AIMS This study aimed at characterizing expression and the functional role of the Gjb6 gene, encoding for connexin 30 (Cx30) protein, in the adult mouse heart. METHODS AND RESULTS The expression of the Gjb6 gene in the mouse heart was investigated by RT-PCR and sequencing of amplified cDNA fragments. The sites of Gjb6 expression were identified in the adult heart using transgenic mice with re...

PURPOSE The role of the Wnt[b]/beta-catenin-dependent pathway (canonical Wnt pathway) in the context of retinal development and homeostasis is largely unknown. This study was undertaken to characterize activation of the Wnt canonical pathway and its relevance to cell type populations in the developing and adult retina. METHODS Tissue from TCF/Lef-LacZ (T-cell-specific transcription factor/lym...

Expression of the mouse caudal genes cdx4 and cdx2 is examined by use of lacZ reporter constructs expressed in transgenic mouse embryos. During early gastrulation, up to at least 8.5 days of development, reporter mRNA distributions are apparently similar to those of endogenous cdx mRNAs. By 8.25 to 8.8 days, cdx/lacZ protein activities have become distributed as posterior-to-anterior gradients ...

Variable gene expression amongst transgenic lines occurs due to copy number and to random associations of incoming DNA with chromosomal elements at the site of integration. Here we describe a method of identifying sites permissive for transgene expression and their use for efficient introduction of single copy transgenes by homologous recombination. ES clones were selected in HAT medium for exp...

The adjacent sacX and sacY genes are involved in sucrose induction of the Bacillus subtilis sacB gene by an antitermination mechanism. sacB, encoding the exoenzyme levansucrase, is also subject to regulation by the DegS-DegU signalling system. Using sacXY'-lacZ and sacX'-lacZ fusions, we show that the transcription of the sacX and sacY genes is both inducible by sucrose and regulated by DegU. s...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Adeno-associated viral vector (AAV) is a powerful tool for delivering genes to treat brain diseases. Intravenous delivery of a self-complementary but not single-stranded AAV9 (ssAAV9) mediates robust gene expression in the adult brain. We tested if ssAAV9 effectively mediates gene expression in the ischemic stroke lesion and angiogenic foci. METHODS Focal ischemic strok...

Corynebacterium glutamicum ldhA encodes L-lactate dehydrogenase, a key enzyme that couples L-lactate production to reoxidation of NADH formed during glycolysis. We previously showed that in the absence of sugar, SugR binds to the ldhA promoter region, thereby repressing ldhA expression. In this study we show that LldR is another protein that binds to the ldhA promoter region, thus regulating ld...

Cyclin-dependent kinase-like 2 (Cdkl2) is a cdc2-related serine/threonine protein kinase that is postnatally expressed in various brain regions, including the cerebral cortex, entorhinal cortex, hippocampus, amygdala, and dorsal thalamus. The extremely high Cdkl2 expression in these regions suggests that it has a role in cognition and emotion. Recent genetic studies indicate that mutations of C...

Targeted mutations in mouse disrupt local chromatin structure and may lead to unanticipated local effects. We evaluated targeted gene promoter silencing in a group of six mutants carrying the tm1a Knockout Mouse Project allele containing both a LacZ reporter gene driven by the native promoter and a neo selection cassette. Messenger RNA levels of the reporter gene and targeted gene were assessed...

Aberrant activation of Hedgehog (Hh) signaling is causative of BCCs and has been associated with a fraction of SCCs. Desmoglein 2 (Dsg2) is an adhesion protein that is upregulated in many cancers and overexpression of Dsg2 in the epidermis renders mice more susceptible to squamous-derived neoplasia. Here we examined a potential crosstalk between Dsg2 and Hh signaling in skin tumorigenesis. Our ...