Efficacy of oral AB070597 for the management of chronic kidney disease in cats: a prospective, randomised, controlled parallel-group study.

Objectives: It has been reported that AB070597, which contains amino acids and peptides, may prevent the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of AB070597 on CKD in International Renal Interest Society (IRIS) stage 2 or 3 cats compared with a placebo.

Methods: A prospective, randomised, controlled parallel-group study was conducted on 35 cats with CKD.

Comparative morphological study of skeletal muscle weight among the red jungle fowl (Gallus gallus) and various fowl breeds (Gallus domesticus).

We examined the weight distribution of skeletal muscles of the red jungle fowl, then compared these values with those of domesticated populations to determine how muscle distribution has changed by selecting breeding. Sonia, Fayoumi, and Rhode Island Red were selected for comparison from livestock breeds, while Japanese Shamo and Thai fighting cocks were selected from cockfighting groups. Principal component analysis was applied using body size-free data.

Photoperiod-independent testicular development in the model newt Pleurodeles waltl.

Urodele amphibian newts have unique biological properties in male gametogenesis, in addition to their extreme regenerative capacity. Male newts are able to regenerate new testes even after reaching sexual maturity and can possess multiple testes. Notably, these animals maintain primordial germ cell-like cells in a tissue adjacent to the testis.

Multiple mutations in RNA polymerase β-subunit gene (rpoB) in Streptomyces incarnatus NRRL8089 enhance production of antiviral antibiotic sinefungin: modeling rif cluster region by density functional theory.

Streptomyces incarnatus NRRL8089 produces the antiviral, antifungal, antiprotozoal nucleoside antibiotic sinefungin. To enhance sinefungin production, multiple mutations were introduced to the rpoB gene encoding RNA polymerase (RNAP) β-subunit at the target residues, D447, S453, H457, and R460. Sparse regression analysis using elastic-net lasso-ridge penalties on previously reported H457X mutations identified a numeric parameter set, which suggested that H457R/Y/F may cause production enhancement.

Low retinoic acid levels mediate regionalization of the Sertoli valve in the terminal segment of mouse seminiferous tubules.

In mammalian testes, undifferentiated spermatogonia (A) undergo differentiation in response to retinoic acid (RA), while their progenitor states are partially maintained by fibroblast growth factors (FGFs). Sertoli valve (SV) is a region located at the terminal end of seminiferous tubule (ST) adjacent to the rete testis (RT), where the high density of A is constitutively maintained with the absence of active spermatogenesis. However, the molecular and cellular characteristics of SV epithelia still remain unclear.

Anatomical and histological characteristics of the hepatobiliary system in adult Sox17 heterozygote mice.

Biliary atresia (BA) is a rare neonatal disease characterized by inflammation and obstruction of the extrahepatic bile ducts (EHBDs). The Sox17-haploinsufficient (Sox17 ) mouse is an animal model of BA that encompasses bile duct injury and subsequent BA-like inflammation by the neonatal stage. Most Sox17 neonates die soon after birth, but some Sox17 pups reach adulthood and have a normal life span, unlike human BA.

Redox-tuning of oxidizing disulfide oxidoreductase generates a potent disulfide isomerase.

Oxidative folding of extracellular proteins is pivotal for the biogenesis of bacterial virulence factors. Escherichia coli DsbA catalyzes disulfide bond formation in extracellular proteins and in multicomponent architectures on the cell surface. The present study assessed the significance of the redox properties of DsbA by exploiting the plaque-forming ability of bacteriophage M13, which specifically recognizes F-pili during infection of the host cell.

Mechanism of the E2 to E1 transition in Ca pump revealed by crystal structures of gating residue mutants.

Ca-ATPase of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SERCA1a) pumps two Ca per ATP hydrolyzed from the cytoplasm and two or three protons in the opposite direction. In the E2 state, after transferring Ca into the lumen of sarcoplasmic reticulum, all of the acidic residues that coordinate Ca are thought to be protonated, including the gating residue Glu309. Therefore a Glu309Gln substitution is not expected to significantly perturb the structure.

Distinct pH dependencies of Na/K selectivity at the two faces of Na,K-ATPase.

