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Medea Gene
''Medea'' is a gene from the fruit fly ''Drosophila melanogaster'' that was one of the first two Smad genes discovered. For both genes, the maternal effect lethality was the basis for the selection of their names. ''Medea'' was named for the mythological Greek Medea, who killed her progeny fathered by Jason. Both ''Medea'' and '' Mothers against dpp'' were identified in a genetic screen for maternal effect mutations that caused lethality of heterozygous decapentaplegic progeny. Because decapentaplegic is a bone morphogenetic protein in the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, identification of the fly ''Smad'' genes provided a much-needed clue to understand the signal transduction pathway for this diverse family of extracellular proteins. Humans, mice, and other vertebrates have a gene with the same function as ''Medea'', called ''SMAD4''. An overview of the biology of ''Medea'' is found at The Interactive Fly, and the details of ''Medea''s genetics and molecular biology a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Drosophila Melanogaster
''Drosophila melanogaster'' is a species of fly (an insect of the Order (biology), order Diptera) in the family Drosophilidae. The species is often referred to as the fruit fly or lesser fruit fly, or less commonly the "vinegar fly", "pomace fly", or "banana fly". In the wild, ''D. melanogaster'' are attracted to rotting fruit and fermenting beverages, and are often found in orchards, kitchens and pubs. Starting with Charles W. Woodworth's 1901 proposal of the use of this species as a model organism, ''D. melanogaster'' continues to be widely used for biological research in genetics, physiology, microbial pathogenesis, and Life history theory, life history evolution. ''D. melanogaster'' was the first animal to be Fruit flies in space, launched into space in 1947. As of 2017, six Nobel Prizes have been awarded to drosophilists for their work using the insect. ''Drosophila melanogaster'' is typically used in research owing to its rapid life cycle, relatively simple genetics with on ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SMAD (protein)
Smads (or SMADs) comprise a family of structurally similar proteins that are the main signal transducers for receptors of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-B) superfamily, which are critically important for regulating cell development and growth. The abbreviation refers to the homologies to the ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' SMA ("small" worm phenotype) and Mothers against decapentaplegic, MAD family ("Mothers Against Decapentaplegic") of genes in ''Drosophila''. There are three distinct sub-types of Smads: receptor-regulated Smads (R-SMAD, R-Smads), common partner Smads (Co-Smads), and inhibitory Smads (I-SMAD, I-Smads). The eight members of the Smad family are divided among these three groups. Protein trimer, Trimers of two receptor-regulated SMADs and one co-SMAD act as transcription factors that regulate the expression of certain genes. Sub-types The R-Smads consist of mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 1, Smad1, mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2, Smad2, mothers ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Maternal Effect
A maternal effect is a situation where the phenotype of an organism is determined not only by the environment it experiences and its genotype, but also by the environment and genotype of its mother. In genetics, maternal effects occur when an organism shows the phenotype expected from the genotype of the mother, irrespective of its own genotype, often due to the mother supplying messenger RNA or proteins to the egg. Maternal effects can also be caused by the maternal environment independent of genotype, sometimes controlling the size, sex, or behaviour of the offspring. These adaptive maternal effects lead to phenotypes of offspring that increase their fitness. Further, it introduces the concept of phenotypic plasticity, an important evolutionary concept. It has been proposed that maternal effects are important for the evolution of adaptive responses to environmental heterogeneity. In genetics In genetics, a maternal effect occurs when the phenotype of an organism is determined by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Medea
In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high-priestess of the goddess Hecate. She is a mythical granddaughter of the sun god Helios and a niece of Circe, an enchantress goddess. Her mother may have been Idyia. She first appears in Hesiod's ''Theogony'' around 700 BC, but is best known from Euripides's 5th-century BC tragedy ''Medea (play), Medea'' and Apollonius of Rhodes's 3rd-century BC epic ''Argonautica''. In the myth of the Argonauts, she aids Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece. Medea later marries him, but eventually kills their children and his other bride according to some versions of her story. In the ''Argonautica'', Medea plays the archetypal role of helper-maiden, aiding Jason in his search for the Golden Fleece, using her magic to save his life and kills her bro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jason
Jason ( ; ) was an ancient Greek mythological hero and leader of the Argonauts, whose quest for the Golden Fleece is featured in Greek literature. He was the son of Aeson, the rightful king of Iolcos. He was married to the sorceress Medea, the granddaughter of the sungod Helios. Jason appeared in various literary works in the classical world of Greece and Rome, including the epic poem ''Argonautica'' and the tragedy '' Medea''. In the modern world, Jason has emerged as a character in various adaptations of his myths, such as the 1963 film '' Jason and the Argonauts'' and the 2000 TV miniseries of the same name. Persecution by Pelias Pelias (Aeson's half-brother) was power-hungry and sought to gain dominion over all of Thessaly. Pelias was the progeny of a union between their shared mother, Tyro ("high born Tyro"), the daughter of Salmoneus, and the sea god Poseidon. In a bitter feud, he overthrew Aeson (the rightful king), killing all the descendants of Aeson ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mothers Against Dpp
