Anti-THRA monoclonal antibody, clone 3204

HER2 gene amplification is observed in about 15% of breast cancers. The subgroup of HER2-positive breast cancers appears to be heterogeneous and presents complex patterns of gene amplification at the locus on chromosome 17q12-21. The molecular variations within the chromosome 17q amplicon and their clinical implications remain largely unknown. Besides the well-known TOP2A gene encoding Topoisomerase IIA, other genes might also be amplified and could play functional roles in breast cancer development and progression. This review will focus on the current knowledge concerning the HER2 amplicon heterogeneity, its clinical and biological impact and the pitfalls associated with the evaluation of gene amplifications at this locus, with particular attention to TOP2A and the link between TOP2A and anthracycline benefit. In addition it will discuss the clinical and biological implications of the amplification of ten other genes at this locus (MEDI, STARD3, GRB7, THRA, RARA, IGFPB4, CCR7, KRT20, KRT19 and GAST) in breast cancer. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The genus Bradyrhizobium has been considered to be a taxonomically difficult group. In this study, phylogenetics and evolutionary genetics analyses were used to investigate divergence levels among Bradyrhizobium strains nodulating soybeans in China. Eleven genospecies were identified by sequence analysis of three phylogenetic and taxonomic markers (SMc00019, thrA, and truA). This was also supported by analyses of eight genes outside the symbiosis island ("off-island" genes; SMc00019, thrA, truA, fabB, glyA, phyR, exoN, and hsfA). However, seven genes inside the symbiosis island ("island" genes; nifA, nifH, nodC, nodV, fixA, trpD, and rhcC2) showed contrasting lower levels of nucleotide diversity and recombination rates than did off-island genes. Island genes had significantly incongruent gene phylogenies compared to the species tree. Four phylogenetic clusters were observed in island genes, and the epidemic cluster IV (harbored by Bradyrhizobium japonicum, Bradyrhizobium diazoefficiens, Bradyrhizobium huanghuaihaiense, Bradyrhizobium liaoningense, Bradyrhizobium daqingense, Bradyrhizobium sp. I, Bradyrhizobium sp. III, and Bradyrhizobium sp. IV) was not found in Bradyrhizobium yuanmingense, Bradyrhizobium sp. II, or Bradyrhizobium elkanii. The gene flow level of island genes among genospecies is discussed in the context of the divergence level of off-island genes.