Malfunction of synaptic plasticity in different brain regions, including the amygdala plays a role in impulse control deficits that are characteristics of several psychiatric disorders, such as ADHD, schizophrenia, depression and addiction. Previously, we discovered a locus for impulsivity (Impu1) containing the neuregulin 3 (Nrg3) gene, of which the level of expression determines levels of inh...

In euryhaline teleosts, permeability changes in gill epithelia are essential during acclimation to changed salinity. This study examined expression patterns of branchial tight junction proteins called claudins, which are important determinants of ion selectivity and general permeability in epithelia. We identified Atlantic salmon genes belonging to the claudin family by screening expressed sequ...

The karyotype and male meiosis, with a particular focus on the presence or absence of chiasmata between the homologs, were studied in the water boatman species Cymatia rogenhoferi (Fieber) and Cymatia coleoptrata (Fabricius) (Corixidae, Cymatiainae). It is shown that the species have 2n = 33 (28A+2m+X1X2Y) and 2n = 24 (20A+2m+XY) respectively, post-reduction of sex chromosomes, and achiasmate m...

A hybridization-ligation PCR assay was developed for the simultaneous detection and identification of 21 pneumococcal serotypes and 8 pairs of serotypes in the same serogroup: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6A, 6B, 6C-6D, 7F-7A, 8, 9A-9V, 9N-9L, 11A, 14, 15B-15C, 16F, 17F, 18B-18C, 19A, 19F, 20, 21, 22A-22F, 23A, 23B, 23F, 28A-28F, 35B and 38. This novel assay was validated with 185 serotyped pneumococcal inva...

BACKGROUND The tdk gene (encoding deoxythymidine kinase) of the gamma-proteobacterium Xenorhabdus nematophila has two potential translation start sites. The promoter-distal start site was predicted to be functional based on amino acid sequence alignment with closely related Tdk proteins. However, to experimentally determine if either of the two possible start codons allows production of a funct...

Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women worldwide. Human papillomavirus (HPV) is the primary etiologic agent of cervical cancer. Two HPV16 proteins, E6 and E7, are consistently expressed in tumor cells. Most therapeutic vaccines target one or both of these proteins. Taking the advantages of safety and no human leukocyte antigen restriction, protein vaccine has become the most ...