavenumber range 400-1800 cm(-1). Structural changes induced in genomic DNAs upon cryopreservation were discussed in detail for four of the above mentioned tomato cultivars. The surface-enhanced Raman vibrational modes for each of these cases, spectroscopic band assignments and structural interpretations of genomic DNAs are reported. We have found, that DNA isolated from Siriana cultivar leaf tissues suffers the weakest structural changes upon cryogenic storage of tomato shoot apices. On the contrary, genomic DNA extracted from Pontica cultivar is the most responsive system to cryopreservation process. Particularly, both C2'-endo-anti and C3'-endo-anti conformations have been detected. As a general observation, the wavenumber range 1511-1652 cm(-1), being due to dA, dG and dT residues seems to be influenced by cryopreservation process. These changes could reflect unstacking of DNA bases. However, not significant structural changes of genomic DNAs from Siriana, Darsirius and Kristin have been found upon cryopreservation process of tomato cultivars. Based on this work, specific plant DNA-ligand interactions or accurate local structure of DNA in the proximity of a metallic surface, might be further investigated using surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Genomic hypomethylation in the human germline associates with selective structural mutability in the human genome.

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Jian Li

Full Text Available The hotspots of structural polymorphisms and structural mutability in the human genome remain to be explained mechanistically. We examine associations of structural mutability with germline DNA methylation and with non-allelic homologous recombination (NAHR mediated by low-copy repeats (LCRs. Combined evidence from four human sperm methylome maps, human genome evolution, structural polymorphisms in the human population, and previous genomic and disease studies consistently points to a strong association of germline hypomethylation and genomic instability. Specifically, methylation deserts, the ~1% fraction of the human genome with the lowest methylation in the germline, show a tenfold enrichment for structural rearrangements that occurred in the human genome since the branching of chimpanzee and are highly enriched for fast-evolving loci that regulate tissue-specific gene expression. Analysis of copy number variants (CNVs from 400 human samples identified using a custom-designed array comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH chip, combined with publicly available structural variation data, indicates that association of structural mutability with germline hypomethylation is comparable in magnitude to the association of structural mutability with LCR-mediated NAHR. Moreover, rare CNVs occurring in the genomes of individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and developmental delay and de novo CNVs occurring in those diagnosed with autism are significantly more concentrated within hypomethylated regions. These findings suggest a new connection between the epigenome, selective mutability, evolution, and human disease.

Epstein–Barr virus particles induce centrosome amplification and chromosomal instability

Science.gov (United States)

Shumilov, Anatoliy; Tsai, Ming-Han; Schlosser, Yvonne T.; Kratz, Anne-Sophie; Bernhardt, Katharina; Fink, Susanne; Mizani, Tuba; Lin, Xiaochen; Jauch, Anna; Mautner, Josef; Kopp-Schneider, Annette; Feederle, Regina; Hoffmann, Ingrid; Delecluse, Henri-Jacques

2017-01-01

Infections with Epstein–Barr virus (EBV) are associated with cancer development, and EBV lytic replication (the process that generates virus progeny) is a strong risk factor for some cancer types. Here we report that EBV infection of B-lymphocytes (in vitro and in a mouse model) leads to an increased rate of centrosome amplification, associated with chromosomal instability. This effect can be reproduced with virus-like particles devoid of EBV DNA, but not with defective virus-like particles that cannot infect host cells. Viral protein BNRF1 induces centrosome amplification, and BNRF1-deficient viruses largely lose this property. These findings identify a new mechanism by which EBV particles can induce chromosomal instability without establishing a chronic infection, thereby conferring a risk for development of tumours that do not necessarily carry the viral genome. PMID:28186092

Buneman instability and Pierce instability in a collisionless bounded plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Iizuka, Satoru; Saeki, Koichi; Sato, Noriyoshi; Hatta, Yoshisuke

1983-01-01

A systematic experiment is performed on the Buneman instability and the Pierce instability in a bounded plasma consisting of beam electrons and stationary ions. Current fluctuations are confirmed to be induced by the Buneman instability. On the other hand, the Pierce instability gives rise to a current limitation. The phenomena are well explained by Mikhailovskii's theory taking account of ion motion in a bounded plasma. (author)

The Hall instability of unsteady inhomogeneous axially symmetric magnetized plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shtemler, Yuri M.; Mond, Michael; Liverts, Edward

2004-01-01

The Hall instability in cylindrically symmetric resistive magnetized plasmas in vacuum is investigated. The unperturbed self-similar equilibrium solutions for imploding Z-pinches with time-dependent total current I t ∼t S ,S>1/3, are subjected by short-wave sausage perturbations. The instability criterion is derived in slow-time, frozen-radius approximation. In cylindrically symmetric configurations the instability is driven by the magnetic field curvature. The near-axis and near-edge branches of the neutral curve in the plane of the inverse Hall parameter and phase velocity with the frozen radial coordinate as a parameter are separated by the critical point, where the modified gradient from the unperturbed number density changes sign. The critical radius may be treated as a new characteristic size of the Z-pinch that emerges due to the instability: the pinch is envisaged restructured by the short-scale high-frequency Hall instability, in which a central stable core is surrounded by an outer shell. Such a modified equilibrium may explain the observed enhanced stability against magnetohydrodynamic modes

Genomewide variation in an introgression line of rice-Zizania revealed by whole-genome re-sequencing.

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Zhen-Hui Wang

Full Text Available BACKGROUND: Hybridization between genetically diverged organisms is known as an important avenue that drives plant genome evolution. The possible outcomes of hybridization would be the occurrences of genetic instabilities in the resultant hybrids. It remained under-investigated however whether pollination by alien pollens of a closely related but sexually "incompatible" species could evoke genomic changes and to what extent it may result in phenotypic novelties in the derived progenies. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In this study, we have re-sequenced the genomes of Oryza sativa ssp. japonica cv. Matsumae and one of its derived introgressant RZ35 that was obtained from an introgressive hybridization between Matsumae and Zizanialatifolia Griseb. in general, 131 millions 90 base pair (bp paired-end reads were generated which covered 13.2 and 21.9 folds of the Matsumae and RZ35 genomes, respectively. Relative to Matsumae, a total of 41,724 homozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs and 17,839 homozygous insertions/deletions (indels were identified in RZ35, of which 3,797 SNPs were nonsynonymous mutations. Furthermore, rampant mobilization of transposable elements (TEs was found in the RZ35 genome. The results of pathogen inoculation revealed that RZ35 exhibited enhanced resistance to blast relative to Matsumae. Notably, one nonsynonymous mutation was found in the known blast resistance gene Pid3/Pi25 and real-time quantitative (q RT-PCR analysis revealed constitutive up-regulation of its expression, suggesting both altered function and expression of Pid3/Pi25 may be responsible for the enhanced resistance to rice blast by RZ35. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: Our results demonstrate that introgressive hybridization by Zizania has provoked genomewide, extensive genomic changes in the rice genome, and some of which have resulted in important phenotypic novelties. These findings suggest that introgressive hybridization by alien pollens of even a

Dynamical instabilities in magnetohydrodynamic wind-cloud interactions

Science.gov (United States)

Banda-Barragan, Wladimir Eduardo; Parkin, Elliot Ross; Crocker, Roland M.; Federrath, Christoph; Bicknell, Geoffrey Vincent

2015-08-01

We report the results from a comprehensive numerical study that investigates the role of dynamical instabilities in magnetohydrodynamic interactions between winds and spherical clouds in the interstellar medium. The growth of Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) and Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instabilities at interfaces between wind and cloud material is responsible for the disruption of clouds and the formation of filamentary tails. We show how different strengths and orientations of the initial magnetic field affect the development of unstable modes and the ultimate morphology of these filaments. In the weak field limit, for example, KH instabilities developing at the flanks of clouds are dominant, whilst they are suppressed when stronger fields are considered. On the other hand, perturbations that originate RT instabilities at the leading edge of clouds are enhanced when fields are locally stronger. The orientation of the field lines also plays an important role in the structure of filaments. Magnetic ropes are key features of systems in which fields are aligned with the wind velocity, whilst current sheets are favoured when the initial field is preferentially transverse to the wind velocity. We compare our findings with analytical predictions obtained from the linear theory of hydromagnetic stability and provide a classification of filamentary tails based on their morphology.

Instabilities in inhomogeneous plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mikhailovsky, A.B.

1983-01-01

The plasma inhomogeneity across the magnetic field causes a wide class of instabilities which are called instabilities of an inhomogeneous plasma or gradient instabilities. The instabilities that can be studied in the approximation of a magnetic field with parallel straight field lines are treated first, followed by a discussion of the influence of shear on these instabilities. The instabilities of a weakly inhomogeneous plasma with the Maxwellian velocity distribution of particles caused by the density and temperature gradients are often called drift instabilities, and the corresponding types of perturbations are the drift waves. An elementary theory of drift instabilities is presented, based on the simplest equations of motion of particles in the field of low-frequency and long-wavelength perturbations. Following that is a more complete theory of inhomogeneous collisionless plasma instabilities which uses the permittivity tensor and, in the case of electrostatic perturbations, the scalar of permittivity. The results are used to study the instabilities of a strongly inhomogeneous plasma. The instabilities of a plasma in crossed fields are discussed and the electromagnetic instabilities of plasma with finite and high pressure are described. (Auth.)

Kinetic instabilities in relativistic plasmas: the Harris instability revisited

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tautz, R.C.

2008-01-01

Plasma instabilities that generate aperiodic fluctuations are of outstanding importance in the astrophysical context. Two prominent examples are the electromagnetic Weibel instability and the electrostatic Harris instability, which operate in initially non-magnetized and magnetized plasmas, respectively. In this talk, the original formulation of the Harris instability will be reviewed and generalizations will be presented such as the inclusion of (1) relativistic effects, (2) ion effects, and (3) mode coupling. It will be shown that, with these modifications, a powerful method has been developed for the determination of both the existence and the growth rate of low-frequency instabilities. Applications can be found in astrophysical jets, where the rest frame can be used and so no parallel motion is present. At the end of the talk, how the particle composition of gamma-ray burst jets can be predicted using the Harris technique. (author)

Effect of secondary electron emission on the Jeans instability in a dusty plasma

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sarkar, Susmita; Roy, Banamali; Maity, Saumyen; Khan, Manoranjan; Gupta, M. R.

2007-01-01

In this paper the effect of secondary electron emission on Jeans instability in a dusty plasma has been investigated. Due to secondary electron emission, dust grains may have two stable equilibrium states out of which one is negative and the other is positive. Here both cases have been considered separately. It has been shown that secondary electron emission enhances Jeans instability when equilibrium dust charge is negative. It has also been shown that growth rate of Jeans instability reduces with increasing secondary electron emission when equilibrium dust charge is positive

Clonal chromosomal and genomic instability during human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells long-term culture.

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Victoria Nikitina

Full Text Available Spontaneous mutagenesis often leads to appearance of genetic changes in cells. Although human multipotent mesenchymal stromal cells (hMSC are considered as genetically stable, there is a risk of genomic and structural chromosome instability and, therefore, side effects of cell therapy associated with long-term effects. In this study, the karyotype, genetic variability and clone formation analyses have been carried out in the long-term culture MSC from human gingival mucosa.The immunophenotype of MSC has been examined using flow cytofluorometry and short tandem repeat (STR analysis has been carried out for authentication. The karyotype has been examined using GTG staining and mFISH, while the assessment of the aneuploidy 8 frequency has been performed using centromere specific chromosome FISH probes in interphase cells.The immunophenotype and STR loci combination did not change during the process of cultivation. From passage 23 the proliferative activity of cultured MSCs was significantly reduced. From passage 12 of cultivation, clones of cells with stable chromosome aberrations have been identified and the biggest of these (12% are tetrasomy of chromosome 8. The random genetic and structural chromosomal aberrations and the spontaneous level of chromosomal aberrations in the hMSC long-term cultures were also described.The spectrum of spontaneous chromosomal aberrations in MSC long-term cultivation has been described. Clonal chromosomal aberrations have been identified. A clone of cells with tetrasomy 8 has been detected in passage 12 and has reached the maximum size by passage 18 before and decreased along with the reduction of proliferative activity of cell line by passage 26. At later passages, the MSC line exhibited a set of cells with structural variants of the karyotype with a preponderance of normal diploid cells. The results of our study strongly suggest a need for rigorous genetic analyses of the clone formation in cultured MSCs before

Instability timescale for the inclination instability in the solar system

Science.gov (United States)

Zderic, Alexander; Madigan, Ann-Marie; Fleisig, Jacob

2018-04-01

The gravitational influence of small bodies is often neglected in the study of solar system dynamics. However, this is not always an appropriate assumption. For example, mutual secular torques between low mass particles on eccentric orbits can result in a self-gravity instability (`inclination instability'; Madigan & McCourt 2016). During the instability, inclinations increase exponentially, eccentricities decrease (detachment), and orbits cluster in argument of perihelion. In the solar system, the orbits of the most distant objects show all three of these characteristics (high inclination: Volk & Malhotra (2017), detachment: Delsanti & Jewitt (2006), and argument of perihelion clustering: Trujillo & Sheppard (2014)). The inclination instability is a natural explanation for these phenomena.Unfortunately, full N-body simulations of the solar system are unfeasible (N ≈ O(1012)), and the behavior of the instability depends on N, prohibiting the direct application of lower N simulations. Here we present the instability timescale's functional dependence on N, allowing us to extrapolate our simulation results to that appropriate for the solar system. We show that ~5 MEarth of small icy bodies in the Sedna region is sufficient for the inclination instability to occur in the outer solar system.

CENPA overexpression promotes genome instability in pRb-depleted human cells

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Lentini Laura

2009-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Aneuploidy is a hallmark of most human cancers that arises as a consequence of chromosomal instability and it is frequently associated with centrosome amplification. Functional inactivation of the Retinoblastoma protein (pRb has been indicated as a cause promoting chromosomal instability as well centrosome amplification. However, the underlying molecular mechanism still remains to be clarified. Results Here we show that pRb depletion both in wild type and p53 knockout HCT116 cells was associated with the presence of multipolar spindles, anaphase bridges, lagging chromosomes and micronuclei harbouring whole chromosomes. In addition aneuploidy caused by pRb acute loss was not affected by p53 loss. Quantitative real-time RT-PCR showed that pRB depletion altered expression of genes involved in centrosome duplication, kinetochore assembly and in the Spindle Assembly Checkpoint (SAC. However, despite MAD2 up-regulation pRb-depleted cells seemed to have a functional SAC since they arrested in mitosis after treatments with mitotic poisons. Moreover pRb-depleted HCT116 cells showed BRCA1 overexpression that seemed responsible for MAD2 up-regulation. Post-transcriptional silencing of CENPA by RNA interference, resulting in CENP-A protein levels similar to those present in control cells greatly reduced aneuploid cell numbers in pRb-depleted cells. Conclusion Altogether our findings indicate a novel aspect of pRb acute loss that promotes aneuploidy mainly by inducing CENPA overexpression that in turn might induce micronuclei by affecting the correct attachment of spindle microtubules to kinetochores.

Genome Sequences of the Oxytetracycline Production Strain Streptomyces rimosus R6-500 and Two Mutants with Chromosomal Rearrangements

KAUST Repository

Baranasic, Damir

2014-07-17

The genome sequence of Streptomyces rimosus R6-500, an industrially improved strain which produces high titers of the important antibiotic oxytetracycline, is reported, as well as the genome sequences of two derivatives arising due to the genetic instability of the strain.

Genome Sequences of the Oxytetracycline Production Strain Streptomyces rimosus R6-500 and Two Mutants with Chromosomal Rearrangements

KAUST Repository

Baranasic, Damir; Zucko, Jurica; Nair, Mridul; Pain, Arnab; Long, Paul F.; Hranueli, Daslav; Cullum, John; Starcevic, Antonio

2014-01-01

The genome sequence of Streptomyces rimosus R6-500, an industrially improved strain which produces high titers of the important antibiotic oxytetracycline, is reported, as well as the genome sequences of two derivatives arising due to the genetic instability of the strain.

Fanconi anemia: causes and consequences of genetic instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Kalb, R; Neveling, K; Nanda, I; Schindler, D; Hoehn, H

2006-01-01

Fanconi anemia (FA) is a rare recessive disease that reflects the cellular and phenotypic consequences of genetic instability: growth retardation, congenital malformations, bone marrow failure, high risk of neoplasia, and premature aging. At the cellular level, manifestations of genetic instability include chromosomal breakage, cell cycle disturbance, and increased somatic mutation rates. FA cells are exquisitely sensitive towards oxygen and alkylating drugs such as mitomycin C or diepoxybutane, pointing to a function of FA genes in the defense against reactive oxygen species and other DNA damaging agents. FA is caused by biallelic mutations in at least 12 different genes which appear to function in the maintenance of genomic stability. Eight of the FA proteins form a nuclear core complex with a catalytic function involving ubiquitination of the central FANCD2 protein. The posttranslational modification of FANCD2 promotes its accumulation in nuclear foci, together with known DNA maintenance proteins such as BRCA1, BRCA2, and the RAD51 recombinase. Biallelic mutations in BRCA2 cause a severe FA-like phenotype, as do biallelic mutations in FANCD2. In fact, only leaky or hypomorphic mutations in this central group of FA genes appear to be compatible with life birth and survival. The newly discovered FANCJ (= BRIP1) and FANCM (= Hef ) genes correspond to known DNA-maintenance genes (helicase resp. helicase-associated endonuclease for fork-structured DNA). These genes provide the most convincing evidence to date of a direct involvement of FA genes in DNA repair functions associated with the resolution of DNA crosslinks and stalled replication forks. Even though genetic instability caused by mutational inactivation of the FANC genes has detrimental effects for the majority of FA patients, around 20% of patients appear to benefit from genetic instability since genetic instability also increases the chance of somatic reversion of their constitutional mutations. Intragenic

The Adaptive Response in p53 Cancer Prone Mice: Loss of heterozygosity and Genomic Instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavoie Jose; Dolling Jo-Anna; Mitchel Ron E J; Boreham Douglas R

2004-01-01

mice, only numerical aberrations were observed in 5 to 20% of the cells. There seem to be an age related increase in numerical aberrations as mice grow old. The results indicate that the presence of a defective copy of the Trp53 gene does not seem to affect spontaneous chromosomal instability or in response to chronic low dose exposure to g-radiation. In previous studies it was speculated that low dose and low dose rate in vivo exposure to g-radiation induces an adaptive response, which reduces the risk of cancer death generated by subsequent DNA damage from either spontaneous or radiation induced events due to enhanced recombinational repair. Induced recombination could result from reversion to homozygosity at Trp53 gene locus (Trp53 +/- to +/+) or loss of heterozygosity in unexposed mice (Trp53 +/- to -/-). This hypothesis was investigated using the quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (QRT-PCR) quantification method and the novel Rolling Circle Amplification technique (RCA). For these purposes, spleenocytes and bone marrow cells from all the mice were isolated for cell fixation and DNA extraction. The defective Trp53 allele is generated by integration of a portion of the cloning vector pKONEO DNA into the coding sequence. Therefore, the genotypic changes are monitored based on the detection of the NEO allele and the normal Trp53 allele in the cells. To evaluate loss of heterozygosity at the Trp53 gene locus in a cell, detection of the NEO allele and the normal Trp53 allele using the dual color RCA was utilized. In our hands, this protocol did not give the required sensitivity. The gene signal enumeration was inconsistent and not reproducible. The protocol was modified and could not be optimized. Therefore, the QRT-PCR method was selected to evaluate the loss of heterozygosity with greater sensitivity and efficiency. A set of 4 primers was designed to target the NEO allele and the normal Trp53 allele in a PCR experiment using the LightCycler instrument

Non-coding genomic regions possessing enhancer and silencer potential are associated with healthy aging and exceptional survival.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Sangkyu; Welsh, David A; Myers, Leann; Cherry, Katie E; Wyckoff, Jennifer; Jazwinski, S Michal

2015-02-28

We have completed a genome-wide linkage scan for healthy aging using data collected from a family study, followed by fine-mapping by association in a separate population, the first such attempt reported. The family cohort consisted of parents of age 90 or above and their children ranging in age from 50 to 80. As a quantitative measure of healthy aging, we used a frailty index, called FI34, based on 34 health and function variables. The linkage scan found a single significant linkage peak on chromosome 12. Using an independent cohort of unrelated nonagenarians, we carried out a fine-scale association mapping of the region suggestive of linkage and identified three sites associated with healthy aging. These healthy-aging sites (HASs) are located in intergenic regions at 12q13-14. HAS-1 has been previously associated with multiple diseases, and an enhancer was recently mapped and experimentally validated within the site. HAS-2 is a previously uncharacterized site possessing genomic features suggestive of enhancer activity. HAS-3 contains features associated with Polycomb repression. The HASs also contain variants associated with exceptional longevity, based on a separate analysis. Our results provide insight into functional genomic networks involving non-coding regulatory elements that are involved in healthy aging and longevity.

Comprehensive characterization of genomic instability in pluripotent stem cells and their derived neuroprogenitor cell lines

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Nestor Luis Lopez Corrales

2012-12-01

Full Text Available The genomic integrity of two human pluripotent stem cells and their derived neuroprogenitor cell lines was studied, applying a combination of high-resolution genetic methodologies. The usefulness of combining array-comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH and multiplex fluorescence in situ hybridization (M-FISH techniques should be delineated to exclude/detect a maximum of possible genomic structural aberrations. Interestingly, in parts different genomic imbalances at chromosomal and subchromosomal levels were detected in pluripotent stem cells and their derivatives. Some of the copy number variations were inherited from the original cell line, whereas other modifications were presumably acquired during the differentiation and manipulation procedures. These results underline the necessity to study both pluripotent stem cells and their differentiated progeny by as many approaches as possible in order to assess their genomic stability before using them in clinical therapies.

Nomadic enhancers: tissue-specific cis-regulatory elements of yellow have divergent genomic positions among Drosophila species.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Gizem Kalay

2010-11-01

Full Text Available cis-regulatory DNA sequences known as enhancers control gene expression in space and time. They are central to metazoan development and are often responsible for changes in gene regulation that contribute to phenotypic evolution. Here, we examine the sequence, function, and genomic location of enhancers controlling tissue- and cell-type specific expression of the yellow gene in six Drosophila species. yellow is required for the production of dark pigment, and its expression has evolved largely in concert with divergent pigment patterns. Using Drosophila melanogaster as a transgenic host, we examined the expression of reporter genes in which either 5' intergenic or intronic sequences of yellow from each species controlled the expression of Green Fluorescent Protein. Surprisingly, we found that sequences controlling expression in the wing veins, as well as sequences controlling expression in epidermal cells of the abdomen, thorax, and wing, were located in different genomic regions in different species. By contrast, sequences controlling expression in bristle-associated cells were located in the intron of all species. Differences in the precise pattern of spatial expression within the developing epidermis of D. melanogaster transformants usually correlated with adult pigmentation in the species from which the cis-regulatory sequences were derived, which is consistent with cis-regulatory evolution affecting yellow expression playing a central role in Drosophila pigmentation divergence. Sequence comparisons among species favored a model in which sequential nucleotide substitutions were responsible for the observed changes in cis-regulatory architecture. Taken together, these data demonstrate frequent changes in yellow cis-regulatory architecture among Drosophila species. Similar analyses of other genes, combining in vivo functional tests of enhancer activity with in silico comparative genomics, are needed to determine whether the pattern of

Absolute and convective instability of a liquid sheet with transverse temperature gradient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fu, Qing-Fei; Yang, Li-Jun; Tong, Ming-Xi; Wang, Chen

2013-01-01

Highlights: • The spatial–temporal instability of a liquid sheet with thermal effects was studied. • The flow can transit to absolutely unstable with certain flow parameters. • The effects of non-dimensional parameters on the transition were studied. -- Abstract: The spatial–temporal instability behavior of a viscous liquid sheet with temperature difference between the two surfaces was investigated theoretically. The practical situation motivating this investigation is liquid sheet heated by ambient gas, usually encountered in industrial heat transfer and liquid propellant rocket engines. The existing dispersion relation was used, to explore the spatial–temporal instability of viscous liquid sheets with a nonuniform temperature profile, by setting both the wave number and frequency complex. A parametric study was performed in both sinuous and varicose modes to test the influence of dimensionless numbers on the transition between absolute and convective instability of the flow. For a small value of liquid Weber number, or a great value of gas-to-liquid density ratio, the flow was found to be absolutely unstable. The absolute instability was enhanced by increasing the liquid viscosity. It was found that variation of the Marangoni number hardly influenced the absolute instability of the sinuous mode of oscillations; however it slightly affected the absolute instability in the varicose mode

On the onset of the plasmoid instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Baty, H.

