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Glavač D, Mladinić M, Ban J, Mazzone GL, Sámano C, Tomljanović I, Jezernik G, Ravnik-Glavač M. The Potential Connection between Molecular Changes and Biomarkers Related to ALS and the Development and Regeneration of CNS. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms231911360. [PMID: 36232667 PMCID: PMC9570269 DOI: 10.3390/ijms231911360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/26/2022] [Revised: 09/10/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases are one of the greatest medical burdens of the modern age, being mostly incurable and with limited prognostic and diagnostic tools. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fatal, progressive neurodegenerative disease characterized by the loss of motoneurons, with a complex etiology, combining genetic, epigenetic, and environmental causes. The neuroprotective therapeutic approaches are very limited, while the diagnostics rely on clinical examination and the exclusion of other diseases. The recent advancement in the discovery of molecular pathways and gene mutations involved in ALS has deepened the understanding of the disease pathology and opened the possibility for new treatments and diagnostic procedures. Recently, 15 risk loci with distinct genetic architectures and neuron-specific biology were identified as linked to ALS through common and rare variant association analyses. Interestingly, the quantity of related proteins to these genes has been found to change during early postnatal development in mammalian spinal cord tissue (opossum Monodelphis domestica) at the particular time when neuroregeneration stops being possible. Here, we discuss the possibility that the ALS-related genes/proteins could be connected to neuroregeneration and development. Moreover, since the regulation of gene expression in developmental checkpoints is frequently regulated by non-coding RNAs, we propose that studying the changes in the composition and quantity of non-coding RNA molecules, both in ALS patients and in the developing central nervous (CNS) system of the opossum at the time when neuroregeneration ceases, could reveal potential biomarkers useful in ALS prognosis and diagnosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damjan Glavač
- Department of Molecular Genetics, Institute of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljublana, Slovenia
- Center for Human Genetics & Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Miranda Mladinić
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Jelena Ban
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Graciela L. Mazzone
- Instituto de Investigaciones en Medicina Traslacional (IIMT), CONICET-Universidad Austral, Buenos Aires B1629AHJ, Argentina
| | - Cynthia Sámano
- Departamento de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana Unidad Cuajimalpa, Mexico City 05348, Mexico
| | - Ivana Tomljanović
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, 51000 Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Gregor Jezernik
- Center for Human Genetics & Pharmacogenomics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, 2000 Maribor, Slovenia
| | - Metka Ravnik-Glavač
- Institute of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Ljubljana, 1000 Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Correspondence:
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Petrović A, Ban J, Ivaničić M, Tomljanović I, Mladinic M. The Role of ATF3 in Neuronal Differentiation and Development of Neuronal Networks in Opossum Postnatal Cortical Cultures. Int J Mol Sci 2022; 23:ijms23094964. [PMID: 35563354 PMCID: PMC9100162 DOI: 10.3390/ijms23094964] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Revised: 04/24/2022] [Accepted: 04/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Activating transcription factor 3 (ATF3), a member of the ATF/cAMP response element-binding (CREB) family, is upregulated by various intracellular and extracellular signals such as injury and signals related to cell proliferation. ATF3 also belongs to the regeneration-associated genes (RAG) group of transcription factors. RAG and ATF/CREB transcription factors that play an important role in embryonic neuronal development and PNS regeneration may also be involved in postnatal neuronal differentiation and development, as well as in the regeneration of the injured CNS. Here we investigated the effect of ATF3 in differentiation, neural outgrowth, network formation, and regeneration after injury using postnatal dissociated cortical neurons derived from neonatal opossums (Monodelphis domestica). Our results show that RAG and ATF genes are differentially expressed in early differentiated neurons versus undifferentiated neurospheres and that many members of those families, ATF3 in particular, are upregulated in cortical cultures obtained from younger animals that have the ability to fully functionally regenerate spinal cord after injury. In addition, we observed different intracellular localization of ATF3 that shifts from nuclear (in neuronal progenitors) to cytoplasmic (in more mature neurons) during neuronal differentiation. The ATF3 inhibition, pharmacological or by specific antibody, reduced the neurite outgrowth and differentiation and caused increased cell death in early differentiating cortical neuronal cultures, suggesting the importance of ATF3 in the CNS development of neonatal opossums. Finally, we investigated the regeneration capacity of primary cortical cultures after mechanical injury using the scratch assay. Remarkably, neonatal opossum-derived cultures retain their capacity to regenerate for up to 1 month in vitro. Inhibition of ATF3 correlates with reduced neurite outgrowth and regeneration after injury. These results indicate that ATF3, and possibly other members of RAG and ATF/CREB family of transcription factors, have an important role both during cortical postnatal development and in response after injury.
