Spontaneous hhy mice show hydrocephalus and subcortical heterotopia, and a mutation in the Ccdc85c gene has been identified. To contribute to the comparison of the role of Ccdc85c in different species, we established a Ccdc85c KO rat and investigated its pathological phenotypes. Ccdc85c KO rats were produced by genomic engineering using transcription activator-like effector nuclease (TALEN). The KO rats had an approximately 350-bp deletion in Ccdc85c and lacked CCDC85C protein expression. The KO rats showed non-obstructive hydrocephalus, subcortical heterotopia, and intracranial hemorrhage. The KO rats had many pathological characteristics similar to those in hhy mice. These results indicate that CCDC85C plays an important role in cerebral development in rats, and the function of CCDC85C in the cerebrum are similar in rats and mice.

The term cardiomyopathy is used to describe heart disease resulting from an abnormality in the myocardium. It is rare in cynomolgus macaques (Macaca fascicularis). Here, we report a case of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in an 11-year-old male cynomolgus macaque. Macroscopically, the interventricular septum (IVS) and the left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) walls of the heart were thickened. Histologically, cardiomyocytes showed hypertrophy and disarray with interstitial fibrosis, and some myocytes showed karyomegaly and vacuoles. On the basis of these morphological characteristics, the present case was diagnosed as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Immunohistochemically, the cardiomyocytes in the affected regions were positive for the autophagic markers LC3 and p62/SQSTM1 (p62). The accumulation of autophagosomes in hypertrophied cardiomyocytes was demonstrated. The mechanism of accumulation of autophagosomes seems to be a secondary effect due to stress. To our knowledge, this is the first report of spontaneous hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in a cynomolgus macaque.

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Expression of CCDC85C, a causative protein for hydrocephalus, and intermediate filament proteins during lateral ventricle development in rats (3) Running head: CCDC85C and intermediate filaments in brain

We report a spontaneous case of nephroblastoma in a 26-week-old female Slc:CD(SD) rat. Macroscopically, there was a yellow mass in the left kidney that included another small yellowish-white mass. Histologically, the mass was located mainly in the cortex of the kidney. The tumor showed two distinct morphologies corresponding to the macroscopic findings: a blastemal cell dominant area (blastemal area) with primitive glomeruli and immature tubules and a columnar epithelial tubule dominant area with blastemal cell cuffing on (epithelial area). The epithelial area was located inside the blastemal area and the two morphologies were characterized by the lack of a transition region. Nephroblastoma is known to be biphasic or triphasic and showing transitional features. To our knowledge, there is no report of such nephroblastoma comprising two histologically distinct areas without transition. Therefore, the two distinct morphologies of this case with no transitional characteristic is a rare feature in nephroblastoma.