Cloning, expression, crystallization and preliminary X-ray crystallographic analysis of a human condensin SMC2 hinge domain with short coiled coils

Kawahara, K., Nakamura, S., Katsu, Y., Motooka, D., Hosokawa, Y., Kojima, Y., Matsukawa, K., Takinowaki, H., Uchiyama, S., Kobayashi, Y., Fukui, K. & Ohkubo, T. (2010). Acta Cryst. F66, 1067-1070

The Common Genetic Variant rs944289 on Chromosome 14q13.3 Associates with Risk of Both Malignant and Benign Thyroid Tumors in the Japanese Population

Background: Several single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) have been identified to be associated with the risk for differentiated thyroid cancer in populations of distinct ethnic background. The relationship of these genetic markers to a benign tumor of the thyroid, follicular adenoma (FA), is not well established. Methods: In a multicenter retrospective case-control study, five thyroid cancer-related SNPs - rs966513 (9q22.33, FOXE1), rs944289 (14q13.3, PTCSC3), rs2439302 (8p12, NRG1), rs1867277 (9q22.23, FOXE1), and rs6983267 (8q24, POU5F1B) - were genotyped in 959 cases of histologically verified FA, 535 papillary thyroid carcinomas (PTC), and 2766 population controls. Results: A significant association was found between FA and rs944289 (p=0.002; OR 1.176 [CI 1.064-1.316]), and suggestively with rs2439302 (p=0.033; OR 1.149 [CI 1.010-1.315]). In PTC, significant associations were confirmed for rs965513 (p=4.21E-04; OR 1.587 [CI 1.235-2.000]) and rs944289 (p=0.003; OR 1.234 [CI 1.075-1.408]), newly found for rs2439302 (p=0.003; OR 1.266 [CI 1.087-1.493]) and rs1867277 (p=1.17E-04; OR 1.492 [CI 1.235-1.818]), and was not replicated for rs6983267 (p=0.082; OR 1.136 [CI 0.980-1.316]) in this series. A significant correlation between rs2439302 genotype and relative expression of NRG1 was detected in normal and tumor counterparts of PTC (about 10% decrease per each risk allele). NRG1 expression also significantly correlated with that of PTCSC3. Conclusions: Association of rs944289, which was previously known to confer risk for thyroid cancer, with FA, and the correlation between PTCSC3 and NRG1 expression demonstrates that predisposing genetic factors are partly common for benign and malignant thyroid tumors, and imply broader roles of the pathways they underlie in thyroid tumorigenesis, not limited to carcinogenesis

Relationship Between Liver Fibrosis Noninvasively Measured by Fibro Scan and Blood Test

Recently, Fibro scan was developed as a non-invasive device for measuring liver fibrosis. Progression of liver fibrosis has been reported to increase the measurement value (elasticity). We have performed the Fibro scan for liver diseases.[ ;normal liver (n=33), hepatitis C (n=156), hepatitis B(n=36), non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (n=24), auto immune hepatitis (n=9), primary biliary cirrhosis (n=10), alcoholic liver disease (n=7), acute hepatitis (n=3), other liver disease (n=14), recipient of living donor liver transplantation (n=11)] Elasticity, blood test, and indirect fibrosis diagnostic score were comparatively investigated. In the hepatitis C group, the mean value for elasticity was 14.7±12.0 kPa. Elasticity was found to be significantly correlated with the hepatobiliary enzymes, fibrosis markers and indirect fibrosis diagnostic score. When elasticity was divided into ≧14.6kPa(liver cirrhosis) and<14.6kPa(non liver cirrhosis) groups for the investigation, liver inflammation and fibrosis markers were correlated in the progress of fibrosis in non liver cirrhosis, and it could be speculated that if liver cirrhosis is reached, progression of fibrosis reflects decreased liver function