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Tomljanović I, Petrović A, Ban J, Mladinic M. Proteomic analysis of opossum Monodelphis domestica spinal cord reveals the changes of proteins related to neurodegenerative diseases during developmental period when neuroregeneration stops being possible. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2022; 587:85-91. [PMID: 34864550 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2021.11.078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
One of the major challenges of modern neurobiology concerns the inability of the adult mammalian central nervous system (CNS) to regenerate and repair itself after injury. It is still unclear why the ability to regenerate CNS is lost during evolution and development and why it becomes very limited in adult mammals. A convenient model to study cellular and molecular basis of this loss is neonatal opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Opossums are marsupials that are born very immature with the unique possibility to successfully regenerate postnatal spinal cord after injury in the first two weeks of their life, after which this ability abbruptly stops. Using comparative proteomic approach we identified the proteins that are differentially distributed in opossum spinal tissue that can and cannot regenerate after injury, among which stand out the proteins related to neurodegenerative diseases (NDD), such as Huntington, Parkinson and Alzheimer's disease, previously detected by comparative transcriptomics on the analog tissue. The different distribution of the selected proteins detected by comparative proteomics was further confirmed by Western blot (WB), and the changes in the expression of related genes were analysed by quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT-PCR). Furthermore, we explored the cellular localization of the selected proteins using immunofluorescent microscopy. To our knowledge, this is the first report on proteins differentially present in developing, non-injured mammalian spinal cord tissue with different regenerative capacities. The results of this study indicate that the proteins known to have an important role in the pathophysiology of neurodegeneration in aged CNS, could also have an important phyisological role during CNS postnatal development and in neuroregeneration process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Tomljanović
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Antonela Petrović
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Jelena Ban
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Miranda Mladinic
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Radmile Matejčić 2, 51000, Rijeka, Croatia.
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Zhang S, Liu B, Zhu H, Jin H, Gong Z, Qiu H, Xu M, Chen M, Nan K, Wu W. A Novel Rat Model with Long Range Optic Nerve Injury to Study Retinal Ganglion Cells Endogenous Regeneration. Neuroscience 2021; 465:71-84. [PMID: 33895340 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2021.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2021] [Revised: 03/26/2021] [Accepted: 04/15/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
In adult mammals, axon regeneration is limited within the lesion site after injury to the optic nerve. Changes in the microenvironment of lesion sites play an important role in retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) axon regeneration along with other intrinsic factors. In this study, the effect of the lesion site on the microenvironment and axon growth was evaluated using a refined optic nerve crush (ONC) injury model, in which the injury range was extended compared to classical injury. The number of regenerated axons labeled anterogradely with cholera toxin B fragment (CTB) was significantly increased in the long-range crush injury (LI) group compared to the ONC group at distances of 500, 1000 and 1500 µm from the initial site of the injury. These data confirmed that RGC axons can regenerate inside the lesion site. Immunofluorescence and proteomic analysis showed that the microenvironment at the lesion site was highly heterogeneous. The levels of myelin-associated inhibitors, chondroitin-sulfate proteoglycans (CSPGs) and other axon growth inhibitors decreased inside the lesion site compared to the posterior segment of the optic nerve lesion site. The expression of multiple lysosome-related enzymes, metabolic inhibitors including cholesterol esterase, cathepsin B, D, Z and arylsulfatase B (ARSB) were significantly increased inside the lesion site for the LI group compared to the normal optic nerves. Our results suggest that the model of long range optic nerve injury is more useful towards understanding the lesion microenvironment and the endogenous regeneration of RGCs. Also, we showed that myelin and neurocan (a CSPG) are differently expressed in the optic nerve between the interior and posterior lesion sites and may explain why axons cannot reach the brain through the lesion site.
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Affiliation(s)
- Si Zhang
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Bo Liu
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Hui Zhu
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Haochen Jin
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Zan Gong
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Haijun Qiu
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Mingna Xu
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China
| | - Mei Chen
- Department of Ophthalmology, Dazhou Central Hospital, Dazhou, Sichuan 635000, China
| | - Kaihui Nan
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China.
| | - Wencan Wu
- The Eye Hospital, School of Ophthalmology & Optometry, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou 325027, China.
