Irizarry et al (pages 193–203) have constructed a large panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) identified in 68 candidate genes for obesity. They combine novel SNP identification methods based on EST data, with public SNP data from large-scale genomic sequencing, to produce a total of 218 SNPs in the coding regions of obesity candidate genes, 178 SNPs in untranslated regions, and over 1000 intronic SNPs. Their data show evidence of negative selection among these polymorphisms implying functional impacts of the non-conservative mutations.
The molecular mechanism of immunoglobulin A nephropathy (IgAN), the most common primary renal glomerular disease worldwide, is unknown. HIGA (high serum IgA) mouse is a valid model of IgAN showing almost all of the pathological features, including mesangial cell proliferation. Katsuma et al (pages 211–217) elucidate a pattern of gene expression associated with IgAN by analyzing the diseased kidneys on cDNA microarrays, showing an enhanced expression of several genes regulating the cell cycle and proliferation, including growth factors and their receptors, as well as endothelial differentiation gene-5 (EDG5), a receptor for sphingosine 1-phosphate (SPP).
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