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Kim HJ, Langenhan JL, Robinson ES, Privette E, Achtman JC, Mitrani RA, Zeidi M, Sharma MR, Feng R, Nevas JL, Calianno C, Okawa J, Taylor L, Pappas-Taffer L, Werth VP. Effect of long-term treatment with tumour necrosis factor-α inhibitors on single-dose ultraviolet-induced changes in human skin. Br J Dermatol 2017; 177:1762-1764. [PMID: 28815549 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.15897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- H J Kim
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Department of Dermatology, Severance Hospital, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.,Department of Dermatology, Gil Medical Center, Gachon University College of Medicine, Incheon, Korea
| | - J L Langenhan
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - E S Robinson
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - E Privette
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - J C Achtman
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - R A Mitrani
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - M Zeidi
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - M R Sharma
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - R Feng
- Departments of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - J L Nevas
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - C Calianno
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - J Okawa
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - L Taylor
- Departments of Pathology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - L Pappas-Taffer
- Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - V P Werth
- Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VAMC, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.,Departments of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
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Robinson ES, Feng R, Okawa J, Werth VP. Improvement in the cutaneous disease activity of patients with dermatomyositis is associated with a better quality of life. Br J Dermatol 2014; 172:169-74. [PMID: 24909747 DOI: 10.1111/bjd.13167] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Cutaneous dermatomyositis (DM) disease activity is associated with decreased quality of life. OBJECTIVES To assess if an improvement in quality of life, as measured by the Skindex-29 and patient-reported itch and pain on a 10-point visual analogue scale (VAS), correlated with an improvement in cutaneous DM disease activity. METHODS Patients with a completed cutaneous DM disease area and severity index [Cutaneous Dermatomyositis Disease Area and Severity Index (CDASI)] at two visits separated by at least 2 months were classified into responder (n = 15) and nonresponder (n = 30) groups according to the point change in the CDASI activity scores between visits. Responders had at least a four-point improvement in CDASI activity, indicating clinically relevant improvement. RESULTS The change from baseline to the follow-up visit of the Skindex-29 subscale scores for the responders vs. the nonresponders were significantly different for emotions (P < 0·01), functioning (P < 0·01) and symptoms (P < 0·01). The change in VAS score between responders and nonresponders was also significant for itch (P = 0·01) and pain (P = 0·04). There was no significant difference between the groups in terms of disease subtype, sex, race, age, treatment for DM, smoking history or a history of malignancy within 5 years of a diagnosis of DM. CONCLUSIONS This is the first study to demonstrate that the quality of life of patients with DM improved as their cutaneous disease activity decreased.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Veteran Affairs Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.; Department of Dermatology, University of Pennsylvania, 1 Convention Avenue, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, U.S.A
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Hornecker JL, Samollow PB, Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL, McCarrey JR. Meiotic sex chromosome inactivation in the marsupialMonodelphis domestica. Genesis 2007; 45:696-708. [DOI: 10.1002/dvg.20345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Brady Laboratory of Pathology and Bacteriology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Brady Laboratory of Pathology and Bacteriology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut
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Samollow PB, Kammerer CM, Mahaney SM, Schneider JL, Westenberger SJ, VandeBerg JL, Robinson ES. First-generation linkage map of the gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, reveals genome-wide reduction in female recombination rates. Genetics 2004; 166:307-29. [PMID: 15020427 PMCID: PMC1470690 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.166.1.307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, is the most extensively used, laboratory-bred marsupial resource for basic biologic and biomedical research worldwide. To enhance the research utility of this species, we are building a linkage map, using both anonymous markers and functional gene loci, that will enable the localization of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and provide comparative information regarding the evolution of mammalian and other vertebrate genomes. The current map is composed of 83 loci distributed among eight autosomal linkage groups and the X chromosome. The autosomal linkage groups appear to encompass a very large portion of the genome, yet span a sex-average distance of only 633.0 cM, making this the most compact linkage map known among vertebrates. Most surprising, the male map is much larger than the female map (884.6 cM vs. 443.1 cM), a pattern contrary to that in eutherian mammals and other vertebrates. The finding of genome-wide reduction in female recombination in M. domestica, coupled with recombination data from two other, distantly related marsupial species, suggests that reduced female recombination might be a widespread metatherian attribute. We discuss possible explanations for reduced female recombination in marsupials as a consequence of the metatherian characteristic of determinate paternal X chromosome inactivation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul B Samollow
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas, 78245-0549, USA.
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Dooley TP, Curto EV, Davis RL, Grammatico P, Robinson ES, Wilborn TW. DNA microarrays and likelihood ratio bioinformatic methods: discovery of human melanocyte biomarkers. Pigment Cell Res 2003; 16:245-53. [PMID: 12753397 DOI: 10.1034/j.1600-0749.2003.00036.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
In this article, some of the advantages and limitations of DNA microarray technologies for gene expression profiling are summarized. As a model experiment, DermArray DNA microarrays were utilized to identify potential biomarkers of cultured normal human melanocytes in two different experimental comparisons. In the first case, melanocyte RNA was compared with vastly dissimilar non-melanocytic RNA samples of normal skin keratinocytes and fibroblasts. In the second case, melanocyte RNA was compared with a primary cutaneous melanoma line (MS7) and a metastatic melanoma cell line (SKMel-28). The alternative approaches provide dramatically different lists of 'normal melanocyte' biomarkers. The most robust biomarkers were identified using principal component analysis bioinformatic methods related to likelihood ratios. Only three of 25 robust biomarkers in the melanocyte-proximal study (i.e. melanocytes vs. melanoma cells) were coincidentally identified in the melanocyte-distal study (i.e. melanocytes vs. non-melanocytic cells). Selected up-regulated biomarkers of melanocytes (i.e. TRP-1, melan-A/MART-1, silver/Pmel17, and nidogen-2) were validated by qRT-PCR. Some of the melanocytic biomarkers identified here may be useful in molecular diagnostics, as potential molecular targets for drug discovery, and for understanding the biochemistry of melanocytic cells.
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Chan J, Robinson ES, Yeh IT, McCarrey JR. Absence of ras gene mutations in UV-induced malignant melanomas correlates with a dermal origin of melanocytes in Monodelphis domestica. Cancer Lett 2002; 184:73-80. [PMID: 12104050 DOI: 10.1016/s0304-3835(01)00783-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The South American opossum, Monodelphis domestica, has been used as a model system to study ultraviolet (UV)-induced genetic alterations that lead to the development of melanoma. Suckling young of Monodelphis exposed to multiple doses of UVB radiation can develop benign or malignant melanomas later as adults. Point mutations predominantly at codon 61 of the N-ras gene have been found in melanomas from sun-exposed body sites in humans. To determine if similar mutations are associated with UV-induced melanoma in Monodelphis, the nucleotide sequence of a Monodelphis N-ras cDNA was determined, and the occurrence of ras mutations in melanomas from UV-irradiated opossums was investigated. Single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis revealed no mutations in either the Monodelphis N-ras or H-ras genes in any of 24 primary malignant melanoma samples analyzed in this study. The disparate association of ras mutations with melanoma in humans and Monodelphis may be explained by differences in nucleotide sequence at codon 61 of the N-ras gene as well as differences in skin architecture between the two species. These results support the contention that a mutationally activated N-ras gene contributes to the vertical growth phase, which is specific to the progression of malignant melanoma in humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeannie Chan
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78227, USA.
