0000000001073061
AUTHOR
Gabriele Spatkowski
Unique clockwork in photoreceptor of rat
In mammals, the retina contains a clock system that oscillates independently of the master clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus and allows the retina to anticipate and to adapt to the sustained daily changes in ambient illumination. Using a combination of laser capture micro-dissection and quantitative PCR in the present study, the clockwork of mammalian photoreceptors has been recorded. The transcript amounts of the core clock genes Clock, Bmal1, Period1 (Per1), Per3, Cryptochrome2, and Casein kinase Ie in photoreceptors of rat retina have been found to undergo daily changes. Clock and Bmal1 peak with Per1 and Per3 around dark onset, whereas Casein kinase Ie and Cryptochrome2 peak at night…
Synaptic tetraspan vesicle membrane proteins are conserved but not needed for synaptogenesis and neuronal function in Caenorhabditis elegans
Tetraspan vesicle membrane proteins (TVPs) comprise a major portion of synaptic vesicle proteins, yet their contribution to the synaptic vesicle cycle is poorly understood. TVPs are grouped in three mammalian gene families: physins, gyrins, and secretory carrier-associated membrane proteins (SCAMPs). In Caenorhabditis elegans , only a single member of each of these families exists. These three nematode TVPs colocalize to the same vesicular compartment when expressed in mammalian cells, suggesting that they could serve overlapping functions. To examine their function, C. elegans null mutants were isolated for each gene, and a triple mutant was generated. Surprisingly, these animals develop …