The sodium pump (Na,K-ATPase) in animal cells is vital for actively maintaining ATP hydrolysis-powered Na and K electrochemical gradients across the cell membrane. These ion gradients drive co- and countertransport and are critical for establishing the membrane potential. It has been an enigma how Na,K-ATPase discriminates between Na and K, despite the pumped ion on each side being at a lower concentration than the other ion.

Spermatogonial deubiquitinase USP9X is essential for proper spermatogenesis in mice.

USP9X (ubiquitin-specific peptidase 9, X chromosome) is the mammalian orthologue of deubiquitinase fat facets that was previously shown to regulate the maintenance of the germ cell lineage partially through stabilizing Vasa, one of the widely conserved factors crucial for gametogenesis. Here, we demonstrate that USP9X is expressed in the gonocytes and spermatogonia in mouse testes from newborn to adult stages. By using mice, germ cell-specific conditional deletion of from the embryonic stage showed no abnormality in the developing testes by 1 week and no appreciable defects in the undifferentiated and differentiating spermatogonia at postnatal and adult stages.

Morphological variation in brain through domestication of fowl.

Great variations in the size, shape, color, feather structure and behavior are observed among fowl breeds. Because many types of domestic fowls have been bred for various purposes, they are ideal to assess the relationship between brain morphology and avian biology. However, little is known about changes in brain shape that may have occurred during fowl domestication.

Embryonic cholecystitis and defective gallbladder contraction in the -haploinsufficient mouse model of biliary atresia.

The gallbladder excretes cytotoxic bile acids into the duodenum through the cystic duct and common bile duct system. haploinsufficiency causes biliary atresia-like phenotypes and hepatitis in late organogenesis mouse embryos, but the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying this remain unclear. In this study, transcriptomic analyses revealed the early onset of cholecystitis in embryos, together with the appearance of ectopic cystic duct-like epithelia in their gallbladders.

Defects in the first wave of folliculogenesis in mouse XO ovaries.

In mouse ovaries, the first wave of folliculogenesis perinatally starts near the medullary region, which directs the initial round of follicular growth soon after birth. At the same time, cortical primordial follicles start forming in the ovarian surface region, and then some are cyclically recruited for the second and subsequent rounds of follicular growth. Recent studies suggest different dynamics between the first and subsequent waves of follicular growth in postnatal ovaries.

Musculoskeletal System of Huge Tarsometatarsal Region in the Dong Tao Fowls from North Vietnam.

A macroscopic examination of the huge leg of the Dong Tao breed from North Vietnam was conducted. Bone and muscular tendon morphometric data demonstrated that the Dong Tao breed was equipped with the extraordinarily thick and large tarsometatarsal bone and distal parts of the related tibiotarsus regions. Morphological differences between dorsal and plantar sides were clearly observed.

Comparative Functional Morphology of the Skeletal Forelimb, Pectoral Girdle, and Sternum in Japanese Native Domestic Fowls.

This study aims to understand the relationships among morphological characteristics, their functional roles, and breeder preferences in Japanese native fowls. We analyzed and compared the shapes and sizes of the skeletal forelimb, pectoral girdle, and sternum among six breeds: Chabo, Oh-Shamo, Onagadori, Shokoku, Tosajidori, and Totenko. Because skeletal forelimb, pectoral girdle, and sternum are one of the bases for composing body appearance and for movement of birds such as flapping, we treated those skeletons.

IL-17A-producing CD30(+) Vδ1 T cells drive inflammation-induced cancer progression.

Although it has been suspected that inflammation is associated with increased tumor metastasis, the exact type of immune response required to initiate cancer progression and metastasis remains unknown. In this study, by using an in vivo tumor progression model in which low tumorigenic cancer cells acquire malignant metastatic phenotype after exposure to inflammation, we found that IL-17A is a critical cue for escalating cancer cell malignancy. We further demonstrated that the length of exposure to an inflammatory microenvironment could be associated with acquiring greater tumorigenicity and that IL-17A was critical for amplifying such local inflammation, as observed in the production of IL-1β and neutrophil infiltration following the cross-talk between cancer and host stromal cells.

In vivo dynamics of GFRα1-positive spermatogonia stimulated by GDNF signals using a bead transplantation assay.