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Rainwater DL, Kammerer CM, Singh ATK, Moore PH, Poushesh M, Shelledy WR, VandeBerg JF, Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL. Genetic control of lipoprotein phenotypes in the laboratory opossum, Monodelphis domestica. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2001. [DOI: 10.1046/j.1466-9218.2001.00009.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- John L. VandeBerg
- Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Wang Z, Atencio J, Robinson ES, McCarrey JR. Ultraviolet B-induced melanoma in Monodelphis domestica occurs in the absence of alterations in the structure or expression of the p53 gene. Melanoma Res 2001; 11:239-45. [PMID: 11468512 DOI: 10.1097/00008390-200106000-00005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Monodelphis domestica, a South American opossum, has been established as a mammalian model for sporadic ultraviolet radiation (UVR)-induced melanoma. Using this model system, we investigated the role of changes in the p53 gene in the development of cutaneous melanocyte-derived lesions. Cutaneous melanocytic hyperplasias, benign melanomas and metastatic primary melanomas, plus affected lymph nodes and visceral organs, were screened for mutations in the Monodelphis p53 gene by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis and direct sequencing. With the exception of a silent point mutation found in a single benign melanocytic hyperplasia sample, no p53 mutations were detected. Furthermore, a relative quantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction approach was used to analyse p53 gene expression at different stages of primary melanoma progression and revealed no substantial changes in p53 mRNA levels. These results suggest that, as in humans, UVR-induced melanoma in the Monodelphis model is initiated and progresses on the basis of predominantly p53-independent molecular pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Wang
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, PO Box 760549, San Antonio, TX 78227-5301, USA
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Chan J, Robinson ES, Atencio J, Wang Z, Kazianis S, Coletta LD, Nairn RS, McCarrey JR. Characterization of the CDKN2A and ARF genes in UV-induced melanocytic hyperplasias and melanomas of an opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Mol Carcinog 2001; 31:16-26. [PMID: 11398194 DOI: 10.1002/mc.1033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
We examined the involvement of the cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (CDKN2A) locus in the pathogenesis of ultraviolet (UV) radiation-induced melanomas in an opossum (Monodelphis domestica) melanoma model in which suckling young were exposed to UVB to produce melanocytic lesions. Monodelphis CDKN2A and alternated reading frame (ARF) cDNAs were cloned and sequenced, and the expression patterns of these genes were determined by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in normal tissues, 39 primary melanocytic skin lesions, and two tumor-derived cell lines, one nonmetastatic and one metastatic. Primary melanocytic lesions, including hyperplasias, benign melanomas, melanomas metastatic to lymph nodes, and melanomas metastatic to nodes and additional visceral organs, were categorized accordingly as types I-IV. Levels of CDKN2A transcripts were most abundant in type III tumor samples and the metastatic cell line but absent in the nonmetastatic cell line. ARF transcripts were expressed in all tumors and cell lines. A UV-signature mutation was detected with the wild-type allele at the CDKN2A locus in type II and III primary tumor samples and in the nonmetastatic cell line. Interestingly, in the metastatic cell line, only the mutant allele was present and expressed. These data suggest dynamic changes in the expression and/or structure of the CDKN2A and ARF genes represent one molecular defect associated with the etiology of melanoma formation and progression in the Monodelphis model system.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Chan
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Verrills NM, Harry JH, Walsh BJ, Hains PG, Robinson ES. Cross-matching marsupial proteins with eutherian mammal databases: proteome analysis of cells from UV-induced skin tumours of an opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Electrophoresis 2000; 21:3810-22. [PMID: 11271499 DOI: 10.1002/1522-2683(200011)21:17<3810::aid-elps3810>3.0.co;2-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Abstract
The identification and characterisation of Monodelphis proteins has required cross-species analysis. Protein expression was investigated in normal, nonirradiated adult fibroblasts and also in fibroblastic cells from a benign cutaneous tumour after chronic ultraviolet (UVB) exposure and a metastatic cutaneous tumour after intermittent exposure. Proteins were separated and visualised by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-D PAGE) and a peptide mass fingerprint (PMF) was obtained for protein spots using matrix assisted laser desorption/ionisation-time of flight-mass spectrometry (MALDITOF-MS). Cross-species PMF database analysis facilitated the identification of 120 proteins, constituting 46.5% of the proteins analysed. The identification of two proteins was confirmed by internal amino acid sequencing using tandem MS. Differential protein expression was observed between normal fibroblasts and those in tumours chronically or intermittently exposed. A number of tropomyosin and vimentin isoforms were expressed only in cells from the metastatic tumour induced by intermittent exposure to UV radiation. These results highlight the value of cross-species PMF analysis for the rapid characterisation of proteins from a poorly defined species and also show how proteomics can be used to detect changes in protein expression in differentially treated cells.
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Affiliation(s)
- N M Verrills
- Australian Proteome Analysis Facility, Macquarie University, Sydney.
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Robinson ES, Hubbard GB, Dooley TP. Metastatic melanoma in an adult opossum (Monodelphis domestica) after short-term intermittent UVB exposure. Arch Dermatol Res 2000; 292:469-71. [PMID: 11000291 DOI: 10.1007/s004030000145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78245, USA
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Kusewitt DF, Hubbard GB, Warbritton AR, McLeskey SW, Miska KB, Henkel RD, Robinson ES. Cellular origins of ultraviolet radiation-induced corneal tumours in the grey, short-tailed South American opossum (Monodelphis domestica). J Comp Pathol 2000; 123:88-95. [PMID: 11032660 DOI: 10.1053/jcpa.2000.0390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Corneal tumours were induced in almost 100% of grey, short-tailed South American opossums (Monodelphis domestica) exposed three times weekly to ultraviolet radiation (UVR) for periods of a year or more. Five tumours, representing the morphological spectrum of UVR-induced corneal tumours (two fibrosarcomas, one malignant fibrous histiocytoma, one putative haemangiosarcoma, and one squamous cell carcinoma overlying a sarcoma), were assayed immunohistochemically for reactivity with antibodies against the intermediate filaments vimentin, smooth muscle actin (alpha isoform), muscle-specific actins (alpha and gamma isoforms), desmin and cytokeratin, and with antibodies against the vascular endothelial marker von Willebrand factor. The squamous cell carcinoma was cytokeratin-positive. Other tumours were cytokeratin-negative and vimentin-positive. Three tumours had scattered individual cells and groups of cells immunoreactive with antibodies against smooth muscle actin and muscle-specific actins; two tumours (a fibrosarcoma and the malignant fibrous histiocytoma) had small numbers of desmin-positive cells. The putative haemangiosarcoma contained two populations of neoplastic cells, von Willebrand factor-positive vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle actin-positive spindle cells. It was concluded (1) that UVR-induced corneal tumours may be composed of cells derived from resident epithelial cells, immigrant vascular endothelial cells, or fibroblast-like cells of unknown origin, and (2) that such tumours may contain more than one neoplastic cell type.
