Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Illusory Predictors: Generalizability Of Findings In Cocaine Treatment Retention Research, Angela L Stotts, Marc E Mooney, Shelly L Sayre, Meredith Novy, Joy M Schmitz, John Grabowski

Journal Articles

Treatment retention is of paramount importance in cocaine treatment research as treatment completion rates are often 50% or less. Failure to retain cocaine patients in treatment has both significant research and clinical implications. In this paper we qualitatively and quantitatively demonstrate the inconsistency found across analyses of retention predictors in order to highlight the problem. First, a qualitative review of the published literature was undertaken to identify the frequency of predictors studied and their relations to treatment retention. Second, an empirical demonstration of predictor stability was conducted by testing a common set of variables across three similar 12-week cocaine clinical …

Neurogranin Controls The Spatiotemporal Pattern Of Postsynaptic Ca2+/Cam Signaling, Yoshihisa Kubota, John A Putkey, M Neal Waxham

Journal Articles

Neurogranin (Ng) is a postsynaptic IQ-motif containing protein that accelerates Ca(2+) dissociation from calmodulin (CaM), a key regulator of long-term potentiation and long-term depression in CA1 pyramidal neurons. The exact physiological role of Ng, however, remains controversial. Two genetic knockout studies of Ng showed opposite outcomes in terms of the induction of synaptic plasticity. To understand its function, we test the hypothesis that Ng could regulate the spatial range of action of Ca(2+)/CaM based on its ability to accelerate the dissociation of Ca(2+) from CaM. Using a mathematical model constructed on the known biochemistry of Ng, we calculate the cycle …

Is A 3-Mm Intrafractional Margin Sufficient For Daily Image-Guided Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy Of Prostate Cancer?, Adam D Melancon, Jennifer C O'Daniel, Lifei Zhang, Rajat J Kudchadker, Deborah A Kuban, Andrew K Lee, Rex M Cheung, Renaud De Crevoisier, Susan L Tucker, Wayne D Newhauser, Radhe Mohan, Lei Dong

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: To determine whether a 3-mm isotropic target margin adequately covers the prostate and seminal vesicles (SVs) during administration of an intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment fraction, assuming that daily image-guided setup is performed just before each fraction.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: In-room computed tomographic (CT) scans were acquired immediately before and after a daily treatment fraction in 46 patients with prostate cancer. An eight-field IMRT plan was designed using the pre-fraction CT with a 3-mm margin and subsequently recalculated on the post-fraction CT. For convenience of comparison, dose plans were scaled to full course of treatment (75.6 Gy). Dose coverage …

Human Tob, An Antiproliferative Transcription Factor, Is A Poly(A)-Binding Protein-Dependent Positive Regulator Of Cytoplasmic Mrna Deadenylation, Nader Ezzeddine, Tsung-Cheng Chang, Wenmiao Zhu, Akio Yamashita, Chyi-Ying A Chen, Zhenping Zhong, Yukiko Yamashita, Dinghai Zheng, Ann-Bin Shyu

Journal Articles

In mammalian cells, mRNA decay begins with deadenylation, which involves two consecutive phases mediated by the PAN2-PAN3 and the CCR4-CAF1 complexes, respectively. The regulation of the critical deadenylation step and its relationship with RNA-processing bodies (P-bodies), which are thought to be a site where poly(A)-shortened mRNAs get degraded, are poorly understood. Using the Tet-Off transcriptional pulsing approach to investigate mRNA decay in mouse NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, we found that TOB, an antiproliferative transcription factor, enhances mRNA deadenylation in vivo. Results from glutathione S-transferase pull-down and coimmunoprecipitation experiments indicate that TOB can simultaneously interact with the poly(A) nuclease complex CCR4-CAF1 and …

Regulation Of Mucin Gene Expression By Creb Via A Nonclassical Retinoic Acid Signaling Pathway., Seung-Wook Kim, Jeong Soo Hong, Seung-Hee Ryu, Wen-Cheng Chung, Joo-Heon Yoon, Ja Seok Koo

Journal Articles

Vitamin A and its metabolite retinoic acid (RA) are essential elements for normal lung development and the differentiation of lung epithelial cells. We previously showed that RA rapidly activated cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (CREB) in a nonclassical manner in normal human tracheobronchial epithelial (NHTBE) cells. In the present study, we further demonstrated that this nonclassical signaling of RA on the activation of CREB plays a critical role in regulating the expression of airway epithelial cell differentiation markers, the MUC2, MUC5AC, and MUC5B genes. We found that RA rapidly activates the protein kinase Calpha isozyme and transmits the activation signal …

