Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
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| distinctive single-channel properties of α4β2-nicotinic acetylcholine receptor isoforms. | central nervous system nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachr) are predominantly of the α4β2 subtype. two isoforms exist, with high or low agonist sensitivity (hs-(α4β2)2β2- and ls-(α4β2)2α4-nachr). both isoforms exhibit similar macroscopic potency and efficacy values at low acetylcholine (ach) concentrations, mediated by a common pair of high-affinity α4(+)/(-)β2 subunit binding interfaces. however ls-(α4β2)2α4-nachr also respond to higher concentrations of ach, acting at a third α4(+)/(-)α4 ... | 2019 | 30845161 |
| evolution of the rho guanine nucleotide exchange factors kalirin and trio and their gene expression in xenopus development. | guanine nucleotide exchange factors (gefs) activate rho gtpases by accelerating their gdp/gtp exchange. trio and its paralog kalirin (kalrn) are unique members of the rho-gefs that harbor three catalytic domains: two functional gef domains and a serine/threonine kinase domain. the n-terminal gef domain activates rac1 and rhog gtpases, while the c-terminal gef domain acts specifically on rhoa. trio and kalrn have an evolutionary conserved function in morphogenetic processes including neuronal dev ... | 2019 | 30844509 |
| electrophysiological changes during early steps of retinitis pigmentosa. | the rhodopsin mutation p23h is responsible for a significant portion of autosomal-dominant retinitis pigmentosa, a disorder characterized by rod photoreceptor death. the mechanisms of toxicity remain unclear; previous studies implicate destabilization of p23h rhodopsin during light exposure, causing decreased endoplasmic reticulum (er) exit and er stress responses. here, we probed phototransduction in xenopus laevis rods expressing bovine p23h rhodopsin, in which retinal degeneration is inducibl ... | 2019 | 30840038 |
| effects of glyphosate and a commercial formulation roundup® exposures on maturation of xenopus laevis oocytes. | pesticides are often found at high concentrations in small ponds near agricultural field where amphibians are used to live and reproduce. even if there are many studies on the impacts of phytopharmaceutical active ingredients in amphibian toxicology, only a few are interested in the earlier steps of their life cycle. while their populations are highly threatened with extinction. the aim of this work is to characterize the effects of glyphosate and its commercial formulation roundup® gt max on th ... | 2020 | 30835066 |
| microsampling capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry enables single-cell proteomics in complex tissues: developing cell clones in live xenopus laevis and zebrafish embryos. | label-free single-cell proteomics by mass spectrometry (ms) is currently incompatible with complex tissues without requiring cell culturing, single-cell dissection, or tissue dissociation. we here report the first example of label-free single-cell ms-based proteomics directly in single cells in live vertebrate embryos. our approach integrates optically guided in situ subcellular capillary microsampling, one-pot extraction-digestion of the collected proteins, peptide separation by capillary elect ... | 2019 | 30827088 |
| conditional demyelination and remyelination in a transgenic xenopus laevis. | multiple sclerosis (ms) is the first cause of acquired disability progression in the young adult. pathology of ms associates inflammation, demyelination, and neurodegeneration. the development of immunotherapies, by reducing the relapse rate, has profoundly impacted short-term prognosis and patients' quality of life. these anti-inflammatory medications, however, have not proven to be sufficient to prevent long-term disability progression, resulting from axonal transection and neuronal damage, co ... | 2019 | 30820903 |
| the c-terminus of the retinal homeobox (rax) gene product modulates transcription in a context-dependent manner. | the evolutionarily conserved retinal homeobox (rax) transcription factor is essential for normal eye development in all vertebrates. despite rax's biologic significance, the molecular mechanisms underlying rax molecular function as a transcriptional regulator are poorly defined. the rax gene encodes a conserved octapeptide motif (op) near the n-terminus and several conserved regions in the c-terminus of unknown function, including the orthopedia, aristaless, rax (oar) domain and the rx domain. t ... | 2019 | 30820152 |
| more than just a bandage: closing the gap between injury and appendage regeneration. | the remarkable regenerative capabilities of amphibians have captured the attention of biologists for centuries. the frogs xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis undergo temporally restricted regenerative healing of appendage amputations and spinal cord truncations, injuries that are both devastating and relatively common in human patients. rapidly expanding technological innovations have led to a resurgence of interest in defining the factors that enable regenerative healing, and in coupling thes ... | 2019 | 30800076 |
| the wnt inhibitor dkk1 is required for maintaining the normal cardiac differentiation program in xenopus laevis. | wnt proteins can activate different intracellular signaling pathways. these pathways need to be tightly regulated for proper cardiogenesis. the canonical wnt/β-catenin inhibitor dkk1 has been shown to be sufficient to trigger cardiogenesis in gain-of-function experiments performed in multiple model systems. loss-of-function studies however did not reveal any fundamental function for dkk1 during cardiogenesis. using xenopus laevis as a model we here show for the first time that dkk1 is required f ... | 2019 | 30797757 |
| rho flares repair local tight junction leaks. | tight junctions contribute to epithelial barrier function by selectively regulating the quantity and type of molecules that cross the paracellular barrier. experimental approaches to evaluate the effectiveness of tight junctions are typically global, tissue-scale measures. here, we introduce zinc-based ultrasensitive microscopic barrier assay (znumba), which we used in xenopus laevis embryos to visualize short-lived, local breaches in epithelial barrier function. these breaches, or leaks, occur ... | 2019 | 30773490 |
| activity and intracellular localization of senescence-associated β-galactosidase in aging xenopus oocytes and eggs. | senescence-associated β-galactosidase (sa-β-gal) serves as a marker of senescence in aging somatic cells. however, little is known about sa-β-gal dynamics in aging gamete cells. to address this issue, here we investigated activity and intracellular localization of sa-β-gal in freshly obtained and aging oocytes and eggs of the african clawed frog xenopus laevis. data base mining revealed the presence of several homologous β-galactosidase sequences in the annotated xenopus genome. some of them wer ... | 2019 | 30769028 |
| on the mechanism of the electrophysiological changes and membrane lesions induced by asbestos fiber exposure in xenopus laevis oocytes. | the so-called amphibole asbestos fibers are enriched with mineral iron ions, able to stimulate ros production. we recently reported that crocidolite asbestos was able to interact with the cell membranes of xenopus laevis oocytes, to alter their electrical membrane properties. here, we found that applied iron ions (fe3+) or h2o2 (for ros generation) mimicked these effects, suggesting that at least one effect of iron-containing asbestos fiber exposure was mediated by ros production. furthermore, c ... | 2019 | 30765791 |
