Publications

dispersal of an ancient retroposon in the tp53 promoter of bovidae: phylogeny, novel mechanisms, and potential implications for cow milk persistency.	in recent years, the perception of transposable genetic elements has changed from "junk dna" to a focus of interest when appearing near or inside genes. bov-a2 is a short interspersed nuclear element (sine) that was first found in bovidae and later in other ruminants. this retroposon is mostly used as a marker for phylogenetic analysis.	2015	25653076
looking for adaptive footprints in the hsp90aa1 ovine gene.	climatic factors play an important role in determining species distributions and phenotypic variation of populations over geographic space. since domestic sheep is managed under low intensive systems animals could have retained some genome adaptive footprints. the gene encoding the hsp90α has been extensively studied in sheep and some polymorphisms located at its promoter have been associates with differences in the transcription rate of the gene depending on climatic conditions. in this work th ...	2015	25648535
in-depth characterization of sheep (ovis aries) milk whey proteome and comparison with cow (bos taurus).	an in-depth proteomic study of sheep milk whey is reported and compared to the data available in the literature for the cow whey proteome. a combinatorial peptide ligand library kit (proteominer) was used to normalize protein abundance in the sheep whey proteome followed by an in-gel digest of a 1d-page display and an in-solution digestion followed by offgel isoelectric focusing fractionation. the peptide fractions obtained were then analyzed by lc-ms/ms. this enabled identification of 669 prote ...	2015	26447763
canine cnga3 gene mutations provide novel insights into human achromatopsia-associated channelopathies and treatment.	cyclic nucleotide-gated (cng) ion channels are key mediators underlying signal transduction in retinal and olfactory receptors. genetic defects in cnga3 and cngb3, encoding two structurally related subunits of cone cng channels, lead to achromatopsia (achm). achm is a congenital, autosomal recessive retinal disorder that manifests by cone photoreceptor dysfunction, severely reduced visual acuity, impaired or complete color blindness and photophobia. here, we report the first canine models for cn ...	2015	26407004
eco-epidemiological study of an endemic chagas disease region in northern colombia reveals the importance of triatoma maculata (hemiptera: reduviidae), dogs and didelphis marsupialis in trypanosoma cruzi maintenance.	in colombia, rhodnius prolixus and triatoma dimidiata are the main domestic triatomine species known to transmit t. cruzi. however, there are multiple reports of t. cruzi transmission involving secondary vectors. in this work, we carried out an eco-epidemiological study on margarita island, located in the caribbean region of colombia, where chagas disease is associated with non-domiciliated vectors.	2015	26394766
prying into the intimate secrets of animal lives; software beyond hardware for comprehensive annotation in 'daily diary' tags.	smart tags attached to freely-roaming animals recording multiple parameters at infra-second rates are becoming commonplace, and are transforming our understanding of the way wild animals behave. interpretation of such data is complex and currently limits the ability of biologists to realise the value of their recorded information.	2015	26392863
characterization of the transcriptional complexity of the receptive and pre-receptive endometria of dairy goats.	endometrium receptivity is essential for successful embryo implantation in mammals. however, the lack of genetic information remains an obstacle to understanding the mechanisms underlying the development of a receptive endometrium from the pre-receptive phase in dairy goats. in this study, more than 4 billion high-quality reads were generated and de novo assembled into 102,441 unigenes; these unigenes were annotated using published databases. a total of 3,255 unigenes that were differentially ex ...	2015	26373443
increased systolic load causes adverse remodeling of fetal aortic and mitral valves.	while abnormal hemodynamic forces alter fetal myocardial growth, little is known about whether such insults affect fetal cardiac valve development. we hypothesized that chronically elevated systolic load would detrimentally alter fetal valve growth. chronically instrumented fetal sheep received either a continuous infusion of adult sheep plasma to increase fetal blood pressure, or a lactated ringer's infusion as a volume control beginning on day 126 ± 4 of gestation. after 8 days, mean arterial ...	2015	26354842
nocturnal "humming" vocalizations: adding a piece to the puzzle of giraffe vocal communication.	recent research reveals that giraffes (giraffa camelopardalis sp.) exhibit a socially structured, fission-fusion system. in other species possessing this kind of society, information exchange is important and vocal communication is usually well developed. but is this true for giraffes? giraffes are known to produce sounds, but there is no evidence that they use vocalizations for communication. reports on giraffe vocalizations are mainly anecdotal and the missing acoustic descriptions make it dif ...	2015	26353836
a nonsynonymous/synonymous substitution analysis of the b56 gene family aids in understanding b56 isoform diversity.	gene duplication leads to the formation of gene families, wherein purifying or neutral selection maintains the original gene function, while diversifying selection confers new functions onto duplicated genes. the b56 gene family is highly conserved; it is encoded by one gene in protists and fungi, and five genes in vertebrates. b56 regulates protein phosphatase 2a (pp2a), an abundant heterotrimeric serine/threonine phosphatase that functions as a tumor suppressor and consists of a scaffolding "a ...	2015	26692027
the first mitogenome of the cyprus mouflon (ovis gmelini ophion): new insights into the phylogeny of the genus ovis.	sheep are thought to have been one of the first livestock to be domesticated in the near east, thus playing an important role in human history. the current whole mitochondrial genome phylogeny for the genus ovis is based on: the five main domestic haplogroups occurring among sheep (o. aries), along with molecular data from two wild european mouflons, three urials, and one argali. with the aim to shed some further light on the phylogenetic relationship within this genus, the first complete mitoch ...	2015	26636977
size reduction in early european domestic cattle relates to intensification of neolithic herding strategies.	our analysis of over 28,000 osteometric measurements from fossil remains dating between c. 5600 and 1500 bce reveals a substantial reduction in body mass of 33% in neolithic central european domestic cattle. we investigate various plausible explanations for this phenotypic adaptation, dismissing climatic change as a causal factor, and further rejecting the hypothesis that it was caused by an increase in the proportion of smaller adult females in the population. instead we find some support for t ...	2015	26630287
identification of general and heart-specific mirnas in sheep (ovis aries).	micrornas (mirnas or mirs) are small regulatory rnas crucial for modulation of signaling pathways in multiple organs. while the link between mirnas and heart disease has grown more readily apparent over the past three years, these data are primarily limited to small animal models or cell-based systems. here, we performed a high-throughput rna sequencing (rnaseq) analysis of left ventricle and other tissue from a pre-clinical ovine model. we identified 172 novel mirna precursors encoding a total ...	2015	26599010
