Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
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| pdgf-b: the missing piece in the mosaic of pdgf family role in craniofacial development. | the platelet-derived growth factor (pdgf) family consists of four ligands (pdgf-a, pdgf-b, pdgf-c, pdgf-d) and two tyrosine kinase receptors (pdgfr-α and pdgfr-β). in vertebrates, pdgf signaling influences cell proliferation, migration, and matrix deposition, and its up-regulation is implicated in cancer progression. despite this evidence, the role of each family member during embryogenesis is still incomplete and partially controversial. in particular, study of the role of pdgf signaling during ... | 2019 | 31070827 |
| xenopus resources: transgenic, inbred and mutant animals, training opportunities, and web-based support. | two species of the clawed frog family, xenopus laevis and x. tropicalis, are widely used as tools to investigate both normal and disease-state biochemistry, genetics, cell biology, and developmental biology. to support both frog specialist and non-specialist scientists needing access to these models for their research, a number of centralized resources exist around the world. these include centers that hold live and frozen stocks of transgenic, inbred and mutant animals and centers that hold mol ... | 2019 | 31073289 |
| neurotoxicity and mode of action of fluralaner on honeybee apis mellifera l. | fluralaner, a novel pesticide that targets the γ-aminobutyric acid (gaba) receptor (gabar) subunit of resistant to dieldrin (rdl), exhibits strong potential to be an insecticide to control agricultural insect pests. however, the risk and action of fluralaner to economic insects, e.g., honeybee apis mellifera linnaeus, remains unclear. | 2019 | 31081291 |
| spindle-f-actin interactions in mitotic spindles in an intact vertebrate epithelium. | mitotic spindles are well known to be assembled from and dependent on microtubules. in contrast, whether actin filaments (f-actin) are required for or are even present in mitotic spindles has long been controversial. here we have developed improved methods for simultaneously preserving f-actin and microtubules in fixed samples and exploited them to demonstrate that f-actin is indeed associated with mitotic spindles in intact xenopus laevis embryonic epithelia. we also find that there is an "f-ac ... | 2019 | 31091161 |
| embryonic expression of gins members in the development of the mammalian nervous system. | the gins (go, ichi, nii, and san) complex contains four protein subunits (psf1, psf2, psf3, and sld5) and has been identified as a factor essential for the initiation and elongation stages of the dna replication process. a previous study indicated that psf2 participated in the developing central nervous system (cns) of xenopus laevis. however, the expression and function of gins members in the mammalian developing nervous system remains unclear. here, we examined the expression of gins members i ... | 2019 | 31095979 |
| identification of a regeneration-organizing cell in the xenopus tail. | unlike mammals, xenopus laevis tadpoles have a high regenerative potential. to characterize this regenerative response, we performed single-cell rna sequencing after tail amputation. by comparing naturally occurring regeneration-competent and -incompetent tadpoles, we identified a previously unrecognized cell type, which we term the regeneration-organizing cell (roc). rocs are present in the epidermis during normal tail development and specifically relocalize to the amputation plane of regenerat ... | 2019 | 31097661 |
| composition and endocrine effects of water collected in the kibale national park in uganda. | pesticides are used worldwide with potential harmful effects on both fauna and flora. the kibale national park in uganda, a site renowned for its biodiversity is surrounded by tea, banana and eucalyptus plantations as well as maize fields and small farms. we previously showed presence of pesticides with potential endocrine disruptive effects in the vicinity. to further investigate the water pollution linked to agricultural pressure in this protected area, we implemented a complementary monitorin ... | 2019 | 31103006 |
| development of an in vitro diagnostic method to determine the genotypic sex of xenopus laevis. | a genotypic sex determination assay provides accurate gender information of individuals with well-developed phenotypic characters as well as those with poorly developed or absent of phenotypic characters. determination of genetic sex for xenopus laevis can be used to validate the outcomes of tier 2 amphibian assays, and is a requirement for conducting the larval amphibian growth and development assay (lagda), in the endocrine disruptor screening program (edsp), test guidelines. the assay we deve ... | 2019 | 31106075 |
| ptk7 proteolytic fragment proteins function during early xenopus development. | protein tyrosine kinase 7 (ptk7) is as a critical regulator of canonical and non-canonical wnt-signaling during embryonic development and cancer cell formation. disrupting ptk7 activity perturbs vertebrate nervous system development, and also promotes human cancer formation. observations in different model systems suggest a complex cross-talk between ptk7 protein and wnt signaling. during xenopus laevis nervous system development, we previously showed that ptk7 protein positively regulates canon ... | 2019 | 31125531 |
| methods for studying dna single-strand break repair and signaling in xenopus laevis egg extracts. | dna single-strand breaks (ssbs) are the most common type of dna lesions as they are generated approximately 10,000 times per mammalian cell each day. unrepaired ssbs compromise dna replication and transcription programs, leading to genome instability, and have been implicated in many diseases including cancer. in this chapter, we introduce methods to study the atr-chk1 dna damage response (ddr) pathway and dna repair pathway in response to a site-specific, defined ssb plasmid in xenopus laevis e ... | 2019 | 31127575 |
| a flipr assay for discovery of gabaa receptor modulators of natural origin. | a fluorometric imaging plate reader (flipr) assay utilizing chinese hamster ovary (cho) cells stably transfected with gabaa receptors of α1β2γ2 subunit composition was evaluated and validated for rapid screening of plant extract libraries and efficient localization of active compounds in extracts. validation was performed with pure compounds and extracts known to contain allosteric gabaa receptor modulators. plants extracts that had been previously reported as active in an assay using xenopus la ... | 2019 | 31127604 |
| involvement of myt1 kinase in the g2 phase of the first cell cycle in xenopus laevis. | during cleavage of xenopus laevis, the first mitotic cell cycle immediately following fertilization is approximately 90 min and consists of s, g2, and m phases. in contrast, the subsequent eleven cell cycles are approximately 30 min and consist mostly of s and m phases. the balance between cdc25 and wee1a/myt1 is thought to be crucial for xenopus first cell cycle progression; however, the role of myt1 in this period has not been fully investigated. in this study, we examined the roles of myt1, w ... | 2019 | 31128913 |
| genome wide decrease of dna replication eye density at the midblastula transition of xenopus laevis. | during the first rapid divisions of early development in many species, the dna:cytoplasm ratio increases until the midblastula transition (mbt) when transcription resumes and cell cycles lengthen. s phase is very rapid in early embryos, about 20-30 times faster than in differentiated cells. using a combination of dna fiber studies and a xenopus laevis embryonic in vitro replication system, we show that s phase slows down shortly after the mbt owing to a genome wide decrease of replication eye de ... | 2019 | 31130065 |
