Synthesis and Potential Antimetastatic Activity of Monovalent and Divalent β-D-Galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-Acetamido-2-Deoxy-D-Glucopyranosides

Anomers of monovalent and divalent β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-gluco-pyranosides were synthesized under different glycosylation conditions, and evaluated for in vitro antimetastatic activity. Three compounds showed promising inhibitory effects on cancer cell attachment, spreading, migration, and invasion. Six divalent O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosides (29–34) were synthesized and their antimetastatic activities were studied

Synthesis and Potential Antimetastatic Activity of Monovalent and Divalent β-D-Galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-Acetamido-2-Deoxy-D-Glucopyranosides

Anomers of monovalent and divalent β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-gluco-pyranosides were synthesized under different glycosylation conditions, and evaluated for in vitro antimetastatic activity. Three compounds showed promising inhibitory effects on cancer cell attachment, spreading, migration, and invasion. Six divalent O-β-d-galactopyranosyl-(1→4)-2-acetamido-2-deoxy-d-glucopyranosides (29–34) were synthesized and their antimetastatic activities were studied

A statistical method for region-based meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies in genetically diverse populations

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) have become the preferred experimental design in exploring the genetic etiology of complex human traits and diseases. Standard SNP-based meta-analytic approaches have been utilized to integrate the results from multiple experiments. This fundamentally assumes that the patterns of linkage disequilibrium (LD) between the underlying causal variants and the directly genotyped SNPs are similar across the populations for the same SNPs to emerge with surrogate evidence of disease association. We introduce a novel strategy for assessing regional evidence of phenotypic association that explicitly incorporates the extent of LD in the region. This provides a natural framework for combining evidence from multi-ethnic studies of both dichotomous and quantitative traits that (i) accommodates different patterns of LD, (ii) integrates different genotyping platforms and (iii) allows for the presence of allelic heterogeneity between the populations. Our method can also be generalized to perform gene-based or pathway-based analyses. Applying this method on real GWAS data in type 2 diabetes (T2D) boosted the association evidence in regions well-established for T2D etiology in three diverse South-East Asian populations, as well as identified two novel gene regions and a biologically convincing pathway that are subsequently validated with data from the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium

A combined functional and structural genomics approach identified an EST-SSR marker with complete linkage to the Ligon lintless-2 genetic locus in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Cotton fiber length is an important quality attribute to the textile industry and longer fibers can be more efficiently spun into yarns to produce superior fabrics. There is typically a negative correlation between yield and fiber quality traits such as length. An understanding of the regulatory mechanisms controlling fiber length can potentially provide a valuable tool for cotton breeders to improve fiber length while maintaining high yields. The cotton (<it>Gossypium hirsutum </it>L.) fiber mutation Ligon lintless-2 is controlled by a single dominant gene (<it>Li₂</it>) that results in significantly shorter fibers than a wild-type. In a near-isogenic state with a wild-type cotton line, <it>Li₂</it>is a model system with which to study fiber elongation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Two near-isogenic lines of Ligon lintless-2 (<it>Li₂</it>) cotton, one mutant and one wild-type, were developed through five generations of backcrosses (BC₅). An F₂population was developed from a cross between the two <it>Li₂</it>near-isogenic lines and used to develop a linkage map of the <it>Li₂</it>locus on chromosome 18. Five simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were closely mapped around the <it>Li₂</it>locus region with two of the markers flanking the <it>Li₂</it>locus at 0.87 and 0.52 centimorgan. No apparent differences in fiber initiation and early fiber elongation were observed between the mutant ovules and the wild-type ones. Gene expression profiling using microarrays suggested roles of reactive oxygen species (ROS) homeostasis and cytokinin regulation in the <it>Li₂</it>mutant phenotype. Microarray gene expression data led to successful identification of an EST-SSR marker (NAU3991) that displayed complete linkage to the <it>Li₂</it>locus.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>In the field of cotton genomics, we report the first successful conversion of gene expression data into an SSR marker that is associated with a genomic region harboring a gene responsible for a fiber trait. The EST-derived SSR marker NAU3991 displayed complete linkage to the <it>Li₂</it>locus on chromosome 18 and resided in a gene with similarity to a putative plectin-related protein. The complete linkage suggests that this expressed sequence may be the <it>Li₂</it>gene.</p