| ventrolateral preoptic nucleus contains sleep-active, galaninergic neurons in multiple mammalian species. | the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (vlpo) is a group of sleep-active neurons that has been identified in the hypothalamus of rats and is thought to inhibit the major ascending monoaminergic arousal systems during sleep; lesions of the vlpo cause insomnia. identification of the vlpo in other species has been complicated by the lack of a marker for this cell population, other than the expression of fos during sleep. we now report that a high percentage of the sleep-active (fos-expressing) vlpo neu ... | 2002 | 12401341 |
| bacillus subtilis functional genomics: genome-wide analysis of the degs-degu regulon by transcriptomics and proteomics. | the degs-degu two-component regulatory system of bacillus subtilis controls various processes that characterize the transition from the exponential to the stationary growth phase, including the induction of extracellular degradative enzymes, expression of late competence genes and down-regulation of the sigma(d) regulon. the degu32(hy) mutation stabilizes the phosphorylated form of degu (degu-p), resulting in overproduction of several extracellular degradative enzymes. in this study, the pleiotr ... | 2002 | 12471443 |
| electrophysiology of optic nerve input to suprachiasmatic nucleus neurons in rats and degus. | neurons in the mammalian suprachiasmatic nucleus (scn), the principal pacemaker of the circadian system, receive direct retinal input. some scn neurons respond to retinal illumination or optic nerve stimulation with changes in firing rates. in nocturnal rodents, retinal illumination increases firing rates of a large majority and decreases firing rates of a minority of responsive neurons. in two species of diurnal rodent, these proportions are altered or even reversed. since retinal input to the ... | 2003 | 12505666 |
| early social deprivation alters monoaminergic afferents in the orbital prefrontal cortex of octodon degus. | the influence of early parental deprivation on the development of tyrosine hydroxylase- and 5-hydroxytryptamine-immunoreactive fiber innervation of subregions of the orbital prefrontal cortex (ventrolateral orbital, lateral orbital and agranular insular cortex) was quantitatively investigated in the precocious lagomorph octodon degus. forty-five-day-old degus from two groups were compared: 1) degus which were repeatedly separated from their parents during the first three postnatal weeks, and aft ... | 2003 | 12573704 |
| influence of parental deprivation on the behavioral development in octodon degus: modulation by maternal vocalizations. | repeated separation from the family during very early stages of life is a stressful emotional experience which induces a variety of neuronal and synaptic changes in limbic cortical areas that may be related to behavioral alterations. first, we investigated whether repeated parental separation and handling, without separation from the family, leads to altered spontaneous exploratory behavior in a novel environment (open field test) in 8-day-old octodon degus. second, we tested whether the parenta ... | 2003 | 12621649 |
| seasonal acclimatization in water flux rate, urine osmolality and kidney water channels in free-living degus: molecular mechanisms, physiological processes and ecological implications. | the environmental modification of an organism's physiology in the field is often hypothesized to be responsible for allowing an organism to adjust to changing biotic and abiotic environmental conditions through increases in biological performance. here, we examine the phenotypic flexibility of water flux rate, urine osmolality and the expression of kidney aquaporins (aqp; or water channels) in free-ranging octodon degus, a south american desert-dwelling rodent, through an integrative study at ce ... | 2003 | 12878664 |
| binding of response regulator degu to the apre promoter is inhibited by rapg, which is counteracted by extracellular phrg in bacillus subtilis. | we screened the putative rap-phr (response regulator aspartyl-phosphate phosphatase-phosphatase regulator) systems identified in the bacillus subtilis genome for a rap gene that affects apre (alkaline protease gene) expression by using a multicopy plasmid. we found that rapg was involved in the regulation of apre, which belongs to the regulon of degu, the response regulator of the degs-degu two-component system. disruption of rapg and phrg resulted in enhancement and reduction of apre-lacz expre ... | 2003 | 12950930 |
| [presence of linguatula serrata froelich, 1789, in dusycion culpaeus and of nymphal forms in octodon d. degus and abrocoma b. benetti]. | | 1960 | 13793027 |
| construction and characterization of listeria monocytogenes mutants with in-frame deletions in the response regulator genes identified in the genome sequence. | two-component systems are widely distributed in prokaryotes where they control gene expression in response to diverse stimuli. to study the role of the sixteen putative two-component systems of listeria monocytogenes systematically, in frame deletions were introduced into 15 out of the 16 response regulator genes and the resulting mutants were characterized. with one exception the deletion of the individual response regulator genes has only minor effects on in vitro and in vivo growth of the bac ... | 2005 | 15845524 |
| stress related changes of cell surface hydrophilicity in bacillus subtilis. | the changes of cell surface hydrophilicity in bacillus subtilis were analyzed in response to oxygen-limitation, heat shock, salt stress, ph-shock, phosphate- and carbon-limitation. although cell surface hydrophilicity varied during growth phases, an increase of surface hydrophilicity was observed under several of these stress conditions. an observed drop in intracellular gtp and/or atp may be an element of the signal transduction pathway leading to an increase in surface hydrophilicity in respon ... | 2002 | 12073823 |
| restraint stress delays reentrainment in male and female diurnal and nocturnal rodents. | a temporary loss of normal circadian entrainment, such as that associated with shift work and transmeridian travel, can result in an array of detrimental symptoms, making rapid reentrainment of rhythmicity essential. while there is a wealth of literature examining the effects of stress on the entrained circadian system, less is known about the influence of stress on circadian function following a phase shift of the light: dark (ld) cycle. the authors find that recovery of locomotor activity sync ... | 2005 | 15851531 |
| renal transitional cell carcinoma and choristoma in a degu (octodon degus). | a 4.5-year-old female degu (octodon degus) was minimally responsive with a poor body condition, a rough haircoat, and moderate dehydration. blood was present around its urethral orifice and on the cage bedding. laboratory analyses revealed leukocytosis with neutrophilia and anemia; hypoproteinemia and hypoalbuminemia; hyperglycemia, hyperphosphatemia, and elevated alanine aminotransferase, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine; and hematuria and pyuria with occasional squamous and transitional epi ... | 2005 | 15934723 |
| salt stress induction of glutamyl endopeptidase biosynthesis in bacillus intermedius. | bacteria from the genus bacillus have evolved complicated regulatory networks to be protected from various environmental stresses, including sudden increase in salinity. among these regulatory mechanisms is the degs-degu signal transduction system, which controls degradative enzyme synthesis and is involved in sensing salt stress in bacillus subtilis. we report the study of biosynthesis regulation of bacillus intermedius glutamyl endopeptidase under salt stress conditions. salt stress during gro ... | 2005 | 16035234 |
