scholarly journals Nested tandem duplications of the gene Melanoma antigen recognized by T-cells (Mlana) underlie the sexual dimorphism locus in domestic pigeons

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shreyas Krishnan

AbstractBirds have classic examples of exaggerated sexually dimorphic traits, including colors. Sexes among the wild rock dove and its derived domestic breeds, however, are quite indistinguishable and sex can only be ascertained through genotyping or egg laying and successful hatching of eggs. Yet, the pigeon fancy has discovered sexually dimorphic traits and harnessed some of these traits in some auto-sexing breeds. Early genetics pioneers characterized the sex-linked Stipper locus and showed it to be linked to the pigeon Z linked B-locus (Tyrp1). The alleles of the Stipper locus have variable dominance relative to wild-type (more severe alleles are incompletely dominant, less severe alleles are reportedly fully dominant), characterized by a continuum of lightening in homozygotes and increased variegation in heterozygotes corresponding with severity. We leveraged this positional information and population structure among breeds in a candidate gene approach to identify the genetic mechanism of de novo pigeon sex dichromatism. A large tandem duplication (77 kb) centered on the gene Melanoma antigen recognized by T cells (Mlana) is completely associated with alleles of the Stipper locus. Copy number of the 77 kb genetic lesion was not correlated with allele severity suggesting that other mechanisms, including epigenetic regulation could underlie both allele severity and degree of variegation.

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (8) ◽  
pp. 4201
Author(s):  
Shuai Zhang ◽  
Lang Xie ◽  
Shuqing Zheng ◽  
Baoyue Lu ◽  
Wenjing Tao ◽  
...  

The short-chain dehydrogenases/reductases (SDR) superfamily is involved in multiple physiological processes. In this study, genome-wide identification and comprehensive analysis of SDR superfamily were carried out in 29 animal species based on the latest genome databases. Overall, the number of SDR genes in animals increased with whole genome duplication (WGD), suggesting the expansion of SDRs during evolution, especially in 3R-WGD and polyploidization of teleosts. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that vertebrates SDRs were clustered into five categories: classical, extended, undefined, atypical, and complex. Moreover, tandem duplication of hpgd-a, rdh8b and dhrs13 was observed in teleosts analyzed. Additionally, tandem duplications of dhrs11-a, dhrs7a, hsd11b1b, and cbr1-a were observed in all cichlids analyzed, and tandem duplication of rdh10-b was observed in tilapiines. Transcriptome analysis of adult fish revealed that 93 SDRs were expressed in more than one tissue and 5 in one tissue only. Transcriptome analysis of gonads from different developmental stages showed that expression of 17 SDRs were sexually dimorphic with 11 higher in ovary and 6 higher in testis. The sexually dimorphic expressions of these SDRs were confirmed by in situ hybridization (ISH) and qPCR, indicating their possible roles in steroidogenesis and gonadal differentiation. Taken together, the identification and the expression data obtained in this study contribute to a better understanding of SDR superfamily evolution and functions in teleosts.


Blood ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 104 (11) ◽  
pp. 4430-4430
Author(s):  
Sandra G. Xavier ◽  
Rocío Hassan ◽  
Nelma C.D. Clementino ◽  
Daniel G. Tabak ◽  
Nelson Spector ◽  
...  

Abstract FLT3 is a receptor tyrosine kinase involved in the proliferation and differentiation of hematopoietic stem cells. Recently, internal tandem duplication (ITD) mutations of the FLT3 gene have been described in patients with AML and associated with a poor prognosis. The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of FLT3-ITD in a series of 90 adults with de novo AML and correlate the presence of this mutation with biological characteristics and clinical response. We analyzed diagnostic peripheral blood or bone marrow specimens from 43 women and 47 men, with a median age of 38 years (16–83). Polymerase chain reaction was performed on genomic DNA using previously published primers for exons 11 and 12. An FLT3-ITD was found in 22/89 patients (25%). It was present in 37% (9/24) of the patients with acute promyelocytic leukemia (APL) and in only 20% (13/65) of the patients with non-M3-AML (p=0.07). The FLT3-ITD was not detected in patients with M6 (n=1) and M7-AML (n=3), nor in patients with the AML1-ETO (n=2) or with the CBFb-MYH11 (n=4) fusion genes. The median WBC counts were higher in FLT3-ITD patients than in those without the mutation (37 X 109/L vs. 27 X 109/L, p=0.43). In APL, FLT3-ITD was found in 5 out of 6 patients with the short PML-RARa isoform, but in only 4 out of 18 patients with the non-short isoform (p=0.01). Univariate analysis showed an association between the presence of FLT3-ITD and both a lower complete remission (CR) rate (41% vs. 64%; p=0.05) and a shorter overall survival (14% vs. 34%; p=0.03). However, FLT3-ITD was not associated with the CR rate (p=0.18) or the OS (p=0.07) in the multivariate analysis. The clinical significance of FLT3-ITD in adult AML remains uncertain, and further investigation is clearly warranted.


