Expression of CRABP I mRNA in fastigial cells of the developing cerebellum

Differential gene expression in ovarian carcinoma: identification of potential biomarkers

Ovarian cancer remains the fifth leading cause of cancer death for women in the United States. In this study, the gene expression of 20 ovarian carcinomas, 17 ovarian carcinomas metastatic to the omentum, and 50 normal ovaries was determined by Gene Logic Inc. using Affymetrix GeneChip HU_95 arrays containing approximately 12,000 known genes. Differences in gene expression were quantified as fold changes in gene expression in ovarian carcinomas compared to normal ovaries and ovarian carcinoma metastases. Genes up-regulated in ovarian carcinoma tissue samples compared to more than 300 other normal and diseased tissue samples were identified. Seven genes were selected for further screening by immunohistochemistry to determine the presence and localization of the proteins. These seven genes were: the beta8 integrin subunit, bone morphogenetic protein-7, claudin-4, collagen type IX alpha2, cellular retinoic acid binding protein-1, forkhead box J1, and S100 calcium-binding protein A1. Statistical analyses showed that the beta8 integrin subunit, claudin-4, and S100A1 provided the best distinction between ovarian carcinoma and normal ovary tissues, and may serve as the best candidate tumor markers among the seven genes studied. These results suggest that further exploration into other up-regulated genes may identify novel diagnostic, therapeutic, and/or prognostic biomarkers in ovarian carcinoma.

The meninges is a source of retinoic acid for the late-developing hindbrain

One general function for retinoic acid (RA) is pattern organization in the CNS. This regulatory factor has an essential role in spinal cord motor neuron and early posterior hindbrain development. In the anterior CNS, however, there is only a limited number of foci of RA synthesis, and less attention has been placed on regions such as the anterior hindbrain where RA synthesizing enzymes are absent. This study shows that a rich source of RA lies around the hindbrain from the RA synthetic enzyme retinaldehyde dehydrogenase-2 (RALDH2) present in the surrounding meninges and mesenchyme by embryonic day 13. RALDH2 is not distributed uniformly throughout the meninges but is restricted to territories over the developing hindbrain, suggesting that RA signaling may be localized to those regions. Further regulation of RA signaling is provided by the presence of a RA sink in the form of the CYP26B1 RA catabolic enzyme expressed in deeper regions of the brain. As a guide to the neural anatomy of hindbrain RA signaling, we used a mouse transgenic for a lacZ reporter gene driven by a RA response element (RAREhsplacZ) to identify regions of RA signaling. This reporter mouse provides evidence that RA signaling in the hindbrain after embryonic day 13 occurs in the regions of the cerebellum and precerebellar system adjacent to sources of RA, including the inferior olive and the pontine nuclei.