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MESH Headings
- Actins/analysis
- Animals
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/etiology
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/metabolism
- Carcinoma, Squamous Cell/pathology
- Cornea/chemistry
- Cornea/pathology
- Cornea/radiation effects
- Desmin/analysis
- Eye Neoplasms/etiology
- Eye Neoplasms/metabolism
- Eye Neoplasms/pathology
- Female
- Fibrosarcoma/etiology
- Fibrosarcoma/metabolism
- Fibrosarcoma/pathology
- Hemangiosarcoma/etiology
- Hemangiosarcoma/metabolism
- Hemangiosarcoma/pathology
- Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous/etiology
- Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous/metabolism
- Histiocytoma, Benign Fibrous/pathology
- Immunohistochemistry
- Keratins/analysis
- Male
- Muscle, Smooth/chemistry
- Opossums
- Radiation Injuries, Experimental/etiology
- Radiation Injuries, Experimental/metabolism
- Radiation Injuries, Experimental/pathology
- Ultraviolet Rays/adverse effects
- Vimentin/analysis
- von Willebrand Factor/analysis
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Affiliation(s)
- D F Kusewitt
- Department of Cell Biology and Physiology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131-5218, USA
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Abstract
The objective of this study was to determine whether exposure of early suckling young of the opossum Monodelphis domestica to ultraviolet A (UVA) radiation (320-400 nm) can lead to the development of melanocytic lesions similar to those induced after exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation (280-320 nm) to total doses as low as 380 J/m2. A total of 576 sucklings received nine exposures of 0.6, 2.6 or 15.5 kJ/m2 per dose (total doses approximately 6, 23 and 140 kJ/m2, respectively) from a Blak Ray lamp source with a narrow range emission at 365 nm. A further 280 sucklings were exposed in the same way to doses of 2.6 kJ/m2 per dose (total approximately 23 kJ/m2) broad-band UVA with visible wavelengths from a Dermalight lamp. Frequency of litter loss following all of the UVA-exposure protocols was similar to that within the same stocks in the colony at large. Only one of the 856 UVA-exposed individuals possessed a melanocytic lesion at the 5 month assessment point. No radiation-induced lesions of any type were evident on the skin of the other animals exposed as sucklings. The affected male was from a group of 70 individuals exposed to the highest total dose (140 kJ/m2) from the Blak Ray light source. The melanocytic hyperplasia was provisionally identified as a potential melanoma but it slowly regressed as the animal aged. We conclude that in the opossum suckling exposure system, the potency of UVA for melanoma induction is extremely low compared with that of UVB. Possible explanations, amenable to further investigations, are given for the low UVA sensitivity of the suckling model compared to the adult exposure model of Ley (Ley, R. D. [1997] Cancer Res. 57, 3682-3684).
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA.
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Watson D, Jacombs AS, Loebel DA, Robinson ES, Johnston PG. Single nucleotide primer extension (SNuPE) analysis of the G6PD gene in somatic cells and oocytes of a kangaroo (Macropus robustus). Genet Res (Camb) 2000; 75:269-74. [PMID: 10893863 DOI: 10.1017/s0016672300004523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
cDNA sequence analysis of the X-linked glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) gene has shown a base difference between two subspecies of the kangaroo, Macropus robustus robustus (wallaroo) and M. r. erubescens (euro). A thymine residue in the wallaroo at position 358 in exon 5 has been replaced by a cytosine residue in the euro, which accounts for the previously reported electrophoretic difference between the two subspecies. This base difference allowed use of the Single Nucleotide Primer Extension (SNuPE) technique to study allele-specific expression of G6PD at the transcriptional level. We began by examining G6PD expression in somatic cells and observed complete paternal X inactivation in all somatic tissues of adult female heterozygotes, whereas we found partial paternal allele activity in cultured fibroblasts, thus confirming previous allozyme electrophoresis studies. In late dictyate oocytes from an adult heterozygote, the assay also detected expression of both the maternal and paternal alleles at the G6PD locus, with the maternal allele showing preferential expression. Thus reactivation of the inactive paternally derived X chromosome occurs during oogenesis in M. robustus, although the exact timing of reactivation remains to be determined.
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Affiliation(s)
- D Watson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia
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Robinson ES, Nutt DJ, Jackson HC, Hudson AL. Behavioural and physiological effects induced by an infusion of antisense to alpha(2D)-adrenoceptors in the rat. Br J Pharmacol 2000; 130:153-9. [PMID: 10781011 PMCID: PMC1572045 DOI: 10.1038/sj.bjp.0703296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/1999] [Revised: 02/11/2000] [Accepted: 02/11/2000] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
1. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioural and physiological effects of an i.c.v. infusion of antisense oligonucleotide to the alpha(2D)-adrenoceptor subtype. Behavioural and physiological parameters were monitored for 2 days before the infusion, throughout the 3-day infusion period and for 3 days following the end of the infusion. 2. The antisense infusion resulted in a significant increase in behavioural activity characterized by increased locomotion and grooming scores. Behavioural activity scores of rats treated with antisense to alpha(2D)-adrenoceptors were significantly higher than those of rats treated with vehicle (H(2)O) or the mismatch toxicity control on day 4 and day 5 and, significantly higher than vehicle controls on day 6. 3. Body weight gain was significantly reduced in the antisense-treated rats at the end of the study compared to the vehicle (34%) and mismatch groups (30%), although daily food and water intakes were not significantly different at any time point. 4. Pupil diameters of rats infused with antisense to alpha(2D)-adrenoceptors were significantly greater than those of animals treated either with vehicle or mismatch oligonucleotide on day 5 of the study. On day 6, the pupil diameters of these animals were still significantly greater than the mismatch group. 5. In conclusion, an i.c.v. infusion of antisense to the alpha(2D)-adrenoceptor induced behavioural activation in rats, increased pupil diameter and reduced total weight gain. These effects were specific to the antisense-treated group and were fully reversed post-infusion.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Psychopharmacology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University Walk, Bristol
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Coates PA, Grundt P, Robinson ES, Nutt DJ, Tyacke R, Hudson AL, Lewis JW, Husbands SM. Probes for imidazoline binding sites: synthesis and evaluation of a selective, irreversible I2 ligand. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 2000; 10:605-7. [PMID: 10741563 DOI: 10.1016/s0960-894x(00)00062-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
An irreversible ligand (7) has been prepared based on the selective I2 ligand 2-BFI. Compound 7 displayed high affinity and selectivity for I2-sites and has been shown to irreversibly bind to these sites in rat brain. Compound 7 should, therefore, prove an invaluable tool for the further elucidation of I2-site function.