| wgddetector: a pipeline for detecting whole genome duplication events using the genome or transcriptome annotations. | with the availability of well-assembled genomes of a growing number of organisms, identifying the bioinformatic basis of whole genome duplication (wgd) is a growing field of genomics. the most extant software for detecting footprints of wgds has been restricted to a well-assembled genome. however, the massive poor quality genomes and the more accessible transcriptomes have been largely ignored, and in theoretically they are also likely to contribute to detect wgd using ds based method. here, to ... | 2019 | 30760221 |
| stage-dependent cardiac regeneration in xenopus is regulated by thyroid hormone availability. | despite therapeutic advances, heart failure is the major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, but why cardiac regenerative capacity is lost in adult humans remains an enigma. cardiac regenerative capacity widely varies across vertebrates. zebrafish and newt hearts regenerate throughout life. in mice, this ability is lost in the first postnatal week, a period physiologically similar to thyroid hormone (th)-regulated metamorphosis in anuran amphibians. we thus assessed heart regeneration in ... | 2019 | 30755533 |
| various nuclear reprogramming systems using egg and oocyte materials. | maternal factors stored in eggs and oocytes are necessary for reprogramming sperm for embryonic development. this reprogramming activity of maternal factors also works towards somatic cells, including terminally differentiated cells. several different experimental systems utilizing egg and oocyte materials have been applied to study nuclear reprogramming by maternal factors. among these systems, the most widely used is the transfer of a somatic cell nucleus to an oocyte arrested at the metaphase ... | 2019 | 30745498 |
| pymetrozine activates trpv channels of brown planthopper nilaparvata lugens. | the commercial insecticide pymetrozine has been extensively used for brown planthopper control in east asia. the transient receptor potential vanilloid (trpv) channel, which consists of two proteins, nanchung (nan) and inactive (iav), has recently been shown to be the molecular target of pymetrozine in the fruit fly (drosophila melanogaster) and pea aphid (acyrthosiphon pisum). in this study, we characterized the nan and iav trpv channel subunits of n. lugens and measured the action of pymetrozi ... | 2019 | 30744899 |
| jaburetox, a natural insecticide derived from jack bean urease, activates voltage-gated sodium channels to modulate insect behavior. | jaburetox (jbtx) is an insecticidal peptide derived from canavalia ensiformis urease, whose mechanism of action is not completely elucidated. we employed behavioral, electromyographical and electrophysiological protocols to identify the cellular and molecular targets involved in the jbtx entomotoxicity in cockroaches and locusts. in nauphoeta cinerea, jbtx (32 μg/g) altered the locomotory behaviour inducing a significative decrease in the distance travelled followed by a significant increase in ... | 2019 | 30744898 |
| gene expression program underlying tail resorption during thyroid hormone-dependent metamorphosis of the ornamented pygmy frog microhyla fissipes. | thyroid hormone (t3) is essential for vertebrate development, especially during the so-called postembryonic development, a period around birth in mammals when plasma t3 level peaks and many organs mature into their adult form. compared to embryogenesis, postembryonic development is poorly studied in mammals largely because of the difficulty to manipulate the uterus-enclosed embryos and neonates. amphibian metamorphosis is independent of maternal influence and can be easily manipulated for molecu ... | 2019 | 30740088 |
| expression of tcr genes in adult and larval xenopus laevis. | in order to better understand the development and function of γδ t cells in xenopus frogs, it is necessary to determine where and when γδ t cells are found in xenopus tissues. this study examined the expression of tcr genes, focused primarily on tcr γ, in tissues of adult and larval xenopus laevis and provide new data about the expression pattern of these different tcr genes in this anuran amphibian. tcr gene expression was detected by rt-pcr in adult frog tissues including the thymus, spleen, s ... | 2019 | 30738793 |
| generation of xenopus haploid, triploid, and hybrid embryos. | frog species of the genus xenopus are widely used for studies of cell and developmental biology, and recent genome sequencing has revealed interesting phylogenetic relationships. here we describe methods to generate haploid, triploid, and hybrid species starting from eggs and sperm of xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis that enable investigation of how genome size and content affect physiology at the organismal, cellular, and subcellular levels. | 2019 | 30737699 |
| methods for isolating the balbiani body/germplasm from xenopus laevis oocytes. | the balbiani body (bb) is a large membrane-less organelle, densely packed with mitochondria, endoplasmic reticulum, proteins, and rna. the bb is present in many vertebrate female gametes. in frogs, the bb is established early during oogenesis and operates as a maternal inherited embryonic determinant that specifies germline identity through the formation of germplasm. we describe here two techniques to isolate the bb/germplasm from xenopus laevis primary oocytes. | 2019 | 30737696 |
| membrane microdomains as platform to study membrane-associated events during oogenesis, meiotic maturation, and fertilization in xenopus laevis. | studies on the egg plasma membrane-associated tyrosine kinase src have shed light on the identity of the molecular machinery that is responsible for gamete interaction and possibly fusion in african clawed frog xenopus laevis. here we describe our protocol for identifying and analyzing molecular and cellular machinery that contributes to a variety of biological processes in the course of oogenesis, oocyte maturation, egg fertilization, and early embryogenesis in xenopus. our current special inte ... | 2019 | 30737686 |
| reconstitution of intracellular calcium signaling in xenopus egg extracts. | generation of calcium signal in the cytoplasm of fertilized or parthenogenetically activated eggs has been extensively studied in the intact eggs of several biological species. calcium transient was found to elicit a plethora of biochemical and cellular events in these cells. remarkably, intracellular calcium signaling can also be reconstituted in cell-free environment. in this chapter, we describe the methods that allow reconstitution, detection, and quantification of the calcium signal in cell ... | 2019 | 30737685 |
| imatinib uptake into cells is not mediated by organic cation transporters oct1, oct2, or oct3, but is influenced by extracellular ph. | cancer cells undergo genetic and environmental changes that can alter cellular disposition of drugs, notably by alterations of transmembrane drug transporters expression. whether the influx organic cation transporter 1 (oct1) encoded by the gene slc221a1 is implicated in the cellular uptake of imatinib is still controversial. besides, imatinib ionization state may be modulated by the hypoxic acidic surrounding extracellular microenvironment. | 2019 | 30734690 |
| comparison the sensitivity of amphibian metamorphosis assays with nf 48 stage and nf 51 stage xenopus laevis tadpoles. | the amphibian metamorphosis assay (ama) was proposed by the organization for economic cooperation and development (oecd) to screen thyroid disruptors of vertebrate species. the general experimental design of the ama exposes nieuwkoop and faber (nf) stage 51 xenopus laevis tadpoles to test chemical concentrations for 21 d. however, recent studies demonstrated that thyroid gland began to function after nf stage 45 in x. laevis. thus, in this study, we initiated exposure with nf stage 48 tadpoles w ... | 2019 | 30732517 |