| growth at cold temperature increases the number of motor neurons to optimize locomotor function. | during vertebrate development, spinal neurons differentiate and connect to generate a system that performs sensorimotor functions critical for survival. spontaneous ca2+ activity regulates different aspects of spinal neuron differentiation. it is unclear whether environmental factors can modulate this ca2+ activity in developing spinal neurons to alter their specialization and ultimately adjust sensorimotor behavior to fit the environment. here, we show that growing xenopus laevis embryos at col ... | 2019 | 31130453 |
| preserving genome integrity during the early embryonic dna replication cycles. | during the very early stages of embryonic development chromosome replication occurs under rather challenging conditions, including a very short cell cycle, absence of transcription, a relaxed dna damage response and, in certain animal species, a highly contracted s-phase. this raises the puzzling question of how the genome can be faithfully replicated in such a peculiar metabolic context. recent studies have provided new insights into this issue, and unveiled that embryos are prone to accumulate ... | 2019 | 31137726 |
| using the xenopus developmental eye regrowth system to distinguish the role of developmental versus regenerative mechanisms. | a longstanding challenge in regeneration biology is to understand the role of developmental mechanisms in restoring lost or damaged tissues and organs. as these body structures were built during embryogenesis, it is not surprising that a number of developmental mechanisms are also active during regeneration. however, it remains unclear whether developmental mechanisms act similarly or differently during regeneration as compared to development. since regeneration is studied in the context of matu ... | 2019 | 31139088 |
| acclimation temperature effects on locomotor traits in adult aquatic anurans (x. tropicalis and x. laevis) from different latitudes: possible implications for climate change. | climate change is in part responsible for the 70% decline in amphibian species numbers worldwide. although temperature is expected to impact whole-organism performance in ectotherms, reversible thermal acclimation has been suggested as a mechanism that may buffer responses to abrupt temperature changes. here, we test for an effect of acclimation on locomotor performance traits (jump force and stamina) in adults of two predominantly aquatic and closely related frog species from different climatic ... | 2019 | 31139411 |
| the plus maze and scototaxis test are not valid behavioral assays for anxiety assessment in the south african clawed frog. | there are no behavioral models for testing anxiety in amphibians, a group of animals widely used for developmental, ecotoxicological, and genetic research. we aimed to validate two common rodent paradigms, the plus maze and the scototaxis test, for use in the aquatic african clawed frog (xenopus laevis). we predicted: (a) that frogs would prefer the dark, vs. light, portions of the testing arenas (face validity), (b) that this behavior could be altered with acute administration of anxio-selectiv ... | 2019 | 31144017 |
| the direct permeation of nanoparticles through the plasma membrane transiently modifies its properties. | the exposure to metal nanoparticles (nps) has increased with their widespread use in industry, research and medicine. it is well known that nps may enter cells and that this mechanism is crucial to exert both the therapeutic and toxicity effects. the main cellular entrance route is endocytosis-based, however, recent experimental studies, have reported that nps can also enter the cell crossing directly the plasma membrane, it is thus important to investigate this alternative internalization mecha ... | 2019 | 31150635 |
| impacts of the mhc class i-like xnc10 and innate-like t cells on tumor tolerance and rejection in the amphibian xenopus. | the conditions that lead to antitumor or protumor functions of natural killer t (nkt) cells against mammalian tumors are only partially understood. therefore, insights into the evolutionary conservation of nkt and their analogs-innate-like t (it) cells-may reveal factors that contribute to tumor eradication. as such, we investigated the amphibian xenopus laevis it cells and interacting mhc class i-like (xnc or mhc1b.l) genes against ff-2 thymic lymphoid tumors. upon ff-2 intraperitoneal transpla ... | 2019 | 31155639 |
| mortality, teratogenicity and growth inhibition of three glyphosate formulations using frog embryo teratogenesis assay-xenopus. | ample evidence around the world exists suggesting a link between exposure to glyphosate, toxicity and perturbed physiological functions in non-target organisms. although glyphosate formulations are widely used for weed and alien plant management, their ecotoxicological information remain scanty. using the 96-hour frog embryo teratogenesis assay-xenopus protocol, embryotoxicity and teratogenicity of three glyphosate-based formulations were assessed. embryos of xenopus laevis were exposed to round ... | 2019 | 31168868 |
| ism1 regulates nodal signaling and asymmetric organ morphogenesis during development. | isthmin1 (ism1) was originally identified as a fibroblast group factor expressed in xenopus laevis embryonic brain, but its biological functions remain unclear. the spatiotemporal distribution of ism1, with high expression in the anterior primitive streak of the chick embryo and the anterior mesendoderm of the mouse embryo, suggested that ism1 may regulate signaling by the nodal subfamily of tgb-β cytokines that control embryo patterning. we report that ism1 is an inhibitor of nodal signaling. i ... | 2019 | 31171630 |
| a sclerocornea-associated rad21 variant induces corneal stroma disorganization. | sclerocornea is a cornea opacification disorder. disorganized corneal stroma fibrils are observed in patients' cornea. previously we identified a rad21c1348t variant that is associated with a peripheral sclerocornea pedigree. to explore whether this rad21 variant can induce sclerocornea-related phenotype, and to investigate the possible mechanisms of such phenotype, the orthologous rad21 wild-type and variant mrnas were injected into xenopus laevis embryos and the developed eyes were subjected f ... | 2019 | 31173765 |
| organic anion-transporting polypeptide 1a4-mediated heterogeneous distribution of sulforhodamine-101 in rat hepatic lobules. | it has been known that organic anion-transporting polypeptides (oatps) involve hepatic transports several organic anionic compounds and drugs. this study aimed to investigate sulforhodamine-101 (sr-101) distribution in the rat liver, determine the molecules responsible for the distribution, and delineate the manner of distribution. after intravenous sr-101 administration, its distribution in frozen rat hepatic sections was examined. sr-101-derived signals were detected in regions around the hepa ... | 2019 | 31174976 |
| disassembly of actin and keratin networks by aurora b kinase at the midplane of cleaving xenopus laevis eggs. | the large length scale of xenopus laevis eggs facilitates observation of bulk cytoplasm dynamics far from the cortex during cytokinesis. the first furrow ingresses through the egg midplane, which is demarcated by chromosomal passenger complex (cpc) localized on microtubule bundles at the boundary between asters. using an extract system, we found that local kinase activity of the aurora b kinase (aurkb) subunit of the cpc caused disassembly of f-actin and keratin between asters and local softenin ... | 2019 | 31178324 |
