The transient potassium (K+) current, or A-current (IA), plays an essential role in shaping the firing properties of identified neurons in the 14-cell pyloric network in the stomatogastric ganglion of the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. The different cells in the pyloric network have distinct IAs. To begin to understand the molecular basis for IA heterogeneity, we examined the relationshi...

This paper presents the underlying ideas of a knowledge-based system, called Shal, which, given a knowledge base, attempts to capture the key features of its behavior. The idea is that a priori understanding the behavior of a knowledge base can help to achieve the multiple tasks involved in knowledge engineering, in particular interpreting and/or compiling, contradiction discovery, and acquisit...

The transient potassium current (I(A)) plays an important role in shaping the firing properties of pyloric neurons in the stomatogastric ganglion (STG) of the spiny lobster, Panulirus interruptus. The shal gene encodes I(A) in pyloric neurons. However, when we over-expressed the lobster Shal protein by shal RNA injection into the pyloric dilator (PD) neuron, the increased I(A) had somewhat diff...

Remarkable seasonal variations are observed in the reproductive activities of small ruminants living in temperate latitudes (Luridiana et al. 2015). Thus, a great alteration is induced by lamb reproductive seasonality and its consequent meat market price. Alternatively, out-of-season reproduction is induced through a wide use of hormonal treatments in some countries. However, there is a need fo...

Shal (Kv4) potassium channel genes encode classical subthreshold A-currents, and their regulation may be a key factor in determining neuronal firing frequency. The inactivation rate of Shal channels is increased by a presently unidentified class of proteins in both Drosophila and mammals. We have cloned a novel Shal channel subunit (jShalgamma1) from the jellyfish Polyorchis penicillatus that a...

The shal gene encodes the transient potassium current (I(A)) in neurons of the lobster stomatogastric ganglion. Overexpression of Shal by RNA injection into neurons produces a large increase in I(A), but surprisingly little change in the neuron's firing properties. Accompanying the increase in I(A) is a dramatic and linearly correlated increase in the hyperpolarization-activated inward current ...

The objective of this study was to evaluate the relationship between polymorphism at the MnlI site of MTNR1A gene and production traits of Shal and Romanov crossbreeding. The crossbreeding between Shal and Romanov was done on 600 Shal ewes. For this reason, Shal ewes were laparoscopically and artificially inseminated with the semen of Romanov breed. For the preparation of genomic DNA, a total o...

Organotypic cultures of the lobster (Homarus gammarus) stomatogastric nervous system (STNS) were used to assess changes in membrane properties of neurons of the pyloric motor pattern-generating network in the long-term absence of neuromodulatory inputs to the stomatogastric ganglion (STG). Specifically, we investigated decentralization-induced changes in the distribution and density of the tran...

BACKGROUND Rhythmic behaviors, such as walking and breathing, involve the coordinated activity of central pattern generators in the CNS, sensory feedback from the PNS, to motoneuron output to muscles. Unraveling the intrinsic electrical properties of these cellular components is essential to understanding this coordinated activity. Here, we examine the significance of the transient A-type K(+) ...

The fast transient potassium or A current (IA) plays an important role in determining the activity of central pattern generator neurons. We have previously shown that the shal K+ channel gene encodes IA in neurons of the pyloric network in the spiny lobster. To further study how IA shapes pyloric neuron and network activity, we microinjected RNA for a shal-GFP fusion protein into four identifie...