title: Differential detection of alternatively spliced variants of Ciz1 in normal and cancer cells using a custom exon-junction microarray.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Ciz1 promotes initiation of mammalian DNA replication and is present within nuclear matrix associated DNA replication factories. Depletion of Ciz1 from normal and cancer cells restrains entry to S phase and inhibits cell proliferation. Several alternative splicing events with putative functional consequences have been identified and reported, but many more variants are predicted to exist based on publicly available mRNAs and expressed sequence tags.
  
  
  METHODS
  Here we report the development and validation of a custom exon and exon-junction microarray focused on the human CIZ1 gene, capable of reproducible detection of differential splice-variant expression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Using a pair of paediatric cancer cell lines and a pool of eight normal lines as reference, the array identified expected and novel CIZ1 splicing events. One novel variant (delta 8-12) that encodes a predicted protein lacking key functional sites, was validated by quantitative RT-PCR and found to be over-represented in a range of other cancer cell lines, and over half of a panel of primary lung tumours.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Expression of CIZ1 delta 8-12 appears to be restricted to cancer cells, and may therefore be a useful novel biomarker.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of York, UK.
authors.forename: Faisal A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Rahman
authors.forename: Naveed
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aziz
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Coverley
mesh_terms: D017398:Alternative Splicing / Q000235:genetics*; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D001932:Brain Neoplasms / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D002478:Cells, Cultured; D002648:Child; D005091:Exons / Q000235:genetics*; D005347:Fibroblasts / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D007668:Kidney / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D008168:Lung / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D018242:Neuroectodermal Tumors, Primitive / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D009687:Nuclear Proteins / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism; D020411:Oligonucleotide Array Sequence Analysis; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000235:genetics; D020133:Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; D012512:Sarcoma, Ewing / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D012867:Skin / Q000166:cytology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: C400423:Ciz1 protein, human; D009687:Nuclear Proteins; D012333:RNA, Messenger