| ecotoxicity of nanomaterials in amphibians: a critical review. | nanomaterials (nms) have been used in a growing number of commercial products, and their rapid expansion could lead to their release into the aquatic environments. however, there is limited knowledge about the impact of nms in the biota, especially the amphibians. the present study revised the historical use of amphibian species as a model system for nanoecotoxicological studies and summarized the data available in the scientific literature about the genotoxic, mutagenic, histopathological, embr ... | 2019 | 31181520 |
| dspe-peg modification of α-conotoxin txid. | in order to improve stability of a peptide marine drug lead, α-conotoxin txid, we synthesized and modified txid at the n-terminal with dspe-peg-nhs by a nucleophilic substitution reaction to prepare the dspe-peg-txid for the first time. the reaction conditions, including solvent, ratio, ph, and reaction time, were optimized systematically and the optimal one was reacted in dimethyl formamide at ph 8.2 with triethylamine at room temperature for 120 h. the in vitro stabilities in serum, simulated ... | 2019 | 31181805 |
| the effect of xenopus laevis egg extracts with/without brg1 on the development of preimplantation cloned mouse embryos. | summarymuch effort has been devoted to improving the efficiency of animal cloning. the aim of this study was to investigate the effect of brg1 contained in xenopus egg extracts on the development of cloned mouse embryos. the results showed that mouse nih/3t3 cells were able to express pluripotent genes after treatment with egg extracts, indicating that the egg extracts contained reprogramming factors. after co-injection of xenopus egg extracts and single mouse cumulus cells into enucleated mouse ... | 2019 | 31182178 |
| injection of mrna isolated from trophozoites of giardia intestinalis induces expression of three types of chloride currents in xenopus laevis oocytes. | giardia lamblia is one of the most important worldwide causes of intestinal infections, yet little is known about its cellular physiology, especially the diversity of ionic channels that this parasite expresses. in this work, we show that injection of mrna isolated from trophozoites of giardia, into xenopus laevis oocytes, induces expression of three types of chloride currents (here referred to as icl-g1, icl-g2, and icl-g3), which have different biophysical and pharmacological properties. icl-g ... | 2019 | 31187589 |
| single cell proteomics by data-independent acquisition to study embryonic asymmetry in xenopus laevis. | techniques that allow single cell analysis are gaining widespread attention, and most of these studies utilize genomics-based approaches. while nanofluidic technologies have enabled mass spectrometric analysis of single cells, these measurements have been limited to metabolomics and lipidomic studies. single cell proteomics has the potential to improve our understanding of intercellular heterogeneity. however, this approach has faced challenges including limited sample availability, as well as a ... | 2019 | 31194517 |
| peia-5466: a novel peptide antagonist containing non-natural amino acids that selectively targets α3β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. | pharmacologically distinguishing α3β2 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs) from closely related subtypes, particularly α6β2, has been challenging due to the lack of subtype-selective ligands. we created analogs of α-conotoxin (α-ctx) peia to identify ligand-receptor interactions that could be exploited to selectively increase potency and selectivity for α3β2 nachrs. a series of peia analogs were synthesized by replacing amino acid residues in the second disulfide loop with standard or nons ... | 2019 | 31194549 |
| cardiotoxicity in african clawed frog (xenopus laevis) sub-chronically exposed to environmentally relevant atrazine concentrations: implications for species survival. | the toxic effects of different atrazine concentrations on tadpoles and adult male african clawed frogs (xenopus laevis) were assessed in a controlled laboratory environment following 90 days' exposure. the aim was to elucidate the danger of atrazine exposure on the cardiac tissue relative to its critical function of rhythmic contractility, fundamental for optimal blood circulation and homeostasis. tadpoles and adult frogs were exposed to 0 μg/l (control), 0.01 μg l-1, 200 μg l-1 and 500 μg l-1 c ... | 2019 | 31203168 |
| environmental oxygen exposure allows for the evolution of interdigital cell death in limb patterning. | amphibians form fingers without webbing by differential growth between digital and interdigital regions. amniotes, however, employ interdigital cell death (icd), an additional mechanism that contributes to a greater variation of limb shapes. here, we investigate the role of environmental oxygen in the evolution of icd in tetrapods. while cell death is restricted to the limb margin in amphibians with aquatic tadpoles, eleutherodactylus coqui, a frog with terrestrial-direct-developing eggs, has ce ... | 2019 | 31204171 |
| catalyst-free click pegylation reveals substantial mitochondrial atp synthase sub-unit alpha oxidation before and after fertilisation. | using non-reducing western blotting to assess protein thiol redox state is challenging because most reduced and oxidised forms migrate at the same molecular weight and are, therefore, indistinguishable. while copper catalysed click chemistry can be used to ligate a polyethylene glycol (peg) moiety termed click pegylation to mass shift the reduced or oxidised form as desired, the potential for copper catalysed auto-oxidation is problematic. here we define a catalyst-free trans-cyclooctene-methylt ... | 2019 | 31234016 |
| commentary on classic paper "gimlich, r.l., gerhart, j.c., 1984. early cellular interactions promote embryonic axis formation in xenopus laevis. dev biol 104, 117-130." | 2019 | 31235010 | |
| an extracellular acidic cleft confers profound h+-sensitivity to epithelial sodium channels containing the δ-subunit in xenopus laevis. | the limited sodium availability of freshwater and terrestrial environments was a major physiological challenge during vertebrate evolution. the epithelial sodium channel (enac) is present in the apical membrane of sodium-absorbing vertebrate epithelia and evolved as part of a machinery for efficient sodium conservation. enac belongs to the degenerin/enac protein family and is the only member that opens without an external stimulus. we hypothesized that enac evolved from a proton-activated sodium ... | 2019 | 31248986 |
| data demonstrating distinct embryonic developmental defects induced by bisphenol a alternatives. | embryos of xenopus laevis (african clawed frog) were exposed to the widespread environmental plasticizers bisphenol af (bpaf; 0.003-3 μm), bisphenol a (bpa; 1-50 μm), or 17β-estradiol (e2; 10 μm) from just after fertilization through 96 hours of development. the potencies and cellular and morphological effects were compared across chemical treatments and controls. the embryos were staged, counted and imaged, and time-lapse movies collected, on an inverted stereomicroscope and camera. the data sh ... | 2019 | 31249853 |
| transcriptome analysis of regeneration during xenopus laevis experimental twinning. | animal embryos have the remarkable property of self-organization. over 125 years ago, hans driesch separated the two blastomeres of sea urchin embryos and obtained twins, in what was the foundation of experimental embryology. since then, embryonic twinning has been obtained experimentally in many animals. in a recent study, we developed bisection methods that generate identical twins reliably from xenopus blastula embryos. in the present study, we have investigated the transcriptome of regenerat ... | 2019 | 31250914 |
