Effect of Exercise on Photoperiod-Regulated Hypothalamic Gene Expression and Peripheral Hormones in the Seasonal Dwarf Hamster Phodopus sungorus

Acknowledgments: Many thanks to Dana Wilson, Susan Hay, David Brown and Vivienne Buchan at RINH, Siegrid Hilken and Esther Lipokatic-Takacs at UVMH for the excellent technical support and advice provided. Many thanks are due to Claus Mayer of Biomathematics, Statistics Scotland for assistance with the statistical analysis of data. Author Contributions: Conceived and designed the experiments: IP SS FS PB. Performed the experiments: IP RD FS. Analyzed the data: IP RD FS SS PB. Wrote the paper: PB SS FS IP.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Kleinian Geometry and the N=2 Superstring

This paper is devoted to the exploration of some of the geometrical issues raised by the $N=2$ superstring. We begin by reviewing the reasons that $\beta$-functions for the $N=2$ superstring require it to live in a four-dimensional self-dual spacetime of signature $(--++)$, together with some of the arguments as to why the only degree of freedom in the theory is that described by the gravitational field. We then move on to describe at length the geometry of flat space, and how a real version of twistor theory is relevant to it. We then describe some of the more complicated spacetimes that satisfy the $\beta$-function equations. Finally we speculate on the deeper significance of some of these spacetimes.Comment: 30 pages, AMS-Te

The purification and properties of glutathione S-transferase from Ditylenchus myceliophagus

L'activité de la glutathion S-tranférase cytoplasmique chez #Dytylenchus myceliophagus$ a été attribuée à quatre isoenzymes, DmI, DmII, DmIII et DmIV, par combinaison de la chromatographie focalisante et de la chromatographie d'affinité au moyen de l'hexylglutathion. Un facteur endogène cytoplasmique a interféré avec les matrices d'affinité de la liaison entre les transférases cytosoliques et le glutathion, et la liaison ne s'est produite qu'après une purification préliminaire. Les quatre isoenzymes sont apparues être des homodimères avec des subunités de poids moléculaires respectifs de 25,3, 24, 26 et 25,7 kDa pour DmI, DmII, DmIII et DmIV. Les points isoélectriques pour DmI, DmII et DmIII sont de 7,28, 5,04 et 4,88. La séquence N-terminale de l'enzyme principale (DmIII) présente une très forte similarité de séquences avec la classe alpha GSTs des mammifères. En tout état de cause, les spécificités de substrats et les profils inhibiteurs de DmII, DmIII et DmIV montrent une ressemblance générale avec la classe mu des mammifères alors que DmI montre des caractéristiques plus proches de la classe alpha. (Résumé d'auteur

Steady-state energy balance in animal models of obesity and weight loss

Supported by European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013, n°266408 (Full4Health)), the Joint Programme of the Medical Faculty of Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) and St. Olav’s University Hospital, the Liaison Committee between the Central Norway Regional Health Authority and NTNU.Peer reviewedPostprin

Preclinical models for obesity research

Acknowledgements The authors are funded by the Scottish Government, Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division, Strategic Research Programme, ‘Food, Health and Wellbeing’ Theme. P.B. also acknowledges funding from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC; BB/M001504/1), J.G.M. from the European Union (EU)-funded Full4Health project (grant agreement no. 266408; Seventh Framework Programme [FP7/2007-2013]), and P.J.M. from BBSRC (BB/G014272/1).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Vagal Blocking for Obesity Control : a Possible Mechanism-Of-Action

14 September 2016 Erratum to: Vagal Blocking for Obesity Control: a Possible Mechanism-Of-Action Helene Johannessen, David Revesz, Yosuke Kodama, Nikki Cassie, Karolina P Skibicka, Perry Barrett, Suzanne Dickson, Jens Holst, Jens Rehfeld, Geoffrey van der Plasse, Roger Adan, Bård Kulseng, Elinor Ben-Menachem, Chun-Mei Zhao, Duan Chen, 2016, 2016. Obesity surgery. In the original article on page 4 the figures are referred to as (Fig. 1b-d) and (Fig. 1e) in the text. The correct reference is (Fig. 1b-e) and (Fig. 1f), respectively. In the original article on page 5 the figures are referred to as (Fig. 3c) and (Fig. 3d) in the text. The correct reference is (Fig. 3c,d) and (Fig. 3e,f), respectively. Peer reviewedPostprin

Effects of manipulating hypothalamic triiodothyronine concentrations on seasonal body weight and torpor cycles in siberian hamsters

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Orchestration of gene expression across the seasons : Hypothalamic gene expression in natural photoperiod throughout the year in the Siberian hamster

Acknowledgements Funding for work in the laboratory of PB was supported by Scottish Government Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services Division, BBSRC (grant BB/M001504/1), British Society for Neuroendocrinology (research visit grant to IP). Work in the laboratory of SS was supported by a grant from the DFG (Ste 331/8-1). We thank Siegried Hilken, Marianne Brüning, Dr. Esther Lipokatic-Takacs and Dr. Frank Scherbarth at UVMH for technical assistance. We thank Graham Horgan of Bioinformatics, Statistics Scotland for assistance with some of statistical tests.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Dual signal transduction pathways activated by TSH receptors in rat primary tanycyte cultures

Tanycytes play multiple roles in hypothalamic functions, including sensing peripheral nutrients and metabolic hormones, regulating neurosecretion and mediating seasonal cycles of reproduction and metabolic physiology. This last function reflects the expression of TSH receptors in tanycytes, which detect photoperiod-regulated changes in TSH secretion from the neighbouring pars tuberalis. The present overall aim was to determine the signal transduction pathway by which TSH signals in tanycytes. Expression of the TSH receptor in tanycytes of 10-day-old Sprague Dawley rats was observed by in situ hybridisation. Primary ependymal cell cultures prepared from 10-day-old rats were found by immunohistochemistry to express vimentin but not GFAP and by PCR to express mRNA for Dio2, Gpr50, Darpp-32 and Tsh receptors that are characteristic of tanycytes. Treatment of primary tanycyte/ependymal cultures with TSH (100 IU/l) increased cAMP as assessed by ELISA and induced a cAMP-independent increase in the phosphorylation of ERK1/2 as assessed by western blot analysis. Furthermore, TSH (100 IU/l) stimulated a 2.17-fold increase in Dio2 mRNA expression. We conclude that TSH signal transduction in cultured tanycytes signals via Gαs to increase cAMP and via an alternative G protein to increase phosphorylation of ERK1/2