| using xenopus laevis oocytes to functionally characterize plant transporters. | functionally characterizing plant membrane transport proteins is challenging. typically, heterologous systems are used to study them. immature eggs (oocytes) of the south african clawed frog xenopus laevis are considered an ideal expression system for such studies. these large oocytes have a low number of endogenous transport systems in their plasma membranes and highly express foreign mrna; the oocyte plasma membrane is the default destination of integral membrane proteins that lack recognized ... | 2019 | 30707001 |
| combined effects of mutations in loop c and the loop d-e-g triangle on neonicotinoid interactions with drosophila dα1/chicken β2 hybrid nachrs. | neonicotinoid insecticides interact with the orthosteric sites of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs) formed at the interfaces of (a) two adjacent α subunits and (b) α and non-α subunits. however, little is known of the detailed contributions of these two orthosteric sites to neonicotinoid actions. we therefore applied voltage-clamp electrophysiology to the dα1/chicken β2 hybrid nachr expressed in xenopus laevis oocytes to explore the agonist actions of imidacloprid and thiacloprid on wil ... | 2018 | 30704712 |
| anillin regulates epithelial cell mechanics by structuring the medial-apical actomyosin network. | cellular forces sculpt organisms during development, while misregulation of cellular mechanics can promote disease. here, we investigate how the actomyosin scaffold protein anillin contributes to epithelial mechanics in xenopus laevis embryos. increased mechanosensitive recruitment of vinculin to cell-cell junctions when anillin is overexpressed suggested that anillin promotes junctional tension. however, junctional laser ablation unexpectedly showed that junctions recoil faster when anillin is ... | 2019 | 30702429 |
| effects of copper on the early development of xenopus laevis: the case of cuso4 and bordeaux mixture solutions. | 2018 | 30701063 | |
| biometric data assessment on xenopus laeis tadpoles. | 2016 | 30701053 | |
| menthol acts as a positive allosteric modulator on nematode levamisole sensitive nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. | the ongoing and widespread emergence of resistance to the existing anti-nematodal pharmacopeia has made it imperative to develop new anthelminthic agents. historically, plants have been important sources of therapeutic compounds and offer an alternative to synthetic drugs. monoterpenoids are phytochemicals that have been shown to produce acute toxic effects in insects and nematodes. previous studies have shown nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs) to be possible targets for naturally occurr ... | 2019 | 30682641 |
| characterization of xenopus laevis guanine deaminase reveals new insights for its expression and function in the embryonic kidney. | the mammalian guanine deaminase (gda), called cypin, is important for proper neural development, by regulating dendritic arborization through modulation of microtubule (mt) dynamics. additionally, cypin can promote mt assembly in vitro. however, it has never been tested whether cypin (or other gda orthologs) binds to mts or modulates mt dynamics. here, we address these questions and characterize xenopus laevis gda (gda) for the first time during embryonic development. | 2019 | 30682232 |
| analysis of long non-coding rna involved in atrazine-induced testicular degeneration of xenopus laevis. | long non-coding rna (lncrna) plays a critical role in male germline development. atrazine (az) as an environmental endocrine disrupting chemical (edcs) can induce male reproductive toxicity in amphibians. our previous studies demonstrated that az can alter gene and circular rna (circrna) expression of damaged testes in xenopus laevis (x. laevis). we furthered to investigate the lncrna expression profiling in the testis of x. laevis. over 3559 lncrnas were detected by lncrna sequencing. az induce ... | 2019 | 30675760 |
| oscillating aquaporin phosphorylation and 14-3-3 proteins mediate the circadian regulation of leaf hydraulics. | the circadian clock regulates plant tissue hydraulics to synchronize water supply with environmental cycles and thereby optimize growth. the circadian fluctuations in aquaporin transcript abundance suggest that aquaporin water channels play a role in these processes. here, we show that hydraulic conductivity (kros) of arabidopsis (arabidopsis thaliana) rosettes displays a genuine circadian rhythmicity with a peak around midday. combined immunological and proteomic approaches revealed that phosph ... | 2019 | 30674691 |
| non-acylated wnts can promote signaling. | wnts are a family of 19 extracellular ligands that regulate cell fate, proliferation, and migration during metazoan embryogenesis and throughout adulthood. wnts are acylated post-translationally at a conserved serine and bind the extracellular cysteine-rich domain (crd) of frizzled (fzd) seven-pass transmembrane receptors. although crystal structures suggest that acylation is essential for wnt binding to fzds, we show here that several wnts can promote signaling in xenopus laevis and danio rerio ... | 2019 | 30673610 |
| effect of the flavonoid hesperidin on glucose and fructose transport, sucrase activity and glycaemic response to orange juice in a crossover trial on healthy volunteers. | although polyphenols inhibit glucose absorption and transport in vitro, it is uncertain whether this activity is sufficient to attenuate glycaemic response in vivo. we examined this using orange juice, which contains high levels of hesperidin. we first used a combination of in vitro assays to evaluate the potential effect of hesperidin and other orange juice components on intestinal sugar absorption and then tested whether this translated to an effect in healthy volunteers. hesperidin attenuated ... | 2019 | 30670104 |
| broad applicability of a streamlined ethyl cinnamate-based clearing procedure. | turbidity and opaqueness are inherent properties of tissues that limit the capacity to acquire microscopic images through large tissues. creating a uniform refractive index, known as tissue clearing, overcomes most of these issues. these methods have enabled researchers to image large and complex 3d structures with unprecedented depth and resolution. however, tissue clearing has been adopted to a limited extent due to a combination of cost, time, complexity of existing methods and potential nega ... | 2019 | 30665888 |
| whole-cell photoacoustic sensor based on pigment relocalization. | photoacoustic (optoacoustic) imaging can extract molecular information with deeper tissue penetration than possible by fluorescence microscopy techniques. however, there is currently still a lack of robust genetically controlled contrast agents and molecular sensors that can dynamically detect biological analytes of interest with photoacoustics. in a biomimetic approach, we took inspiration from cuttlefish who can change their color by relocalizing pigment-filled organelles in so-called chromato ... | 2019 | 30663315 |
| x-linked α-thalassemia with mental retardation is downstream of protein kinase a in the meiotic cell cycle signaling cascade in xenopus oocytes and is dynamically regulated in response to dna damage†. | x-linked α-thalassemia with mental retardation (atrx) is a chromatin remodeling protein that belongs to the switch/sucrose non-fermentable (swi2/snf2) family of helicase/atpases. during meiosis, atrx is necessary for heterochromatin formation and maintenance of chromosome stability in order to ensure proper assembly of the metaphase ii spindle. previously, we established atrx as a novel progesterone regulated protein during bovine meiotic maturation, in addition to being dynamically regulated in ... | 2019 | 30649195 |
