MHC diversity and female age underpin reproductive success in an Australian icon; the Tasmanian Devil.

Devil Facial Tumour Disease (DFTD), a highly contagious cancer, has decimated Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) numbers in the wild. To ensure its long-term survival, a captive breeding program was implemented but has not been as successful as envisaged at its launch in 2005. We therefore investigated the reproductive success of 65 captive devil pair combinations, of which 35 produced offspring (successful pairs) whereas the remaining 30 pairs, despite being observed mating, produced no offspring (unsuccessful pairs).

Species management benchmarking: outcomes over outputs in a changing operating environment.

Species management has been utilized by the zoo and aquarium industry, since the mid-1990s, to ensure the ongoing genetic and demographic viability of populations, which can be difficult to maintain in the ever-changing operating environments of zoos. In 2009, the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia reviewed their species management services, focusing on addressing issues that had arisen as a result of the managed programs maturing and operating environments evolving. In summary, the project examined resourcing, policies, processes, and species to be managed.

Syk and Slp-76 mutant mice reveal a cell-autonomous hematopoietic cell contribution to vascular development.

Developmental studies support a common origin for blood and endothelial cells, while studies of adult angiogenic responses suggest that the hematopoietic system can be a source of endothelial cells later in life. Whether hematopoietic tissue is a source of endothelial cells during normal vascular development is unknown. Mouse embryos lacking the signaling proteins Syk and Slp-76 develop abnormal blood-lymphatic endothelial connections.

The endothelial cell-specific antibody PAL-E identifies a secreted form of vimentin in the blood vasculature.

During mammalian vascular development, endothelial cells form a complex array of vessels that differ markedly in structure and function, but the molecular basis for this vascular complexity is poorly understood. Recent insights into endothelial diversity have come from the identification of molecular markers expressed on distinct endothelial cell populations. One such marker, the PAL-E antibody, has been used for almost 20 years to distinguish blood and lymphatic vessels, but the identity of the protein recognized by PAL-E has been unknown.