Diphlorethohydroxycarmalol (DPHC) is a known to modulate the expression of extracellular matrix (ECM) components in 3T3-L1. However, the possible role of DPHC in integument stability during obesity induction is not clear yet. We evaluated the effects of DPHC on collagen or elastic fiber quantity in integument during obesity induction with high-fat diet. The dorsal back integument sections were ...

INTRODUCTION THE tympanic membrane of the adult frog is divisible into three histologically distinct parts, viz. an inner epithelial layer, continuous with the mucous membrane of the tympanic cavity, the former being closely applied to a thin lamina propria conforming in shape and area to that of the annular tympanic cartilage to which it is attached at its peripheral borders. The third and out...

The assessment of plumage and integument condition in laying hens provides useful information about the occurrence of feather pecking and cannibalism. Although feather loss and skin injuries can result from mechanical abrasion or clinical diseases, they are valid animal-based indicators for behavioural disorders. This particularly applies to damage on the back and tail region of the hens. The a...

At maturity, the endoparasitoid larvae of several subfamilies of the Braconidae have to emerge from inside of the host to pupate. Although the hosts hormonal milieu and the timing of larval parasitoid emergence have been studied, no report has yet focused on the physiological state of the host in connection with the emergence behavior of endoparasitoids. We investigated the mechanism of larval ...

The composition of the insoluble "integuments" and soluble "contents" fractions of spores of four Bacillus species of widely differing heat resistance were compared. Electron microscopy of thin sections was also used to determine and compare the morphological structures in the integument preparations. The soluble fractions of the thermophiles, B. coagulans and B. stearothermophilus, had a highe...

changes during metamorphosis, a process influenced by hormones, mainly 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E). To understand metamorphosis at the molecular level, we investigated gene expression changes in the honeybee thoracic integument during adult cuticle formation. Using cDNA microarrays constructed from 13,440 oligos, we monitored gene expression during pupal/ pharate-adult transition at three specific...