| defining the genetic differences between wild and domestic strains of bacillus subtilis that affect poly-gamma-dl-glutamic acid production and biofilm formation. | biofilms are communities of microbial cells that are encased in a self-produced, polymeric matrix and are adherent to a surface. for several species of bacteria, an enhanced ability to form biofilms has been linked with an increased capability to produce exopolymers. to identify exopolymers of bacillus subtilis that can contribute to biofilm formation, we transferred the genetic determinants that control exopolymer production from a wild, exopolymer-positive strain to a domesticated, exopolymer- ... | 2005 | 16091050 |
| short report: trypanosoma cruzi infection in wild mammals from a chagasic area of chile. | we report results of pcr-dna based detection of trypanosoma cruzi in wild mammal reservoirs from a chagasic area of chile. we analyzed 157 blood samples from wild mammals including the marsupial thylamis elegans and the rodents octodon degus, phyllotis darwini, and abrothrix olivaceus. in addition, 42 blood samples from goats (i.e., a peridomestic mammal) were analyzed. blood samples were used to extract dna, and pcr was performed using the amplification of minicircle dna sequences. southern ana ... | 2005 | 16172474 |
| response regulator degu of listeria monocytogenes regulates the expression of flagella-specific genes. | an isogenic mutant of listeria monocytogenes egd with a deletion of the response regulator gene degu showed a lack of motility due to the absence of flagella. in the present study, we used two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, mass-spectrometry and microarray analyses to identify the listerial genes that depend on degu for expression. we found that the two l. monocytogenes operons encoding flagella-specific genes and the monocistronically transcribed flaa gene are positively regulated by degu at ... | 2005 | 16213668 |
| lupus-erythematosus-like eruption induced by trichophyton mentagrophytes infection. | several factors are known to trigger acute manifestations of lupus erythematosus (drugs, ultraviolet radiation, bacterial or viral infections, pregnancy), but fungal infections have never been reported to induce lupus-like lesions. we describe 2 children with tinea capitis caused by trichophyton mentagrophytes(tm), who developed transient skin and serological manifestations of systemic lupus erythematosus. | 2003 | 12771470 |
| endocrine and behavioural plasticity in response to juvenile stress in the semi-precocial rodent octodon degus. | the present study in the south american rodent octodon degus shows for the first time that the postnatal development of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis function in this semi-precocial species differs from that of altricial rodents, i.e. rats or mice, in several aspects. our experiments revealed a particular pattern of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity during the first 3 weeks of life characterized by (i) a period of low plasma glucocorticoid concentrations, during which (ii) brief ... | 2006 | 16274934 |
| genome-wide transcriptional profiling analysis of adaptation of bacillus subtilis to high salinity. | the gram-positive soil bacterium bacillus subtilis often faces increases in the salinity in its natural habitats. a transcriptional profiling approach was utilized to investigate both the initial reaction to a sudden increase in salinity elicited by the addition of 0.4 m nacl and the cellular adaptation reactions to prolonged growth at high salinity (1.2 m nacl). following salt shock, a sigb mutant displayed immediate and transient induction and repression of 75 and 51 genes, respectively. conti ... | 2003 | 14563871 |
| bacillus subtilis comk negatively regulates degr gene expression. | exoprotease production in bacillus subtilis is positively regulated by a two-component regulatory system, degs-degu, and, in addition, by several minor factors. the product of the degr gene belongs to the latter group and exerts a positive effect in a degs-degu dependent manner. we found that transcription of degr was prevented by disruption of either meca or mecb but was relieved by further disruption of comk. disruption of comk alone, however, did not alter degr transcription. we also found th ... | 1997 | 9108277 |
| retinal projection to the dorsal raphe nucleus in the chilean degus (octodon degus). | a substantial projection from the retina to the dorsal raphe nucleus (drn) has been demonstrated in the chilean degus, a diurnal/crepuscular hystricomorph rodent. following intraocular injection of cholera toxin subunit b (ctb), immunocytochemically labeled ctb-positive axons and terminals were observed in all major retinorecipient nuclei as well as in the drn and periaqueductal gray (pag) of the mesencephalon. two streams of optic axons to the drn were observed: one descending from the optic tr ... | 2001 | 11259770 |
| physiological and genetic characterization of the osmotic stress response in bacillus subtilis. | bacillus subtilis cultures submitted to an osmotic upshock (1.5 m nacl) lysed unless stationary phase had been reached. several physiological variations were observed, such as delayed growth (adaptation), a filamentous bacterial appearance, reca-dependent osmoresistance (sos), and cross-induction by a previous stress (heat shock). osmoresistance and sporulation seem to share pathways of regulation such as inhibition in the presence of glucose and glutamine and derepression in a catabolite-resist ... | 1994 | 8019936 |
| birds of a feather clock together--sometimes: social synchronization of circadian rhythms. | biological systems use internal circadian clocks to efficiently organize physiological and behavioral activity within the 24-hour time domain. in the absence of time cues, circadian periods vary slightly from 24 hours, but in nature, ambient light serves as the most salient synchronizer for these rhythms, fine-tuning them to exactly 24 hours each day. for some species, social cues can serve to synchronize circadian rhythms in the absence of other time cues or to amplify ambiguous light cues. thi ... | 2003 | 14662380 |
| detailed distribution of neuropeptide ff receptors (npff1 and npff2) in the rat, mouse, octodon, rabbit, guinea pig, and marmoset monkey brains: a comparative autoradiographic study. | the distribution of neuropeptide ff receptors (npff(1) and npff(2)) was analyzed throughout the central nervous system of rodents (rat, mouse, octodon degus, and guinea pig), rabbit, and marmoset monkey brains, representing three orders of mammals. quantitative in vitro receptor autoradiography with [(125)i]eyf ([(125)i]eywslaapqrf-nh(2)) and [(125)i]yvp ([(125)i]yvpnlpqrf-nh(2)) as specific radioligands for npff(2) and npff(1) receptors, respectively, was used. the npff(2) receptor is predomina ... | 2004 | 14696013 |
| octodon degus: a diurnal, social, and long-lived rodent. | octodon degus is a moderate-sized, precocious, but slowly maturing, hystricomorph rodent from central chile. we have used this species to study a variety of questions about circadian rhythms in a diurnal mammal that readily adapts to most laboratory settings. in collaboration with others, we have found that a number of fundamental features of circadian function differ in this diurnal rodent compared with nocturnal rodents, specifically rats or hamsters. we have also discovered that many aspects ... | 2004 | 14752204 |
| bacillus subtilis transcriptional regulators interaction. | bacillus subtilis apre gene codes for the extracellular protease subtilisin. its expression is controlled by abrb, degu, hpr, sini, sinr and spo0a transition state protein regulators. to determine in vivo the protein-protein interactions among these regulators, we used the lexa-based bacterial genetic two-hybrid system. our results show homo-dimerization to all the analyzed proteins and hetero-dimerization between sinr-sini and sinr-hpr. | 2004 | 15104138 |
