Early embryos kept in check

SETDB1 in Early Embryos

The histone methyltransferase SETDB1 contributes to the silencing of local chromatin and the target specificity appears to be determined through various proteins that SETDB1 interacts with. This fundamental function endows SETDB1 with specialized roles in embryonic cells. Keeping the genomic and transcriptomic integrity via proviral silencing and maintaining the pluripotency by repressing the d...

Are invasive fire ants kept in check by native aerial insectivores?

Aerial predator-prey interactions may impact populations of many terrestrial species. Here, we use altitude loggers to study aerial foraging in a native insectivore, the purple martin (Progne subis), in the southern USA. Purple martins fed primarily on mating queens and males of the invasive red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta), and doubled their foraging efficiency by doing so. Across th...

osteoclast-like cells in early zebrafish embryos

objective: genes involved in bone and tissue remodelling in the vertebrates include matrix metalloproteinase-9 (mmp-9), receptor activator of necrosis factor κ-β (rank), cathepsin-k (ctsk) and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (tracp). we examine whether these markers are expressed in cells of zebrafish embryos of 1-5 days post fertilization. we also examine adult scales, which are known to c...

Calcium signalling in early embryos.

The onset of development in most species studied is triggered by one of the largest and longest calcium transients known to us. It is the most studied and best understood aspect of the calcium signals that accompany and control development. Its properties and mechanisms demonstrate what embryos are capable of and thus how the less-understood calcium signals later in development may be generated...

Immunocytochemistry in Early Mammalian Embryos