Project description:Familial Hemiplegic Migraine type 1 (FHM1) is a rare monogenic subtype of migraine with aura caused by mutations in CACNA1A that encodes the a1A subunit of voltage-gated CaV2.1 calcium channels. Transgenic knock-in mice that carry the human FHM1 R192Q missense mutation (“FHM1 R192Q mice”) exhibit an increased susceptibility to cortical spreading depression (CSD), the mechanism underlying migraine aura. Here we analysed gene expression profiles from isolated cortical tissue of FHM1 R192Q mice 24 hours after experimentally induced CSD in order to identify molecular pathways affected by CSD. Gene expression profiles were generated using deep Serial Analysis of Gene Expression sequencing. Our data reveal a signature of inflammatory signalling upon CSD in the cortex of both mutant and wild-type mice. However, only in the brains of FHM1 R192Q mice specific genes are up-regulated in response to CSD that are implicated in interferon-related inflammatory signalling. Our findings show that CSD modulates inflammatory processes in both wild-type and mutant brains, but that an additional unique inflammatory signature becomes expressed after CSD in a relevant mouse model of migraine.
Project description:Familial Hemiplegic Migraine type 1 (FHM1) is a rare monogenic subtype of migraine with aura caused by mutations in CACNA1A that encodes the a1A subunit of voltage-gated CaV2.1 calcium channels. Transgenic knock-in mice that carry the human FHM1 R192Q missense mutation (âFHM1 R192Q miceâ) exhibit an increased susceptibility to cortical spreading depression (CSD), the mechanism underlying migraine aura. Here we analysed gene expression profiles from isolated cortical tissue of FHM1 R192Q mice 24 hours after experimentally induced CSD in order to identify molecular pathways affected by CSD. Gene expression profiles were generated using deep Serial Analysis of Gene Expression sequencing. Our data reveal a signature of inflammatory signalling upon CSD in the cortex of both mutant and wild-type mice. However, only in the brains of FHM1 R192Q mice specific genes are up-regulated in response to CSD that are implicated in interferon-related inflammatory signalling. Our findings show that CSD modulates inflammatory processes in both wild-type and mutant brains, but that an additional unique inflammatory signature becomes expressed after CSD in a relevant mouse model of migraine. Cortical RNA expression analysis using deepSAGE sequencing of wild-type (C57BL/6J) or transgenic R192Q FHM1 mice (n=6 per experimental group) 24 hours after sham surgery or the induction of 7 cortical spreading depression episodes
Project description:Knowledge of black vulture (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vulture (Cathartes aura) spatial ecology is surprisingly limited despite their vital ecological roles. Fine-scale assessments of space use patterns and resource selection are particularly lacking, although development of tracking technologies has allowed data collection at finer temporal and spatial resolution. Objectives of this study were to conduct the first assessment of monthly home range and core area sizes of resident black and turkey vultures with consideration to sex, as well as elucidate differences in monthly, seasonal, and annual activity patterns based on fine-scale movement data analyses. We collected 2.8-million locations for 9 black and 9 turkey vultures from June 2013 -August 2015 using solar-powered GSM/GPS transmitters. We quantified home ranges and core areas using the dynamic Brownian bridge movement model and evaluated differences as a function of species, sex, and month. Mean monthly home ranges for turkey vultures were ~50% larger than those of black vultures, although mean core area sizes did not differ between species. Turkey vulture home ranges varied little across months, with exception to a notable reduction in space-use in May, which corresponds with timing of chick-rearing activities. Black vulture home ranges and core areas as well as turkey vulture core areas were larger in breeding season months (January-April). Comparison of space use between male and female vultures was only possible for black vultures, and space use was only slightly larger for females during breeding months (February-May). Analysis of activity patterns revealed turkey vultures spend more time in flight and switch motion states (between flight and stationary) more frequently than black vultures across temporal scales. This study reveals substantive variability in space use and activity rates between sympatric black and turkey vultures, providing insights into potential behavioral mechanisms contributing to niche differentiation between these species.