| cost of living in free-ranging degus (octodon degus): seasonal dynamics of energy expenditure. | animals process and allocate energy at different seasons at variable rates, depending on their breeding season and changes in environmental conditions and resulting physiological demands. overall total energy expenditure, in turn, should either increase in some seasons due to special added demands (e.g. reproduction) or it could simply remain at about the same level, in which case the animals must show compensatory rebalancing of other expenditures that can be reduced. to test for the alternativ ... | 2004 | 15123196 |
| isolation of cryptococcus neoformans in antwerp zoo's nocturnal house. | cryptococcosis was diagnosed postmortem in a striped grass mouse (lemniscomys barbarus) housed in the nocturnal department of antwerp zoo. eight of the remaining mice in the cage were captured. cryptococcus neoformans was isolated from the lung of one animal. two mice had an elevated serum cryptococcal antigen titre. on examination of the pooled faecal samples collected from 17 animal species housed in 23 cages of the nocturnal department, the pathogenic yeast was isolated from the faeces of the ... | 2004 | 15310332 |
| degu-p represses expression of the motility fla-che operon in bacillus subtilis. | bacillus subtilis implements several adaptive strategies to cope with nutrient limitation experienced at the end of exponential growth. the degs-degu two-component system is part of the network involved in the regulation of postexponential responses, such as competence development, the production of exoenzymes, and motility. the degu32(hy) mutation extends the half-life of the phosphorylated form of degu (degu-p); this in turn increases the production of alkaline protease, levan-sucrase, and oth ... | 2004 | 15342569 |
| number and nuclear localisation of nucleoli in mammalian spermatocytes. | in seven mammalian species, including man, the position and number of nucleoli in pachytene spermatocyte nuclei were studied from electron microscope (em) nuclear sections or bivalent microspreads. the number and position of the nucleolar organiser regions (nors) in mitotic and meiotic chromosomes were also analysed, using silver staining techniques and in situ hybridisation protocols. the general organisation of pachytene spermatocyte nucleoli was almost the same, with only minor morphological ... | 2004 | 15521420 |
| characterization of degu, a response regulator in listeria monocytogenes, involved in regulation of motility and contributes to virulence. | the degu (lmo2515) gene encodes a putative response regulator in the food-borne pathogen listeria monocytogenes. it has 63% amino acid identity to the degu response regulator of bacillus subtilis. we have characterized the degu gene product in l. monocytogenes egd by generation of a deletion mutant. the deltadegu mutant was found to be non-motile in motility plate assay and no flagellin was detected. the mutant was attenuated in challenge of mice. northern blot analysis suggested that the degu g ... | 2004 | 15522505 |
| gametogenesis and nucleotypic effects in the tetraploid red vizcacha rat, tympanoctomys barrerae (rodentia, octodontidae). | nucleotypic effects link dna content with nuclear size and cell dimensions of reproductive cells in polyploid organisms. we studied the gametogenesis of the allotetraploid rodent tympanoctomys barrerae, aiming to determine these effects in reproductive cells. the species' cofamily members, octodon degus and spalacopus cyanus were used as control. spermatogenesis and oogenesis in t. barrerae follows the pattern of differentiation and sequence of events of the control species, but varied nucleotyp ... | 2004 | 15586825 |
| mutational analysis of the helix-turn-helix region of bacillus subtilis response regulator degu, and identification of cis-acting sequences for degu in the apre and comk promoters. | the degs-degu two-component system in bacillus subtilis regulates exoprotease production and competence development. phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of degu are required for activation of apre and comk, respectively. alanine-scanning mutagenesis of the helix-turn-helix region of degu and in vivo examination of 27 degu variants revealed five common mutants that showed severe reduction of gene expression of both apre and comk because of reduced dna-binding activity. this observation sugg ... | 2004 | 15598897 |
| human-like rodent amyloid-beta-peptide determines alzheimer pathology in aged wild-type octodon degu. | it is generally accepted that human alzheimer's disease (ad) neuropathology markers are completely absent in rodent brains. we report here that an aged wild-type south american rodent, octodon degu, expresses neuronal beta-amyloid precursor protein (beta-app695) displaying both intracellular and extracellular deposits of amyloid-beta-peptide (abeta), intracellular accumulations of tau-protein and ubiquitin, a strong astrocytic response and acetylcholinesterase (ache)-rich pyramidal neurons. the ... | 2004 | 15748782 |
| bacillus subtilis rghr (yvan) represses rapg and raph, which encode inhibitors of expression of the srfa operon. | rap proteins regulate the activity of response regulators including spo0f, degu and coma. we found that overexpression of either rapg or raph severely downregulated the expression of srfa, which belongs to the coma regulon. disruption of those genes, however, showed small effects on srfa expression. these observations suggested that bacillus subtilis cells possess a repressor for rapg and raph. to identify candidate repressors we developed a novel transcription factor array (tf array) assay, in ... | 2006 | 16553878 |
| the mogr transcriptional repressor regulates nonhierarchal expression of flagellar motility genes and virulence in listeria monocytogenes. | flagella are surface structures critical for motility and virulence of many bacterial species. in listeria monocytogenes, mogr tightly represses expression of flagellin (flaa) during extracellular growth at 37 degrees c and during intracellular infection. mogr is also required for full virulence in a murine model of infection. using in vitro and in vivo infection models, we determined that the severe virulence defect of mogr-negative bacteria is due to overexpression of flaa. specifically, overp ... | 2006 | 16617375 |
| effects of degu32(hy), degqa and degr pleiotropic regulatory genes on the growth and protease fermentation of bacillus subtilis ki-2-132. | effects of degu32 (hy), degr genes from bacillus subtilis 168 and degqa gene from bacillus amyloliquefaciens on bacillus subtilis ki-2-132 cell growth, sporulation and protease fermentation were investigated by introducing these genes into b. subtilis ki-2-132 chromosome and/or cytoplasm. although the genes come from different species and strains, they showed pleiotropic effects in b. subtilis ki-2-132. b. subtilis ki-2-132degu32 (hy) showed increased protease production, and when cooperating wi ... | 2006 | 16625836 |
| common procedures in hedgehogs, prairie dogs, exotic rodents, and companion marsupials. | nondomesticated species are commonly being kept as companion animals. these include the african pygmy hedgehog (atelerix albi-ventris), the north american black-tailed prairie dog (cynomys lu-dovicianus), and exotic rodents such as the degu (octodon degus)and duprasi or fat-tailed gerbil (pachyuromys duprasi). common companion marsupials include the sugar glider (petaurus breviceps),bennett's or tammar (dama) wallabies (macropus rufogriseus rufo-griseus and macropus eugenii, respectively), the b ... | 2006 | 16759954 |
