Gap junctions regulate the development of neural circuits in the neocortex.

Gap junctions between cells are ubiquitously expressed in the developing brain. They are involved in major steps of neocortical development, including neurogenesis, cell migration, synaptogenesis, and neural circuit formation, and have been implicated in cortical column formation. Dysfunctional gap junctions can contribute to or even cause a variety of brain diseases.

Correlation Analysis of Molecularly-Defined Cortical Interneuron Populations with Morpho-Electric Properties in Layer V of Mouse Neocortex.

Cortical interneurons can be categorized into distinct populations based on multiple modalities, including molecular signatures and morpho-electrical (M/E) properties. Recently, many transcriptomic signatures based on single-cell RNA-seq have been identified in cortical interneurons. However, whether different interneuron populations defined by transcriptomic signature expressions correspond to distinct M/E subtypes is still unknown.

Sncg, Mybpc1, and Parm1 Classify subpopulations of VIP-expressing interneurons in layers 2/3 of the somatosensory cortex.

Neocortical vasoactive intestinal polypeptide-expressing (VIP+) interneurons display highly diverse morpho-electrophysiological and molecular properties. To begin to understand the function of VIP+ interneurons in cortical circuits, they must be clearly and comprehensively classified into distinct subpopulations based on specific molecular markers. Here, we utilized patch-clamp RT-PCR (Patch-PCR) to simultaneously obtain the morpho-electric properties and mRNA profiles of 155 VIP+ interneurons in layers 2 and 3 (L2/3) of the mouse somatosensory cortex.

Pathways involved in pony body size development.

Background: The mechanism of body growth in mammals is poorly understood. Here, we investigated the regulatory networks involved in body growth through transcriptomic analysis of pituitary and epiphyseal tissues of smaller sized Debao ponies and Mongolian horses at the juvenile and adult stages.

Results: We found that growth hormone receptor (GHR) was expressed at low levels in long bones, although growth hormone (GH) was highly expressed in Debao ponies compared with Mongolian horses.

Synaptic Transmission from Somatostatin-expressing Interneurons to Excitatory Neurons Mediated by α5-subunit-containing GABA Receptors in the Developing Visual Cortex.

Dendrite-targeting somatostatin-expressing interneurons (SST-INs) powerfully control signal integration and synaptic plasticity in pyramidal dendrites during cortical development. We previously showed that synaptic transmission from SST-INs to pyramidal cells (PCs) (SST-IN → PC) in the mouse visual cortex suddenly declined at around the second postnatal week. However, it is unclear what specific postsynaptic mechanisms underlie this developmental change.

Eye opening differentially modulates inhibitory synaptic transmission in the developing visual cortex.

Eye opening, a natural and timed event during animal development, influences cortical circuit assembly and maturation; yet, little is known about its precise effect on inhibitory synaptic connections. Here, we show that coinciding with eye opening, the strength of unitary inhibitory postsynaptic currents (uIPSCs) from somatostatin-expressing interneurons (Sst-INs) to nearby excitatory neurons, but not interneurons, sharply decreases in layer 2/3 of the mouse visual cortex. In contrast, the strength of uIPSCs from fast-spiking interneurons (FS-INs) to excitatory neurons significantly increases during eye opening.

Fear Erasure Facilitated by Immature Inhibitory Neuron Transplantation.

Transplantation of embryonic γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons has been shown to modify disease phenotypes in rodent models of neurologic and psychiatric disorders. However, whether transplanted interneurons modulate fear memory remains largely unclear. Here, we report that transplantation of embryonic interneurons into the amygdala does not alter host fear memory formation.

The development and expression of pluripotency genes in embryos derived from nuclear transfer and in vitro fertilization.

Somatic cell nuclear transfer can be used to produce embryonic stem (ES) cells, cloned animals, and can even increase the population size of endangered animals. However, the application of this technique is limited by the low developmental rate of cloned embryos, a situation that may result from abnormal expression of some zygotic genes. In this study, sheep-sheep intra-species cloned embryos, goat-sheep inter-species cloned embryos, or sheep in vitro fertilized embryos were constructed and cultured in vitro and the developmental ability and expression of three pluripotency genes, SSEA-1, Nanog and Oct4, were examined.

[Isolation of phenol-degrading bacteria from coking wastewater and their degradation gene].

Phenol and phenolic compounds are main pollutants in wastewater of coking factories. To identify the bacteria responsible for phenol removal in the activated sludge of a coking factory, we isolated bacteria from the sludge directly or after enrichment. From two samples from the aerobic and anaerobic pools, 28 strains belonging to 28 species of 20 genera were obtained after identification with BOX-PCR and further 16S rDNA sequence analyses.

Effects of granulosa cell mitochondria transfer on the early development of bovine embryos in vitro.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of exogenous mitochondria obtained from granulosa cells on the development of bovine embryos in vitro. We classified cumulus oocyte complexes (COCs) as good (G)- and poor (P)-quality oocytes based on cytoplasmic appearance and cumulus characteristics, and assessed mtDNA copy numbers in the G and P oocytes with real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The mitochondria were isolated by fractionation and suspended in mitochondria injection buffer (MIB).

Quantitative analysis of mitochondrial RNA in goat-sheep cloned embryos.

Mitochondria are the key generators of cellular ATP, and contain extranuclear genome-mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). In the process of nuclear transfer (NT), heteroplasmic sources of mtDNA from a donor cell and a recipient oocyte are mixed in the cytoplasm of the reconstituted embryo. Previous studies showed inconsistent patterns of mtDNA inheritance in offspring and early fetuses generated through interspecies NT.

Expression of Bacillus subtilis proBA genes and reduction of feedback inhibition of proline synthesis increases proline production and confers osmotolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis.

Proline accumulation has been shown to correlate with tolerance to drought and salt stresses in plants. We attempt to introduce the wild-type, mutant, and fusion proBA genes derived from Bacillus subtilis into Arabidopsis thaliana under the control of a strong promoter cauliflower mosaic virus 35S (CaMV35S). The transgenic plants produced higher level of free proline than control and the overproduction of proline resulted in the increased tolerance to osmotic stress in transgenic plants.

Immune response induced by spike protein from transmissible gastroenteritis coronavirus expressed in mouse mammary cells.

The present study is undertaken to investigate the immune response that was induced by the recombinant spike (S) protein from swine-transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) expressed in mouse mammary cells. A mammary-specific expression vector pEBS containing the full-length cDNA of S gene was constructed and expressed in the mouse mammary cells (EMT6). The recombinant S protein from culture supernatant of transgenic EMT6 was harvested and immunized BALB/c mice.

[Nuclear transfer and mitochondria].

Mitochondria, which can produce and supply energy for mammals, are involved in many cellular events of growth, development, aging, apoptosis as well as diseases. Nuclear transfer could result in mitochondria heteroplasmy in cloned embryos and offspring, affecting the phenotypes of the individuals and even causing mitochondrial diseases. This text has expounded the biological functions and the hereditary characteristics of the mitochondria in mammals, and analyzed the change of donor and recipient mitochondria in embryos and offspring derived from intraspecific and interspecific embryonic or somatic nuclear transfer as well as several factors which might influence mitochondrial heteroplasmy in the process of nuclear transfer.

[Construction of fused osmoregulation proBA gene from a salt-tolerant mutant of Bacillus subtilis and its influence on the osmotolerance of Escherichia coli].

The osmoregulation proB and proA genes from Bacillus subtilis 93151 are overlapping genes, which encode two proteins ProB and ProA. A restriction enzyme site was inserted in the overlapping region of proB and proA genes from a salt-tolerant mutant of B. subtilis 93151, and a fusion gene was constructed by cloning proB and proA genes respectively.

[Cloning and sequencing of the proBA gene from the selected mutant resistant to proline analogue from Bacillus subtilis].

NTG was used to make chemical mutation for Bacillus subtilis 93151. An enhanced osmotolerant mutant was obtained, which could grow in minimal medium containing 14% NaCl (w/v) and was not subject to proline-mediated feedback repression. The content of the intracellular free proline from the mutant increased rapidly with the rising of NaCl concentration.