β-carotene and retinol contents in the meat of herbivorous ungulates with a special reference to their public health importance.	the aim of this study was to estimate total carotenoids, β-carotene and retinol concentrations in the livers and muscles of some ungulates (cattle, buffalo, sheep, goats and horses) in comparison with the wistar rats as a control. cattle and horses had the highest contents of total carotenoids and β-carotene. unexpectedly, sheep was the highest accumulator of retinol with a mean concentration of 203 ± 23.34 µg/g, while the least accumulator was buffalo, having a mean value of 58.28 ± 13.77 µg/g. ...	2015	26498400
a catalogue of novel bovine long noncoding rna across 18 tissues.	long non-coding rna (lncrna) have been implicated in diverse biological roles including gene regulation and genomic imprinting. identifying lncrna in bovine across many differing tissue would contribute to the current repertoire of bovine lncrna, and help further improve our understanding of the evolutionary importance and constraints of these transcripts. additionally, it could aid in identifying sites in the genome outside of protein coding genes where mutations could contribute to variation i ...	2015	26496443
merino and merino-derived sheep breeds: a genome-wide intercontinental study.	merino and merino-derived sheep breeds have been widely distributed across the world, both as purebred and admixed populations. they represent an economically and historically important genetic resource which over time has been used as the basis for the development of new breeds. in order to examine the genetic influence of merino in the context of a global collection of domestic sheep breeds, we analyzed genotype data that were obtained with the ovinesnp50 beadchip (illumina) for 671 individual ...	2015	26272467
analysis of copy number variations by snp50 beadchip array in chinese sheep.	the sheep (ovis aries) plays a major socio-economic role in the world. copy number variations (cnvs) are increasingly recognized as a key and potent source of genetic variation and phenotypic diversity, but little is known about the extent to which cnvs contribute to genetic variation in chinese sheep breeds. analyses of cnvs in the genomes of eight sheep breeds were performed using the sheep snp50 beadchip genotyping array. a total of 111 cnv regions (cnvrs) were obtained from 160 chinese sheep ...	2015	26244906
characterization of amniotic fluid of dohne merino ewes (ovis aries) and its possible role in neonatal recognition.	amniotic fluid (af) was investigated as a possible source of the neonatal recognition cue that plays a crucial role in ewe-lamb bonding in sheep. a total of 70 of the 133 volatile organic compounds (vocs), previously identified in the cranial wool of neonatal dohne merino lambs, was also identified in af collected individually from neonatal twins. as in the case of the wool of neonatal lambs, the voc profiles (gc-ms) of the af of twins were remarkably similar. however, the voc profiles of the af ...	2015	26222995
understanding the concept of a reflective surface: can sheep improve navigational ability through the use of a mirror?	mirror image-induced stimulation and the ability to use the mirror to improve navigational ability for the purpose of object location are considered measures of animal cognitive ability. the purpose of this study was to assess these cognitive abilities in sheep (ovis aries) as part of a larger programme profiling the cognitive ability of this animal species. three separate groups of sheep [(n = 29); 10 welsh mountain, 8 norfolk horned and 11 borderdale] were trained (≥80 % criterion) to locate a ...	2015	25322812
genome-wide specific selection in three domestic sheep breeds.	commercial sheep raised for mutton grow faster than traditional chinese sheep breeds. here, we aimed to evaluate genetic selection among three different types of sheep breed: two well-known commercial mutton breeds and one indigenous chinese breed.	2015	26083354
mitochondrial dna analysis of medieval sheep (ovis aries) in central italy reveals the predominance of haplogroup b already in the middle ages.	we retrieved 34 medieval ovicaprine remains, from three archaeological sites of central italy dating to about 1000 years old, and analyzed them using mitochondrial dna. we compared the reconstructed haplogroups with modern sheep samples from europe and the middle east and sequences from the literature. in modern sheep, haplogroup ha is present in countries with access to the mediterranean and close to the domestication center, whereas it is very rare or absent in the rest of europe. the haplogro ...	2015	25917303
mitogenome revealed multiple postdomestication genetic mixtures of west african sheep.	notable diversity observed within african ovine breeds makes them of great interests, but limited studies on genetic origins and domestications remain poorly understood. here, we investigate the evolutionary status of west african native breeds, djallonke and sahelian sheep using mitogenome sequencing. compared with other ovine mitogenome sequences, west african sheep were revealed a eurasian origin, and the initially tamed sheep breeds in west africa have been genetically mixed with each other ...	2015	25865947
y chromosomal haplotype characteristics of domestic sheep (ovis aries) in china.	investigations on the variation present at the male-specific y chromosome region provide strong information to understand the origin and evolution of domestic sheep. one snp oy1 (g.88a>g) in the upstream region of sry gene, and the microsatellite srym18 locus within ovine y chromosome were analyzed in one hundred and forty five samples collected from eleven breeds in china. snp oy1 was analyzed using pcr-sscp method and sequencing. two different pcr-sscp patterns represented two specific sequenc ...	2015	25865303
chloroplastic and cytoplasmic overexpression of sheep serotonin n-acetyltransferase in transgenic rice plants is associated with low melatonin production despite high enzyme activity.	serotonin n-acetyltransferase (snat), the penultimate enzyme in melatonin biosynthesis, catalyzes the conversion of serotonin into n-acetylserotonin. plant snat is localized in chloroplasts. to test snat localization effects on melatonin synthesis, we generated transgenic rice plants overexpressing a sheep (ovis aries) snat (oasnat) in their chloroplasts and compared melatonin biosynthesis with that of transgenic rice plants overexpressing oasnat in their cytoplasm. to localize the oasnat in chl ...	2015	25782973
[cellular dynamics of the outer layers of the hair follicle of fine-wool sheep during the phase of stable hair growth].	the structure, origin, and migration of outer sheath cells of the hair follicles of domestic sheep were studied by electron microscopic, autoradiographic, and histochemical (glycogen) in order to understand the role of this layer in hair morphogenesis. we demonstrated that the cells of the outer layers of the outer sheath interpose into the inner "companion" layer of the outer sheath. although this process takes place all along the hair follicle from the lower bulb up to the sebaceous glands ori ...	2015	25739299
de novo assembly and characterization of skin transcriptome using rnaseq in sheep (ovis aries).	wool is produced via synthetic processes of wool follicles, which are embedded in the skin of sheep. the development of new-generation sequencing and rna sequencing provides new approaches that may elucidate the molecular regulation mechanism of wool follicle development and facilitate enhanced selection for wool traits through gene-assisted selection or targeted gene manipulation. we performed de novo transcriptome sequencing of skin using the illumina hiseq 2000 sequencing system in sheep (ovi ...	2015	25730076
