Free-living gerbils with higher testosterone take fewer risks.

Among the physiological differences between the sexes are circulating androgen levels. Testosterone (T) is an androgen that has been linked to aggression and risk-taking in male vertebrates, so that males with higher T are generally more aggressive and take more risks. In females, T is not often measured, and its relationship with behaviour has been less studied.

Sex differences in testosterone reactivity and sensitivity in a non-model gerbil.

Although testosterone (T) is a key regulator in vertebrate development, physiology, and behaviour in both sexes, studies suggest that its regulation may be sex-specific. We measured circulating T levels in Baluchistan gerbils (Gerbillus nanus) in the field and in the lab all year round and found no significant sex differences. However, we observed sex differences in circulating T levels following gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) challenge and T implants in this non-model species.

Chemically-defined lactose-based autoinduction medium for site-specific incorporation of non-canonical amino acids into proteins.

Genetic code expansion technology enables the site-specific incorporation of dozens of non-canonical amino acids (NCAAs) into proteins expressed in live cells. The NCAAs can introduce various chemical functionalities into proteins, ranging from natural post-translational modifications, to spectroscopic probes and chemical handles for bioorthogonal reactions. These chemical groups provide powerful tools for structural, biochemical, and biophysical studies, which may require significant quantities of recombinantly expressed proteins.

Carp growth hormone: molecular cloning and sequencing of cDNA.

cDNA clones of the fish Cyprinus carpio growth hormone (GH) mRNA have been isolated from a cDNA library prepared from carp pituitary gland poly(A)+RNA. The nucleotide sequence of one of the carp GH cDNA clones containing an insert of 1164 nucleotides (nt) was determined. The cDNA sequence was found to encode a polypeptide of 210 amino acids (aa) including a signal peptide of 22 aa and to contain 5' and 3' untranslated regions of the mRNA of 36 and 498 nt, respectively.

Mouse glutathione S-transferase Ya subunit: gene structure and sequence.

A mouse glutathione S-transferase gene encoding the Ya subunit was isolated and sequenced. The gene spans about 11 kb, contains seven exons, and encodes an mRNA of 841 nucleotides. Promoter elements, TATA and CAAT box sequences, were located 32 and 70 nucleotides upstream from the initiation of transcription site.