2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah L. Rogers ◽  
Ling Shao ◽  
Kevin R. Thornton

AbstractOne common hypothesis to explain the impacts of tandem duplications is that whole gene duplications commonly produce additive changes in gene expression due to copy number changes. Here, we use genome wide RNA-seq data from a population sample of Drosophila yakuba to test this ‘gene dosage’ hypothesis. We observe little evidence of expression changes in response to whole transcript duplication capturing 5ʹ and 3ʹ UTRs. Among whole gene duplications, we observe evidence that dosage sharing across copies is likely to be common. The lack of expression changes after whole gene duplication suggests that the majority of genes are subject to tight regulatory control and therefore not sensitive to changes in gene copy number. Rather, we observe changes in expression level due to both shuffling of regulatory elements and the creation of chimeric structures via tandem duplication. Additionally, we observe 30 de novo gene structures arising from tandem duplications, 23 of which form with expression in the testes. Thus, the value of tandem duplications is likely to be more intricate than simple changes in gene dosage. The common regulatory effects from chimeric gene formation after tandem duplication may explain their contribution to genome evolution.Author SummaryThe enclosed work shows that whole gene duplications rarely affect gene expression, in contrast to widely held views that the adaptive value of duplicate genes is related to additive changes in gene expression due to gene copy number. We further explain how tandem duplications that create shuffled gene structures can force upregulation of gene sequences, de novo gene creation, and multifold changes in transcript levels.These results show that tandem duplications can produce new genes that are a source of immediate novelty associated with more extreme expression changes than previously suggested by theory. Further, these gene expression changes are a potential source of both beneficial and pathogenic mutations, immediately relevant to clinical and medical genetics in humans and other metazoans.


2012 ◽  
Vol 136 (1) ◽  
pp. 84-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ling Zhong ◽  
Yong Qian Jia ◽  
Wen Tong Meng ◽  
Xun Ni

Context.—Constitutive activation of the FMS-like tyrosine kinase 3 (FLT3) receptor tyrosine kinase by internal tandem duplication (ITD) has been researched in patients with de novo acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Objective.—To study the patterns of FLT3-ITD in Chinese patients with AML. Design.—A total of 207 patients with de novo AML were enrolled in the study. Genomic DNA was extracted from peripheral blood and polymerase chain reaction was performed. GeneScan was used to analyze the mutant to wild-type ratio. The sequencing of mutated genes was performed to confirm the mutation types and exclude false positives. Results.—A total of 42 cases (20.3%) were associated with mutations. FLT3-ITD was found equally in AML subtypes M1 to M6. The level of the ITD allele was heterogeneous. GeneScan showed that the mutant to wild-type ratio ranged from 0.03 to 3.78 (median, 0.43). Patients with a high ratio had significantly lower cancer remission rates and shorter survival. They also showed distinct clinical features including higher white blood cell counts and higher CD7 and CD56 expression. The length of the duplicated fragment was 26 to 57 bp (median, 43 bp). Twenty-two cases (52%) had simple tandem duplications, while 20 other cases (48%) had an extra interval of 12 to 30 bp before the tandem duplications. A hexanucleotide consisting of GAAAAG was found exclusively in the intervals. Patients with this GAAAAG interval showed better survival. The ITD to wild-type ratio, gene pattern, and CD7 expression status appear to be independent prognostic indices for patients with AML. Conclusion.—Detection of FLT3 mutation is fast, easy, and inexpensive. The mutant to wild-type ratio is helpful for performing detailed risk stratification. DNA sequence analysis is more precise for confirming and evaluating the mutation pattern.


2021 ◽  
pp. annrheumdis-2021-220435
Author(s):  
Theresa Graalmann ◽  
Katharina Borst ◽  
Himanshu Manchanda ◽  
Lea Vaas ◽  
Matthias Bruhn ◽  
...  

