Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is caused by deletion or specific mutations of the telomeric survival motor neuron ( SMN ) gene on human chromosome 5. The human SMN gene, in contrast to the Smn gene in mouse, is duplicated and the centromeric copy on chromosome 5 codes for transcripts which preferentially lead to C-terminally truncated SMN protein. Here we show that a 46% reduction of Smn protein levels in the spinal cord of Smn heterozygous mice leads to a marked loss of the cytoplasmic Smn pool and motor neuron degeneration resembling spinal muscular atrophy type 3. Smn heterozygous mice described here thus represent a model for the human disease. These mice could allow screening for SMA therapies and help in gaining further understanding of the pathophysiological events leading to motor neuron degeneration in SMA.
We describe a novel XY body protein of rat and mice pachytene spermatocytes called XY77. Biochemical characterization showed that protein XY77 (Mr 77,000; pH value 8.3) is present in meiotic but absent in postmeiotic stages of spermatogenesis. With the aid of an antibody against protein XY77 together with another specific for XY body-associated protein XY40 we also investigated the localization of these proteins in mice carrying Searle's translocation, a reciprocal X-autosomal translocation. We show here that in these mice the distribution of both XY77 and XY40 is abnormal. Our results indicate that in Searle's translocation alterations are not restricted to the translocated autosome, but also involve chromatin segments corresponding originally to the sex chromosomes X and Y.
The growth-inhibitory effect of polymerized type I collagen is characterized by rapid changes of expression and/or activation of MAPK and G1-phase regulators and could result from the lack of alpha1beta1 integrin signaling in MCs on polymerized type I collagen. Conceivably, deposition of polymerized type I collagen might reflect a reparative response to control MC replication in glomerular inflammation.
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