Mutations In The Cofilin Partner Aip1/Wdr1 Cause Autoinflammatory Disease And Macrothrombocytopenia., Benjamin T Kile, Athanasia D Panopoulos, Roslynn A Stirzaker, Douglas F Hacking, Lubna H Tahtamouni, Tracy A Willson, Lisa A Mielke, Katya J Henley, Jian-Guo Zhang, Ian P Wicks, William S Stevenson, Paquita Nurden, Stephanie S Watowich, Monica J Justice

Journal Articles

A pivotal mediator of actin dynamics is the protein cofilin, which promotes filament severing and depolymerization, facilitating the breakdown of existing filaments, and the enhancement of filament growth from newly created barbed ends. It does so in concert with actin interacting protein 1 (Aip1), which serves to accelerate cofilin's activity. While progress has been made in understanding its biochemical functions, the physiologic processes the cofilin/Aip1 complex regulates, particularly in higher organisms, are yet to be determined. We have generated an allelic series for WD40 repeat protein 1 (Wdr1), the mammalian homolog of Aip1, and report that reductions in Wdr1 function …

Downregulation Of Rap1gap Contributes To Ras Transformation., Oxana Tsygankova, Gregory V. Prendergast, Kanchan Puttaswamy, Yan Wang, Michael D. Feldman, Hongbin Wang, Marcia S. Brose, Judy L. Meinkoth

Journal Articles

Although abundant in well-differentiated rat thyroid cells, Rap1GAP expression was extinguished in a subset of human thyroid tumor-derived cell lines. Intriguingly, Rap1GAP was downregulated selectively in tumor cell lines that had acquired a mesenchymal morphology. Restoring Rap1GAP expression to these cells inhibited cell migration and invasion, effects that were correlated with the inhibition of Rap1 and Rac1 activity. The reexpression of Rap1GAP also inhibited DNA synthesis and anchorage-independent proliferation. Conversely, eliminating Rap1GAP expression in rat thyroid cells induced a transient increase in cell number. Strikingly, Rap1GAP expression was abolished by Ras transformation. The downregulation of Rap1GAP by Ras required the …

Versatile Applications Of Transcriptional Pulsing To Study Mrna Turnover In Mammalian Cells, Chyi-Ying A Chen, Yukiko Yamashita, Tsung-Cheng Chang, Akio Yamashita, Wenmiao Zhu, Zhenping Zhong, Ann-Bin Shyu

Journal Articles

Development of transcriptional pulsing approaches using the c-fos and Tet-off promoter systems greatly facilitated studies of mRNA turnover in mammalian cells. However, optimal protocols for these approaches vary for different cell types and/or physiological conditions, limiting their widespread application. In this study, we have further optimized transcriptional pulsing systems for different cell lines and developed new protocols to facilitate investigation of various aspects of mRNA turnover. We apply the Tet-off transcriptional pulsing strategy to investigate ARE-mediated mRNA decay in human erythroleukemic K562 cells arrested at various phases of the cell cycle by pharmacological inhibitors. This application facilitates studies of the …

Computational Identification And Functional Validation Of Regulatory Motifs In Cartilage-Expressed Genes, Sherri R Davies, Li-Wei Chang, Debabrata Patra, Xiaoyun Xing, Karen Posey, Jacqueline Hecht, Gary D Stormo, Linda J Sandell

Journal Articles

Chondrocyte gene regulation is important for the generation and maintenance of cartilage tissues. Several regulatory factors have been identified that play a role in chondrogenesis, including the positive transacting factors of the SOX family such as SOX9, SOX5, and SOX6, as well as negative transacting factors such as C/EBP and delta EF1. However, a complete understanding of the intricate regulatory network that governs the tissue-specific expression of cartilage genes is not yet available. We have taken a computational approach to identify cis-regulatory, transcription factor (TF) binding motifs in a set of cartilage characteristic genes to better define the transcriptional regulatory …

Funding Crisis In Title Vii Diversity Programs, Paula N O'Neill, Alvin H Strelnick

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Epstein-Barr Virus Infection Of Langerhans Cell Precursors As A Mechanism Of Oral Epithelial Entry, Persistence, And Reactivation, Dennis M. Walling, Autumn J. Ray, Joan E. Nichols, Catherine M. Flaitz, C. Mark Nichols

