The validation and verification of laboratory methods and procedures before their use in clinical testing is essential for providing a safe and useful service to clinicians and patients. This paper outlines the principles of validation and verification in the context of clinical human molecular genetic testing. We describe implementation processes, types of tests and their key validation components, and suggest some relevant statistical approaches that can be used by individual laboratories to ensure that tests are conducted to defined standards.

Tachykinin-like peptides have been identified in many vertebrate and invertebrate species. On the basis of the data reviewed in this paper, these peptides can be classified into two distinct subfamilies, which are recognized by their respective sequence characteristics. All known vertebrate tachykinins and a few invertebrate ones share a common C-terminal sequence motif, -FXGLMa. The insect tachykinins, which have a common -GFX1GX2Ra C-terminus, display about 30% of sequence homology with the first group. Tachykinins are multifunctional brain/gut peptides. In mammals and insects, various isoforms play an important neuromodulatory role in the central nervous system. They are involved in the processing of sensory information and in the control of motor activities. In addition, members of both subfamilies elicit stimulatory responses on a variety of visceral muscles. The receptors for mammalian and insect tachykinins show a high degree of sequence conservation and their functional characteristics are very similar. In both mammals and insects, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a prominent role in tachykinin peptide metabolism.

The European Union (EU) policy for healthcare requires the establishment of a system of European Reference Networks, union-wide information databases, and registries for rare diseases (RDs) based on shared criteria. In pursuing its goals, the ‘Building Consensus and Synergies for the EU Registration of RD Patients in Europe' (EPIRARE) project convened a meeting with experts of the competent health authorities to discuss the role of national institutional RD patient registries in supporting EU patient registration and the room for international cooperation. With this aim, this paper comparatively analyses the current situation of national institutional RD registries in the EU.

STKR is an insect G protein-coupled receptor, cloned from the stable fly Stomoxys calcitrans. It displays sequence similarity to vertebrate tachykinin [or neurokinin (NK)] receptors. Functional expression of the cloned STKR cDNA was obtained in cultured Drosophila melanogaster Schneider 2 (S2) cells. Insect tachykinin-like peptides or "insectatachykinins," such as Locusta tachykinin (Lom-TK) III, produced dose-dependent calcium responses in stably transfected S2-STKR cells. Vertebrate tachykinins (or neurokinins) did not evoke any effect at concentrations up to 10 Ϫ5 M, but an antagonist of mammalian neurokinin receptors, spantide II, inhibited the Lom-TK III-induced calcium response. Further analysis showed that the agonist-induced intracellular release of calcium ions was not affected by pretreatment of the cells with pertussis toxin. The calcium rise was blocked by the phospholipase C inhibitor U73122. In addition, Lom-TK III was shown to have a stimulatory effect on the accumulation of both inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate and cyclic AMP. These are the same second messengers that are induced in mammalian neurokinin-dependent signaling processes. Key Words: Gene expression-G proteincoupled receptor-Insect-Neurokinin-NeuropeptideTachykinin. J. Neurochem. 74, 2182Neurochem. 74, -2189Neurochem. 74, (2000.Tachykinins [or neurokinins (NKs)] belong to a large, evolutionarily conserved family of multifunctional brain/ gut peptides. They are present in important integrative regions of the central nervous system and play a crucial role in the processing of sensory information and in the control of motor activities (Erspamer, 1981;Maggio, 1988;Nässel, 1993;Wegerhoff et al., 1996;Vitzthum and Homberg, 1998). These peptides also exhibit a broad spectrum of peripheral activities. Tachykinins and their receptors are involved in a variety of human pathophysiological processes (Khawaja and Rogers, 1996). Substance P, the major mammalian tachykinin, was discovered in 1931 as a factor causing peripheral vasodilatation and stimulation of intestinal muscle contractions (Von Euler and Gaddum, 1931). Forty years later, its amino acid sequence was determined (Chang et al., 1971). Since then, many other tachykinins have been characterized from a large variety of vertebrate and a few invertebrate species (Erspamer, 1981;Kangawa et al., 1983;Kimura et al., 1983;Nawa et al., 1984;Tatemoto et al., 1985;Kage et al., 1988;Maggio, 1988). These peptides share the C-terminal sequence motif Phe-XxxGly-Leu-Met-amide (FXGLMa). Insectatachykinins, also referred to as "tachykinin-related peptides," constitute a group of neuropeptides that stimulate the contractility of cockroach hindgut and locust oviduct muscles and display sequence similarity to the tachykinins (Schoofs et al., 1990a(Schoofs et al., ,b, 1993. They were initially discovered in the migratory locust Locusta migratoria. More recently, additional members of this peptide (sub)family were discovered in other invertebrate species such as the blowfly Calliphora vomitoria (Lun...

