Robotic Ultrasound and Novel Collagen Analyses for Polycystic Kidney Disease Research Using Mice.

Key Points: Robotic ultrasound performed favorably compared with magnetic resonance imaging for evaluating total kidney volume. Collagen evaluation by two novel methods of picrosirius red imaging were more informative than the standard method by brightfield imaging. Findings can improve research by increasing speed and access to total kidney volume determination and sensitivity of collagen assessment.

Protein Kinase A Downregulation Delays the Development and Progression of Polycystic Kidney Disease.

Background: Upregulation of cAMP-dependent and cAMP-independent PKA signaling is thought to promote cystogenesis in polycystic kidney disease (PKD). PKA-I regulatory subunit RI is increased in kidneys of orthologous mouse models. Kidney-specific knockout of RI upregulates PKA activity, induces cystic disease in wild-type mice, and aggravates it in mice.

The genetic background significantly impacts the severity of kidney cystic disease in the Pkd1 mouse model of autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease.

Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD), primarily due to PKD1 or PKD2 mutations, causes progressive kidney cyst development and kidney failure. There is significant intrafamilial variability likely due to the genetic background and environmental/lifestyle factors; variability that can be modeled in PKD mice. Here, we characterized mice homozygous for the PKD1 hypomorphic allele, p.

The Arabidopsis nucleosome remodeler DDM1 allows DNA methyltransferases to access H1-containing heterochromatin.

Nucleosome remodelers of the DDM1/Lsh family are required for DNA methylation of transposable elements, but the reason for this is unknown. How DDM1 interacts with other methylation pathways, such as small-RNA-directed DNA methylation (RdDM), which is thought to mediate plant asymmetric methylation through DRM enzymes, is also unclear. Here, we show that most asymmetric methylation is facilitated by DDM1 and mediated by the methyltransferase CMT2 separately from RdDM.