X-linked dominant inheritance of partial phosphorylase kinase deficiency in mice

A new mouse strain, the V strain, with a partial deficiency of phosphorylase kinase has been established. The deficiency is caused by an X-linked dominant gene (Phk ^c ). Muscle extracts of homozygous and heterozygous females and hemizygous males have about 25% of the activity found in extracts of normal (C3H/HeHan) mice. This dominant phosphorylase kinase deficiency of the new V strain is different from that of the I-strain mice with the X-linked recessive deficiency of skeletal muscle phosphorylase kinase. The muscle extracts of V-strain and normal mice contain the same phosphorylase phosphatase activity of about 1 U/mg. Heart and liver extracts from V mice contained about 50% and 66%, respectively, of the phosphorylase kinase activity compared to that found in the same organs from the normal mice. The glycogen content of the skeletal muscle of the V strain was normal, i.e., 0.9 mg/g. Phosphorylase kinase was purified from the skeletal muscle of the V strain by (a) hydrophobic chromatography on methylamine Sepharose, (b) ammonium sulfate precipitation, and (c) gel filtration of Sepharose 4B. The enzyme has a similar structure to the normal murine and rabbit skeletal muscle enzyme, except that the proportion of the subunits differs. The molar ratio of the subunits of the V strain mice is (+)::=0.54:1:1.169, in comparison with that of the rabbit (+)::=1.1:1.0:1.0 and that of normal murine enzyme 0.9:1.0:0.7.This work was supported by the Minister für Wissenschaft und Forschung des Landes Nordrhein-Westfalen, West Germany and of the Fonds der Chemie, West Germany, and forms part of the md thesis of A. Vrbica.     

The occurrence of the second moult of Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum

Maung M. 1978. The occurrence of the second moult of Ascaris lumbricoides and Ascaris suum. International Journal for Parasitology 8: 371–378. Eggs of Ascaris lumbricoides and A. suum were cultured at 28°C and observed daily. Larvae were released by pressure, by artificial hatching with CO₂, and by natural hatching after infection of laboratory mice. The early stages of development in the egg were observed to comprise two moults, one occurring immediately after the other. Both moults were initiated within the egg, but the time of completion of the second moult varied considerably, and in some instances was not completed until the larvae reached the liver of experimentally infected animals.     

Multinucleate cells in thymus of C3H mice

Summary Multinucleate epithelial cells occur in the thymus of C3H mice. They are poorly differentiated and scarce, but are more numerous in the medulla than in the cortex. Their increase in number with age is particularly significant between the first and the third months especially for cells with a large number of nuclei, and may be related to thymic involution.Viral particles of type C, similar to those described in murine leukemias, are found in mono- and multinucleate medullary epithelial cells.Research supported by grant 10.013 of the Fonds de la Recherche Fondamentale Collective (Brussels)     

Age‐related deterioration of motor function in male and female 5xFAD mice from 3 to 16 months of age

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that leads to age‐related cognitive and sensori‐motor dysfunction. There is an increased understanding that motor dysfunction contributes to overall AD severity, and a need to ameliorate these impairments. The 5xFAD mouse develops the neuropathology, cognitive and motor impairments observed in AD, and thus may be a valuable animal model to study motor deficits in AD. Therefore, we assessed age‐related changes in motor ability of male and female 5xFAD mice from 3 to 16 months of age, using a battery of behavioral tests. At 9‐10 months, 5xFAD mice showed reduced body weight, reduced rearing in the open‐field and impaired performance on the rotarod compared to wild‐type controls. At 12‐13 months, 5xFAD mice showed reduced locomotor activity on the open‐field, and impaired balance on the balance beam. At 15‐16 months, impairments were also seen in grip strength. Although sex differences were observed at specific ages, the development of motor dysfunction was similar in male and female mice. Given the 5xFAD mouse is commonly on a C57BL/6 × SJL hybrid background, a subset of mice may be homozygous recessive for the Dysf ^im mutant allele, which leads to muscular weakness in SJL mice and may exacerbate motor dysfunction. We found small effects of Dysf ^im on motor function, suggesting that Dysf ^im contributes little to motor dysfunction in 5xFAD mice. We conclude that the 5xFAD mouse may be a useful model to study mechanisms that produce motor dysfunction in AD, and to assess the efficacy of therapeutics on ameliorating motor impairment.     