2012-01-01

A numerical study of magnetic reconnection in two-dimensional resistive magnetohydrodynamics for marginally unstable Sweet-Parker current sheets that are subject to plasmoid formation is carried out. Despite the procedure used to form the primary Sweet-Parker-like current layer, that is different with respect to previous studies, the reconnection layer is unstable to the plasmoid instability for a Lundquist number greater than the expected critical value S c ≈10 4 . For Lundquist numbers S≳S c , the instability exhibits a quasi-periodic behaviour consisting of formation, rapid growth, and evacuation of a moving magnetic island. The so called “plasmoid” breaks up the primary current layer and significantly enhances the maximum current density over the value expected from Sweet-Parker theory. This local enhancement spatially coincides with the downstream X-point of the magnetic island and is associated with the formation of a pair of slow-mode Petschek-like shocks bounding the outflowing plasma. These results suggest that the inter-plasmoid current layers forming in high-Lundquist-number plasmas (S≫S c ) could not be simply described as marginally stable Sweet-Parker current sheets.

Ponderomotive force effects on temperature-gradient-driven instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sundaram, A.K.; Hershkowitz, N.

1992-01-01

The modification of temperature-gradient-driven instabilities due to the presence of nonuniform radio-frequency fields near the ion cyclotron frequency is investigated in the linear regime. Employing the fluid theory, it is shown that the induced field line compression caused by ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) fields makes the net parallel compressibility positive, and thus provides a stabilizing influence on the ion-temperature-gradient-driven mode for an appropriately tailored profile of radio-frequency (rf) pressure. Concomitantly, the radial ponderomotive force generates an additional contribution via coupling between the perturbed fluid motion and the equilibrium ponderomotive force and this effect plays the role of dissipation to enhance or decrease the growth of temperature-gradient-driven modes depending upon the sign of rf pressure gradients. For decreased growth of temperature-gradient-driven instabilities, the plasma density gradients and rf pressure gradients must have opposite signs while enhancement in growth arises when both gradients have the same sign. Finally, the kinetic effects associated with these modes are briefly discussed

Relativistic Buneman instability in the laser breakout afterburner

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albright, B. J.; Yin, L.; Bowers, Kevin J.; Hegelich, B. M.; Flippo, K. A.; Kwan, T. J. T.; Fernandez, J. C.

2007-01-01

A new laser-driven ion acceleration mechanism has been identified in particle-in-cell simulations of high-contrast-ratio ultraintense lasers with very thin (10 s of nm) solid targets [Yin et al., Laser and Particle Beams 24, 291 (2006); Yin et al., Phys. Plasmas 13, 072701 (2007)]. After a brief period of target normal sheath acceleration (TNSA), 'enhanced' TNSA follows. In this stage, the laser rapidly heats all the electrons in the target as the target thickness becomes comparable to the skin depth and enhanced acceleration of the ions results. Then, concomitant with the laser penetrating the target, a large accelerating longitudinal electric field is generated that co-moves with the ions. This last phase has been termed the laser 'breakout afterburner' (BOA). Earlier work suggested that the BOA was associated with the Buneman instability that efficiently converts energy from the drift of the electrons into the ions. In this Brief Communication, this conjecture is found to be consistent with particle-in-cell simulation data and the analytic dispersion relation for the relativistic Buneman instability

Privacy enhancing techniques - the key to secure communication and management of clinical and genomic data.

Science.gov (United States)

De Moor, G J E; Claerhout, B; De Meyer, F

2003-01-01

To introduce some of the privacy protection problems related to genomics based medicine and to highlight the relevance of Trusted Third Parties (TTPs) and of Privacy Enhancing Techniques (PETs) in the restricted context of clinical research and statistics. Practical approaches based on two different pseudonymisation models, both for batch and interactive data collection and exchange, are described and analysed. The growing need of managing both clinical and genetic data raises important legal and ethical challenges. Protecting human rights in the realm of privacy, while optimising research potential and other statistical activities is a challenge that can easily be overcome with the assistance of a trust service provider offering advanced privacy enabling/enhancing solutions. As such, the use of pseudonymisation and other innovative Privacy Enhancing Techniques can unlock valuable data sources.

A Thousand Fly Genomes: An Expanded Drosophila Genome Nexus.

Science.gov (United States)

Lack, Justin B; Lange, Jeremy D; Tang, Alison D; Corbett-Detig, Russell B; Pool, John E

2016-12-01

The Drosophila Genome Nexus is a population genomic resource that provides D. melanogaster genomes from multiple sources. To facilitate comparisons across data sets, genomes are aligned using a common reference alignment pipeline which involves two rounds of mapping. Regions of residual heterozygosity, identity-by-descent, and recent population admixture are annotated to enable data filtering based on the user's needs. Here, we present a significant expansion of the Drosophila Genome Nexus, which brings the current data object to a total of 1,121 wild-derived genomes. New additions include 305 previously unpublished genomes from inbred lines representing six population samples in Egypt, Ethiopia, France, and South Africa, along with another 193 genomes added from recently-published data sets. We also provide an aligned D. simulans genome to facilitate divergence comparisons. This improved resource will broaden the range of population genomic questions that can addressed from multi-population allele frequencies and haplotypes in this model species. The larger set of genomes will also enhance the discovery of functionally relevant natural variation that exists within and between populations. © The Author 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution.

New mitigation schemes of the ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azechi, H.; Shiraga, H.; Nakai, M.; Shigemori, K.; Fujioka, S.; Sakaiya, T.; Tamari, Y.; Ohtani, K.; Watari, T.; Murakami, M.; Sunahara, A.; Nagatomo, H.; Nishihara, K.; Miyanaga, N.; Izawa, Y.; Ohnishi, N.

2005-01-01

The Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability with material ablation through the unstable interface is the key physics that determines success or failure of inertial fusion energy (IFE) generation, as the RT instability potentially quenches ignition and burn by disintegrating the IFE target. We present two suppression schemes of the RT growth without significant degradation of the target density. The first scheme is to generate double ablation structure in high-Z doped plastic targets. In addition to the electron ablation surface, a new ablation surface is created by x-ray radiation from the high-Z ions. Contrary to the previous thought, the electron ablation surface is almost completely stabilized by extremely high flow velocity. On the other hand, the RT instability on the radiative ablation surface is significantly moderated. The second is to enhance the nonlocal nature of the electron heat transport by illuminating the target with long wavelength laser light, whereas the high ablation pressure is generated by irradiating short wavelength laser light. The significant suppression of the RT instability may increase the possibility of impact ignition which uses a high velocity fuel colliding with a preformed main fuel. (author)

Solar Wind Electron Scattering by Kinetic Instabilities and Whistler Turbulence

Science.gov (United States)

Gary, S. P.

2015-12-01

The expansion of the solar wind away from the Sun drives electron velocity distributions away from the thermal Maxwellian form, yielding distributions near 1 AU which typically can be characterized as consisting of three anisotropic components: a more dense, relatively cool core, a relatively tenuous , relatively warm halo and a similarly tenuous, warm strahl. Each of these nonthermal components are potential sources of kinetic plasma instabilities; the enhanced waves from each instability can scatter the electrons, acting to reduce the various anisotropies and making their overall velocity distribution more nearly (but not completely) thermal. In contrast, simulations are demonstrating that the forward decay of whistler turbulence can lead to the development of a T||> T_perp electron anisotropy. This presentation will review linear theories of electron-driven kinetic instabilities (following the presentation by Daniel Verscharen at the 2015 SHINE Workshop), and will further consider the modification of electron velocity distributions as obtained from particle-in-cell simulations of such instabilities as well as from the decay of whistler turbulence.

Hydrodynamic instabilities in inertial fusion

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoffman, N.M.

1994-01-01

This report discusses topics on hydrodynamics instabilities in inertial confinement: linear analysis of Rayleigh-Taylor instability; ablation-surface instability; bubble rise in late-stage Rayleigh-Taylor instability; and saturation and multimode interactions in intermediate-stage Rayleigh-Taylor instability

Engineering Strategies to Decode and Enhance the Genomes of Coral Symbionts

KAUST Repository

Levin, Rachel A.; Voolstra, Christian R.; Agrawal, Shobhit; Steinberg, Peter D.; Suggett, David J.; van Oppen, Madeleine J. H.

2017-01-01

Elevated sea surface temperatures from a severe and prolonged El Niño event (2014–2016) fueled by climate change have resulted in mass coral bleaching (loss of dinoflagellate photosymbionts, Symbiodinium spp., from coral tissues) and subsequent coral mortality, devastating reefs worldwide. Genetic variation within and between Symbiodinium species strongly influences the bleaching tolerance of corals, thus recent papers have called for genetic engineering of Symbiodinium to elucidate the genetic basis of bleaching-relevant Symbiodinium traits. However, while Symbiodinium has been intensively studied for over 50 years, genetic transformation of Symbiodinium has seen little success likely due to the large evolutionary divergence between Symbiodinium and other model eukaryotes rendering standard transformation systems incompatible. Here, we integrate the growing wealth of Symbiodinium next-generation sequencing data to design tailored genetic engineering strategies. Specifically, we develop a testable expression construct model that incorporates endogenous Symbiodinium promoters, terminators, and genes of interest, as well as an internal ribosomal entry site from a Symbiodinium virus. Furthermore, we assess the potential for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing through new analyses of the three currently available Symbiodinium genomes. Finally, we discuss how genetic engineering could be applied to enhance the stress tolerance of Symbiodinium, and in turn, coral reefs.

Engineering Strategies to Decode and Enhance the Genomes of Coral Symbionts

KAUST Repository

Levin, Rachel A.

2017-06-30

Elevated sea surface temperatures from a severe and prolonged El Niño event (2014–2016) fueled by climate change have resulted in mass coral bleaching (loss of dinoflagellate photosymbionts, Symbiodinium spp., from coral tissues) and subsequent coral mortality, devastating reefs worldwide. Genetic variation within and between Symbiodinium species strongly influences the bleaching tolerance of corals, thus recent papers have called for genetic engineering of Symbiodinium to elucidate the genetic basis of bleaching-relevant Symbiodinium traits. However, while Symbiodinium has been intensively studied for over 50 years, genetic transformation of Symbiodinium has seen little success likely due to the large evolutionary divergence between Symbiodinium and other model eukaryotes rendering standard transformation systems incompatible. Here, we integrate the growing wealth of Symbiodinium next-generation sequencing data to design tailored genetic engineering strategies. Specifically, we develop a testable expression construct model that incorporates endogenous Symbiodinium promoters, terminators, and genes of interest, as well as an internal ribosomal entry site from a Symbiodinium virus. Furthermore, we assess the potential for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing through new analyses of the three currently available Symbiodinium genomes. Finally, we discuss how genetic engineering could be applied to enhance the stress tolerance of Symbiodinium, and in turn, coral reefs.

Engineering Strategies to Decode and Enhance the Genomes of Coral Symbionts

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Rachel A. Levin

2017-06-01

Full Text Available Elevated sea surface temperatures from a severe and prolonged El Niño event (2014–2016 fueled by climate change have resulted in mass coral bleaching (loss of dinoflagellate photosymbionts, Symbiodinium spp., from coral tissues and subsequent coral mortality, devastating reefs worldwide. Genetic variation within and between Symbiodinium species strongly influences the bleaching tolerance of corals, thus recent papers have called for genetic engineering of Symbiodinium to elucidate the genetic basis of bleaching-relevant Symbiodinium traits. However, while Symbiodinium has been intensively studied for over 50 years, genetic transformation of Symbiodinium has seen little success likely due to the large evolutionary divergence between Symbiodinium and other model eukaryotes rendering standard transformation systems incompatible. Here, we integrate the growing wealth of Symbiodinium next-generation sequencing data to design tailored genetic engineering strategies. Specifically, we develop a testable expression construct model that incorporates endogenous Symbiodinium promoters, terminators, and genes of interest, as well as an internal ribosomal entry site from a Symbiodinium virus. Furthermore, we assess the potential for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing through new analyses of the three currently available Symbiodinium genomes. Finally, we discuss how genetic engineering could be applied to enhance the stress tolerance of Symbiodinium, and in turn, coral reefs.

Engineering Strategies to Decode and Enhance the Genomes of Coral Symbionts.

Science.gov (United States)

Levin, Rachel A; Voolstra, Christian R; Agrawal, Shobhit; Steinberg, Peter D; Suggett, David J; van Oppen, Madeleine J H

2017-01-01

Elevated sea surface temperatures from a severe and prolonged El Niño event (2014-2016) fueled by climate change have resulted in mass coral bleaching (loss of dinoflagellate photosymbionts, Symbiodinium spp., from coral tissues) and subsequent coral mortality, devastating reefs worldwide. Genetic variation within and between Symbiodinium species strongly influences the bleaching tolerance of corals, thus recent papers have called for genetic engineering of Symbiodinium to elucidate the genetic basis of bleaching-relevant Symbiodinium traits. However, while Symbiodinium has been intensively studied for over 50 years, genetic transformation of Symbiodinium has seen little success likely due to the large evolutionary divergence between Symbiodinium and other model eukaryotes rendering standard transformation systems incompatible. Here, we integrate the growing wealth of Symbiodinium next-generation sequencing data to design tailored genetic engineering strategies. Specifically, we develop a testable expression construct model that incorporates endogenous Symbiodinium promoters, terminators, and genes of interest, as well as an internal ribosomal entry site from a Symbiodinium virus. Furthermore, we assess the potential for CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing through new analyses of the three currently available Symbiodinium genomes. Finally, we discuss how genetic engineering could be applied to enhance the stress tolerance of Symbiodinium , and in turn, coral reefs.

The pursuit of the genome instability by comet assay (single cell gel electrophoresis) in patients with cancer of the cavum in western Algerian; La recherche de l'instabilite genomique par le test des cometes (single cell gel electrophoresis) chez les malades atteints d'un cancer du cavum dans l'Ouest algerien

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Boukerche, A.; Dali-Youcef, A.F. [Service de Radiotherapie, Oran (Algeria); Bouali-Youcef, Y. [Laboratoire d' Immunologie, Oran (Algeria); Mehadji, M. [Service d' ORL, Oran (Algeria); Chenal, C. [Rennes-1 Univ., UMR CNRS 6853, 35 (France)

2007-11-15

The analysis of results has shown a constitutional genome instability among the patients with a cavum cancer with a defect in DNA repair where some exogenous factors ( Epstein-Barr virus, EBV) seem play an important part. (N.C.)

56Fe particle exposure results in a long-lasting increase in a cellular index of genomic instability and transiently suppresses adult hippocampal neurogenesis in vivo

Science.gov (United States)

DeCarolis, Nathan A.; Rivera, Phillip D.; Ahn, Francisca; Amaral, Wellington Z.; LeBlanc, Junie A.; Malhotra, Shveta; Shih, Hung-Ying; Petrik, David; Melvin, Neal R.; Chen, Benjamin P. C.; Eisch, Amelia J.

2014-07-01

The high-LET HZE particles from galactic cosmic radiation pose tremendous health risks to astronauts, as they may incur sub-threshold brain injury or maladaptations that may lead to cognitive impairment. The health effects of HZE particles are difficult to predict and unfeasible to prevent. This underscores the importance of estimating radiation risks to the central nervous system as a whole as well as to specific brain regions like the hippocampus, which is central to learning and memory. Given that neurogenesis in the hippocampus has been linked to learning and memory, we investigated the response and recovery of neurogenesis and neural stem cells in the adult mouse hippocampal dentate gyrus after HZE particle exposure using two nestin transgenic reporter mouse lines to label and track radial glia stem cells (Nestin-GFP and Nestin-CreERT2/R26R:YFP mice, respectively). Mice were subjected to 56Fe particle exposure (0 or 1 Gy, at either 300 or 1000 MeV/n) and brains were harvested at early (24 h), intermediate (7 d), and/or long time points (2-3 mo) post-irradiation. 56Fe particle exposure resulted in a robust increase in 53BP1+ foci at both the intermediate and long time points post-irradiation, suggesting long-term genomic instability in the brain. However, 56Fe particle exposure only produced a transient decrease in immature neuron number at the intermediate time point, with no significant decrease at the long time point post-irradiation. 56Fe particle exposure similarly produced a transient decrease in dividing progenitors, with fewer progenitors labeled at the early time point but equal number labeled at the intermediate time point, suggesting a recovery of neurogenesis. Notably, 56Fe particle exposure did not change the total number of nestin-expressing neural stem cells. These results highlight that despite the persistence of an index of genomic instability, 56Fe particle-induced deficits in adult hippocampal neurogenesis may be transient. These data support

Telomerase as a potential anticancer target: growth inhibition and genomic instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Faraoni, Isabella; Graziani, Grazia

2000-02-01

Stabilization of telomere length in chromosomes by an RNA-dependent DNA polymerase (telomerase) appears to be responsible for the replicative immortality of cancer cells. These findings provide the rational basis for generating experimental models to develop anti-telomerase drugs. However, there is conflicting evidence in the literature about the outcome of telomerase inhibition. While tumor cytostatic and cytotoxic effects associated with telomerase inhibition have been described, absence of telomerase has been associated with genetic instability and tumor development. Therefore, a therapeutic strategy based on telomerase inhibition will likely have to cope with problems related to innate or acquired mechanisms of drug resistance and possibly to therapy-related tumors. Copyright 2000 Harcourt Publishers Ltd.

Domestic estimated breeding values and genomic enhanced breeding values of bulls in comparison with their foreign genomic enhanced breeding values.

Science.gov (United States)

Přibyl, J; Bauer, J; Čermák, V; Pešek, P; Přibylová, J; Šplíchal, J; Vostrá-Vydrová, H; Vostrý, L; Zavadilová, L

2015-10-01

Estimated breeding values (EBVs) and genomic enhanced breeding values (GEBVs) for milk production of young genotyped Holstein bulls were predicted using a conventional BLUP - Animal Model, a method fitting regression coefficients for loci (RRBLUP), a method utilizing the realized genomic relationship matrix (GBLUP), by a single-step procedure (ssGBLUP) and by a one-step blending procedure. Information sources for prediction were the nation-wide database of domestic Czech production records in the first lactation combined with deregressed proofs (DRP) from Interbull files (August 2013) and domestic test-day (TD) records for the first three lactations. Data from 2627 genotyped bulls were used, of which 2189 were already proven under domestic conditions. Analyses were run that used Interbull values for genotyped bulls only or that used Interbull values for all available sires. Resultant predictions were compared with GEBV of 96 young foreign bulls evaluated abroad and whose proofs were from Interbull method GMACE (August 2013) on the Czech scale. Correlations of predictions with GMACE values of foreign bulls ranged from 0.33 to 0.75. Combining domestic data with Interbull EBVs improved prediction of both EBV and GEBV. Predictions by Animal Model (traditional EBV) using only domestic first lactation records and GMACE values were correlated by only 0.33. Combining the nation-wide domestic database with all available DRP for genotyped and un-genotyped sires from Interbull resulted in an EBV correlation of 0.60, compared with 0.47 when only Interbull data were used. In all cases, GEBVs had higher correlations than traditional EBVs, and the highest correlations were for predictions from the ssGBLUP procedure using combined data (0.75), or with all available DRP from Interbull records only (one-step blending approach, 0.69). The ssGBLUP predictions using the first three domestic lactation records in the TD model were correlated with GMACE predictions by 0.69, 0.64 and 0

Longitudinal beam instabilities in a double RF system

CERN Document Server

AUTHOR|(INSPIRE)INSPIRE-00229208; Gazis, Evangelos

Operation with a double RF system is essential for many accelerators in order to increase beam stability, to change the bunch shape or to perform various RF manipulations. This is also the case for the operation of the CERN SPS as the LHC proton injector, where in addition to the main RF system, a fourth harmonic RF system is used in bunch shortening mode in order to increase the synchrotron frequency spread inside the bunch and thus to enhance Landau damping of the collective instabilities. In fact the double RF system operation in the SPS is one of the essential means, together with the controlled longitudinal emittance blow-up to significantly increase the longitudinal instability thresholds (single and multi-bunch) and deliver a good quality beam for the LHC. However, for the HiLumi-LHC (HL-LHC) and LHC injector upgrade (LIU) projects higher beam intensities are required. After all upgrades are in place, the main performance limitations of the LHC injector complex are beam instabilities and high intensity...

The Genome of the Basidiomycetous Yeast and Human Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans

Science.gov (United States)

Loftus, Brendan J.; Fung, Eula; Roncaglia, Paola; Rowley, Don; Amedeo, Paolo; Bruno, Dan; Vamathevan, Jessica; Miranda, Molly; Anderson, Iain J.; Fraser, James A.; Allen, Jonathan E.; Bosdet, Ian E.; Brent, Michael R.; Chiu, Readman; Doering, Tamara L.; Donlin, Maureen J.; D’Souza, Cletus A.; Fox, Deborah S.; Grinberg, Viktoriya; Fu, Jianmin; Fukushima, Marilyn; Haas, Brian J.; Huang, James C.; Janbon, Guilhem; Jones, Steven J. M.; Koo, Hean L.; Krzywinski, Martin I.; Kwon-Chung, June K.; Lengeler, Klaus B.; Maiti, Rama; Marra, Marco A.; Marra, Robert E.; Mathewson, Carrie A.; Mitchell, Thomas G.; Pertea, Mihaela; Riggs, Florenta R.; Salzberg, Steven L.; Schein, Jacqueline E.; Shvartsbeyn, Alla; Shin, Heesun; Shumway, Martin; Specht, Charles A.; Suh, Bernard B.; Tenney, Aaron; Utterback, Terry R.; Wickes, Brian L.; Wortman, Jennifer R.; Wye, Natasja H.; Kronstad, James W.; Lodge, Jennifer K.; Heitman, Joseph; Davis, Ronald W.; Fraser, Claire M.; Hyman, Richard W.

2012-01-01

Cryptococcus neoformans is a basidiomycetous yeast ubiquitous in the environment, a model for fungal pathogenesis, and an opportunistic human pathogen of global importance. We have sequenced its ~20-megabase genome, which contains ~6500 intron-rich gene structures and encodes a transcriptome abundant in alternatively spliced and antisense messages. The genome is rich in transposons, many of which cluster at candidate centromeric regions. The presence of these transposons may drive karyotype instability and phenotypic variation. C. neoformans encodes unique genes that may contribute to its unusual virulence properties, and comparison of two phenotypically distinct strains reveals variation in gene content in addition to sequence polymorphisms between the genomes. PMID:15653466

Global Warming: The Instability of Desert Climate is Enhancing in the Northwest Area in China: A Case Study in the Desert Area in Northwestern China

OpenAIRE

Zhao-Feng Chang; Shu-Juan Zhu; Fu-Gui Han; Sheng-Nnian Zhong; Qiang-Qiang Wang; Jian-Hui Zhang

2013-01-01

To disclose the relation between the sandstorms change and the temperature changes, a case study in the desert area in northwestern china is investigated. The results showed that: the instability of climate in Minqin desert area is enhancing in the arid desert region in northwest China. Mainly as follows: Variation the annual extreme maximum temperature increasing. Variation of extreme minimum temperature also an increasing trend. Average visibility of sandstorms significantly reduced and the...

Effects of aneuploidy on genome structure, expression, and interphase organization in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Bruno Huettel

2008-10-01

Full Text Available Aneuploidy refers to losses and/or gains of individual chromosomes from the normal chromosome set. The resulting gene dosage imbalance has a noticeable affect on the phenotype, as illustrated by aneuploid syndromes, including Down syndrome in humans, and by human solid tumor cells, which are highly aneuploid. Although the phenotypic manifestations of aneuploidy are usually apparent, information about the underlying alterations in structure, expression, and interphase organization of unbalanced chromosome sets is still sparse. Plants generally tolerate aneuploidy better than animals, and, through colchicine treatment and breeding strategies, it is possible to obtain inbred sibling plants with different numbers of chromosomes. This possibility, combined with the genetic and genomics tools available for Arabidopsis thaliana, provides a powerful means to assess systematically the molecular and cytological consequences of aberrant numbers of specific chromosomes. Here, we report on the generation of Arabidopsis plants in which chromosome 5 is present in triplicate. We compare the global transcript profiles of normal diploids and chromosome 5 trisomics, and assess genome integrity using array comparative genome hybridization. We use live cell imaging to determine the interphase 3D arrangement of transgene-encoded fluorescent tags on chromosome 5 in trisomic and triploid plants. The results indicate that trisomy 5 disrupts gene expression throughout the genome and supports the production and/or retention of truncated copies of chromosome 5. Although trisomy 5 does not grossly distort the interphase arrangement of fluorescent-tagged sites on chromosome 5, it may somewhat enhance associations between transgene alleles. Our analysis reveals the complex genomic changes that can occur in aneuploids and underscores the importance of using multiple experimental approaches to investigate how chromosome numerical changes condition abnormal phenotypes and

Chromosomal instability in mouse embryonic fibroblasts null for the transcriptional co-repressor Ski

OpenAIRE

Marcelain, Katherine; Armisen, Ricardo; Aguirre, Adam; Ueki, Nobuhide; Toro, Jessica; Colmenares, Clemencia; Hayman, Michael J

2012-01-01

Ski is a transcriptional regulator that has been considered an oncoprotein, given its ability to induce oncogenic transformation in avian model systems. However, studies in mouse and in some human tumor cells have also indicated a tumor suppressor activity for this protein. We found that Ski−/− mouse embryo fibroblasts exhibit high levels of genome instability, namely aneuploidy, consistent with a tumor suppressor function for Ski. Time-lapse microscopy revealed lagging chromosomes and chroma...

