Thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) promotes wound re-epithelialisation in frog and human skin

There remains a critical need for new therapeutics that promote wound healing in patients suffering from chronic skin wounds. This is, in part, due to a shortage of simple, physiologically and clinically relevant test systems for investigating candidate agents. The skin of amphibians possesses a remarkable regenerative capacity, which remains insufficiently explored for clinical purposes. Combining comparative biology with a translational medicine approach, we report the development and application of a simple ex vivo frog (Xenopus tropicalis) skin organ culture system that permits exploration of the effects of amphibian skin-derived agents on re-epithelialisation in both frog and human skin. Using this amphibian model, we identify thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) as a novel stimulant of epidermal regeneration. Moving to a complementary human ex vivo wounded skin assay, we demonstrate that the effects of TRH are conserved across the amphibian-mammalian divide: TRH stimulates wound closure and formation of neo-epidermis in organ-cultured human skin, accompanied by increased keratinocyte proliferation and wound healing-associated differentiation (cytokeratin 6 expression). Thus, TRH represents a novel, clinically relevant neuroendocrine wound repair promoter that deserves further exploration. These complementary frog and human skin ex vivo assays encourage a comparative biology approach in future wound healing research so as to facilitate the rapid identification and preclinical testing of novel, evolutionarily conserved, and clinically relevant wound healing promoters

The comparative biology of skeletal metastasis

Bone metastasis, a very common sequelae of cancer, is often associated with great morbidity. Understanding the biology of bone metastases may lead to therapeutic interventions to target the metastases. In addition to replacing bone marrow elements, the presence of tumour cells in bone modulates the normal bone remodelling process. Some tumours result in primarily osteolytic bone lesions, whereas others are associated with osteoblastic bone lesions. In either case, the resulting changes in the bone structure result in weakened bone that induces pain and is predisposed to fracture. The mechanisms through which cancer cells modulate bone remodelling are not clearly defined, but ongoing research using a variety of animal models will hopefully provide clues to prevent or slow the progress of bone metastases.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/73390/1/j.1476-5829.2003.00023.x.pd

The general and comparative biology of terrestrial organisms under experimental stress conditions Final report

General and comparative biology of terrestrial organisms under experimental stress condition

Shelling out for genomics

A report on the symposium 'Genomic and Proteomic Approaches to Crustacean Biology' held as part of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology 2006 Annual Meeting, Orlando, USA, 4-8 January 2006

The comparative biology of terns, sterna spp

Not availabl

A gathering of minds: expanding understanding of the origins of biological diversity and the evolution of developmental mechanisms

This paper is a short report on the 2012 Society of Integrative and Comparative Biology Annual Meeting. Charleston, South Carolina, USA. 3-7 January 2012 (abstracts freely available at http://www.sicb.org/meetings/2012/)

Comparative Biology of Temperate and Subtropical Bark and Ambrosia Beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae, Platypodidae) in Indiana and Florida

Bark and ambrosia beetles were compared from two intensively studied sites. The Indiana site produced 58 species, the Florida site 57 species; 17 species occurred at both sites. Much greater plant host diversity at the Indiana site seems balanced by more favorable climate at the Florida site. There are more exotic species at the Florida site. Different patterns in feeding habits and mating habits of the beetles are related to the climate and history of the sites in complex ways. A list of the and their habits is included

Interactive and Long-term Effects of Yolk Androgens and Antioxidants in Birds

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from OUP via the DOI in this recordPoster abstract - Annual Meeting of the Society-for-Integrative-and-Comparative-Biology (SICB), 4-8 January 2017, New Orleans, US

Seeing the Forest for the Trees: The Limitations of Phylogenies in Comparative Biology

The last 30 years have seen a revolution in comparative biology. Prior to that time, systematics was not at the forefront of the biological sciences, and few scientists considered phylogenetic relationships when investigating evolutionary questions. By contrast, systematic biology is now one of the most vigorous disciplines in biology, and the use of phylogenies is not only requisite in macroevolutionary studies, but has been applied to a wide range of topics and fields that no one could possibly have envisioned 30 years ago. My message is simple: phylogenies are fundamental to comparative biology, but they are not the be all and end all. Phylogenies are powerful tools for understanding the past, but like any tool, they have their limitations. In addition, phylogenies are much more informative about pattern than they are about process. The best way to fully understand the past—both pattern and process—is to integrate phylogenies with other types of historical data as well as with direct studies of evolutionary process.Organismic and Evolutionary Biolog