Most transcription of the MYC proto-oncogene initiates in the near upstream promoter, within which lies the nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) III 1 region containing the CT-element. This dynamic stretch of DNA can form at least three different topologies: single-stranded DNA, double-stranded DNA, or higher order secondary structures that silence transcription. In the current report, we identify the ellipticine analog GQC-05 (NSC338258) as a high affinity, potent, and selective stabilizer of the MYC G-quadruplex (G4). In cells, GQC-05 induced cytotoxicity with corresponding decreased MYC mRNA and altered protein binding to the NHE III 1 region, in agreement with a G4 stabilizing compound. We further describe a unique feature of the Burkitt's lymphoma cell line CA46 that allowed us to clearly demonstrate the mechanism and location of action of GQC-05 within this region of DNA and through the G4. Most importantly, these data present, as far as we are aware, the most direct evidence of intracellular G4-mediated control of a particular promoter.The MYC proto-oncogene is a key component of normal cell growth and differentiation, with roles in a multitude of cellular processes. Normally, this gene is subject to tight transcriptional regulation; however, aberrant MYC expression is a common feature in an estimated 80% of all human malignancies (1-3); it is estimated that one-seventh of cancer deaths in the United States are associated with alterations in the MYC gene or its expression (4). Deregulation can arise through a variety of mechanisms (5-13), but most often MYC is activated through alterations in cell signaling that lead to increased transcription (14).Deregulated MYC can lead to transformation (15), often as an early step in the process of multistage cancer development, and one on which all other mutations are based (16,17). Cancer cells appear to be addicted to a deregulated MYC (18), which can be the "Achilles heel", offering the potential for a therapeutic window (19,20). The ability to selectively and potently down-regulate MYC would have considerable potential for both efficacy and safety in a variety of tumor types.There are several upstream elements within the MYC promoter that can potentially undergo strand separation to form either single-stranded or other non-B-DNA structures (21), which play a critical role in transcriptional control of MYC: the distant Far Upstream Element acts as a cruise control element, Z-DNA found both in the far upstream and the promoter regions, and a GC-rich region within the proximal promoter that acts as an on/off switch (22-28). This near upstream core promoter region, which is responsible for the initiation of 80 -90% of MYC transcription (29), contains the GC-rich nuclease hypersensitive element (NHE) 2 III 1 to which doublestranded (Sp1) and single-stranded (CNBP and hnRNP k) transcriptional factors bind. Within the MYC gene's NHE III 1 , a 31-base pair element consisting of five repeats of the sequence (C/T)C(C/T)TCCCCA serves as the "on/off switch" for MYC trans...

Plastocyanin, which requires copper (Cu) as a cofactor, is an electron carrier in the thylakoid lumen and essential for photoautotrophic growth of plants. The Cu microRNAs, which are expressed during Cu deprivation, down-regulate several transcripts that encode for Cu proteins. Since plastocyanin is not targeted by the Cu microRNAs, a cofactor economy model has been proposed in which plants prioritize Cu for use in photosynthetic electron transport. However, defects in photosynthesis are classic symptoms of Cu deprivation, and priorities in Cu cofactor delivery have not been determined experimentally. Using hydroponically grown Populus trichocarpa (clone Nisqually-1), we have established a physiological and molecular baseline for the response to Cu deficiency. An integrated analysis showed that Cu depletion strongly reduces the activity of several Cu proteins including plastocyanin, and consequently, photosynthesis and growth are decreased. Whereas plastocyanin mRNA levels were only mildly affected by Cu depletion, this treatment strongly affected the expression of other Cu proteins via Cu microRNA-mediated transcript down-regulation. Polyphenol oxidase was newly identified as Cu regulated and targeted by a novel Cu microRNA, miR1444. Importantly, a spatiotemporal analysis after Cu resupply to previously depleted plants revealed that this micronutrient is preferentially allocated to developing photosynthetic tissues. Plastocyanin and photosynthetic electron transport efficiency were the first to recover after Cu addition, whereas recovery of the other Cu-dependent activities was delayed. Our findings lend new support to the hypothesis that the Cu microRNAs serve to mediate a prioritization of Cu cofactor use. These studies also highlight poplar as an alternative sequenced model for spatiotemporal analyses of nutritional homeostasis.

Region and depth of the posterior sclera are important factors that should be included when comparing scleral microstructure of G and NG tissue in experimental and computational work. The dramatic changes in the depth of the sclera may represent baseline properties that affect predisposition to primary open angle glaucoma (POAG), and necessitate that further research include depth as a factor in assessing how observed structural differences contribute to or are a result of POAG.

A main goal of tissue engineering is the development of scaffolds that replace, restore and improve injured tissue. These scaffolds have to mimic natural tissue, constituted by an extracellular matrix (ECM) support, cells attached to the ECM, and signaling molecules such as growth factors that regulate cell function. In this study we created electrospun flat sheet scaffolds using different compositions of gelatin and fibrinogen. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were seeded on the scaffolds, and proliferation and infiltration were evaluated. Additionally, different concentrations of Transforming Growth Factor-beta2 (TGFβ2) were added to the medium with the aim of elucidating its effect on cell proliferation, migration and collagen production. Our results demostrated that a scafold with a composition of 80% gelatin-20% fibrinogen is suitable for tissue engineering applications since it promotes cell growth and migration. The addition of TGFβ2 at low concentrations (≤1ng/ml) to the culture medium resulted in an increase in SMC proliferation and scaffold infiltration, and in the reduction of collagen production. In contrast, TGFβ2 at concentrations >1ng/ml inhibited cell proliferation and migration while stimulating collagen production. According to our results TGFβ2 concentration has a differential effect on SMC function and thus can be used as a biochemical modulator that can be beneficial for tissue engineering applications.

The lamina cribrosa (LC) is a connective tissue in the posterior eye with a complex mesh-like trabecular microstructure through which all the retinal ganglion cell axons and central retinal vessels pass. Recent studies have demonstrated that changes in the structure of the LC correlate with glaucomatous damage. Thus, accurate segmentation and reconstruction of the LC is of utmost importance. This paper presents a new automated method for segmenting the microstructure of the anterior LC in the images obtained via multiphoton microscopy using a combination of ideas. In order to reduce noise, we first smooth the input image using a 4-D collaborative filtering scheme. Next, we enhance the beam-like trabecular microstructure of the LC using wavelet multiresolution analysis. The enhanced LC microstructure is then automatically extracted using a combination of histogram thresholding and graph-cuts binarization. Finally, we use morphological area opening as a post-processing step to remove the small and unconnected 3-D regions in the binarized images. The performance of the proposed method is evaluated using mutual overlap accuracy, Tanimoto index, F-score, and Rand index. Quantitative and qualitative results show that the proposed algorithm provides improved segmentation accuracy and computational efficiency compared to the other recent algorithms.