Project description:Insults to the cerebral cortex, such as trauma, ischemia or infections, may result in the development of epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders. Previous studies have suggested that perturbations in neurovascular integrity and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) lead to neuronal hypersynchronization and epileptiform activity, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. As with BBB opening, treatment with albumin or with TGF-?1 results in the development of hypersynchronized epileptiform activity. Given the latent period before the appearance of epileptiform activity, we hypothesized the underlying mechanism is a transcriptional response which would be similar for BBB breakdown and exposure to albumin or TGF-?1. In search of a common pathway and transcriptional activation pattern we performed a genome wide analysis. Genomic expression analyses demonstrated similar expression patterns for BBB opening, albumin and TGF-?1 exposure. Most importantly, TGF-? pathway blockers suppressed most albumin-induced transcriptional changes. RNA was extracted from cortical regions of rats treated with sodium deoxycholate (DOC, to induce BBB opening), albumin or TGF-?1 for various durations (7/8, 24, 48hr). Control RNA was extracted from a sham-operated animal and one array was run for each treatment and time point A second set of animals (labeled as Set 2) was treated with either albumin (n=3) or albumin in the presence of TGF-? receptor blockers (n=4; TGF-?R1 kinase activity inhibitor SB431542 and TGF-?R2 antibody) and sacrificed 24 hr following treatment. Sham-operated animals served as controls (n=2).
Project description:Insults to the cerebral cortex, such as trauma, ischemia or infections, may result in the development of epilepsy, one of the most common neurological disorders. Previous studies have suggested that perturbations in neurovascular integrity and breakdown of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) lead to neuronal hypersynchronization and epileptiform activity, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. As with BBB opening, treatment with albumin or with TGF-β1 results in the development of hypersynchronized epileptiform activity. Given the latent period before the appearance of epileptiform activity, we hypothesized the underlying mechanism is a transcriptional response which would be similar for BBB breakdown and exposure to albumin or TGF-β1. In search of a common pathway and transcriptional activation pattern we performed a genome wide analysis. Genomic expression analyses demonstrated similar expression patterns for BBB opening, albumin and TGF-β1 exposure. Most importantly, TGF-β pathway blockers suppressed most albumin-induced transcriptional changes.
Project description:Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we induce cornea neovascularisation using sutures placed into the cornea, and sutures are removed to induce a regression phase. We used whole transcriptome microarray to monitor gene expression profies of several genes
Project description:The Norway rat has important impacts on our life. They are amongst the most used research subjects, resulting in ground-breaking advances. At the same time, wild rats live in close association with us, leading to various adverse interactions. In face of this relevance, it is surprising how little is known about their natural behaviour. While recent laboratory studies revealed their complex social skills, little is known about their social behaviour in the wild. An integration of these different scientific approaches is crucial to understand their social life, which will enable us to design more valid research paradigms, develop more effective management strategies, and to provide better welfare standards. Hence, I first summarise the literature on their natural social behaviour. Second, I provide an overview of recent developments concerning their social cognition. Third, I illustrate why an integration of these areas would be beneficial to optimise our interactions with them.
Project description:BackgroundMurine kobuviruses (MuKV) are newly recognized picornaviruses first detected in murine rodents in the USA in 2011. Little information on MuKV epidemiology in murine rodents is available. Therefore, we conducted a survey of the prevalence and genomic characteristics of rat kobuvirus in Guangdong, China.ResultsFecal samples from 223 rats (Rattus norvegicus) were collected from Guangdong and kobuviruses were detected in 12.6% (28) of samples. Phylogenetic analysis based on partial 3D and complete VP1 sequence regions showed that rat kobuvirus obtained in this study were genetically closely related to those of rat/mouse kobuvirus reported in other geographical areas. Two near full-length rat kobuvirus genomes (MM33, GZ85) were acquired and phylogenetic analysis of these revealed that they shared very high nucleotide/amino acids identity with one another (95.4%/99.4%) and a sewage-derived sequence (86.9%/93.5% and 87.5%/93.7%, respectively). Comparison with original Aichivirus A strains, such human kobuvirus, revealed amino acid identity values of approximately 80%.ConclusionOur findings indicate that rat kobuvirus have distinctive genetic characteristics from other Aichivirus A viruses. Additionally, rat kobuvirus may spread via sewage.
Project description:Ecological factors, such as predation, have traditionally been used to explain sociability. However, it is increasingly recognised that individuals within a group do not associate randomly, and that these non-random associations can generate fitness advantages. The majority of the empirical evidence on differentiated associations in group-living mammals, however, comes from a limited number of taxa and we still know very little about their occurrence and characteristics in some highly social species, such as rats (Rattus spp.). Here, using network analysis, we quantified association patterns in four groups of male fancy rats. We found that the associations between rats were not randomly distributed and that most individuals had significantly more preferred/avoided associates than expected by random. We also found that these preferences can be stable over time, and that they were not influenced by individuals' rank position in the dominance hierarchy. Our findings are consistent with work in other mammals, but contrast with the limited evidence available for other rat strains. While further studies in groups with different demographic composition are warranted to confirm our findings, the occurrence of differentiated associations in all male groups of rats have important implications for the management and welfare of captive rat populations.