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Affiliation(s)
- P A Coates
- School of Chemistry, University of Bristol, UK
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Hudson AL, Robinson ES, Lalies MD, Tyacke RJ, Jackson HC, Nutt DJ. In vitro and in vivo approaches to the characterization of the alpha2-adrenoceptor. J Auton Pharmacol 1999; 19:311-20. [PMID: 10961736 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2680.1999.tb00003.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
1. In order to more fully understand the role of the alpha2-adrenoceptor in brain function, a combination of in vitro and in vivo techniques were utilized including radioligand binding, autoradiography, brain microdialysis and antisense oligonucleotides. 2. Binding studies showed the tritiated form of the selective alpha2-adrenoceptor antagonist, RX821002 (methoxy-idazoxan) labelled an apparent single population of sites in rat brain membranes with high affinity (1 nM), for which prazosin had low affinity (1107 nM). Similar studies in rabbit brain membranes found that prazosin and oxymetazoline were able to displace [3H]-RX821002 in a biphasic manner indicating the presence of subtypes of alpha2-adrenoceptors. 3. Receptor autoradiography revealed a distribution of [3H]-RX821002 binding in rat brain consistent with the labelling of all alpha2-adrenoceptor subtypes, namely alpha(2A/D-), alpha2B and alpha2C. 4. In rat, in vivo brain dialysis experiments demonstrated peripherally administered RX821002 elevated basal noradrenaline in frontal cortex and also, although to a lesser extent, in ventral hippocampus. RX821002 was also able to elevate extracellular dopamine in the striatum. 5. A 7-day i.c.v. infusion of an antisense oligonucleotide targeting the alpha(2A/D)-adrenoceptor, resulted in a significant reduction in the autoradiographic density of [3H]-RX821002 binding in specific brain areas, notably the lateral septal nuclei and anterior hypothalamic area. 6. Several years of research by our group has extended our knowledge of the pharmacology and function of the alpha2-adrenoceptor and has provided evidence of the roles of this receptor in the control of monoamine turnover. The successful use of antisense technology to knockdown expression of the alpha(2A/D) subtype provides future opportunities to explore the physiology of this receptor subtype.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Hudson
- Psychopharmacology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Psychopharmacology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, University of Bristol, United Kingdom
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Williams-Blangero S, Subedi J, Upadhayay RP, Manral DB, Rai DR, Jha B, Robinson ES, Blangero J. Genetic analysis of susceptibility to infection with Ascaris lumbricoides. Am J Trop Med Hyg 1999; 60:921-6. [PMID: 10403321 DOI: 10.4269/ajtmh.1999.60.921] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Epidemiologic studies of helminthic infections have shown that susceptibility to these parasites frequently aggregates in families, suggesting the possible involvement of genetic factors. This paper presents a genetic epidemiologic analysis of Ascaris lumbricoides infection in the Jirel population of eastern Nepal. A total of 1,261 individuals belonging to a single pedigree were assessed for intensity of Ascaris infection at two time points. Following an initial assessment in which all individuals were treated with albendazole, a follow-up examination was performed one year later to evaluate reinfection patterns. Three measures of worm burden were analyzed, including eggs per gram of feces, direct worm counts, and worm biomass (weight). For all traits, variance component analysis of the familial data provided unequivocal evidence for a strong genetic component accounting for between 30% and 50% of the variation in worm burden. Shared environmental (i.e., common household) effects account for between 3% and 13% of the total phenotypic variance.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Williams-Blangero
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78245-0549, USA
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Robinson ES, Dooley TP, Williams KL. UV-induced melanoma cell lines and their potential for proteome analysis: a review. J Exp Zool 1998; 282:48-53. [PMID: 9723165] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
We have established cell lines from benign cutaneous melanocytic lesions and from melanoma-affected lymph nodes of monodelphis domestica, the laboratory opossum (a South American marsupial now widely maintained in captive colonies for experimental purposes). Unlike melanoma cell lines currently available from humans and other mammals, the opossum lines are derived from cells transformed in vivo by experimentally controlled exposure to ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation of known spectral composition. Differences in the patterns of protein expression among cell lines at different stages of the UVB-induced melanoma cascade can be identified by proteome analysis and will provide a useful basis for comparisons with human and mouse melanoma cell lines. Powerful new two-dimensional (2D) gel electrophoresis technologies and sophisticated bioinformatics programs make it possible to carry out qualitative and quantitative analyses of the entire protein complement expressed by the genome (proteome) of a specific cell type. One area of biology particularly well suited to proteome analysis is carcinogenesis. It is now feasible, for example, to attempt to characterize the full repertoire of proteins, including all the antigenic determinants at the cell surface and in the cytosol, during the carcinogenic cascade from normal progenitor cells, to benign tumor cells, and finally, to highly invasive metastatic cells. Proteome analyses have been initiated with the cell lines from M. domestica.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78245-0549, USA
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Williams-Blangero S, Subedi J, Upadhayay RP, Manral DB, Khadka K, Jirel S, Robinson ES, Blangero J. Attitudes towards helminthic infection in the Jirel population of eastern Nepal. Soc Sci Med 1998; 47:371-9. [PMID: 9681907 DOI: 10.1016/s0277-9536(98)00073-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023]
Abstract
Intestinal worm infections, including roundworm, hookworm, and whipworm, are major international health concerns, affecting approximately one fourth of the world's population. Many intervention schemes have been attempted to control these infections in heavily exposed populations, but success has been limited because individuals are readily reinfected upon renewed exposure. Few data are available concerning people's health beliefs about soil-transmitted helminthic infections in such populations. The purpose of this study was to assess health beliefs about common helminthiasis in a population experiencing moderate to high rates of infection. The focal population for the study was the Jirel population, a tribal group distributed across nine villages in the Jiri Region of Dolakha District, eastern Nepal. The results indicate that beliefs about the types, causes, and treatments of helminthic infections have been developed and reinforced by experience and empirical evidence. People's frequent inability to confirm the efficacy of drug therapy by observing worms in stools has led to dissatisfaction with biomedical approaches. Carefully planned education programs are required to alter prevailing attitudes and improve control of soil-transmitted helminthiasis in the region.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Williams-Blangero
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78245-0549, USA
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Robinson ES, Hubbard GB, Colon G, Vandeberg JL. Low-dose ultraviolet exposure early in development can lead to widespread melanoma in the opossum model. Int J Exp Pathol 1998; 79:235-44. [PMID: 9797719 PMCID: PMC3230863] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Suckling young of opossums (Monodelphis domestica) were exposed to ultraviolet radiation (UVR, predominantly UVB: 290-320 nm) in part to determine an optimal protocol for induction and progression of melanoma in this species. In all, 620 litters were introduced to one of seven protocols. The lowest dose (175 J/m2) administered three times a week for almost three weeks led to the highest incidence of melanotic lesions with melanoma potential (8.1%) among young (5-month-old) adults. Among 101 much older animals (> 17 months at necropsy), 43% showed metastatic melanoma to the lymph nodes and almost one-third of these had progressed to widespread dissemination. Three of the latter animals, from a total of 13 obtained so far, were selected for detailed histological examination of disseminated disease. At necropsy, all three showed widespread metastases beyond the lymph nodes to the spleen, lungs, and other distant sites. Histological changes typical of malignant melanoma included junctional activity, mitotic figures, and nerve and vessel invasion. This novel finding leads us to conclude that UVR can act as a complete carcinogen for progression to widely disseminated disease and that exposure of sucklings can lead, in old age, to widespread metastatic melanoma in this model. The results are thus not inconsistent with the view that, in humans, early exposure to sunlight might act as an initiating factor in a later progression to malignant melanoma.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, South West Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78245-0549, USA