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Petrović A, Ban J, Tomljanović I, Pongrac M, Ivaničić M, Mikašinović S, Mladinic M. Establishment of Long-Term Primary Cortical Neuronal Cultures From Neonatal Opossum Monodelphis domestica. Front Cell Neurosci 2021; 15:661492. [PMID: 33815068 PMCID: PMC8012671 DOI: 10.3389/fncel.2021.661492] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/30/2021] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Primary dissociated neuronal cultures have become a standard model for studying central nervous system (CNS) development. Such cultures are predominantly prepared from the hippocampus or cortex of rodents (mice and rats), while other mammals are less used. Here, we describe the establishment and extensive characterization of the primary dissociated neuronal cultures derived from the cortex of the gray South American short-tailed opossums, Monodelphis domestica. Opossums are unique in their ability to fully regenerate their CNS after an injury during their early postnatal development. Thus, we used cortex of postnatal day (P) 3–5 opossum to establish long-surviving and nearly pure neuronal cultures, as well as mixed cultures composed of radial glia cells (RGCs) in which their neurogenic and gliogenic potential was confirmed. Both types of cultures can survive for more than 1 month in vitro. We also prepared neuronal cultures from the P16–18 opossum cortex, which were composed of astrocytes and microglia, in addition to neurons. The long-surviving opossum primary dissociated neuronal cultures represent a novel mammalian in vitro platform particularly useful to study CNS development and regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antonela Petrović
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Jelena Ban
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Ivana Tomljanović
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Marta Pongrac
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Matea Ivaničić
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Sanja Mikašinović
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | - Miranda Mladinic
- Laboratory for Molecular Neurobiology, Department of Biotechnology, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
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Mertsch S, Schlicht K, Melkonyan H, Schlatt S, Thanos S. snRPN controls the ability of neurons to regenerate axons. Restor Neurol Neurosci 2018; 36:31-43. [PMID: 29439367 DOI: 10.3233/rnn-170780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) of mammals lose the ability to regenerate injured axons during postnatal maturation, but little is known about the underlying molecular mechanisms. OBJECTIVE It remains of particular importance to understand the mechanisms of axonal regeneration to develop new therapeutic approaches for nerve injuries. METHODS Retinas from newborn to adult monkeys (Callithrix jacchus)1 were obtained immediately after death and cultured in vitro. Growths of axons were monitored using microscopy and time-lapse video cinematography. Immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, qRT-PCR, and genomics were performed to characterize molecules associated with axonal regeneration and growth. A genomic screen was performed by using retinal explants versus native and non-regenerative explants obtained from eye cadavers on the day of birth, and hybridizing the mRNA with cross-reacting cDNA on conventional human microarrays. Followed the genomic screen, siRNA experiments were conducted to identify the functional involvement of identified candidates. RESULTS Neuron-specific human ribonucleoprotein N (snRPN) was found to be a potential regulator of impaired axonal regeneration during neuronal maturation in these animals. In particular, up-regulation of snRPN was observed during retinal maturation, coinciding with a decline in regenerative ability. Axon regeneration was reactivated in snRPN-knockout retinal ex vivo explants of adult monkey. CONCLUSION These results suggest that coordinated snRPN-driven activities within the neuron-specific ribonucleoprotein complex regulate the regenerative ability of RGCs in primates, thereby highlighting a potential new role for snRPN within neurons and the possibility of novel postinjury therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Mertsch
- Institute of Experimental Ophthalmology and DFG-Excellence Center, Cells in Motion (CiM, area C.4), School of Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany.,Department of Ophthalmology, Laboratory of Experimental Ophthalmology, University Clinic Duesseldorf, Duesseldorf, Germany
| | - Katrin Schlicht
- Institute of Experimental Ophthalmology and DFG-Excellence Center, Cells in Motion (CiM, area C.4), School of Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Harutyun Melkonyan
- Institute of Experimental Ophthalmology and DFG-Excellence Center, Cells in Motion (CiM, area C.4), School of Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Stefan Schlatt
- Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CeRA) and DFG-Excellence Center, Cells in Motion (CiM, area A.2), School of Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
| | - Solon Thanos
- Institute of Experimental Ophthalmology and DFG-Excellence Center, Cells in Motion (CiM, area C.4), School of Medicine, University of Münster, Münster, Germany
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Evolution of the Genotype-to-Phenotype Map and the Cost of Pleiotropy in Mammals. Genetics 2016; 204:1601-1612. [PMID: 27784721 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.116.189431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 10/18/2016] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Evolutionary studies have long emphasized that the genetic architecture of traits holds important microevolutionary consequences. Yet, studies comparing the genetic architecture of traits across species are rare, and discussions of the evolution of genetic systems are made on theoretical arguments rather than on empirical evidence. Here, we compared the genetic architecture of cranial traits in two different mammalian model organisms: the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, and the laboratory mouse, Mus musculus We show that both organisms share a highly polygenic genetic architecture for craniofacial traits, with many loci of small effect. However, these two model species differ significantly in the overall degree of pleiotropy, N, of the genotype-to-phenotype map, with opossums presenting a higher average N They also diverge in their degree of genetic modularity, with opossums presenting less modular patterns of genetic association among traits. We argue that such differences highlight the context dependency of gene effects, with developmental systems shaping the variational properties of genetic systems. Finally, we also demonstrate based on the opossum data that current measurements for the relationship between the mutational effect size and N need to be re-evaluated in relation to the importance of the cost of pleiotropy for mammals.