Prognostic value of partial genetic instability in Neuroblastoma with ? 50% neuroblastic cell content.

OpenAIRE

2011-01-01

Abstract Aims. Better understanding of neuroblastoma genetics will improve with genome-wide techniques. However it is not adequated to perform these analyses in samples with less than 60% neuroblastic cell content. We evaluated the utility of FISH on tissue microarrays (TMA) in detecting partial genetic instability (PGI), focussing on samples with ? 50% neuroblastic cells. Methods and results. Alterations of 11q and 17q were detected by FISH on 369 neuroblastic samples included...

Local parametric instability near elliptic points in vortex flows under shear deformation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Koshel, Konstantin V., E-mail: kvkoshel@poi.dvo.ru [Pacific Oceanological Institute, FEB RAS, 43, Baltiyskaya Street, Vladivostok 690041 (Russian Federation); Institute of Applied Mathematics, FEB RAS, 7, Radio Street, Vladivostok 690022 (Russian Federation); Far Eastern Federal University, 8, Sukhanova Street, Vladivostok 690950 (Russian Federation); Ryzhov, Eugene A., E-mail: ryzhovea@gmail.com [Pacific Oceanological Institute, FEB RAS, 43, Baltiyskaya Street, Vladivostok 690041 (Russian Federation)

2016-08-15

The dynamics of two point vortices embedded in an oscillatory external flow consisted of shear and rotational components is addressed. The region associated with steady-state elliptic points of the vortex motion is established to experience local parametric instability. The instability forces the point vortices with initial positions corresponding to the steady-state elliptic points to move in spiral-like divergent trajectories. This divergent motion continues until the nonlinear effects suppress their motion near the region associated with the steady-state separatrices. The local parametric instability is then demonstrated not to contribute considerably to enhancing the size of the chaotic motion regions. Instead, the size of the chaotic motion region mostly depends on overlaps of the nonlinear resonances emerging in the perturbed system.

Triclade: influence of a sinuous secondary instability on the Richtmyer-Meshkov instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boulet, M.; Griffond, J.

2004-01-01

Occurrence of a secondary instability developing after the Richtmyer-Meshkov (primary) instability is emphasized thanks to numerical simulations with the TRICLADE code. We are mainly considering 2D perturbations describes by trigonometric function cosine or [cosine]. However, the 3D case is also tackled. The sinuous secondary instability is characterized by the loss of the symmetries in the direction normal to the interface at its crests. It reduces the late time growing rate of the 'mushrooms' formed by the Richtmyer-Meshkov instability. Related simplified problems, like symmetrical Riemann problems or the Mallier-Maslowe array of counter-rotating vortices, allow us to perform 2D linear stability analysis. Thus, we show that the sinuous secondary instability is not a numerical artifact and that is comes from the continuous incompressible velocity field in the interface region. This instability implies temporal limitations for the validity of single mode simulations; therefore multimode simulations are necessary to study the ]ate-time behaviour of interfaces bitted by shocks. (authors)

Smad4 loss in mice causes spontaneous head and neck cancer with increased genomic instability and inflammation.

Science.gov (United States)

Bornstein, Sophia; White, Ruth; Malkoski, Stephen; Oka, Masako; Han, Gangwen; Cleaver, Timothy; Reh, Douglas; Andersen, Peter; Gross, Neil; Olson, Susan; Deng, Chuxia; Lu, Shi-Long; Wang, Xiao-Jing

2009-11-01

Smad4 is a central mediator of TGF-beta signaling, and its expression is downregulated or lost at the malignant stage in several cancer types. In this study, we found that Smad4 was frequently downregulated not only in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) malignant lesions, but also in grossly normal adjacent buccal mucosa. To gain insight into the importance of this observation, we generated mice in which Smad4 was deleted in head and neck epithelia (referred to herein as HN-Smad4-/- mice) and found that they developed spontaneous HNSCC. Interestingly, both normal head and neck tissue and HNSCC from HN-Smad4-/- mice exhibited increased genomic instability, which correlated with downregulated expression and function of genes encoding proteins in the Fanconi anemia/Brca (Fanc/Brca) DNA repair pathway linked to HNSCC susceptibility in humans. Consistent with this, further analysis revealed a correlation between downregulation of Smad4 protein and downregulation of the Brca1 and Rad51 proteins in human HNSCC. In addition to the above changes in tumor epithelia, both normal head and neck tissue and HNSCC from HN-Smad4-/- mice exhibited severe inflammation, which was associated with increased expression of TGF-beta1 and activated Smad3. We present what we believe to be the first single gene-knockout model for HNSCC, in which both HNSCC formation and invasion occurred as a result of Smad4 deletion. Our results reveal an intriguing connection between Smad4 and the Fanc/Brca pathway and highlight the impact of epithelial Smad4 loss on inflammation.

Lynch Syndrome: Genomics Update and Imaging Review.

Science.gov (United States)

Cox, Veronica L; Saeed Bamashmos, Anas A; Foo, Wai Chin; Gupta, Shiva; Yedururi, Sireesha; Garg, Naveen; Kang, Hyunseon Christine

2018-01-01

Lynch syndrome is the most common hereditary cancer syndrome, the most common cause of heritable colorectal cancer, and the only known heritable cause of endometrial cancer. Other cancers associated with Lynch syndrome include cancers of the ovary, stomach, urothelial tract, and small bowel, and less frequently, cancers of the brain, biliary tract, pancreas, and prostate. The oncogenic tendency of Lynch syndrome stems from a set of genomic alterations of mismatch repair proteins. Defunct mismatch repair proteins cause unusually high instability of regions of the genome called microsatellites. Over time, the accumulation of mutations in microsatellites and elsewhere in the genome can affect the production of important cellular proteins, spurring tumorigenesis. Universal testing of colorectal tumors for microsatellite instability (MSI) is now recommended to (a) prevent cases of Lynch syndrome being missed owing to the use of clinical criteria alone, (b) reduce morbidity and mortality among the relatives of affected individuals, and (c) guide management decisions. Organ-specific cancer risks and associated screening paradigms vary according to the sex of the affected individual and the type of germline DNA alteration causing the MSI. Furthermore, Lynch syndrome-associated cancers have different pathologic, radiologic, and clinical features compared with their sporadic counterparts. Most notably, Lynch syndrome-associated tumors tend to be more indolent than non-Lynch syndrome-associated neoplasms and thus may respond differently to traditional chemotherapy regimens. The high MSI in cases of colorectal cancer reflects a difference in the biologic features of the tumor, possibly with a unique susceptibility to immunotherapy. © RSNA, 2018.

Irradiation instability at the inner edges of accretion disks

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fung, Jeffrey; Artymowicz, Pawel, E-mail: fung@astro.utoronto.ca [Department of Astronomy and Astrophysics, University of Toronto, 50 St. George Street, Toronto, ON M5S 3H4 (Canada)

2014-07-20

An instability can potentially operate in highly irradiated disks where the disk sharply transitions from being radially transparent to opaque (the 'transition region'). Such conditions may exist at the inner edges of transitional disks around T Tauri stars and accretion disks around active galactic nuclei. We derive the criterion for this instability, which we term the 'irradiation instability', or IRI. We also present the linear growth rate as a function of β, the ratio between radiation force and gravity, and c{sub s}, the sound speed of the disk, obtained using two methods: a semi-analytic analysis of the linearized equations and a numerical simulation using the GPU-accelerated hydrodynamical code PEnGUIn. In particular, we find that IRI occurs at β ∼ 0.1 if the transition region extends as wide as ∼0.05r, and at higher β values if it is wider. This threshold value applies to c{sub s} ranging from 3% of the Keplerian orbital speed to 5%, and becomes higher if c{sub s} is lower. Furthermore, in the nonlinear evolution of the instability, disks with a large β and small c{sub s} exhibit 'clumping', extreme local surface density enhancements that can reach over 10 times the initial disk surface density.

Immediate Genetic and Epigenetic Changes in F1 Hybrids Parented by Species with Divergent Genomes in the Rice Genus (Oryza.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ying Wu

Full Text Available Inter-specific hybridization occurs frequently in higher plants, and represents a driving force of evolution and speciation. Inter-specific hybridization often induces genetic and epigenetic instabilities in the resultant homoploid hybrids or allopolyploids, a phenomenon known as genome shock. Although genetic and epigenetic consequences of hybridizations between rice subspecies (e.g., japonica and indica and closely related species sharing the same AA genome have been extensively investigated, those of inter-specific hybridizations between more remote species with different genomes in the rice genus, Oryza, remain largely unknown.We investigated the immediate chromosomal and molecular genetic/epigenetic instability of three triploid F1 hybrids produced by inter-specific crossing between species with divergent genomes of Oryza by genomic in situ hybridization (GISH and molecular marker analysis. Transcriptional and transpositional activity of several transposable elements (TEs and methylation stability of their flanking regions were also assessed. We made the following principle findings: (i all three triploid hybrids are stable in both chromosome number and gross structure; (ii stochastic changes in both DNA sequence and methylation occurred in individual plants of all three triploid hybrids, but in general methylation changes occurred at lower frequencies than genetic changes; (iii alteration in DNA methylation occurred to a greater extent in genomic loci flanking potentially active TEs than in randomly sampled loci; (iv transcriptional activation of several TEs commonly occurred in all three hybrids but transpositional events were detected in a genetic context-dependent manner.Artificially constructed inter-specific hybrids of remotely related species with divergent genomes in genus Oryza are chromosomally stable but show immediate and highly stochastic genetic and epigenetic instabilities at the molecular level. These novel hybrids might

Genome-wide mapping of DNA strand breaks.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Frédéric Leduc

Full Text Available Determination of cellular DNA damage has so far been limited to global assessment of genome integrity whereas nucleotide-level mapping has been restricted to specific loci by the use of specific primers. Therefore, only limited DNA sequences can be studied and novel regions of genomic instability can hardly be discovered. Using a well-characterized yeast model, we describe a straightforward strategy to map genome-wide DNA strand breaks without compromising nucleotide-level resolution. This technique, termed "damaged DNA immunoprecipitation" (dDIP, uses immunoprecipitation and the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin end-labeling (TUNEL to capture DNA at break sites. When used in combination with microarray or next-generation sequencing technologies, dDIP will allow researchers to map genome-wide DNA strand breaks as well as other types of DNA damage and to establish a clear profiling of altered genes and/or intergenic sequences in various experimental conditions. This mapping technique could find several applications for instance in the study of aging, genotoxic drug screening, cancer, meiosis, radiation and oxidative DNA damage.

Mobile units of DNA in phytoplasma genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Dickinson, Matt

2010-09-01

Phytoplasmas are obligate symbionts of plants and insects that are responsible for significant yield losses in diverse crops. Genome sequencing has revealed that many phytoplasma genomes appear to contain repeated genes organized in units of approximately 20 kb. These 'potential mobile units' (PMUs) resemble composite replicative transposons. PMUs contain several genes for recombination and some also contain putative 'virulence genes'. Genome alignments suggest that PMUs are involved in phytoplasma genome instability and recombination. In this edition of Molecular Microbiology, Hogenhout and colleagues report that one PMU from the aster yellows phytoplasma strain Witches' Broom (AY-WB) can exist as both a linear PMU within the chromosome and as an extrachromosomal circular form. The copy number of the circular form is much higher in the insect vector compared with the plant, and expression levels of genes present on the PMU are also higher in the insect. These observations suggest not only that this PMU could be a mobile element, but that it could also be involved in a phase-variation mechanism that allows the phytoplasma to adapt to its different hosts.

dAdd1 and dXNP prevent genome instability by maintaining HP1a localization at Drosophila telomeres.

Science.gov (United States)

Chavez, Joselyn; Murillo-Maldonado, Juan Manuel; Bahena, Vanessa; Cruz, Ana Karina; Castañeda-Sortibrán, América; Rodriguez-Arnaiz, Rosario; Zurita, Mario; Valadez-Graham, Viviana

2017-12-01

Telomeres are important contributors to genome stability, as they prevent linear chromosome end degradation and contribute to the avoidance of telomeric fusions. An important component of the telomeres is the heterochromatin protein 1a (HP1a). Mutations in Su(var)205, the gene encoding HP1a in Drosophila, result in telomeric fusions, retrotransposon regulation loss and larger telomeres, leading to chromosome instability. Previously, it was found that several proteins physically interact with HP1a, including dXNP and dAdd1 (orthologues to the mammalian ATRX gene). In this study, we found that mutations in the genes encoding the dXNP and dAdd1 proteins affect chromosome stability, causing chromosomal aberrations, including telomeric defects, similar to those observed in Su(var)205 mutants. In somatic cells, we observed that dXNP and dAdd1 participate in the silencing of the telomeric HTT array of retrotransposons, preventing anomalous retrotransposon transcription and integration. Furthermore, the lack of dAdd1 results in the loss of HP1a from the telomeric regions without affecting other chromosomal HP1a binding sites; mutations in dxnp also affected HP1a localization but not at all telomeres, suggesting a specialized role for dAdd1 and dXNP proteins in locating HP1a at the tips of the chromosomes. These results place dAdd1 as an essential regulator of HP1a localization and function in the telomere heterochromatic domain.

The temporal interplay of self-esteem instability and affective instability in borderline personality disorder patients' everyday lives.

Science.gov (United States)

Santangelo, Philip S; Reinhard, Iris; Koudela-Hamila, Susanne; Bohus, Martin; Holtmann, Jana; Eid, Michael; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich W

2017-11-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is defined by a pervasive pattern of instability. Although there is ample empirical evidence that unstable self-esteem is associated with a myriad of BPD-like symptoms, self-esteem instability and its temporal dynamics have received little empirical attention in patients with BPD. Even worse, the temporal interplay of affective instability and self-esteem instability has been neglected completely, although it has been hypothesized recently that the lack of specificity of affective instability in association with BPD might be explained by the highly intertwined temporal relationship between affective and self-esteem instability. To investigate self-esteem instability, its temporal interplay with affective instability, and its association with psychopathology, 60 patients with BPD and 60 healthy controls (HCs) completed electronic diaries for 4 consecutive days during their everyday lives. Participants reported their current self-esteem, valence, and tense arousal levels 12 times a day in approximately one-hr intervals. We used multiple state-of-the-art statistical techniques and graphical approaches to reveal patterns of instability, clarify group differences, and examine the temporal interplay of self-esteem instability and affective instability. As hypothesized, instability in both self-esteem and affect was clearly elevated in the patients with BPD. In addition, self-esteem instability and affective instability were highly correlated. Both types of instability were related to general psychopathology. Because self-esteem instability could not fully explain affective instability and vice versa and neither affective instability nor self-esteem instability was able to explain psychopathology completely, our findings suggest that these types of instability represent unique facets of BPD. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Ion-cyclotron instability in plasmas described by product-bi-kappa distributions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Santos, M. S. dos; Ziebell, L. F.; Gaelzer, R.

2015-01-01

The dispersion relation for parallel propagating waves in the ion-cyclotron branch is investigated numerically by considering that the velocity distribution of the ion population is a function of type product-bi-kappa. We investigate the effects of the non-thermal features and of the anisotropy associated with this type of distribution on the ion-cyclotron instability, as well as the influence of different forms of the electron distribution, by considering Maxwellian distributions, bi-kappa distributions, and product-bi-kappa distributions. The cases of ions described by either Maxwellian or bi-kappa distributions are also considered, for comparison. The results of the numerical analysis show that the increase in the non-thermal character associated with the anisotropic kappa distributions for ions contributes to enhance the instability as compared to that obtained in the Maxwellian case, in magnitude and in wave number range, with more significant enhancement for the case of ion product-bi-kappa distributions than for the case of ion bi-kappa distributions. It is also shown that the ion-cyclotron instability is decreased if the electrons are described by product-bi-kappa distributions, while electrons described by bi-kappa distributions lead to growth rates which are very similar to those obtained considering a Maxwellian distribution for the electron population

Living with genome instability: the adaptation of phytoplasmas todiverse environments of their insect and plant hosts

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bai, Xiaodong; Zhang, Jianhua; Ewing, Adam; Miller, Sally A.; Radek, Agnes; Shevchenko, Dimitriy; Tsukerman, Kiryl; Walunas, Theresa; Lapidus, Alla; Campbell, John W.; Hogenhout Saskia A.

2006-02-17

Phytoplasmas (Candidatus Phytoplasma, Class Mollicutes) cause disease in hundreds of economically important plants, and are obligately transmitted by sap-feeding insects of the order Hemiptera, mainly leafhoppers and psyllids. The 706,569-bp chromosome and four plasmids of aster yellows phytoplasma strain witches broom (AY-WB) were sequenced and compared to the onion yellows phytoplasma strain M (OY-M) genome. The phytoplasmas have small repeat-rich genomes. The repeated DNAs are organized into large clusters, potential mobile units (PMUs), which contain tra5 insertion sequences (ISs), and specialized sigma factors and membrane proteins. So far, PMUs are unique to phytoplasmas. Compared to mycoplasmas, phytoplasmas lack several recombination and DNA modification functions, and therefore phytoplasmas probably use different mechanisms of recombination, likely involving PMUs, for the creation of variability, allowing phytoplasmas to adjust to the diverse environments of plants and insects. The irregular GC skews and presence of ISs and large repeated sequences in the AY-WB and OY-M genomes are indicative of high genomic plasticity. Nevertheless, segments of {approx}250 kb, located between genes lplA and glnQ are syntenic between the two phytoplasmas, contain the majority of the metabolic genes and no ISs. AY-WB is further along in the reductive evolution process than OY-M. The AY-WB genome is {approx}154 kb smaller than the OY-M genome, primarily as a result of fewer multicopy sequences, including PMUs. Further, AY-WB lacks genes that are truncated and are part of incomplete pathways in OY-M. This is the first comparative phytoplasma genome analysis and report of the existence of PMUs in phytoplasma genomes.

The Aging Clock and Circadian Control of Metabolism and Genome Stability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Victoria P. Belancio

2015-01-01

Full Text Available It is widely accepted that aging is characterized by a gradual decline in the efficiency and accuracy of biological processes, leading to deterioration of physiological functions and development of age-associated diseases. Age-dependent accumulation of genomic instability and development of metabolic syndrome are well-recognized components of the aging phenotype, both of which have been extensively studied. Existing findings strongly support the view that the integrity of the cellular genome and metabolic function can be influenced by light at night (LAN and associated suppression of circadian melatonin production. While LAN is reported to accelerate aging by promoting age-associated carcinogenesis in several animal models, the specific molecular mechanism(s of its action are not fully understood. Here, we review literature supporting a connection between LAN-induced central circadian disruption of peripheral circadian rhythms and clock function, LINE-1 retrotransposon-associated genomic instability, metabolic deregulation, and aging. We propose that aging is a progressive decline in the stability, continuity and synchronization of multi-frequency oscillations in biological processes to a temporally disorganized state. By extension, healthy aging is the ability to maintain the most consistent, stable and entrainable rhythmicity and coordination of these oscillations, at the molecular, cellular, and systemic levels.

Tearing instabilities in turbulence

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ishizawa, A.; Nakajima, N.

2009-01-01

Full text: Effects of micro-turbulence on tearing instabilities are investigated by numerically solving a reduced set of two-fluid equations. Micro-turbulence excites both large-scale and small-scale Fourier modes through energy transfer due to nonlinear mode coupling. The energy transfer to large scale mode does not directly excite tearing instability but it gives an initiation of tearing instability. When tearing instability starts to grow, the excited small scale mode plays an important role. The mixing of magnetic flux by micro-turbulence is the dominant factor of non-ideal MHD effect at the resonant surface and it gives rise to magnetic reconnection which causes tearing instability. Tearing instabilities were investigated against static equilibrium or flowing equilibrium so far. On the other hand, the recent progress of computer power allows us to investigate interactions between turbulence and coherent modes such as tearing instabilities in magnetically confined plasmas by means of direct numerical simulations. In order to investigate effects of turbulence on tearing instabilities we consider a situation that tearing mode is destabilized in a quasi-equilibrium including micro-turbulence. We choose an initial equilibrium that is unstable against kinetic ballooning modes and tearing instabilities. Tearing instabilities are current driven modes and thus they are unstable for large scale Fourier modes. On the other hand kinetic ballooning modes are unstable for poloidal Fourier modes that are characterized by ion Larmor radius. The energy of kinetic ballooning modes spreads over wave number space through nonlinear Fourier mode coupling. We present that micro-turbulence affects tearing instabilities in two different ways by three-dimensional numerical simulation of a reduced set of two-fluid equations. One is caused by energy transfer to large scale modes, the other is caused by energy transfer to small scale modes. The former is the excitation of initial

Review of two-phase instabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kang, Han Ok; Seo, Han Ok; Kang, Hyung Suk; Cho, Bong Hyun; Lee, Doo Jeong

1997-06-01

KAERI is carrying out a development of the design for a new type of integral reactors. The once-through helical steam generator is important design features. The study on designs and operating conditions which prevent flow instability should precede the introduction of one-through steam generator. Experiments are currently scheduled to understand two-phase instability, evaluate the effect of each design parameter on the critical point, and determine proper inlet throttling for the prevention of instability. This report covers general two-phase instability with review of existing studies on this topics. The general classification of two phase flow instability and the characteristics of each type of instability are first described. Special attention is paid to BWR core flow instability and once-through steam generator instability. The reactivity feedback and the effect of system parameters are treated mainly for BWR. With relation to once-through steam generators, the characteristics of convective heating and dryout point oscillation are first investigated and then the existing experimental studies are summarized. Finally chapter summarized the proposed correlations for instability boundary conditions. (author). 231 refs., 5 tabs., 47 figs

Joint instability and osteoarthritis.

Science.gov (United States)

Blalock, Darryl; Miller, Andrew; Tilley, Michael; Wang, Jinxi

2015-01-01

Joint instability creates a clinical and economic burden in the health care system. Injuries and disorders that directly damage the joint structure or lead to joint instability are highly associated with osteoarthritis (OA). Thus, understanding the physiology of joint stability and the mechanisms of joint instability-induced OA is of clinical significance. The first section of this review discusses the structure and function of major joint tissues, including periarticular muscles, which play a significant role in joint stability. Because the knee, ankle, and shoulder joints demonstrate a high incidence of ligament injury and joint instability, the second section summarizes the mechanisms of ligament injury-associated joint instability of these joints. The final section highlights the recent advances in the understanding of the mechanical and biological mechanisms of joint instability-induced OA. These advances may lead to new opportunities for clinical intervention in the prevention and early treatment of OA.

DNA template strand sequencing of single-cells maps genomic rearrangements at high resolution

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Falconer, Ester; Hills, Mark; Naumann, Ulrike; Poon, Steven S. S.; Chavez, Elizabeth A.; Sanders, Ashley D.; Zhao, Yongjun; Hirst, Martin; Lansdorp, Peter M.

DNA rearrangements such as sister chromatid exchanges (SCEs) are sensitive indicators of genomic stress and instability, but they are typically masked by single-cell sequencing techniques. We developed Strand-seq to independently sequence parental DNA template strands from single cells, making it

Parametric decay instabilities in ECR heated plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Porkolab, M.

1982-01-01

The possibility of parametric excitation of electron Bernstein waves and low frequency ion oscillations during ECR heating at omega/sub o/ approx. = l omega/sub ce/, l = 1,2 is examined. In particular, the thresholds for such instabilities are calculated. It is found that Bernstein waves and lower hybrid quasi-modes have relatively low homogeneous where T/sub e/ approx. = T/sub i/. Thus, these processes may lead to nonlinear absorption and/or scattering of the incident pump wave. The resulting Bernstein waves may lead to either more effective heating (especially during the start-up phase) or to loss of microwave energy if the decay waves propagate out of the system before their energy is absorbed by particles. While at omega/sub o/ = omega/sub UH/ the threshold is reduced due to the WKB enhancement of the pump wave, (and this instability may be important in tokamaks) in EBT's and tandem mirrors the instability at omega /sub o/ greater than or equal to 2 omega/sub ce/ may be important. The instability may persist even if omega > 2 omega/sub ce/ and this may be the case during finite beta depression of the magnetic field in which case the decay waves may be trapped in the local magnetic well so that convective losses are minimized. The excited fluctuations may lead to additional scattering of the ring electrons and the incident microwave fields. Application of these calculations to ECR heating of tokamaks, tandem mirrors, and EBT's will be examined

MHD instabilities in astrophysical plasmas: very different from MHD instabilities in tokamaks!

