9 research outputs found
Comparative sequence analyses reveal sites of ancestral chromosomal fusions in the Indian muntjac genome
Comparative mapping and sequencing was used to characterize the sites of ancestral chromosomal fusions in the Indian muntjac genome
Three Novel Pigmentation Mutants Generated by Genome-Wide Random ENU Mutagenesis in the Mouse
Three mutant mice with pigmentation phenotypes were recovered from a genomewide
random mouse chemical mutagenesis study. White toes (Whto; MGI:1861986),
Belly spot and white toes (Bswt; MGI:2152776) and Dark footpads 2 (Dfp2;
MGI:1861991) were identified following visual inspection of progeny from a male
exposed to the point mutagen ethylnitrosourea (ENU). In order to rapidly localize
the causative mutations, genome-wide linkage scans were performed on pooled
DNA samples from backcross animals for each mutant line. Whto was mapped to
proximal mouse chromosome (Mmu) 7 between Cen (the centromere) and D7Mit112
(8.0 cM from the centromere), Bswt was mapped to centric Mmul between D1Mit214
(32.1 cM) and D1Mit480 (32.8 cM) and Dfp2 was mapped to proximalMmu4 between
Cen and D4Mit18 (5.2 cM). Whto, Bswt and Dfp2 may provide novel starting
points in furthering the elucidation of genetic and biochemical pathways relevant
to pigmentation and associated biological processes
Cost-effectiveness of Ambulatory Oxygen in improving quality of life in fibrotic lung disease: Preliminary evidence from the AmbOx Trial
Ambulatory oxygen may be cost-effective in improving quality of life in fibrotic lung disease. To be more conclusive, we need to understand societal willingness to pay for quality of life improvements and whether improvements are sustained. http://bit.ly/2pAiBJ
Cognitive triggers of auditory hallucinations: An experimental investigation
It has proved difficult to establish the internal process by which mental events are transformed into auditory hallucinations. The earlier stages of the generation of hallucinations may prove more accessible to research. Cognitions have been reported by patients as a trigger of auditory hallucinations, but the role of these preceding thoughts has not been causally determined. Therefore, the role of cognition in triggering auditory hallucinations was tested in an experimental study. Thirty individuals who experienced auditory hallucinations in social situations entered a neutral social situation presented using virtual reality. Participants randomised to the experimental condition were instructed to think their hallucination-preceding thoughts, and those randomised to the control condition were instructed to think neutral thoughts. Twenty-seven participants (93%) were able to spontaneously identify a cognition which preceded a hallucination. There was no difference between the experimental and control groups in the occurrence or severity of auditory hallucinations in virtual reality. Virtual reality did not lead to physical side effects or an increase in anxiety. The relationship between antecedent cognitions and auditory hallucinations is likely to be more complex than the one tested. It is argued that the effect of cognition on auditory hallucinations may be mediated by affect but this needs to be investigated through further experimental research
Immune Response in the Central Nervous system Are Anatomically Segregated in a Non-Human Primate Model of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection
The human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) accesses the central nervous system (CNS) early during infection, leading to HIV-associated cognitive impairment and establishment of a viral reservoir. Here, we describe a dichotomy in inflammatory responses in different CNS regions in simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV)-infected macaques, a model for HIV infection. We found increased expression of inflammatory genes and perivascular leukocyte infiltration in the midbrain of SIV-infected macaques. Conversely, the frontal lobe showed downregulation of inflammatory genes associated with interferon-γ and interleukin-6 pathways, and absence of perivascular cuffing. These immunologic alterations were not accompanied by differences in SIV transcriptional activity within the tissue. Altered expression of genes associated with neurotoxicity was observed in both midbrain and frontal lobe. The segregation of inflammatory responses to specific regions of the CNS may both account for HIV-associated neurological symptoms and constitute a critical hurdle for HIV eradication by shielding the CNS viral reservoir from antiviral immunity
Mutation of Celsr1 Disrupts Planar Polarity of Inner Ear Hair Cells and Causes Severe Neural Tube Defects in the Mouse
We identified two novel mouse mutants with abnormal head-shaking behavior and neural tube defects during the course of independent ENU mutagenesis experiments. The heterozygous and homozygous mutants exhibit defects in the orientation of sensory hair cells in the organ of Corti, indicating a defect in planar cell polarity. The homozygous mutants exhibit severe neural tube defects as a result of failure to initiate neural tube closure. We show that these mutants, spin cycle and crash, carry independent missense mutations within the coding region of Celsr1, encoding a large protocadherin molecule [1]. Celsr1 is one of three mammalian homologs of Drosophila flamingo/starry night, which is essential for the planar cell polarity pathway in Drosophila together with frizzled, dishevelled, prickle, strabismus/van gogh, and rhoA [2, 3]. The identification of mouse mutants of Celsr1 provides the first evidence for the function of the Celsr family in planar cell polarity in mammals and further supports the involvement of a planar cell polarity pathway in vertebrate neurulation
Mutation of Celsr1 disrupts planar polarity of inner ear hair cells and causes severe neural tube defects in the mouse
AbstractWe identified two novel mouse mutants with abnormal head-shaking behavior and neural tube defects during the course of independent ENU mutagenesis experiments. The heterozygous and homozygous mutants exhibit defects in the orientation of sensory hair cells in the organ of Corti, indicating a defect in planar cell polarity. The homozygous mutants exhibit severe neural tube defects as a result of failure to initiate neural tube closure. We show that these mutants, spin cycle and crash, carry independent missense mutations within the coding region of Celsr1, encoding a large protocadherin molecule [1]. Celsr1 is one of three mammalian homologs of Drosophila flamingo/starry night, which is essential for the planar cell polarity pathway in Drosophila together with frizzled, dishevelled, prickle, strabismus/van gogh, and rhoA[2, 3]. The identification of mouse mutants of Celsr1 provides the first evidence for the function of the Celsr family in planar cell polarity in mammals and further supports the involvement of a planar cell polarity pathway in vertebrate neurulation
Additional file 4: of Ambulatory oxygen in fibrotic lung disease (AmbOx): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial
Informed Consent Form: Version 3.0, 1 December 2014. (DOC 32 kb