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Carmel JB, Young W, Hart RP. Flipping the transcriptional switch from myelin inhibition to axon growth in the CNS. Front Mol Neurosci 2015; 8:34. [PMID: 26236189 PMCID: PMC4505142 DOI: 10.3389/fnmol.2015.00034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/29/2015] [Accepted: 07/06/2015] [Indexed: 01/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Poor regeneration of severed axons in the central nervous system (CNS) limits functional recovery. Regeneration failure involves interplay of inhibitory environmental elements and the growth state of the neuron. To find internal changes in gene expression that might overcome inhibitory environmental cues, we compared several paradigms that allow growth in the inhibitory environment. Conditions that allow axon growth by axotomized and cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons on CNS myelin include immaturity (the first few postnatal days), high levels of cyclic adenosine mono phosphate (cAMP), and conditioning with a peripheral nerve lesion before explant. This shift from inhibition to growth depends on transcription. Seeking to understand the transcriptome changes that allow axon growth in the CNS, we collaborated with the Marie Filbin laboratory to identify several mRNAs that are functionally relevant, as determined by gain- and loss-of-function studies. In this Perspective, we review evidence from these experiments and discuss the merits of comparing multiple regenerative paradigms to identify a core transcriptional program for CNS axon regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jason B Carmel
- Brain Mind Research Institute and Departments of Pediatrics and Neurology, Weill Cornell Medical College New York, NY, USA ; Burke-Cornell Medical Research Institute White Plains, NY, USA
| | - Wise Young
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University Piscataway, NJ, USA
| | - Ronald P Hart
- W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience and the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University Piscataway, NJ, USA
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Saunders NR, Noor NM, Dziegielewska KM, Wheaton BJ, Liddelow SA, Steer DL, Ek CJ, Habgood MD, Wakefield MJ, Lindsay H, Truettner J, Miller RD, Smith AI, Dietrich WD. Age-dependent transcriptome and proteome following transection of neonatal spinal cord of Monodelphis domestica (South American grey short-tailed opossum). PLoS One 2014; 9:e99080. [PMID: 24914927 PMCID: PMC4051688 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2013] [Accepted: 05/09/2014] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
This study describes a combined transcriptome and proteome analysis of Monodelphis domestica response to spinal cord injury at two different postnatal ages. Previously we showed that complete transection at postnatal day 7 (P7) is followed by profuse axon growth across the lesion with near-normal locomotion and swimming when adult. In contrast, at P28 there is no axon growth across the lesion, the animals exhibit weight-bearing locomotion, but cannot use hind limbs when swimming. Here we examined changes in gene and protein expression in the segment of spinal cord rostral to the lesion at 24 h after transection at P7 and at P28. Following injury at P7 only forty genes changed (all increased expression); most were immune/inflammatory genes. Following injury at P28 many more genes changed their expression and the magnitude of change for some genes was strikingly greater. Again many were associated with the immune/inflammation response. In functional groups known to be inhibitory to regeneration in adult cords the expression changes were generally muted, in some cases opposite to that required to account for neurite inhibition. For example myelin basic protein expression was reduced following injury at P28 both at the gene and protein levels. Only four genes from families with extracellular matrix functions thought to influence neurite outgrowth in adult injured cords showed substantial changes in expression following injury at P28: Olfactomedin 4 (Olfm4, 480 fold compared to controls), matrix metallopeptidase (Mmp1, 104 fold), papilin (Papln, 152 fold) and integrin α4 (Itga4, 57 fold). These data provide a resource for investigation of a priori hypotheses in future studies of mechanisms of spinal cord regeneration in immature animals compared to lack of regeneration at more mature stages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Norman R. Saunders
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- * E-mail:
| | - Natassya M. Noor
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Benjamin J. Wheaton
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Shane A. Liddelow
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Neurobiology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, United States of America
| | - David L. Steer
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - C. Joakim Ek
- Department of Neuroscience and Physiology, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - Mark D. Habgood
- Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Matthew J. Wakefield
- Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Victoria, Australia
- Department of Genetics, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Helen Lindsay
- Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research, Victoria, Australia