In mouse testes, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), a subpopulation of GFRα1 (GDNF family receptor-α1)-positive spermatogonia, are widely distributed along the convoluted seminiferous tubules. The proliferation and differentiation of the SSCs are regulated in part by local expression of GDNF (glial cell-derived neurotorphic factor), one of major niche factors for SSCs. However, the in vivo dynamics of the GDNF-stimulated GFRα1-positive spermatogonia remains unclear.

Molecular evolution of gas cavity in [NiFeSe] hydrogenases resurrected in silico.

Oxygen tolerance of selenium-containing [NiFeSe] hydrogenases (Hases) is attributable to the high reducing power of the selenocysteine residue, which sustains the bimetallic Ni-Fe catalytic center in the large subunit. Genes encoding [NiFeSe] Hases are inherited by few sulphate-reducing δ-proteobacteria globally distributed under various anoxic conditions. Ancestral sequences of [NiFeSe] Hases were elucidated and their three-dimensional structures were recreated in silico using homology modelling and molecular dynamic simulation, which suggested that deep gas channels gradually developed in [NiFeSe] Hases under absolute anaerobic conditions, whereas the enzyme remained as a sealed edifice under environmental conditions of a higher oxygen exposure risk.

Comparative Functional Morphology of Skulls among Japanese Breeds of Domestic Fowls.

The skull of six Japanese fowl breeds, namely, Chabo, Oh-Shamo, Onagadori, Shokoku, Tosajidori, and Totenko, were morphologically compared in this study. The morphological differences in the skull size and shape among the breeds were as follows. 1) Oh-Shamo possessed a wide bill, thick bill tip, small orbits and wide mandibular joint.

Heparanase augments inflammatory chemokine production from colorectal carcinoma cell lines.

To explore possible roles of heparanase in cancer-host crosstalk, we examined whether heparanase influences expression of inflammatory chemokines in colorectal cancer cells. Murine colorectal carcinoma cells incubated with heparanase upregulated MCP-1, KC, and RANTES genes and released MCP-1 and KC proteins. Heparanase-dependent production of IL-8 was detected in two human colorectal carcinoma cell lines.

Identification and characterization of the zosA gene involved in copper uptake in Bacillus subtilis 168.

DL-Penicillamine, a copper-specific metal chelator, remarkably suppressed the growth of Bacillus subtilis 168 when added to a synthetic medium under Cu(2+) limitation. DNA microarray and screening of 2,602 knockout mutants showed that the zosA gene was de-repressed in the presence of 0.1% dl-penicillamine, and that the zosA mutant was sensitive to dl-penicillamine medium.

Anatomy of the Murine Hepatobiliary System: A Whole-Organ-Level Analysis Using a Transparency Method.

The biliary tract is a well-branched ductal structure that exhibits great variation in morphology among vertebrates. Its function is maintained by complex constructions of blood vessels, nerves, and smooth muscles, the so-called hepatobiliary system. Although the mouse (Mus musculus) has been used as a model organism for humans, the morphology of its hepatobiliary system has not been well documented at the topographical level, mostly because of its small size and complexity.

Correction: Ontogenetic Shape Change in the Chicken Brain: Implications for Paleontology.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.

Ontogenetic Shape Change in the Chicken Brain: Implications for Paleontology.

Paleontologists have investigated brain morphology of extinct birds with little information on post-hatching changes in avian brain morphology. Without the knowledge of ontogenesis, assessing brain morphology in fossil taxa could lead to misinterpretation of the phylogeny or neurosensory development of extinct species. Hence, it is imperative to determine how avian brain morphology changes during post-hatching growth.

A Niche for GFRα1-Positive Spermatogonia in the Terminal Segments of the Seminiferous Tubules in Hamster Testes.

In invertebrate species such as flies and nematodes, germline stem cells are maintained in a niche environment, which is restricted to the terminal end of the tubular structure in the gonads. In mice, spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs), a subpopulation of Asingle GFRα1 (glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor [GDNF] family receptor-α1)-positive spermatogonia, are widely distributed along the longitudinal axis in the convoluted seminiferous tubules, preferentially juxtaposed to the interstitial vasculature. However, whether this area is the only SSC niche is not known.