analysis of agouti signaling protein (asip) gene polymorphisms and association with coat color in tibetan sheep (ovis aries).	tibetan sheep, an indigenous breed, have a wide variety of phenotypes and a colorful coat, which make this breed an interesting model for evaluating the effects of coat-color gene mutations on this phenotypic trait. the agouti signaling protein (asip) gene is a positional candidate gene, as was inferred based on previous study. in our research, asip gene copy numbers in genomic dna were detected using a novel approach, and the exon 2 g.100-104 mutation and copy number variation (cnv) of asip wer ...	2015	25730058
design, synthesis and evaluation of a gonadotropin releasing hormone-based subunit vaccine in rams (ovis aries).	immunocastration using gonadotropin-releasing hormone (gnrh)-based vaccines has been investigated in rams to reduce aggressive and sexual behaviour and to control meat quality. despite considerable efforts, a practical gnrh vaccine has yet to be developed for rams. in the present study, a a gnrh-lipopeptide vaccine (gnrh-lp) including two copies of gnrh, 2-amino-d,l-hexadecanoic acid (c16), and a unique t helper epitope, was examined in rams. rams received a primary and secondary vaccination of ...	2015	25678242
individual gregariousness predicts behavioural synchronization in a foraging herbivore, the sheep (ovis aries).	diversity of animal personalities has been proposed to arise from differences in social attraction, and to enhance behavioural flexibility of a population. the present study evaluated gregariousness as a personality trait in 14 ewes kept on pasture. gregariousness was defined based on the frequency of having a close neighbour (<3m). highly gregarious (hg) and less gregarious (lg) animals were separated into two groups (n=7) which were reintegrated after 18 days. during direct field observations, ...	2015	25637869
osteoarthritis of the temporo-mandibular joint in free-living soay sheep on st kilda.	osteoarthritis (oa) is a common degenerative disease of synovial joints with the potential to cause pathology and welfare issues in both domestic and wild ruminants. previous work has identified oa of the elbow joint in domestic sheep, but the prevalence of oa of the jaw and in particular the temporomandibular joint (tmj) has not been previously reported. following up a previous report of a single case of tmj oa in a free-living population of soay sheep on st kilda in the outer hebrides, an arch ...	2015	25458883
sperm head ellipticity as a heat stress indicator in australian merino rams (ovis aries) in northern patagonia, argentina.	in northern patagonia, argentina, the ovine mating season starts on march 15, which is the time when rams are submitted to summer temperatures. this study assessed the adaptability of 12 australian merino rams, six unshorn and six shorn, half of which were treated in a heat chamber for five days (09.00 hours to 17.00 hours) that gradually reached 40 °c. in an attempt to quantify the effects of heat stress on sperm head morphology, ellipticity was analyzed to establish the relationship between th ...	2015	25443418
phenotypic and molecular characterization of intrauterine fetal growth restriction in interspecies sheep pregnancy.	interspecies pregnancies between closely related species are usually performed in livestock to obtain improved and enriched offspring. indeed, different hybrids have been obtained for research purposes since many years ago, and the maternal-fetal interactions have been studied as a possible strategy for species preservation. the aim of this study was to characterize by physiological and molecular approaches the interspecies pregnancy between bighorn sheep () and domestic sheep (). hybrids were o ...	2015	26523562
predictive capacity of sperm quality parameters and sperm subpopulations on field fertility after artificial insemination in sheep.	this study was designed to evaluate the relevance of several sperm quality parameters and sperm population structure on the reproductive performance after cervical artificial insemination (ai) in sheep. one hundred and thirty-nine ejaculates from 56 adult rams were collected using an artificial vagina, processed for sperm quality assessment and used to perform 1319 ai. analyses of sperm motility by computer-assisted sperm analysis (casa), sperm nuclear morphometry by computer-assisted sperm morp ...	2015	26507945
effect of gastro-intestinal nematode infection on sheep performance: a systematic review and meta-analysis.	gastrointestinal nematode (gin) infections are common in domestic sheep and impact directly and indirectly on the health of infected animals as well as on the associated economic production. in this study, we aim at summarizing the current knowledge on the influence of gin infections on sheep production by conducting a systematic review. a subsequent meta-analysis of relevant studies was performed to provide an estimate of the effect of gin infections on weight gain, wool production and milk yie ...	2015	26496893
sex differences in relationships between habitat use and reproductive performance in soay sheep (ovis aries).	the role of habitat use in generating individual variation in fitness has rarely been examined empirically in natural populations of long-lived mammals, particularly for both sexes simultaneously. this is the case despite the increase in studies attempting to understand evolutionary change in such populations. using data from the st. kilda soay sheep population, we quantified the association between lifetime reproductive performance (lifetime breeding and reproductive success) and the proportion ...	2015	26610734
technical note: protozoa-specific antibodies raised in sheep plasma bind to their target protozoa in the rumen.	binding of igg antibodies to entodinium spp. in the rumen of sheep (ovis aries) was investigated by adding igg, purified from plasma, directly into the rumen. plasma igg was sourced from sheep that had or had not been immunized with a vaccine containing whole fixed entodinium spp. cells. ruminal fluid was sampled approximately 2 h after each antibody dosing. binding of protozoa by a specific antibody was detected using an indirect fluorescent antibody test. an antibody titer in the ruminal fluid ...	2014	25414113
genome-wide analysis of italian sheep diversity reveals a strong geographic pattern and cryptic relationships between breeds.	italy counts several sheep breeds, arisen over centuries as a consequence of ancient and recent genetic and demographic events. to finely reconstruct genetic structure and relationships between italian sheep, 496 subjects from 19 breeds were typed at 50k single nucleotide polymorphism loci. a subset of foreign breeds from the sheep hapmap dataset was also included in the analyses. genetic distances (as visualized either in a network or in a multidimensional scaling analysis of identical by state ...	2014	24303943
development of interspecies nuclear transfer embryos reconstructed with argali (ovis ammon) somatic cells and sheep ooplasm.	interspecies nuclear transfer has already achieved success in several species, which shows great potential in recovery and conservation of endangered animals. the study was conducted to establish an efficient system for in vitro argali (ovis ammon)-sheep embryo reconstruction via interspecies somatic cell nuclear transfer (iscnt). the competence of domestic sheep cytoplasts to reprogram the adult argali fibroblast nuclei was evaluated, and the effects of enucleation methods and donor cell passag ...	2014	24123771