- Institute of Molecular Life Sciences, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jessie Truettner
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - Robert D. Miller
- Center for Evolutionary & Theoretical Immunology, Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States of America
| | - A. Ian Smith
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - W. Dalton Dietrich
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
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Drosos Y, Kouloukoussa M, Ostvold AC, Havaki S, Katsantoni E, Marinos E, Aleporou-Marinou V. Dynamic expression of the vertebrate-specific protein Nucks during rodent embryonic development. Gene Expr Patterns 2013; 14:19-29. [PMID: 24140890 DOI: 10.1016/j.gep.2013.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/18/2013] [Revised: 09/23/2013] [Accepted: 10/07/2013] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
The nuclear casein kinase and cyclin-dependent kinase substrate 1 (NUCKS) is a highly phosphorylated nuclear protein that is overexpressed in many types of cancer. The flexibility of NUCKS and its extensive posttranslational modifications indicate that it is multifunctional, and its expression in most cell types suggests a housekeeping function. However, spatiotemporal expression of the Nucks protein during rodent development has not been reported. Thus, we investigated the expression of both the Nucks mRNA and protein during rat and mouse development by immunohistochemistry, in situ hybridization, Western immunoblotting, and reverse-transcription PCR analysis. We also used BLAST analysis against expressed sequence tag databases to determine whether a NUCKS homologue is expressed in invertebrate organisms. We found that Nucks expression increased during the initial stages of embryonic development, and then gradually decreased until birth in all tissues except the nervous tissue and muscle fibers. Interestingly, the expression of Nucks was very strong in migrating neural crest cells at E13.5 and ectoderm-derived tissues. In most tissues analyzed, the levels of Nucks correlated with the levels of Bax and activated caspase-3, which are indicative of apoptosis. Moreover, Nucks was upregulated very early during neuronal apoptosis in vitro. Expression analysis revealed that no transcript with close homology to the Nucks gene was present in invertebrates. The expression of Nucks in both proliferating and quiescent cells and its correlation with Bax levels and apoptosis strongly suggest that Nucks plays complex roles in cell homeostasis. Furthermore, the lack of homology in invertebrate organisms indicates a specific role for Nucks in vertebrate embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yiannis Drosos
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli, 15701 Ilissia, Greece.
| | - Mirsini Kouloukoussa
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Goudi, Greece
| | - Anne Carine Ostvold
- Department of Biochemistry, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1112, Blindern, 0317 Oslo, Norway
| | - Sophia Havaki
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Goudi, Greece
| | - Eleni Katsantoni
- Hematology/Oncology Division, Biomedical Research Foundation, Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Evangelos Marinos
- Laboratory of Histology and Embryology, Medical School, University of Athens, 75 Mikras Asias Str., 11527 Goudi, Greece
| | - Vassiliki Aleporou-Marinou
- Department of Genetics and Biotechnology, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimioupoli, 15701 Ilissia, Greece
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Noor NM, Steer DL, Wheaton BJ, Ek CJ, Truettner JS, Dietrich WD, Dziegielewska KM, Richardson SJ, Smith AI, VandeBerg JL, Saunders NR. Age-dependent changes in the proteome following complete spinal cord transection in a postnatal South American opossum (Monodelphis domestica). PLoS One 2011; 6:e27465. [PMID: 22110655 PMCID: PMC3217969 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0027465] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2011] [Accepted: 10/17/2011] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Recovery from severe spinal injury in adults is limited, compared to immature animals who demonstrate some capacity for repair. Using laboratory opossums (Monodelphis domestica), the aim was to compare proteomic responses to injury at two ages: one when there is axonal growth across the lesion and substantial behavioural recovery and one when no axonal growth occurs. Anaesthetized pups at postnatal day (P) 7 or P28 were subjected to complete transection of the spinal cord at thoracic level T10. Cords were collected 1 or 7 days after injury and from age-matched controls. Proteins were separated based on isoelectric point and subunit molecular weight; those whose expression levels changed following injury were identified by densitometry and analysed by mass spectrometry. Fifty-six unique proteins were identified as differentially regulated in response to spinal transection at both ages combined. More than 50% were cytoplasmic and 70% belonged to families of proteins with characteristic binding properties. Proteins were assigned to groups by biological function including regulation (40%), metabolism (26%), inflammation (19%) and structure (15%). More changes were detected at one than seven days after injury at both ages. Seven identified proteins: 14-3-3 epsilon, 