EDITORIAL
- Into the blue: the importance of murine lacZ gene expression profiling in understanding and treating human disease
Summary: A recent report by White et al. highlights the utility of lacZ reporter gene expression profiling as a powerful means of elucidating the role of genes in health and disease.
A MODEL FOR LIFE
REVIEW
- Exploring the HIFs, buts and maybes of hypoxia signalling in disease: lessons from zebrafish models
Summary: Hypoxia signalling, mediated by HIF, is a crucial pathway in many disease processes. Here, we review current knowledge of HIF signalling and disease, focusing on recent findings from zebrafish models.
RESEARCH ARTICLES
- A hypermorphic epithelial β-catenin mutation facilitates intestinal tumorigenesis in mice in response to compounding WNT-pathway mutations
Summary: The gpA33ΔN-Bcat mice provide a model that better mimics some aspects of sporadic colon cancer induction in humans in terms of tumor multiplicity and latency and site-specific (i.e. colon) tumor occurrence that coincides with upregulation of markers for human colorectal cancer progression.
- A zebrafish larval model reveals early tissue-specific innate immune responses to Mucor circinelloides
Summary: We use zebrafish larval models to delineate the temporospatial patterns of innate immune responses to fungal infections with mucormycete spores.
- Loss of the Coffin-Lowry syndrome-associated gene RSK2 alters ERK activity, synaptic function and axonal transport in Drosophila motoneurons
Summary: Mutations in the human kinase RSK2 are associated with severe mental retardation (Coffin-Lowry syndrome). Here, the function of Drosophila RSK in synaptic plasticity is described, which might help in understanding the complex pathophysiology.
- T-cell number and subtype influence the disease course of primary chronic lymphocytic leukaemia xenografts in alymphoid mice
Summary: Manipulation of T cells can enhance current CLL xenograft models, expanding their utility for investigation of tumour biology and pre-clinical drug assessment.
- Modelling staphylococcal pneumonia in a human 3D lung tissue model system delineates toxin-mediated pathology
Summary: Use of a human 3D lung tissue model system identifies the combined effects of α-toxin and Panton-Valentine leukocidin in tissue injury and clinical outcome in staphylococcal pneumonia.
- Heterozygous disruption of activin receptor-like kinase 1 is associated with increased arterial pressure in mice
Summary: Mice haploinsufficient for Alk1, a receptor for the TGF-β family, show hypertension, based on overactivation of the sympathetic nervous system and a reduction in the number of cholinergic neurons in the CNS.
- Xenobiotics that affect oxidative phosphorylation alter differentiation of human adipose-derived stem cells at concentrations that are found in human blood
Summary: Some medical drugs and environmental chemical pollutants acting on the oxidative phosphorylation system can alter adipocyte differentiation and adipogenesis and, thus, have important consequences for human health.
- Hyperactivity and attention deficits in mice with decreased levels of stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1)
Summary: Here, using a series of behavioral tests including touchscreen tasks we show that decreased levels of stress-inducible phosphoprotein 1 (STIP1) lead to attention deficits and hyperactivity in mice.
RESOURCE ARTICLES
- A gene expression resource generated by genome-wide lacZ profiling in the mouse
Editor's Choice: The report presents an open-access adult mouse expression resource, in which the expression profile of 424 genes has been assessed in up to 47 different organs, tissues and sub-structures using a lacZ reporter gene.
- A simple method for in vivo labelling of infiltrating leukocytes in the mouse retina using indocyanine green dye
Summary: We show here that peripheral leukocytes can be labelled with ICG in vivo and then directly imaged as they invade the retina after inflammatory stimuli.