Gene Expression Analysis of Zebrafish Heart Regeneration

Mammalian hearts cannot regenerate. In contrast, zebrafish hearts regenerate even when up to 20% of the ventricle is amputated. The mechanism of zebrafish heart regeneration is not understood. To systematically characterize this process at the molecular level, we generated transcriptional profiles of zebrafish cardiac regeneration by microarray analyses. Distinct gene clusters were identified based on temporal expression patterns. Genes coding for wound response/inflammatory factors, secreted molecules, and matrix metalloproteinases are expressed in regenerating heart in sequential patterns. Comparisons of gene expression profiles between heart and fin regeneration revealed a set of regeneration core molecules as well as tissue-specific factors. The expression patterns of several secreted molecules around the wound suggest that they play important roles in heart regeneration. We found that both platelet-derived growth factor-a and -b (pdgf-a and pdgf-b) are upregulated in regenerating zebrafish hearts. PDGF-B homodimers induce DNA synthesis in adult zebrafish cardiomyocytes. In addition, we demonstrate that a chemical inhibitor of PDGF receptor decreases DNA synthesis of cardiomyocytes both in vitro and in vivo during regeneration. Our data indicate that zebrafish heart regeneration is associated with sequentially upregulated wound healing genes and growth factors and suggest that PDGF signaling is required

Pathogenic Huntingtin Repeat Expansions in Patients with Frontotemporal Dementia and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis.

We examined the role of repeat expansions in the pathogenesis of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) by analyzing whole-genome sequence data from 2,442 FTD/ALS patients, 2,599 Lewy body dementia (LBD) patients, and 3,158 neurologically healthy subjects. Pathogenic expansions (range, 40-64 CAG repeats) in the huntingtin (HTT) gene were found in three (0.12%) patients diagnosed with pure FTD/ALS syndromes but were not present in the LBD or healthy cohorts. We replicated our findings in an independent collection of 3,674 FTD/ALS patients. Postmortem evaluations of two patients revealed the classical TDP-43 pathology of FTD/ALS, as well as huntingtin-positive, ubiquitin-positive aggregates in the frontal cortex. The neostriatal atrophy that pathologically defines Huntington's disease was absent in both cases. Our findings reveal an etiological relationship between HTT repeat expansions and FTD/ALS syndromes and indicate that genetic screening of FTD/ALS patients for HTT repeat expansions should be considered

Langzeit-Aerosol-Überwachung mit einem kalibrierfreien, kompensierten Streulichtfotometer

Zur Messung geringer Massenkonzentrationen und der Partikelgrößenverteilung unter hohen Druck- und Temperaturbedingungen, wie sie z.B. bei Überwachung des Gasstromes in Druckwirbelschichtfeuerungen oder in Druckkohlestaubfeuerungen vorkommen, wird ein kompensiertes Streulichtfotometer vorgeschlagen. Streulicht- und Transmissionswerte des Partikelkollektivs werden erfasst und miteinander verknüpft. Als Vorteil dieses Mess- und Auswerteprinzips ergibt sich im Gegensatz zu konventionellen Fotometern eine weitgehende Unempfindlichkeit gegenüber Fenster-Verschmutzung und Alterung von Komponenten. Das neue Konzept ist bis etwa 900 ºC einsatzfähig.For monitoring of low mass concentrations and particle size distributions under high pressure and temperature conditions, e. g., in pressurized fluidized bed combustion or pressurized pulverized coal combustion processes, a self-compensating light-scattering photometer is presented. Light scattering signals measured for a particle collective are normalized with respect to light transmission data. The advantage of the new principle is the insensitivity against ageing and contamination of components which distinguishes it from conventional photometers. The system can be applied at temperatures of up to 900 ºC