Naive CD4 T cells in specific pathogen-free (SPF) mice are characterized by transcriptional heterogeneity and subpopulations distinguished by the expression of quiescence, the extracellular matrix (ECM) and cytoskeleton, type I interferon (IFN-I) response, memory-like, and T cell receptor (TCR) activation genes. We demonstrate that this constitutive heterogeneity, including the presence of the IFN-I response cluster, is commensal independent insofar as being identical in germ-free and SPF mice. By contrast, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis infection altered this constitutive heterogeneity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRegulation of the immune response to Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium ( Typhimurium) infection is a complex process, influenced by the interaction between genetic and environmental factors. Different inbred strains of mice exhibit distinct levels of resistance to Typhimurium infection, ranging from susceptible (e.g.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTemperature-dependent sex determination (TSD) is a well-known characteristic of many reptilian species. However, the molecular processes linking ambient temperature to determination of gonad fate remain hazy. Here, we test the hypothesis that Wnt expression and signaling differ between female- and male-producing temperatures in the snapping turtle Chelydra serpentina.
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