| the expression of the serine proteinase gene of bacillus intermedius in bacillus subtilis. | the gene encoding for bacillus intermedius serine proteinase was cloned and the complete nucleotide sequence was determined. gene expression was explored in the protease-deficient strain bacillus subtilis aj73 during different stages of growth. catabolite repression involved in control of proteinase expression during transition state and onset of sporulation was not efficient at the late stationary phase. salt stress leads to induction of serine proteinase production during b. subtilis aj73(pcs9 ... | 2008 | 16782315 |
| odor-specific effects on reentrainment following phase advances in the diurnal rodent, octodon degus. | reentrainment following phase shifts of the light-dark (ld) cycle is accelerated in octodon degus in the presence of olfactory social cues (i.e., odors) produced by conspecifics. however, not all odors from conspecifics were effective in facilitating reentrainment after a phase advance. in the current experiments, we examined whether nonanimal odors, odors from another species, or conspecific odors, including those manipulated by steroid hormones, can cause the same increased reentrainment of wh ... | 2006 | 16840658 |
| the international society for developmental psychobiology annual meeting symposium: impact of early life experiences on brain and behavioral development. | decades of research in the area of developmental psychobiology have shown that early life experience alters behavioral and brain development, which canalizes development to suit different environments. recent methodological advances have begun to identify the mechanisms by which early life experiences cause these diverse adult outcomes. here we present four different research programs that demonstrate the intricacies of early environmental influences on behavioral and brain development in both p ... | 2006 | 17016842 |
| isolation and molecular characterization of chitinase-deficient bacillus licheniformis strains capable of deproteinization of shrimp shell waste to obtain highly viscous chitin. | proteolytic but chitinase-deficient microbial cultures were isolated from shrimp shell waste and characterized. the most efficient isolate was found to be a mixed culture consisting of two bacillus licheniformis strains, which were first determined microscopically and physiologically. molecular characterization was carried out by sequencing the 16s rrna gene of both strains. according to the residual protein and ash content, the chitin obtained by fermentation of such a mixed culture was found t ... | 2006 | 17028230 |
| [biosynthesis of the subtilisin-like serine proteinase of bacillus intermedius under salt stress conditions]. | the biosynthesis of the subtilisin-like serine proteinase of bacillus intermedius 3-19 by the recombinant strain bacillus subtilis aj73(pcs9) was found to be enhanced under salt stress conditions (growth in a medium containing 1 m nacl and 0.25 m sodium citrate). in a recombinant strain of b. subtilis deficient in the regulatory proteins degs and degu, which control the synthesis of degradative enzymes, the expression of the proteinase gene was inhibited. in contrast, in the strain b. subtilis d ... | 2006 | 17091586 |
| a bifunctional o-glcnac transferase governs flagellar motility through anti-repression. | flagellar motility is an essential mechanism by which bacteria adapt to and survive in diverse environments. although flagella confer an advantage to many bacterial pathogens for colonization during infection, bacterial flagellins also stimulate host innate immune responses. consequently, many bacterial pathogens down-regulate flagella production following initial infection. listeria monocytogenes is a facultative intracellular pathogen that represses transcription of flagellar motility genes at ... | 2006 | 17158746 |
| variability of diurnality in laboratory rodents. | the locomotor activity rhythms of domestic mice, laboratory rats, syrian hamsters, siberian hamsters, mongolian gerbils, degus, and nile grass rats were compared. running-wheel activity was monitored under a light-dark cycle with 12 h of light and 12 h of darkness per day. nile grass rats were found to be reliably diurnal, whereas laboratory rats, siberian hamsters, domestic mice, and syrian hamsters were reliably nocturnal. both diurnal and nocturnal subgroups were observed in mongolian gerbils ... | 2006 | 16421752 |
| placentation in the degu (octodon degus): analogies with extrasubplacental trophoblast and human extravillous trophoblast. | this study examined the placentation in the degu, the origin of the extrasubplacental trophoblast (est) (extravillous trophoblast in human), and the activity of na+/k+ atpase in the placental barrier during different gestational ages, as part of a wider effort to understand the reproductive biology of this species. fifteen degus at the first stage of gestation, midgestation and at term of pregnancy were studied. at day 27 of gestation, the subplacenta is formed under the wall of the central exca ... | 2007 | 16448832 |
| evaluation of a laryngoscope and a rigid endoscope for the examination of the oral cavity of small mammals. | the oral cavities of 65 rabbits, 35 chinchillas, 38 guinea pigs, 19 degus and 13 prairie dogs suffering from a lack of appetite, hypersalivation, moist dermatitis, swelling of the lower jaw or mild exophthalmos were examined with a paediatric laryngoscope and rigid endoscope. the laryngoscope was safe and satisfactory for a preliminary examination, but changes in the less accessible caudal parts of the cavity could not be identified precisely. a rigid endoscope with 30 degrees optics made it pos ... | 2007 | 17209089 |
| bacillus subtilis rapd, a direct target of transcription repression by rghr, negatively regulates srfa expression. | the bacillus subtilis genome encodes eleven rap proteins, which are conserved tetratricopeptide-containing regulatory proteins. of those characterized to date, all except rapi negatively regulate response regulators, including spo0f, coma and degu, via protein-protein interactions. rapd has not yet been fully characterized. it was examined whether rapd inhibits the expression of spoiie, srfa and apre, which are spo0f-, coma- and degu-regulated genes, respectively. it was observed that multicopy ... | 2007 | 17227471 |
| trypanosoma cruzi detection in blood by xenodiagnosis and polymerase chain reaction in the wild rodent octodon degus. | we detected trypanosoma cruzi in blood samples of the wild rodent octodon degus by xenodiagnosis and a polymerase chain reaction (pcr) using the domestic and wild vectors of chagas disease, triatoma infestans and mepraia spinolai, respectively. we captured 35 rodents and extracted dna from blood samples and intestinal contents of vectors fed on o. degus. our results indicate that the percentage of rodents naturally infected with t. cruzi depends on the biologic sample used for pcr and on the vec ... | 2007 | 17297043 |
| antirepression as a second mechanism of transcriptional activation by a minor groove binding protein. | competence for genetic transformation in the bacterium bacillus subtilis is a bistable differentiation process governed by the minor groove dna binding protein comk. no detectable comk transcription occurs in the absence of an intact comk gene, indicating that comk has auto-activating properties. comk auto-stimulation, which is dependent on comk binding to the comk promoter, is a critical step in competence development, ensuring quick and high-level expression of the late-competence genes. auto- ... | 2007 | 17493123 |
