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List Of Unusual Biological Names
The trouble with unusual names has not been lost on scientists when needing to explain genetic diseases to lay-people. This has particularly been noted in patients with a defect in the sonic hedgehog gene pathway and the disease formerly named CATCH22 for "cardiac anomaly, T-cell deficit, clefting and hypocalcaemia for chromosome 22q11.2 microdeletions". This name was abandoned due to the no-win connotations. In 1993 Alfonso Martinez Arias, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, was ordered to change the name of the gene he had discovered, VELCRO, because of copyright issues with Velcro. The gene was renamed to ''puckered''. In 2005, Pokémon threatened to sue the discoverer of POKEMON because the name was attracting attention when its link to the development of cancer was published. Genes and proteins In the early discovery days of genomics, genes were often given creative names upon discovery. Although a nomenclature committee has now been formed, several of these names ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonic Hedgehog
Sonic hedgehog protein (SHH) is encoded for by the ''SHH'' gene. The protein is named after the character ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. This signaling molecule is key in regulating embryonic morphogenesis in all animals. SHH controls organogenesis and the organization of the central nervous system, limbs, digits and many other parts of the body. Sonic hedgehog is a morphogen that patterns the developing embryo using a concentration gradient characterized by the French flag model. This model has a non-uniform distribution of SHH molecules which governs different cell fates according to concentration. Mutations in this gene can cause holoprosencephaly, a failure of splitting in the cerebral hemispheres, as demonstrated in an experiment using SHH knock-out mice in which the forebrain midline failed to develop and instead only a single fused telencephalic vesicle resulted. Sonic hedgehog still plays a role in differentiation, proliferation, and maintenance of adult tissues. Abnormal activ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Exuperantia
The Diocese of Troyes (Latin: ''Dioecesis Trecensis''; French: ''Diocèse de Troyes'') is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory or diocese of the Catholic Church in Troyes, France. The diocese now comprises the ''département'' of Aube. Erected in the 4th century, the diocese is currently a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of Reims. It was re-established in 1802 as a suffragan of the Archbishopric of Paris, when it comprised the ''départements'' of Aube and Yonne and its bishop had the titles of Troyes, Auxerre, and Châlons-sur-Marne. In 1822 the See of Châlons was created and the Bishop of Troyes lost that title. When Sens was made an archdiocese, the episcopal title of Auxerre went to it and Troyes lost also the ''département'' of Yonne, which became the Archdiocese of Sens. The Diocese of Troyes covers, besides the ancient diocesan limits, 116 parishes of the ancient Diocese of Langres and 20 belonging to the ancient dioc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
LFNG
Beta-1,3-N-acetylglucosaminyltransferase lunatic fringe, (Lunatic Fringe), is a protein encoded in humans by the ''LFNG'' gene. This gene encodes a member of the glycosyltransferase superfamily. The encoded protein is a single-pass type II Golgi membrane protein that functions as a fucose-specific glycosyltransferase, adding an N-acetylglucosamine to the fucose residue of a group of signaling receptors involved in regulating cell fate decisions during development. Mutations in this gene have been associated with autosomal recessive spondylocostal dysostosis 3. Alternatively spliced transcript variants that encode different isoforms have been described, however, not all variants have been fully characterized. Function ''LFNG'' is a gene whose role in embryonic development is to establish the anterior boundary of somites, which will eventually develop in vertebrae, ribs, and dermis. Lunatic Fringe responds to certain threshold ratios of retinoic acid and FGF-8 in order to mark th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Indy (gene)
Indy, short for I'm not dead yet, is a gene found in the fruit fly ''Drosophila melanogaster'', an important model organism. Mutant versions of this gene have doubled the average life span of fruit flies in at least one set of experiments, but this result has been subject to controversy. Both Indy proteins are sodium sulfate symporters. Its name originates from a well-known comic line in '' Monty Python and the Holy Grail''. Reduced expression of this gene in ''Drosophila melanogaster'' flies and ''C. elegans'' worms () modeled the effects on obesity and diabetes of caloric reduction in primates such as humans. A similar effect was seen with SLC13A5 (mIndy) knockouts of mice. See also *Cellular biology References External links Indyat FlyBase FlyBase is an online bioinformatics database and the primary repository of genetic and molecular data for the insect family Drosophilidae. For the most extensively studied species and model organism, ''Drosophila melanogaster ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonic The Hedgehog
is a Japanese video game series and media franchise created by Sega. The franchise follows Sonic, an anthropomorphic blue hedgehog who battles the evil Doctor Eggman, a mad scientist. The main ''Sonic the Hedgehog'' games are platformers mostly developed by Sonic Team; other games, developed by various studios, include spin-offs in the racing, fighting, party and sports genres. The franchise also incorporates printed media, animations, feature films, and merchandise. Sega developed the first ''Sonic'' game, released in 1991 for the Sega Genesis, to compete with Nintendo's mascot Mario. Its success helped Sega become one of the leading video game companies during the fourth generation of video game consoles in the early 1990s. Sega Technical Institute developed the next three ''Sonic'' games, plus the spin-off ''Sonic Spinball'' (1993). A number of ''Sonic'' games were also developed for Sega's 8-bit consoles, the Master System and Game Gear. After a hiatus during the unsuc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Patched