| the electrical block to polyspermy induced by an intracellular ca2+ increase at fertilization of the clawed frogs, xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis. | polyspermy blocking, to ensure monospermic fertilization, is necessary for normal diploid development in most animals. we have demonstrated here that monospermy in the clawed frog, xenopus tropicalis, as well as in x. laevis, is ensured by a fast, electrical block to polyspermy on the egg plasma membrane after the entry of the first sperm, which is mediated by the positive-going fertilization potential. an intracellular ca2+ concentration ([ca2+ ]i ) at the sperm entry site was propagated as a c ... | 2019 | 30648313 |
| xenopus oocytes as a heterologous expression system for analysis of tight junction proteins. | claudins (cldns) represent the largest family of transmembrane tight junction (tj) proteins, determining organ-specific epithelial barrier properties. because methods for the analysis of multiple cldn interaction are limited, we have established the heterologous xenopus laevis oocyte expression system for tj protein assembly and interaction analysis. oocytes were injected with crna encoding human cldn-1, -2, or -3 or with a combination of these and were incubated in pairs for interaction analysi ... | 2019 | 30645152 |
| insemination or phosphatidic acid induces an outwardly spiraling disk of elevated ca2+ to produce the ca2+ wave during xenopus laevis fertilization. | during xenopus fertilization, the initial intracellular calcium ((ca2+)i) release at the sperm-egg binding site (hot spot) has not been described without the use of inhibitors, nor related to underlying er structure. without inhibitors, we now report that sperm induce an initial hot spot after sperm addition to xenopus eggs that was ~25 µm. this area is consistent with the size of er patches and clusters of ip3 receptors that have enhanced activity. furthermore, we find a new mechanism for the f ... | 2019 | 30641042 |
| deuterium-free, three-plexed peptide diethylation for highly accurate quantitative proteomics. | the deuterium, a frequently used stable isotope in isotopic labeling for quantitative proteomics, could deteriorate the accuracy and precision of proteome quantification owing to the retention time shift of deuterated peptides from the hydrogenated counterpart. we introduce a novel three-plexed peptide "diethylation" using only 13c isotopologues of acetaldehyde and demonstrate that the accuracy and precision of our method in proteome quantification are significantly superior to the conventional ... | 2019 | 30638020 |
| purification and characterization of a urea sensitive lactate dehydrogenase from skeletal muscle of the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis. | the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis endures whole body dehydration which can increase its reliance on anaerobic glycolysis for energy production. this makes the regulation of the terminal enzyme of glycolysis, lactate dehydrogenase (ldh), crucial to stress survival. we investigated the enzymatic properties and posttranslational modification state of purified ldh from the skeletal muscle of control and dehydrated (30% total body water loss) x. laevis. ldh from the muscle of dehydrated frogs s ... | 2019 | 30631901 |
| rhinella marina oocytes: a suitable alternative expression system for functional characterization of aquaglyceroporins. | amphibian oocytes have been extensively used for heterologous expression of membrane proteins for studying their biochemical and biophysical properties. so far, xenopus laevis is the main amphibian used as oocytes source to express aquaglyceroporins in order to assess water and solutes permeability. however, this well-established amphibian model represents a threat to the biodiversity in many countries, especially in those from tropical regions. for that reason, the import of xenopus laevis is s ... | 2019 | 30631140 |
| identification of vacuolar phosphate efflux transporters in land plants. | inorganic phosphate (pi) is an essential component of all life forms. land plants acquire pi from the soil through roots and associated symbioses, and it is then transported throughout the plant. when sufficient, excess pi is stored in vacuoles for remobilization following pi deficiency. although pi release from the vacuoles to the cytoplasm serves as a critical mechanism for plants to adapt to low-pi stress, the transporters responsible for vacuolar pi efflux have not been identified. here, we ... | 2019 | 30626920 |
| ensa and arpp19 differentially control cell cycle progression and development. | greatwall (gwl) is an essential kinase that indirectly controls pp2a-b55, the phosphatase counterbalancing cyclin b/cdk1 activity during mitosis. in xenopus laevis egg extracts, gwl-mediated phosphorylation of overexpressed arpp19 and ensa turns them into potent pp2a-b55 inhibitors. it has been shown that the gwl/ensa/pp2a-b55 axis contributes to the control of dna replication, but little is known about the role of arpp19 in cell division. by using conditional knockout mouse models, we investiga ... | 2019 | 30626720 |
| effect of ginsenosides on the desflurane modulation in the recombinant serotonin type 3a receptor expressed in xenopus laevis oocytes. | postoperative nausea and vomiting (ponv) is the most frequent and discomforting side effect following general anesthesia. most volatile anesthetics have a potent effect on serotonin (5-hydroxydtryptamine, 5-ht) type 3 receptor mediating ponv, and their antagonists have been currently used effectively to prevent and/or reduce the incidence and severity of ponv. the authors reported previously that ginsenosides have inhibitory effect on 5-ht3a receptor. in this study we intended to elucidate the i ... | 2009 | 30625810 |
| amino acid residues involved in agonist binding and its linking to channel gating, proximal to transmembrane domain of 5-ht3a receptor for halothane modulation. | the 5-hydroxytryptamine type 3 (5-ht3) receptor is a member of the cys-loop superfamily of ligand-gated ion channels (lgics) and modulated by pharmacologic relevant concentrations of volatile anesthetics or n-alcohols like most receptors of lgics. the goal of this study was to reveal whether the site-directed single mutations of e-106, f-107 and r-222 in 5-ht3 receptor may affect the anesthetic modulation of halothane known as positive modulator. | 2009 | 30625697 |
| xenopus slc7a5 is essential for notochord function and eye development. | slc7a5 (also known as lat1), largely accepted as an amino acid transporter, has been shown to play important roles in cancer and developmental processes. because knockout mice of slc7a5 are embryonically lethal due to placental defects, it is difficult to evaluate its role in early development. in this study, expression and function of slc7a5 were evaluated in xenopus laevis embryos that develop without a placenta. expression of slc7a5 was detected in the notochord and in the eye and it was not ... | 2019 | 30625369 |
| reinterpretation of the substrate specificity of the voltage-sensing phosphatase during dimerization. | voltage-sensing phosphatases (vsps) cleave both 3- and 5-phosphates from inositol phospholipids in response to membrane depolarization. when low concentrations of ciona intestinalis vsp are expressed in xenopus laevis oocytes, the 5-phosphatase reaction can be observed during large membrane depolarizations. when higher concentrations are expressed, the 5-phosphatase activity is observed with smaller depolarizations, and the 3-phosphatase activity is revealed with strong depolarization. here we a ... | 2019 | 30622132 |