Journal Articles

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus associated with many malignant and nonmalignant human diseases. Life-long latent EBV persistence occurs in blood-borne B lymphocytes, while EBV intermittently productively replicates in mucosal epithelia. Although several models have previously been proposed, the mechanism of EBV transition between these two reservoirs of infection has not been determined. In this study, we present the first evidence demonstrating that EBV latently infects a unique subset of blood-borne mononuclear cells that are direct precursors to Langerhans cells and that EBV both latently and productively infects oral epithelium-resident cells that are likely Langerhans cells. These data …

Quality Of Weight Loss Advice On Internet Forums., Kevin O Hwang, Kiran Farheen, Craig W Johnson, Eric J Thomas, Ann S Barnes, Elmer V Bernstam

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Adults use the Internet for weight loss information, sometimes by participating in discussion forums. Our purpose was to analyze the quality of advice exchanged on these forums. METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of messages posted to 18 Internet weight loss forums during 1 month in 2006. Advice was evaluated for congruence with clinical guidelines; potential for causing harm; and subsequent correction when it was contradictory to guidelines (erroneous) or potentially harmful. Message- and forum-specific characteristics were evaluated as predictors of advice quality and self-correction. RESULTS: Of 3368 initial messages, 266 (7.9%) were requests for advice. Of 654 provisions …

Mechanisms Of Perceptual Learning Of Depth Discrimination In Random Dot Stereograms, Liat Gantz, Saumil S Patel, Susana T L Chung, Ronald S Harwerth

Journal Articles

Perceptual learning is a training induced improvement in performance. Mechanisms underlying the perceptual learning of depth discrimination in dynamic random dot stereograms were examined by assessing stereothresholds as a function of decorrelation. The inflection point of the decorrelation function was defined as the level of decorrelation corresponding to 1.4 times the threshold when decorrelation is 0%. In general, stereothresholds increased with increasing decorrelation. Following training, stereothresholds and standard errors of measurement decreased systematically for all tested decorrelation values. Post training decorrelation functions were reduced by a multiplicative constant (approximately 5), exhibiting changes in stereothresholds without changes in the inflection points. …

Neural Reprogramming In Retinal Degeneration, Robert E Marc, Bryan W Jones, James R Anderson, Krista Kinard, David W Marshak, John H Wilson, Theodore Wensel, Robert J Lucas

Journal Articles

PURPOSE: Early visual defects in degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) may arise from phased remodeling of the neural retina. The authors sought to explore the functional expression of ionotropic (iGluR) and group 3, type 6 metabotropic (mGluR6) glutamate receptors in late-stage photoreceptor degeneration.

METHODS: Excitation mapping with organic cations and computational molecular phenotyping were used to determine whether retinal neurons displayed functional glutamate receptor signaling in rodent models of retinal degeneration and a sample of human RP.

RESULTS: After photoreceptor loss in rodent models of RP, bipolar cells lose mGluR6 and iGluR glutamate-activated currents, whereas amacrine and ganglion …

Quality Of Weight Loss Advice On Internet Forums, Kevin O Hwang, Kiran Farheen, Craig W Johnson, Eric J Thomas, Ann S Barnes, Elmer V Bernstam

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Adults use the Internet for weight loss information, sometimes by participating in discussion forums. Our purpose was to analyze the quality of advice exchanged on these forums.

METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis of messages posted to 18 Internet weight loss forums during 1 month in 2006. Advice was evaluated for congruence with clinical guidelines; potential for causing harm; and subsequent correction when it was contradictory to guidelines (erroneous) or potentially harmful. Message- and forum-specific characteristics were evaluated as predictors of advice quality and self-correction.

RESULTS: Of 3368 initial messages, 266 (7.9%) were requests for advice. Of 654 provisions …

Time-Kill And Synergism Studies Of Ceftobiprole Against Enterococcus Faecalis, Including Beta-Lactamase-Producing And Vancomycin-Resistant Isolates, Cesar A Arias, Kavindra V Singh, Diana Panesso, Barbara E Murray

