Behavior is among the most dynamic animal phenotypes, modulated by a variety of internal and external stimuli. Behavioral differences are associated with large-scale changes in gene expression, but little is known about how these changes are regulated. Here we show how a transcription factor (TF), ultraspiracle (usp; the insect homolog of the Retinoid X Receptor), working in complex transcripti...

AIM To compare the precision of the Topcon SP-3000P noncontact specular microscope (NCSM) and the DGH 500 ultrasound pachymeter (USP). METHODS Triplicate measurements of central corneal thickness (CCT) for 100 eyes were taken with an NCSM and a USP in 2 visits separated by 1 week. Repeatability was assessed by computing the differences between all 3 readings from each subject. Coefficients of...

BACKGROUND Central corneal thickness (CCT) measurement has become an important test in the diagnosis and management of glaucoma. Currently, ultrasound corneal thickness measurement (pachymetry) is the most frequently used clinical technique and the gold standard to assess CCT. Newer instruments are currently available including the optical coherence tomography (OCT) instrument. The aim of the p...

DOI: 10.5581/1516-8484.20120060 Graduated from the Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto da Universidade de São Paulo (FMRP-USP) (1967-1972), resident in internal medicine and hematology of Hospital das Clínicas da FMRP-USP (1973-74), M.Sc. (1975-1978) and Ph.D. (1978-1981) degrees in internal medicine (hematology and clinical immunology) from FMRP-USP. Post-doctorate at the University of Cal...

A novel dialysis adapter has been developed for USP apparatus 4 for in vitro release testing of dispersed system dosage forms. This USP apparatus 4 method was optimized and compared with currently used dialysis and reverse dialysis sac methods. Optimization studies for the USP apparatus 4 method showed that release from solution, suspension and liposome formulations was not flow rate limited an...

Ecdysteroids, primarily 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E), play a central role in the growth of arthropods. Molecular target of the ecdysteroids is known as a receptor complex composed of ecdysone receptor (EcR) and ultraspiracle (USP) protein. It is important to clarify the expression profile of EcR/USP in crustacean for understanding the endocrine disrupting effects of environmental xenobiotics on cru...

Ecdysteroid hormones are major regulators in reproduction and development of insects, including larval molts and metamorphosis. The functional ecdysone receptor is a heterodimer of ECR (NR1H1) and USP-RXR (NR2B4), which is the orthologue of vertebrate retinoid X receptors (RXR alpha, beta, gamma). Both proteins belong to the superfamily of nuclear hormone receptors, ligand-dependent transcripti...

The ultraspiracle protein (USP) is the insect ortholog of the mammalian retinoid X receptor (RXR). Fundamental questions concern the functional role of USP as the heterodimerization partner of insect nuclear receptors such as the ecdysone receptor. The crystallographic structures of the ligand binding domain of USPs of Heliothis virescens and Drosophila melanogaster solved recently show that he...

The ecdysone receptor is a heterodimer of the two nuclear receptors EcR and ultraspiracle (USP). We have identified the regions of Drosophila EcR and USP responsible for transcriptional activation of a semisynthetic Eip71CD promoter in Kc cells. The isoform-specific A/B domains of EcR-B1 and B2, but not those of EcR-A or USP, exhibit strong activation activity [activation function 1 (AF1)], bot...

Neuronal process remodeling occurs widely in the construction of both invertebrate and vertebrate nervous systems. During Drosophila metamorphosis, gamma neurons of the mushroom bodies (MBs), the center for olfactory learning in insects, undergo pruning of larval-specific dendrites and axons followed by outgrowth of adult-specific processes. To elucidate the underlying molecular mechanisms, we ...