The Cre/loxP recombinase system for performing conditional gene targeting experiments has been very useful in exploring genetic pathways that control both the development and function of pancreatic -cells. One particular line of transgenic mice (B6.CgTg(Ins2-cre)25Mgn/J), commonly called RIP-Cre, in which expression of Cre recombinase is controlled by a short fragment of the rat insulin II gene promoter has been used in at least 21 studies on at least 17 genes. In most of these studies inactivation of the gene of interest was associated with either glucose intolerance or frank diabetes. Experimental evidence has been gradually emerging to suggest that RIP-Cre mice alone display glucose intolerance. In this study experiments from three laboratories demonstrate that RIPCre mice, in the absence of genes targeted by loxP sites, are glucose intolerant, possibly due to impaired insulin secretion. In addition, we review the use of RIP-Cre mice and discuss possible molecular underpinnings and ramifications of our findings.
We have characterized the global gene expression patterns of Arabidopsis pollen using Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE). A total of 21,237 SAGE tags were sequenced and 4,211 unique tags were identified. Interestingly, the number of unique tags in pollen was low compared with the SAGE library of the leaf constructed on a similar scale. The transcript profiles of pollen reflect accurately the characteristics of pollen as a reproductive organ. Functional classification of the expressed genes reveals that those involved in cellular biogenesis such as polygalacturonase, pectate lyase, and pectin methylesterase make up more than 40% of the total transcripts. However, genes involved in energy and protein synthesis, which are prevalent in leaves, were expressed at a relatively low level. The expression level of the great majority of transcripts was unaffected by cold treatment at 0°C for 72 h, whereas pollen tube growth and seed production were substantially reduced. Interestingly, many genes thought to be responsible for cold acclimation such as COR, lipid transfer protein, and -amylase, that are highly induced in Arabidopsis leaves, were only expressed at their normal level or weakly induced in the pollen. The expression patterns of the cold-responsive transcripts identified by SAGE were confirmed by microarray analysis. Our results strongly suggest that poor accumulation of proteins that play a role in stress tolerance may be why Arabidopsis pollen is cold sensitive.The functional and biochemical features of specific cell types are determined by their particular gene expression profiles. Such global gene expression patterns can be represented by a "transcriptome", which reveals the identity and the level of expression of each expressed gene in a defined population of cells (Velculescu et al., 1997). The transcriptome can be modulated by both external and internal factors, and thereby provide not only information useful for the understanding of the basic cellular biology but also a global view of biological responses over environmental stimuli.Gene expression profiles can be obtained and compared by various methods, such as RNA-DNA hybridization measurements, subtractive hybridization, subtraction libraries, and differential display. However, these methods have been limited in providing overall gene expression patterns due to their technical shortcoming. The recent DNA microarray technique allows large-scale quantitative gene expression analysis. Especially, it has been possible to cover most of the genome in GeneChips for several model systems. However, in many experimental systems, it is still limited by the fact that it only analyzes arbitrarily chosen genes. Another technology, Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE), in part overcomes this limitation. SAGE allows simultaneous, comparative, and quantitative analysis of genespecific, 9-to 10-bp sequence tags (Velculescu et al., 1995). The expression patterns of any population of transcripts can be evaluated qualitatively and quantitatively by identifying...
In vitro expanded CNS precursors could provide a renewable source of dopamine (DA) neurons for cell therapy in Parkinson's disease. Functional DA neurons have been derived previously from early midbrain precursors. Here we demonstrate the ability of Nurr1, a nuclear orphan receptor essential for midbrain DA neuron development in vivo, to induce dopaminergic differentiation in naïve CNS precursors in vitro. Independent of gestational age or brain region of origin, Nurr1-induced precursors expressed dopaminergic markers and exhibited depolarization-evoked DA release in vitro. However, these cells were less mature and secreted lower levels of DA than those derived from mesencephalic precursors. Transplantation of Nurr1-induced DA neuron precursors resulted in limited survival and in vivo differentiation. No behavioral improvement in apomorphine-induced rotation scores was observed. These results demonstrate that Nurr1 induces dopaminergic features in naïve CNS precursors in vitro. However, additional factors will be required to achieve in vivo function and to unravel the full potential of neural precursors for cell therapy in Parkinson's disease.
ADAM33 is associated with asthma development, and the levels of ADAM protein are related to asthma severity.
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