Publications by authors named "Phillip Reeves"

Regional heterothermy is a pattern whereby different body regions are maintained at different temperatures, often to prioritize the function of certain body parts over others, or to maximize the function of organs and tissues that vary in thermal sensitivity. Regional heterothermy is relatively well understood in endotherms, where physiological mechanisms maintain heterogeneity. However, less is known about regional heterothermy in ectotherms, where behavioral mechanisms are more important for generating thermal variation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Across vertebrates, hematopoiesis takes place within designated tissues, wherein committed myeloid progenitors further differentiate toward cells with megakaryocyte/erythroid potential (MEP) or those with granulocyte/macrophage potential (GMP). While the liver periphery (LP) of the amphibian functions as a principal site of hematopoiesis and contains MEPs, cells with GMP potential are instead segregated to the bone marrow (BM) of this animal. Presently, using gene expression and western blot analyses of blood cell lineage-specific transcription factors, we confirmed that while the LP hosts hematopoietic stem cells and MEPs, their BM contains GMPs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) belonging to class A contain several highly conserved (>90%) amino acids in their transmembrane helices. Results of mutational studies of these highly conserved residues suggest a common mechanism for locking GPCRs in an inactive conformation and for their subsequent activation upon ligand binding. Recently, a second set of sites in the transmembrane helices has been identified in which amino acids with small side chains, such as Gly, Ala, Ser, Thr, and Cys, are highly conserved (>90%) when considered as a group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF