Avian genomes are characterized as being more compact than other amniotes, with less diversity and density of transposable elements (TEs). In addition, birds usually show bimodal karyotypes, exhibiting a great variation in diploid numbers. Some species present unusually large sex chromosomes, possibly due to the accumulation of repetitive sequences.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenome Biol Evol
September 2018
The Pirarucu (Arapaima gigas) is one of the world's largest freshwater fishes and member of the superorder Osteoglossomorpha (bonytongues), one of the oldest lineages of ray-finned fishes. This species is an obligate air-breather found in the basin of the Amazon River with an attractive potential for aquaculture. Its phylogenetic position among bony fishes makes the Pirarucu a relevant subject for evolutionary studies of early teleost diversification.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn extensive karyotype variation is found among species belonging to the Columbidae family of birds (Columbiformes), both in diploid number and chromosomal morphology. Although clusters of repetitive DNA sequences play an important role in chromosomal instability, and therefore in chromosomal rearrangements, little is known about their distribution and amount in avian genomes. The aim of this study was to analyze the distribution of 11 distinct microsatellite sequences, as well as clusters of 18S rDNA, in nine different Columbidae species, correlating their distribution with the occurrence of chromosomal rearrangements.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Odontogenic myxoma is a rare benign neoplasm that originates from odontogenic ectomesenchyme. There is no standard of care and recurrences are frequent after conservative surgical procedures.
Material And Methods: A retrospective study conducted at a single cancer center, with analysis of medical records of all patients diagnosed with odontogenic myxoma from 1980 to 2010, along with a literature review.
This study was aimed at investigating the anticonvulsant activity of lipoic acid (LA) against pilocarpine-induced seizures as well as the effects of this metabolic antioxidant on the hippocampal extracellular concentrations of amino acid neurotransmitters glutamate, aspartate, glycine and glutamate and γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA). In vivo microdialysis demonstrated that an intraperitoneal administration of pilocarpine induced a pronounced increment of hippocampal glutamate and aspartate concentrations, whereas no significant change was observed in the levels of glycine or GABA. LA (10, 20 or 30 mg/kg) pretreatment completely blocked pilocarpine-evoked increases in extracellular glutamate and aspartate concentrations.
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