Background Hypertrophy of the nucleolus is a distinctive cytological feature of malignant cells and corresponds to aggressive behaviour. This study aimed to identify the key gene associated with nucleolar prominence (NP) in breast cancer (BC) and determine its prognostic significance. Methods From The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohort, digital whole slide images identified cancers having NP served as label and an information theory algorithm was applied to find which mRNA gene best explained NP. Dyskerin Pseudouridine Synthase 1 (DKC1) was identified. DKC1 expression was assessed using mRNA data of Molecular Taxonomy of Breast Cancer International Consortium (METABRIC, n = 1980) and TCGA (n = 855). DKC1 protein expression was assessed using immunohistochemistry in Nottingham BC cohort (n = 943). Results Nuclear and nucleolar expressions of DKC1 protein were significantly associated with higher tumour grade (p < 0.0001), high nucleolar score (p < 0.001) and poor Nottingham Prognostic Index (p < 0.0001). High DKC1 expression was associated with shorter BC-specific survival (BCSS). In multivariate analysis, DKC1 mRNA and protein expressions were independent risk factors for BCSS (p < 0.01). Conclusion DKC1 expression is strongly correlated with NP and its overexpression in BC is associated with unfavourable clinicopathological characteristics and poor outcome. This has been a detailed example in the correlation of phenotype with genotype.

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The red palm weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus is the most important insect pest for the date palm trees in the middle east and Gulf states. The objective of this study was to investigate the pathogenicity of different concentrations of a natural plant extract (neem) and a synthetic insect growth regulators (IGRs) (flufenoxuron) on the histology of the ovary and testis, and on some biological parameters of the red palm weevil. Prepupae were grouped and treated with three different doses of neem extract (Neem J, 50, 100, 500 ppm) and a synthetic insect growth regulator (flufenoxuron, 0.05, 0.1, 0.5 ppm). The present study demonstrates that both natural (Neem) and synthetic (flufenoxuron) IGRs are capable of disrupting growth, development and reproduction in Rhynchophorus ferrugineus. Growth and developmental disruptions are resulted from the production of high mortality rate, reduction in body length, sex ratio, and morphological malformations, in a dose-dependent fashion. The study further reveals that IGRs exert effects on histological structure of gonads, in this way, disrupt gamete productions. IGRs disrupt female gamete production through their actions on the accumulation of yolk granules (vitellogenesis) and follicular epithelial cells. Disruption of male gamete production was detected by disorganization of testicular cysts and depopulation of these cysts in addition to degeneration and necrosis in germ cell lineage.