New Insights Into Limb Formation Aug 18, 2009
This is the first time a conditional Has2 knockout mouse has been created, a breakthrough that opens vast possibilities for future research. The paper was published online in the journal Development on July 24. (Science Daily)
Enzyme Important In Aging Identified Jul 14, 2009
ScienceDaily (July 13, 2009) The secret to longevity may lie in an enzyme with the ability to promote a robust immune system into old age by maintaining the function of the thymus throughout life, according to researchers studying an "anti-aging" mouse model that lives longer than a typical mouse. The study, led by Abbe de Vallejo, Ph. (Science Daily)
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC scientists identify enzyme important in aging Jul 11, 2009
Public release date: 10-Jul-2009. Contact: Marc Lukasiak. (EurekAlert!)
Genetically engineered mice yield clues to 'knocking out' cancer Jul 2, 2009
This is a section of lung tissue from a double knockout mouse, stained to show lung tumors. Mice lacking both the neil1 and nth1 genes were particularly prone to pulmonary. (EurekAlert!)
Mouse With 'Humanized Version' Of Human Language Gene Provides Clues To Language Development Jun 25, 2009
In a second step to further substantiate this hypothesis, the Helmholtz scientists analyzed the heterozygous knockout mouse model in which one of the normally two copies of the Foxp2 gene is missing. This loss leads to serious changes: The ability of the mice to hear and learn is diminished in comparison to their healthy littermates; they have more fat and less muscle, and they eat more and consume more energy. (Science Daily)
Biologists Discover A Protein Link To Wound Healing Apr 2, 2009
We are also using the caspase-8 knockout mouse as a model system to study eczema in order to identify the players that contribute to this disorder and thereby unveil new therapeutic targets to attack a disease that affects 10 to 20 percent of children worldwide, Jamora said. The number of cases of eczema and diabetics with complications from impaired wound healing are both rising dramatically and we hope that our current efforts to understand the regulation and function of caspase 8 in the skin... (Science Daily)
Premature Newborns Lack 'Death NET' To Fight Sepsis Mar 24, 2009
23, 2009) When locked in mortal combat with infection, some mature white blood cells have a formidable weapon: they literally cast a DNA net called a neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) that captures and kills bacteria that invade the human body. But the ability to form this "death" NET is missing in the white blood cells of newborn infants, born either at term or prematurely, and that, in part, may explain why millions of newborns worldwide are at higher risk for a potentially deadly blood... (Science Daily)
New 'Light' On Fascinating Rhythms Of Circadian Clock Feb 20, 2009
"In conjunction with colleagues at Dartmouth Medical School and Norris Cotton Cancer Center, we produced a knockout mouse that does not express the Id2 gene and is thus null for the functional Id2 protein. By exposing these mice to a time-zone change in their light-dark cycle, we were able to examine the effect of artificial jet lag. We altered the light-dark conditions for these mice to produce an effect that was the equivalent of a person flying from Athens to Los Angeles, a 10-hour delay of... (Science Daily)
Removal of Hsf4 leads to cataract development in mice through down-regulation of gammaS-crystallin and Bfsp expression Feb 19, 2009
In an attempt to determine how the underlying biomedical and physiological mechanisms resulting from loss of HSF4 contribute to cataract formation, we generated an Hsf4 knockout mouse model. We showed that the Hsf4 knockout mouse (Hsf4-/-) partially mimics the human cataract caused by HSF4 mutations. (BioMed Central)
Possible Drug Target For Obesity Treatment A 'No-brainer' Feb 10, 2009
In addition to being obese, the Jhdm2a knockout mouse also developed other characteristics related to human metabolic disorder, such as hyperlipidemia (raised lipid levels) and insulin resistance ... One of the lines of research Zhang and his colleagues will pursue is to conduct experiments with "conditional" knockout mouse models, in which the gene of interest is functionally removed from specific tissues, such as, in this case, brown fat or muscle tissue. (Science Daily)
Team led by Scripps Scientists increases understanding of two types of blindness Feb 7, 2009
Public release date: 6-Feb-2009. Contact: Keith McKeown. (EurekAlert!)