| probing the dynamics and structural topology of the reconstituted human kcnq1 voltage sensor domain (q1-vsd) in lipid bilayers using electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy. | kcnq1 (kv7.1 or kvlqt1) is a potassium ion channel protein found in the heart, ear, and other tissues. in complex with the kcne1 accessory protein, it plays a role during the repolarization phase of the cardiac action potential. mutations in the channel have been associated with several diseases, including congenital deafness and long qt syndrome. nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) structural studies in detergent micelles and a cryo-electron microscopy structure of kcnq1 from xenopus laevis have s ... | 2019 | 30620191 |
| immunohistochemical localization of calpains in the amphibian xenopus laevis. | though histochemical techniques have been used for decades, they are still very important in basic research. they make it possible to work on fixed tissues and provide a large amount of information in a relatively short time and at a low cost. here we describe methods for indirect immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence on sections of tadpoles and tissues of adult amphibians belonging to the species xenopus laevis. the objective is to localize calpains within tissues in order to understand t ... | 2019 | 30617797 |
| a stable tetramer is not the only oligomeric state that mitochondrial single-stranded dna binding proteins can adopt. | mitochondrial single-stranded dna (ssdna)-binding proteins (mtssbs) are required for mitochondrial dna replication and stability and are generally assumed to form homotetramers, and this species is proposed to be the one active for ssdna binding. however, we recently reported that the mtssb from saccharomyces cerevisiae (scrim1) forms homotetramers at high protein concentrations, whereas at low protein concentrations, it dissociates into dimers that bind ssdna with high affinity. in this work, u ... | 2019 | 30617184 |
| arid3a regulates nephric tubule regeneration via evolutionarily conserved regeneration signal-response enhancers. | amphibians and fish have the ability to regenerate numerous tissues, whereas mammals have a limited regenerative capacity. despite numerous developmental genes becoming reactivated during regeneration, an extensive analysis is yet to be performed on whether highly regenerative animals utilize unique cis-regulatory elements for the reactivation of genes during regeneration and how such cis-regulatory elements become activated. here, we screened regeneration signal-response enhancers at the lhx1 l ... | 2019 | 30616715 |
| applications of in-cell nmr in structural biology and drug discovery. | in-cell nuclear magnetic resonance (nmr) is a method to provide the structural information of a target at an atomic level under physiological conditions and a full view of the conformational changes of a protein caused by ligand binding, post-translational modifications or protein⁻protein interactions in living cells. previous in-cell nmr studies have focused on proteins that were overexpressed in bacterial cells and isotopically labeled proteins injected into oocytes of xenopus laevis or delive ... | 2019 | 30609728 |
| curare alkaloids from matis dart poison: comparison with d-tubocurarine in interactions with nicotinic, 5-ht3 serotonin and gabaa receptors. | several novel bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloids (bbiqas) have recently been isolated from a matis tribe arrow poison and shown by two-electrode voltage-clamp to inhibit mouse muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachr). here, using radioligand assay with aplysia californica achbp and radioiodinated α-bungarotoxin ([125i]-αbgt), we show that bbiqa1, bbiqa2, and d-tubocurarine (d-tc) have similar affinities to nachr orthosteric site. however, a competition with [125i]-αbgt for binding to the to ... | 2019 | 30608952 |
| skin grafting in xenopus laevis: a technique for assessing development and immunological disparity. | skin grafting in the amphibian xenopus laevis has been used to detect not only allogeneic antigens that differ by minor h antigens or by one mhc haplotype, but also to detect ontogeny-specific antigens (including both emerging adult- and disappearing larval-specific) during metamorphosis. to understand the mechanisms underlying allogeneic tolerance or immune responses against larval- and/or adult-specific antigens, a complete mhc homozygous, inbred strain is the most appropriate experimental mod ... | 2019 | 30606753 |
| methodological improvements for fluorescence recordings in xenopus laevis oocytes. | xenopus laevis oocytes are a widely used model system because of their capacity to translate exogenous mrna, but their high intrinsic background fluorescence is a disadvantage for fluorescence recordings. here, we developed two distinct methods for improving fluorescence recordings from oocytes. one was a pharmacological method in which a small-molecule salt-inducible kinase inhibitor was co-injected with the mrna of interest to stimulate melanin production. we interrogated the oocytes using cut ... | 2019 | 30606741 |
| cdk phosphorylation of xenopus laevis m18bp1 promotes its metaphase centromere localization. | chromosome segregation requires the centromere, the site on chromosomes where kinetochores assemble in mitosis to attach chromosomes to the mitotic spindle. centromere identity is defined epigenetically by the presence of nucleosomes containing the histone h3 variant cenp-a. new cenp-a nucleosome assembly occurs at the centromere every cell cycle during g1, but how cenp-a nucleosome assembly is spatially and temporally restricted remains poorly understood. centromere recruitment of factors requi ... | 2019 | 30606714 |
| the cmg helicase bypasses dna-protein cross-links to facilitate their repair. | covalent dna-protein cross-links (dpcs) impede replication fork progression and threaten genome integrity. using xenopus egg extracts, we previously showed that replication fork collision with dpcs causes their proteolysis, followed by translesion dna synthesis. we show here that when dpc proteolysis is blocked, the replicative dna helicase cmg (cdc45, mcm2-7, gins), which travels on the leading strand template, bypasses an intact leading strand dpc. single-molecule imaging reveals that gins doe ... | 2019 | 30595447 |
| ventx1.1 as a direct repressor of early neural gene zic3 in xenopus laevis. | from xenopus embryo studies, the bmp4/smad1-targeted gene circuit is a key signaling pathway for specifying the cell fate between the ectoderm and neuro-ectoderm as well as the ventral and dorsal mesoderm. in this context, several bmp4/smad1 target transcriptional factors have been identified as repressors of the neuro-ectoderm. however, none of these direct target transcription factors in this pathway, including gata1b, msx1 and ventx1.1 have yet been proven as direct repressors of early neuro- ... | 2018 | 30590909 |
| development of a rapid functional assay that predicts glut1 disease severity. | to examine the genotype to phenotype connection in glucose transporter type 1 (glut1) deficiency and whether a simple functional assay can predict disease outcome from genetic sequence alone. | 2018 | 30588498 |
