%0 Journal Article
%T Research Highlights
%A Robert I Scheinman
%J Human Genomics
%D 2011
%I BioMed Central
%R 10.1186/1479-7364-5-6-522
%X Chen P. et al. (2011), 'Carbamazepine-induced toxic effects and HLA-B*1502 screening in Taiwan', N. Engl. J. Med. Vol. 364, pp. 1126-1133.The immune response, if not terminated, may move from eradication of pathogens to destruction of host tissues (as is seen in autoimmune disease). The FAS receptor mediates this by initiating lymphocyte apoptosis. In studies of sub-Saharan malaria, elevated levels of FAS and FAS ligand have been measured in multiple studies. Rather than simply considering this a mark of elevated immune function, Schuldt and co-workers used this as the basis for a focused examination of the FAS gene. Interestingly, they identified a promoter polymorphism (- 436C > A) which conferred a 29 per cent reduced risk of children developing severe malaria. Individuals homozygous for this substitution showed a three-fold increase in FAS expression in blood-derived lymphocytes, as compared with individuals with the wild-type sequence. These data strongly suggest that the removal of activated lymphocytes is an important step in the response to this parasite.Schuldt, K. et al. (2011), 'A - 436C > A polymorphism in the human FAS gene promoter associated with severe childhood malaria', PLoS Genet. Vol. 7, pp. 1-10.Cyclin D1 is overexpressed in many cancers. To understand its function better, Jirawatnotai et al. laboriously identified cyclin D1-interacting proteins via immunoprecipitation followed by repeated rounds of liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LCMS). The result: cyclin D1 was found to interact not only with the expected cell cycle machinery, but also with components of the DNA repair complex. The authors went on to show that cyclin D1 interacts directly with RAD51 and that this interaction is completely independent of its cyclin-dependent kinase (CDK) activity. A reduction in cyclin D1 expression in cancer cells increased their sensitivity to radiation, suggesting that it may serve as a useful new target. We need all the targets we can get.Jirawatno
%U http://www.humgenomics.com/content/5/6/522