Journal Articles

Ceftobiprole (BAL9141) is an investigational cephalosporin with broad in vitro activity against gram-positive cocci, including enterococci. Ceftobiprole MICs were determined for 93 isolates of Enterococcus faecalis (including 16 beta-lactamase [Bla] producers and 17 vancomycin-resistant isolates) by an agar dilution method following the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute recommendations. Ceftobiprole MICs were also determined with a high inoculum concentration (10(7) CFU/ml) for a subset of five Bla producers belonging to different previously characterized clones by a broth dilution method. Time-kill and synergism studies (with either streptomycin or gentamicin) were performed with two beta-lactamase-producing isolates (TX0630 and TX5070) and two vancomycin-resistant isolates …

Acquisition Of A Natural Resistance Gene Renders A Clinical Strain Of Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus Resistant To The Synthetic Antibiotic Linezolid, Seok-Ming Toh, Liqun Xiong, Cesar A Arias, Maria V Villegas, Karen Lolans, John Quinn, Alexander S Mankin

Journal Articles

Linezolid, which targets the ribosome, is a new synthetic antibiotic that is used for treatment of infections caused by Gram-positive pathogens. Clinical resistance to linezolid, so far, has been developing only slowly and has involved exclusively target site mutations. We have discovered that linezolid resistance in a methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus hospital strain from Colombia is determined by the presence of the cfr gene whose product, Cfr methyltransferase, modifies adenosine at position 2503 in 23S rRNA in the large ribosomal subunit. The molecular model of the linezolid-ribosome complex reveals localization of A2503 within the drug binding site. The natural function of …

Importance Of The Ebp (Endocarditis- And Biofilm-Associated Pilus) Locus In The Pathogenesis Of Enterococcus Faecalis Ascending Urinary Tract Infection, Kavindra V Singh, Sreedhar R Nallapareddy, Barbara E Murray

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: We recently demonstrated that the ubiquitous Enterococcus faecalis ebp (endocarditis- and biofilm-associated pilus) operon is important for biofilm formation and experimental endocarditis. Here, we assess its role in murine urinary tract infection (UTI) by use of wild-type E. faecalis OG1RF and its nonpiliated, ebpA allelic replacement mutant (TX5475).

METHODS: OG1RF and TX5475 were administered transurethrally either at an ~1 : 1 ratio (competition assay) or individually (monoinfection). Kidney pairs and urinary bladders were cultured 48 h after infection. These strains were also tested in a peritonitis model.

RESULTS: No differences were observed in the peritonitis model. In mixed UTIs, …

Ambulatory Care Adverse Events And Preventable Adverse Events Leading To A Hospital Admission, Donna M Woods, Eric J Thomas, Jane L Holl, Kevin B Weiss, Troyen A Brennan

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: Most healthcare in the US is delivered in the ambulatory care setting, but the epidemiology of errors and adverse events in ambulatory care is understudied.

METHODS: Using the population-based data from the Colorado and Utah Medical Practices Study, we identified adverse events that occurred in an ambulatory care setting and led to hospital admission. Proportions with 95% CIs are reported.

RESULTS: We reviewed 14,700-hospital discharge records and found 587 adverse events of which 70 were ambulatory care adverse events (AAEs) and 31 were ambulatory care preventable adverse events (APAEs). When weighted to the general population, there were 2608 AAEs …

A Pure Population Of Lung Alveolar Epithelial Type Ii Cells Derived From Human Embryonic Stem Cells, Dachun Wang, David L Haviland, Alan R Burns, Eva Zsigmond, Rick A Wetsel

Journal Articles

Alveolar epithelial type II (ATII) cells are small, cuboidal cells that constitute approximately 60% of the pulmonary alveolar epithelium. These cells are crucial for repair of the injured alveolus by differentiating into alveolar epithelial type I cells. ATII cells derived from human ES (hES) cells are a promising source of cells that could be used therapeutically to treat distal lung diseases. We have developed a reliable transfection and culture procedure, which facilitates, via genetic selection, the differentiation of hES cells into an essentially pure (>99%) population of ATII cells (hES-ATII). Purity, as well as biological features and morphological characteristics …

K1 Protein Of Human Herpesvirus 8 Suppresses Lymphoma Cell Fas-Mediated Apoptosis., Suizhao Wang, Shu Wang, Hoyoung Maeng, Daniel P Young, Om Prakash, Luis E Fayad, Anas Younes, Felipe Samaniego