| bisphenol a, bisphenol af, di-n-butyl phthalate, and 17β-estradiol have shared and unique dose-dependent effects on early embryo cleavage divisions and development in xenopus laevis. | bisphenol a (bpa), bisphenol af (bpaf), and di-n-butyl phthalate (dbp) are widespread compounds used in the production of plastics. we used xenopus laevis to compare their effects on early embryo cell division and development. directly after in vitro fertilizations, embryos were exposed to bpa, bpaf, dbp, or 17β-estradiol (e2) for up to 96 h. bpa (1-50 μm) and bpaf (0.003-25 μm) caused disrupted cleavage divisions, slowed cytokinesis, and cellular dissociation within 1-6 h. flexures of the spina ... | 2019 | 30579998 |
| molecular charge associated with antiarrhythmic actions in a series of amino-2-cyclohexyl ester derivatives. | a series of amino-2-cyclohexyl ester derivatives were studied for their ion channel blocking and antiarrhythmic actions in the rat and a structure-activity analysis was conducted. the compounds are similar in chemical structure except for ionizable amine groups (pk values 6.1-8.9) and the positional arrangements of aromatic naphthyl moieties. ventricular arrhythmias were produced in rats by coronary-artery occlusion or electrical stimulation. the electrophysiological effects of these compounds o ... | 2019 | 30571955 |
| lack of evidence for synaptic high-affinity γ-hydroxybutyric acid (ghb) transport in rat brain synaptosomes and 11 na+ -dependent slc neurotransmitter transporters. | γ-hydroxybutyric acid (ghb) is an endogenous compound proposed to act as a neurotransmitter. na+ -dependent, high-affinity ghb transport has long been considered important evidence supporting this hypothesis. however, the molecular identity of such a high-affinity transporter remains unknown. in this study, we sought to identify and characterize ghb synaptic transport through a series of studies using both native and recombinant systems with the ultimate aim of providing evidence to clarify the ... | 2019 | 30570143 |
| lysine demethylase 3a in craniofacial and neural development during xenopus embryogenesis. | epigenetic modifier lysine demethylase 3a (kdm3a) specifically demethylates mono‑ and di‑methylated ninth lysine of histone 3 and belongs to the jumonji domain‑containing group of demethylases. kdm3a serves roles during various biological and pathophysiological processes, including spermatogenesis and metabolism, determination of sex, androgen receptor‑mediated transcription and embryonic carcinoma cell differentiation. in the present study, physiological functions of kdm3a were evaluated during ... | 2019 | 30569092 |
| ospht1;3 mediates uptake, translocation, and remobilization of phosphate under extremely low phosphate regimes. | plant roots rely on inorganic orthophosphate (pi) transporters to acquire soluble pi from soil solutions that exists at micromolar levels in natural ecosystems. here, we functionally characterized a rice (oryza sativa) pi transporter, os phosphate transporter-1;3 (ospht1;3), that mediates pi uptake, translocation, and remobilization. ospht1;3 was directly regulated by os phosphate starvation response-2 and, in response to pi starvation, showed enhanced expression in young leaf blades and shoot b ... | 2019 | 30567970 |
| xenopus hybrids provide insight into cell and organism size control. | determining how size is controlled is a fundamental question in biology that is poorly understood at the organismal, cellular, and subcellular levels. the xenopus species, x. laevis and x. tropicalis differ in size at all three of these levels. despite these differences, fertilization of x. laevis eggs with x. tropicalis sperm gives rise to viable hybrid animals that are intermediate in size. we observed that although hybrid and x. laevis embryogenesis initiates from the same sized zygote and pr ... | 2018 | 30564147 |
| ketone body modulation of ligand-gated ion channels. | ketogenesis is a metabolic process wherein ketone bodies are produced from the breakdown of fatty acids. in humans, fatty acid catabolism results in the production of acetyl-coa which can then be used to synthesize three ketone bodies: acetoacetate, acetone, and β-hydroxybutyrate. ketogenesis occurs at a higher rate in situations of low blood glucose, such as during fasting, heavy alcohol consumption, and in situations of low insulin, as well as in individuals who follow a 'ketogenic diet' consi ... | 2019 | 30562540 |
| alteration of the retinoid acid-cbp signaling pathway in neural crest induction contributes to enteric nervous system disorder. | hirschsprung disease (hscr) and/or hypoganglionosis are common pediatric disorders that arise from developmental deficiencies of enteric neural crest cells (enccs). retinoid acid (ra) signaling has been shown to affect neural crest (nc) development. however, the mechanisms underlying ra deficiency-induced hscr or hypoganglionosis are not well-defined. in this report, we found that in hscr patient bowels, the ra nuclear receptor rarα and its interacting coregulator creb-binding protein (cbp) were ... | 2018 | 30560112 |
| increasing nitroxide lifetime in cells to enable in-cell protein structure and dynamics measurements by electron spin resonance spectroscopy. | there is increasing evidence that the stability, structure, dynamics, and function of many proteins differ in cells versus in vitro. the determination of protein structure and dynamics within the native cellular environment may lead to better understanding of protein behavior. electron spin resonance (esr) has emerged as a technique that can report on protein structure and dynamics within cells. nitroxide based spin labels are capable of reporting on protein dynamics, structure, and backbone fle ... | 2019 | 30550988 |
| dual cationic-anionic profiling of metabolites in a single identified cell in a live xenopus laevis embryo by microprobe ce-esi-ms. | in situ capillary microsampling with capillary electrophoresis (ce) electrospray ionization (esi) mass spectrometry (ms) enabled the characterization of cationic metabolites in single cells in complex tissues and organisms. for deeper coverage of the metabolome and metabolic networks, analytical approaches are needed that provide complementary detection for anionic metabolites, ideally using the same instrumentation. described here is one such approach that enables sequential cationic and anioni ... | 2019 | 30542678 |
| silurana chromosomal evolution: a new piece to the puzzle. | the african clawed frogs of the subgenus silurana comprise both diploid and tetraploid species. the root of the polyploidization event leading to the extant xenopus calcaratus, x. mellotropicalis, and x. epitropicalis is not fully understood so far. in x. mellotropicalis, we previously proposed 2 evolutionary scenarios encompassing complete (scenario a) or incomplete (scenario b) translocation of a heterochromatic block from chromosome 9 to 2 in a diploid ancestor. to resolve this puzzle, we per ... | 2018 | 30537723 |
| the interplay between voluntary food intake, dietary carbohydrate-lipid ratio and nutrient metabolism in an amphibian, (xenopus laevis). | digestion of food and metabolism of frogs are little studied at the moment, and such processes could be very particular in the case of amphibians, given their ectothermic and carnivorous nature which may lead them to use nutrients through specific biochemical pathways. in the present study, 24 adult xenopus laevis (six replicates with two frogs per treatment) were randomly assigned to two diets with different carbohydrate:fat ratio (4.5:1 and 2.1:1), changing the dietary glucogenic and lipogenic ... | 2018 | 30532132 |
| radiobiological characteristics of descendant progeny of fish and amphibian cells that survive the initial ionizing radiation dose. | to evaluate the development of delayed lethal mutations, the production of medium borne lethal bystander signals, and the acquirement of radiosensitive or radioresistant traits in distant descendant progeny of fish and amphibian cells surviving ionizing radiation materials and methods: american eel brain endothelial cells (eelb) and african clawed frog epithelial cells (a6) were initially irradiated with gamma rays at 0.5 gy or 2 gy. ionizing radiation (ir)-surviving cells were grown for 27 popu ... | 2019 | 30530089 |
