Search results for "MESH: Animals"
showing 10 items of 121 documents
Toxicity of ligand-dependent Cre recombinases and generation of a conditional Cre deleter mouse allowing mosaic recombination in peripheral tissues.
2007
Ligand-activated Cre recombinases are widely used for studying gene function in vitro and in conditional mouse models. To compare ligand-dependent Cre recombinases, different Cre estrogen receptor fusions were introduced into the ROSA26 locus of embryonic stem (ES) cells and assayed for genotoxicity and recombination efficiency. Of the tested recombinases, the CreERT2 variant showed no toxicity and was highly responsive to ligand induction. To constitutively express CreERT2 in mice and also to clarify whether the CreERT2 system displays background activity, we generated a knock-in mouse line harboring the CreERT2 coding region under the control of the ROSA26 locus. Analysis of this ROSA26-…
S-nitrosylation of the death receptor fas promotes fas ligand-mediated apoptosis in cancer cells.
2011
International audience; BACKGROUND & AIMS: Fas belongs to the family of tumor necrosis factor receptors which induce apoptosis. Many cancer cells express Fas but do not undergo Fas-mediated apoptosis. Nitric oxide reverses this resistance by increasing levels of Fas at the plasma membrane. We studied the mechanisms by which NO affects Fas function. METHODS: Colon and mammary cancer cell lines were incubated with the NO donor glyceryl trinitrate or lipid A; S-nitrosylation of Fas was monitored using the biotin switch assay. Fas constructs that contained mutations at cysteine residues that prevent S-nitrosylation were used to investigate the involvement of S-nitrosylation in Fas-mediated cell…
The nuclear receptor PPARγ selectively inhibits Th17 differentiation in a T cell–intrinsic fashion and suppresses CNS autoimmunity
2009
T helper cells secreting interleukin (IL)-17 (Th17 cells) play a crucial role in autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). Th17 differentiation, which is induced by a combination of transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta/IL-6 or IL-21, requires expression of the transcription factor retinoic acid receptor-related orphan receptor gamma t (ROR gamma t). We identify the nuclear receptor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR gamma) as a key negative regulator of human and mouse Th17 differentiation. PPAR gamma activation in CD4(+) T cells selectively suppressed Th17 differentiation, but not differentiation into Th1, Th2, or regulatory T cells. Control of Th17 differentia…
Mammary odor cues and pheromones: mammalian infant-directed communication about maternal state, mammae, and milk
2010
International audience; Neonatal mammals are exposed to an outstandingly powerful selective pressure at birth, and any mean to alleviate their localization effort and accelerate acceptance to orally grasp a nipple and ingest milk should have had advantageous consequences over evolutionary time. Thus, it is essential for females to display a biological interface structure that is sensorily conspicuous and executively easy for their newborns. Females' strategy to increase the conspicuousness of nipples could only exploit the newborns' most advanced and conserved sensory systems, touch and olfaction, and selection has accordingly shaped tactilely and olfactorily conspicuous mammary structures.…
Apelin treatment increases complete Fatty Acid oxidation, mitochondrial oxidative capacity, and biogenesis in muscle of insulin-resistant mice.
2012
Both acute and chronic apelin treatment have been shown to improve insulin sensitivity in mice. However, the effects of apelin on fatty acid oxidation (FAO) during obesity-related insulin resistance have not yet been addressed. Thus, the aim of the current study was to determine the impact of chronic treatment on lipid use, especially in skeletal muscles. High-fat diet (HFD)-induced obese and insulin-resistant mice treated by an apelin injection (0.1 μmol/kg/day i.p.) during 4 weeks had decreased fat mass, glycemia, and plasma levels of triglycerides and were protected from hyperinsulinemia compared with HFD PBS-treated mice. Indirect calorimetry experiments showed that apelin-treated mice…
Screening of lactic acid bacteria for reducing power using a tetrazolium salt reduction method on milk agar.
2013
WOS:000315703100020 ; www.elsevier.com/locate/jbiosc; International audience; Reducing activity is a physiological property of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) of technological importance. We developed a solid medium with tetrazolium dyes enabling weakly and strongly reducing LAB to be discriminated. It was used to quantify populations in a mixed culture (spreading method) and screen strains (spot method).
Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase/vascular adhesion protein-1 deficiency reduces leukocyte infiltration into adipose tissue and favors fat deposi…
2009
1525-2191 (Electronic) Journal Article; Obesity is associated with low-grade inflammation and leukocyte infiltration in white adipose tissue (WAT) and is linked to diabetic complications. Semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase, also known as vascular adhesion protein-1 (SSAO/VAP-1), is a membrane protein that is highly expressed in adipocytes and is also present on the endothelial cell surface where it is involved in leukocyte extravasation. We studied fat deposition and leukocyte infiltration in WAT of mice with a null mutation in the amine oxidase copper-containing-3 (AOC3) gene encoding SSAO/VAP-1. Both epididymal and inguinal WATs were larger in 6-month-old AOC3-KO males than in age-matc…
Pig domestication and human-mediated dispersal in western Eurasia revealed through ancient DNA and geometric morphometrics.
2013
Zooarcheological evidence suggests that pigs were domesticated in Southwest Asia ∼8,500 BC. They then spread across the Middle and Near East and westward into Europe alongside early agriculturalists. European pigs were either domesticated independently or more likely appeared so as a result of admixture between introduced pigs and European wild boar. As a result, European wild boar mtDNA lineages replaced Near Eastern/Anatolian mtDNA signatures in Europe and subsequently replaced indigenous domestic pig lineages in Anatolia. The specific details of these processes, however, remain unknown. To address questions related to early pig domestication, dispersal, and turnover in the Near East, we …
Anti-inflammatory Lactobacillus rhamnosus CNCM I-3690 strain protects against oxidative stress and increases lifespan in Caenorhabditis elegans.
2012
International audience; Numerous studies have shown that resistance to oxidative stress is crucial to stay healthy and to reduce the adverse effects of aging. Accordingly, nutritional interventions using antioxidant food-grade compounds or food products are currently an interesting option to help improve health and quality of life in the elderly. Live lactic acid bacteria (LAB) administered in food, such as probiotics, may be good antioxidant candidates. Nevertheless, information about LAB-induced oxidative stress protection is scarce. To identify and characterize new potential antioxidant probiotic strains, we have developed a new functional screening method using the nematode Caenorhabdit…
TRAIL in cancer therapy: present and future challenges.
2007
International audience; Since its identification in 1995, TNF-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) has sparked growing interest in oncology due to its reported ability to selectively trigger cancer cell death. In contrast to other members of the TNF superfamily, TRAIL administration in vivo is safe. The relative absence of toxic side effects of this naturally occurring cytokine, in addition to its antitumoural properties, has led to its preclinical evaluation. However, despite intensive investigations, little is known in regards to the mechanisms underlying TRAIL selectivity or efficiency. An appropriate understanding of its physiological relevance, and of the mechanisms controlling ca…