molecular cloning, characterization and expression of myoglobin in tibetan antelope (pantholops hodgsonii), a species with hypoxic tolerance.	the tibetan antelope (pantholops hodgsonii) is a hypoxia-tolerant species that lives at an altitude of 4,000-5,000 m above sea level on the qinghai-tibetan plateau. myoglobin is an oxygen-binding cytoplasmic hemoprotein that is abundantly expressed in oxidative skeletal and cardiac myocytes. numerous studies have implicated that hypoxia regulates myoglobin expression to allow adaptation to conditions of hypoxic stress. few studies have yet looked at the effect of myoglobin on the adaptation to s ...	2014	24076356
y chromosome haplotype diversity of domestic sheep (ovis aries) in northern eurasia.	variation in two snps and one microsatellite on the y chromosome was analyzed in a total of 663 rams representing 59 breeds from a large geographic range in northern eurasia. snpa-oy1 showed the highest allele frequency (91.55%) across the breeds, whereas snpg-oy1 was present in only 56 samples. combined genotypes established seven haplotypes (h4, h5, h6, h7, h8, h12 and h19). h6 dominated in northern eurasia, and h8 showed the second-highest frequency. h4, which had been earlier reported to be ...	2014	25204383
two missense mutations in melanocortin 1 receptor (mc1r) are strongly associated with dark ventral coat color in reindeer (rangifer tarandus).	the protein-coding region of melanocortin 1 receptor (mc1r) was sequenced to identify potential variation affecting coat color in reindeer (rangifer tarandus). a t→c sequence variation at nucleotide position 218 (c.218t>c) causing an amino acid (aa) change from methionine to threonine at aa position 73 (p.met73thr) was identified. in addition, a t→g sequence variation was found at nucleotide position 839 (c.839t>g), causing phenylalanine to be exchanged by cysteine at aa position 280 (p.phe280cy ...	2014	25039753
heavy ion radiation can promote greater motility and enolase protein expression in ram sperm in in vitro liquid storage.	the aim of the study was to determine the effects of heavy ion radiation (hir) on ram sperm quality during 24h of in vitro liquid storage at 15°c, and identify the most appropriate dose which did not injure, but actually improved sperm quality and confirmed the relationship between highly expressed enolase and ram sperm quality during storage in vitro. six dorset ram (ovis aries) semen pools from five mature and healthy rams were each divided into seven experimental groups with different doses o ...	2014	25018045
predicting potential responses to future climate in an alpine ungulate: interspecific interactions exceed climate effects.	the altitudinal shifts of many montane populations are lagging behind climate change. understanding habitual, daily behavioural rhythms, and their climatic and environmental influences, could shed light on the constraints on long-term upslope range-shifts. in addition, behavioural rhythms can be affected by interspecific interactions, which can ameliorate or exacerbate climate-driven effects on ecology. here, we investigate the relative influences of ambient temperature and an interaction with d ...	2014	24957266
immunolocalization of aquaporins 1, 3, and 5 in the nasal respiratory mucosa of a panting species, the sheep (ovis aries).	the nasal respiratory mucosa is the primary site for evaporative water loss in panting species, necessitating the movement of water across the nasal epithelium. aquaporins (aqp) are protein channels that facilitate water movement in various fluid transporting tissues of non-panting species. whether the requirement for enhanced capacity for transepithelial water movement in the nasal respiratory mucosa of panting species has led to differences in aqp localization is unknown. using immunohistochem ...	2014	24956959
a rice chloroplast transit peptide sequence does not alter the cytoplasmic localization of sheep serotonin n-acetyltransferase expressed in transgenic rice plants.	ectopic overexpression of melatonin biosynthetic genes of animal origin has been used to generate melatonin-rich transgenic plants to examine the functional roles of melatonin in plants. however, the subcellular localization of these proteins expressed in the transgenic plants remains unknown. we studied the localization of sheep (ovis aries) serotonin n-acetyltransferase (oasnat) and a translational fusion of a rice snat transit peptide to oasnat (ts:oasnat) in plants. laser confocal microscopy ...	2014	24920304
structural studies on a low oxygen affinity hemoglobin from mammalian species: sheep (ovis aries).	hemoglobin (hb) is in equilibrium between low affinity tense (t) and high affinity relaxed (r) states associated with its unliganded and liganded forms, respectively. mammalian species can be classified into two groups on the basis of whether they express 'high' and 'low' oxygen affinity hbs. although hbs from former group have been studied extensively, a limited number of structural studies have been performed for the low oxygen affinity hbs. here, the crystal structure of low oxygen affinity s ...	2014	24858681
a spatial risk assessment of bighorn sheep extirpation by grazing domestic sheep on public lands.	bighorn sheep currently occupy just 30% of their historic distribution, and persist in populations less than 5% as abundant overall as their early 19th century counterparts. present-day recovery of bighorn sheep populations is in large part limited by periodic outbreaks of respiratory disease, which can be transmitted to bighorn sheep via contact with domestic sheep grazing in their vicinity. in order to assess the viability of bighorn sheep populations on the payette national forest (pnf) under ...	2014	24507886
temporal changes in the neonatal recognition cue of dohne merino lambs (ovis aries).	the strong bond that is formed between ewe and lamb after parturition is important for lamb survival. evidence exists that the ewe mainly employs olfactory recognition cues to distinguish her lamb from other lambs in the flock. we have found that volatile organic compounds in the wool of merino lambs that presumably constitute the neonatal recognition cue in sheep undergo temporal changes, at least during the first 100 days of their lives. to compensate for changes in the composition of the reco ...	2014	24408960
in vivo remodeling potential of a novel bioprosthetic tricuspid valve in an ovine model.	a novel bioprosthetic tricuspid valve was constructed from an acellular extracellular matrix (ecm) bioscaffold. the valve's mechanical functionality and potential for histologic regeneration was evaluated in an ovine model.	2014	24360254
the ca2+-activated k+ current of human sperm is mediated by slo3.	sperm are equipped with a unique set of ion channels that orchestrate fertilization. in mouse sperm, the principal k(+) current (iksper) is carried by the slo3 channel, which sets the membrane potential (vm) in a strongly phi-dependent manner. here, we show that iksper in human sperm is activated weakly by phi and more strongly by ca(2+). correspondingly, vm is strongly regulated by ca(2+) and less so by phi. we find that inhibitors of slo3 suppress human iksper, and we identify the slo3 protein ...	2014	24670955
local extinction and unintentional rewilding of bighorn sheep (ovis canadensis) on a desert island.	bighorn sheep (ovis canadensis) were not known to live on tiburón island, the largest island in the gulf of california and mexico, prior to the surprisingly successful introduction of 20 individuals as a conservation measure in 1975. today, a stable island population of ∼500 sheep supports limited big game hunting and restocking of depleted areas on the mexican mainland. we discovered fossil dung morphologically similar to that of bighorn sheep in a dung mat deposit from mojet cave, in the mount ...	2014	24646515