| comparative analysis of p4ha1 and p4ha2 expression during xenopus laevis development. | collagen prolyl 4-hydroxylases (c-p4hs) are evolutionary conserved enzymes whose activity is essential for the correct folding of stable triple helical molecules of collagen and collagen-like proteins. they play crucial roles in embryo development, connective tissue functional organization, tumor growth and metastasis. despite the important function of these enzymes, little is known about their expression during vertebrate development. in this study, we determine and compare the previously undes ... | 2019 | 31250915 |
| adaptive correction of craniofacial defects in pre-metamorphic xenopus laevis tadpoles involves thyroid hormone-independent tissue remodeling. | although it is well established that some organisms can regenerate lost structures, the ability to remodel existing malformed structures has been less well studied. therefore, in this study we examined the ability of pre-metamorphic xenopus laevis tadpoles to self-correct malformed craniofacial tissues. we found that tadpoles can adaptively improve and normalize abnormal craniofacial morphology caused by numerous developmental perturbations. we then investigated the tissue-level and molecular me ... | 2019 | 31253636 |
| advancing genetic and genomic technologies deepen the pool for discovery in xenopus tropicalis. | xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis have long been used to drive discovery in developmental, cell, and molecular biology. these dual frog species boast experimental strengths for embryology including large egg sizes that develop externally, well-defined fate maps, and cell-intrinsic sources of nutrients that allow explanted tissues to grow in culture. development of the xenopus cell extract system has been used to study cell cycle and dna replication. xenopus tadpole tail and limb regeneration ... | 2019 | 31254427 |
| functional characterization of smn evolution in mouse models of sma. | spinal muscular atrophy (sma) is a monogenic neurodegenerative disorder and the leading genetic cause of infantile mortality. while several functions have been ascribed to the smn (survival motor neuron) protein, their specific contribution to the disease has yet to be fully elucidated. we hypothesized that some, but not all, smn homologues would rescue the sma phenotype in mouse models, thereby identifying disease-relevant domains. using aav9 to deliver smn homologs to sma mice, we identified a ... | 2019 | 31263170 |
| dyrk1a-related intellectual disability: a syndrome associated with congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract. | haploinsufficiency of dyrk1a causes a recognizable clinical syndrome. the goal of this paper is to investigate congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract (cakut) and genital defects (gd) in patients with dyrk1a variants. | 2019 | 31263215 |
| phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (pip2) and ca2+ are both required to open the cl- channel tmem16a. | transmembrane member 16a (tmem16a) is a widely expressed ca2+-activated cl- channel with various physiological functions ranging from mucosal secretion to regulating smooth muscle contraction. understanding how tmem16a controls these physiological processes and how its dysregulation may cause disease requires a detailed understanding of how cellular processes and second messengers alter tmem16a channel gating. here we assessed the regulation of tmem16a gating by recording ca2+-evoked cl- current ... | 2019 | 31266809 |
| developmentally regulated gtp-binding protein 1 modulates ciliogenesis via an interaction with dishevelled. | cilia are critical for proper embryonic development and maintaining homeostasis. although extensively studied, there are still significant gaps regarding the proteins involved in regulating ciliogenesis. using the xenopus laevis embryo, we show that dishevelled (dvl), a key wnt signaling scaffold that is critical to proper ciliogenesis, interacts with drg1 (developmentally regulated gtp-binding protein 1). the loss of drg1 or disruption of the interaction with dvl reduces the length and number o ... | 2019 | 31270137 |
| impacts of the synthetic androgen trenbolone on gonad differentiation and development - comparisons between three deeply diverged anuran families. | using a recently developed approach for testing endocrine disruptive chemicals (edcs) in amphibians, comprising synchronized tadpole exposure plus genetic and histological sexing of metamorphs in a flow-through-system, we tested the effects of 17β-trenbolone (tb), a widely used growth promoter in cattle farming, in three deeply diverged anuran families: the amphibian model species xenopus laevis (pipidae) and the non-models bufo(tes) viridis (bufonidae) and hyla arborea (hylidae). trenbolone was ... | 2019 | 31270347 |
| impact of 4-aminopyridine on vestibulo-ocular reflex performance. | vestibulo-ocular reflexes (vor) are mediated by frequency-tuned pathways that separately transform the different dynamic and static aspects of head motion/position-related sensory signals into extraocular motor commands. voltage-dependent potassium conductances such as those formed by kv1.1 are important for the ability of vor circuit elements to encode highly transient motion components. here we describe the impact of the kv1.1 channel blocker 4-aminopyridine (4-ap) on spontaneous and motion-ev ... | 2019 | 31270663 |
| neuroendocrine modulation of predator avoidance/prey capture tradeoffs: role of tectal npy2r receptors. | the optic tectum rapidly inhibits food intake when a visual threat is present. anatomical and electrophysiological evidence support a role for neuropeptide y (npy), originating from cells in the thalamus, in the tectal inhibition of prey capture. here we test the hypothesis that tectal npy receptor type 2 (npy2r) influences prey-capture and predator-avoidance responses in the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis. we tested two questions: 1) does tectal npy administration decrease food intake and ... | 2019 | 31271760 |
| effects of cis-bifenthrin enantiomers on the growth, behavioral, biomarkers of oxidative damage and bioaccumulation in xenopus laevis. | chirality should be taken into consideration when assessing the effect of synthetic pyrethroids to aquatic environmental safety. in our study, 96 h acute toxicity assay showed that enantiomers of cis-bf had an addictive effect of toxicity on xenopus laevis and r-cis-bifenthrin(r-cis-bf) had higher acute toxicity than s-cis-bf. in chronic assay, r-cis-bf exerted more toxic effect on behavior and development of tadpoles than s-cis-bf, and there was also enantioselective effect of cis-bf on antioxi ... | 2019 | 31276910 |
| assessing predator-prey interactions in a chemically altered aquatic environment: the effects of ddt on xenopus laevis and culex sp. larvae interactions and behaviour. | behavioural assays are used as a tool to understand ecotoxicological effects on organisms, but are often not applied in an ecologically relevant context. assessment of the effect of chemical contaminants on behaviours relating to fitness and trophic interactions for example, requires incorporating predator-prey interactions to create impact assessments. dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (ddt) is a controlled substance but is still regularly used as a form of mosquito control. there is little expli ... | 2019 | 31278447 |
