Correlation between cytogenetic abnormalities in cells and metabolic shifts in children with spinal deformities

We studied the relationship between cytogenetic abnormalities in buccal epithelial cells and metabolic shifts in children with scoliosis and kyphosis. The incidence of nucleus abnormalities and the corresponding metabolic shifts were found to depend on the presence of spinal deformities and ecological factors. The problem of formation of risk groups for spinal deformities in ecologically unfavorable regions is discussed.

[Use of the modified method of chromatin immunoprecipitation for the isolation of actively transcribed loci]

A modified version of the chromosomal immunoprecipitation (ChIP) assay was implemented for discrete isolation and characterization of actively transcribed genes. Specifically, it was demonstrated with the gene II/9-1 of Sciara coprophila as a model locus that significant enhancement in the isolation of actively transcribed versus repressed and inactive genes can be achieved through the ChIP methodology. A combination of solid-phase magnetic bead technology with chromosomal immunoprecipitation using antibodies that recognize the large subunit (c) of RNA polymerase II resulted in efficient isolation of the promoter region of gene II/9-1 exclusively during the amplification stage of larval development, when the gene is actively transcribed. It is postulated that the novel technology described herein can be applied to a wide variety of systems for efficient isolation and in vivo assessment of actively transcribed genes regulated by virtually any given transcription factor.

[Identification of two new p53 target genes through implementation of the modified chromatin immunoprecipitation method and inverse PCR]

Direct target loci for the transcription factor p53 were identified through the employment of a combination of a modified version of chromosomal immunoprecipitation and inverse PCR. Irradiation of Hela cells to drive DNA damage response was followed by sequential chromosomal immunoprecipitation utilizing antibodies which recognize the large subunit of RNA polymerase II and p53. Inverse PCR with degenerate oligonucleotides specific for the p53 binding site was subsequently performed on immunoprecipitated DNA and fragments containing putative p53 target genes were subcloned and sequenced. Two sequences were identified which contain near-consensus p53 binding sites as well as recognition sites for the core transcriptional machinery including RNA polymerase II and Sp1. Cotransfections of vectors containing these sequences linked to a reporter with p53 expression vectors resulted in stimulation of transcription. Application of the technology described herein may result in the identification of target loci for a wide variety of transcription factors.