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Abstract
Antisense oligonucleotides are used to study the expression and function of a diverse range of proteins. Areas for which antisense has been used for pharmacological investigation include receptors, neuropeptides and immediate early genes, particularly when specific ligands or markers are not yet available. Antisense oligonucleotides target a specific mRNA and block the expression of the protein by sequence specific hybridization. This technique has not only been shown to be a valuable pharmacological tool but also to have potential therapeutic applications. In this review we discuss the technology behind the technique including developments in methodology employed in antisense experiments. Although antisense provides a novel and highly specific tool, the reliability of the technique and many of the problems associated with antisense experiments are discussed. The main focus of this article is the use of antisense in psychopharmacology to investigate behavioural changes following antisense-mediated inhibition of the expression of specific brain proteins and receptors.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Psychopharmacology Unit, School of Medical Sciences, Bristol, UK
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Selwood L, Robinson ES, Pedersen RA, Vandeberg JL. Development in vitro of Marsupials: a comparative review of species and a timetable of cleavage and early blastocyst stages of development in Monodelphis domestica. Int J Dev Biol 1997; 41:397-410. [PMID: 9184350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
The development of marsupial oocytes and embryos in vitro is reviewed. Most stages of development have been cultured successfully, usually in a complex medium with added fetal calf serum. Simpler media without added serum have been developed for fertilization and cleavage in vitro. Culture systems have been established for oocyte maturation and fertilization in the grey short-tailed opossum and for cleavage from the zygote to the early expanding unilaminar blastocyst in a number of other marsupials. Survival in vitro of the unilaminar and early bilaminar blastocyst stages is limited in all species examined. In contrast, late bilaminar, trilaminar, embryonic and fetal stages develop at rates approximating those in vivo. More stages have been cultured successfully in Sminthopsis macroura than in any other species. It has been cultured from the late bilaminar blastocyst to within 18 h of birth. Stages of cleavage and unilaminar blastocyst formation of Monodelphis domestica timed by videotaping mating animals, proceeded at similar rates in vivo and in vitro. As in other marsupials, cleavage in this opossum is characterized by a polarized conceptus. This polarity is expressed in the distribution of organelles in the zygote and the localization of secretion of the extracellular matrix material into the cleavage cavity and of the initial cell-zona attachment. Because cell-cell adhesion follows cell-zona adhesion, a unilaminar blastocyst forms without the development of an intervening morula stage.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Selwood
- School of Zoology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia.
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Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL, Watson CM, Dooley TP. Intersexual phenotypes and sex chromosome complements of five South American opossums (Monodelphis domestica). Lab Anim Sci 1996; 46:555-60. [PMID: 8905590] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
Intersexual opossums (Monodelphis domestica) from a large captive colony are described. These are the first naturally existing New World (didelphoid) intersexual marsupials for which reproductive phenotype and sex chromosome constitution are reported. One animal was XX, two were XY, and two were XO; all had lower body weight than normal males or females and the overall appearance of females. They were first recognized as abnormal by the presence of a small flaccid, nonstalked scrotum, markedly smaller than the scrotum of a normal male but in an equivalent position cranial to the cloacal aperture. Each scrotum contained a core of fatty connective tissue, but none contained testicular tissue. Teat patterns, seen only after close shaving of the hair over the area of the teat field, varied within and between the various sex genotypes, with one XY and one XO having the paired rudiments typical of normal males. All individuals had gonads, with no transabdominal migration. In the XX intersex there were mature ovaries with Graffian follicles, but in the XY and XO intersexes there was gonadal dysgenesis. The urogenital tract of all was female in appearance but was immature except in the XX intersex. Development of the scrotum and of the teat primordia can be explained on the basis of regulatory gene influences on the X chromosome. Intersex incidence in the colony is probably much higher than that observed because of ascertainment bias.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas, USA
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Abstract
Metastatic melanoma cells, clonally derived from an affected lymph node of an ultraviolet-irradiated laboratory opossum, were allografted subcutaneously into suckling young, juveniles and adults to determine their tumorigenicity and metastatic potential. All injected 1- and 3-week-old suckling young survived well beyond weaning at 8 weeks. One died 12 weeks after injection from the effects of rampant metastatic involvement, while the rest were killed 13 to 26 weeks after injection. At necropsy, most animals showed extensive primary tumour growth, many showed metastasis to nodes and/or lungs, and in some there was dissemination to distant sites including liver and spleen. Animals injected as juveniles or adults rejected the allografts. Injection of allogeneic malignant melanoma cells during early postnatal development facilitates successful, long-term allografting and metastasis without concomitant immunosuppressive agents. Developmental lack of self-recognition (immunological immaturity) or induced tolerance may be responsible. This unique model system will be useful for further metastasis studies and may be valuable for investigations of novel antineoplastic therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0147, USA
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Dooley TP, Mattern VL, Moore CM, Robinson ES. UV-induced melanoma. A karyotype with a single translocation is stable after allografting and metastasis. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 1995; 83:155-9. [PMID: 7553587 DOI: 10.1016/0165-4608(95)00061-s] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Metastatic melanoma cell lines were derived from a lymph node of a laboratory opossum, Monodelphis domestica, which had been exposed to mid-wavelength ultraviolet radiation (UVB) initially as a suckling young, and subsequently as a shaved juvenile and adult. The melanoma cell lines were dendritic and pigmented in vitro and contained a t(6;8)(p13;q13) as the only cytogenetic abnormality. The translocation was detected in 15% of primary cultures (passage 2) from the affected lymph node and in 100% of two ring-clone-derived lines, L1 and L2. The breakpoint or resulting partial trisomy of chromosomes 8 may have played a functional role in the tumorigenesis or metastasis of the tumor. The t(6;8) served as a convenient cytogenetic marker for allogeneic grafting studies in Monodelphis. The L2 cells were allografted subcutaneously (s.c.) into genetically diverse suckling young at 3 weeks of age and resulted in the growth of invasive, pigmented, primary and metastatic lesions affecting lymph nodes, lung, and other tissues. Metastatic variant cell lines, M1 and M3, were derived from the affected lungs of two animals and both lines demonstrated the same t(6;8), without additional numerical or structural chromosomal abnormalities. The maintenance of karyotypic stability with a single translocation during in vivo tumor growth and dissemination in this new allografting model is quiet remarkable, as most human metastatic melanomas exhibit multiple structural and numerical cytogenetic abnormalities.