14-3-3 gamma, cofilin, alpha enolase, heart fatty acid binding protein (FABP3), brain fatty acid binding protein (FABP7) and ubiquitin demonstrated age-related differential expression and were analysed by qRT-PCR. Changes in mRNA levels for FABP3 at P7+1day and ubiquitin at P28+1day were statistically significant. Immunocytochemical staining showed differences in ubiquitin localization in younger compared to older cords and an increase in oligodendrocyte and neuroglia immunostaining following injury at P28. Western blot analysis supported proteomic results for ubiquitin and 14-3-3 proteins. Data obtained at the two ages demonstrated changes in response to injury, compared to controls, that were different for different functional protein classes. Some may provide targets for novel drug or gene therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natassya M. Noor
- Department of Pharmacology, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - David L. Steer
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Benjamin J. Wheaton
- Department of Pharmacology, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - C. Joakim Ek
- Department of Pharmacology, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
| | - Jessie S. Truettner
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | - W. Dalton Dietrich
- The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, University of Miami, Miller School of Medicine, Miami, Florida, United States of America
| | | | - Samantha J. Richardson
- School of Medical Sciences and Health Innovations Research Institute, RMIT University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - A. Ian Smith
- Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - John L. VandeBerg
- Texas Biomedical Research Institute, San Antonio, Texas, United States of America
| | - Norman R. Saunders
- Department of Pharmacology, the University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
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12
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Mladinic M, Lefèvre C, Del Bel E, Nicholls J, Digby M. Developmental changes of gene expression after spinal cord injury in neonatal opossums. Brain Res 2010; 1363:20-39. [PMID: 20849836 DOI: 10.1016/j.brainres.2010.09.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2010] [Accepted: 09/07/2010] [Indexed: 01/16/2023]
Abstract
Changes in gene expression have been measured 24h after injury to mammalian spinal cords that can and cannot regenerate. In opossums there is a critical period of development when regeneration stops being possible: at 9 days postnatal cervical spinal cords regenerate, at 12 days they do not. By the use of marsupial cDNA microarrays, we detected 158 genes that respond differentially to injury at the two ages critical for regeneration. For selected candidates additional measurements were made by real-time PCR and sites of their expression were shown by immunostaining. Candidate genes have been classified so as to select those that promote or prevent regeneration. Up-regulated by injury at 8 days and/or down-regulated by injury at 13 days were genes known to promote growth, such as Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase 1 or transcription factor TCF7L2. By contrast, at 13 days, up-regulation occurred of inhibitory molecules, including annexins, ephrins, and genes related to apoptosis and neurodegenerative diseases. Certain genes such as calmodulin 1 and NOGO, changed expression similarly in animals that could and could not regenerate without any additional changes in response to injury. These findings confirmed and extended changes of gene expression found in earlier screens on 9 and 12 ay preparations without lesions and provide a comprehensive list of genes that serve as a basis for testing how identified molecules, singly or in combination, promote and prevent central nervous system regeneration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Mladinic
- SISSA, Department of Neurobiology, Via Bonomea 265, 34136 Trieste, Italy.
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13
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Del Bel EA, Silva CAD, Mladinic M. O trauma raquimedular. COLUNA/COLUMNA 2009. [DOI: 10.1590/s1808-18512009000400017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
A medula espinhal dos mamíferos adultos não permite a regeneração de axônios. Por razões ainda desconhecidas, as fibras neurais falham em cruzar o sítio da lesão, como se não houvesse crescimento, desde a primeira tentativa. Quais mecanismos poderiam explicar a perda da capacidade de regeneração? As cicatrizes formadas pelas células da glia seriam uma consequência da falha na regeneração ou a causa? Diversas linhas de evidência sugerem que a regeneração da medula espinhal seria impedida no sistema nervoso central pela ação de fatores locais no sítio da lesão, e que o sistema nervoso central não-lesado é um meio permissivo para o crescimento axonal, na direção de alvos específicos. Uma vez que os axônios são induzidos adequadamente a cruzar a lesão com o auxílio de implantes, fármacos ou células indiferenciadas, as fibras em regeneração podem encontrar a via específica e estabelecer conexões corretas. O que ainda não se sabe é que combinação de moléculas induz/inibe o potencial de regeneração do tecido e que mecanismos permitem aos neurônios formarem conexões específicas com os alvos com os quais são programados a fazer.