| a comparative analysis of the distribution of immunoreactive orexin a and b in the brains of nocturnal and diurnal rodents. | the orexins (hypocretins) are a family of peptides found primarily in neurons in the lateral hypothalamus. although the orexinergic system is generally thought to be the same across species, the orexins are involved in behaviors which show considerable interspecific variability. there are few direct cross-species comparisons of the distributions of cells and fibers containing these peptides. here, we addressed the possibility that there might be important species differences by systematically ex ... | 2007 | 17567902 |
| degu co-ordinates multicellular behaviour exhibited by bacillus subtilis. | unicellular organisms use a variety of mechanisms to co-ordinate activity within a community and accomplish complex multicellular processes. because some of the processes that are exhibited by one species can be physiologically incompatible, it raises the question of how entry into these different pathways is regulated. in the gram-positive bacterium bacillus subtilis, genetic competence, swarming motility, biofilm formation, complex colony architecture and protease production are all regulated ... | 2007 | 17590234 |
| development of the chorioallantoic placenta in octodon degus--a model for growth processes in caviomorph rodents? | the degu octodon degus is one of the very few members of caviomorph or hystricognath rodentia that possesses a simply arranged chorioallantoic placenta without advanced lobulation. therefore this species was used as a model to study regional development and growth processes of the placenta, based on the examination of 20 individuals by light and electron microscopy as well as by using markers for proliferation, trophoblast and endometrial stroma. the results were interpreted by comparison with o ... | 2007 | 17607703 |
| degu and ycze positively regulate the synthesis of bacillomycin d by bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain fzb42. | environmental strain bacillus amyloliquefaciens fzb42 differs from the domesticated model organism of the same genus, bacillus subtilis 168, in its ability to promote plant growth and suppress plant-pathogenic organisms present in the rhizosphere. this behavior is exerted mainly through the production of several nonribosomal cyclic lipopeptides and polyketides, which exhibit a broad range of action against phytopathogenic bacteria, fungi, and nematodes. here, we provide evidence that the synthes ... | 2007 | 17827323 |
| gradual activation of the response regulator degu controls serial expression of genes for flagellum formation and biofilm formation in bacillus subtilis. | in natural environments, bacteria fluctuate between growth as motile cells and growth as sessile, biofilm-forming cells. however, what controls the transition between these two-growth modes in bacillus subtilis is not well understood yet. the degu mutation prevents both flagellum formation and biofilm formation, suggesting that one of the transition mechanisms may underlie regulation of the degu activity. the expression profiles of degu-regulated genes differed; flagellar genes and several unkno ... | 2007 | 17850253 |
| susceptibility of mepraia spinolai and triatoma infestans to different trypanosoma cruzi strains from naturally infected rodent hosts. | trypanosoma cruzi is the causative agent of chagas disease, a zoonosis involving domestic and sylvatic mammalian reservoirs. since scarce information has been published about the susceptibility of t. cruzi lineages to other triatomine species besides triatoma infestans, we evaluate the susceptibility of t. infestans and mepraia spinolai to different t. cruzi lineages, originated from naturally infected octodon degus rodents as mammal host. xenodiagnosis-pcr methods to detect t. cruzi positive ro ... | 2007 | 17904090 |
| epr plays a key role in degu-mediated swarming motility of bacillus subtilis. | epr, a minor extracellular protease, is involved in the swarming motility of bacillus subtilis. it does so by providing essential signals required for swarming. it has also been demonstrated that degu is required for swarming and that it occurs at very low levels of degu approximately p and is inhibited at high levels of degu approximately p. in this study, we show that maximal epr expression is observed at very low concentrations of degu approximately p, whereas it is repressed at high degu app ... | 2009 | 19416356 |
| caviomorph placentation as a model for trophoblast invasion. | the guinea pig and its relatives are promising candidates as animal models for studying trophoblast invasion. the origin, migration routes and kinetics of invasive trophoblast cells were examined in two caviomorph species. histology and immunohistochemistry were done on placentas from 38 guinea pigs of days 20-47 and 13 degus of days 25-51 of gestation. brdu was used as an in vivo marker for proliferation and for tracing of migration routes in the placenta; it was injected 24h to 15 days before ... | 2007 | 17915313 |
| predominance of trypanosoma cruzi genotypes in two reservoirs infected by sylvatic triatoma infestans of an endemic area of chile. | we report results of trypanosoma cruzi infection and parasite genotypes in the wild octodon degus and synantropic reservoir rattus rattus from an endemic area with sylvatic triatoma infestans as the only detected vector. the infection status was determined by hemi-nested pcr directed to minicircles dna and genotyping by hybridization tests with a panel of five specific probes, including two probes for tci subgroups (clones 19 and 20). o. degus was found infected with 13.3% and mainly with sublin ... | 2009 | 19426670 |
| comparative population dynamics of the bug mepraia spinolai, a sylvatic vector of chagas' disease, in different hosts. | the aim of this work was to determine the impact of specific hosts on a population of mepraia spinolai (porter) (hemiptera, reduviidae), a sylvatic vector of chagas' disease in chile. we assessed whether a recently introduced host could be an important epidemiological factor in maintaining chagas' disease in chile. the study stressed the variations in survival, individual weight and fecundity in the insect population when the vector was raised with a species-specific food supply. the study compa ... | 2009 | 19493191 |
| promoter selectivity of the bacillus subtilis response regulator degu, a positive regulator of the fla/che operon and sacb. | the response regulator degu and its cognate histidine kinase degs constitute a two-component system in the gram-positive soil bacterium bacillus subtilis. unphosphorylated and phosphorylated forms of degu are known to activate target gene transcription in b. subtilis. although phosphorylated degu (degu-p) regulates more than one hundred and twenty genes, the targets of unphosphorylated degu are unknown, except for comk. | 2008 | 18197985 |
| bacillus subtilis response regulator degu is a direct activator of pgsb transcription involved in gamma-poly-glutamic acid synthesis. | pgsb encodes gamma-poly glutamic acid (gamma-pga) synthetase and constitutes an operon with pgsc, pgsaa, and pgse. genetic analysis revealed that degq and swra, the known regulators of pgsb, are not required for pgsb expression when high cellular concentrations of phosphorylated form of the response regulator degu (degu-p) are present. however, swra appeared still to be required for gamma-pga synthesis under the conditions we tested. since genetic analysis suggested that degu-p activates pgsb di ... | 2009 | 19734658 |
| imbalance of immunohistochemically characterized interneuron populations in the adolescent and adult rodent medial prefrontal cortex after repeated exposure to neonatal separation stress. | experimental studies in various animal models have revealed convincing evidence that stressful experience during early developmental periods produces a variety of behavioral, neuroanatomical and endocrine alterations, which are reminiscent of human mental disorders such as depression and various types of anxiety disorders. since these mental disorders are assumed to be associated with altered gabaergic inhibition in cortical and subcortical brain regions, the current study tested the hypothesis ... | 2008 | 18258373 |