composite selection signals can localize the trait specific genomic regions in multi-breed populations of cattle and sheep.	discerning the traits evolving under neutral conditions from those traits evolving rapidly because of various selection pressures is a great challenge. we propose a new method, composite selection signals (css), which unifies the multiple pieces of selection evidence from the rank distribution of its diverse constituent tests. the extreme css scores capture highly differentiated loci and underlying common variants hauling excess haplotype homozygosity in the samples of a target population.	2014	24636660
trypanosomes of australian mammals: a review.	approximately 306 species of terrestrial and arboreal mammals are known to have inhabited the mainland and coastal islands of australia at the time of european settlement in 1788. the exotic trypanosoma lewisi was the first mammalian trypanosome identified in australia in 1888, while the first native species, trypanosoma pteropi, was taxonomically described in 1913. since these discoveries, about 22% of the indigenous mammalian fauna have been examined during the surveillance of trypanosome biod ...	2014	25161902
extracellular vesicles in luminal fluid of the ovine uterus.	microvesicles and exosomes are nanoparticles released from cells and can contain small rnas, mrna and proteins that affect cells at distant sites. in sheep, endogenous beta retroviruses (enjsrvs) are expressed in the endometrial epithelia of the uterus and can be transferred to the conceptus trophectoderm. one potential mechanism of enjsrvs transfer from the uterus to the conceptus is via exosomes/microvesicles. therefore, studies were conducted to evaluate exosomes in the uterine luminal fluid ...	2014	24614226
a polymerase chain reaction-based method for isolating clones from a complimentary dna library in sheep.	the sheep (ovis aries) is favored by many musculoskeletal tissue engineering groups as a large animal model because of its docile temperament and ease of husbandry. the size and weight of sheep are comparable to humans, which allows for the use of implants and fixation devices used in human clinical practice. the construction of a complimentary dna (cdna) library can capture the expression of genes in both a tissue- and time-specific manner. cdna libraries have been a consistent source of gene d ...	2014	24447069
contribution of mammary epithelial cells to the immune response during early stages of a bacterial infection to staphylococcus aureus.	to differentiate between the contribution of mammary epithelial cells (mec) and infiltrating immune cells to gene expression profiles of mammary tissue during early stage mastitis, we investigated in goats the in vivo transcriptional response of mec to an experimental intra mammary infection (imi) with staphylococcus aureus, using a non-invasive rna sampling method from milk fat globules (mfg). microarrays were used to record gene expression patterns during the first 24 hours post-infection (hpi ...	2014	24521038
highland cattle and radix labiata, the hosts of fascioloides magna.	fascioloides magna is a pathogenic fluke introduced to europe ca 140 years ago. as it is spreading over the continent, new intermediate and definitive hosts might be involved in transmission of the parasite. in europe, several studies reported potential new intermediate snail hosts (radix spp.) for f. magna, and also several cases of fascioloidosis of wild and domestic animals were published. however, the data based on molecular and histological analyses confirming these findings remained unrepo ...	2014	24517409
comparison of two methods for the measurement of medial and lateral metapodial bones in karagouniko sheep (ovis aries, l. 1758) and hellenic goat (capra hircus, l. 1758).	the objective of this study was to compare the metapodial lengths of sheep and goats measured with a caliper with those measured using a 2-dimensional digital method. complementarily, the lengths of medial and lateral metapodials in these species were compared. the limbs of 30 ewes and 30 goats were used. after preparation, the lateral and medial length of the metacarpals and metatarsals were measured twice with a caliper. afterwards, each bone was scanned and the same lengths were digitally mea ...	2014	25530882
global positioning system data-loggers: a tool to quantify fine-scale movement of domestic animals to evaluate potential for zoonotic transmission to an endangered wildlife population.	domesticated animals are an important source of pathogens to endangered wildlife populations, especially when anthropogenic activities increase their overlap with humans and wildlife. recent work in tanzania reports the introduction of cryptosporidium into wild chimpanzee populations and the increased risk of ape mortality associated with sivcpz-cryptosporidium co-infection. here we describe the application of novel gps technology to track the mobility of domesticated animals (27 goats, 2 sheep ...	2014	25365070
metagenomic survey for viruses in western arctic caribou, alaska, through iterative assembly of taxonomic units.	pathogen surveillance in animals does not provide a sufficient level of vigilance because it is generally confined to surveillance of pathogens with known economic impact in domestic animals and practically nonexistent in wildlife species. as most (re-)emerging viral infections originate from animal sources, it is important to obtain insight into viral pathogens present in the wildlife reservoir from a public health perspective. when monitoring living, free-ranging wildlife for viruses, sample c ...	2014	25140520
vigorous dynamics underlie a stable population of the endangered snow leopard panthera uncia in tost mountains, south gobi, mongolia.	population monitoring programmes and estimation of vital rates are key to understanding the mechanisms of population growth, decline or stability, and are important for effective conservation action. we report, for the first time, the population trends and vital rates of the endangered snow leopard based on camera trapping over four years in the tost mountains, south gobi, mongolia. we used robust design multi-season mark-recapture analysis to estimate the trends in abundance, sex ratio, surviva ...	2014	25006879
ruminant self-medication against gastrointestinal nematodes: evidence, mechanism, and origins.	gastrointestinal helminths challenge ruminants in ways that reduce their fitness. in turn, ruminants have evolved physiological and behavioral adaptations that counteract this challenge. ruminants display anorexia and avoidance behaviors, which tend to reduce the incidence of parasitism. in addition, ruminants appear to learn to self-medicate against gastrointestinal parasites by increasing consumption of plant secondary compounds with antiparasitic actions. this selective feeding improves healt ...	2014	24971486
exclusion performance in dwarf goats (capra aegagrus hircus) and sheep (ovis orientalis aries).	using a comparative approach, we investigated the ability of dwarf goats and sheep to use direct and indirect information about the location of a food reward in an object-choice task. subjects had to choose between two cups with only one covering a reward. before making a choice, subjects received information about the baited (direct information) or non-baited cup (indirect information). both goats and sheep were able to use direct information (presence of food) in the object choice task. after ...	2014	24695781
