A Rab-related small GTP binding protein is predominantly expressed in root nodules of Medicago sativa

Schiene K, Donath S, Brecht M, Pühler A, Niehaus K. A Rab-related small GTP binding protein is predominantly expressed in root nodules of Medicago sativa. Molecular Genetics and Genomics. 2004;272(1):57-66.Rab-related small GTP-binding proteins are known to be involved in the regulation of the vesicular transport system in eucaryotic cells. In this paper we report the isolation of the cDNA clone MS- rab11f from Medicago sativa (alfalfa) root nodules using a combination of RT-PCR and SSCP analysis. MS- rab11f shows high homology to the Rab-related cDNA clone LJ- rab11f from Lotus japonicus root nodules. The MS-Rab11F protein expressed in Escherichia coli was found to bind GTP, confirming that the isolated cDNA indeed codes for a small GTP-binding protein. Expression analysis by RT-PCR demonstrated that MS- rab11f is preferentially expressed in root nodules of alfalfa. Using the cDNA-sequence of MS-rab11f, a peptide-specific antibody was generated. Western blot analysis with this antibody revealed that two Rab11F isoforms, designated MS-Rab11FA and MS-Rab11FB, are found in M. sativa root nodules

The Role of FDG-PET in the Preoperative Assessment of N-Staging in Head and Neck Cancer

This prospective study based on 48 patients showed that FDG-PET has a significantly higher sensitivity for the detection of lymph node metastases compared with palpation and it appears ths.t FDG-PET has a similar sensitivity to CT-scanning. According to our data, FDG-PET is a highly specific method in the evaluation of neck nodes. This new imaging technique allows a tridimensional study and is easy to interpret. Therefore, FDG-PET seems to be a valuable imaging technique for the detection of cervical lymph node metastasis