| transient heterogeneity in extracellular protease production by bacillus subtilis. | the most sophisticated survival strategy bacillus subtilis employs is the differentiation of a subpopulation of cells into highly resistant endospores. to examine the expression patterns of non-sporulating cells within heterogeneous populations, we used buoyant density centrifugation to separate vegetative cells from endospore-containing cells and compared the transcriptome profiles of both subpopulations. this demonstrated the differential expression of various regulons. subsequent single-cell ... | 2008 | 18414485 |
| response regulator degu of listeria monocytogenes controls temperature-responsive flagellar gene expression in its unphosphorylated state. | we demonstrate that in listeria monocytogenes, temperature-responsive transcriptional control of flagellar genes does not rely on the phosphorylation of the conserved phosphorylation site (d55) in the receiver domain of response regulator degu. furthermore, proper control of degu-regulated genes involved in ethanol tolerance and virulence is independent of receiver phosphorylation. | 2008 | 18441066 |
| involvement of nitrogen regulation in bacillus subtilis degu expression. | bacillus subtilis degs-degu belongs to a bacterial two-component system that controls many processes, including the production of exocellular proteases and competence development. it was found that when the glutamine synthetase gene glna, which is involved in nitrogen regulation, was disrupted, the expression of the response regulator degu gene was increased. deletion analysis and 5'-end mapping of the degu transcripts showed that the increase was caused by induction of a promoter (p2) located b ... | 2008 | 18502860 |
| immunohistochemical identification of the extravillous trophoblast during the placentation of the degu (octodon degus). | recent data indicate that placentation in octodon degus is similar to that in humans, making it a potential animal model for studies in human placental pathologies related to alterations in the migration of the extravillous trophoblast (evt). our objective was to immunohistochemically identify degu evt during placentation by using cytoskeletal protein markers to establish the normal migratory pattern of the evt. fifteen o.degus were divided into three equal groups: day 27, 60, and 84 of gestatio ... | 2008 | 18512684 |
| autoregulation of swraa and motility in bacillus subtilis. | we demonstrate that transcription of the gene swraa, required for swarming migration in bacillus subtilis, is driven by two promoters: a sigd-dependent promoter and a putative siga-dependent promoter, which is inactive during growth in liquid luria-bertani medium and becomes active in the presence of the phosphorylated form of the response regulator degu or on semisolid surfaces. since sigd transcription is enhanced by swraa, this finding reveals that swra expression is controlled by a positive ... | 2008 | 18567663 |
| the degu orphan response regulator of listeria monocytogenes autorepresses its own synthesis and is required for bacterial motility, virulence and biofilm formation. | the gram-positive intracellular pathogen listeria monocytogenes is endowed with 17 sets of genes encoding two-component systems. l. monocytogenes is closely related to the gram-positive model bacterium bacillus subtilis, in which we have shown previously that the degs/degu system plays a central role in controlling stationary phase adaptive responses, including degradative enzyme synthesis and competence. although an orthologue of the degu response regulator is present in l. monocytogenes, the g ... | 2008 | 18667558 |
| differentiation of trypanosoma cruzi i subgroups through characterization of cytochrome b gene sequences. | to identify and characterize chilean samples of trypanosoma cruzi and their association with hosts, the first 516 bp of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene were sequenced from eight biological samples, and phylogenetically compared with other known 20 american sequences. the molecular characterization of these 28 sequences in a maximum likelihood phylogram (-lnl = 1255.12, tree length = 180, consistency index = 0.79) allowed the robust identification (bootstrap % > 99) of three previously known ... | 2008 | 18793754 |
| degu and spo0a jointly control transcription of two loci required for complex colony development by bacillus subtilis. | biofilm formation is an example of a multicellular process which depends on cooperative behavior and differentiation within a bacterial population. our findings indicate that there is a complex feedback loop that maintains the stoichiometry of the extracellular matrix and other proteins required for complex colony development by bacillus subtilis. analysis of the transcriptional regulation of two degu-activated genes that are required for complex colony development by b. subtilis revealed additi ... | 2009 | 18978066 |
| evaluation of the chagas stat-pak assay for detection of trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in wildlife reservoirs. | an immunochromatographic assay (chagas stat-pak) was evaluated for the detection of trypanosoma cruzi antibodies in 4 species of wildlife reservoirs. antibodies to t. cruzi were detected in raccoons (procyon lotor) (naturally and experimentally infected) and degus (octodon degu) (experimentally-infected) using the chagas stat-pak. in naturally exposed wild raccoons, the chagas stat-pak had a sensitivity and specificity of 66.7-80.0% and 96.3%, respectively. compared with indirect immunofluoresce ... | 2009 | 19016578 |
| the pta-acka pathway controlling acetyl phosphate levels and the phosphorylation state of the degu orphan response regulator both play a role in regulating listeria monocytogenes motility and chemotaxis. | degu is considered to be an orphan response regulator in listeria monocytogenes since the gene encoding the cognate histidine kinase degs is absent from the genome. we have previously shown that degu is involved in motility, chemotaxis and biofilm formation and contributes to l. monocytogenes virulence. here, we have investigated the role of degu phosphorylation in listeria and shown that degs of bacillus subtilis can phosphorylate degu of l. monocytogenes in vitro. we introduced the b. subtilis ... | 2008 | 19019159 |
| period gene expression in the diurnal degu (octodon degus) differs from the nocturnal laboratory rat (rattus norvegicus). | recent data suggest that both nocturnal and diurnal mammals generate circadian rhythms using similarly phased feedback loops involving period genes in the suprachiasmatic nuclei (scn) of the hypothalamus. these molecular oscillations also exist in the brain outside of the scn, but the relationship between scn and extra-scn oscillations is unclear. we hypothesized that a comparison of "diurnal" and "nocturnal" central nervous system per rhythms would uncover differences in the underlying circadia ... | 2009 | 19036829 |
| heterogeneities of size and sexual dimorphism between the subdomains of the lateral-innervated accessory olfactory bulb (aob) of octodon degus (rodentia: hystricognathi). | the vomeronasal system (vns) of rodents participates in the regulation of a variety of social and sexual behaviours related to semiochemical communication. all rodents studied so far possess two parallel pathways from the vomeronasal organ (vno) to the accessory olfactory bulb (aob). these segregated afferences express either gi2 or go protein alpha-subunits and innervate the rostral or caudal half of the aob, respectively. in muroid rodents, such as rats and mice, both subdivisions of the aob a ... | 2009 | 19046995 |
