Doping-dependent electronic structure of cuprates studied using angle-scanned photoemission

Full k-maps of the electronic structure near the Fermi level of differently doped cuprates measured with angle-scanned photoelectron spectroscopy are presented. The valence band maximum of the antiferromagnetic insulator Sr2CuO2Cl2, which is taken as a representative of an undoped cuprate, and the Fermi surfaces of overdoped, optimally doped and underdoped Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ high-temperature superconductors are mapped in the normal state. The results confirm the existence of large Luttinger Fermi surfaces at high doping with a Fermi surface volume proportional to (1+x), where x is the hole concentration. At very low doping, however, we find that this assumption based on Luttinger's theorem is not fulfilled. This implies a change in the topology of the Fermi surface. Furthermore the intensity of the shadow bands observed on the Fermi surface of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ as a function of the doping is discussed

USH2A is a Meissner's corpuscle protein necessary for normal vibration sensing in mice and humans

Fingertip mechanoreceptors comprise sensory neuron endings together with specialized skin cells that form the end-organ. Exquisitely sensitive, vibration-sensing neurons are associated with Meissner's corpuscles in the skin. In the present study, we found that USH2A, a transmembrane protein with a very large extracellular domain, was found in terminal Schwann cells within Meissner's corpuscles. Pathogenic USH2A mutations cause Usher's syndrome, associated with hearing loss and visual impairment. We show that patients with biallelic pathogenic USH2A mutations also have clear and specific impairments in vibrotactile touch perception, as do mutant mice lacking USH2A. Forepaw rapidly adapting mechanoreceptors innervating Meissner's corpuscles, recorded from Ush2a(-/-) mice, showed large reductions in vibration sensitivity. However, the USH2A protein was not found in sensory neurons. Thus, loss of USH2A in corpuscular end-organs reduced mechanoreceptor sensitivity as well as vibration perception. Thus, a tether-like protein is required to facilitate detection of small-amplitude vibrations essential for the perception of fine-grained tactile surfaces

662 adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases characterized on the Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Microarray

The pretreatment karyotype of leukemic blasts is currently the key determinant in therapy decision-making in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, approximately fifty percent of AML patients, often carrying a normal karyotype, are currently unclassifiable based these established methods. Gene expression profiling has proven to be valuable for risk stratification of AML. This is a repository of 662 adult AML cases characterized on gene expression microarrays and used for different studies investigating the mechanisms underlying leukemogenesis. Bone marrow aspirates or peripheral blood samples of three independent representative cohorts of de novo AML patients, comprising 277, 256 and 129 cases respectively, were collected at diagnosis. Gene expression profiling was performed on 662 adult AML patients who have been treated according to Dutch-Belgian Hemato-Oncology Cooperative Group and the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (HOVON/SAKK) AML-04, -04A, -29, -32, -42, -42A, -43 and -92 protocols (available at http://www.hovon.nl). All patients provided written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study was approved by all participating institutional review boards. Blast cell purification and RNA isolation were performed as previously described (Valk et al., Prognostically Useful Gene-Expression Profiles in Acute Myeloid Leukemia, New England Journal of Medicine, 2004)

662 adult acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cases characterized on the Affymetrix Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Microarray

The pretreatment karyotype of leukemic blasts is currently the key determinant in therapy decision-making in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). However, approximately fifty percent of AML patients, often carrying a normal karyotype, are currently unclassifiable based these established methods. Gene expression profiling has proven to be valuable for risk stratification of AML. This is a repository of 662 adult AML cases characterized on gene expression microarrays and used for different studies investigating the mechanisms underlying leukemogenesis. Bone marrow aspirates or peripheral blood samples of three independent representative cohorts of de novo AML patients, comprising 277, 256 and 129 cases respectively, were collected at diagnosis. Gene expression profiling was performed on 662 adult AML patients who have been treated according to Dutch-Belgian Hemato-Oncology Cooperative Group and the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research (HOVON/SAKK) AML-04, -04A, -29, -32, -42, -42A, -43 and -92 protocols (available at http://www.hovon.nl). All patients provided written informed consent in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the study was approved by all participating institutional review boards. Blast cell purification and RNA isolation were performed as previously described (Valk et al., Prognostically Useful Gene-Expression Profiles in Acute Myeloid Leukemia, New England Journal of Medicine, 2004)