Detailed studies of inbred mouse strains have provided remarkable insights into how genetics shape complex processes, ranging from cancer susceptibility to immunity. The mouse models of response to addictive substances such as nicotine are now showing similar promise for revealing the underlying complex genetics and physiological mechanisms contributing to dependence. This chapter examines key ...

Here we present the draft genome of Tatumella sp. strain UCD-D_suzukii, the first member of this genus to be sequenced. The genome contains 3,602,931 bp in 72 scaffolds. This strain was isolated from Drosophila suzukii larvae as part of a larger project to study the microbiota of D. suzukii.

Individuals with greater nicotine-reactivity may be more likely to initiate and maintain cigarette-smoking behavior than individuals with less nicotine-reactivity. In rats, behavioral sensitization reflects a progressive increase in the psychomotor response to drugs of abuse thought to result from neuroplasticity in brain regions that mediate their motivational effects. Studying nicotine behavi...

Leishmania major infection is useful as an experimental model to define factors responsible for the development and maintenance of Th cell immune responses. Studies using inbred mouse strains have identified that the Th1 response characteristic of C57BL/6 mice results in healing, whereas BALB/c mice fail to control the infection due to the generation of an inappropriate Th2 response. We now dem...

On-animal tags provide an incredible window into the world of cetaceans, allowing researchers to track movements across ocean basins and investigate fine-scale behavior deep below the surface. The earliest cetacean tags were Discovery marks developed by the British Colonial Office at the turn of the 20th century, and their influence continues to inform some of the implanted cetacean tags being ...

Animal welfare is a topic often thought to reside outside mainstream biology. The complexity of the methods used to assess welfare (such as health, physiology, immunological state, and behavior) require an understanding of a wide range of biological phenomena. Furthermore, the "welfare" of an animal provides a framework in which a diversity of its responses can be understood as fitness-enhancin...

BACKGROUND Clinical and preclinical observations indicate that Lactobacillus plantarum has anti-inflammatory activity and may regulate the immune responses of its hosts when ingested. Recently, modification of teichoic acids (TAs) produced by L. plantarum was reported as a key to regulating the systemic immune response in mice. However, data linking TA-related genetic determinants and the immun...

1. CFW mice were fed either on control diet or on iron-deficient diet. 2. After 5 months the mice were infected with CL, Y or YuYu strain of Trypanosoma cruzi. 3. On the fifth day after the infection, the mice on control diet were divided in three groups: one group remained as controls, two groups were injected either with desferrioxamine or iron-dextran. 4. The severity of the disease was eval...

Effects of Bordetella pertussis organisms, such as adjuvanticity, induction of hypersplenia, and leukocytosis as well as modification of nonspecific resistance to infection and typical morphological response of lymphatic organs, were studied in the lipopolysaccharide-resistant C3H/HeJ mouse strain. It was shown that B. pertussis exerted all of these effects in C3H/HeJ mice, although the morphol...

Robust methods to assess nonhuman animal emotion are essential for ensuring good welfare in captivity. Cognitive bias measures such as the judgment bias task have recently emerged as promising tools to assess animal emotion. The simple design and objective response measures make judgment bias tasks suitable for use across species and contexts. In reviewing 64 studies published to date, it emerg...