User:Arey393/sandbox

Week 3 - Article Evaluation
The article for "Nonsense mutation" has a "Start" rating. It is part of the WikiProject Genetics and the WikiProject Molecular and Cell Biology. The main problem I found with this article was that very little is sourced. There are only two citations used for the entire article so many statements made are completely unsourced. One of the two citations was retrieved in 2007 and the link no longer leads to the article. However, the other citation is recent and reliable. While the section on pathology associated with nonsense mutations was interesting, it is definitely lacking information. A section on treatments of these genetic disorders with updated information would help. Also, some grammar mistakes and run-on sentences ruin the flow of the article. The talk page is very sparse with the most recent addition being from 2012. Finally, the information in the article stays on topic and carries a neutral viewpoint.

Good job. Keep it up! AdamCF87 (talk) 17:37, 5 October 2017 (UTC)

DmX gene
-need to fix grammar, could add more sources, expand on info, add subheadings, describe discovery of the gene, add info about WD repeat proteins

Evx1
-could add more info, add subheadings

Week 7 - Article Draft for DmX gene
DmX is a gene located on the X chromosome in Drosophila that encodes for a relatively large WD-repeat protein. Although its function is unknown, its sequence is highly conserved across many species, suggesting that it has an essential function. Two orthologs of DmX exist in humans, DMXL1 and DMXL2, the latter of which codes for the synaptic protein rabconnectin-3α.

Discovery
The discovery of DmX was published in the journal Gene in 1998. It was discovered using a comparative genomics approach that found sequence homology to CpY, a gene found in the sex determining region of the Y chromosome of the hoverfly C. piger.

Structure
DmX is located in region 5D5/6-E1 of the X chromosome in Drosophila. The gene is approximately 16 kb long. It includes 15 exons which make up a transcript with a length of 11.5 kb. DmX has a relatively small promoter region that is likely shorter than 200 bp, leaving little space for regulatory elements. It was suggested that regulatory elements may be present within the first intron which is unusually large at more than 2.4 kb long.

Function
The transcript for DmX was found in Drosophila embryos, larvae, and adults in both males and females, indicating that the gene is expressed in all developmental stages of Drosophila and does not have sex-specific expression.

DmX encodes for a relatively large protein consisting of 3427 amino acids with a molecular wight of approximately 380 kDa. Its protein belongs to the superfamily of WD-repeat proteins which consists of mainly regulatory proteins involved in a variety of cellular processes. All WD-repeat proteins contain a moderately conserved WD-repeat motif that consists of approximately 40 amino acids ending with a tryptophan-aspartate (WD) dipeptide. The motif is likely responsible for protein-protein interactions. In most WD-repeat proteins the motif is repeated four to eight times. DmX has an unusually high repetition of the WD-repeat motif at approximately 30 repeats. It has been suggested that DmX may be a member of a novel class of WD-repeat proteins which contain significantly more motif repeats.

Although DmX was discovered as a homologue for CpY, a gene involved in sex-determination, it does not appear to play a role in sex determination in Drosophila.

Orthologs of DmX have been discovered in C. elegans, the mouse, and humans. This high evolutionary conservation suggests that DmX plays a significant role in proper functioning.

Human Orthologs
Two orthologs for the DmX gene have been discovered in humans, DMXL1 and DMXL2.

DMXL1 is located on chromosome 5 and codes for a large WD-repeat protein consisting of 3027 amino acids and approximately 28 WD-repeat units. It is expressed in a number of different tissues. Its function is unknown. In a paper published in 2011, mutations occurring in DMXL1 were linked to tumour growth.

DMXL2 is located on chromosome 15 and encodes the synaptic protein rabconnectin-3α. DMXL2 plays a role in puberty and is a regulator of Notch signalling. Haploinsufficiency of DMXL2 causes delayed puberty, reduced fertility, and abnormal glucose metabolism. A study published in 2015 identified DMXL2 as a biomarker for ERα positive breast cancer.