Promiscuous hormone mRNA expression in the pituitary remains poorly understood. We examined by means of RT-PCR and immunostaining whether glycoprotein hormone alpha-subunit (alphaGSU) could be coexpressed with proopiomelanocortin (POMC) in vivo and under pressure of CRH in vitro. Cells coexpressing alphaGSU and POMC mRNA amounted to 2.6% of the cells in ex vivo rat pituitary at birth [postnatal d 1 (P1)], fell to much lower level at P14, and were undetectable in adulthood. In cultured pituitary aggregates of P14 rats, alphaGSU/POMC cells remained scarce but represented up to 6.6% after chronic treatment with CRH but not leukemia inhibitory factor. CRH was less effective in aggregates from P1 and adult rats. The total alphaGSU population ex vivo at P1 was two times smaller than at P14, but in culture it expanded 2.5 times, concomitantly with a reciprocal change in POMC cell abundance. Tpit transcripts were detected in POMC-only and alphaGSU/POMC cells but not in alphaGSU-only cells. Cells coexpressing alphaGSU and POMC mRNA were relatively abundant in P14 chicken pituitary and aggregate cultures, but occurrence was not affected by CRH. Immunostaining showed alphaGSU and POMC colocalization in sporadic cells in intact rat pituitary and CRH-treated cultures at P1 but not at P14 and adult age. The data demonstrate the occurrence of cells coexpressing alphaGSU and POMC in rat and chicken pituitary. The developmental dynamics of this cell population and its response to CRH in vitro in the rat suggest a relationship of these cells with the embryonic branching of the POMC and alphaGSU cell lineages and their mutually opposite developmental course during early postnatal life.

With the human genome project running from 1989 until its completion in 2003, and the incredible advances in sequencing technology and in bioinformatics during the last decade, there has been a shift towards an increase focus on studying common complex disorders which develop due to the interplay of many different genes as well as environmental factors. Although some susceptibility genes have been identified in some populations for disorders such as cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, the integration of this information into the health care system has proven to be much more problematic than for single gene disorders. Furthermore, with the 1000$ genome supposedly just around the corner, and whole genome sequencing gradually being integrated into research protocols as well as in the clinical context, there is a strong push for the uptake of additional genomic testing. Indeed, the advent of public health genomics, wherein genomics would be integrated in all aspects of health care and public health, should be taken seriously. Although laudable, these advances also bring with them a slew of ethical and social issues that challenge the normative frameworks used in clinical genetics until now. With this in mind, we highlight herein 5 principles that are used as a primer to discuss the ethical introduction of genome-based information and genome-based technologies into public health.

Although the G-protein coupled receptor GPR10 is highly expressed in the anterior pituitary, the action of its ligand prolactin-releasing peptide-31 (PrRP) in this tissue is controversial. The present study examined the acute effect of this peptide on prolactin secretion in perifused rat pituitary reaggregate cell cultures from adult male rats. PrRP readily and dose-dependently stimulated prolactin release at concentrations of 10 and 100 nM, although with a magnitude several times lower than that of thyrotropin-releasing hormone. Surprisingly, PrRP inhibited prolactin release at 0.1 and 1 nm in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner. Inhibition was markedly favoured by long-term culture. Stimulation and inhibition were differentially affected by the presence of hormones during culture: dexamethasone favoured the inhibitory effect and decreased the magnitude of the stimulatory effect, while oestradiol and triiodothyronine strongly reduced stimulation, as well as inhibition. PrRP, even at 1 nm, counteracted the inhibition of prolactin release by dopamine. There was no effect of PrRP on growth hormone release in aggregates cultured either in the absence or presence of hormones. The present results confirm the prolactin-releasing capacity of PrRP at nanomolar doses and reveal a hitherto unrecognized inhibitory activity of this peptide. Furthermore, dopamine inhibition of prolactin release is antagonized by PrRP, irrespective of the PrRP dose.

The N-terminal fragment of mouse pro-opiomelanocortin (N-POMC) was isolated from AtT-20 cell-conditioned medium on the basis of immunoreactivity to an anti-POMC1-50 monoclonal antibody by a concentration step, a cation exchange step, reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and size exclusion HPLC. Two groups of N-POMC isoforms with a molecular weight (MW) of approximately 11 kDa and 13 kDa, respectively, were identified by mass spectrometry and N-terminal amino acid sequencing. C-terminal sequencing indicated that 11 kDa isoforms correspond to POMC1-74 and 13 kDa isoforms to POMC1-95. Isoforms from both groups enhanced the prolactin mRNA content (measured by means of TaqMan real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) in cultured rat pituitary cell aggregates in a dose-dependent manner, but not all of them showed this activity. POMC1-74 compounds were significantly more potent than POMC1-95 isoforms. The observed effects were abolished by coincubation with the monoclonal anti-POMC1-50 antibody, showing the specificity of this biological action. Incorporation of bromodeoxyuridine into DNA of immunostained lactotrophs was enhanced by only a minor part of the isoforms. Some of these had no effect on prolactin mRNA expression. The N-POMC isoforms appeared to be N- and at least in part O-glycosylated. After enzymatic N-deglycosylation of selected N-POMC isoforms, the stimulatory effect on the prolactin mRNA level was depressed (in case of the POMC1-95 isoforms) or totally abolished (in case of the POMC1-74 isoforms). The present findings show that N-POMC is a mixture of differentially glycosylated isoforms, that the isoforms of POMC1-74 are the biologically more effective forms and that different isoforms induce different biological responses in the same cell population. The data also show the essential role of N-glycosylation in the biological response.