| phosphomimetic substitution at ser-33 of the chloroquine resistance transporter pfcrt reconstitutes drug responses in plasmodium falciparum. | the chloroquine resistance transporter pfcrt of the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum confers resistance to the former first-line antimalarial drug chloroquine, and it modulates the responsiveness to a wide range of quinoline and quinoline-like compounds. pfcrt is post-translationally modified by phosphorylation, palmitoylation, and, possibly, ubiquitination. however, the impact of these post-translational modifications on p. falciparum biology and, in particular, the drug resistance- ... | 2019 | 31285265 |
| the many faces of xenopus: xenopus laevis as a model system to study wolf-hirschhorn syndrome. | wolf-hirschhorn syndrome (whs) is a rare developmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability and various physical malformations including craniofacial, skeletal, and cardiac defects. these phenotypes, as they involve structures that are derived from the cranial neural crest, suggest that whs may be associated with abnormalities in neural crest cell (ncc) migration. this syndrome is linked with assorted mutations on the short arm of chromosome 4, most notably the microdeletion of a cr ... | 2019 | 31297068 |
| evaluating the role of fish as surrogates for amphibians in pesticide ecological risk assessment. | ecological risk of chemicals to aquatic-phase amphibians has historically been evaluated by comparing estimated environmental concentrations in surface water to surrogate toxicity data from fish species. despite their obvious similarities, there are biological disparities among fish and amphibians that could affect their exposure and response to chemicals. given the alarming decline in amphibians, in which anthropogenic pollutants play at least some role, investigating the risk of chemicals to a ... | 2019 | 31299708 |
| structure, development, and functional morphology of the cement gland of the giant danio, devario malabaricus. | aquatic species in several clades possess cement glands producing adhesive secretions of various strengths. in vertebrates, transient adhesive organs have been extensively studied in xenopus laevis, other anurans, and in several fish species. however, the development of these structures is not fully understood. | 2019 | 31310039 |
| na3 glycan: a potential therapy for retinal pigment epithelial deficiency. | atrophic age-related macular degeneration (amd) is the most common type of amd, yet there is no united states food and drug administration (fda)-approved therapy. this disease is characterized by retinal pigment epithelial (rpe) insufficiency, primarily in the macula, which affects the structure and physiology of photoreceptors and ultimately, visual function. in this study, we evaluated the protective effects of a naturally derived small molecule glycan therapeutic-asialo-, tri-antennary comple ... | 2019 | 31322324 |
| involvement of g-quadruplex regions in mammalian replication origin activity. | genome-wide studies of dna replication origins revealed that origins preferentially associate with an origin g-rich repeated element (ogre), potentially forming g-quadruplexes (g4). here, we functionally address their requirements for dna replication initiation in a series of independent approaches. deletion of the ogre/g4 sequence strongly decreased the corresponding origin activity. conversely, the insertion of an ogre/g4 element created a new replication origin. this element also promoted rep ... | 2019 | 31332171 |
| reference gene validation for quantitative real-time pcr studies in amphibian kidney-derived a6 epithelial cells. | quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction is a widely used technique that relies on reference genes for the normalisation of gene expression. these reference genes are constitutively expressed and must remain stable across all samples and treatments. stability of housekeeping genes may vary and must be optimised for a specific tissue, sample or cell line. here we present a study screening for possible reference gene candidates, eef1a1, rpl8, sub1.l, clta, h4 and odc1, in the xenopus laevi ... | 2019 | 31333044 |
| αd-conotoxins in species of the eastern pacific: the case of conus princeps from mexico. | conus snails produce venoms containing numerous peptides such as the α-conotoxins (α-ctxs), which are well-known nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (nachr) antagonists. thirty-eight chromatographic fractions from conus princeps venom extract were isolated by rp-hplc. the biological activities of 37 fractions (0.07 µg/µl) were assayed by two-electrode voltage clamp on human α7 nachrs expressed in xenopus laevis oocytes. fractions f7 and f16 notably inhibited the response elicited by acetylcholine b ... | 2019 | 31336928 |
| sorafenib activity and disposition in liver cancer does not depend on organic cation transporter 1. | systemic therapy of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (hcc) with the small-molecule multikinase inhibitor sorafenib is associated with large interindividual pharmacokinetic variability and unpredictable side effects potentially requiring dose reduction or treatment termination. organic cation transporter (oct1; gene slc22a1) has been proposed as a clinical biomarker of hcc response. because proof is lacking that oct1 transports sorafenib, we used a combinatorial approach to define how oct1 contr ... | 2020 | 31350763 |
| spatial analysis of reck, mt1-mmp, and timp-2 proteins during early xenopus laevis development. | proper cell-cell and cell-ecm interactions are vital for cell migration and patterning of the vertebrate embryo. mmps and their inhibitors, reck and timps, are all differentially expressed during embryogenesis to regulate such ecm remodeling and cell interactions. mt1-mmp, reck, and timp-2 are unique amongst other ecm-regulating proteins as they act in the pericellular space. past studies have shown that reck and timp-2 interact with mt1-mmp on the cell surface, thereby influencing cell behaviou ... | 2019 | 31352120 |
| encephalopathies with kcnc1 variants: genotype-phenotype-functional correlations. | to analyze clinical phenotypes associated with kcnc1 variants other than the progressive myoclonus epilepsy-causing variant p.arg320his, determine the electrophysiological functional impact of identified variants and explore genotype-phenotype-physiological correlations. | 2019 | 31353855 |
| maldi-imaging of early stage xenopus laevis embryos. | xenopus laevis is an important model organism for vertebrate development. an extensive literature has developed on changes in transcript expression during development of this organism, and there is a growing literature on the corresponding protein expression changes during development. in contrast, there is very little information on changes in metabolite expression during development. we present the first maldi mass-spectrometry images of metabolites within the developing embryo. these images w ... | 2019 | 31357275 |
| identification of the catechin uptake transporter responsible for intestinal absorption of epigallocatechin gallate in mice. | many studies have shown that epigallocatechin gallate (egcg) contribute to the health benefits of green tea, although its bioavailability is usually low. however, the mechanism underlying its intestinal absorption remains unclear. in human subjects, it has been reported that the bioavailability of egcg increases after repeated oral catechin intake. we hypothesized that a certain uptake transporter was involved in this increase, and investigated a novel egcg transporter. we first confirmed the in ... | 2019 | 31358798 |