a rank-based sequence aligner with applications in phylogenetic analysis.	recent tools for aligning short dna reads have been designed to optimize the trade-off between correctness and speed. this paper introduces a method for assigning a set of short dna reads to a reference genome, under local rank distance (lrd). the rank-based aligner proposed in this work aims to improve correctness over speed. however, some indexing strategies to speed up the aligner are also investigated. the lrd aligner is improved in terms of speed by storing [formula: see text]-mer positions ...	2014	25133391
new subfamilies of major intrinsic proteins in fungi suggest novel transport properties in fungal channels: implications for the host-fungal interactions.	aquaporins (aqps) and aquaglyceroporins (aqgps) belong to the superfamily of major intrinsic proteins (mips) and are involved in the transport of water and neutral solutes across the membranes. mip channels play significant role in plant-fungi symbiotic relationship and are believed to be important in host-pathogen interactions in human fungal diseases. in plants, at least five major mip subfamilies have been identified. fungal mip subfamilies include orthodox aquaporins and five subgroups withi ...	2014	25112373
acclimatization to long-term hypoxia: gene expression in ovine carotid arteries.	exposure to acute high-altitude hypoxia is associated with an increase in cerebral blood flow (cbf) as a consequence of low arterial o2 tension. however, in response to high altitude acclimatization, cbf returns to levels similar to those at sea level, and tissue blood flow is maintained by an increase in angiogenesis. of consequence, dysregulation of the acclimatization responses and cbf can result in acute mountain sickness, acute cerebral and/or pulmonary edema. to elucidate the signal transd ...	2014	25052263
cloning and characterization of a ribosomal protein l23a gene from small tail han sheep by screening of a cdna expression library.	as an indispensable component of the eukaryotic ribosome, ribosomal protein l23a plays an important role in protein synthesis, folding and sorting. in this study, the cdna fragment of ribosomal protein l23a with 471 bp in size was screened from the small tail han sheep ear marginal tissue cdna expression library, it has 157 amino acids and a molecular weight of 17.69 kda. the nucleotide sequence of l23a shares a high homology with those of human, mouse, cattle and pig of 91.51%, 88.32%, 96.18% a ...	2014	25606432
combined exafs and dft structure calculations provide structural insights into the 1:1 multi-histidine complexes of cu(ii) , cu(i) , and zn(ii) with the tandem octarepeats of the mammalian prion protein.	the metal-coordinating properties of the prion protein (prp) have been the subject of intense focus and debate since the first reports of its interaction with copper just before the turn of the century. the picture of metal coordination to prp has been improved and refined over the past decade, but structural details of the various metal coordination modes have not been fully elucidated in some cases. in the present study, we have employed x-ray absorption near-edge spectroscopy as well as exten ...	2014	25042361
positioning the red deer (cervus elaphus) hunted by the tyrolean iceman into a mitochondrial dna phylogeny.	in the last years several phylogeographic studies of both extant and extinct red deer populations have been conducted. three distinct mitochondrial lineages (western, eastern and north-african/sardinian) have been identified reflecting different glacial refugia and postglacial recolonisation processes. however, little is known about the genetics of the alpine populations and no mitochondrial dna sequences from alpine archaeological specimens are available. here we provide the first mitochondrial ...	2014	24988290
a novel missense mutation in oncostatin m receptor beta causing primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis.	primary localized cutaneous amyloidosis (plca) is a chronic skin disorder, caused by amyloid material deposition in the upper dermis. autosomal dominant plca has been mapped earlier to pathogenic missense mutations in the osmr gene, which encodes the oncostatin m receptor ß subunit (osmrß). osmrß is interleukin-6 family cytokine receptors and possesses two ligands, oncostatin m and interleukin-31, which both have biologic roles in inflammation and keratinocyte cell proliferation, differentiation ...	2014	25054142
introgression from domestic goat generated variation at the major histocompatibility complex of alpine ibex.	the major histocompatibility complex (mhc) is a crucial component of the vertebrate immune system and shows extremely high levels of genetic polymorphism. the extraordinary genetic variation is thought to be ancient polymorphisms maintained by balancing selection. however, introgression from related species was recently proposed as an additional mechanism. here we provide evidence for introgression at the mhc in alpine ibex (capra ibex ibex). at a usually very polymorphic mhc exon involved in pa ...	2014	24945814
direct infusion mass spectrometry metabolomics dataset: a benchmark for data processing and quality control.	direct-infusion mass spectrometry (dims) metabolomics is an important approach for characterising molecular responses of organisms to disease, drugs and the environment. increasingly large-scale metabolomics studies are being conducted, necessitating improvements in both bioanalytical and computational workflows to maintain data quality. this dataset represents a systematic evaluation of the reproducibility of a multi-batch dims metabolomics study of cardiac tissue extracts. it comprises of twen ...	2014	25977770
two novel cyp11b1 gene mutations in patients from two croatian families with 11 β -hydroxylase deficiency.	steroid 11 β -hydroxylase deficiency (11 β -ohd) is the second most common cause of congenital adrenal hyperplasia. mutations in the cyp11b1 gene, which encodes steroid 11 β -hydroxylase, are responsible for this autosomal recessive disorder. here, we describe the molecular genetics of two previously reported male siblings in whom diagnosis of 11 β -ohd has been established based on their hormonal profiles displaying high levels of 11-deoxycortisol and hyperandrogenism. both patients are compoun ...	2014	24987415
methane emission by camelids.	methane emissions from ruminant livestock have been intensively studied in order to reduce contribution to the greenhouse effect. ruminants were found to produce more enteric methane than other mammalian herbivores. as camelids share some features of their digestive anatomy and physiology with ruminants, it has been proposed that they produce similar amounts of methane per unit of body mass. this is of special relevance for countrywide greenhouse gas budgets of countries that harbor large popula ...	2014	24718604
grafting of bovine serum albumin proteins on plasma-modified polymers for potential application in tissue engineering.	in this work, an influence of bovine serum albumin proteins grafting on the surface properties of plasma-treated polyethylene and poly-l-lactic acid was studied. the interaction of the vascular smooth muscle cells with the modified polymer surface was determined. the surface properties were characterized by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy, nano-lc-esi-q-tof mass spectrometry, electrokinetic analysis, and goniometry. one of the motivations for this work is the idea that ...	2014	24708858