| generation of multiple cell types in bacillus subtilis. | bacillus subtilis is a gram-positive bacterium that is well known for its ability to differentiate into metabolically inactive spores that are highly resistant to environmental stresses. in fact, populations of genetically identical b. subtilis comprise numerous distinct cell types. in addition to spores, cells can become genetically competent, motile, produce extracellular matrix or degradative enzymes, or secrete toxins that allow them to cannibalize their neighbors. many of the cell fates lis ... | 2009 | 19054118 |
| a pivotal role for the response regulator degu in controlling multicellular behaviour. | bacteria control multicellular behavioural responses, including biofilm formation and swarming motility, by integrating environmental cues through a complex regulatory network. heterogeneous gene expression within an otherwise isogenic cell population that allows for differentiation of cell fate is an intriguing phenomenon that adds to the complexity of multicellular behaviour. this review focuses on recent data about how degu, a pleiotropic response regulator, co-ordinates multicellular behavio ... | 2009 | 19118340 |
| aging and time-of-day effects on anxiety in female octodon degus. | animal models of anxiety have usually employed nocturnal species (e.g. rats and mice), and the tests used have been almost exclusively performed during the diurnal phase (lights on). here, for the first time, we tested anxiety in a diurnal rodent, octodon degus, according to its age (23 versus 40 months of age) and the time of the day. we employed three anxiety tests: object recognition, open field and light-dark tests, which were applied in the morning, at mid-day and in the late afternoon, res ... | 2009 | 19162080 |
| regulation of bacillus subtilis apre expression by glna through inhibition of scoc and sigma(d)-dependent degr expression. | expression of the gene for the extracellular alkaline protease (apre) of bacillus subtilis is subject to regulation by many positive and negative regulators. we have found that apre expression was increased by disruption of the glutamine synthetase gene glna. the increase in apre expression was attributed to a decreased in expression of scoc, which encodes a negative regulator of apre expression. the glna effect on scoc expression was abolished by further disruption of tnra, indicating that apre ... | 2009 | 19251843 |
| juvenile separation stress induces rapid region- and layer-specific changes in s100ss- and glial fibrillary acidic protein-immunoreactivity in astrocytes of the rodent medial prefrontal cortex. | the impact of juvenile stress exposure on astrocyte plasticity was assessed in the precocious rodent octodon degus. astrocytes expressing s100ss and glial fibrillary acidic protein (gfap) were quantified in the limbic medial prefrontal cortex (mpfc), including the anterior cingulate (acd), precentral medial (prcm), infra- (il) and prelimbic (pl) cortex and in the "non-limbic" somatosensory cortex (ssc). at the age of 21 days we compared (i) controls (c), (ii) stressed animals (ssr: separation st ... | 2009 | 19285122 |
| rema (ylza) and remb (yaab) regulate extracellular matrix operon expression and biofilm formation in bacillus subtilis. | biofilms are multicellular aggregates stabilized by an extracellular matrix. in bacillus subtilis, the biofilm matrix is composed of an extracellular polysaccharide and the secreted protein tasa. expression of both of the matrix components is repressed by the dna-binding master regulator, sinr. here we identify two small protein regulators of the extracellular matrix: rema (formerly ylza) and remb (formerly yaab). mutation of rema or remb impairs pellicle formation, complex colony architecture, ... | 2009 | 19363116 |
| swraa activates poly-gamma-glutamate synthesis in addition to swarming in bacillus subtilis. | poly-gamma-glutamic acid (gamma-pga) is an extracellular polymer produced by various strains of bacillus. iotat was first described as the component of the capsule in bacillus anthracis, where it plays a relevant role in virulence. gamma-pga is also a distinctive component of 'natto', a traditional japanese food consisting of soybean fermented by bacillus subtilis (natto). domesticated b. subtilis strains do not synthesize gamma-pga although they possess the functional biosynthetic pgs operon. i ... | 2009 | 19389763 |
| expression of the pgsb encoding the poly-gamma-dl-glutamate synthetase of bacillus subtilis (natto). | an industrial strain of bacillus subtilis (natto) was used to produce poly-gamma-dl-glutamate (gammapga), a polymer of dl-glutamate linked by a gamma-peptide bond. in spite of efforts to improve gammapga production by modifying the medium, little attention has been paid to the expression of the gammapga synthetase gene. in this study, we investigated the expression of the gammapga synthetic gene and the gammapga product under various conditions with the lacz-fusion of the synthetic gene (pgsb-la ... | 2009 | 19420703 |
| digestive and metabolic flexibility allows female degus to cope with lactation costs. | lactation is the most energetically demanding period in the life cycle of female mammals, and its effects on digestive flexibility and the size of internal organs have been extensively studied in laboratory mice and rats since the early 1900s. however, there have been only two studies on this topic for wild rodent species. here, we analyzed digestive flexibility--that is, changes in gut content, activity of digestive enzymes, and gut morphology--during lactation in the caviomorph rodent octodon ... | 2008 | 18190284 |
| Mutations suppressing the loss of DegQ function in Bacillus subtilis (natto) poly-?-glutamate synthesis. | The degQ gene of Bacillus subtilis (natto), encoding a small peptide of 46 amino acids, is essential for the synthesis of extracellular poly-gamma-glutamate (?PGA). To elucidate the role of DegQ in ?PGA synthesis, we knocked out the degQ gene in Bacillus subtilis (natto) and screened for suppressor mutations that restored ?PGA synthesis in the absence of DegQ. Suppressor mutations were found in degS, the receptor kinase gene of the DegS-DegU two-component system. Recombinant DegS-His(6) mutant p ... | 2011 | 21965392 |
| characterization of degu-dependent expression of bpr in bacillus subtilis. | the response regulator degu and its cognate histidine kinase degs constitute a two-component system in the gram-positive soil bacterium bacillus subtilis. the phosphorylated form of degu is known to activate transcription of more than 120 genes in b. subtilis, including the bpr gene encoding bacillopeptidase f. to characterize degu-dependent regulation of bpr, the interaction of the bpr regulatory region with his-tagged degu was analyzed using gel retardation and footprint analyses. this reveale ... | 2008 | 18194340 |
| quantification of tnf-alpha and il-6 bioactivity in response to lipopolysaccharide in the degu (octodon degus). | the proinflammatory cytokines tnf-alpha and il-6 are important inflammatory mediators that may be regulated by circadian rhythms. however, the production and detection of these cytokines have not been examined in the degu, a diurnal species used in some studies of circadian rhythms. in this study, we used bioassays to attempt to measure tumor necrosis factor (tnf-alpha) and interleukin 6 (il-6) levels in degus exposed to an inflammatory stimulus, lipopolysaccharide (lps). in an in vitro study, w ... | 2003 | 19757624 |