Journal Articles

Expression of the K1 gene of human herpesvirus 8 activates nuclear factor-kappaB and induces lymph node hyperplasia and lymphomas in transgenic mice. To further delineate its role in cell survival, we determined whether K1 altered apoptosis of lymphoma cells. K1 protein is expressed in Kaposi sarcoma and primary effusion lymphoma. We retrovirally transfected BJAB lymphoma, THP-1, U937, and Kaposi sarcoma SLK cells to express K1 and a K1 mutant with the deleted immunoreceptor tyrosine-based activation motif (K1m). We challenged cells with an agonistic anti-Fas antibody, Fas ligand, irradiation, and tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand. K1 transfectants but not K1m transfectants …

Expression Of The Neural Stem Cell Markers Ng2 And L1 In Human Angiomyolipoma: Are Angiomyolipomas Neoplasms Of Stem Cells?, So Dug Lim, William Stallcup, Benjamin Lefkove, Baskaran Govindarajan, Kit Sing Au, Hope Northrup, Deborah Lang, David E Fisher, Avani Patel, Mahul B Amin, Jack L Arbiser

Journal Articles

Angiomyolipomas are benign tumors of the kidney which express phenotypes of smooth muscle, fat, and melanocytes. These tumors appear with increased frequency in the autosomal dominant disorder tuberous sclerosis and are the leading cause of morbidity in adults with tuberous sclerosis. While benign, these tumors are capable of provoking life threatening hemorrhage and replacement of the kidney parenchyma, resulting in renal failure. The histogenesis of these tumors is currently unclear, although currently, we believe these tumors arise from "perivascular epithelioid cells" of which no normal counterpart has been convincingly demonstrated. Recently, stem cell precursors have been recognized that can give …

Severe Aortic And Arterial Aneurysms Associated With A Tgfbr2 Mutation, Scott A Lemaire, Hariyadarshi Pannu, Van Tran-Fadulu, Stacey A Carter, Joseph S Coselli, Dianna M Milewicz

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: A 24-year-old man presented with previously diagnosed Marfan's syndrome. Since the age of 9 years, he had undergone eight cardiovascular procedures to treat rapidly progressive aneurysms, dissection and tortuous vascular disease involving the aortic root and arch, the thoracoabdominal aorta, and brachiocephalic, vertebral, internal thoracic and superior mesenteric arteries. Throughout this extensive series of cardiovascular surgical repairs, he recovered without stroke, paraplegia or renal impairment.

INVESTIGATIONS: CT scans, arteriogram, genetic mutation screening of transforming growth factor beta receptors 1 and 2.

DIAGNOSIS: Diffuse and rapidly progressing vascular disease in a patient who met the diagnostic criteria for Marfan's syndrome, …

Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Faecalis Endocarditis: Linezolid Failure And Strain Characterization Of Virulence Factors, Constantine Tsigrelis, Kavindra V Singh, Thais D Coutinho, Barbara E Murray, Larry M Baddour

Journal Articles

Infective endocarditis due to vancomycin-resistant (VR) Enterococcus faecalis has only rarely been reported. We report a case of VR E. faecalis endocarditis that failed to respond to linezolid therapy, outline the virulence traits of the isolate, and review previously published cases of VR E. faecalis endocarditis.

Phosphorylation Of The Proline-Rich Domain Of Xp95 Modulates Xp95 Interaction With Partner Proteins., Robert E Dejournett, Ryuji Kobayashi, Shujuan Pan, Chuanfen Wu, Laurence D Etkin, Richard B Clark, Oliver Bögler, Jian Kuang

Journal Articles

The mammalian adaptor protein Alix [ALG-2 (apoptosis-linked-gene-2 product)-interacting protein X] belongs to a conserved family of proteins that have in common an N-terminal Bro1 domain and a C-terminal PRD (proline-rich domain), both of which mediate partner protein interactions. Following our previous finding that Xp95, the Xenopus orthologue of Alix, undergoes a phosphorylation-dependent gel mobility shift during progesteroneinduced oocyte meiotic maturation, we explored potential regulation of Xp95/Alix by protein phosphorylation in hormone-induced cell cycle re-entry or M-phase induction. By MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time-of-flight) MS analyses and gel mobility-shift assays, Xp95 is phosphorylated at multiple sites within the N-terminal half of the …

Phosphorylation Of The Proline-Rich Domain Of Xp95 Modulates Xp95 Interaction With Partner Proteins, Robert E Dejournett, Ryuji Kobayashi, Shujuan Pan, Chuanfen Wu, Laurence D Etkin, Richard B Clark, Oliver Bögler, Jian Kuang