interferon-induced herc5 is evolving under positive selection and inhibits hiv-1 particle production by a novel mechanism targeting rev/rre-dependent rna nuclear export.	type i interferon (ifn) inhibits virus replication by activating multiple antiviral mechanisms and pathways. it has long been recognized that type i ifns can potently block hiv-1 replication in vitro; as such, hiv-1 has been used as a system to identify and characterize ifn-induced antiviral proteins responsible for this block. ifn-induced herc5 contains an amino-terminal regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (rcc1)-like domain and a carboxyl-terminal homologous to the e6-ap carboxyl terminus ( ...	2014	24693865
long-term gestational hypoxia modulates expression of key genes governing mitochondrial function in the perirenal adipose of the late gestation sheep fetus.	we previously reported that long-term hypoxia (lth) increases expression of brown adipose tissue (bat) genes in the perirenal adipose in the ovine fetus. the mechanisms with which hypoxia mediates the enhanced bat phenotype are unresolved. this study was designed to examine the effects of lth on (1) the expression of endothelial cell nitric oxide synthase (enos) and (2) indicators of mitochondrial biogenesis (transcription factors mitochondrial transcription factor a (mttfa), nuclear respiratory ...	2014	25504105
frequency of mitochondrial mutations in non-syndromic hearing loss as well as possibly responsible variants found by whole mitochondrial genome screening.	mutations in mitochondrial dna (mtdna) are reported to be responsible for the pathogenesis of maternally inherited hearing loss. complete mtdna sequencing may detect pathogenic mutations, but whether they are indeed pathogenic can be difficult to interpret because of normal ethnic-associated haplogroup variation and other rare variations existing among control populations. in this study, we performed systemic mutational analysis of mtdna in 394 japanese patients with hearing loss. two different ...	2014	24401907
molecular cloning, bioinformatics analysis and expression of insulin-like growth factor 2 from tianzhu white yak, bos grunniens.	the igf family is essential for normal embryonic and postnatal development and plays important roles in the immune system, myogenesis, bone metabolism and other physiological functions, which makes the study of its structure and biological characteristics important. tianzhu white yak (bos grunniens) domesticated under alpine hypoxia environments, is well adapted to survive and grow against severe hypoxia and cold temperatures for extended periods. in this study, a full coding sequence of the igf ...	2014	24394317
meat species identification using loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay targeting species-specific mitochondrial dna.	meat source fraud and adulteration scandals have led to consumer demands for accurate meat identification methods. nucleotide amplification assays have been proposed as an alternative method to protein-based assays for meat identification. in this study, we designed loop-mediated isothermal amplification (lamp) assays targeting species-specific mitochondrial dna to identify and discriminate eight meat species; cattle, pig, horse, goat, sheep, chicken, duck, and turkey. the lamp primer sets were ...	2014	26761677
evolutionary dynamics of endogenous jaagsiekte sheep retroviruses proliferation in the domestic sheep, mouflon and pyrenean chamois.	the oncogenic exogenous jaagsiekte sheep retrovirus (jsrv), responsible for ovine pulmonary adenocarcinoma, has several endogenous counterparts termed enjsrvs. although many of these elements have been inactivated over time by the accumulation of deleterious mutations or internal recombination leading to solo long terminal repeat (ltr) formation, several members of enjsrvs have been identified as nearly intact and probably represent recent integration events. to determine the level of enjsrv pol ...	2014	24690757
strong artificial selection in domestic mammals did not result in an increased recombination rate.	recombination rates vary in intensity and location at the species, individual, sex and chromosome levels. despite the fundamental biological importance of this process, the selective forces that operate to shape recombination rate and patterns are unclear. domestication offers a unique opportunity to study the interplay between recombination and selection. in domesticates, intense selection for particular traits is imposed on small populations over many generations, resulting in organisms that d ...	2014	25414125
domestic, peridomestic and wild hosts in the transmission of trypanosoma cruzi in the caatinga area colonised by triatoma brasiliensis.	the role played by different mammal species in the maintenance of trypanosoma cruzi is not constant and varies in time and place. this study aimed to characterise the importance of domestic, wild and peridomestic hosts in the transmission of t. cruzi in tauá, state of ceará, caatinga area, brazil, with an emphasis on those environments colonised by triatoma brasiliensis. direct parasitological examinations were performed on insects and mammals, serologic tests were performed on household and out ...	2014	25410992
il12rβ1: the cytokine receptor that we used to know.	human il12rb1 encodes il12rβ1, a type i transmembrane receptor that is an essential component of the il12- and il23-signaling complex. il12rb1 is well-established as being a promoter of delayed type hypersensitivity (dth), the immunological reaction that limits tuberculosis. however, recent data demonstrate that in addition to promoting dth, il12rb1 also promotes autoimmunity. the contradictory roles of il12rb1 in human health raises the question, what are the factors governing il12rb1 function ...	2014	25516297
the timing of timezyme diversification in vertebrates.	all biological functions in vertebrates are synchronized with daily and seasonal changes in the environment by the time keeping hormone melatonin. its nocturnal surge is primarily due to the rhythmic activity of the arylalkylamine n-acetyl transferase aanat, which thus became the focus of many investigations regarding its evolution and function. various vertebrate isoforms have been reported from cartilaginous fish to mammals but their origin has not been clearly established. using phylogeny and ...	2014	25486407
the ucsc genome browser database: 2015 update.	launched in 2001 to showcase the draft human genome assembly, the ucsc genome browser database (http://genome.ucsc.edu) and associated tools continue to grow, providing a comprehensive resource of genome assemblies and annotations to scientists and students worldwide. highlights of the past year include the release of a browser for the first new human genome reference assembly in 4 years in december 2013 (grch38, ucsc hg38), a watershed comparative genomics annotation (100-species multiple align ...	2014	25428374
genetic characterization of mhc class ii dqb exon 2 variants in gayal (bos frontalis).	in the present study, exon 2 of major histocompatibility complex (mhc) class ii dqb gene from 39 gayals (bos frontalis) was isolated, characterized and compared with previously reported patterns for other bovidae. it was revealed by sequence analyses that there are 36 dqb exon 2 variants among 39 gayals. these variants exhibited a high degree of nucleotide and amino acid substitutions with most amino acid variations occurring at positions forming the peptide-binding sites (pbs). the dqb loci wer ...	2014	26019566