| jmjd6a regulates gsk3β rna splicing in xenopus laevis eye development. | it has been suggested that jmjd6 plays an important role in gene regulation through its demethylation or hydroxylation activity on histone and transcription factors. in addition, jmjd6 has been shown to regulate rna splicing by interaction with splicing factors. in this study, we demonstrated that jmjd6a is expressed in developing xenopus laevis eye during optic vesicle formation and retinal layer differentiation stages. knockdown of jmjd6a by an antisense morpholino resulted in eye malformation ... | 2019 | 31361752 |
| erratum: skin grafting in xenopus laevis: a technique for assessing development and immunological disparity. | 2019 | 31371466 | |
| leishmania heme uptake involves lmflvcrb, a novel porphyrin transporter essential for the parasite. | leishmaniasis comprises a group of neglected diseases caused by the protozoan parasite leishmania spp. as is the case for other trypanosomatid parasites, leishmania is auxotrophic for heme and must scavenge this essential compound from its human host. in mammals, the slc transporter flvcr2 mediates heme import across the plasma membrane. herein we identify and characterize leishmania major flvcrb (lmflvcrb), the first member of the flvcr family studied in a non-metazoan organism. this protein lo ... | 2020 | 31372684 |
| allocation trade-offs impact organ size and muscle architecture in an invasive population of xenopus laevis in western france. | invasive species are a global scourge and often negatively impact native species. understanding the expansion and dispersal limits of these species is essential. as previous studies have demonstrated increased locomotor performance for populations at the edge of the range of expanding populations, studies of locomotion including the anatomical and physiological traits underlying dispersal capacity are of interest. we focus here on an invasive population of xenopus laevis introduced in france nea ... | 2019 | 31373390 |
| stereoselective anti-cancer activities of ginsenoside rg3 on triple negative breast cancer cell models. | ginsenoside rg3 (rg3) has two epimers, 20(s)-ginsenoside rg3 (srg3) and 20(r)-ginsenoside rg3 (rrg3), and while rg3 itself has been reported to have anti-cancer properties, few studies have been reported on the anti-cancer effects of the different epimers. the aim was to investigate the stereoselective effects of the rg3 epimers on triple negative breast cancer (tnbc) cell lines, tested using cell-based assays for proliferation, apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, migration and invasion. molecular doc ... | 2019 | 31374984 |
| evolution of cis-regulatory modules for the head organizer gene goosecoid in chordates: comparisons between branchiostoma and xenopus. | in cephalochordates (amphioxus), the notochord runs along the dorsal to the anterior tip of the body. in contrast, the vertebrate head is formed anterior to the notochord, as a result of head organizer formation in anterior mesoderm during early development. a key gene for the vertebrate head organizer, goosecoid (gsc), is broadly expressed in the dorsal mesoderm of amphioxus gastrula. amphioxus gsc expression subsequently becomes restricted to the posterior notochord from the early neurula. thi ... | 2019 | 31388442 |
| radiographic and ultrasonographic appearance of pneumonia in a frog. | a 12-year-old female african clawed frog (xenopus laevis) displayed lethargy and anorexia for 1 week. radiographs detected a moderately reduced volume of aerated lung with lobulated margins with the left lung predominantly affected. transcelomic ultrasound revealed marked consolidation of the left lung. postmortem examination confirmed suppurative and histiocytic pneumonia, worse in the left lung, caused by mycobacterium chelonae. given that amphibian pulmonary consolidation and celomic effusion ... | 2019 | 31392794 |
| comparative embryonic spatio-temporal expression profile map of the xenopus p2x receptor family. | p2x receptors are atp-gated cations channels formed by the homo or hetero-trimeric association from the seven cloned subunits (p2x1-7). p2x receptors are widely distributed in different organs and cell types throughout the body including the nervous system and are involved in a large variety of physiological but also pathological processes in adult mammals. however, their expression and function during embryogenesis remain poorly understood. here, we report the cloning and the comparative expres ... | 2019 | 31402854 |
| novel vectors for functional interrogation of xenopus orfeome coding sequences. | the current xenopus orfeome contains ~10,250 validated, full-length cdna sequences without stop codons from xenopus laevis and ~3,970 from xenopus tropicalis cloned into gateway-compatible entry vectors. to increase the utility of the orfeome, we have constructed the gateway-compatible destination vectors pdxtp and pdxtr, which in combination can control the spatial and temporal expression of any open reading frame (orf). pdxtp receives a promoter/enhancer of interest, which controls the spatial ... | 2019 | 31403250 |
| gaining insights in the nutritional metabolism of amphibians: analyzing body nutrient profiles of the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis. | whole bodies of xenopus laevis (n = 19) were analysed for chemical composition and morphometrics. the nutrient profile (macronutrients, amino acids, fatty acids and minerals) was evaluated by sex; interactions among variables with body weights and lengths, and comparisons made with different species of marine and fresh water fish. significant differences were found in morphometric measurements, water content, several minerals and fatty acids between sexes of x. laevis. amino acid profiles differ ... | 2019 | 31410305 |
| changes in ca2+ removal can mask the effects of geometry during ip3r mediated ca2+ signals. | calcium (ca2+) signals are ubiquitous. most intracellular ca2+ signals involve the release of ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum (er) through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate receptors (ip3rs). the non-uniform spatial organization of ip3rs and the fact that their individual openings are coupled via cytosolic ca2+ are key factors for the variety of spatio-temporal distributions of the cytosolic [ca2+] and the versatility of the signals. in this paper we combine experiments performed in untreated and ... | 2019 | 31417423 |
| xenopus laevis as a bioindicator of endocrine disruptors in the region of central chile. | one of the direct causes of biodiversity loss is environmental pollution resulting from the use of chemicals. different kinds of chemicals, such as persistent organic pollutants and some heavy metals, can be endocrine disruptors, which act at low doses over a long period of time and have a negative effect on the reproductive and thyroid system in vertebrates worldwide. research on the effects of endocrine disruptors and the use of bioindicators in neotropical ecosystems where pressure on biodive ... | 2019 | 31422435 |
| coexposure to environmental concentrations of cis-bifenthrin and graphene oxide: adverse effects on the nervous system during metamorphic development of xenopus laevis. | despite the great concerns associated with the combined biological effects of nanoparticles and insecticides, the current understanding of the corresponding ecological risks remains limited. xenopus laevis (x. laevis) tadpoles were exposed to various concentrations of typical pyrethroid (cis-bifenthrin; cis-bf), either alone or in combination with graphene oxide (go), for 21 days. the presence of go resulted in increased bioconcentration of cis-bf and a higher 1s-enantiomer fraction. exposure to ... | 2020 | 31425913 |