| physiological effects of kdm5c on neural crest migration and eye formation during vertebrate development. | lysine-specific histone demethylase 5c (kdm5c) belongs to the jumonji family of demethylases and is specific for the di- and tri-demethylation of lysine 4 residues on histone 3 (h3k4 me2/3). kdm5c is expressed in the brain and skeletal muscles of humans and is associated with various biologically significant processes. kdm5c is known to be associated with x-linked mental retardation and is also involved in the development of cancer. however, the developmental significance of kdm5c has not been e ... | 2018 | 30522514 |
| modeling underwater hearing and sound localization in the frog xenopus laevis. | animals that are small compared to sound wavelengths face the challenge of localizing a sound source since the main cues to sound direction-interaural time differences (itd) and interaural level differences (ild)-both depend on size. remarkably, the majority of terrestrial vertebrates possess internally coupled ears (ice) with an air-filled cavity connecting the two eardrums and producing an inherently directional middle-ear system. underwater, longer wavelengths and faster sound-speed reduce bo ... | 2018 | 30522324 |
| a xenopus tadpole alternative model to study innate-like t cell-mediated anti-mycobacterial immunity. | owing to the high incidence of multi-drug resistance and challenges posed by the complex and long duration of treatments, mycobacterium tuberculosis (mtb) infections remain a significant clinical burden, which would benefit from development of novel immuno-therapeutic-based treatment strategies. among early immune effectors, invariant or innate-like (i)t cells are attracting attention because of their potential regulatory activity, which can shape anti-mycobacterial immune responses. unlike conv ... | 2019 | 30521838 |
| genomic takeover by transposable elements in the strawberry poison frog. | we sequenced the genome of the strawberry poison frog, oophaga pumilio, at a depth of 127.5× using variable insert size libraries. the total genome size is estimated to be 6.76 gb, of which 4.76 gb are from high copy number repetitive elements with low differentiation across copies. these repeats encompass dna transposons, rna transposons, and ltr retrotransposons, including at least 0.4 and 1.0 gb of mariner/tc1 and gypsy elements, respectively. expression data indicate high levels of gypsy and ... | 2018 | 30517748 |
| enhanced visual experience rehabilitates the injured brain in xenopus tadpoles in an nmdar-dependent manner. | traumatic brain injuries introduce functional and structural circuit deficits that must be repaired for an organism to regain function. we developed an injury model in which xenopus laevis tadpoles are given a penetrating stab wound that damages the optic tectal circuit and impairs visuomotor behavior. in tadpoles, as in other systems, injury induces neurogenesis. the newly generated neurons are thought to integrate into the existing circuit; however, whether they integrate via the same mechanis ... | 2019 | 30517041 |
| effects of quinine, quinidine and chloroquine on human muscle nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. | the genus cinchona is known for a range of alkaloids, such as quinine, quinidine, cinchonine, and cinchonidine. cinchona bark has been used as an antimalarial agent for more than 400 years. quinine was first isolated in 1820 and is still acknowledged in the therapy of chloroquine-resistant falciparum malaria; in lower dosage quinine has been used as treatment for leg cramps since the 1940s. here we report the effects of the quinoline derivatives quinine, quinidine, and chloroquine on human adult ... | 2018 | 30515099 |
| auditory perception exhibits sexual dimorphism and left telencephalic dominance in xenopus laevis. | sex differences in both vocalization and auditory processing have been commonly found in vocal animals, although the underlying neural mechanisms associated with sexual dimorphism of auditory processing are not well understood. in this study we investigated whether auditory perception exhibits sexual dimorphism in xenopus laevis to do this we measured event-related potentials (erps) evoked by white noise (wn) and conspecific calls in the telencephalon, diencephalon and mesencephalon respectively ... | 2018 | 30509903 |
| sr 57227a is a partial agonist/partial antagonist of 5-ht3 receptor and inhibits subsequent 5-ht- or sr 57227a-induced 5-ht3 receptor current. | the serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) type 3 (5-ht3) receptors are transmembrane ligand-gated ion channels. although several 5-ht3 receptor agonists have been used as preclinical tools, sr 57227a is the most commonly used 5-ht3 receptor agonist with the ability to cross the blood brain barrier. however, the precise pharmacological profile of sr 57227a remains unclear. therefore, we examined the pharmacological profile of sr 57227a at the 5-ht3a and 5-ht3ab receptors. we microinjected xenopus laevi ... | 2019 | 30509492 |
| control of xenopus tadpole locomotion via selective expression of ih in excitatory interneurons. | locomotion relies on the coordinated activity of rhythmic neurons in the hindbrain and spinal cord and depends critically on the intrinsic properties of excitatory interneurons. therefore, understanding how ion channels sculpt the properties of these interneurons, and the consequences for circuit function and behavior, is an important task. the hyperpolarization-activated cation current, ih, is known to play important roles in shaping neuronal properties and for rhythm generation in many neurona ... | 2018 | 30503615 |
| involvement of epigenetic modifications in thyroid hormone-dependent formation of adult intestinal stem cells during amphibian metamorphosis. | amphibian metamorphosis has long been used as model to study postembryonic development in vertebrates, a period around birth in mammals when many organs/tissues mature into their adult forms and is characterized by peak levels of plasma thyroid hormone (t3). of particular interest is the remodeling of the intestine during metamorphosis. in the highly-related anurans xenopus laevis and xenopus tropicalis, this remodeling process involves larval epithelial cell death and de novo formation of adult ... | 2019 | 30472386 |
| solid lipid nanoparticles for the delivery of anti-microbial oligonucleotides. | novel alternatives to antibiotics are urgently needed for the successful treatment of antimicrobial resistant (amr) infections. experimental antibacterial oligonucleotide therapeutics, such as transcription factor decoys (tfd), are a promising approach to circumvent amr. however, the therapeutic potential of tfd is contingent upon the development of carriers that afford efficient dna protection against nucleases and delivery of dna to the target infection site. as a carrier for tfd, here we pres ... | 2019 | 30468838 |
| thyroid hormone levels and temperature during development alter thermal tolerance and energetics of xenopus laevis larvae. | environmental variation induced by natural and anthropogenic processes including climate change may threaten species by causing environmental stress. anuran larvae experiencing environmental stress may display altered thyroid hormone (th) status with potential implications for physiological traits. therefore, any capacity to adapt to environmental changes through plastic responses provides a key to determining species vulnerability to environmental variation. we investigated whether developmenta ... | 2018 | 30464840 |