Science.gov (United States)

Goedbloed, J. P.

2018-01-01

The extensive studies of MHD instabilities in thermonuclear magnetic confinement experiments, in particular of the tokamak as the most promising candidate for a future energy producing machine, have led to an ‘intuitive’ description based on the energy principle that is very misleading for most astrophysical plasmas. The ‘intuitive’ picture almost directly singles out the dominant stabilizing field line bending energy of the Alfvén waves and, consequently, concentrates on expansion schemes that minimize that contribution. This happens when the wave vector {{k}}0 of the perturbations, on average, is perpendicular to the magnetic field {B}. Hence, all macroscopic instabilities of tokamaks (kinks, interchanges, ballooning modes, ELMs, neoclassical tearing modes, etc) are characterized by satisfying the condition {{k}}0 \\perp {B}, or nearly so. In contrast, some of the major macroscopic instabilities of astrophysical plasmas (the Parker instability and the magneto-rotational instability) occur when precisely the opposite condition is satisfied: {{k}}0 \\parallel {B}. How do those instabilities escape from the dominance of the stabilizing Alfvén wave? The answer to that question involves, foremost, the recognition that MHD spectral theory of waves and instabilities of laboratory plasmas could be developed to such great depth since those plasmas are assumed to be in static equilibrium. This assumption is invalid for astrophysical plasmas where rotational and gravitational accelerations produce equilibria that are at best stationary, and the associated spectral theory is widely, and incorrectly, believed to be non-self adjoint. These complications are addressed, and cured, in the theory of the Spectral Web, recently developed by the author. Using this method, an extensive survey of instabilities of astrophysical plasmas demonstrates how the Alfvén wave is pushed into insignificance under these conditions to give rise to a host of instabilities that do not

Joint Instability and Osteoarthritis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Darryl Blalock

2015-01-01

Full Text Available Joint instability creates a clinical and economic burden in the health care system. Injuries and disorders that directly damage the joint structure or lead to joint instability are highly associated with osteoarthritis (OA. Thus, understanding the physiology of joint stability and the mechanisms of joint instability-induced OA is of clinical significance. The first section of this review discusses the structure and function of major joint tissues, including periarticular muscles, which play a significant role in joint stability. Because the knee, ankle, and shoulder joints demonstrate a high incidence of ligament injury and joint instability, the second section summarizes the mechanisms of ligament injury-associated joint instability of these joints. The final section highlights the recent advances in the understanding of the mechanical and biological mechanisms of joint instability-induced OA. These advances may lead to new opportunities for clinical intervention in the prevention and early treatment of OA.

CNS germinomas are characterized by global demethylation, chromosomal instability and mutational activation of the Kit-, Ras/Raf/Erk- and Akt-pathways

Science.gov (United States)

Schulte, Simone Laura; Waha, Andreas; Steiger, Barbara; Denkhaus, Dorota; Dörner, Evelyn; Calaminus, Gabriele; Leuschner, Ivo; Pietsch, Torsten

2016-01-01

CNS germinomas represent a unique germ cell tumor entity characterized by undifferentiated tumor cells and a high response rate to current treatment protocols. Limited information is available on their underlying genomic, epigenetic and biological alterations. We performed a genome-wide analysis of genomic copy number alterations in 49 CNS germinomas by molecular inversion profiling. In addition, CpG dinucleotide methylation was studied by immunohistochemistry for methylated cytosine residues. Mutational analysis was performed by resequencing of candidate genes including KIT and RAS family members. Ras/Erk and Akt pathway activation was analyzed by immunostaining with antibodies against phospho-Erk, phosho-Akt, phospho-mTOR and phospho-S6. All germinomas coexpressed Oct4 and Kit but showed an extensive global DNA demethylation compared to other tumors and normal tissues. Molecular inversion profiling showed predominant genomic instability in all tumors with a high frequency of regional gains and losses including high level gene amplifications. Activating mutations of KIT exons 11, 13, and 17 as well as a case with genomic KIT amplification and activating mutations or amplifications of RAS gene family members including KRAS, NRAS and RRAS2 indicated mutational activation of crucial signaling pathways. Co-activation of Ras/Erk and Akt pathways was present in 83% of germinomas. These data suggest that CNS germinoma cells display a demethylated nuclear DNA similar to primordial germ cells in early development. This finding has a striking coincidence with extensive genomic instability. In addition, mutational activation of Kit-, Ras/Raf/Erk- and Akt- pathways indicate the biological importance of these pathways and their components as potential targets for therapy. PMID:27391150

Chromosomal instability and double minute chromosomes in a breast cancer patient

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lalic, H.; Radosevic-Stasic, B.

2004-01-01

Cytogenetic analysis was performed in peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) of a woman with ductal breast carcinoma, who as a hospital employee was exposed professionally for 15 years to low doses of ionizing radiation. The most important finding after the chemotherapy in combination with radiotherapy was the presence of double minutes (DM) chromosomes, in combination with other chromosomal abnormalities (on 200 scored metaphases were found 2 chromatid breaks, 10 dicentrics, 11 acentric fragments, 2 gaps, and 3 double min chromosomes). In a repeated analysis (after 6 months), DM chromosomes were still present. To rule out the possibility that the patient was overexposed to ionizing radiation at work, her blood test was compared with a group of coworkers as well as with a group of professionally unexposed people. The data rejected this possibility, but the retroactive analysis showed that the patient even at the time of employment had a moderately increased number of chromosomal aberrations (3.5%) consisting of 3 isochromatids and 4 gaps, suggesting that her initial genomic instability enhanced the later development. The finding of a continuous presence of rare DM chromosomes in her PBL (4 and 10 months after radio-chemotherapy) was considered as an indicator of additional risk, which might have some prognostic significance. (author)

Current-driven plasmonic boom instability in three-dimensional gated periodic ballistic nanostructures

Science.gov (United States)

Aizin, G. R.; Mikalopas, J.; Shur, M.

2016-05-01

An alternative approach of using a distributed transmission line analogy for solving transport equations for ballistic nanostructures is applied for solving the three-dimensional problem of electron transport in gated ballistic nanostructures with periodically changing width. The structures with varying width allow for modulation of the electron drift velocity while keeping the plasma velocity constant. We predict that in such structures biased by a constant current, a periodic modulation of the electron drift velocity due to the varying width results in the instability of the plasma waves if the electron drift velocity to plasma wave velocity ratio changes from below to above unity. The physics of such instability is similar to that of the sonic boom, but, in the periodically modulated structures, this analog of the sonic boom is repeated many times leading to a larger increment of the instability. The constant plasma velocity in the sections of different width leads to resonant excitation of the unstable plasma modes with varying bias current. This effect (that we refer to as the superplasmonic boom condition) results in a strong enhancement of the instability. The predicted instability involves the oscillating dipole charge carried by the plasma waves. The plasmons can be efficiently coupled to the terahertz electromagnetic radiation due to the periodic geometry of the gated structure. Our estimates show that the analyzed instability should enable powerful tunable terahertz electronic sources.

Relativistic gravitational instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schutz, B.F.

1987-01-01

The purpose of these lectures is to review and explain what is known about the stability of relativistic stars and black holes, with particular emphases on two instabilities which are due entirely to relativistic effects. The first of these is the post-Newtonian pulsational instability discovered independently by Chandrasekhar (1964) and Fowler (1964). This effectively ruled out the then-popular supermassive star model for quasars, and it sets a limit to the central density of white dwarfs. The second instability was also discovered by Chandrasekhar (1970): the gravitational wave induced instability. This sets an upper bound on the rotation rate of neutron stars, which is near that of the millisecond pulsar PSR 1937+214, and which is beginning to constrain the equation of state of neutron matter. 111 references, 5 figures

Drosophila Sld5 is essential for normal cell cycle progression and maintenance of genomic integrity

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gouge, Catherine A. [Department of Biology, East Carolina University East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 (United States); Christensen, Tim W., E-mail: christensent@ecu.edu [Department of Biology, East Carolina University East Carolina University, Greenville, NC 27858 (United States)

2010-09-10

Research highlights: {yields} Drosophila Sld5 interacts with Psf1, PPsf2, and Mcm10. {yields} Haploinsufficiency of Sld5 leads to M-phase delay and genomic instability. {yields} Sld5 is also required for normal S phase progression. -- Abstract: Essential for the normal functioning of a cell is the maintenance of genomic integrity. Failure in this process is often catastrophic for the organism, leading to cell death or mis-proliferation. Central to genomic integrity is the faithful replication of DNA during S phase. The GINS complex has recently come to light as a critical player in DNA replication through stabilization of MCM2-7 and Cdc45 as a member of the CMG complex which is likely responsible for the processivity of helicase activity during S phase. The GINS complex is made up of 4 members in a 1:1:1:1 ratio: Psf1, Psf2, Psf3, And Sld5. Here we present the first analysis of the function of the Sld5 subunit in a multicellular organism. We show that Drosophila Sld5 interacts with Psf1, Psf2, and Mcm10 and that mutations in Sld5 lead to M and S phase delays with chromosomes exhibiting hallmarks of genomic instability.

Transcription instability in high-risk neuroblastoma is associated with a global perturbation of chromatin domains.

Science.gov (United States)

Zanon, Carlo; Tonini, Gian Paolo

2017-11-01

Chromosome instability has a pivotal role among the hallmarks of cancer, but its transcriptional counterpart is rarely considered a relevant factor in cell destabilization. To examine transcription instability (TIN), we first devised a metric we named TIN index and used it to evaluate TIN on a dataset containing more than 500 neuroblastoma samples. We found that metastatic tumors from high-risk (HR) patients are characterized by significantly different TIN index values compared to low/intermediate-risk patients. Our results indicate that the TIN index is a good predictor of neuroblastoma patient's outcome, and a related TIN index gene signature (TIN-signature) is also able to predict the neuroblastoma patient's outcome with high confidence. Interestingly, we find that TIN-signature genes have a strong positional association with superenhancers in neuroblastoma tumors. Finally, we show that TIN is linked to chromatin structural domains and interferes with their integrity in HR neuroblastoma patients. This novel approach to gene expression analysis broadens the perspective of genome instability investigations to include functional aspects. © 2017 The Authors. Published by FEBS Press and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Accounting for discovery bias in genomic EPD

Science.gov (United States)

Genomics has contributed substantially to genetic improvement of beef cattle. The implementation is through computation of genomically enhanced expected progeny differences (GE-EPD), which are predictions of genetic merit of individual animals based on genomic information, pedigree, and data on the ...

Double-diffusive convection and baroclinic instability in a differentially heated and initially stratified rotating system: the barostrat instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vincze, Miklos; Borcia, Ion; Harlander, Uwe; Gal, Patrice Le

2016-01-01

A water-filled differentially heated rotating annulus with initially prepared stable vertical salinity profiles is studied in the laboratory. Based on two-dimensional horizontal particle image velocimetry data and infrared camera visualizations, we describe the appearance and the characteristics of the baroclinic instability in this original configuration. First, we show that when the salinity profile is linear and confined between two non-stratified layers at top and bottom, only two separate shallow fluid layers can be destabilized. These unstable layers appear nearby the top and the bottom of the tank with a stratified motionless zone between them. This laboratory arrangement is thus particularly interesting to model geophysical or astrophysical situations where stratified regions are often juxtaposed to convective ones. Then, for more general but stable initial density profiles, statistical measures are introduced to quantify the extent of the baroclinic instability at given depths and to analyze the connections between this depth-dependence and the vertical salinity profiles. We find that, although the presence of stable stratification generally hinders full-depth overturning, double-diffusive convection can lead to development of multicellular sideways convection in shallow layers and subsequently to a multilayered baroclinic instability. Therefore we conclude that by decreasing the characteristic vertical scale of the flow, stratification may even enhance the formation of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies (and thus, mixing) in a local sense. (paper)

Double-diffusive convection and baroclinic instability in a differentially heated and initially stratified rotating system: the barostrat instability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vincze, Miklos; Borcia, Ion; Harlander, Uwe [Department of Aerodynamics and Fluid Mechanics, Brandenburg University of Technology (BTU) Cottbus-Senftenberg, Siemens-Halske-Ring 14, D-03046 Cottbus (Germany); Gal, Patrice Le, E-mail: vincze.m@lecso.elte.hu [Institut de Recherche sur les Phénomènes Hors Equilibre, CNRS—Aix-Marseille University—Ecole Centrale Marseille, 49 rue F. Joliot-Curie, F-13384 Marseille (France)

2016-12-15

A water-filled differentially heated rotating annulus with initially prepared stable vertical salinity profiles is studied in the laboratory. Based on two-dimensional horizontal particle image velocimetry data and infrared camera visualizations, we describe the appearance and the characteristics of the baroclinic instability in this original configuration. First, we show that when the salinity profile is linear and confined between two non-stratified layers at top and bottom, only two separate shallow fluid layers can be destabilized. These unstable layers appear nearby the top and the bottom of the tank with a stratified motionless zone between them. This laboratory arrangement is thus particularly interesting to model geophysical or astrophysical situations where stratified regions are often juxtaposed to convective ones. Then, for more general but stable initial density profiles, statistical measures are introduced to quantify the extent of the baroclinic instability at given depths and to analyze the connections between this depth-dependence and the vertical salinity profiles. We find that, although the presence of stable stratification generally hinders full-depth overturning, double-diffusive convection can lead to development of multicellular sideways convection in shallow layers and subsequently to a multilayered baroclinic instability. Therefore we conclude that by decreasing the characteristic vertical scale of the flow, stratification may even enhance the formation of cyclonic and anticyclonic eddies (and thus, mixing) in a local sense. (paper)

Enhanced balance associated with coordination training with stochastic resonance stimulation in subjects with functional ankle instability: an experimental trial

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Brown Cathleen N

2007-12-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Ankle sprains are common injuries that often lead to functional ankle instability (FAI, which is a pathology defined by sensations of instability at the ankle and recurrent ankle sprain injury. Poor postural stability has been associated with FAI, and sports medicine clinicians rehabilitate balance deficits to prevent ankle sprains. Subsensory electrical noise known as stochastic resonance (SR stimulation has been used in conjunction with coordination training to improve dynamic postural instabilities associated with FAI. However, unlike static postural deficits, dynamic impairments have not been indicative of ankle sprain injury. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of coordination training with or without SR stimulation on static postural stability. Improving postural instabilities associated with FAI has implications for increasing ankle joint stability and decreasing recurrent ankle sprains. Methods This study was conducted in a research laboratory. Thirty subjects with FAI were randomly assigned to either a: 1 conventional coordination training group (CCT; 2 SR stimulation coordination training group (SCT; or 3 control group. Training groups performed coordination exercises for six weeks. The SCT group received SR stimulation during training, while the CCT group only performed coordination training. Single leg postural stability was measured after the completion of balance training. Static postural stability was quantified on a force plate using anterior/posterior (A/P and medial/lateral (M/L center-of-pressure velocity (COPvel, M/L COP standard deviation (COPsd, M/L COP maximum excursion (COPmax, and COP area (COParea. Results Treatment effects comparing posttest to pretest COP measures were highest for the SCT group. At posttest, the SCT group had reduced A/P COPvel (2.3 ± 0.4 cm/s vs. 2.7 ± 0.6 cm/s, M/L COPvel (2.6 ± 0.5 cm/s vs. 2.9 ± 0.5 cm/s, M/L COPsd (0.63 ± 0.12 cm vs. 0.73 ± 0

Development of Richtmyer-Meshkov and Rayleigh-Taylor instability in the presence of magnetic field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khan, Manoranjan; Mandal, Labakanta; Banerjee, Rahul; Roy, Sourav; Gupta, M.R.

2011-01-01

Fluid instabilities like Rayleigh-Taylor (R-T), Richtmyer-Meshkov (R-M) and Kelvin-Helmholtz (K-H) instability can occur in a wide range of physical phenomenon from astrophysical context to Inertial Confinement Fusion (ICF). Using Layzer's potential flow model, we derive the analytical expressions of growth rate of bubble and spike for ideal magnetized fluid in R-T and R-M cases. In the presence of transverse magnetic field, the R-M and R-T instabilities are suppressed or enhanced depending on the direction of magnetic pressure and hydrodynamic pressure. Again the interface of two fluid may oscillate if both the fluids are conducting. However, it is observed that the magnetic field has no effect in linear case.

Microsatellite instability in pediatric high grade glioma is associated with genomic profile and differential target gene inactivation.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Marta Viana-Pereira

Full Text Available High grade gliomas (HGG are one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths in children, and there is increasing evidence that pediatric HGG may harbor distinct molecular characteristics compared to adult tumors. We have sought to clarify the role of microsatellite instability (MSI in pediatric versus adult HGG. MSI status was determined in 144 patients (71 pediatric and 73 adults using a well established panel of five quasimonomorphic mononucleotide repeat markers. Expression of MLH1, MSH2, MSH6 and PMS2 was determined by immunohistochemistry, MLH1 was assessed for mutations by direct sequencing and promoter methylation using MS-PCR. DNA copy number profiles were derived using array CGH, and mutations in eighteen MSI target genes studied by multiplex PCR and genotyping. MSI was found in 14/71 (19.7% pediatric cases, significantly more than observed in adults (5/73, 6.8%; p = 0.02, Chi-square test. MLH1 expression was downregulated in 10/13 cases, however no mutations or promoter methylation were found. MSH6 was absent in one pediatric MSI-High tumor, consistent with an inherited mismatch repair deficiency associated with germline MSH6 mutation. MSI was classed as Type A, and associated with a remarkably stable genomic profile. Of the eighteen classic MSI target genes, we identified mutations only in MSH6 and DNAPKcs and described a polymorphism in MRE11 without apparent functional consequences in DNA double strand break detection and repair. This study thus provides evidence for a potential novel molecular pathway in a proportion of gliomas associated with the presence of MSI.

Growth, morphology, and developmental instability of rainbow trout, Yellowstone cutthroat trout, and four hybrid generations

Science.gov (United States)

Ostberg, C.O.; Duda, J.J.; Graham, J.H.; Zhang, S.; Haywood, K. P.; Miller, B.; Lerud, T.L.

2011-01-01

Hybridization of cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarkii with nonindigenous rainbow trout O. mykiss contributes to the decline of cutthroat trout subspecies throughout their native range. Introgression by rainbow trout can swamp the gene pools of cutthroat trout populations, especially if there is little selection against hybrids. We used rainbow trout, Yellowstone cutthroat trout O. clarkii bouvieri, and rainbow trout × Yellowstone cutthroat trout F1 hybrids as parents to construct seven different line crosses: F1 hybrids (both reciprocal crosses), F2 hybrids, first-generation backcrosses (both rainbow trout and Yellowstone cutthroat trout), and both parental taxa. We compared growth, morphology, and developmental instability among these seven crosses reared at two different temperatures. Growth was related to the proportion of rainbow trout genome present within the crosses. Meristic traits were influenced by maternal, additive, dominant, overdominant, and (probably) epistatic genetic effects. Developmental stability, however, was not disturbed in F1 hybrids, F2 hybrids, or backcrosses. Backcrosses were morphologically similar to their recurrent parent. The lack of developmental instability in hybrids suggests that there are few genetic incompatibilities preventing introgression. Our findings suggest that hybrids are not equal: that is, growth, development, character traits, and morphology differ depending on the genomic contribution from each parental species as well as the hybrid generation.

Links between persistent DNA damage, genome instability, and aging

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dynan, William S. [Emory Univ., Atlanta, GA (United States). Dept. of Radiation Oncology

2016-11-14

The goal of this study was to examine long-term effects of low-dose radiation exposure. One of the hypotheses was that radiation exposure would accelerate the normal aging process. The study was jointly funded by NASA and examined both low-LET radiation (γ-rays) and high-LET radiation (1000 MeV/nucleon ⁵⁶Fe ions) at doses of 0.1 Gy and up. The work used the Japanese medaka fish (Oryzias latipes), as a vertebrate model organism that can be maintained in large numbers at low cost for lifetime studies. Like other small laboratory fish, Japanese medaka share many anatomical and histological characteristics with other vertebrates, and a variety of genetic and genomic resources are available. Some work also used the zebrafish (Danio rerio), another widely used laboratory model organism.

Instability, Turbulence, and Enhanced Transport in Collisionless Black-Hole Accretion Flows

Science.gov (United States)

Kunz, Matthew

Many astrophysical plasmas are so hot and diffuse that the collisional mean free path is larger than the system size. Perhaps the best examples of such systems are lowluminosity accretion flows onto black holes such as Sgr A* at the center of our own Galaxy, or M87 in the Virgo cluster. To date, theoretical models of these accretion flows are based on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD), a collisional fluid theory, sometimes (but rarely) extended with non-MHD features such as anisotropic (i.e. magnetic-field-aligned) viscosity and thermal conduction. While these extensions have been recognized as crucial, they require ad hoc assumptions about the role of microscopic kinetic instabilities (namely, firehose and mirror) in regulating the transport properties. These assumptions strongly affect the outcome of the calculations, and yet they have never been tested using more fundamental (i.e. kinetic) models. This proposal outlines a comprehensive first-principles study of the plasma physics of collisionless accretion flows using both analytic and state-of-the-art numerical models. The latter will utilize a new hybrid-kinetic particle-in-cell code, Pegasus, developed by the PI and Co-I specifically to study this problem. A comprehensive kinetic study of the 3D saturation of the magnetorotational instability in a collisionless plasma will be performed, in order to understand the interplay between turbulence, transport, and Larmor-scale kinetic instabilities such as firehose and mirror. Whether such instabilities alter the macroscopic saturated state, for example by limiting the transport of angular momentum by anisotropic pressure, will be addressed. Using these results, an appropriate "fluid" closure will be developed that can capture the multi-scale effects of plasma kinetics on magnetorotational turbulence, for use by the astrophysics community in building evolutionary models of accretion disks. The PI has already successfully performed the first three-dimensional kinetic

Alfvénic instabilities driven by runaways in fusion plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fülöp, T.; Newton, S.

2014-01-01

Runaway particles can be produced in plasmas with large electric fields. Here, we address the possibility that such runaway ions and electrons excite Alfvénic instabilities. The magnetic perturbation induced by these modes can enhance the loss of runaways. This may have important implications for the runaway electron beam formation in tokamak disruptions

Electron/electron acoustic instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gary, S.P.

1987-01-01

The electron acoustic wave becomes a normal mode of an unmagnetized collisionless plasma in the presence of two electron components with similar densities, but strongly disparate temperatures. The characteristic frequency of this mode is the plasma frequency of the cooler electron component. If these two electron components have a relative drift speed several times the thermal speed of the cooler component, the electron/electron acoustic instability may arise. This paper describes the parametric dependences of the threshold drift speed and maximum growth rate of this instability, and compares these with the same properties of the electron/ion acoustic instability. Under the condition of zero current, the electron/ion acoustic instability typically has the lower threshold drift speed, so that observation of the electron/electron acoustic instability is a strong indication of the presence of an electrical current in the plasma

Highly variable rates of genome rearrangements between hemiascomycetous yeast lineages.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

2006-03-01

Full Text Available Hemiascomycete yeasts cover an evolutionary span comparable to that of the entire phylum of chordates. Since this group currently contains the largest number of complete genome sequences it presents unique opportunities to understand the evolution of genome organization in eukaryotes. We inferred rates of genome instability on all branches of a phylogenetic tree for 11 species and calculated species-specific rates of genome rearrangements. We characterized all inversion events that occurred within synteny blocks between six representatives of the different lineages. We show that the rates of macro- and microrearrangements of gene order are correlated within individual lineages but are highly variable across different lineages. The most unstable genomes correspond to the pathogenic yeasts Candida albicans and Candida glabrata. Chromosomal maps have been intensively shuffled by numerous interchromosomal rearrangements, even between species that have retained a very high physical fraction of their genomes within small synteny blocks. Despite this intensive reshuffling of gene positions, essential genes, which cluster in low recombination regions in the genome of Saccharomyces cerevisiae, tend to remain syntenic during evolution. This work reveals that the high plasticity of eukaryotic genomes results from rearrangement rates that vary between lineages but also at different evolutionary times of a given lineage.