| characterization and proteomic-transcriptomic investigation of monocarboxylate transporter 6 knockout mice: evidence of a potential role in glucose and lipid metabolism. | monocarboxylate transporter 6 [(mct6), slc16a5] is an orphan transporter with no known endogenous substrates or physiological role. previous in vitro and in vivo experiments investigated mct6 substrate/inhibitor specificity in xenopus laevis oocytes; however, these data remain limited. transcriptomic changes in the livers of mice undergoing different dieting schemes have suggested that mct6 plays a role in glucose and lipid metabolism. the objectives of this study were 1) to develop a novel knoc ... | 2019 | 31436537 |
| in cell nmr spectroscopy: investigation of g-quadruplex structures inside living xenopus laevis oocytes. | g-quadruplexes are inherently polymorphic nucleic acid structures. their folding topology depends on the nucleic acid primary sequence and on physical-chemical environmental factors. hence, it remains unclear if a g-quadruplex topology determined in the test tube (in vitro) will also form in vivo. characterization of g-quadruplexes in their native environment has been proposed as an efficient strategy to tackle this issue. so far, characterization of g-quadruplex structures in living cells has r ... | 2019 | 31444765 |
| lissamphibian limbs and the origins of tetrapod hox domains. | the expression and function of hox genes have played a key role in the debate on the evolution of limbs from fins. as an early branching tetrapod lineage, lissamphibians may provide information on the origin of the limb's hox domains and particularly how the plesiomorphic tetrapod pattern compares to the hox pattern present in fish fins. here, we comparatively investigated the expression of hox genes in the developing limbs of axolotl and xenopus laevis as well as in the fins of the direct devel ... | 2019 | 31445923 |
| structural heterogeneity of cnga1 channels revealed by electrophysiology and single-molecule force spectroscopy. | the determination at atomic resolution of the three-dimensional molecular structure of membrane proteins such as receptors and several ion channels has been a major breakthrough in structural biology. the molecular structure of several members of the superfamily of voltage-gated ionic channels such as k+ and na+ is now available. however, despite several attempts, the molecular structure at atomic resolution of the full cyclic nucleotide-gated (cng) ion channel, although a member of the same sup ... | 2016 | 31457189 |
| heterologous hyaluronic acid production in kluyveromyces lactis. | hyaluronic acid (ha) is a biopolymer composed by the monomers glucuronic acid (glcua) and n-acetyl glucosamine (glcnac). it has a broad range of applications in the field of medicine, being marketed between usd 1000-5000/kg. its primary sources include extraction of animal tissue and fermentation using pathogenic bacteria. however, in both cases, extensive purification protocols are required to prevent toxin contamination. in this study, aiming at creating a safe ha producing microorganism, the ... | 2019 | 31466214 |
| divergent roles of the wnt/pcp formin daam1 in renal ciliogenesis. | kidneys are composed of numerous ciliated epithelial tubules called nephrons. each nephron functions to reabsorb nutrients and concentrate waste products into urine. defects in primary cilia are associated with abnormal formation of nephrons and cyst formation in a wide range of kidney disorders. previous work in xenopus laevis and zebrafish embryos established that loss of components that make up the wnt/pcp pathway, daam1 and arhgef19 (wgef) perturb kidney tubulogenesis. dishevelled, which act ... | 2019 | 31469868 |
| comparative analysis of the developmental toxicity in xenopus laevis and danio rerio induced by al2 o3 nanoparticle exposure. | engineered aluminum oxide nanoparticles (al2 o3 nps) having high-grade thermal stability and water-dispersion properties are extensively used in different industries and personal care products. toxicological response evaluation of these nps is indispensable in assessing the health risks and exposure limits because of their industrial disposal into the aquatic environment. we assessed and compared the developmental toxicity of al2 o3 nps in xenopus laevis and danio rerio over a period of 96 h usi ... | 2019 | 31470468 |
| disruption of the lotus japonicus transporter ljnpf2.9 increases shoot biomass and nitrate content without affecting symbiotic performances. | after uptake from soil into the root tissue, distribution and allocation of nitrate throughout the whole plant body, is a critical step of nitrogen use efficiency (nue) and for modulation of plant growth in response to various environmental conditions. in legume plants nitrate distribution is also important for the regulation of the nodulation process that allows to fix atmospheric n (n2) through the symbiotic interaction with rhizobia (symbiotic nitrogen fixation, snf). | 2019 | 31470797 |
| disruptive effects of two organotin pesticides on the thyroid signaling pathway in xenopus laevis during metamorphosis. | organotin compounds are the ubiquitous environmental pollutants due to their wide industrial and agricultural applications and unexpected releasing into the environment, which show characteristic of endocrine disruptors to interfere with the synthesis, receptor binding or action of endogenous-hormones. organotin pesticides (otps) are used in agriculture and may impact endocrine functions on organisms. thyroid hormones (ths) play fundamental roles in regulating the basal metabolism and energy bal ... | 2019 | 31476497 |
| the effects of insecticides on two splice variants of the glutamate-gated chloride channel receptor of the major malaria vector, anopheles gambiae. | between half to 1 million people die annually from malaria. anopheles gambiae mosquitoes are major malaria vectors. unfortunately, resistance has emerged to the agents currently used to control a. gambiae, creating a demand for novel control measures. the pentameric glutamate-gated chloride channel (glucl) expressed in the muscle and nerve cells of these organisms are a potentially important biological target for malaria control. the pharmacological properties of anophiline glucl receptors are, ... | 2019 | 31479507 |
| pharmacological characterization of a homomeric nicotinic acetylcholine receptor formed by ancylostoma caninum acr-16. | parasitic nematode infections are treated using anthelmintic drugs, some of which target nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs) located in different parasite tissues. the limited arsenal of anthelmintic agents and the prevalence of drug resistance imply that future defense against parasitic infections will depend on the discovery of novel targets and therapeutics. previous studies have suggested that ascaris suum acr-16 nachrs are a suitable target for the development of antinematodal drugs. ... | 2019 | 31486912 |
| conservation and divergence of protein pathways in the vertebrate heart. | heart disease is the leading cause of death in the western world. attaining a mechanistic understanding of human heart development and homeostasis and the molecular basis of associated disease states relies on the use of animal models. here, we present the cardiac proteomes of 4 model vertebrates with dual circulatory systems: the pig (sus scrofa), the mouse (mus musculus), and 2 frogs (xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis). determination of which proteins and protein pathways are conserved and ... | 2019 | 31490923 |