camera traps can be heard and seen by animals.	camera traps are electrical instruments that emit sounds and light. in recent decades they have become a tool of choice in wildlife research and monitoring. the variability between camera trap models and the methods used are considerable, and little is known about how animals respond to camera trap emissions. it has been reported that some animals show a response to camera traps, and in research this is often undesirable so it is important to understand why the animals are disturbed. we conducte ...	2014	25354356
proteome scale comparative modeling for conserved drug and vaccine targets identification in corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis.	corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis (cp) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes caseous lymphadenitis (cla), ulcerative lymphangitis, mastitis, and edematous to a broad spectrum of hosts, including ruminants, thereby threatening economic and dairy industries worldwide. currently there is no effective drug or vaccine available against cp. to identify new targets, we adopted a novel integrative strategy, which began with the prediction of the modelome (tridimensional protein structures for the prote ...	2014	25573232
sequential cross-species chromosome painting among river buffalo, cattle, sheep and goat: a useful tool for chromosome abnormalities diagnosis within the family bovidae.	the main goal of this study was to develop a comparative multi-colour zoo-fish on domestic ruminants metaphases using a combination of whole chromosome and sub-chromosomal painting probes obtained from the river buffalo species (bubalus bubalis, 2n = 50,xy). a total of 13 dna probes were obtained through chromosome microdissection and dop-pcr amplification, labelled with two fluorochromes and sequentially hybridized on river buffalo, cattle (bos taurus, 2n = 60,xy), sheep (ovis aries, 2n = 54,xy ...	2014	25330006
species identification of archaeological skin objects from danish bogs: comparison between mass spectrometry-based peptide sequencing and microscopy-based methods.	denmark has an extraordinarily large and well-preserved collection of archaeological skin garments found in peat bogs, dated to approximately 920 bc - ad 775. these objects provide not only the possibility to study prehistoric skin costume and technologies, but also to investigate the animal species used for the production of skin garments. until recently, species identification of archaeological skin was primarily performed by light and scanning electron microscopy or the analysis of ancient dn ...	2014	25260035
peroxisomal lactate dehydrogenase is generated by translational readthrough in mammals.	translational readthrough gives rise to low abundance proteins with c-terminal extensions beyond the stop codon. to identify functional translational readthrough, we estimated the readthrough propensity (rtp) of all stop codon contexts of the human genome by a new regression model in silico, identified a nucleotide consensus motif for high rtp by using this model, and analyzed all readthrough extensions in silico with a new predictor for peroxisomal targeting signal type 1 (pts1). lactate dehydr ...	2014	25247702
adaptations to climate-mediated selective pressures in sheep.	following domestication, sheep (ovis aries) have become essential farmed animals across the world through adaptation to a diverse range of environments and varied production systems. climate-mediated selective pressure has shaped phenotypic variation and has left genetic "footprints" in the genome of breeds raised in different agroecological zones. unlike numerous studies that have searched for evidence of selection using only population genetics data, here, we conducted an integrated coanalysis ...	2014	25249477
role of cullin-elonginb-elonginc e3 complex in bovine immunodeficiency virus and maedi-visna virus vif-mediated degradation of host a3z2-z3 proteins.	all lentiviruses except equine infectious anemia virus (eiva) antagonize antiviral family apobec3 (a3) proteins of the host through viral vif proteins. the mechanism by which vif of human, simian or feline immunodeficiency viruses (hiv/siv/fiv) suppresses the corresponding host a3s has been studied extensively.	2014	25213124
analysis of the transcriptome of adult dictyocaulus filaria and comparison with dictyocaulus viviparus, with a focus on molecules involved in host-parasite interactions.	parasitic nematodes cause diseases of major economic importance in animals. key representatives are species of dictyocaulus (=lungworms), which cause bronchitis (=dictyocaulosis, commonly known as "husk") and have a major adverse impact on the health of livestock. in spite of their economic importance, very little is known about the immunomolecular biology of these parasites. here, we conducted a comprehensive investigation of the adult transcriptome of dictyocaulus filaria of small ruminants an ...	2014	24487001
eco-epidemiology of chagas disease in an endemic area of colombia: risk factor estimation, trypanosoma cruzi characterization and identification of blood-meal sources in bugs.	the sierra nevada de santa marta (snsm) is a mountainous area in colombia that is highly endemic to chagas disease. we explored some eco-epidemiological attributes involved in the chagas disease transmission scenario in three indigenous communities. an epidemiological survey was done, where parasite infection in reservoirs and insects, trypanosoma cruzi genotyping, identification of blood-meal sources in intradomiciliary insects using the high-resolution melting technique, and some risk factors ...	2014	25331808
proteomic analysis of the extraembryonic tissues from cloned porcine fetus at day 35 of pregnancy.	somatic cell cloning by nuclear transfer (scnt) in pig is clearly of great benefit for basic research and biomedical applications. even though cloned offspring have been successfully produced in pig, scnt is struggling with the low efficiency.	2014	25433481
interpreting sperm dna damage in a diverse range of mammalian sperm by means of the two-tailed comet assay.	key conceptsthe two-dimensional two-tailed comet assay (tt-comet) protocol is a valuable technique to differentiate between single-stranded (ssbs) and double-stranded dna breaks (dsbs) on the same sperm cell.protein lysis inherent with the tt-comet protocol accounts for differences in sperm protamine composition at a species-specific level to produce reliable visualization of sperm dna damage.alkaline treatment may break the sugar-phosphate backbone in abasic sites or at sites with deoxyribose d ...	2014	25505901
identification of transglutaminase reactive residues in human osteopontin and their role in polymerization.	osteopontin (opn) is a highly posttranslationally modified protein present in several tissues where it is implicated in numerous physiological processes. opn primarily exerts its functions through interaction with integrins via the arg-gly-asp and ser-val-val-tyr-gly-leu-arg sequences located in the n-terminal part of the protein. opn can be polymerized by the cross-linking enzyme transglutaminase 2 (tg2), and polymerization has been shown to enhance the biological activity of opn. however, litt ...	2014	25419572
unusual ratio between free thyroxine and free triiodothyronine in a long-lived mole-rat species with bimodal ageing.	ansell's mole-rats (fukomys anselli) are subterranean, long-lived rodents, which live in eusocial families, where the maximum lifespan of breeders is twice as long as that of non-breeders. their metabolic rate is significantly lower than expected based on allometry, and their retinae show a high density of s-cone opsins. both features may indicate naturally low thyroid hormone levels. in the present study, we sequenced several major components of the thyroid hormone pathways and analyzed free an ...	2014	25409169