| expression pattern and histone acetylation of energy metabolic genes in xenopus laevis liver in response to diet statuses. | amphibians can survive without food for relatively longer periods by reducing the locomotor activity and metabolic rate and can recover quickly with refeeding from a dormant state. to clarify the molecular mechanism underlying this survival strategy, we investigated serum biochemical parameters, the transcript levels of energy metabolic genes, and global and gene-specific histone modifications in the liver of adult male xenopus laevis, which were fed, fasted, or refed after fasting. glucose, tri ... | 2019 | 30460762 |
| how thyroid hormones and their inhibitors affect cartilage growth and shape in the frog xenopus laevis. | understanding how skeleton changes shape in ontogeny is fundamental to understanding how its shape diversifies in phylogeny. amphibians pose a special case because their jaw and throat skeleton consists of cartilages that are dramatically reshaped midway through life to support new feeding and breathing styles. although amphibian metamorphosis is commonly studied by immersing larvae in thyroid hormones (th), how individual cartilages respond to th is poorly understood. this study documents the e ... | 2019 | 30456781 |
| class a scavenger receptors mediate extracellular dsrna sensing, leading to downstream antiviral gene expression in a novel american toad cell line, bufotad. | viral double-stranded (ds)rna is a potent pathogen-associated molecular pattern (pamp), capable of inducing a strong antiviral state within the cell, protecting the cell from virus infection. in mammals and fish, sensing extracellular dsrna is mediated by cell-surface class a scavenger receptors (sr-as). currently, very little is known about sr-as in amphibians, including: sequence, expression patterns and function. to this end, sr-a expression and function was studied in a novel american toad ( ... | 2019 | 30452932 |
| cellspecks: a software for automated detection and analysis of calcium channels in live cells. | to couple the fidelity of patch-clamp recording with a more high-throughput screening capability, we pioneered a, to our knowledge, novel approach to single-channel recording that we named "optical patch clamp." by using highly sensitive fluorescent ca2+ indicator dyes in conjunction with total internal fluorescence microscopy techniques, we monitor ca2+ flux through individual ca2+-permeable channels. this approach provides information about channel gating analogous to patch-clamp recording at ... | 2018 | 30447989 |
| automating event-detection of brain neuron synaptic activity and action potential firing in vivo using a random-access multiphoton laser scanning microscope for real-time analysis. | determining how a neuron computes requires an understanding of the complex spatiotemporal relationship between its input (e.g. synaptic input as a result of external stimuli) and action potential output. recent advances in in vivo, laser-scanning multiphoton technology, known as random-access microscopy (ram), can capture this relationship by imaging fluorescent light, emitted from calcium-sensitive biosensors responding to synaptic and action potential firing in a neuron's full dendritic arbor ... | 2018 | 30440280 |
| expression of hyaluronan synthases upregulated by thyroid hormone is involved in intestinal stem cell development during xenopus laevis metamorphosis. | during amphibian intestinal remodeling, thyroid hormone (th) induces adult stem cells, which newly generate the absorptive epithelium analogous to the mammalian one. we have previously shown that hyaluronan (ha) is newly synthesized and plays an essential role in the development of the stem cells via its major receptor cd44 in the xenopus laevis intestine. we here focused on ha synthase (has) and examined how the expression of has family genes is regulated during natural and th-induced metamorph ... | 2018 | 30430240 |
| evaluating potential distribution of high-risk aquatic invasive species in the water garden and aquarium trade at a global scale based on current established populations. | aquatic non-native invasive species are commonly traded in the worldwide water garden and aquarium markets, and some of these species pose major threats to the economy, the environment, and human health. understanding the potential suitable habitat for these species at a global scale and at regional scales can inform risk assessments and predict future potential establishment. typically, global habitat suitability models are fit for freshwater species with only climate variables, which provides ... | 2019 | 30428498 |
| novel findings on the impact of chytridiomycosis on the cardiac function of anurans: sensitive vs. tolerant species. | understanding of the physiological effects of chytridiomycosis is crucial to worldwide amphibian conservation. therefore, we analyzed the cardiac function of two anuran species (xenopus laevis and physalaemus albonotatus) with different susceptibilities to infection by the causative agent of chytridiomycosis, batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (hereafter bd). | 2018 | 30425891 |
| a taxonomically and geographically constrained information base limits non-native reptile and amphibian risk assessment: a systematic review. | for many taxa, new records of non-native introductions globally occur at a near exponential rate. we undertook a systematic review of peer-reviewed publications on non-native herpetofauna, to assess the information base available for assessing risks of future invasions, resulting in 836 relevant papers. the taxonomic and geographic scope of the literature was also compared to a published database of all known invasions globally. we found 1,116 species of herpetofauna, 95% of which were present i ... | 2018 | 30425887 |
| development of an acute method to deliver transgenes into the brains of adult xenopus laevis. | the central vocal pathway of the african clawed frog, xenopus laevis, is a powerful vertebrate model to understand mechanisms underlying central pattern generation. however, fast and efficient methods of introducing exogenous genes into the neurons of adult x. laevis are currently not available. here, we systematically tested methods of transgene delivery into adult x. laevis neurons. although successfully used for tadpole neurons for over a decade, electroporation was not efficient in transfect ... | 2018 | 30416430 |
| proteolytic activation of bmps: analysis of cleavage in xenopus oocytes and embryos. | bone morphogenetic proteins (bmps) are synthesized as inactive precursors that are cleaved to generate active ligands, along with prodomain fragments that can modulate growth factor activity. here we provide three protocols that can be used to examine the process of proteolytic activation of bmps. the first protocol describes how to generate radiolabeled bmp precursor proteins in xenopus oocytes and then analyze the time course of precursor cleavage by recombinant enzymes in vitro. the second pr ... | 2019 | 30414129 |
| ivermectin promotes peripheral nerve regeneration during wound healing. | peripheral nerves have the capacity to regenerate due to the presence of neuroprotective glia of the peripheral nervous system, schwann cells. upon peripheral nerve injury, schwann cells create a permissive microenvironment for neuronal regrowth by taking up cytotoxic glutamate and secreting neurotrophic signaling molecules. impaired peripheral nerve repair is often caused by a defective schwann cell response after injury, and there is a critical need to develop new strategies to enhance nerve r ... | 2018 | 30411007 |