The pronephros (early-stage kidney) is an important osmoregulatory organ, and the onset of its function occurs relatively early in some teleost fishes. As such, any defects in kidney development and function are likely associated with a decreased ability to osmoregulate. Previous work has shown that early-life stage (ELS) zebrafish (Danio rerio) acutely exposed to Deepwater Horizon (DWH) crude oil exhibit transcriptional changes in key genes involved in pronephros development and function, as well as pronephric morphological defects and whole-animal osmoregulatory impairment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the era of the advanced nanomaterials, use of nanoparticles has been highlighted in biomedical research. However, the demonstration of DNA plasmid delivery with nanoparticles for gene delivery experiments must be carefully tested due to many possible issues, including toxicity. The purpose of the current study was to deliver a Notch Intracellular Domain (NICD)-encoded plasmid poly(lactic--glycolic acid) (PLGA) nanoparticles and to investigate the toxic environmental side effects for an experiment.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNotch signaling is a highly conserved signaling system that is required for embryonic development and regeneration of organs. When the signal is lost, maldevelopment occurs and leads to a lethal state. Delivering exogenous genetic materials encoding Notch into cells can reestablish downstream signaling and rescue cellular functions.
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