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Selected AbstractsCell type,specific expression of adenomatous polyposis coli in lung development, injury, and repairDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 8 2010Aimin Li Abstract Adenomatous polyposis coli (Apc) is critical for Wnt signaling and cell migration. The current study examined Apc expression during lung development, injury, and repair. Apc was first detectable in smooth muscle layers in early lung morphogenesis, and was highly expressed in ciliated and neuroendocrine cells in the advanced stages. No Apc immunoreactivity was detected in Clara or basal cells, which function as stem/progenitor cell in adult lung. In ciliated cells, Apc is associated mainly with apical cytoplasmic domain. In response to naphthalene-induced injury, Apcpositive cells underwent squamous metaplasia, accompanied by changes in Apc subcellular distribution. In conclusion, both spatial and temporal expression of Apc is dynamically regulated during lung development and injury repair. Differential expression of Apc in progenitor vs. nonprogenitor cells suggests a functional role in cell-type specification. Subcellular localization changes of Apc in response to naphthalene injury suggest a role in cell shape and cell migration. Developmental Dynamics 239:2288,2297, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Expression profiles of the duplicated matrix metalloproteinase-9 genes suggest their different roles in apoptosis of larval intestinal epithelial cells during Xenopus laevis metamorphosisDEVELOPMENTAL DYNAMICS, Issue 8 2007Takashi Hasebe Abstract Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) play a pivotal role in development and/or pathogenesis through degrading extracellular matrix (ECM) components. We have previously shown that Xenopus MMP-9 gene is duplicated. To assess possible roles of MMP-9 and MMP-9TH in X. laevis intestinal remodeling, we here analyzed their expression profiles by in situ hybridization and show that their expression is transiently up-regulated during thyroid hormone-dependent metamorphosis. Of interest, MMP-9TH mRNA is strictly localized in the connective tissue and most highly expressed just beneath the larval epithelium that begins to undergo apoptosis. On the other hand, cells expressing MMP-9 mRNA become first detectable in the connective tissue and then, after the start of epithelial apoptosis, also in the larval epithelium. These results strongly suggest that MMP-9TH is responsible in the larval epithelial apoptosis through degrading ECM components in the basal lamina, whereas MMP-9 is involved in the removal of dying epithelial cells during amphibian intestinal remodeling. Developmental Dynamics 236:2338,2345, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] MRI of early- and late-stage arterial remodeling in a low-level cholesterol-fed rabbit model of atherosclerosisJOURNAL OF MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING, Issue 4 2007John A. Ronald MS Abstract Purpose To monitor early- and late-stage arterial remodeling following low-level cholesterol (CH) feeding in rabbits using a standardized MRI protocol. Materials and Methods New Zealand White rabbits were fed a CH diet (0.25% w/w) (n = 15) or normal chow (n = 6) and imaged either at 0, 2, 6, 8, and 11 months ("early-stage") or 12, 14, 16, 18, and 20 months ("late-stage"). T2-weighted fast-spin-echo images (,200 ,m in-plane resolution) of aortic lesions were collected using either a 1.5 or 3.0T MR scanner interfaced with a customized surface RF coil. Luminal (LA), outer vessel wall boundary (OVBA), and vessel wall areas (VWA) were assessed. Results Among CH-fed animals in the early-stage group, increased VWA associated with decreased OVBA and a more pronounced decrease in LA was first detectable at 8 months. These changes became more evident between 8 and 11 months. In the late-stage group, lesions continued to grow in response to CH-feeding, as VWA significantly increased at regular 2-month intervals. Beyond 16 months, signal intensity differences (reflecting increased lesion complexity) within the vessel wall were noted. Conclusion This often-overlooked rabbit model combined with customized MR technology holds tremendous promise for studying the natural progression, regression, and remodeling of atherosclerotic lesions. J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2007;26:1010,1019. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Zebrafish Cx35: Cloning and characterization of a gap junction gene highly expressed in the retinaJOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH, Issue 6 2003Elizabeth McLachlan Abstract The vertebrate connexin gene family encodes protein subunits of gap junction channels, which provide a route for direct intercellular communication. Consequently, gap junctions play a vital role in many developmental and homeostatic processes. Aberrant functioning of gap junctions is implicated in many human diseases. Zebrafish are an ideal vertebrate model to study development of the visual system as they produce transparent embryos that develop rapidly, thereby facilitating morphological and behavioral testing. In this study, zebrafish connexin35 has been cloned from a P1 artificial chromosome (PAC) library. Sequence analysis shows a high degree of similarity to the Cx35/36 orthologous group, which are expressed primarily in nervous tissue, including the retina. The gene encodes a 304-amino acid protein with a predicted molecular weight of approximately 35 kDa. Injection of zebrafish Cx35 RNA into paired Xenopus oocytes elicited intercellular electrical coupling with weak voltage sensitivity. In development, Cx35 is first detectable by Northern analysis and RT-PCR, at 2 days post-fertilization (2 dpf), and in the adult it is expressed in the brain and retina. Immunohistochemical analysis revealed that the Cx35 protein is expressed in two sublaminae of the inner plexiform layer of the adult retina. A similar pattern was seen in the 4 and 5 dpf retina, but no labeling was detected in the retina of earlier embryos. © 2003 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Photomorphogenic regulation of increases in UV-absorbing pigments in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) and Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings induced by different UV-B and UV-C wavebandsPHYSIOLOGIA PLANTARUM, Issue 1 2010James R. Shinkle Brief (1,100 min) irradiations with three different ultraviolet-B (UV-B) and ultraviolet-C (UV-C) wave bands induced increases the UV-absorbing pigments extracted from cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) and Arabidopsis. Spectra of methanol/1% HCl extracts from cucumber hypocotyl segments spanning 250,400 nm showed a single defined peak at 317 nm. When seedlings were irradiated with 5 kJ m,2 UV-B radiation containing proportionally greater short wavelength UV-B (37% of UV-B between 280 and 300 nm; full-spectrum UV-B, FS-UVB), tissue extracts taken 24 h after irradiation showed an overall increase in absorption (91% increase at 317 nm) with a second defined peak at 263 nm. Irradiation with 1.1 kJ m,2 UV-C (254 nm) caused similar changes. In contrast, seedlings irradiated with 5 kJ m,2 UV-B including only wavelengths longer than 290 nm (8% of UV-B between 290 and 300 nm; long-wavelength UV-B, LW-UVB) resulted only in a general increase in absorption (80% at 317 nm). The increases in absorption were detectable as early as 3 h after irradiation with FS-UVB and UV-C, while the response to LW-UVB was first detectable at 6 h after irradiation. In extracts from whole Arabidopsis seedlings, 5 kJ m,2 LW-UVB caused only a 20% increase in total absorption. Irradiation with 5 kJ m,2 FS-UVB caused the appearance of a new peak at 270 nm and a concomitant increase in absorption of 72%. The induction of this new peak was observed in seedlings carrying the fah1 mutation which disrupts the pathway for sinapate synthesis. The results are in agreement with previously published data on stem elongation indicating the existence of two response pathways within the UV-B, one operating at longer wavelengths (>300 nm) and another specifically activated by short wavelength UV-B (<300 nm and also by UV-C). [source] Biology of the prolactin family in bovine placenta.ANIMAL SCIENCE JOURNAL, Issue 1 2006ABSTRACT Bovine placenta produces an array of proteins that are structurally and functionally similar to pituitary prolactin. Bovine placental lactogen (bPL) is a glycoprotein hormone that has lactogenic and somatogenic properties. Purified bPL contains several kinds of isoforms that are created by alternative splicing and/or multiple glycosylation patterns. bPL can activate the prolactin (PRL) receptor-mediated signaling pathway as well as PRL does. The bPL mRNA is transcribed in trophoblast binucleate cells, and synthesized bPL protein is stored in membrane-bound secretory granules. The message encoding bPL is first detectable in trophoblast binucleate cells at approximately day 20 of gestation at, or shortly after, the appearance of binucleate cells in the trophoblast. Most binucleate cells are detected as expressed bPL in the placenta. Bovine PL may be the determinant in trophoblast differentiation. Although the biological activities of bPL have long been studied, the precise role of bPL is still largely unclear. This article reviews and discusses the biological roles of bPL, focusing on luteal function, fetal growth and pregnancy-associated maternal adaptation, mammogenesis and lactogenesis, and placental angiogenesis. The precise biological function of bPL needs to be further evaluated. [source] |