| inferring the "primordial immune complex": origins of mhc class i and antigen receptors revealed by comparative genomics. | comparative analyses suggest that the mhc was derived from a prevertebrate "primordial immune complex" (pic). pic duplicated twice in the well-studied two rounds of genome-wide duplications (2r) early in vertebrate evolution, generating four mhc paralogous regions (predominantly on human chromosomes [chr] 1, 6, 9, 19). examining chiefly the amphibian xenopus laevis, but also other vertebrates, we identified their mhc paralogues and mapped mhc class i, agr, and "framework" genes. most class i gen ... | 2019 | 31492741 |
| a herbivore-induced plant volatile of the host plant acts as a collective foraging signal to the larvae of the meadow moth, loxostege sticticalis (lepidoptera: pyralidae). | the meadow moth loxostege sticticalis is a serious agricultural pest that feeds on the leaves of many economic crops, such as sugar beet, soybean, sunflower, and potato. in addition to the rapid migration of adult moths, the collective foraging behavior of the larvae is also thought to be involved in the search for new food sources and substantially contributes to the expansion of the infested area. however, whether and how the chemical signals take part in this process remains unknown. in this ... | 2019 | 31499032 |
| different pharmacological properties of glut9a and glut9b: potential implications in preeclampsia. | glucose transporter 9 (glut9/slc2a9) is the major regulator of uric acid homeostasis in humans. hyperuricemia due to impaired regulation by glut9 in pregnancy is closely associated with preeclampsia. while glut9 is expressed in two alternative splice variants, glut9a and glut9b, with different subcellular localizations, no functional differences of the two splice variants are known to date. the aim of this study was to investigate the function of both glut9 isoforms. | 2019 | 31502429 |
| smooth muscle in cardiac chambers is common in turtles and extensive in the emydid turtle, trachemys scripta. | a prominent layer of smooth muscle lining the luminal side of the atria of freshwater turtles (emydidae) was described more than a century ago. we recently demonstrated that this smooth muscle provides a previously unrecognized mechanism to change cardiac output in the emydid red-eared slider (trachemys scripta) that possibly contributes to their tremendous diving capacity. the purpose of the present immunohistochemical study was firstly to screen major groups of vertebrates for the presence of ... | 2020 | 31509333 |
| polyamine biosynthesis in xenopus laevis: the xlazin2/xlodc2 gene encodes a lysine/ornithine decarboxylase. | ornithine decarboxylase (odc) is a key enzyme in the biosynthesis of polyamines, organic cations that are implicated in many cellular processes. the enzyme is regulated at the post-translational level by an unusual system that includes antizymes (azs) and antizyme inhibitors (azins). most studies on this complex regulatory mechanism have been focused on human and rodent cells, showing that azins (azin1 and azin2) are homologues of odc but devoid of enzymatic activity. little is known about xenop ... | 2019 | 31509528 |
| spatiotemporal expression profile of embryonic and adult ankyrin repeat and ef-hand domain containing protein 1-encoding genes ankef1a and ankef1b in zebrafish. | recent human next-generation sequencing (ngs) studies indicate a correlation between ankef1 (ankyrin repeat and ef-hand domain containing protein 1) expression and cilia formation or function. additionally, a single study conducted in the african clawed frog (xenopus laevis) showed ankef1 is down-regulated after pharmacological fibroblast growth factor (fgf) inhibition and plays a role in protocadherin-mediated cell protrusion and adhesion. that study also revealed a critical role for ankef1 in ... | 2019 | 31520739 |
| identification of shaker k+ channel family members in rosaceae and a functional exploration of pbrkat1. | pbrkat1, which is inhibited by external na+ in xenopus laevis oocytes, is characterized as encoding a typical inward rectifying channel that is mainly expressed in guard cells. potassium (k+) is the most abundant cation in plant cells necessary for plant growth and development. the uptake and transport of k+ are mainly completed through transporters and channels, and the shaker family genes are the most studied k+ channels in plants. however, there is far less information about this family in ro ... | 2019 | 31523779 |
| enrichment of aurora b kinase at the inner kinetochore controls outer kinetochore assembly. | outer kinetochore assembly enables chromosome attachment to microtubules and spindle assembly checkpoint (sac) signaling in mitosis. aurora b kinase controls kinetochore assembly by phosphorylating the mis12 complex (mis12c) subunit dsn1. current models propose dsn1 phosphorylation relieves autoinhibition, allowing mis12c binding to inner kinetochore component cenp-c. using xenopus laevis egg extracts and biochemical reconstitution, we found that autoinhibition of the mis12c by dsn1 impedes its ... | 2019 | 31527147 |
| structure-function elucidation of a new α-conotoxin, milia, from conus milneedwardsi. | the a-conotoxins are peptide toxins that are found in the venom of marine cone snails and they are potent antagonists of various subtypes of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs). because nachrs have an important role in regulating transmitter release, cell excitability, and neuronal integration, nachr dysfunctions have been implicated in a variety of severe pathologies. we describe the isolation and characterization of α-conotoxin milia, the first conopeptide from the venom of conus milnee ... | 2019 | 31527432 |
| colony-stimulating factor-1- and interleukin-34-derived macrophages differ in their susceptibility to mycobacterium marinum. | mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (tb), remains the leading global cause of death from an infectious agent. mycobacteria thrive within their host mϕs and presently, there is no animal model that permits combined in vitro and in vivo study of mycobacteria-host mϕ interactions. mycobacterium marinum (mm), which causes tb in aquatic vertebrates, has become a promising model for tb research, owing to its close genetic relatedness to mtb and the availability of alt ... | 2019 | 31535730 |
| characteristics of in vivo model systems for ovarian cancer studies. | an understanding of the molecular pathogenesis and heterogeneity of ovarian cancer holds promise for the development of early detection strategies and novel, efficient therapies. in this review, we discuss the advantages and limitations of animal models available for basic and preclinical studies. the fruit fly model is suitable mainly for basic research on cellular migration, invasiveness, adhesion, and the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition. higher-animal models allow to recapitulate the arc ... | 2019 | 31540126 |
| microinjection of dna into eyebuds in xenopus laevis embryos and imaging of gfp expressing optic axonal arbors in intact, living xenopus tadpoles. | the primary visual projection of tadpoles of the aquatic frog xenopus laevis serves as an excellent model system for studying mechanisms that regulate the development of neuronal connectivity. during establishment of the retino-tectal projection, optic axons extend from the eye and navigate through distinct regions of the brain to reach their target tissue, the optic tectum. once optic axons enter the tectum, they elaborate terminal arbors that function to increase the number of synaptic connect ... | 2019 | 31545319 |