Mothers against decapentaplegic is a protein from the SMAD family that was discovered in ''Drosophila''. During ''Drosophila'' research, it was found that a mutation in the gene in the mother repressed the gene decapentaplegic in the embryo. The phrase "Mothers against" was added as a humorous take-off on organizations opposing various issues e.g. Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD); and based on a tradition of such unusual naming within the gene research community. Several human homologues are known: * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 1 * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 2 * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 3 * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4 * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 5 * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 6 * Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 7 Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 7 or SMAD7 is a protein that in humans is encoded by the ''SMAD7'' gene. SMAD7 is a protein that, as its name describes, is a homolog o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Decapentaplegic
''Decapentaplegic'' (''Dpp'') is a key morphogen involved in the development of the fruit fly ''Drosophila melanogaster'' and is the first validated secreted morphogen. It is known to be necessary for the correct patterning and development of the early ''Drosophila'' embryo and the fifteen imaginal discs, which are tissues that will become limbs and other organs and structures in the adult fly. It has also been suggested that ''Dpp'' plays a role in regulating the growth and size of tissues. Flies with mutations in decapentaplegic fail to form these structures correctly, hence the name (''decapenta''-, fifteen; -''plegic'', paralysis). ''Dpp'' is the ''Drosophila'' homolog of the vertebrate bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs), which are members of the transforming growth factor beta superfamily, TGF-β superfamily, a class of proteins that are often associated with their own specific signaling pathway. Studies of ''Dpp'' in ''Drosophila'' have led to greater understanding of the func ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bone Morphogenetic Protein
Bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are a group of growth factors also known as cytokines and as metabologens. Professor Marshall Urist and Professor Hari Reddi discovered their ability to induce the formation of bone and cartilage, BMPs are now considered to constitute a group of pivotal morphogenetic signals, orchestrating tissue architecture throughout the body. The important functioning of BMP signals in physiology is emphasized by the multitude of roles for dysregulated BMP signalling in pathological processes. Cancerous disease often involves misregulation of the BMP signalling system. Absence of BMP signalling is, for instance, an important factor in the progression of colon cancer, and conversely, overactivation of BMP signalling following reflux-induced esophagitis provokes Barrett's esophagus and is thus instrumental in the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Recombinant human BMPs (rhBMPs) are used in orthopedic applications such as spinal fusions, nonunions, an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Transforming Growth Factor Beta Superfamily
The transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β) superfamily is a large group of structurally related cell regulatory proteins that was named after its first member, TGF-β1, originally described in 1983. They interact with TGF-beta receptors. Many proteins have since been described as members of the TGF-β superfamily in a variety of species, including invertebrates as well as vertebrates and categorized into 23 distinct gene types that fall into four major subfamilies: * The TGF-β subfamily * The bone morphogenetic proteins and the growth differentiation factors * The activin and inhibin subfamilies * The left-right determination factors * A group encompassing various divergent members Transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta) is a multifunctional peptide that controls proliferation, differentiation and other functions in many cell types. TGF-beta-1 is a peptide of 112 amino acid residues derived by proteolytic cleavage from the C-terminal of a precursor protein. These ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Signal Transduction
Signal transduction is the process by which a chemical or physical signal is transmitted through a cell as a biochemical cascade, series of molecular events. Proteins responsible for detecting stimuli are generally termed receptor (biology), receptors, although in some cases the term sensor is used. The changes elicited by ligand (biochemistry), ligand binding (or signal sensing) in a receptor give rise to a biochemical cascade, which is a chain of biochemical events known as a Cell signaling#Signaling pathways, signaling pathway. When signaling pathways interact with one another they form networks, which allow cellular responses to be coordinated, often by combinatorial signaling events. At the molecular level, such responses include changes in the transcription (biology), transcription or translation (biology), translation of genes, and post-translational modification, post-translational and conformational changes in proteins, as well as changes in their location. These molecula ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SMAD4
SMAD4, also called SMAD family member 4, Mothers against decapentaplegic homolog 4, or DPC4 (Deleted in Pancreatic Cancer-4) is a highly conserved protein present in all metazoans. It belongs to the SMAD family of transcription factor proteins, which act as mediators of TGF-β signal transduction. The TGFβ family of cytokines regulates critical processes during the lifecycle of metazoans, with important roles during embryo development, tissue homeostasis, regeneration, and immune regulation. SMAD 4 belongs to the co-SMAD group (''common mediator'' SMAD), the second class of the SMAD family. SMAD4 is the only known co-SMAD in most metazoans. It also belongs to the Dwarfin family of proteins that modulate members of the TGFβ protein superfamily, a family of proteins that all play a role in the regulation of cellular responses. Mammalian SMAD4 is a homolog of the ''Drosophila'' protein " Mothers against decapentaplegic" named Medea. SMAD4 interacts with R-Smads, such as SMA ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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'', a wide range of data are presented in different formats. Information in FlyBase originates from a variety of sources ranging from large-scale genome projects to the primary research literature. These data types include mutant phenotypes; molecular characterization of mutant alleles; and other deviations, cytological maps, wild-type expression patterns, anatomical images, transgenic constructs and insertions, sequence-level gene models, and molecular classification of gene product functions. Query tools allow navigation of FlyBase through DNA or protein sequence, by gene or mutant name, or through terms from the several ontologies used to capture functional, phenotypic, and anatomical data. The database offers several different query tools in order to provid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