Numerical simulation of anisotropic preheating ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Lifeng; Ye Wenhua; Li Yingjun

2010-01-01

The linear growth rate of the anisotropic preheating ablative Rayleigh-Taylor instability (ARTI) is studied by numerical simulations. The preheating model κ(T)=κ SH [1+f(T)] is applied, where f(T) is the preheating function interpreting the preheating tongue effect in the cold plasma ahead of the ablative front. An arbitrary coefficient D is introduced in the energy equation to study the influence of transverse thermal conductivity on the growth of the ARTI. We find that enhancing diffusion in a plane transverse to the mean longitudinal flow can strongly reduce the growth of the instability. Numerical simulations exhibit a significant stabilization of the ablation front by improving the transverse thermal conduction. Our results are in general agreement with the theory analysis and numerical simulations by Masse. (authors)

Genomic and Molecular Landscape of DNA Damage Repair Deficiency across The Cancer Genome Atlas

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Theo A. Knijnenburg

2018-04-01

Full Text Available Summary: DNA damage repair (DDR pathways modulate cancer risk, progression, and therapeutic response. We systematically analyzed somatic alterations to provide a comprehensive view of DDR deficiency across 33 cancer types. Mutations with accompanying loss of heterozygosity were observed in over 1/3 of DDR genes, including TP53 and BRCA1/2. Other prevalent alterations included epigenetic silencing of the direct repair genes EXO5, MGMT, and ALKBH3 in ∼20% of samples. Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD was present at varying frequency in many cancer types, most notably ovarian cancer. However, in contrast to ovarian cancer, HRD was associated with worse outcomes in several other cancers. Protein structure-based analyses allowed us to predict functional consequences of rare, recurrent DDR mutations. A new machine-learning-based classifier developed from gene expression data allowed us to identify alterations that phenocopy deleterious TP53 mutations. These frequent DDR gene alterations in many human cancers have functional consequences that may determine cancer progression and guide therapy. : Knijnenburg et al. present The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA Pan-Cancer analysis of DNA damage repair (DDR deficiency in cancer. They use integrative genomic and molecular analyses to identify frequent DDR alterations across 33 cancer types, correlate gene- and pathway-level alterations with genome-wide measures of genome instability and impaired function, and demonstrate the prognostic utility of DDR deficiency scores. Keywords: The Cancer Genome Atlas PanCanAtlas project, DNA damage repair, somatic mutations, somatic copy-number alterations, epigenetic silencing, DNA damage footprints, mutational signatures, integrative statistical analysis, protein structure analysis

Telomere Length Dynamics and the Evolution of Cancer Genome Architecture

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Kez Cleal

2018-02-01

Full Text Available Telomeres are progressively eroded during repeated rounds of cell division due to the end replication problem but also undergo additional more substantial stochastic shortening events. In most cases, shortened telomeres induce a cell-cycle arrest or trigger apoptosis, although for those cells that bypass such signals during tumour progression, a critical length threshold is reached at which telomere dysfunction may ensue. Dysfunction of the telomere nucleoprotein complex can expose free chromosome ends to the DNA double-strand break (DSB repair machinery, leading to telomere fusion with both telomeric and non-telomeric loci. The consequences of telomere fusions in promoting genome instability have long been appreciated through the breakage–fusion–bridge (BFB cycle mechanism, although recent studies using high-throughput sequencing technologies have uncovered evidence of involvement in a wider spectrum of genomic rearrangements including chromothripsis. A critical step in cancer progression is the transition of a clone to immortality, through the stabilisation of the telomere repeat array. This can be achieved via the reactivation of telomerase, or the induction of the alternative lengthening of telomeres (ALT pathway. Whilst telomere dysfunction may promote genome instability and tumour progression, by limiting the replicative potential of a cell and enforcing senescence, telomere shortening can act as a tumour suppressor mechanism. However, the burden of senescent cells has also been implicated as a driver of ageing and age-related pathology, and in the promotion of cancer through inflammatory signalling. Considering the critical role of telomere length in governing cancer biology, we review questions related to the prognostic value of studying the dynamics of telomere shortening and fusion, and discuss mechanisms and consequences of telomere-induced genome rearrangements.

Final report of the group research. Genome analysis on the biological effects of radiation. Second research group of NIRS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-10-01

This report concerns investigations on the title conducted by 5 subgroups of National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS) during the period of 1993-2001. The report involves the organization of research teams and summary reports from the subgroups for Genome sequencing and informatics, Genome analysis on model organisms, The genome analysis on the specific chromosomal region related to radiation-sensitivity, Molecular analysis on the structure and function of particular regions of human genome, and Generation and characterization of DNA repair-deficient model mice. Significant results are as follows: Sequencing of the radiation sensitivity gene ATM, finding of a novel cell cycle regulator gene NPAT and regulation of gene expression of ATM/NPAT; Findings that the cause of the variability related to instability of human genome is derived from particular repeat structures of 5 and 35 bases and of the instability mutation, from the mutation of EPILS (mRNA synthase gene); Program development for novel human genome finding in the DNA sequences and making novel human gene as a resource by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique; and generation of the highly UV-sensitive mouse model for human xeroderma pigmentosum G. Conclusion is that findings will contribute for better understanding of the genes functioning radiation sensitivity and also biodefense mechanism against radiation and other environmental stress. (N.I.)

Modes of storage ring coherent instabilities

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wang, J.M.

1986-12-01

Longitudinal impedance in a beam and various modes of longitudinal coherent instabilities are discussed. The coasting beam coherent instability, microwave instability, and single-bunch longitudinal coherent instabilities are considered. The Vlasov equation is formulated, and a method of solving it is developed. The synchrotron modes are treated, which take the possible bunch shape distortion fully into consideration. A method of treating the synchrotron mode coupling in the case of a small bunch is discussed which takes advantage of the fact that only a few of the synchrotron modes can contribute in such a case. The effect of many bunches on the coherent motion of the beam and the longitudinal symmetric coupled bunch modes are discussed. The transverse impedance is then introduced, and the transverse coasting beam instability is discussed. Various bunched beam instabilities are discussed, including both single bunch instabilities and coupled bunch instabilities. The Vlasov equation for transverse as well as longitudinal motion of particles is introduced as well as a method of solving it within a linear approximation. Head-tail modes and short bunch instabilities and strong coupling instabilities in the long bunch case are covered. (LEW)

Modes of storage ring coherent instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, J.M.

1986-12-01

Longitudinal impedance in a beam and various modes of longitudinal coherent instabilities are discussed. The coasting beam coherent instability, microwave instability, and single-bunch longitudinal coherent instabilities are considered. The Vlasov equation is formulated, and a method of solving it is developed. The synchrotron modes are treated, which take the possible bunch shape distortion fully into consideration. A method of treating the synchrotron mode coupling in the case of a small bunch is discussed which takes advantage of the fact that only a few of the synchrotron modes can contribute in such a case. The effect of many bunches on the coherent motion of the beam and the longitudinal symmetric coupled bunch modes are discussed. The transverse impedance is then introduced, and the transverse coasting beam instability is discussed. Various bunched beam instabilities are discussed, including both single bunch instabilities and coupled bunch instabilities. The Vlasov equation for transverse as well as longitudinal motion of particles is introduced as well as a method of solving it within a linear approximation. Head-tail modes and short bunch instabilities and strong coupling instabilities in the long bunch case are covered

Thermal shrinkage for shoulder instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Toth, Alison P; Warren, Russell F; Petrigliano, Frank A; Doward, David A; Cordasco, Frank A; Altchek, David W; O'Brien, Stephen J

2011-07-01

Thermal capsular shrinkage was popular for the treatment of shoulder instability, despite a paucity of outcomes data in the literature defining the indications for this procedure or supporting its long-term efficacy. The purpose of this study was to perform a clinical evaluation of radiofrequency thermal capsular shrinkage for the treatment of shoulder instability, with a minimum 2-year follow-up. From 1999 to 2001, 101 consecutive patients with mild to moderate shoulder instability underwent shoulder stabilization surgery with thermal capsular shrinkage using a monopolar radiofrequency device. Follow-up included a subjective outcome questionnaire, discussion of pain, instability, and activity level. Mean follow-up was 3.3 years (range 2.0-4.7 years). The thermal capsular shrinkage procedure failed due to instability and/or pain in 31% of shoulders at a mean time of 39 months. In patients with unidirectional anterior instability and those with concomitant labral repair, the procedure proved effective. Patients with multidirectional instability had moderate success. In contrast, four of five patients with isolated posterior instability failed. Thermal capsular shrinkage has been advocated for the treatment of shoulder instability, particularly mild to moderate capsular laxity. The ease of the procedure makes it attractive. However, our retrospective review revealed an overall failure rate of 31% in 80 patients with 2-year minimum follow-up. This mid- to long-term cohort study adds to the literature lacking support for thermal capsulorrhaphy in general, particularly posterior instability. The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s11420-010-9187-7) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Shoulder instability in professional football players.

Science.gov (United States)

Leclere, Lance E; Asnis, Peter D; Griffith, Matthew H; Granito, David; Berkson, Eric M; Gill, Thomas J

2013-09-01

Shoulder instability is a common problem in American football players entering the National Football League (NFL). Treatment options include nonoperative and surgical stabilization. This study evaluated how the method of treatment of pre-NFL shoulder instability affects the rate of recurrence and the time elapsed until recurrence in players on 1 NFL team. Retrospective cohort. Medical records from 1980 to 2008 for 1 NFL team were reviewed. There were 328 players included in the study who started their career on the team and remained on the team for at least 2 years (mean, 3.9 years; range, 2-14 years). The history of instability prior to entering the NFL and the method of treatment were collected. Data on the occurrence of instability while in the NFL were recorded to determine the rate and timing of recurrence. Thirty-one players (9.5%) had a history of instability prior to entering the NFL. Of the 297 players with no history of instability, 39 (13.1%) had a primary event at a mean of 18.4 ± 22.2 months (range, 0-102 months) after joining the team. In the group of players with prior instability treated with surgical stabilization, there was no statistical difference in the rate of recurrence (10.5%) or the timing to the instability episode (mean, 26 months) compared with players with no history of instability. Twelve players had shoulder instability treated nonoperatively prior to the NFL. Five of these players (41.7%) had recurrent instability at a mean of 4.4 ± 7.0 months (range, 0-16 months). The patients treated nonoperatively had a significantly higher rate of recurrence (P = 0.02) and an earlier time of recurrence (P = 0.04). The rate of contralateral instability was 25.8%, occurring at a mean of 8.6 months. Recurrent shoulder instability is more common in NFL players with a history of nonoperative treatment. Surgical stabilization appears to restore the rate and timing of instability to that of players with no prior history of instability.

Excitation of upper-hybrid waves by a thermal parametric instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lee, M.C.; Kuo, S.P.

1983-01-01

A purely growing instability characterized by a four-wave interaction is analysed in a uniform, magnetized plasma. Up-shifted and down-shifted upper-hybrid waves and a non-oscillatory mode can be excited by a pump wave of ordinary rather than extraordinary polarization in the case of ionospheric heating. The differential Ohmic heating force dominates over the ponderomotive force as the wave-wave coupling mechanism. The beating current at zero frequency produces a significant stabilizing effect on the excitation of short-scale modes by counterbalancing the destabilizing effect of the differential Ohmic heating. The effect of ionospheric inhomogeneity is estimated, showing a tendency to raise the thresholds of the instability. When applied to ionospheric heating experiments, the present theory can explain the excitation of field-aligned plasma lines and ionospheric irregularities with a continuous spectrum ranging from metre-scale to hundreds of metre-scale. Further, the proposed mechanism may become a competitive process to the parametric decay instability and be responsible for the overshoot phenomena of the plasma line enhancement at Arecibo. (author)

Plasma physics and instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lashmore-Davies, C.N.

1981-01-01

These lectures procide an introduction to the theory of plasmas and their instabilities. Starting from the Bogoliubov, Born, Green, Kirkwood, and Yvon (BBGKY) hierarchy of kinetic equations, the additional concept of self-consistent fields leads to the fundamental Vlasov equation and hence to the warm two-fluid model and the one-fluid MHD, or cold, model. The properties of small-amplitude waves in magnetized (and unmagnetized) plasmas, and the instabilities to which they give rise, are described in some detail, and a complete chapter is devoted to Landau damping. The linear theory of plasma instabilities is illustrated by the current-driven electrostatic kind, with descriptions of the Penrose criterion and the energy principle of ideal MHD. There is a brief account of the application of feedback control. The non-linear theory is represented by three examples: quasi-linear velocity-space instabilities, three-wave instabilities, and the stability of an arbitrarily largeamplitude wave in a plasma. (orig.)

A Somatically Acquired Enhancer of the Androgen Receptor Is a Noncoding Driver in Advanced Prostate Cancer. | Office of Cancer Genomics

Science.gov (United States)

Increased androgen receptor (AR) activity drives therapeutic resistance in advanced prostate cancer. The most common resistance mechanism is amplification of this locus presumably targeting the AR gene. Here, we identify and characterize a somatically acquired AR enhancer located 650 kb centromeric to the AR. Systematic perturbation of this enhancer using genome editing decreased proliferation by suppressing AR levels. Insertion of an additional copy of this region sufficed to increase proliferation under low androgen conditions and to decrease sensitivity to enzalutamide.

Spinodal instability of baryon-rich quark matter

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li, Feng; Ko, Che Ming

2017-01-01

The spinodal instabilities of both confined and expanding baryon-rich quark matters are studied in a transport model derived from the Nambu-Jona-Lasino model. Appreciable higher-order density moments are seen as a result of the first-order phase transition in both cases. The skewness of the quark number event-by-event distribution in a small subvolume of the system becomes appreciable for the confined quark matter. For the expanding quark matter, the density fluctuations lead to enhanced anisotropic flows and dilepton yield. (paper)

CRISPR-Cas9 for the genome engineering of cyanobacteria and succinate production.

Science.gov (United States)

Li, Hung; Shen, Claire R; Huang, Chun-Hung; Sung, Li-Yu; Wu, Meng-Ying; Hu, Yu-Chen

2016-11-01

Cyanobacteria hold promise as a cell factory for producing biofuels and bio-derived chemicals, but genome engineering of cyanobacteria such as Synechococcus elongatus PCC 7942 poses challenges because of their oligoploidy nature and long-term instability of the introduced gene. CRISPR-Cas9 is a newly developed RNA-guided genome editing system, yet its application for cyanobacteria engineering has yet to be reported. Here we demonstrated that CRISPR-Cas9 system can effectively trigger programmable double strand break (DSB) at the chromosome of PCC 7942 and provoke cell death. With the co-transformation of template plasmid harboring the gene cassette and flanking homology arms, CRISPR-Cas9-mediated DSB enabled precise gene integration, ameliorated the homologous recombination efficiency and allowed the use of lower amount of template DNA and shorter homology arms. The CRISPR-Cas9-induced cell death imposed selective pressure and enhanced the chance of concomitant integration of gene cassettes into all chromosomes of PCC 7942, hence accelerating the process of obtaining homogeneous and stable recombinant strains. We further explored the feasibility of engineering cyanobacteria by CRISPR-Cas9-assisted simultaneous glgc knock-out and gltA/ppc knock-in, which improved the succinate titer to 435.0±35.0μg/L, an ≈11-fold increase when compared with that of the wild-type cells. These data altogether justify the use of CRISPR-Cas9 for genome engineering and manipulation of metabolic pathways in cyanobacteria. Copyright © 2016 International Metabolic Engineering Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Gravitational Instabilities in Circumstellar Disks

Science.gov (United States)

Kratter, Kaitlin; Lodato, Giuseppe

2016-09-01

Star and planet formation are the complex outcomes of gravitational collapse and angular momentum transport mediated by protostellar and protoplanetary disks. In this review, we focus on the role of gravitational instability in this process. We begin with a brief overview of the observational evidence for massive disks that might be subject to gravitational instability and then highlight the diverse ways in which the instability manifests itself in protostellar and protoplanetary disks: the generation of spiral arms, small-scale turbulence-like density fluctuations, and fragmentation of the disk itself. We present the analytic theory that describes the linear growth phase of the instability supplemented with a survey of numerical simulations that aim to capture the nonlinear evolution. We emphasize the role of thermodynamics and large-scale infall in controlling the outcome of the instability. Despite apparent controversies in the literature, we show a remarkable level of agreement between analytic predictions and numerical results. In the next part of our review, we focus on the astrophysical consequences of the instability. We show that the disks most likely to be gravitationally unstable are young and relatively massive compared with their host star, Md/M*≥0.1. They will develop quasi-stable spiral arms that process infall from the background cloud. Although instability is less likely at later times, once infall becomes less important, the manifestations of the instability are more varied. In this regime, the disk thermodynamics, often regulated by stellar irradiation, dictates the development and evolution of the instability. In some cases the instability may lead to fragmentation into bound companions. These companions are more likely to be brown dwarfs or stars than planetary mass objects. Finally, we highlight open questions related to the development of a turbulent cascade in thin disks and the role of mode-mode coupling in setting the maximum angular

Helicobacter pylori infection induces genetic instability of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA in gastric cells

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Machado, Ana Manuel Dantas; Figueiredo, Ceu; Touati, Eliette

2009-01-01

of genetic instabilities in the nuclear and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) were examined. EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN: We observed the effects of H. pylori infection on a gastric cell line (AGS), on C57BL/6 mice, and on individuals with chronic gastritis. In AGS cells, the effect of H. pylori infection on base excision...... cells and chronic gastritis tissue were determined by PCR, single-stranded conformation polymorphism, and sequencing. H. pylori vacA and cagA genotyping was determined by multiplex PCR and reverse hybridization. RESULTS: Following H. pylori infection, the activity and expression of base excision repair...... and MMR are down-regulated both in vitro and in vivo. Moreover, H. pylori induces genomic instability in nuclear CA repeats in mice and in mtDNA of AGS cells and chronic gastritis tissue, and this effect in mtDNA is associated with bacterial virulence. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that H. pylori...

Radiation Effects on the Thermodiffusive Instability of Premixed Flames on a Cylindrical Porous Flame Holder

Science.gov (United States)

Du, Minglong; Yang, Lijun

2017-10-01

A linear analysis method was used to investigate the mechanics of radiation heat loss and mass transfer in the porous wall of premixed annular flames and their effect on thermodiffusive instability. The dispersion relation between the disturbance wave growth rate and wavenumber was calculated numerically. Results showed that radiation heat loss elevated the annular flame slightly away from the porous wall. In the annular flame with small Lewis numbers, radiation heat loss changed the thermodiffusive instability from a pulsating to a cellular state, while for the large Lewis numbers, only the pulsating instability was represented. Increasing radiation heat loss and the radius of the porous wall enhanced the instability of the annular flames. Heat losses decreased with the continued increase in thickness of the porous wall and the decrease in porosity. Annular flames with long-wave mode along the angular direction were more unstable than the shortwave mode.

University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center: High-Throughput Screening Identifying Driving Mutations in Endometrial Cancer | Office of Cancer Genomics

Science.gov (United States)

Recent advances in next-generation sequencing technology have enabled the unprecedented characterization of a full spectrum of somatic alterations in cancer genomes. Given the large numbers of somatic mutations typically detected by this approach, a key challenge in the downstream analysis is to distinguish “drivers” that functionally contribute to tumorigenesis from “passengers” that occur as the consequence of genomic instability.

Instability characteristics of fluidelastic instability of tube rows in crossflow

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Chen, S.S.; Jendrzejczyk, J.A.

1986-04-01

An experimental study is reported to investigate the jump phenomenon in critical flow velocities for tube rows with different pitch-to-diameter ratios and the excited and intrinsic instabilities for a tube row with a pitch-to-diameter ratio of 1.75. The experimental data provide additional insights into the instability phenomena of tube arrays in crossflow. 9 refs., 10 figs

Enhancer-derived lncRNAs regulate genome architecture: fact or fiction?

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Fanucchi, Stephanie

2017-06-01

Full Text Available How does the non-coding portion of the genome contribute to the regulation of genome architecture? A recent paper by Tan et al. focuses on the relationship between cis-acting complex-trait-associated lincRNAs and the formation of chromosomal...

Genome Stability Pathways in Head and Neck Cancers

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Glenn Jenkins

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Genomic instability underlies the transformation of host cells toward malignancy, promotes development of invasion and metastasis and shapes the response of established cancer to treatment. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of genomic stability in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC, with an emphasis on DNA repair pathways. HNSCC is characterized by distinct profiles in genome stability between similarly staged cancers that are reflected in risk, treatment response and outcomes. Defective DNA repair generates chromosomal derangement that can cause subsequent alterations in gene expression, and is a hallmark of progression toward carcinoma. Variable functionality of an increasing spectrum of repair gene polymorphisms is associated with increased cancer risk, while aetiological factors such as human papillomavirus, tobacco and alcohol induce significantly different behaviour in induced malignancy, underpinned by differences in genomic stability. Targeted inhibition of signalling receptors has proven to be a clinically-validated therapy, and protein expression of other DNA repair and signalling molecules associated with cancer behaviour could potentially provide a more refined clinical model for prognosis and treatment prediction. Development and expansion of current genomic stability models is furthering our understanding of HNSCC pathophysiology and uncovering new, promising treatment strategies.

Genome Stability Pathways in Head and Neck Cancers

Science.gov (United States)

O'Byrne, Kenneth J.; Panizza, Benedict; Richard, Derek J.

2013-01-01

Genomic instability underlies the transformation of host cells toward malignancy, promotes development of invasion and metastasis and shapes the response of established cancer to treatment. In this review, we discuss recent advances in our understanding of genomic stability in squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (HNSCC), with an emphasis on DNA repair pathways. HNSCC is characterized by distinct profiles in genome stability between similarly staged cancers that are reflected in risk, treatment response and outcomes. Defective DNA repair generates chromosomal derangement that can cause subsequent alterations in gene expression, and is a hallmark of progression toward carcinoma. Variable functionality of an increasing spectrum of repair gene polymorphisms is associated with increased cancer risk, while aetiological factors such as human papillomavirus, tobacco and alcohol induce significantly different behaviour in induced malignancy, underpinned by differences in genomic stability. Targeted inhibition of signalling receptors has proven to be a clinically-validated therapy, and protein expression of other DNA repair and signalling molecules associated with cancer behaviour could potentially provide a more refined clinical model for prognosis and treatment prediction. Development and expansion of current genomic stability models is furthering our understanding of HNSCC pathophysiology and uncovering new, promising treatment strategies. PMID:24364026

Dynamic instability of genomic methylation patterns in pluripotent stem cells

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ooi Steen KT

2010-09-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Genomic methylation patterns are established during gametogenesis, and perpetuated in somatic cells by faithful maintenance methylation. There have been previous indications that genomic methylation patterns may be less stable in embryonic stem (ES cells than in differentiated somatic cells, but it is not known whether different mechanisms of de novo and maintenance methylation operate in pluripotent stem cells compared with differentiating somatic cells. Results In this paper, we show that ablation of the DNA methyltransferase regulator DNMT3L (DNA methyltransferase 3-like in mouse ES cells renders them essentially incapable of de novo methylation of newly integrated retroviral DNA. We also show that ES cells lacking DNMT3L lose DNA methylation over time in culture, suggesting that DNA methylation in ES cells is the result of dynamic loss and gain of DNA methylation. We found that wild-type female ES cells lose DNA methylation at a much faster rate than do male ES cells; this defect could not be attributed to sex-specific differences in expression of DNMT3L or of any DNA methyltransferase. We also found that human ES and induced pluripotent stem cell lines showed marked but variable loss of methylation that could not be attributed to sex chromosome constitution or time in culture. Conclusions These data indicate that DNA methylation in pluripotent stem cells is much more dynamic and error-prone than is maintenance methylation in differentiated cells. DNA methylation requires DNMT3L in stem cells, but DNMT3L is not expressed in differentiating somatic cells. Error-prone maintenance methylation will introduce unpredictable phenotypic variation into clonal populations of pluripotent stem cells, and this variation is likely to be much more pronounced in cultured female cells. This epigenetic variability has obvious negative implications for the clinical applications of stem cells.

Numerical Simulation of Anisotropic Preheating Ablative Rayleigh–Taylor Instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Li-Feng, Wang; Wen-Hua, Ye; Ying-Jun, Li

2010-01-01

The linear growth rate of the anisotropic preheating ablative Rayleigh–Taylor instability (ARTI) is studied by numerical simulations. The preheating model κ(T) = κ SH [1 + f(T)] is applied, where f(T) is the preheating function interpreting the preheating tongue effect in the cold plasma ahead of the ablative front. An arbitrary coefficient D is introduced in the energy equation to study the influence of transverse thermal conductivity on the growth of the ARTI. We find that enhancing diffusion in a plane transverse to the mean longitudinal flow can strongly reduce the growth of the instability. Numerical simulations exhibit a significant stabilization of the ablation front by improving the transverse thermal conduction. Our results are in general agreement with the theory analysis and numerical simulations by Masse [Phys. Rev. Lett. 98 (2007) 245001]. (physics of gases, plasmas, and electric discharges)

Alternative Splicing of CHEK2 and Codeletion with NF2 Promote Chromosomal Instability in Meningioma

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Hong Wei Yang

2012-01-01

Full Text Available Mutations of the NF2 gene on chromosome 22q are thought to initiate tumorigenesis in nearly 50% of meningiomas, and 22q deletion is the earliest and most frequent large-scale chromosomal abnormality observed in these tumors. In aggressive meningiomas, 22q deletions are generally accompanied by the presence of large-scale segmental abnormalities involving other chromosomes, but the reasons for this association are unknown. We find that large-scale chromosomal alterations accumulate during meningioma progression primarily in tumors harboring 22q deletions, suggesting 22q-associated chromosomal instability. Here we show frequent codeletion of the DNA repair and tumor suppressor gene, CHEK2, in combination with NF2 on chromosome 22q in a majority of aggressive meningiomas. In addition, tumor-specific splicing of CHEK2 in meningioma leads to decreased functional Chk2 protein expression. We show that enforced Chk2 knockdown in meningioma cells decreases DNA repair. Furthermore, Chk2 depletion increases centrosome amplification, thereby promoting chromosomal instability. Taken together, these data indicate that alternative splicing and frequent codeletion of CHEK2 and NF2 contribute to the genomic instability and associated development of aggressive biologic behavior in meningiomas.