Patched (Ptc) is a conserved 12-pass transmembrane protein receptor that plays an obligate negative regulatory role in the Hedgehog signaling pathway in insects and vertebrates. Patched is an essential gene in embryogenesis for proper segmentation in the fly embryo, mutations in which may be embryonic lethal. Patched functions as the receptor for the Hedgehog protein and controls its spatial distribution, in part via endocytosis of bound Hedgehog protein, which is then targeted for lysosomal degradation. Discovery The original mutations in the ''ptc'' gene were discovered in the fruit fly ''Drosophila melanogaster'' by 1995 Nobel Laureates Eric F. Wieschaus and Christiane Nusslein-Volhard and colleagues, and the gene was independently cloned in 1989 by Joan Hooper in the laboratory of Matthew P. Scott, and by Philip Ingham and colleagues. Role in hedgehog signaling Patched is part of a negative feedback mechanism for hedgehog signaling that helps shape the sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Frizzled
Frizzled is a family of atypical G protein-coupled receptors that serve as receptors in the Wnt signaling pathway and other signaling pathways. When activated, Frizzled leads to activation of Dishevelled in the cytosol. Species distribution Frizzled proteins and the genes that encode them have been identified in an array of animals, from sponges to humans. Function Frizzled proteins also play key roles in governing cell polarity, embryonic development, formation of neural synapses, cell proliferation, and many other processes in developing and adult organisms. These processes occur as a result of one of three signaling pathways. These include the canonical Wnt/β-catenin pathway, Wnt/calcium pathway, and planar cell polarity (PCP) pathway. Mutations in the human frizzled-4 receptor have been linked to familial exudative vitreoretinopathy, a rare disease affecting the retina at the back of the eye, and the vitreous, the clear fluid inside the eye. The frizzled (fz) locu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Smoothened
Smoothened is a protein that in humans is encoded by the SMO gene. Smoothened is a Class Frizzled (Class F) G protein-coupled receptor that is a component of the hedgehog signaling pathway and is conserved from flies to humans. It is the molecular target of the natural teratogen cyclopamine. It also is the target of vismodegib, the first hedgehog pathway inhibitor to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Smoothened (Smo) is a key transmembrane protein that is a key component of the hedgehog signaling pathway, a cell-cell communication system critical for embryonic development and adult tissue homeostasis. Mutations in proteins that relay Hh signals between cells cause birth defects and cancer. The protein that carries the Hh signal across the membrane is the oncoprotein and G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) Smoothened (Smo). Smo is regulated by a separate transmembrane receptor for Hh ligands called Patched (Ptc). Ptc itself is a tumor suppressor that keeps ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
IHH (protein)
Indian hedgehog homolog (Drosophila), also known as IHH, is a protein which in humans is encoded by the ''IHH'' gene. This cell signaling protein is in the hedgehog signaling pathway. The several mammalian variants of the ''Drosophila'' hedgehog gene ( which was the first named) have been named after the various species of hedgehog; the Indian hedgehog is honored by this one. The gene is not specific to Indian hedgehogs. Function The Indian hedgehog protein is one of three proteins in the mammalian hedgehog family, the others being desert hedgehog (DHH) and sonic hedgehog (SHH). It is involved in chondrocyte differentiation, proliferation and maturation especially during endochondral ossification Endochondral ossification is one of the two essential processes during fetal development of the mammalian skeletal system by which bone tissue is produced. Unlike intramembranous ossification, the other process by which bone tissue is produced, c .... It regulates its effects by feedba ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Desert Hedgehog (protein)
Desert hedgehog, also Desert hedgehog homolog or Dhh, is a protein encoded by the DHH gene, and is a member of the hedgehog signaling pathway. The human homolog (DHH) is on chromosome band 12q13.1. The protein encoded by this gene is involved in cell signaling. The several mammalian variants of the ''Drosophila'' hedgehog gene ( which was the first named) have been named after the various species of hedgehog; the desert hedgehog is honored by this one. The gene is not specific to desert hedgehogs. Function This gene encodes a member of the hedgehog family. The hedgehog gene family encodes signaling molecules that play an important role in regulating morphogenesis. This protein is predicted to be made as a precursor that is autocatalytically cleaved; the N-terminal portion is soluble and contains the signalling activity while the C-terminal portion is involved in precursor processing. More importantly, the C-terminal product covalently attaches a cholesterol moiety to the N-term ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sonic Hedgehog
Sonic hedgehog protein (SHH) is encoded for by the ''SHH'' gene. The protein is named after the character ''Sonic the Hedgehog''. This signaling molecule is key in regulating embryonic morphogenesis in all animals. SHH controls organogenesis and the organization of the central nervous system, limbs, digits and many other parts of the body. Sonic hedgehog is a morphogen that patterns the developing embryo using a concentration gradient characterized by the French flag model. This model has a non-uniform distribution of SHH molecules which governs different cell fates according to concentration. Mutations in this gene can cause holoprosencephaly, a failure of splitting in the cerebral hemispheres, as demonstrated in an experiment using SHH knock-out mice in which the forebrain midline failed to develop and instead only a single fused telencephalic vesicle resulted. Sonic hedgehog still plays a role in differentiation, proliferation, and maintenance of adult tissues. Abnormal activ ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hedgehog Signaling Pathway
The Hedgehog signaling pathway is a signaling pathway that transmits information to embryonic cells required for proper cell differentiation. Different parts of the embryo have different concentrations of hedgehog signaling proteins. The pathway also has roles in the adult. Diseases associated with the malfunction of this pathway include cancer. The Hedgehog signaling pathway is one of the key regulators of animal development and is present in all bilaterians. The pathway takes its name from its polypeptide ligand, an intracellular signaling molecule called Hedgehog (''Hh'') found in fruit flies of the genus ''Drosophila''; fruit fly larva lacking the ''Hh'' gene are said to resemble hedgehogs. ''Hh'' is one of Drosophila's segment polarity gene products, involved in establishing the basis of the fly body plan. Larvae without ''Hh'' are short and spiny, resembling the hedgehog animal. The molecule remains important during later stages of embryogenesis and metamorphosis. Mamma ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
