Amphibians, and particularly the African clawed frog Xenopus laevis, have been used for more than a century as models of vertebrate embryonic development. However, in many cases, elucidation of developmental functions of specific gene sequences could be severely impeded, because X. laevis is a tetraploid species, with multiple functional copies of many genes of interest. Recent studies have shifted focus to the West African or tropical clawed frog, X. tropicalis, the only known diploid species of the genus Xenopus. Here, we present two preliminary linkage maps, constructed by analysis of joint segregation of amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers in a X. tropicalis interstrain hybrid. A total of 53 markers, including 51 AFLP markers and 2 isozyme markers, are presently assigned to 13 multipoint linkage groups on a map of the maternal strain, whereas 9 AFLP markers from the paternal strain are assigned to 3 linkage groups on a separate map. A dense genetic linkage map is essential in mapping new developmental mutants and determining their sequences by positional cloning.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
---|---|
http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/dvdy.10193 | DOI Listing |
Neurotoxicology
January 2025
Laboratoire Physiologie, Ecologie and Environnement (P2E), Université d'Orléans, UR 1207, USC-INRAE 1328, 1 rue de Chartres, 45067 Orléans, France; Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), 1 rue Descartes 75005 Paris, France. Electronic address:
Although neonicotinoids were considered safe for mammals for many decades, recent research has proven that these insecticides can alter cholinergic functions by interacting with neuronal nicotinic acetylcholine (ACh) receptors (nAChRs). One such receptor is the heteromeric α4β2 nAChR, which exists under two different stoichiometries: high sensitivity and low sensitivity α4β2 nAChRs. To replace these insecticides, new classes of insecticides have been developed, such as, sulfoximine, sulfoxaflor, and the butanolide, flupyradifurone.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Biol Chem
January 2025
School of Biological Sciences, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; George E. Whalen Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, USA.
Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are pentameric ligand-gated ion channels. In mammals, there are 16 individual nAChR subunits allowing for numerous possible heteromeric compositions. nAChRs assembled from α7 or α9 subunits will form as homopentamers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiophys Chem
January 2025
La Trobe Institute for Molecular Science, La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. Electronic address:
The rapid spread of antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria has created an urgent need for new alternative antibiotic agents. Membrane disrupting antimicrobial peptides (AMPs): short amino acid sequences with bactericidal and fungicidal activity that kill pathogens by permeabilizing their plasma membrane may offer a solution for this global health crisis. Magainin 2 is an AMP secreted by the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) that is described as a toroidal pore former membrane disrupting AMP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDev Dyn
January 2025
Biology Department, Simmons University, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Background: Perfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are persistent environmental contaminants previously used for industrial purposes as a non-stick coating and flame retardant. The stability of these molecules prevents their breakdown, which results in ground water contamination across the globe. Perfluoroalkyl substances molecules are known to bioaccumulate in various organisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFbioRxiv
December 2024
Laboratory of Dynamics in Biological Systems, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine, KU Leuven, Herestraat, 49, Leuven, Belgium.
Temperature profoundly impacts organismal physiology and ecological dynamics, particularly affecting ectothermic species and making them especially vulnerable to climate changes. Although complex physiological processes usually involve dozens of enzymes, empirically it is found that the rates of these processes often obey the Arrhenius equation, which was originally derived for single-enzyme-catalyzed reactions. Here we have examined the temperature scaling of the early embryonic cell cycle, with the goal of understanding why the Arrhenius equation approximately holds and why it breaks down at temperature extremes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!