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Affiliation(s)
- T P Dooley
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78228, USA
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Shearer MH, Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL, Kennedy RC. Humoral immune response in a marsupial Monodelphis domestica: anti-isotypic and anti-idiotypic responses detected by species-specific monoclonal anti-immunoglobulin reagents. Dev Comp Immunol 1995; 19:237-246. [PMID: 8595822 DOI: 10.1016/0145-305x(95)00001-a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
We examined the humoral immune response of the laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica) as a model marsupial species. To evaluate antibody responses, IgM and IgG preparations were purified from the sera of naïve Monodelphis. These two immunoglobulin (Ig) preparations were used to generate specific murine monoclonal antibodies for use in ELISA-based serology. Individual Monodelphis were then immunized with a multideterminant protein antigen, a murine monoclonal antibody (Mab) IgG preparation designated Pab 405. In contrast with the primary IgM response of eutherian mammals, the primary response of Monodelphis to mouse IgG involved both IgG and IgM. The specificity of this anti-mouse IgG response appeared isotypic in nature, specifically, the immune sera recognized Ig determinants common to both Pab 405 and a control IgG Mab. Further, to evaluate the antibody responses to mouse IgG, immune sera were adsorbed against a control IgG Mab to remove the anti-isotypic reactivity. The adsorbed Monodelphis sera recognized idiotope specificities expressed on Pab 405. Based on an inhibition ELISA, the anti-idiotype (anti-Id) response recognized an idiotope on Pab 405 associated with its antigen combining site. These results demonstrate that Monodelphis respond to a multideterminant protein antigen such as murine IgG, similarly but not identically to eutherian mammals, and can serve as a useful marsupial model for additional comparative immunological studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- M H Shearer
- Department of Virology and Immunology, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78228, USA
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Robinson ES. How to set up and use a transcutaneous pacemaker. Nursing 1995; 25:32FF, 32HH. [PMID: 7708328] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
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Samollow PB, Robinson ES, Ford AL, Vandeberg JL. Developmental progression of Gpd expression from the inactive X chromosome of the Virginia opossum. Dev Genet 1995; 16:367-78. [PMID: 7641417 DOI: 10.1002/dvg.1020160410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
Metatherian (marsupial) mammals possess a non-random form of X-chromosome inactivation in which the paternally-derived X is always the one inactivated. To examine the progression of X-linked gene expression during metatherian development, we compared relative levels of the maternally and paternally encoded Gpd gene products in heterozygous female Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana) across a major portion of the developmental period. Panels of tissues obtained from fetuses, newborns, and pouch young were examined via polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of the G6PD protein. As in adults, G6PD phenotypes in these developmental stages were highly skewed in favor of the maternal allele product, but in some tissues there was a marked increase in paternal allele expression with advancing developmental age. However, even by 42 days of post-partum development, expression of the paternal Gpd allele had not attained the adult, tissue-specific activity pattern. Our findings indicate remarkable developmental changes in the activity of the paternal allele in several tissues/organs continuing well into mid pouch-life stages and beyond. Specifically we found that 1) a substantially repressed paternal Gpd gene is present in the cells of female stage 29 fetuses and later developmental stages, 2) the activity state of the paternal Gpd gene is not fixed during early embryonic development in this species, 3) major changes in paternal Gpd expression occur in advanced developmental stages and comprise a maturation of the gene expression pattern during ontogeny, and 4) alterations of paternal Gpd allele activity during development occur in a tissue-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- P B Samollow
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0147, USA
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Robinson ES, Hubbard GB, VandeBerg JL. Ultraviolet radiation-induced skin lesions in laboratory opossums (Monodelphis domestica) exposed from the weanling stage. Arch Dermatol Res 1995; 287:333-7. [PMID: 7598539 DOI: 10.1007/bf01105088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023]
Abstract
After repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation, adult laboratory opossums (Monodelphis domestica) may develop hyperplasia and neoplasia of the shaved skin. We exposed opossums from the weanling stage (8-10 weeks after birth) and compared the incidence of lesions at designated time points with those observed following introduction of adults (around 5 months old) to the same irradiation protocol (125 J/m2 of UVB three times each week for up to 40 weeks). The overall incidence of hyperplasia and neoplasia among opossums exposed from the weanling stage was markedly lower than among animals first exposed as adults, and hyperkeratosis and sarcoma were not observed. Although freckling was widespread, cutaneous melanocytic nevi were rare among animals first exposed as weanlings; however, one animal without freckling developed malignant melanoma with presumptive metastasis to the spleen. The basis of the lowered lesion incidence among weanling-introduced animals is not clear; it may be that cutaneous immunity to ultraviolet radiation damage is more efficient in juveniles than in adults.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78228-0147, USA
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Mate KE, Robinson ES, Vandeberg JL, Pedersen RA. Timetable of in vivo embryonic development in the grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Mol Reprod Dev 1994; 39:365-74. [PMID: 7893485 DOI: 10.1002/mrd.1080390404] [Citation(s) in RCA: 65] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
Abstract
The timing of development was examined in 496 embryos from female Monodelphis domestica collected at known time intervals after video recorded mating. Ovulation occurred approximately 20 hr (day 1) after mating, and fertilization was observed by 24 hr. Transport through the oviducts was rapid, and pronuclear stage embryos were recovered from the uterus as early as 24 hr after mating. Second cleavage had occurred by 55 hr after mating. Three-celled embryos were among those collected on day 3 after mating, indicating that asynchronous cleavage of blastomeres can occur from the two-cell stage. The four-cell stage persisted for approximately 24 hr, and embryos that had undergone third cleavage were first recovered 74 hr after mating. Embryos that had undergone fourth to fifth cleavage were found 96-100 hr (4 days) after mating and complete unilaminar blastocysts by 5.5 days after mating. Primary endoderm formed from an already distinct embryonic area of the unilaminar blastocyst early on day 7 after mating. Formation of the bilaminar blastocyst was completed rapidly, on day 7 after mating. The primitive streak appeared on day 10 after mating, and organogenesis rapidly ensued on a timetable similar to that reported for Didelphis virginiana (McCrady, 1938). Close contact with the maternal circulation was established on day 11 and by day 12 maternal and embryonic tissues could not be separated without damage. The length of the gestation period from fertilization to birth was approximately 13.5 days. These observations provide the basis for further embryological cellular and molecular studies of this species as a laboratory model for marsupial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- K E Mate