Helical instability in film blowing process: Analogy to buckling instability

Science.gov (United States)

Lee, Joo Sung; Kwon, Ilyoung; Jung, Hyun Wook; Hyun, Jae Chun

2017-12-01

The film blowing process is one of the most important polymer processing operations, widely used for producing bi-axially oriented film products in a single-step process. Among the instabilities observed in this film blowing process, i.e., draw resonance and helical motion occurring on the inflated film bubble, the helical instability is a unique phenomenon portraying the snake-like undulation motion of the bubble, having the period on the order of few seconds. This helical instability in the film blowing process is commonly found at the process conditions of a high blow-up ratio with too low a freezeline position and/or too high extrusion temperature. In this study, employing an analogy to the buckling instability for falling viscous threads, the compressive force caused by the pressure difference between inside and outside of the film bubble is introduced into the simulation model along with the scaling law derived from the force balance between viscous force and centripetal force of the film bubble. The simulation using this model reveals a close agreement with the experimental results of the film blowing process of polyethylene polymers such as low density polyethylene and linear low density polyethylene.

Functional Instability of the Ankle Joint: Etiopathogenesis

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Aydan ÖRSÇELİK

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Ankle sprain is one of the most common sports injuries. Chronic ankle instability is a common complication of ankle sprains. Two causes of chronic ankle instability are mechanical instability and functional instability. It is important to understand functional instability etiopathogenesis of the ankle joint in order to guide diagnosis and treatment. This article aims to understand the etiopathogenesis of functional ankle instability.

Aurora-A Expression Is Independently Associated with Chromosomal Instability in Colorectal Cancer

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yoshifumi Baba

2009-05-01

Full Text Available AURKA (the official symbol for Aurora-A, STK15, or BTAK regulates the function of centrosomes, spindles, and kinetochores for proper mitotic progression. AURKA overexpression is observed in various cancers including colon cancer, and a link between AURKA and chromosomal instability (CIN has been proposed. However, no study has comprehensively examined AURKA expression in relation to CIN or prognosis using a large number of tumors. Using 517 colorectal cancers in two prospective cohort studies, we detected AURKA overexpression (by immunohistochemistry in 98 tumors (19%. We assessed other molecular events including loss of heterozygosity (LOH in 2p, 5q, 17q, and 18q, the CpG island methylation phenotype (CIMP, and microsatellite instability (MSI. Prognostic significance of AURKA was evaluated by Cox regression and Kaplan-Meier method. In both univariate and multivariate logistic regressions, AURKA overexpression was significantly associated with CIN (defined as the presence of LOH in any of the chromosomal segments; multivariate odds ratio, 2.97; 95% confidence interval, 1.40–6.29; P = .0045. In multivariate analysis, AURKA was associated with cyclin D1 expression (P = .010 and inversely with PIK3CA mutation (P=.014, fatty acid synthase expression (P=.028, and family history of colorectal cancer (P = .050, but not with sex, age, body mass index, tumor location, stage, CIMP, MSI, KRAS, BRAF, BMI, LINE-1 hypomethylation, p53, p21, β-catenin, or cyclooxygenase 2. AURKA was not significantly associated with clinical outcome or survival. In conclusion, AURKA overexpression is independently associated with CIN in colorectal cancer, supporting a potential role of Aurora kinase-A in colorectal carcinogenesis through genomic instability (rather than epigenomic instability.

Penrose process, superradiance, and ergoregion instabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Vicente, Rodrigo; Cardoso, Vitor; Lopes, Jorge C.

2018-04-01

Superradiant scattering is a radiation enhancement process that takes place in many contexts, and which has recently found exciting applications in astrophysics and particle physics. In the framework of curved spacetime physics, it has been associated with the classical Penrose process for particles. Superradiance is usually also associated with bosonic fields around geometries with ergoregions and horizons. These notions are in clear tension however: the Penrose process occurs for horizonless geometries, and particles are composed of fermions. Here, we resolve the tension in its different aspects, by showing that (i) superradiance occurs for self-interacting fermions on flat spacetime. (ii) Superradiance occurs also for horizonless geometries, where it leads to an ergoregion instability. Ultracompact, horizonless geometries will usually respond with echoes of growing amplitude, until rotational (or electrostatic) energy is extracted from the object. (iii) The Fourier-domain analysis leads to absence of superradiance when horizons are not present. We elucidate why this analysis fails to give meaningful results. (iv) Finally, we show that superradiant, ergoregion instabilities have a particle analog of similar growth timescales and which can power the formation of a structure outside a compact, rotating star.

Comparative genomics of xylose-fermenting fungi for enhanced biofuel production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wohlbach, Dana J.; Kuo, Alan; Sato, Trey K.; Potts, Katlyn M.; Salamov, Asaf A.; LaButti, Kurt M.; Sun, Hui; Clum, Alicia; Pangilinan, Jasmyn L.; Lindquist, Erika A.; Lucas, Susan; Lapidus, Alla; Jin, Mingjie; Gunawan, Christa; Balan, Venkatesh; Dale, Bruce E.; Jeffries, Thomas W.; Zinkel, Robert; Barry, Kerrie W.; Grigoriev, Igor V.; Gasch, Audrey P.

2011-02-24

Cellulosic biomass is an abundant and underused substrate for biofuel production. The inability of many microbes to metabolize the pentose sugars abundant within hemicellulose creates specific challenges for microbial biofuel production from cellulosic material. Although engineered strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae can use the pentose xylose, the fermentative capacity pales in comparison with glucose, limiting the economic feasibility of industrial fermentations. To better understand xylose utilization for subsequent microbial engineering, we sequenced the genomes of two xylose-fermenting, beetle-associated fungi, Spathaspora passalidarum and Candida tenuis. To identify genes involved in xylose metabolism, we applied a comparative genomic approach across 14 Ascomycete genomes, mapping phenotypes and genotypes onto the fungal phylogeny, and measured genomic expression across five Hemiascomycete species with different xylose-consumption phenotypes. This approach implicated many genes and processes involved in xylose assimilation. Several of these genes significantly improved xylose utilization when engineered into S. cerevisiae, demonstrating the power of comparative methods in rapidly identifying genes for biomass conversion while reflecting on fungal ecology.

Cavitation instability as a trigger of aneurysm rupture.

Science.gov (United States)

Volokh, K Y

2015-10-01

Aneurysm formation and growth is accompanied by microstructural alterations in the arterial wall. Particularly, the loss of elastin may lead to tissue disintegration and appearance of voids or cavities at the micron scale. Unstable growth and coalescence of voids may be a predecessor and trigger for the onset of macroscopic cracks. In the present work, we analyze the instability of membrane (2D) and bulk (3D) voids under hydrostatic tension by using two experimentally calibrated constitutive models of abdominal aortic aneurysm enhanced with energy limiters. The limiters provide the saturation value for the strain energy, which indicates the maximum energy that can be stored and dissipated by an infinitesimal material volume. We find that the unstable growth of voids can start when the critical stress is considerably less than the aneurysm strength. Moreover, this critical stress may even approach the arterial wall stress in the physiological range. This finding suggests that cavitation instability can be a rational indicator of the aneurysm rupture.

Nonlinear evolution of MHD instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bateman, G.; Hicks, H.R.; Wooten, J.W.; Dory, R.A.

1975-01-01

A 3-D nonlinear MHD computer code was used to study the time evolution of internal instabilities. Velocity vortex cells are observed to persist into the nonlinear evolution. Pressure and density profiles convect around these cells for a weak localized instability, or convect into the wall for a strong instability. (U.S.)

ATM Deficiency Generating Genomic Instability Sensitizes Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma Cells to Therapy-Induced DNA Damage.

Science.gov (United States)

Perkhofer, Lukas; Schmitt, Anna; Romero Carrasco, Maria Carolina; Ihle, Michaela; Hampp, Stephanie; Ruess, Dietrich Alexander; Hessmann, Elisabeth; Russell, Ronan; Lechel, André; Azoitei, Ninel; Lin, Qiong; Liebau, Stefan; Hohwieler, Meike; Bohnenberger, Hanibal; Lesina, Marina; Algül, Hana; Gieldon, Laura; Schröck, Evelin; Gaedcke, Jochen; Wagner, Martin; Wiesmüller, Lisa; Sipos, Bence; Seufferlein, Thomas; Reinhardt, Hans Christian; Frappart, Pierre-Olivier; Kleger, Alexander

2017-10-15

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinomas (PDAC) harbor recurrent functional mutations of the master DNA damage response kinase ATM, which has been shown to accelerate tumorigenesis and epithelial-mesenchymal transition. To study how ATM deficiency affects genome integrity in this setting, we evaluated the molecular and functional effects of conditional Atm deletion in a mouse model of PDAC. ATM deficiency was associated with increased mitotic defects, recurrent genomic rearrangements, and deregulated DNA integrity checkpoints, reminiscent of human PDAC. We hypothesized that altered genome integrity might allow synthetic lethality-based options for targeted therapeutic intervention. Supporting this possibility, we found that the PARP inhibitor olaparib or ATR inhibitors reduced the viability of PDAC cells in vitro and in vivo associated with a genotype-selective increase in apoptosis. Overall, our results offered a preclinical mechanistic rationale for the use of PARP and ATR inhibitors to improve treatment of ATM-mutant PDAC. Cancer Res; 77(20); 5576-90. ©2017 AACR . ©2017 American Association for Cancer Research.

Dynamical Instability and Soliton Concept

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kartavenko, V.G.

1994-01-01

The problem of dynamical instability and clustering (stable fragments formation) in a breakup of excited nuclear systems are considered from the points of view of the soliton concept. It is noted that the volume (spinodal) instability can be associated with nonlinear terms, and the surface (Rayleigh-Taylor type) instability, with the dispersion terms in the evolution equations. The spinodal instability and the Rayleigh-Taylor instability may compensate each other and lead to stable quasi-soliton type objects. The simple analytical model is presented to illustrate this physical picture. The time evolution of an initially compressed cold nuclear system is analysed in the framework of the inverse mean-field method. It is demonstrated that the nonlinearity and dispersion terms of the evolution equations can lead to clusterization in the final channel. 8 p

Genome-scale model guided design of Propionibacterium for enhanced propionic acid production

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Laura Navone

2018-06-01

Full Text Available Production of propionic acid by fermentation of propionibacteria has gained increasing attention in the past few years. However, biomanufacturing of propionic acid cannot compete with the current oxo-petrochemical synthesis process due to its well-established infrastructure, low oil prices and the high downstream purification costs of microbial production. Strain improvement to increase propionic acid yield is the best alternative to reduce downstream purification costs. The recent generation of genome-scale models for a number of Propionibacterium species facilitates the rational design of metabolic engineering strategies and provides a new opportunity to explore the metabolic potential of the Wood-Werkman cycle. Previous strategies for strain improvement have individually targeted acid tolerance, rate of propionate production or minimisation of by-products. Here we used the P. freudenreichii subsp. shermanii and the pan-Propionibacterium genome-scale metabolic models (GEMs to simultaneously target these combined issues. This was achieved by focussing on strategies which yield higher energies and directly suppress acetate formation. Using P. freudenreichii subsp. shermanii, two strategies were assessed. The first tested the ability to manipulate the redox balance to favour propionate production by over-expressing the first two enzymes of the pentose-phosphate pathway (PPP, Zwf (glucose-6-phosphate 1-dehydrogenase and Pgl (6-phosphogluconolactonase. Results showed a 4-fold increase in propionate to acetate ratio during the exponential growth phase. Secondly, the ability to enhance the energy yield from propionate production by over-expressing an ATP-dependent phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEPCK and sodium-pumping methylmalonyl-CoA decarboxylase (MMD was tested, which extended the exponential growth phase. Together, these strategies demonstrate that in silico design strategies are predictive and can be used to reduce by-product formation in

RTEL1 maintains genomic stability by suppressing homologous recombination.

Science.gov (United States)

Barber, Louise J; Youds, Jillian L; Ward, Jordan D; McIlwraith, Michael J; O'Neil, Nigel J; Petalcorin, Mark I R; Martin, Julie S; Collis, Spencer J; Cantor, Sharon B; Auclair, Melissa; Tissenbaum, Heidi; West, Stephen C; Rose, Ann M; Boulton, Simon J

2008-10-17

Homologous recombination (HR) is an important conserved process for DNA repair and ensures maintenance of genome integrity. Inappropriate HR causes gross chromosomal rearrangements and tumorigenesis in mammals. In yeast, the Srs2 helicase eliminates inappropriate recombination events, but the functional equivalent of Srs2 in higher eukaryotes has been elusive. Here, we identify C. elegans RTEL-1 as a functional analog of Srs2 and describe its vertebrate counterpart, RTEL1, which is required for genome stability and tumor avoidance. We find that rtel-1 mutant worms and RTEL1-depleted human cells share characteristic phenotypes with yeast srs2 mutants: lethality upon deletion of the sgs1/BLM homolog, hyperrecombination, and DNA damage sensitivity. In vitro, purified human RTEL1 antagonizes HR by promoting the disassembly of D loop recombination intermediates in a reaction dependent upon ATP hydrolysis. We propose that loss of HR control after deregulation of RTEL1 may be a critical event that drives genome instability and cancer.

The internal waves and Rayleigh-Taylor instability in compressible quantum plasmas

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lu, H. L.; Qiu, X. M.

2011-01-01

In this paper, we investigate the quantum effect on internal waves and Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability in compressible quantum plasmas. First of all, let us consider the case of the limit of short wavelength perturbations. In the case, the dispersion relation including quantum and compressibility effects and the RT instability growth rate can be derived using Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin method. The results show that the internal waves can propagate along the transverse direction due to the quantum effect, which was first pointed out by Bychkov et al.[Phys. Lett. A 372, 3042 (2008)], and the coupling between it and compressibility effect, which is found out in this paper. Then, without making the approximation assumption of short wavelength limit, we examine the linearized perturbation equation following Qiu et al.'s solving process [Phys. Plasmas 10, 2956 (2003)]. It is found that the quantum effect always stabilizes the RT instability in either incompressible or compressible quantum plasmas. Moreover, in the latter case, the coupling between it and compressibility effect makes this stabilization further enhance.

Feedback scheme for kink instability in ERL based electron ion collider

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hao, Y.; Litvinenko, V.N.; Ptitsyn, V.

2011-01-01

Kink instability presents one of the limiting factors from achieving higher luminosity in ERL based electron ion collider (EIC). However, we can take advantage of the flexibility of the linac and design a feedback system to cure the instability. This scheme raises the threshold of kink instability dramatically and provides opportunity for higher luminosity. We studied the effectiveness of this system and its dependence on the amplitude and phase of the feedback. In this paper we present results of theses studies of this scheme and describe its theoretical and practical limitations. The main advantage of an energy recovery linac (ERL) based electron ion collider (EIC) over a ring-ring type counterpart is the higher achievable luminosity. In ERL-based version, one electron beam collides with the opposing ion beam only once so that the beam-beam parameter can largely exceed the usual limitation in an electron collider ring, while the beam-beam parameter for the ion beam remains small values. The resulting luminosity may be enhanced by one order of magnitude. The beam dynamics related challenges also arise as the luminosity boost in ERL based EIC due to the significant beam-beam effect on the electron beam. The effects on the electron beam include the additional large beam-beam tune shift and nonlinear emittance growth, which are discussed. The ion beam may develop a head-tail type instability, referred as 'kink instability', through the interaction with the electron beam. In this paper, we discuss the feasibility of an active feedback system to mitigate the kink instability, by taking advantage of the flexibility of ERL. Throughout the paper, we will discuss the collision between proton and electron beam. Any other ion species can be scaled by its charge Z and ion mass A.

Beam instability Workshop - plenary sessions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2001-01-01

The purpose of this workshop was to provide a review of the mechanisms of limiting beam instabilities, their cures, including feedback, and beam measurement for synchrotron radiation light sources. 12 plenary sessions took place whose titles are: 1) challenging brilliance and lifetime issues with increasing currents; 2) limiting instabilities in multibunch; 3) experience from high currents in B factories; 4) longitudinal dynamics in high intensity/bunch; 5) Transverse instabilities for high intensity/bunch; 6) working group introduction from ESRF experience; 7) impedance modelling: simulations, minimization; 8) report on the broadband impedance measurements and modelling workshop; 9) feedback systems for synchrotron light sources; 10) beam instabilities diagnostics; 11) harmonic cavities: the pros and cons; and 12) experimental study of fast beam-ion instabilities at PLS. This document gathers the 12 articles that were presented during these sessions

Beam instability Workshop - plenary sessions

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2001-07-01

The purpose of this workshop was to provide a review of the mechanisms of limiting beam instabilities, their cures, including feedback, and beam measurement for synchrotron radiation light sources. 12 plenary sessions took place whose titles are: 1) challenging brilliance and lifetime issues with increasing currents; 2) limiting instabilities in multibunch; 3) experience from high currents in B factories; 4) longitudinal dynamics in high intensity/bunch; 5) Transverse instabilities for high intensity/bunch; 6) working group introduction from ESRF experience; 7) impedance modelling: simulations, minimization; 8) report on the broadband impedance measurements and modelling workshop; 9) feedback systems for synchrotron light sources; 10) beam instabilities diagnostics; 11) harmonic cavities: the pros and cons; and 12) experimental study of fast beam-ion instabilities at PLS. This document gathers the 12 articles that were presented during these sessions.

Character of decay instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Polovin, R.V.; Demutskii, V.P.

1981-01-01

If the initial wave is unstable in the upper half plane Im ω>0 and there are no branch points of the quasiwave number, or if waves traveling in the same direction coalesce at a branch point, the instability is convective. On the other hand, if a branch point k(ω) does exist in the upper half-plane Im ω>0, and not all the waves that merge at this point travel in the same direction, the instability is absolute. A Green's function that describes the evolution of the perturbations of the initial wave in space and in time is constructed. The growth rates of the decay instability of the harmonics are determined. The produced waves are richer in harmonics than the initial waves. It is shown that the decay instability of an Alfven wave is absolute

Natural selection shaped the rise and fall of passenger pigeon genomic diversity.

Science.gov (United States)

Murray, Gemma G R; Soares, André E R; Novak, Ben J; Schaefer, Nathan K; Cahill, James A; Baker, Allan J; Demboski, John R; Doll, Andrew; Da Fonseca, Rute R; Fulton, Tara L; Gilbert, M Thomas P; Heintzman, Peter D; Letts, Brandon; McIntosh, George; O'Connell, Brendan L; Peck, Mark; Pipes, Marie-Lorraine; Rice, Edward S; Santos, Kathryn M; Sohrweide, A Gregory; Vohr, Samuel H; Corbett-Detig, Russell B; Green, Richard E; Shapiro, Beth

2017-11-17

The extinct passenger pigeon was once the most abundant bird in North America, and possibly the world. Although theory predicts that large populations will be more genetically diverse, passenger pigeon genetic diversity was surprisingly low. To investigate this disconnect, we analyzed 41 mitochondrial and 4 nuclear genomes from passenger pigeons and 2 genomes from band-tailed pigeons, which are passenger pigeons' closest living relatives. Passenger pigeons' large population size appears to have allowed for faster adaptive evolution and removal of harmful mutations, driving a huge loss in their neutral genetic diversity. These results demonstrate the effect that selection can have on a vertebrate genome and contradict results that suggested that population instability contributed to this species's surprisingly rapid extinction. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

The effect of transverse crack upon parametric instability of a rotor-bearing system with an asymmetric disk

Science.gov (United States)

Han, Qinkai; Chu, Fulei

2012-12-01

It is well known that either the asymmetric disk or transverse crack brings parametric inertia (or stiffness) excitation to the rotor-bearing system. When both of them appear in a rotor system, the parametric instability behaviors have not gained sufficient attentions. Thus, the effect of transverse crack upon parametric instability of a rotor-bearing system with an asymmetric disk is studied. First, the finite element equations of motion are established for the asymmetric rotor system. Both the open and breathing transverse cracks are taken into account in the model. Then, the discrete state transition matrix (DSTM) method is introduced for numerically acquiring the instability regions. Based upon these, some computations for a practical asymmetric rotor system with open or breathing transverse crack are conducted, respectively. Variations of the primary and combination instability regions induced by the asymmetric disk with the crack depth are observed, and the effect of the orientation angle between the crack and asymmetric disk on various instability regions are discussed in detail. It is shown that for the asymmetric angle around 0, the existence of transverse (either open or breathing) crack has attenuation effect upon the instability regions. Under certain crack depth, the instability regions could be vanished by the transverse crack. When the asymmetric angle is around π/2, increasing the crack depth would enhance the instability regions.

DNA repair efficiency in germ cells and early mouse embryos and consequences for radiation-induced transgenerational genomic damage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Marchetti, Francesco; Wyrobek, Andrew J.

2009-01-18

Exposure to ionizing radiation and other environmental agents can affect the genomic integrity of germ cells and induce adverse health effects in the progeny. Efficient DNA repair during gametogenesis and the early embryonic cycles after fertilization is critical for preventing transmission of DNA damage to the progeny and relies on maternal factors stored in the egg before fertilization. The ability of the maternal repair machinery to repair DNA damage in both parental genomes in the fertilizing egg is especially crucial for the fertilizing male genome that has not experienced a DNA repair-competent cellular environment for several weeks prior to fertilization. During the DNA repair-deficient period of spermatogenesis, DNA lesions may accumulate in sperm and be carried into the egg where, if not properly repaired, could result in the formation of heritable chromosomal aberrations or mutations and associated birth defects. Studies with female mice deficient in specific DNA repair genes have shown that: (i) cell cycle checkpoints are activated in the fertilized egg by DNA damage carried by the sperm; and (ii) the maternal genotype plays a major role in determining the efficiency of repairing genomic lesions in the fertilizing sperm and directly affect the risk for abnormal reproductive outcomes. There is also growing evidence that implicates DNA damage carried by the fertilizing gamete as a mediator of postfertilization processes that contribute to genomic instability in subsequent generations. Transgenerational genomic instability most likely involves epigenetic mechanisms or error-prone DNA repair processes in the early embryo. Maternal and embryonic DNA repair processes during the early phases of mammalian embryonic development can have far reaching consequences for the genomic integrity and health of subsequent generations.

Simultaneous modification of three homoeologs of TaEDR1 by genome editing enhances powdery mildew resistance in wheat.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Yunwei; Bai, Yang; Wu, Guangheng; Zou, Shenghao; Chen, Yongfang; Gao, Caixia; Tang, Dingzhong

2017-08-01

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) incurs significant yield losses from powdery mildew, a major fungal disease caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici (Bgt). enhanced disease resistance1 (EDR1) plays a negative role in the defense response against powdery mildew in Arabidopsis thaliana; however, the edr1 mutant does not show constitutively activated defense responses. This makes EDR1 an ideal target for approaches using new genome-editing tools to improve resistance to powdery mildew. We cloned TaEDR1 from hexaploid wheat and found high similarity among the three homoeologs of EDR1. Knock-down of TaEDR1 by virus-induced gene silencing or RNA interference enhanced resistance to powdery mildew, indicating that TaEDR1 negatively regulates powdery mildew resistance in wheat. We used CRISPR/Cas9 technology to generate Taedr1 wheat plants by simultaneous modification of the three homoeologs of wheat EDR1. No off-target mutations were detected in the Taedr1 mutant plants. The Taedr1 plants were resistant to powdery mildew and did not show mildew-induced cell death. Our study represents the successful generation of a potentially valuable trait using genome-editing technology in wheat and provides germplasm for disease resistance breeding. © 2017 The Authors The Plant Journal © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

A simulation study of electron-cloud instability and beam-induced multipacting in the LHC

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zimmermann, F.