| transcriptional and post-transcriptional regulation of the gmar antirepressor governs temperature-dependent control of flagellar motility in listeria monocytogenes. | flagellar motility in listeria monocytogenes (lm) is restricted to temperatures below 37 degrees c due to the opposing activities of the mogr transcriptional repressor and the gmar antirepressor. previous studies have suggested that both the degu response regulator and mogr regulate expression of gmar. in this report, we further define the role of degu for gmar production and flagellar motility. we demonstrate that deletion of the receiver domain of degu has no effect on flagellar motility in lm ... | 2009 | 19796338 |
| forensic hair analysis to identify animal species on a case of pet animal abuse. | as part of an investigation of a case of pet animal abuse, we attempted to identify small mammalian species by morphological analysis and single-nucleotide polymorphism (snp) typing of the cytochrome b gene using guard hairs as an analytical material. guard hair samples from several species were measured for length, width, medulla formation, and cuticle scale pattern under a light microscope or scanning electron microscope. these samples were also analyzed for snps in the cytochrome b gene using ... | 2010 | 19921235 |
| extracellular signals that define distinct and coexisting cell fates in bacillus subtilis. | the soil-dwelling bacterium bacillus subtilis differentiates into distinct subpopulations of specialized cells that coexist within highly structured communities. the coordination and interplay between these cell types requires extensive extracellular communication driven mostly by sensing self-generated secreted signals. these extracellular signals activate a set of sensor kinases, which respond by phosphorylating three major regulatory proteins, spo0a, degu and coma. each phosphorylated regulat ... | 2010 | 20030732 |
| autoregulation of the bacillus subtilis response regulator gene degu is coupled with the proteolysis of degu-p by clpcp. | the response regulator degu and its cognate kinase degs constitute a two-component system in bacillus subtilis that regulates many cellular processes, including exoprotease production and competence development. using dna footprint assay, gel shift assay and mutational analyses of p3degu-lacz fusions, we showed that phosphorylated degu (degu-p) binds to two direct repeats (dr1 and dr2) of the consensus degu-binding sequence in the p3degu promoter. the alteration of chromosomal dr2 severely decre ... | 2010 | 20070525 |
| enhanced control of cucumber wilt disease by bacillus amyloliquefaciens sqr9 by altering the regulation of its degu phosphorylation. | bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain sqr9, isolated from the cucumber rhizosphere, suppresses the growth of fusarium oxysporum in the cucumber rhizosphere and protects the host plant from pathogen invasion through efficient root colonization. in the gram-positive bacterium bacillus, the response regulator degu regulates genetic competence, swarming motility, biofilm formation, complex colony architecture, and protease production. in this study, we report that stepwise phosphorylation of degu in b. ... | 2014 | 24584252 |
| effects of more frequent and prolonged el niño events on life-history parameters of the degu, a long-lived and slow-reproducing rodent. | global climate change (gcc) can have profound effects on species whose ecology is governed primarily by climatic factors. the ecology of small mammals inhabiting semiarid chile is strongly affected by the el niño southern oscillation (enso). during la niña events in this area, dry conditions prevail and species may disappear from the thorn-scrub habitat. conversely, el niño events bring high rainfall, and associated pulses of food trigger small-mammal population increases. we used capture-mark-r ... | 2010 | 20121838 |
| experimental infection of two south american reservoirs with four distinct strains of trypanosoma cruzi. | trypanosoma cruzi (tc), the causative agent of chagas disease, is a diverse species with 2 primary genotypes, tci and tcii, with tcii further subdivided into 5 subtypes (iia-e). this study evaluated infection dynamics of 4 genetically and geographically diverse t. cruzi strains in 2 south american reservoirs, degus (octodon degus) and grey short-tailed opossums (monodelphis domestica). based on prior suggestions of a genotype-host association, we hypothesized that degus (placental) would more re ... | 2010 | 20128943 |
| rodent monophyly deduced from the unique gastric proteinase constitution and molecular phylogenetic analyses using pepsinogen-c cdna sequences. | pepsinogens are zymogens of pepsins, the gastric digestive proteinases. although pepsinogen a is predominant in most mammalian species hitherto known, pepsinogen c is expressed exclusively and the lack of pepsinogen a is evidenced in the rat and guinea pig. furthermore, in these two rodents, considerable amount of procathepsin e is also expressed in gastric mucosa although it is almost undetectable in other mammals. in this paper, in order to clarify whether such unique gastric proteinase consti ... | 2006 | 20483259 |
| temperature cycles trigger nocturnalism in the diurnal homeotherm octodon degus. | body temperature regulation within a physiological range is a critical factor for guaranteeing the survival of living organisms. the avoidance of high ambient temperatures is a behavioral mechanism used by homeothermic animals living in extreme environmental conditions. as the circadian system is involved in these thermoregulatory responses, precise phase shifts and even complete temporal niche inversion have been reported. octodon degus, a mainly diurnal rodent from chile, has the ability to sw ... | 2010 | 20524798 |
| gene expression regulation in the plant growth promoting bacillus atrophaeus ucmb-5137 stimulated by maize root exudates. | despite successful use of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (pgpr) in agriculture, little is known about specific mechanisms of gene regulation facilitating the effective communication between bacteria and plants during plant colonization. active pgpr strain bacillus atrophaeus ucmb-5137 was studied in this research. rna sequencing profiles were generated in experiments where root exudate stimulations were used to mimic interactions between bacteria and plants. it was found that the gene regu ... | 2016 | 27259668 |
| stress inoculation facilitates active avoidance learning of the semi-precocial rodent octodon degus. | a growing body of evidence highlights the impact of the early social environment for the adequate development of brain and behavior in animals and humans. disturbances of this environment were found to be both maladaptive and adaptive to emotional and cognitive function. using the semi-precocial, biparental rodent octodon degus, we aimed to examine (i) the impact of age (juvenile/adult), sex (male/female), and (ii) "motivation" to solve the task (by applying increasing foot-shock-intensities) on ... | 2010 | 20580648 |
| atherosclerosis in octodon degus (degu) as a model for human disease. | animal models of atherosclerosis are essential to elucidate disease mechanisms and develop new therapies. each model features advantages and disadvantages in exemplifying the pathophysiology of human atherosclerosis. diet-induced development of atherosclerosis in octodon degus (degu) was examined to demonstrate the potential of the degu as a model of human atherosclerosis. | 2010 | 20630529 |
| temporal fluctuation of infection with different trypanosoma cruzi genotypes in the wild rodent octodon degus. | we identified and followed-up for two years octodon degus rodents infected with trypanosoma cruzi genotypes by using xenodiagnosis with two vector species (mepraia spinolai and triatoma infestans), polymerase chain reaction dna-based detection of insect dejections, southern blot analysis, and minicircle hybridization with genotype-specific probes. results show temporal fluctuations of infection with four parasite lineages (tci, tcii, tcv, and tcvi) in one co-infected o. degus. results are discus ... | 2010 | 20682886 |