Improving laboratory animal genetic reporting: LAG-R guidelines.

The biomedical research community addresses reproducibility challenges in animal studies through standardized nomenclature, improved experimental design, transparent reporting, data sharing, and centralized repositories. The ARRIVE guidelines outline documentation standards for laboratory animals in experiments, but genetic information is often incomplete. To remedy this, we propose the Laboratory Animal Genetic Reporting (LAG-R) framework.

The 36th International Mammalian Genome Conference: A scientific gathering under the cherry blossoms in Tsukuba.

The 36th International Mammalian Genome Conference (IMGC) was held in a hybrid format at the Tsukuba International Congress Center in Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan, for 4 days from March 28 to 31, 2023. This international conference on functional genomics of mouse, human, and other mammalian species attracted 246 participants in total, of which 129 were from outside Japan, including Europe, the United States and Asia, and 117 participants were from Japan. The conference included three technical workshops, keynote lectures by domestic researchers, commemorative lectures for the conference awards, 57 oral presentations, and 97 poster presentations.

Type specimens, taxonomic history, and genetic analysis of the Japanese dancing mouse or waltzer, variety Droogleever Fortuyn, 1912 (Mammalia, Muridae).

In the present paper, the existence and location of the type series of the Japanese dancing mouse or waltzer, variety Droogleever Fortuyn, 1912, are established, and a lectotype is designated. Available type specimens are measured, and some morphological parameters, sex, and general condition of the specimens are recorded. A literature survey was conducted, and an attempt is made to clarify the position of variety in the taxonomy of A genetic analysis suggests that the type series of the Japanese dancing mouse represent a crossbred, or derivation of a crossbred, between the original Japanese dancing mouse of Temminck 1844 origin and European fancy or laboratory mice of Schwarz & Schwarz, 1943 origin.

Inference of selective forces on house mouse genomes during secondary contact in East Asia.

The house mouse (), which is commensal to humans, has spread globally via human activities, leading to secondary contact between genetically divergent subspecies. This pattern of genetic admixture can provide insights into the selective forces at play in this well-studied model organism. Our analysis of 163 house mouse genomes, with a particular focus on East Asia, revealed substantial admixture between the subspecies and , particularly in Japan and southern China.

Analysis of genome-wide knockout mouse database identifies candidate ciliopathy genes.

We searched a database of single-gene knockout (KO) mice produced by the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) to identify candidate ciliopathy genes. We first screened for phenotypes in mouse lines with both ocular and renal or reproductive trait abnormalities. The STRING protein interaction tool was used to identify interactions between known cilia gene products and those encoded by the genes in individual knockout mouse strains in order to generate a list of "candidate ciliopathy genes.

Two Loci Contribute to Age-Related Hearing Loss Resistance in the Japanese Wild-Derived Inbred MSM/Ms Mice.

An MSM/Ms strain was established using Japanese wild mice, which exhibit resistance to several phenotypes associated with aging, such as obesity, inflammation, and tumorigenesis, compared to common inbred mouse strains. MSM/Ms strain is resistant to age-related hearing loss, and their auditory abilities are sustained for long durations. The age-related hearing loss 3 () locus contributes to age-related hearing in MSM/Ms strain.

Insights into Mus musculus Population Structure across Eurasia Revealed by Whole-Genome Analysis.

For more than 100 years, house mice (Mus musculus) have been used as a key animal model in biomedical research. House mice are genetically diverse, yet their genetic background at the global level has not been fully understood. Previous studies have suggested that they originated in South Asia and diverged into three major subspecies, almost simultaneously, approximately 110,000-500,000 years ago; however, they have spread across the world with the migration of modern humans in prehistoric and historic times (∼10,000 years ago to the present day) and have undergone secondary contact, which has complicated the genetic landscape of wild house mice.

Phylogeographic study using nuclear genome sequences of Asip to infer the origins of ventral fur color variation in the house mouse Mus musculus.

While the house mouse (Mus musculus), widely distributed in Eurasia, is known to have substantial coat color variation between and within local populations, in both primary and secondary distribution areas, including the Japanese archipelago, the evolutionary history of the color variation is poorly understood. To address the ventral fur color variation, we quantified the lightness of museum skin specimens, and found that the southern subspecies, M. m.

MoG+: a database of genomic variations across three mouse subspecies for biomedical research.

Laboratory mouse strains have mosaic genomes derived from at least three major subspecies that are distributed in Eurasia. Here, we describe genomic variations in ten inbred strains: Mus musculus musculus-derived BLG2/Ms, NJL/Ms, CHD/Ms, SWN/Ms, and KJR/Ms; M. m.

Mouse resources at the RIKEN BioResource Research Center and the National BioResource Project core facility in Japan.

The RIKEN BioResource Research Center (BRC) was established in 2001 as a comprehensive biological resource center in Japan. The Experimental Animal Division, one of the BRC infrastructure divisions, has been designated as the core facility for mouse resources within the National BioResource Project (NBRP) by the Japanese government since FY2002. Our activities regarding the collection, preservation, quality control, and distribution of mouse resources have been supported by the research community, including evaluations and guidance on advancing social and research needs, as well as the operations and future direction of the BRC.

Asian Mouse Mutagenesis Resource Association (AMMRA): mouse genetics and laboratory animal resources in the Asia Pacific.

