In vivo mouse inferior olive neurons exhibit heterogeneous subthreshold oscillations and spiking patterns

sumsung submitted, created time 1 year 3 months (www.pnas.org)

In vitro whole-cell recordings of the inferior olive have demonstrated that its neurons are electrotonically coupled and have a tendency to oscillate. However, it remains to be shown to what extent subthreshold oscillations do indeed occur in the inferior olive in vivo and whether its spatiotemporal firing pattern may be dynamically generated by including or excluding different types of oscillatory neurons.

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The mouse homeobox gene Noto regulates node morphogenesis, notochordal ciliogenesis, and left–right patterning

carly submitted, created time 1 year 3 months (www.pnas.org)

The mouse homeobox gene Noto represents the homologue of zebrafish floating head (flh) and is expressed in the organizer node and in the nascent notochord. Previous analyses suggested that Noto is required exclusively for the formation of the caudal part of the notochord.

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Dmbx1 is essential in agouti-related protein action

jackson submitted, created time 1 year 3 months (www.pnas.org)

Dmbx1 is a paired-class homeodomain transcription factor. We show here that mice deficient in Dmbx1 exhibit severe leanness associated with hypophagia and hyperactivity and that isolation of a Dmbx1-/- mouse from its cohabitants induces self-starvation, sometimes leading to death, features similar to those of anorexia nervosa in humans.

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Mouse genome will help identify causes of environmental disease

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.eurekalert.org)

Research on the DNA of 15 mouse strains commonly used in biomedical studies is expected to help scientists determine the genes related to susceptibility to environmental disease.

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'Virtual' mouse brains now available online

bianjie submitted, created time 1 year 5 months (www.eurekalert.org)

A multi-institutional consortium including Duke University has created startlingly crisp 3-D microscopic views of tiny mouse brains -- unveiled layer by layer -- by extending the capabilities of conventional magnetic resonance imaging.

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Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in mice lacking a functional Kiss1 gene

addict submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.pnas.org)

The G protein-coupled receptor GPR54 (AXOR12, OT7T175) is central to acquisition of reproductive competency in mammals. Peptide ligands (kisspeptins) for this receptor are encoded by the Kiss1 gene, and administration of exogenous kisspeptins stimulates hypothalamic gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) release in several species, including humans. To establish that kisspeptins are the authentic agonists of GPR54 in vivo and to determine whether these ligands have additional physiological functions we have generated mice with a targeted disruption of the Kiss1 gene

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Canonical Wnt signaling functions in second heart field to promote right ventricular growth

newsdigg submitted, created time 1 year 7 months (www.pnas.org)

The second heart field (SHF), progenitor cells that are initially sequestered outside the heart, migrates into the heart and gives rise to endocardium, myocardium, and smooth muscle. Because of its distinct developmental history, the SHF is likely subjected to different signals from that of the first heart field. Previous experiments revealed that canonical Wnt signaling negatively regulated first heart field specification

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Mouse FH knockout resembles human renal cell cancer

BIOBOSS submitted, created time 1 year 8 months (www.eurekalert.org)

A recurring single-nucleotide deletion in a heat-shock transcriptional promoter in the bacterial Buchnera symbiont of the pea aphid (Acyrthosiphon pisum) dramatically affects host fitness in a thermal-dependent manner.

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