ObjectivesThe monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab is frequently applied in the treatment of lymphoma as well as autoimmune diseases and confers efficient depletion of recirculating B cells. Correspondingly, B cell-depleted patients barely mount de novo antibody responses during infections or vaccinations. Therefore, efficient immune responses of B cell-depleted patients largely depend on protective T cell responses.MethodsCD8+ T cell expansion was studied in rituximab-treated rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and B cell-deficient mice on vaccination/infection with different vaccines/pathogens.ResultsRituximab-treated RA patients vaccinated with Influvac showed reduced expansion of influenza-specific CD8+ T cells when compared with healthy controls. Moreover, B cell-deficient JHT mice infected with mouse-adapted Influenza or modified vaccinia virus Ankara showed less vigorous expansion of virus-specific CD8+ T cells than wild type mice. Of note, JHT mice do not have an intrinsic impairment of CD8+ T cell expansion, since infection with vaccinia virus induced similar T cell expansion in JHT and wild type mice. Direct type I interferon receptor signalling of B cells was necessary to induce several chemokines in B cells and to support T cell help by enhancing the expression of MHC-I.ConclusionsDepending on the stimulus, B cells can modulate CD8+ T cell responses. Thus, B cell depletion causes a deficiency of de novo antibody responses and affects the efficacy of cellular response including cytotoxic T cells. The choice of the appropriate vaccine to vaccinate B cell-depleted patients has to be re-evaluated in order to efficiently induce protective CD8+ T cell responses.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia Mentesana ◽  
Martin N. Andersson ◽  
Stefania Casagrande ◽  
Wolfgang Goymann ◽  
Caroline Isaksson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In egg-laying animals, mothers can influence the developmental environment and thus the phenotype of their offspring by secreting various substances into the egg yolk. In birds, recent studies have demonstrated that different yolk substances can interactively affect offspring phenotype, but the implications of such effects for offspring fitness and phenotype in natural populations have remained unclear. We measured natural variation in the content of 31 yolk components known to shape offspring phenotypes including steroid hormones, antioxidants and fatty acids in eggs of free-living great tits (Parus major) during two breeding seasons. We tested for relationships between yolk component groupings and offspring fitness and phenotypes. Results Variation in hatchling and fledgling numbers was primarily explained by yolk fatty acids (including saturated, mono- and polyunsaturated fatty acids) - but not by androgen hormones and carotenoids, components previously considered to be major determinants of offspring phenotype. Fatty acids were also better predictors of variation in nestling oxidative status and size than androgens and carotenoids. Conclusions Our results suggest that fatty acids are important yolk substances that contribute to shaping offspring fitness and phenotype in free-living populations. Since polyunsaturated fatty acids cannot be produced de novo by the mother, but have to be obtained from the diet, these findings highlight potential mechanisms (e.g., weather, habitat quality, foraging ability) through which environmental variation may shape maternal effects and consequences for offspring. Our study represents an important first step towards unraveling interactive effects of multiple yolk substances on offspring fitness and phenotypes in free-living populations. It provides the basis for future experiments that will establish the pathways by which yolk components, singly and/or interactively, mediate maternal effects in natural populations.


2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (15) ◽  
pp. 7578-7586 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bodil Øster ◽  
Per Höllsberg

ABSTRACT Herpesvirus gene expression is divided into immediate-early (IE) or α genes, early (E) or β genes, and late (L) or γ genes on the basis of temporal expression and dependency on other gene products. By using real-time PCR, we have investigated the expression of 35 human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) genes in T cells infected by strain PL-1. Kinetic analysis and dependency on de novo protein synthesis and viral DNA polymerase activity suggest that the HHV-6B genes segregate into six separate kinetic groups. The genes expressed early (groups I and II) and late (groups V and VI) corresponded well with IE and L genes, whereas the intermediate groups III and IV contained E and L genes. Although HHV-6B has characteristics similar to those of other roseoloviruses in its overall gene regulation, we detected three B-variant-specific IE genes. Moreover, genes that were independent of de novo protein synthesis clustered in an area of the viral genome that has the lowest identity to the HHV-6A variant. The organization of IE genes in an area of the genome that differs from that of HHV-6A underscores the distinct differences between HHV-6B and HHV-6A and may provide a basis for further molecular and immunological analyses to elucidate their different biological behaviors.


2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (Suppl 3) ◽  
pp. A810-A810
Author(s):  
Arianna Draghi ◽  
Katja Harbst ◽  
Inge Svane ◽  
Marco Donia

BackgroundDetecting the entire repertoire of tumor-specific reactive T cells is essential for investigating the broad range of T cell functions in the tumor-microenvironment. At present, assays identifying tumor-specific functional activation measure either upregulation of specific surface molecules, de novo production of the most common antitumor cytokines or mobilization of cytotoxic granules.MethodsIn this study, we combined transcriptomic analyses of tumor-specific reactive tumorinfiltrating lymphocytes (TILs), TIL-autologous tumor cell co-cultures and commonly used established detection protocols to develop an intracellular flow cytometry staining method encompassing simultaneous detection of intracellular CD137, de novo production of TNF and IFNy and extracellular mobilization of CD107a.ResultsThis approach enabled the identification of a larger fraction of tumor-specific reactive T cells in vitro compared to standard methods, revealing the existence of multiple distinct functional clusters of tumor-specific reactive TILs. Publicly available datasets of fresh tumor single-cell RNA-sequencing from four cancer types were investigated to confirm that these functional biomarkers identified distinct functional clusters forming the entire repertoire of tumor-specific reactive T cells in situ.ConclusionsIn conclusion, we describe a simple method using a combination of functional biomarkers that improves identification of the tumor-specific reactive T cell repertoire in vitro and in situ.


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