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14
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Mladinic M, Muller KJ, Nicholls JG. Central nervous system regeneration: from leech to opossum. J Physiol 2009; 587:2775-82. [PMID: 19525562 DOI: 10.1113/jphysiol.2009.169938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
A major problem of neurobiology concerns the failure of injured mammalian spinal cord to repair itself. This review summarizes work done on two preparations in which regeneration can occur: the central nervous system of an invertebrate, the leech, and the spinal cord of an immature mammal, the opossum. The aim is to understand cellular and molecular mechanisms that promote and prevent regeneration. In the leech, an individual axon regrows successfully to re-establish connections with its synaptic target, while avoiding other neurons. Functions that were lost are thereby restored. Moreover, pairs of identified neurons become re-connected with appropriate synapses in culture. It has been shown that microglial cells and nitric oxide play key roles in leech CNS regeneration. In the opossum, the neonatal brain and spinal cord are so tiny that they survive well in culture. Fibres grow across spinal cord lesions in neonatal animals and in vitro, but axon regeneration stops abruptly between postnatal days 9 and 12. A comprehensive search has been made in spinal cords that can and cannot regenerate to identify genes and establish their locations. At 9 days, growth-promoting genes, their receptors and key transcription molecules are up-regulated. By contrast at 12 days, growth-inhibitory molecules associated with myelin are prominent. The complete sequence of the opossum genome and new methods for transfecting genes offer ways to determine which molecules promote and which inhibit spinal cord regeneration. These results lead to questions about how basic research on mechanisms of regeneration could be 'translated' into effective therapies for patients with spinal cord injuries.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Mladinic
- Department of Neurobiology, SISSA, Via Beirut 2 Trieste, 34104 Italy
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15
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Abstract
The strategic importance of the genome sequence of the gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, accrues from both the unique phylogenetic position of metatherian (marsupial) mammals and the fundamental biologic characteristics of metatherians that distinguish them from other mammalian species. Metatherian and eutherian (placental) mammals are more closely related to one another than to other vertebrate groups, and owing to this close relationship they share fundamentally similar genetic structures and molecular processes. However, during their long evolutionary separation these alternative mammals have developed distinctive anatomical, physiologic, and genetic features that hold tremendous potential for examining relationships between the molecular structures of mammalian genomes and the functional attributes of their components. Comparative analyses using the opossum genome have already provided a wealth of new evidence regarding the importance of noncoding elements in the evolution of mammalian genomes, the role of transposable elements in driving genomic innovation, and the relationships between recombination rate, nucleotide composition, and the genomic distributions of repetitive elements. The genome sequence is also beginning to enlarge our understanding of the evolution and function of the vertebrate immune system, and it provides an alternative model for investigating mechanisms of genomic imprinting. Equally important, availability of the genome sequence is fostering the development of new research tools for physical and functional genomic analyses of M. domestica that are expanding its versatility as an experimental system for a broad range of research applications in basic biology and biomedically oriented research.
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16
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Mladinic M. Changes in cyclic AMP levels in the developing opossum spinal cord at the time when regeneration stops being possible. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2007; 27:883-8. [PMID: 17882545 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-007-9208-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2007] [Accepted: 08/23/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Cyclic AMP (cAMP) is an important second messenger in signaling pathways that regulate cellular processes involved in development and regeneration. The changes in cAMP content of opossum spinal cords have been studied during the critical period of development, when the ability to regenerate axons after injury is lost. Endogenous cAMP levels were measured in tissue homogenates, and cAMP immunoreactivity was displayed in sections of lesioned and non-lesioned opossum P6 (can regenerate) and P13 (cannot regenerate) spinal cords. There was a significant decrease of the cAMP levels during the period critical for regeneration, while the level of cAMP was increased in P6 spinal cords after injury. Moreover, 5 mM db-cAMP induced growth in vitro of the injured axons in the spinal cord that has lost the capacity to regenerate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miranda Mladinic
- Department of Neurobiology, SISSA Trieste, AREA Science Park, Strada Statale 14 km 163,5, Basovizza, Trieste 34012, Italy.
