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pubmed:abstractText |
The nucleotide-binding protein Fhit, among the earliest and most frequently inactivated proteins in lung cancer, suppresses tumor formation by inducing apoptosis. In invertebrates, Fhit is encoded as a fusion protein with Nit, a member of the nitrilase superfamily. In mice, the Nit1 and Fhit genes have nearly identical expression profiles. According to the Rosetta Stone hypothesis, if the separate Nit and Fhit genes could be shown to occur in the same subset of genomes (that is, to share a phylogenetic profile), then the existence of a fusion protein in invertebrates and the coordinated expression of separate mRNAs in mouse suggest that Nit and Fhit function in the same pathway and that the structure of invertebrate NitFhit may reflect the nature of Nit-Fhit interactions.
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pubmed:affiliation |
Structural Biology and Bioinformatics Program, Kimmel Cancer Center, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19107, USA.
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pubmed:publicationType |
Journal Article,
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.,
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.,
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
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