不同剂量熊果酸干预糖尿病小鼠视网膜病变的作用及机制研究

目的:探究不同剂量熊果酸(UA)干预糖尿病小鼠视网膜病变的作用及机制。方法:选取雄性健康C57BL/6小鼠60只,其中50只按50 mg/kg的剂量一次性往小鼠尾静脉注射新鲜配置的四氯嘧啶生理盐水溶液构建小鼠糖尿病视网膜病变模型,随机分为5组,每组10只,分别为模型组、阳性对照组(小鼠玻璃体注射3μL 40 mg/m L的曲安奈德),低剂量UA干扰组(小鼠玻璃体注射3μL剂量为0.5μg/μL的UA)、中剂量UA干扰组(小鼠玻璃体注射3μL剂量为1.0μg/μL的UA),高剂量UA干扰组(小鼠玻璃体注射3μL剂量为2.0μg/μL的UA),余下10只小鼠作为正常对照组。观察各组小鼠对胰岛素敏感性、视网膜内糖代谢情况、小鼠视网膜神经节细胞(RGCs)凋亡情况,比较各组小鼠视网膜组织中血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)、环氧化酶-2(COX-2)、基质金属蛋白酶2(MMP-2)蛋白及其mRNA的表达情况。结果:建模后,正常对照组胰岛素抵抗指数(HOMA-IR)、视网膜含糖量、葡萄糖转运体-1(GLUT-1)与葡萄糖转运体-3(GLUT-3)含量、RGCs凋亡率、视网膜组织中VEGF、COX-2、MMP-2蛋白及其mRNA的表达量低于模型组(P0.05);经干扰后,阳性对照组、不同剂量UA干扰组HOMA-IR、视网膜含糖量、GLUT-1、GLUT-3的含量、RGCs凋亡率、视网膜组织中VEGF、COX-2、MMP-2蛋白及其mRNA的表达量低于模型组(P0.05),且随UA干扰剂量的升高而降低(P0.05)。结论:UA能够降低HOMA-IR和视网膜糖代谢能力,抑制RGCs的凋亡,对VEGF、COX-2、MMP-2蛋白及其mRNA的表达具有一定的抑制作用,高剂量UA对糖尿病小鼠视网膜病预防治疗效果较好。     

Generation of an Fsp1 (fibroblast‐specific protein 1)‐Flpo transgenic mouse strain

Recombination systems represent a major breakthrough in the field of genetic model engineering. The Flp recombinases (Flp, Flpe, and Flpo) bind and cleave DNA Frt sites. We created a transgenic mouse strain ([Fsp1‐Flpo]) expressing the Flpo recombinase in fibroblasts. This strain was obtained by random insertion inside mouse zygotes after pronuclear injection. Flpo expression was placed under the control of the promoter of Fsp1 (fibroblast‐specific protein 1) gene, whose expression starts after gastrulation at Day 8.5 in cells of mesenchymal origin. We verified the correct expression and function of the Flpo enzyme by several ex vivo and in vivo approaches. The [Fsp1‐Flpo] strain represents a genuine tool to further target the recombination of transgenes with Frt sites specifically in cells of mesenchymal origin or with a fibroblastic phenotype.     

α-荼异硫氰酸酯诱导小鼠胆汁淤积性肝纤维化及其炎症通路*

目的: 探讨α-荼异硫氰酸酯(ANIT)诱导的胆汁淤积性肝纤维化的发展及其炎症通路。方法: 将15只体重为(23±2) g的129/Sv小鼠随机分为对照组(n=5)和实验组(n=10)。对照组常规饲料喂养,实验组小鼠给予0.05% ANIT饲料食饲。实验组分别在14 d和28 d各处死5只小鼠,收集胆囊、血清、肝脏等标本。按试剂盒程序检测胆汁淤积生化指标,组织病理学评估肝细胞损伤程度,Q-PCR和WB分析肝纤维化、炎症反应等水平。结果: 与对照组相比,造模第2周ANIT -14 d组(A-D14)中的主要胆汁淤积指标总胆汁酸(TBA)从(3.2±0.9) μmol/L显著增加至(31.6±4.3) μmol/L,肝损伤指标谷草转氨酶(AST)和谷丙转氨酶(ALT)也显著升高(P＜0.05);纤维化因子金属蛋白酶组织抑制因子1(TIMP-1)、单核细胞趋化因子(MCP-1)、I型胶原蛋白(Collagen I)表达高于对照组(P＜0.05);Collagen I和α-SMA纤维化蛋白表达均上调;肝脏胶原纤维大量沉积,纤维化已产生(P＜0.05)。炎症因子表达高于对照组,JNK、c-Jun、STAT3等均被激活(P＜0.05)。ANIT-28 d组(A-D28)中除AST、基质金属蛋白酶2(MMP-2),Collagen I指标稍有降低外,其余胆汁淤积、肝损伤、肝纤维化、炎症等指标继续上调或保持稳定(P＜ 0.05)。结论: 0.05%的ANIT饲料干预14 d,小鼠即发生明显的胆汁淤积性肝纤维化;28 d后,胆汁淤积性肝纤维化趋于稳定;JNK炎症通路在肝纤维化的发生发展中起着至关重要的作用。     

Effects of captivity,diet, and relocation on the gut bacterial communities of white‐footed mice

Microbes can have important impacts on their host's survival. Captive breeding programs for endangered species include periods of captivity that can ultimately have an impact on reintroduction success. No study to date has investigated the impacts of captive diet on the gut microbiota during the relocation process of generalist species. This study simulated a captive breeding program with white‐footed mice (Peromyscus leucopus) to describe the variability in gut microbial community structure and composition during captivity and relocation in their natural habitat, and compared it to wild individuals. Mice born in captivity were fed two different diets, a control with dry standardized pellets and a treatment with nonprocessed components that reflect a version of their wild diet that could be provided in captivity. The mice from the two groups were then relocated to their natural habitat. Relocated mice that had the treatment diet had more phylotypes in common with the wild‐host microbiota than mice under the control diet or mice kept in captivity. These results have broad implications for our understanding of microbial community dynamics and the effects of captivity on reintroduced animals, including the potential impact on the survival of endangered species. This study demonstrates that ex situ conservation actions should consider a more holistic perspective of an animal's biology including its microbes.