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17
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Giglio CA, Defino HLA, da-Silva CA, de-Souza AS, Del Bel EA. Behavioral and physiological methods for early quantitative assessment of spinal cord injury and prognosis in rats. Braz J Med Biol Res 2007; 39:1613-23. [PMID: 17160271 DOI: 10.1590/s0100-879x2006001200013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2005] [Accepted: 09/26/2006] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Methods for reliable evaluation of spinal cord (SC) injury in rats at short periods (2 and 24 h) after lesion were tested to characterize the mechanisms implicated in primary SC damage. We measured the physiological changes occurring after several procedures for producing SC injury, with particular emphasis on sensorimotor functions. Segmental and suprasegmental reflexes were tested in 39 male Wistar rats weighing 250-300 g divided into three control groups that were subjected to a) anesthesia, b) dissection of soft prevertebral tissue, and c) laminectomy of the vertebral segments between T10 and L1. In the lesion group the SC was completely transected, hemisected or subjected to vertebral compression. All animals were evaluated 2 and 24 h after the experimental procedure by the hind limb motility index, Bohlman motor score, open-field, hot-plate, tail flick, and paw compression tests. The locomotion scale proved to be less sensitive than the sensorimotor tests. A reduction in exploratory movements was detected in the animals 24 h after the procedures. The hot-plate was the most sensitive test for detecting sensorimotor deficiencies following light, moderate or severe SC injury. The most sensitive and simplest test of reflex function was the hot-plate. The hemisection model promoted reproducible moderate SC injury which allowed us to quantify the resulting behavior and analyze the evolution of the lesion and its consequences during the first 24 h after injury. We conclude that hemisection permitted the quantitation of behavioral responses for evaluation of the development of deficits after lesions. Hind limb evaluation scores and spontaneous exploration events provided a sensitive index of immediate injury effects after SC lesion at 2 and 24 h. Taken together, locomotion scales, open-field, and hot-plate tests represent reproducible, quantitatively sensitive methods for detecting functional deficiencies within short periods of time, indicating their potential for the study of cellular mechanisms of primary injury and repair after traumatic SC injury.
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Affiliation(s)
- C A Giglio
- Escola de Engenharia de São Carlos, Universidade de São Paulo, São Carlos, SP, Brazil
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18
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Lathia KB, Yan Z, Clapshaw PA. Spinal cord transcriptome analysis using suppression subtractive hybridization and mirror orientation selection. Cell Mol Neurobiol 2006; 26:259-75. [PMID: 16619132 DOI: 10.1007/s10571-006-9052-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2005] [Accepted: 03/10/2006] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Comparison of cDNA libraries derived from the spinal cord with those derived from the visual cortex by means of forward and reverse subtractive hybridization resulted in the cataloguing of 60 genes differentially expressed in the spinal cord. 1. The differentially expressed genes represent a mixture of novel and known sequences with known and unknown protein products. 2. The possibility that the subtraction process was simply overwhelmed by background sequences was significantly reduced by several observations including comparisons between suppression subtractive hybridization (SSH) and mirror orientation selection (MOS). 3. Nearly half of all genes up-regulated in the spinal cord are of myelin origin. 4. Twenty-five percent of all up-regulated clones in the spinal cord versus the visual cortex are for proteolipid protein. 5. Ten percent of all up-regulated clones in spinal cord versus visual cortex are for ferretin heavy chain, which is known to be produced in oligodendroglial cells in the CNS. 6. Two of the up-regulated sequences, proteolipid protein and N-myc down-regulated gene 4, are identified with genes known to directly affect neuron survival. 7. Two of the up-regulated genes, ferritin and transferrin, are indirectly associated with apoptosis through their ability to sequester iron and reduce free radical formation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanan B Lathia
- Solomon Park Research Institute, Kirkland, Washington, USA
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19
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Samollow PB. Status and applications of genomic resources for the gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, an American marsupial model for comparative biology. AUST J ZOOL 2006. [DOI: 10.1071/zo05059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Owing to its small size, favourable reproductive characteristics, and simple husbandry, the gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, has become the most widely distributed and intensively utilised laboratory-bred research marsupial in the world today. This article provides an overview of the current state and future projections of genomic resources for this species and discusses the potential impact of this growing resource base on active research areas that use M. domestica as a model system. The resources discussed include: fully arrayed, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) libraries; an expanding linkage map; developing full-genome BAC-contig and chromosomal fluorescence in situ hybridisation maps; public websites providing access to the M. domestica whole-genome-shotgun sequence trace database and the whole-genome sequence assembly; and a new project underway to create an expressed-sequence database and microchip expression arrays for functional genomics applications. Major research areas discussed span a variety of genetic, evolutionary, physiologic, reproductive, developmental, and behavioural topics, including: comparative immunogenetics; genomic imprinting; reproductive biology; neurobiology; photobiology and carcinogenesis; genetics of lipoprotein metabolism; developmental and behavioural endocrinology; sexual differentiation and development; embryonic and fetal development; meiotic recombination; genome evolution; molecular evolution and phylogenetics; and more.
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