1997-02-01

In the LHC beam pipe, photoemission and secondary emission give rise to a quasi-stationary electron cloud, which is established after a few bunch passages. The response of this electron cloud to a transversely displaced bunch resembles a short-range wakefield and can cause a fast instability. In addition, beam-induced multipacting of the electrons may lead to an enhanced gas desorption and an associated pressure increase. In this paper the authors report preliminary simulation results of the electron-cloud build-up both in a dipole magnet and in a straight section of the LHC at top energy. The effective wakefield created by the electron cloud translates into an instability rise time of about 25 ms horizontally and 130 ms vertically. This rise time is not much larger than that of the resistive-wall instability at injection energy

RECG maintains plastid and mitochondrial genome stability by suppressing extensive recombination between short dispersed repeats.

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Masaki Odahara

2015-03-01

Full Text Available Maintenance of plastid and mitochondrial genome stability is crucial for photosynthesis and respiration, respectively. Recently, we have reported that RECA1 maintains mitochondrial genome stability by suppressing gross rearrangements induced by aberrant recombination between short dispersed repeats in the moss Physcomitrella patens. In this study, we studied a newly identified P. patens homolog of bacterial RecG helicase, RECG, some of which is localized in both plastid and mitochondrial nucleoids. RECG partially complements recG deficiency in Escherichia coli cells. A knockout (KO mutation of RECG caused characteristic phenotypes including growth delay and developmental and mitochondrial defects, which are similar to those of the RECA1 KO mutant. The RECG KO cells showed heterogeneity in these phenotypes. Analyses of RECG KO plants showed that mitochondrial genome was destabilized due to a recombination between 8-79 bp repeats and the pattern of the recombination partly differed from that observed in the RECA1 KO mutants. The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA instability was greater in severe phenotypic RECG KO cells than that in mild phenotypic ones. This result suggests that mitochondrial genomic instability is responsible for the defective phenotypes of RECG KO plants. Some of the induced recombination caused efficient genomic rearrangements in RECG KO mitochondria. Such loci were sometimes associated with a decrease in the levels of normal mtDNA and significant decrease in the number of transcripts derived from the loci. In addition, the RECG KO mutation caused remarkable plastid abnormalities and induced recombination between short repeats (12-63 bp in the plastid DNA. These results suggest that RECG plays a role in the maintenance of both plastid and mitochondrial genome stability by suppressing aberrant recombination between dispersed short repeats; this role is crucial for plastid and mitochondrial functions.

History of shoulder instability surgery.

Science.gov (United States)

Randelli, Pietro; Cucchi, Davide; Butt, Usman

2016-02-01

The surgical management of shoulder instability is an expanding and increasingly complex area of study within orthopaedics. This article describes the history and evolution of shoulder instability surgery, examining the development of its key principles, the currently accepted concepts and available surgical interventions. A comprehensive review of the available literature was performed using PubMed. The reference lists of reviewed articles were also scrutinised to ensure relevant information was included. The various types of shoulder instability including anterior, posterior and multidirectional instability are discussed, focussing on the history of surgical management of these topics, the current concepts and the results of available surgical interventions. The last century has seen important advancements in the understanding and treatment of shoulder instability. The transition from open to arthroscopic surgery has allowed the discovery of previously unrecognised pathologic entities and facilitated techniques to treat these. Nevertheless, open surgery still produces comparable results in the treatment of many instability-related conditions and is often required in complex or revision cases, particularly in the presence of bone loss. More high-quality research is required to better understand and characterise this spectrum of conditions so that successful evidence-based management algorithms can be developed. IV.

Ionospheric modification and parametric instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fejer, J.A.

1979-01-01

Thresholds and linear growth rates for stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering and for the parametric decay instability are derived by using arguments of energy transfer. For this purpose an expression for the ponderomotive force is derived. Conditions under which the partial pressure force due to differential dissipation exceeds the ponderomotive force are also discussed. Stimulated Brillouin and Raman scattering are weakly excited by existing incoherent backscatter radars. The parametric decay instability is strongly excited in ionospheric heating experiments. Saturation theories of the parametric decay instability are therefore described. After a brief discussion of the purely growing instability the effect of using several pumps is discussed as well as the effects of inhomogenicity. Turning to detailed theories of ionospheric heating, artificial spread F is discussed in terms of a purely growing instability where the nonlinearity is due to dissipation. Field-aligned short-scale striations are explained in terms of dissipation of the parametrically excited Langmuir waves (plasma oscillations): they might be further amplified by an explosive instability (except the magnetic equator). Broadband absorption is probably responsible for the 'overshoot' effect: the initially observed level of parametrically excited Langmuir waves is much higher than the steady state level

Genomic mutation study for long-term cells induced by carbon ions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, X.; Furusawa, Y.; Suzuki, M.; Hirayama, R.; Matsumoto, Y.; Qin, Y.

2007-01-01

Complete text of publication follows. Objective: Densely ionizing (high LET) radiation can increase the relative biological effectiveness of cell and tissue. Astronauts in the space exploration have the potential exposure of chronic low-dose radiations in the field of low-flux galactic cosmic rays (GCR) and the subsequent biological effects have become one of the major concerns of space science. Furthermore, Heavy ions also are used new radiation therapy owing increased lethal effectiveness of high LET radiation. During radiation therapy, normal tissues also are exposed to ionizing radiation. Radiation can induce genomic mutation and instability in descendants of irradiated cells. Induction of genomic instability can represent one of the initiating steps leading to malignant transformation. Higher frequencies of mutation can be expected to provide higher rates of carcinogenicity with human exposure. Therefore, the study of radiation induced genomic mutation and instability is relevant to the estimates of the risk of secondary malignancies associated with radiation therapy and the carcinogenic effects of space environmental radiation. The hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (hprt) locus has been the most commonly used as a target gene for mutation detection studies. In this study, we investigated the generation expression dependence of mutation induction on HPRT locus in CHO cells irradiated with carbon ions. Methods: Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells were irradiated with graded doses of carbon ions (290MeV/u, LET:13kev/um) accelerated with Heavy Ion Medical Accelerator in Chiba (HIMAC) at National Institute of Radiological Sciences(NIRS). The survival effect of cells plated immediately after irradiation was measured with cell colony formation assay. After irradiation, cells were continues reseeding and cultures for lone-term proliferation. Cell samples were collected at 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 37 and 44 days post irradiation. Mutation induction of cell

Suppression of the Rayleigh Taylor instability and its implication for the impact ignition

Science.gov (United States)

Azechi, H.; Shiraga, H.; Nakai, M.; Shigemori, K.; Fujioka, S.; Sakaiya, T.; Tamari, Y.; Ohtani, K.; Murakami, M.; Sunahara, A.; Nagatomo, H.; Nishihara, K.; Miyanaga, N.; Izawa, Y.

2004-12-01

The Rayleigh Taylor (RT) instability with material ablation through an unstable interface is the key physics that determines the success or failure of inertial fusion energy (IFE) generation, as the RT instability potentially quenches ignition and burn by disintegrating the IFE target. We present two suppression schemes of the RT growth without significant degradation of the target density. The first scheme is to generate a double ablation structure in high-Z doped plastic targets. In addition to the electron ablation surface, a new ablation surface is created by x-ray radiation from the high-Z ions. Contrary to the previous thought, the electron ablation surface is almost completely stabilized by extremely high flow velocity. On the other hand, the RT instability on the radiative ablation surface is significantly moderated. The second is to enhance the nonlocal nature of the electron heat transport by illuminating the target with long wavelength laser light, whereas the high ablation pressure is generated by irradiating with short wavelength laser light. The significant suppression of the RT instability may increase the possibility of impact ignition which uses a high-velocity fuel colliding with a preformed main fuel.

Suppression of the Rayleigh-Taylor instability and its implication for the impact ignition

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Azechi, H; Shiraga, H; Nakai, M; Shigemori, K; Fujioka, S; Sakaiya, T; Tamari, Y; Ohtani, K; Murakami, M; Sunahara, A; Nagatomo, H; Nishihara, K; Miyanaga, N; Izawa, Y

2004-01-01

The Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability with material ablation through an unstable interface is the key physics that determines the success or failure of inertial fusion energy (IFE) generation, as the RT instability potentially quenches ignition and burn by disintegrating the IFE target. We present two suppression schemes of the RT growth without significant degradation of the target density. The first scheme is to generate a double ablation structure in high-Z doped plastic targets. In addition to the electron ablation surface, a new ablation surface is created by x-ray radiation from the high-Z ions. Contrary to the previous thought, the electron ablation surface is almost completely stabilized by extremely high flow velocity. On the other hand, the RT instability on the radiative ablation surface is significantly moderated. The second is to enhance the nonlocal nature of the electron heat transport by illuminating the target with long wavelength laser light, whereas the high ablation pressure is generated by irradiating with short wavelength laser light. The significant suppression of the RT instability may increase the possibility of impact ignition which uses a high-velocity fuel colliding with a preformed main fuel

Suppression of cyclotron instability in Electron Cyclotron Resonance ion sources by two-frequency heating

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Skalyga, V.; Izotov, I.; Mansfeld, D.; Kalvas, T.; Koivisto, H.; Komppula, J.; Kronholm, R.; Laulainen, J.; Tarvainen, O.

2015-01-01

Multiple frequency heating is one of the most effective techniques to improve the performance of Electron Cyclotron Resonance (ECR) ion sources. The method increases the beam current and average charge state of the extracted ions and enhances the temporal stability of the ion beams. It is demonstrated in this paper that the stabilizing effect of two-frequency heating is connected with the suppression of electron cyclotron instability. Experimental data show that the interaction between the secondary microwave radiation and the hot electron component of ECR ion source plasmas plays a crucial role in mitigation of the instabilities

Instabilities in mimetic matter perturbations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Firouzjahi, Hassan; Gorji, Mohammad Ali [School of Astronomy, Institute for Research in Fundamental Sciences (IPM), P.O. Box 19395-5531, Tehran (Iran, Islamic Republic of); Mansoori, Seyed Ali Hosseini, E-mail: firouz@ipm.ir, E-mail: gorji@ipm.ir, E-mail: shosseini@shahroodut.ac.ir, E-mail: shossein@ipm.ir [Physics Department, Shahrood University of Technology, P.O. Box 3619995161 Shahrood (Iran, Islamic Republic of)

2017-07-01

We study cosmological perturbations in mimetic matter scenario with a general higher derivative function. We calculate the quadratic action and show that both the kinetic term and the gradient term have the wrong sings. We perform the analysis in both comoving and Newtonian gauges and confirm that the Hamiltonians and the associated instabilities are consistent with each other in both gauges. The existence of instabilities is independent of the specific form of higher derivative function which generates gradients for mimetic field perturbations. It is verified that the ghost instability in mimetic perturbations is not associated with the higher derivative instabilities such as the Ostrogradsky ghost.

Spondylolisthesis and Posterior Instability

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Niggemann, P.; Beyer, H.K.; Frey, H.; Grosskurth, D.; Simons, P.; Kuchta, J.

2009-01-01

We present the case of a patient with a spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1 due to spondylolysis at the level L5/S1. The vertebral slip was fixed and no anterior instability was found. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in an upright MRI scanner, posterior instability at the level of the spondylolytic defect of L5 was demonstrated. A structure, probably the hypertrophic ligament flava, arising from the spondylolytic defect was displaced toward the L5 nerve root, and a bilateral contact of the displaced structure with the L5 nerve root was shown in extension of the spine. To our knowledge, this is the first case described of posterior instability in patients with spondylolisthesis. The clinical implications of posterior instability are unknown; however, it is thought that this disorder is common and that it can only be diagnosed using upright MRI

Spondylolisthesis and Posterior Instability

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Niggemann, P.; Beyer, H.K.; Frey, H.; Grosskurth, D. (Privatpraxis fuer Upright MRT, Koeln (Germany)); Simons, P.; Kuchta, J. (Media Park Klinik, Koeln (Germany))

2009-04-15

We present the case of a patient with a spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1 due to spondylolysis at the level L5/S1. The vertebral slip was fixed and no anterior instability was found. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in an upright MRI scanner, posterior instability at the level of the spondylolytic defect of L5 was demonstrated. A structure, probably the hypertrophic ligament flava, arising from the spondylolytic defect was displaced toward the L5 nerve root, and a bilateral contact of the displaced structure with the L5 nerve root was shown in extension of the spine. To our knowledge, this is the first case described of posterior instability in patients with spondylolisthesis. The clinical implications of posterior instability are unknown; however, it is thought that this disorder is common and that it can only be diagnosed using upright MRI.

Feedback stabilization of plasma instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cap, F.F.

1977-01-01

This paper reviews the theoretical and experimental aspects of feedback stabilization. After giving an outline of a general theoretical model for electrostatic instabilities the author provides a theoretical analysis of the suppression of various types of instability. Experiments which have been carried out on the feedback stabilization of various types of plasma instability are reported. An extensive list of references is given. (B.R.H.)

Enhancer Evolution across 20 Mammalian Species

Science.gov (United States)

Villar, Diego; Berthelot, Camille; Aldridge, Sarah; Rayner, Tim F.; Lukk, Margus; Pignatelli, Miguel; Park, Thomas J.; Deaville, Robert; Erichsen, Jonathan T.; Jasinska, Anna J.; Turner, James M.A.; Bertelsen, Mads F.; Murchison, Elizabeth P.; Flicek, Paul; Odom, Duncan T.

2015-01-01

Summary The mammalian radiation has corresponded with rapid changes in noncoding regions of the genome, but we lack a comprehensive understanding of regulatory evolution in mammals. Here, we track the evolution of promoters and enhancers active in liver across 20 mammalian species from six diverse orders by profiling genomic enrichment of H3K27 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation. We report that rapid evolution of enhancers is a universal feature of mammalian genomes. Most of the recently evolved enhancers arise from ancestral DNA exaptation, rather than lineage-specific expansions of repeat elements. In contrast, almost all liver promoters are partially or fully conserved across these species. Our data further reveal that recently evolved enhancers can be associated with genes under positive selection, demonstrating the power of this approach for annotating regulatory adaptations in genomic sequences. These results provide important insight into the functional genetics underpinning mammalian regulatory evolution. PMID:25635462

Diffusion at the Earth magnetopause: enhancement by Kelvin-Helmholtz instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

R. Smets

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Using hybrid simulations, we examine how particles can diffuse across the Earth's magnetopause because of finite Larmor radius effects. We focus on tangential discontinuities and consider a reversal of the magnetic field that closely models the magnetopause under southward interplanetary magnetic field. When the Larmor radius is on the order of the field reversal thickness, we show that particles can cross the discontinuity. We also show that with a realistic initial shear flow, a Kelvin-Helmholtz instability develops that increases the efficiency of the crossing process. We investigate the distribution functions of the transmitted ions and demonstrate that they are structured according to a D-shape. It accordingly appears that magnetic reconnection at the magnetopause is not the only process that leads to such specific distribution functions. A simple analytical model that describes the built-up of these functions is proposed.

Molecular characterization of a rice mutator-phenotype derived from an incompatible cross-pollination reveals transgenerational mobilization of multiple transposable elements and extensive epigenetic instability

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Xu Chunming

2009-05-01

Full Text Available Abstract Background Inter-specific hybridization occurs frequently in plants, which may induce genetic and epigenetic instabilities in the resultant hybrids, allopolyploids and introgressants. It remains unclear however whether pollination by alien pollens of an incompatible species may impose a "biological stress" even in the absence of genome-merger or genetic introgression, whereby genetic and/or epigenetic instability of the maternal recipient genome might be provoked. Results We report here the identification of a rice mutator-phenotype from a set of rice plants derived from a crossing experiment involving two remote and apparently incompatible species, Oryza sativa L. and Oenothera biennis L. The mutator-phenotype (named Tong211-LP showed distinct alteration in several traits, with the most striking being substantially enlarged panicles. Expectably, gel-blotting by total genomic DNA of the pollen-donor showed no evidence for introgression. Characterization of Tong211-LP (S0 and its selfed progenies (S1 ruled out contamination (via seed or pollen or polyploidy as a cause for its dramatic phenotypic changes, but revealed transgenerational mobilization of several previously characterized transposable elements (TEs, including a MITE (mPing, and three LTR retrotransposons (Osr7, Osr23 and Tos17. AFLP and MSAP fingerprinting revealed extensive, transgenerational alterations in cytosine methylation and to a less extent also genetic variation in Tong211-LP and its immediate progenies. mPing mobility was found to correlate with cytosine methylation alteration detected by MSAP but not with genetic variation detected by AFLP. Assay by q-RT-PCR of the steady-state transcript abundance of a set of genes encoding for the various putative DNA methyltransferases, 5-methylcytosine DNA glycosylases, and small interference RNA (siRNA pathway-related proteins showed that, relative to the rice parental line, heritable perturbation in expression of 12 out of

Telomere-Centromere-Driven Genomic Instability Contributes to Karyotype Evolution in a Mouse Model of Melanoma

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Amanda Gonçalves dos Santos Silva

2010-01-01

Full Text Available Aneuploidy and chromosomal instability (CIN are hallmarks of most solid tumors. These alterations may result from inaccurate chromosomal segregation during mitosis, which can occur through several mechanisms including defective telomere metabolism, centrosome amplification, dysfunctional centromeres, and/or defective spindle checkpoint control. In this work, we used an in vitro murine melanoma model that uses a cellular adhesion blockade as a transforming factor to characterize telomeric and centromeric alterations that accompany melanocyte transformation. To study the timing of the occurrence of telomere shortening in this transformation model, we analyzed the profile of telomere length by quantitative fluorescent in situ hybridization and found that telomere length significantly decreased as additional rounds of cell adhesion blockages were performed. Together with it, an increase in telomere-free ends and complex karyotypic aberrations were also found, which include Robertsonian fusions in 100% of metaphases of the metastatic melanoma cells. These findings are in agreement with the idea that telomere length abnormalities seem to be one of the earliest genetic alterations acquired in the multistep process of malignant transformation and that telomere abnormalities result in telomere aggregation, breakage-bridge-fusion cycles, and CIN. Another remarkable feature of this model is the abundance of centromeric instability manifested as centromere fragments and centromeric fusions. Taken together, our results illustrate for this melanoma model CIN with a structural signature of centromere breakage and telomeric loss.

Saccharomyces pastorianus: genomic insights inspiring innovation for industry.

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Brian; Liti, Gianni

2015-01-01

A combination of biological and non-biological factors has led to the interspecific hybrid yeast species Saccharomyces pastorianus becoming one of the world's most important industrial organisms. This yeast is used in the production of lager-style beers, the fermentation of which requires very low temperatures compared to other industrial fermentation processes. This group of organisms has benefited from both the whole-genome duplication in its ancestral lineage and the subsequent hybridization event between S. cerevisiae and S. eubayanus, resulting in strong fermentative ability. The hybrid has key traits, such as cold tolerance and good maltose- and maltotriose-utilizing ability, inherited either from the parental species or originating from genetic interactions between the parent genomes. Instability in the nascent allopolyploid hybrid genome may have contributed to rapid evolution of the yeast to tolerate conditions prevalent in the brewing environment. The recent discovery of S. eubayanus has provided new insights into the evolutionary history of S. pastorianus and may offer new opportunities for generating novel industrially-beneficial lager yeast strains. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Multifragmentation: Surface instabilities or statistical decay

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L.G.; Tso, K.; Delis, D.; Colonna, N.; Wozniak, G.J.

1992-11-01

Boltzmann-Nordheim-Vlasov calculations show multifragmentation that seems to originate from surface instabilities. These instabilities are traced to a sheet instability caused by the proximity interaction. Experimental data, on the other hand, suggest that multifragmentation may be dominated by phase space

Characterizing the Prevalence of Chromosome Instability in Interval Colorectal Cancer

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A.L. Cisyk

2015-03-01

Full Text Available A substantial proportion of colorectal cancers (CRCs are interval CRCs (I-CRCs; i.e., CRCs diagnosed soon after a colonoscopy. Chromosomal instability (CIN is defined as an increase in the rate of which whole chromosomes/large chromosomal fragments are gained or lost and is observed in 85% of non-hereditary CRCs. The contribution of CIN to the etiology of I-CRCs remains unknown. We established a fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH approach to characterize CIN by enumerating specific chromosomes and determined the prevalence of numerical CIN in a population-based cohort of I-CRCs and control (sporadic CRCs. Using the population-based Manitoba Health administrative databases and Manitoba Cancer Registry, we identified an age, sex, and colonic site of CRC matched cohort of I-CRCs and controls and retrieved their archived paraffin-embedded tumor samples. FISH chromosome enumeration probes specifically recognizing the pericentric regions of chromosomes 8, 11, and 17 were first used on cell lines and then CRC tissue microarrays to detect aneusomy, which was then used to calculate a CIN score (CS. The 15th percentile CS for control CRC was used to define CIN phenotype. Mean CSs were similar in the control CRCs and I-CRCs; 82% of I-CRCs exhibited a CIN phenotype, which was similar to that in the control CRCs. This study suggests that CIN is the most prevalent contributor to genomic instability in I-CRCs. Further studies should evaluate CIN and microsatellite instability (MSI in the same cohort of I-CRCs to corroborate our findings and to further assess concomitant contribution of CIN and MSI to I-CRCs.

CpGislandEVO: A Database and Genome Browser for Comparative Evolutionary Genomics of CpG Islands

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Guillermo Barturen

2013-01-01

Full Text Available Hypomethylated, CpG-rich DNA segments (CpG islands, CGIs are epigenome markers involved in key biological processes. Aberrant methylation is implicated in the appearance of several disorders as cancer, immunodeficiency, or centromere instability. Furthermore, methylation differences at promoter regions between human and chimpanzee strongly associate with genes involved in neurological/psychological disorders and cancers. Therefore, the evolutionary comparative analyses of CGIs can provide insights on the functional role of these epigenome markers in both health and disease. Given the lack of specific tools, we developed CpGislandEVO. Briefly, we first compile a database of statistically significant CGIs for the best assembled mammalian genome sequences available to date. Second, by means of a coupled browser front-end, we focus on the CGIs overlapping orthologous genes extracted from OrthoDB, thus ensuring the comparison between CGIs located on truly homologous genome segments. This allows comparing the main compositional features between homologous CGIs. Finally, to facilitate nucleotide comparisons, we lifted genome coordinates between assemblies from different species, which enables the analysis of sequence divergence by direct count of nucleotide substitutions and indels occurring between homologous CGIs. The resulting CpGislandEVO database, linking together CGIs and single-cytosine DNA methylation data from several mammalian species, is freely available at our website.

Neutron star pulsations and instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lindblom, L.

2001-01-01

Gravitational radiation (GR) drives an instability in certain modes of rotating stars. This instability is strong enough in the case of the r-modes to cause their amplitudes to grow on a timescale of tens of seconds in rapidly rotating neutron stars. GR emitted by these modes removes angular momentum from the star at a rate which would spin it down to a relatively small angular velocity within about one year, if the dimensionless amplitude of the mode grows to order unity. A pedagogical level discussion is given here on the mechanism of GR instability in rotating stars, on the relevant properties of the r-modes, and on our present understanding of the dissipation mechanisms that tend to suppress this instability in neutron stars. The astrophysical implications of this GR driven instability are discussed for young neutron stars, and for older systems such as low mass x-ray binaries. Recent work on the non-linear evolution of the r-modes is also presented. (author)

Multifragmentation: surface instabilities or statistical decay?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moretto, L.G.; Tso, K.; Delis, D.; Colonna, N.; Wozniak, G.J.

1993-01-01

Boltzmann-Nordheim-Vlasov calculations show multifragmentation that seems to originate from surface instabilities. These instabilities are traced to a sheet instability caused by the proximity interaction. Experimental data, on the other hand, suggest that multifragmentation may be dominated by phase space. (author)

Dynamic ultrasound of peroneal tendon instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Pesquer, Lionel; Guillo, Stéphane; Poussange, Nicolas; Pele, Eric; Meyer, Philippe; Dallaudière, Benjamin

2016-07-01

Ankle snapping may be caused by peroneal tendon instability. Anterior instability occurs after traumatic superior peroneal retinaculum injury, whereas peroneal tendon intrasheath subluxation is atraumatic. Whereas subluxation is mainly dynamic, ultrasound allows for the diagnosis and classification of peroneal instability because it allows for real-time exploration. The purpose of this review is to describe the anatomic and physiologic bases for peroneal instability and to heighten the role of dynamic ultrasound in the diagnosis of snapping.