Journal Articles

The mammalian adaptor protein Alix [ALG-2 (apoptosis-linked-gene-2 product)-interacting protein X] belongs to a conserved family of proteins that have in common an N-terminal Bro1 domain and a C-terminal PRD (proline-rich domain), both of which mediate partner protein interactions. Following our previous finding that Xp95, the Xenopus orthologue of Alix, undergoes a phosphorylation-dependent gel mobility shift during progesteroneinduced oocyte meiotic maturation, we explored potential regulation of Xp95/Alix by protein phosphorylation in hormone-induced cell cycle re-entry or M-phase induction. By MALDI-TOF (matrix-assisted laser-desorption ionization-time-of-flight) MS analyses and gel mobility-shift assays, Xp95 is phosphorylated at multiple sites within the N-terminal half of the …

Predictive Oncology: A Review Of Multidisciplinary, Multiscale In Silico Modeling Linking Phenotype, Morphology And Growth., Sandeep Sanga, Hermann B. Frieboes, Xiaoming Zheng, Robert Gatenby, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini

Journal Articles

Empirical evidence and theoretical studies suggest that the phenotype, i.e., cellular- and molecular-scale dynamics, including proliferation rate and adhesiveness due to microenvironmental factors and gene expression that govern tumor growth and invasiveness, also determine gross tumor-scale morphology. It has been difficult to quantify the relative effect of these links on disease progression and prognosis using conventional clinical and experimental methods and observables. As a result, successful individualized treatment of highly malignant and invasive cancers, such as glioblastoma, via surgical resection and chemotherapy cannot be offered and outcomes are generally poor. What is needed is a deterministic, quantifiable method to enable …

Repression Of Tumor Necrosis Factor-Related Apoptosis-Inducing Ligand (Trail) But Not Its Receptors During Oral Cancer Progression, Nadarajah Vigneswaran, Darryl C. Baucum, Jean Wu, Yahuan Lou, Jerry Bouquot, Susan Muller, Wolfgang Zacharias

Journal Articles

BACKGROUND: TRAIL plays an important role in host immunosurveillance against tumor progression, as it induces apoptosis of tumor cells but not normal cells, and thus has great therapeutic potential for cancer treatment. TRAIL binds to two cell-death-inducing (DR4 and DR5) and two decoy (DcR1, and DcR2) receptors. Here, we compare the expression levels of TRAIL and its receptors in normal oral mucosa (NOM), oral premalignancies (OPM), and primary and metastatic oral squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC) in order to characterize the changes in their expression patterns during OSCC initiation and progression. METHODS: DNA microarray, immunoblotting and immunohistochemical analyses were used to …

Computer Simulation Of Glioma Growth And Morphology., Hermann B. Frieboes, John S Lowengrub, S Wise, X Zheng, Paul Macklin, Elaine L. Bearer, Vittorio Cristini

Journal Articles

Despite major advances in the study of glioma, the quantitative links between intra-tumor molecular/cellular properties, clinically observable properties such as morphology, and critical tumor behaviors such as growth and invasiveness remain unclear, hampering more effective coupling of tumor physical characteristics with implications for prognosis and therapy. Although molecular biology, histopathology, and radiological imaging are employed in this endeavor, studies are severely challenged by the multitude of different physical scales involved in tumor growth, i.e., from molecular nanoscale to cell microscale and finally to tissue centimeter scale. Consequently, it is often difficult to determine the underlying dynamics across dimensions. New techniques …

Genome Sequence Of Fusobacterium Nucleatum Subspecies Polymorphum - A Genetically Tractable Fusobacterium, Sandor E Karpathy, Xiang Qin, Jason Gioia, Huaiyang Jiang, Yamei Liu, Joseph F Petrosino, Shailaja Yerrapragada, George E Fox, Susan Kinder Haake, George M Weinstock, Sarah K Highlander

Journal Articles

Fusobacterium nucleatum is a prominent member of the oral microbiota and is a common cause of human infection. F. nucleatum includes five subspecies: polymorphum, nucleatum, vincentii, fusiforme, and animalis. F. nucleatum subsp. polymorphum ATCC 10953 has been well characterized phenotypically and, in contrast to previously sequenced strains, is amenable to gene transfer. We sequenced and annotated the 2,429,698 bp genome of F. nucleatum subsp. polymorphum ATCC 10953. Plasmid pFN3 from the strain was also sequenced and analyzed. When compared to the other two available fusobacterial genomes (F. nucleatum subsp. nucleatum, and F. nucleatum subsp. vincentii) 627 open reading frames unique …