The Asian Mouse Mutagenesis Resource Association (AMMRA) is a non-profit organization consisting of major resource and research institutions with rodent expertise from within the Asia Pacific region. For more than a decade, aiming to support biomedical research and stimulate international collaboration, AMMRA has always been a friendly and passionate ally of Asian and Australian member institutions devoted to sharing knowledge, exchanging resources, and promoting biomedical research. AMMRA is also missioned to global connection by working closely with the consortiums such as the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium and the International Mouse Strain Resource.

Inflammasome activation promotes venous thrombosis through pyroptosis.

Crosstalk between coagulation and innate immunity contributes to the progression of many diseases, including infection and cardiovascular disease. Venous thromboembolism (VTE), including pulmonary embolism and deep vein thrombosis (DVT), is among the most common causes of cardiovascular death. Here, we show that inflammasome activation and subsequent pyroptosis play an important role in the development of venous thrombosis.

House mouse Mus musculus dispersal in East Eurasia inferred from 98 newly determined complete mitochondrial genome sequences.

The Eurasian house mouse Mus musculus is useful for tracing prehistorical human movement related to the spread of farming. We determined whole mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences (ca. 16,000 bp) of 98 wild-derived individuals of two subspecies, M.

Temporospatial sonic hedgehog signalling is essential for neural crest-dependent patterning of the intrinsic tongue musculature.

The tongue is a highly specialised muscular organ with a complex anatomy required for normal function. We have utilised multiple genetic approaches to investigate local temporospatial requirements for sonic hedgehog (SHH) signalling during tongue development. Mice lacking a -enhancer, (), with reduced SHH in dorsal tongue epithelium have perturbed lingual septum tendon formation and disrupted intrinsic muscle patterning, with these defects reproduced following global deletion from E10.

Caspase-7 mediates caspase-1-induced apoptosis independently of Bid.

Inflammasomes are innate immune mechanisms that activate caspase-1 in response to a variety of stimuli, including Salmonella infection. Active caspase-1 has a potential to induce two different types of cell death, depending on the expression of the pyroptosis mediator gasdermin D (GSDMD); following caspase-1 activation, GSDMD-sufficient and GSDMD-null/low cells undergo pyroptosis and apoptosis, respectively. Although Bid, a caspase-1 substrate, plays a critical role in caspase-1 induction of apoptosis in GSDMD-null/low cells, an additional mechanism that mediates this cell death independently of Bid has also been suggested.

SHH signaling mediated by a prechordal and brain enhancer controls forebrain organization.

Sonic hedgehog (SHH) signaling plays a pivotal role in 2 different phases during brain development. Early SHH signaling derived from the prechordal plate (PrCP) triggers secondary induction in the forebrain, which overlies the PrCP, and the induced SHH signaling, in turn, directs late neuronal differentiation of the forebrain. Consequently, regulation in the PrCP is crucial for initiation of forebrain development.

Monoallelic, antisense and total RNA transcription in an neural differentiation system based on F1 hybrid mice.

We developed an system to differentiate embryonic stem cells (ESCs) derived from reciprocally crossed F1 hybrid mice into neurons, and used it to investigate poly(A)+ and total RNA transcription at different stages of cell differentiation. By comparing expression profiles of transcripts assembled from 20 RNA sequencing datasets [2 alleles×(2 cell lines×4 time-points+2 mouse brains)], the relative influence of strain, cell and parent specificities to overall expression could be assessed. Divergent expression profiles of ESCs converged tightly at neural progenitor stage.

Inflammasome Activation Triggers Blood Clotting and Host Death through Pyroptosis.

Inflammasome activation and subsequent pyroptosis are critical defense mechanisms against microbes. However, overactivation of inflammasome leads to death of the host. Although recent studies have uncovered the mechanism of pyroptosis following inflammasome activation, how pyroptotic cell death drives pathogenesis, eventually leading to death of the host, is unknown.

Caspase-1 initiates apoptosis in the absence of gasdermin D.

Caspase-1 activated in inflammasomes triggers a programmed necrosis called pyroptosis, which is mediated by gasdermin D (GSDMD). However, GSDMD-deficient cells are still susceptible to caspase-1-mediated cell death. Therefore, here, we investigate the mechanism of caspase-1-initiated cell death in GSDMD-deficient cells.

BELL1-like homeobox genes regulate inflorescence architecture and meristem maintenance in rice.

Inflorescence architecture is diverse in angiosperms, and is mainly determined by the arrangement of the branches and flowers, known as phyllotaxy. In rice (Oryza sativa), the main inflorescence axis, called the rachis, generates primary branches in a spiral phyllotaxy, and flowers (spikelets) are formed on these branches. Here, we have studied a classical mutant, named verticillate rachis (ri), which produces branches in a partially whorled phyllotaxy.

Correction to: A new species of Xenoturbella from the western Pacific Ocean and the evolution of Xenoturbella.

After publication of Nakano et al. (2017) [1], the authors became aware of the fact that the new species-group name erected for the two specimens of a Japanese xenoturbellid species in the article is not available because Nakano et al. (2017) [1] does not meet the requirement of the amendment of Article 8.

Melanocytes contribute to the vasculature of the choroid.

Melanocytes develop from the vertebrate embryo-specific neural crest, migrate, and localize in various organs, including not only the skin but also several extracutaneous locations such as the heart, inner ear and choroid. Little is known about the functions of extracutaneous melanocytes except for cochlear melanocytes, which are essential for hearing ability. In this study, we focused on the structure of the choroid, in which melanocytes are abundant around the well-developed blood vascular system.