- Laboratory of Radiobiology and Environmental Health, University of California, San Francisco
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Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL, Hubbard GB, Dooley TP. Malignant melanoma in ultraviolet irradiated laboratory opossums: initiation in suckling young, metastasis in adults, and xenograft behavior in nude mice. Cancer Res 1994; 54:5986-91. [PMID: 7954432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Litters of suckling young of the laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica) were irradiated with UV light from sunlamps with a spectral emission peak at 302 nm (UVB) to induce melanocytic nevi. Total doses of 0.87-5.0 kJ/m2 were divided equally among up to 14 exposures during the 19 days from birth. Of 358 sucklings exposed, 217 survived to weaning, and 22 (10%) possessed a nevus when shaved and examined at or after weaning. Affected animals were then exposed 3 times/week to 125 J/m2 of UVB for up to 45 weeks to promote progression to malignancy. Nevi of 8 of the 20 chronically-exposed animals progressed to malignant melanoma with metastases to lymph node(s). Cell cultures were prepared from affected nodes to confirm that pigmented nodal cells were metastatic melanomas. One established cell line (TD15L) contained highly pigmented, dendritic, malignant melanoma cells. These cells, injected s.c. as xenogeneic grafts into athymic nude mice, remained viable in the subcutis and were moderately tumorigenic in the dermis. UVR exposure of Monodelphis sucklings is a novel, effective, and proficient way of initiating melanocytic lesions for studies on susceptibility and progression to melanoma, and the cell lines derived from these melanomas will provide promising new reagents for chemotherapy and immunotherapy investigations.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78228
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Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL. Blood collection and surgical procedures for the laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Lab Anim Sci 1994; 44:63-8. [PMID: 8007664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Procedures have been developed for collecting blood samples from the laboratory opossum (Monodelphis domestica) and for conducting survival surgery on adults. Blood samples up to 1 ml were collected routinely by cardiac puncture of animals anesthetized by inhalation of methoxyflurane or halothane with minimal risk; however, halothane required more careful monitoring. Surgical procedures such as partial hepatectomy unilateral hysterectomy, and tail wound repair were safely accomplished on animals anesthetized with methoxyflurane. Other surgical procedures including enucleation and intra-abdominal vasectomy were carried out successfully with an inhalation/injection (pentobarbital-atropine-ketamine) protocol that was successful also for recipient surrogate females in embryo transfer experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78228-0147
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VandeBerg JL, Williams-Blangero S, Hubbard GB, Robinson ES. Susceptibility to ultraviolet-induced corneal sarcomas is highly heritable in a laboratory opossum model. Int J Cancer 1994; 56:119-23. [PMID: 8262667 DOI: 10.1002/ijc.2910560121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The laboratory opossum, Monodelphis domestica, develops hyperplasia and neoplasia of the corneal stroma after repeated exposure to low doses of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) (non-erythemic in skin). We exposed adult animals from genetically diverse families within our colony to determine whether there are any heritable components to the risk of this form of eye cancer. From about 5 months of age, animals were exposed 3 times a week to a dose of about 125 J/m2 of UVB (spectral peak = 302 nm). Thirty-three sibships (151 individuals) completed at least 30 weeks of the protocol and 137 individuals completed 45 weeks. For genetic analysis, each animal was classified at 30 and 45 weeks as affected with corneal sarcoma or not. Heritabilities were estimated for the dichotomous eye-tumor trait which was highly heritable at both time points. This eye-cancer model system is valuable as a source of material for in vitro studies of angiogenesis and neoplastic transformation, for in vivo studies of tumor therapy and prevention, and for further research on the genetic determinants of cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L VandeBerg
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78228-0147
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Abstract
Somatic cells from the opossums Monodelphis domestica and Didelphis virginiana were labelled with 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU), treated with colchicine, stained with acridine orange and examined using fluorescence microscopy. BrdU-incorporated metaphase spreads from females of M. domestica at developmental stages from late bilaminar blastocysts to adults showed replication asynchrony of the two (acrocentric) X chromosomes. The long arm of one X chromosome was the latest replicating region in the entire chromosome complement and is presumed to represent transcriptional inactivation and X dosage compensation. The minute short arm of the same X, which contains a nucleolar organizer region, was earlier replicating and synchronous with the short arm of its homologue and is thus assumed to escape inactivation. BrdU-incorporated spreads from cells of fetuses, neonates and adults of D. virginiana also showed a late replicating (submetacentric) X chromosome. The pattern was different from that of M. domestica because of the different morphology and the presence of large blocks of constitutive heterochromatin in both homologues. The timing and pattern of replication of the single X in males of both species resembled the earlier replicating X in females. The array of molecular techniques now available offers the best means for investigating X-chromosome replication and activity states of X-linked genes in the earliest stages of marsupial embryogenesis.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, TX 78228-0147
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Abstract
Marsupial females show preferential paternal X-inactivation. However, the time at which X-inactivation occurs in early development has not yet been determined. A double microassay which measures the activities of X-linked hypoxanthine phosphoribosyl transferase (HPRT) and the autosomally-coded adenine phosphoribosyl transferase (APRT) from the same sample was performed on a collection of embryos from a South American opossum Monodelphis domestica. The embryos ranged in age from the 2-cell stage to the bilaminar blastocyst stage. The results indicate that their embryonic HPRT and APRT are not expressed until just before the unilaminar blastocyst stage in M. domestica. This is at a later stage of development than that in the mouse where embryonic HPRT and APRT expression first occurs at the 4-8-cell stage. It is concluded that HPRT is an uniformative enzyme for assessing X chromosome activity in cleaving embryos of M. domestica. The widespread distribution of HPRT:APRT ratios after the unilaminar blastocyst stage also makes it difficult to draw conclusions about the state of X chromosome activity in early marsupial development.
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Affiliation(s)
- P G Johnston
- School of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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VandeBerg JL, Williams-Blangero S, Hubbard GB, Ley RD, Robinson ES. Genetic analysis of ultraviolet radiation-induced skin hyperplasia and neoplasia in a laboratory marsupial model (Monodelphis domestica). Arch Dermatol Res 1994; 286:12-7. [PMID: 8141607 DOI: 10.1007/bf00375837] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Monodelphis domestica, the laboratory opossum, develops hyperplasia and neoplasia of shaved skin after repeated exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR). We exposed Monodelphis from genetically diverse families within our colony to determine whether there are any heritable components to the risk of two distinct skin lesion phenotypes-melanocytic nevus (MN) and advanced hyperkeratosis (HK). From about 5 months of age, animals were shaved and exposed three times a week to a dose of about 125 J/m2 of UVR (spectral peak, 302 nm; range, 280-400 nm). Of 33 sibships (151 individuals) that completed at least 30 weeks of the protocol, 137 completed 45 weeks. For genetic analyses, each animal was classified at 30 and 45 weeks as affected with MN and HK or not affected. Heritabilities were estimated using a variance decomposition approach. Susceptibility to MN showed no significant evidence for a genetic component at 30 or 45 weeks. In sharp contrast, susceptibility to HK was under virtually complete genetic control (heritability, 0.999; P < 0.001) at 30 weeks, and had a moderately high heritability (0.702; P < 0.001) at 45 weeks. We conclude that this model has great potential for identifying genes that confer susceptibility to UVR-induced skin lesions and for investigating environmental factors that may contribute to the increasing incidence of skin cancer in human populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- J L VandeBerg
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas
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Dooley TP, Mattern VL, Moore CM, Porter PA, Robinson ES, VandeBerg JL. Cell lines derived from ultraviolet radiation-induced benign melanocytic nevi in Monodelphis domestica exhibit cytogenetic aneuploidy. Cancer Genet Cytogenet 1993; 71:55-66. [PMID: 8275453 DOI: 10.1016/0165-4608(93)90202-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
The gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, develops dermal melanocytic nevi (MN) after long-term chronic exposure to UVB (midwavelength ultraviolet radiation) alone. We developed cell lines from six UVB-induced dermal benign melanocytic lesion biopsies. One of the MN was determined histologically to be a benign melanoma (BM), whereas the remainder were benign melanocytic hyperplasias (MH). The cell lines were not tumorigenic when injected subcutaneously into athymic nude mice. Protein extracts prepared from these cell lines were analyzed electrophoretically on polyacrylamide gels and protease zymograms in preliminary attempts to identify protein and protease markers for pathogenesis. Cytogenetic analyses showed that half (three of six) of the MN cell lines exhibited aneuploidy involving extra copies of chromosomes 3, 5, 7, and/or 8. This result suggests that nonrandom aneuploidy can be an early event in chronic UVB induction of benign dermal melanocytic lesions. Karyotyping also showed a centromeric variant of chromosome 7 in some animals, which was confirmed to be constitutional. These Monodelphis cell lines will be valuable reagents for future studies of UVB-induced damage to mammalian skin.
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Affiliation(s)
- T P Dooley
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78228
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Robinson ES. The stereotypical portrayal of nurses, and therefore the profession, persists. Image J Nurs Sch 1993; 25:165. [PMID: 8340128 DOI: 10.1111/j.1547-5069.1993.tb00774.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
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Sistina Y, Lin M, Mate KE, Robinson ES, Rodger JC. The unique stability of the marsupial sperm acrosomal membranes examined by unprotected freeze-thawing and treatment with the detergent Triton X-100. Reprod Fertil Dev 1993; 5:1-14. [PMID: 8234885 DOI: 10.1071/rd9930001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In this study of the unique stability of the marsupial acrosome, experiments were carried out on the acrosomes of spermatozoa of the tammar wallaby (Macropus eugenii), common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) and grey short-tailed opossum (Monodelphis domestica). Light microscopy showed that 4% of opossum and 15% of possum and wallaby spermatozoa lost their acrosomes after freeze-thawing. Electron microscopy revealed that freeze-thawing also induced changes in the acrosomal matrix of some acrosome intact spermatozoa. In both possum and wallaby, freeze-thawing increased the number of spermatozoa with vesiculation of the acrosomal matrix. Freeze-thawing disrupted the plasma membrane of spermatozoa but the acrosomal membranes remained intact. Immediately on addition of high concentrations of TX-100 (0.02% and 0.04%) there was significant loss of acrosomes and motility in possum and wallaby spermatozoa. Lower concentrations of TX-100 (< or = 0.01%) did not affect motility for up to 30 min in all three species, and there was no significant loss of acrosomes. Although loss of acrosomes did not occur under mild detergent treatment, 56% of wallaby and 70% of possum spermatozoa had altered acrosomes after 30 min in 0.01% TX-100. Electron microscopy revealed that acrosomes were undergoing a vesiculation process similar to that seen after freeze-thawing. Often the plasma membrane of detergent-treated spermatozoa was disrupted and had formed plasma membrane vesicles. However, the acrosomal membranes remained intact despite major changes to the acrosomal matrix. The study confirmed the remarkable stability of the marsupial acrosome and suggested that this is probably based in the acrosomal membranes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Y Sistina
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia
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Robinson ES, Renfree MB, Short RV, VandeBerg JL. Mammary glands in male marsupials. 2. Development of teat primordia in Didelphis virginiana and Monodelphis domestica. Reprod Fertil Dev 1991; 3:295-301. [PMID: 1947228 DOI: 10.1071/rd9910295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Young and adults of both sexes of two didelphid marsupials, Didelphis virginiana and Monodelphis domestica, were examined externally for evidence of mammary gland development. Female young possessed teat numbers typical of adult females (13-15 in D. virginiana; 11-13 in M. domestica). Male young showed variable teat numbers which were always low compared with females, with the majority possessing 2-4 in anterior positions. Teats were also present in adult males of both species, in similar numbers and locations to those of young males. There are no previous reports of the presence of teats in any adult male marsupials. No mammary primordia in males have been recorded at any stage of development in the most thoroughly studied Australian marsupials. Our findings strengthen the view that there is a dichotomy between the two marsupial lineages in the regulation of male mammary gland expression.
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Affiliation(s)
- E S Robinson
- Department of Genetics, Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research, San Antonio, Texas 78228-0147
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Renfree MB, Robinson ES, Short RV, Vandeberg JL. Mammary glands in male marsupials: I. Primordia in neonatal opossums Didelphis virginiana and Monodelphis domestica. Development 1990; 110:385-90. [PMID: 2133544 DOI: 10.1242/dev.110.2.385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Neonates of the American didelphid marsupials Didelphis virginiana and Monodelphis domestica were sexed by karyotype and histologically examined on the day of birth. Mammary anlagen were found in both sexes of both species, but the neonatal males had less than one-third of the full female complement of mammary glands. Male neonates of both species also had paired scrotal bulges anterior to the genital tubercle but these were never present in females, once again raising the question of whether the pouch and scrotum are homologous structures. Mammary anlagen are not found in male neonates of the Australian marsupial species so far studied, which suggests a dichotomy in the control of some aspects of sexual differentiation in the two marsupial lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- M B Renfree
- Department of Anatomy, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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