Collective instabilities of self-gravitating systems, 2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Nakamura, Takashi; Takahara, Fumio; Ikeuchi, Satoru

1975-01-01

The instability modes of rotating self-gravitating systems are investigated on the assumption of infinitely long cylinder. The systems under consideration are a collisionless stellar system with anisotropic velocity dispersion and a gaseous system with anisotropic pressure. In the collisionless stellar system, the Jeans instability mode and the Harris instability mode exist. The dispersion relation is solved numerically and the following results are obtained: the Harris instability occurs even in the region where Wu did not treat, and although its growth rate amounts to the order of angular velocity of the system for sufficient anisotropy, the Harris instability always accompanies the Jeans instability and the latter is always greater than the former in growth rate. In the gaseous system exist the Jeans instability mode and a certain overstable mode, which are different from the Harris instability mode. It is shown that the overstable mode occurs due to coupling of modes. In relation to these results, some problems in galactic structure are discussed. (auth.)

Electron beam instabilities in gyrotron beam tunnels

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pedrozzi, M.; Alberti, S.; Hogge, J.P.; Tran, M.Q.; Tran, T.M.

1997-10-01

Electron beam instabilities occurring in a gyrotron electron beam can induce an energy spread which might significantly deteriorate the gyrotron efficiency. Three types of instabilities are considered to explain the important discrepancy found between the theoretical and experimental efficiency in the case of quasi-optical gyrotrons (QOG): the electron cyclotron maser instability, the Bernstein instability and the Langmuir instability. The low magnetic field gradient in drift tubes of QOG makes that the electron cyclotron maser instability can develop in the drift tube at very low electron beam currents. Experimental measurements show that with a proper choice of absorbing structures in the beam tunnel, this instability can be suppressed. At high beam currents, the electrostatic Bernstein instability can induce a significant energy spread at the entrance of the interaction region. The induced energy spread scales approximately linearly with the electron beam density and for QOG one observes that the beam density is significantly higher than the beam density of an equivalent cylindrical cavity gyrotron. (author) figs., tabs., refs

Mode-locking via dissipative Faraday instability.

Science.gov (United States)

Tarasov, Nikita; Perego, Auro M; Churkin, Dmitry V; Staliunas, Kestutis; Turitsyn, Sergei K

2016-08-09

Emergence of coherent structures and patterns at the nonlinear stage of modulation instability of a uniform state is an inherent feature of many biological, physical and engineering systems. There are several well-studied classical modulation instabilities, such as Benjamin-Feir, Turing and Faraday instability, which play a critical role in the self-organization of energy and matter in non-equilibrium physical, chemical and biological systems. Here we experimentally demonstrate the dissipative Faraday instability induced by spatially periodic zig-zag modulation of a dissipative parameter of the system-spectrally dependent losses-achieving generation of temporal patterns and high-harmonic mode-locking in a fibre laser. We demonstrate features of this instability that distinguish it from both the Benjamin-Feir and the purely dispersive Faraday instability. Our results open the possibilities for new designs of mode-locked lasers and can be extended to other fields of physics and engineering.

High-Speed Imaging of Dusty Plasma Instabilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Tawidian, H.; Mikikian, M.; Lecas, T.; Boufendi, L.; Coueedel, L.; Vallee, O.

2011-01-01

Dust particles in a plasma acquire negative charges by capturing electrons. If the dust particle density is high, a huge loss of free electrons can trigger unstable behaviors in the plasma. Several types of plasma behaviors are analyzed thanks to a high-speed camera like dust particle growth instabilities (DPGI) and a new phenomenon called plasma spheroids. These small plasma spheroids are about a few mm, have a slightly enhanced luminosity, and are observed in the vicinity of the electrodes. Different behaviors are identified for these spheroids like a rotational motion, or a chaotic regime (fast appearance and disappearance).

High-Speed Imaging of Dusty Plasma Instabilities

Science.gov (United States)

Tawidian, H.; Couëdel, L.; Mikikian, M.; Lecas, T.; Boufendi, L.; Vallée, O.

2011-11-01

Dust particles in a plasma acquire negative charges by capturing electrons. If the dust particle density is high, a huge loss of free electrons can trigger unstable behaviors in the plasma. Several types of plasma behaviors are analyzed thanks to a high-speed camera like dust particle growth instabilities (DPGI) and a new phenomenon called plasma spheroids. These small plasma spheroids are about a few mm, have a slightly enhanced luminosity, and are observed in the vicinity of the electrodes. Different behaviors are identified for these spheroids like a rotational motion, or a chaotic regime (fast appearance and disappearance).

Genomics and fish adaptation

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Agostinho Antunes

2015-12-01

Full Text Available The completion of the human genome sequencing in 2003 opened a new perspective into the importance of whole genome sequencing projects, and currently multiple species are having their genomes completed sequenced, from simple organisms, such as bacteria, to more complex taxa, such as mammals. This voluminous sequencing data generated across multiple organisms provides also the framework to better understand the genetic makeup of such species and related ones, allowing to explore the genetic changes underlining the evolution of diverse phenotypic traits. Here, recent results from our group retrieved from comparative evolutionary genomic analyses of varied fish species will be considered to exemplify how gene novelty and gene enhancement by positive selection might have been determinant in the success of adaptive radiations into diverse habitats and lifestyles.

Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects: inter-related inflammatory-type non-targeted effects of exposure to ionizing radiation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Wright, E.G. (Molecular and Cellular Pathology Laboratories, Division of Pathology and Neuroscience, Ninewells Hospital and Medical School, Dundee, Scotland (United Kingdom))

2008-12-15

The dogma that genetic alterations are restricted to directly irradiated cells has been challenged by observations in which effects of ionizing radiation, characteristically associated with the consequences of energy deposition in the cell nucleus, arise in non-irradiated cells. These, so called, untargeted effects are demonstrated in cells that are the descendants of irradiated cells (radiation-induced genomic instability) or in cells that have communicated with neighbouring irradiated cells (radiation-induced bystander effects). There are also reports of long-range signals in vivo, known as clastogenic factors, with the capacity to induce damage in unirradiated cells. Clastogenic factors may be related to the inflammatory responses that have been implicated in some of the pathological consequences of radiation exposures. The phenotypic expression of untargeted effects reflects a balance between the type of signals produced and the responses of cell populations to such signals, both of which may be significantly influenced by cell type and genotype. There is accumulating evidence that untargeted effects in vitro involve inter-cellular signalling, production of cytokines and free radical generation. These are also features of inflammatory responses in vivo that are known to have the potential for both bystander-mediated and persisting damage as well as for conferring a predisposition to malignancy. At present it is far from clear how untargeted effects contribute to overall cellular radiation responses and in vivo consequences but it is possible that the various untargeted effects may reflect inter-related aspects of a non-specific inflammatory-type response to radiation-induced stress and injury and be involved in a variety of the pathological consequences of radiation exposures. (orig.)

Radiation-induced genomic instability and bystander effects: inter-related inflammatory-type non-targeted effects of exposure to ionizing radiation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wright, E.G.

2008-01-01

The dogma that genetic alterations are restricted to directly irradiated cells has been challenged by observations in which effects of ionizing radiation, characteristically associated with the consequences of energy deposition in the cell nucleus, arise in non-irradiated cells. These, so called, untargeted effects are demonstrated in cells that are the descendants of irradiated cells (radiation-induced genomic instability) or in cells that have communicated with neighbouring irradiated cells (radiation-induced bystander effects). There are also reports of long-range signals in vivo, known as clastogenic factors, with the capacity to induce damage in unirradiated cells. Clastogenic factors may be related to the inflammatory responses that have been implicated in some of the pathological consequences of radiation exposures. The phenotypic expression of untargeted effects reflects a balance between the type of signals produced and the responses of cell populations to such signals, both of which may be significantly influenced by cell type and genotype. There is accumulating evidence that untargeted effects in vitro involve inter-cellular signalling, production of cytokines and free radical generation. These are also features of inflammatory responses in vivo that are known to have the potential for both bystander-mediated and persisting damage as well as for conferring a predisposition to malignancy. At present it is far from clear how untargeted effects contribute to overall cellular radiation responses and in vivo consequences but it is possible that the various untargeted effects may reflect inter-related aspects of a non-specific inflammatory-type response to radiation-induced stress and injury and be involved in a variety of the pathological consequences of radiation exposures. (orig.)

Microbunching Instability Effect Studies and Laser Heater Optimization for the SPARX FEL Accelerator

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vaccarezza, C.; Chiadroni, E.; Ferrario, M.; Giannessi, L.; Quattromini, M.; Ronsivalle, C.; Venturini, C.; Migliorati, M.; Dattoli, G.

2010-05-23

The effects of microbunching instability for the SPARX accelerator have been analyzed by means of numerical simulations. The laser heater counteracting action has been addressed in order to optimize the parameters of the compression system, either hybrid RF plus magnetic chicane or only magnetic, and possibly enhance the FEL performance.

Trapped-particle instabilities in quasi-isodynamic stellarators

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Proll, Josefine Henriette Elise

2014-01-28

approximately in quasi-isodynamic stellarators, for example Wendelstein 7-X. In such configurations the precessional drift of the trapped particles is in the opposite direction from the direction of propagation of drift waves. Instabilities that are driven by the trapped particles usually rely on a resonance between these two frequencies. Here it is shown analytically by analysing the electrostatic energy transfer between the particles and the instability that, thanks to the absence of the resonance, a particle species draws energy from the mode if the frequency of the mode is well below the characteristic bounce frequency. Due to the low electron mass and the fast bounce motion, electrons are almost always found to be stabilising. Most of the trapped-particle instabilities are therefore predicted to be absent in maximum- J configurations in large parts of parameter space. Analytical theory thus predicts enhanced linear stability of trapped-particle modes in quasi-isodynamic stellarators compared with tokamaks. Moreover, since the electrons are expected to be stabilising, or at least less destabilising, for all instabilities whose frequency lies below the trapped-electron bounce frequency, other modes might benefit from the enhanced stability as well. In reality, however, stellarators are never perfectly quasi-isodynamic, and the question thus arises whether they still benefit from enhanced stability. Here the stability properties of Wendelstein 7-X and a more quasi-isodynamic configuration, QIPC, are investigated numerically and compared with another, non-quasiisodynamic stellarator, the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) and a typical tokamak. In gyrokinetic simulations, performed with the gyrokinetic code GENE in the electrostatic and collisionless approximation, several microinstabilities, driven by the density as well as both ion and electron temperature gradients, are studied. Wendelstein 7-X and QIPC exhibit significantly reduced growth rates for all

Trapped-particle instabilities in quasi-isodynamic stellarators

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Proll, Josefine Henriette Elise

2014-01-01

approximately in quasi-isodynamic stellarators, for example Wendelstein 7-X. In such configurations the precessional drift of the trapped particles is in the opposite direction from the direction of propagation of drift waves. Instabilities that are driven by the trapped particles usually rely on a resonance between these two frequencies. Here it is shown analytically by analysing the electrostatic energy transfer between the particles and the instability that, thanks to the absence of the resonance, a particle species draws energy from the mode if the frequency of the mode is well below the characteristic bounce frequency. Due to the low electron mass and the fast bounce motion, electrons are almost always found to be stabilising. Most of the trapped-particle instabilities are therefore predicted to be absent in maximum- J configurations in large parts of parameter space. Analytical theory thus predicts enhanced linear stability of trapped-particle modes in quasi-isodynamic stellarators compared with tokamaks. Moreover, since the electrons are expected to be stabilising, or at least less destabilising, for all instabilities whose frequency lies below the trapped-electron bounce frequency, other modes might benefit from the enhanced stability as well. In reality, however, stellarators are never perfectly quasi-isodynamic, and the question thus arises whether they still benefit from enhanced stability. Here the stability properties of Wendelstein 7-X and a more quasi-isodynamic configuration, QIPC, are investigated numerically and compared with another, non-quasiisodynamic stellarator, the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX) and a typical tokamak. In gyrokinetic simulations, performed with the gyrokinetic code GENE in the electrostatic and collisionless approximation, several microinstabilities, driven by the density as well as both ion and electron temperature gradients, are studied. Wendelstein 7-X and QIPC exhibit significantly reduced growth rates for all

Enhancer evolution across 20 mammalian species

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Villar, Diego; Berthelot, Camille; Aldridge, Sarah

2015-01-01

The mammalian radiation has corresponded with rapid changes in noncoding regions of the genome, but we lack a comprehensive understanding of regulatory evolution in mammals. Here, we track the evolution of promoters and enhancers active in liver across 20 mammalian species from six diverse orders...... by profiling genomic enrichment of H3K27 acetylation and H3K4 trimethylation. We report that rapid evolution of enhancers is a universal feature of mammalian genomes. Most of the recently evolved enhancers arise from ancestral DNA exaptation, rather than lineage-specific expansions of repeat elements....... These results provide important insight into the functional genetics underpinning mammalian regulatory evolution....

Centrifugally Driven Rayleigh-Taylor Instability

Science.gov (United States)

Scase, Matthew; Hill, Richard

2017-11-01

The instability that develops at the interface between two fluids of differing density due to the rapid rotation of the system may be considered as a limit of high-rotation rate Rayleigh-Taylor instability. Previously the authors have considered the effect of rotation on a gravitationally dominated Rayleigh-Taylor instability and have shown that some growth modes of instability may be suppressed completely by the stabilizing effect of rotation (Phys. Rev. Fluids 2:024801, Sci. Rep. 5:11706). Here we consider the case of very high rotation rates and a negligible gravitational field. The initial condition is of a dense inner cylinder of fluid surrounded by a lighter layer of fluid. As the system is rotated about the generating axis of the cylinder, the dense inner fluid moves away from the axis and the familiar bubbles and spikes of Rayleigh-Taylor instability develop at the interface. The system may be thought of as a ``fluid-fluid centrifuge''. By developing a model based on an Orr-Sommerfeld equation, we consider the effects of viscosity, surface tension and interface diffusion on the growth rate and modes of instability. We show that under particular circumstances some modes may be stabilized. School of Mathematical Sciences.

Breast cancers radiation-resistance: key role of the cancer stem cells marker CD24

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bensimon, Julie

2013-01-01

This work focuses on the characterization of radiation-resistant breast cancer cells, responsible for relapse after radiotherapy. The 'Cancer Stem Cells' (CSC) theory describes a radiation-resistant cellular sub-population, with enhanced capacity to induce tumors and proliferate. In this work, we show that only the CSC marker CD24-/low defines a radiation resistant cell population, able to transmit the 'memory' of irradiation, expressed as long term genomic instability in the progeny of irradiated cells. We show that CD24 is not only a marker, but is an actor of radiation-response. So, CD24 expression controls cell proliferation in vitro and in vivo, and ROS level before and after irradiation. As a result, CD24-/low cells display enhanced radiation-resistance and genomic stability. For the first time, our results attribute a role to CD24-/low CSCs in the transmission of genomic instability. Moreover, by providing informations on tumor intrinsic radiation-sensitivity, CD24- marker could help to design new radiotherapy protocols. (author)

Thermal Shrinkage for Shoulder Instability

OpenAIRE

Toth, Alison P.; Warren, Russell F.; Petrigliano, Frank A.; Doward, David A.; Cordasco, Frank A.; Altchek, David W.; O’Brien, Stephen J.

2010-01-01

Thermal capsular shrinkage was popular for the treatment of shoulder instability, despite a paucity of outcomes data in the literature defining the indications for this procedure or supporting its long-term efficacy. The purpose of this study was to perform a clinical evaluation of radiofrequency thermal capsular shrinkage for the treatment of shoulder instability, with a minimum 2-year follow-up. From 1999 to 2001, 101 consecutive patients with mild to moderate shoulder instability underwent...

Deep whole-genome sequencing of 90 Han Chinese genomes.

Science.gov (United States)

Lan, Tianming; Lin, Haoxiang; Zhu, Wenjuan; Laurent, Tellier Christian Asker Melchior; Yang, Mengcheng; Liu, Xin; Wang, Jun; Wang, Jian; Yang, Huanming; Xu, Xun; Guo, Xiaosen

2017-09-01

Next-generation sequencing provides a high-resolution insight into human genetic information. However, the focus of previous studies has primarily been on low-coverage data due to the high cost of sequencing. Although the 1000 Genomes Project and the Haplotype Reference Consortium have both provided powerful reference panels for imputation, low-frequency and novel variants remain difficult to discover and call with accuracy on the basis of low-coverage data. Deep sequencing provides an optimal solution for the problem of these low-frequency and novel variants. Although whole-exome sequencing is also a viable choice for exome regions, it cannot account for noncoding regions, sometimes resulting in the absence of important, causal variants. For Han Chinese populations, the majority of variants have been discovered based upon low-coverage data from the 1000 Genomes Project. However, high-coverage, whole-genome sequencing data are limited for any population, and a large amount of low-frequency, population-specific variants remain uncharacterized. We have performed whole-genome sequencing at a high depth (∼×80) of 90 unrelated individuals of Chinese ancestry, collected from the 1000 Genomes Project samples, including 45 Northern Han Chinese and 45 Southern Han Chinese samples. Eighty-three of these 90 have been sequenced by the 1000 Genomes Project. We have identified 12 568 804 single nucleotide polymorphisms, 2 074 210 short InDels, and 26 142 structural variations from these 90 samples. Compared to the Han Chinese data from the 1000 Genomes Project, we have found 7 000 629 novel variants with low frequency (defined as minor allele frequency genome. Compared to the 1000 Genomes Project, these Han Chinese deep sequencing data enhance the characterization of a large number of low-frequency, novel variants. This will be a valuable resource for promoting Chinese genetics research and medical development. Additionally, it will provide a valuable supplement to the 1000

Iron and genome stability: An update

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prá, Daniel; Franke, Silvia Isabel Rech; Henriques, João Antonio Pêgas; Fenech, Michael

2012-01-01

Iron is an essential micronutrient which is required in a relatively narrow range for maintaining metabolic homeostasis and genome stability. Iron participates in oxygen transport and mitochondrial respiration as well as in antioxidant and nucleic acid metabolism. Iron deficiency impairs these biological pathways, leading to oxidative stress and possibly carcinogenesis. Iron overload has been linked to genome instability as well as to cancer risk increase, as seen in hereditary hemochromatosis. Iron is an extremely reactive transition metal that can interact with hydrogen peroxide to generate hydroxyl radicals that form the 8-hydroxy-guanine adduct, cause point mutations as well as DNA single and double strand breaks. Iron overload also induces DNA hypermethylation and can reduce telomere length. The current Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for iron, according with Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), is based in the concept of preventing anemia, and ranges from 7 mg/day to 18 mg/day depending on life stage and gender. Pregnant women need 27 mg/day. The maximum safety level for iron intake, the Upper Level (UL), is 40–45 mg/day, based on the prevention of gastrointestinal distress associated to high iron intakes. Preliminary evidence indicates that 20 mg/day iron, an intake slightly higher than the RDA, may reduce the risk of gastrointestinal cancer in the elderly as well as increasing genome stability in lymphocytes of children and adolescents. Current dietary recommendations do not consider the concept of genome stability which is of concern because damage to the genome has been linked to the origin and progression of many diseases and is the most fundamental pathology. Given the importance of iron for homeostasis and its potential influence over genome stability and cancer it is recommended to conduct further studies that conclusively define these relationships.

Iron and genome stability: An update

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pra, Daniel, E-mail: daniel_pra@yahoo.com [PPG em Promocao da Saude, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), Santa Cruz do Sul, RS (Brazil); PPG em Saude e Comportamento, Universidade Catolica de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS (Brazil); Franke, Silvia Isabel Rech [PPG em Promocao da Saude, Universidade de Santa Cruz do Sul (UNISC), Santa Cruz do Sul, RS (Brazil); Henriques, Joao Antonio Pegas [Instituto de Biotecnologia, Universidade de Caxias do Sul, Caxias do Sul, RS (Brazil); Fenech, Michael [CSIRO Food and Nutritional Sciences, Adelaide, SA (Australia)

2012-05-01

Iron is an essential micronutrient which is required in a relatively narrow range for maintaining metabolic homeostasis and genome stability. Iron participates in oxygen transport and mitochondrial respiration as well as in antioxidant and nucleic acid metabolism. Iron deficiency impairs these biological pathways, leading to oxidative stress and possibly carcinogenesis. Iron overload has been linked to genome instability as well as to cancer risk increase, as seen in hereditary hemochromatosis. Iron is an extremely reactive transition metal that can interact with hydrogen peroxide to generate hydroxyl radicals that form the 8-hydroxy-guanine adduct, cause point mutations as well as DNA single and double strand breaks. Iron overload also induces DNA hypermethylation and can reduce telomere length. The current Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for iron, according with Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intake (DRI), is based in the concept of preventing anemia, and ranges from 7 mg/day to 18 mg/day depending on life stage and gender. Pregnant women need 27 mg/day. The maximum safety level for iron intake, the Upper Level (UL), is 40-45 mg/day, based on the prevention of gastrointestinal distress associated to high iron intakes. Preliminary evidence indicates that 20 mg/day iron, an intake slightly higher than the RDA, may reduce the risk of gastrointestinal cancer in the elderly as well as increasing genome stability in lymphocytes of children and adolescents. Current dietary recommendations do not consider the concept of genome stability which is of concern because damage to the genome has been linked to the origin and progression of many diseases and is the most fundamental pathology. Given the importance of iron for homeostasis and its potential influence over genome stability and cancer it is recommended to conduct further studies that conclusively define these relationships.

Kelvin-Helmholtz Instability: Lessons Learned and Ways Forward

Science.gov (United States)

Masson, A.; Nykyri, K.

2018-06-01

The Kelvin-Helmholtz instability (KHI) is a ubiquitous phenomenon across the Universe, observed from 500 m deep in the oceans on Earth to the Orion molecular cloud. Over the past two decades, several space missions have enabled a leap forward in our understanding of this phenomenon at the Earth's magnetopause. Key results obtained by these missions are first presented, with a special emphasis on Cluster and THEMIS. In particular, as an ideal instability, the KHI was not expected to produce mass transport. Simulations, later confirmed by spacecraft observations, indicate that plasma transport in Kelvin-Helmholtz (KH) vortices can arise during non-linear stage of its development via secondary process. In addition to plasma transport, spacecraft observations have revealed that KHI can also lead to significant ion heating due to enhanced ion-scale wave activity driven by the KHI. Finally, we describe what are the upcoming observational opportunities in 2018-2020, thanks to a unique constellation of multi-spacecraft missions including: MMS, Cluster, THEMIS, Van Allen Probes and Swarm.

Thermodynamic origin of instability in hybrid halide perovskites

Science.gov (United States)

Tenuta, E.; Zheng, C.; Rubel, O.

2016-11-01

Degradation of hybrid halide perovskites under the influence of environmental factors impairs future prospects of using these materials as absorbers in solar cells. First principle calculations can be used as a guideline in search of new materials, provided we can rely on their predictive capabilities. We show that the instability of perovskites can be captured using ab initio total energy calculations for reactants and products augmented with additional thermodynamic data to account for finite temperature effects. Calculations suggest that the instability of CH3NH3PbI3 in moist environment is linked to the aqueous solubility of the CH3NH3I salt, thus making other perovskite materials with soluble decomposition products prone to degradation. Properties of NH3OHPbI3, NH3NH2PbI3, PH4PbI3, SbH4PbI3, CsPbBr3, and a new hypothetical SF3PbI3 perovskite are studied in the search for alternative solar cell absorber materials with enhanced chemical stability.

FINANCIAL INSTABILITY HYPOTHESIS (FIH OF MINSKY: CONTEXTUALIZING THE ROLES OF ISLAMIC COMMERCIAL AND SOCIAL FINANCE

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Ugi Suharto

2017-02-01

Full Text Available The main subject of this paper is to discuss some issues in Minsky’s Financial Instability Hypothesis (FIH and relate them with Islamic finance position in enhancing the stability of financial system. The methodology used in the paper is descriptive analysis. It describes a particular concept, namely the financial instability hypothesis and then analyses, applies and compares that concept with other concept, i.e. the Islamic finance concept. It is shown in the paper that Islamic finance, both in its commercial and social aspect, can play its role in stabilizing financial system. The significant contribution of the paper is by bringing together the hypothesis of Minsky with Islamic finance theory and practice. It should be stated here, however, that among the limitations of the paper is that the reference on Minsky’s point of view is mostly based on his brief article entitled “The Financial Instability Hypothesis” without referring to his vast writings on various topics directly or indirectly related to his notion of Financial Instability Hypothesis.

Pearling Instabilities of a Viscoelastic Thread

Science.gov (United States)

Deblais, A.; Velikov, K. P.; Bonn, D.

2018-05-01

Pearling instabilities of slender viscoelastic threads have received much attention, but remain incompletely understood. We study the instabilities in polymer solutions subject to uniaxial elongational flow. Two distinctly different instabilites are observed: beads on a string and blistering. The beads-on-a-string structure arises from a capillary instability whereas the blistering instability has a different origin: it is due to a coupling between stress and polymer concentration. By varying the temperature to change the solution properties we elucidate the interplay between flow and phase separation.

Genomic instability related to zinc deficiency and excess in an in vitro model: is the upper estimate of the physiological requirements recommended for children safe?

Science.gov (United States)