Project description:Inflammation is a key component of pathological angiogenesis. Here we induce cornea neovascularisation using sutures placed into the cornea, and sutures are removed to induce a regression phase. We used whole transcriptome microarray to monitor gene expression profies of several genes
Project description:Depression is a heterogeneous disorder characterized by a wide range of symptoms, including but not restricted to increased anxiety-like behavior, altered stress responsivity, increased depressive like behavior, decreased pleasure seeking, and altered susceptibility to drugs of abuse. Adding another level of complexity to the disease is the fact that individuals differ in their susceptibility to depression. Research done over the past decade has highlighted the contribution of early life adverse experience to this individual differences in vulnerability to depression. Such studies have been done at the clinical as well as the preclinical level, where rodent and primate models of adverse postnatal environment such as Maternal Separation (MS) are used. MS involves separation of the pup from the dam for 3h every day for the first two weeks of postnatal life. The MS model has been characterized to produce long lasting anxiety-like behavior, depressive behavior and altered stress responsivity in adulthood. While several molecular mechanisms have been hypothesized to mediate the long lasting effects of MS, the serotonin 2a receptor is an attractive candidate, given its role in regulating anxiety-like behavior. So we set out to ask if Maternal Separation alters the 5HT2a responses. In order to assay if MS alters the transcriptional targets of the 5Ht2a receptor, we use a drug that stimulates the 5Ht2a receptor, DOI. The experiment involves injecting both control and MS animals with DOI and looking at the transcriptome induced by DOI under control and MS conditions. This would help understand how the adverse early life experience MS, alters the transcriptional response of an adult rat to stimulation at the 5HT2a receptor, which is physiologically seen in conditions of stress. Maternal Separation (MS) was carried out according to standard protocol. Briefly, upon birth the litters were assigned to either the control or the maternal separation group. Pups from the maternal separation litters were separated from their mother every day for a period of 3 hours from postnatal day 2 (p2) to postnatal day 14 (p14) while the control litters were left undisturbed. After p14, the maternally separated pups were left undisturbed and all litters were weaned at postnatal day 30. Experiments on adult control and MS rats were performed at postnatal day 60. We wanted to ask if a history of adverse experience in early life like MS would alter the transcriptional response of the adult rat to the 5Ht2a agonist DOI. In order to measure the transcriptional changes induced by DOI in control and maternally separated animals, 15 rats (7 - Control and 8 - Maternally Separated) were injected i.p. with either saline or 8 mg/kg DOI. The groups included Control (Control rats injected with saline; n=3), DOI (control rats injected with 8 mg/kg DOI; n=4), MS (MS rats injected with saline, n=4) and MS+ DOI (MS rats injected with 8 mg/kg DOI, n=4). Rats were sacrificed 2 hours after the injection by decapitation. The prefrontal cortex was quickly dissected out and stored at -70 till further use. Total RNA from each rat was extracted, labeled with Cy3 and hybridized onto Agilent Custom Rat Array 8X15K (AMADID: G2509F_16352). Each biological replicate was hybridized onto one array making the total number of arrays 15.
Project description:Few studies have assessed the patterns of parasite populations of rodents over a longitudinal gradient in Chile. In this work, the gastrointestinal helminthic fauna of invasive rodents in Chile was examined to assess the association between their presence/absence and abundance with latitude, host sex, and host body condition, and to assess the coexistence and correlation of the abundance between parasite species. Rodents were obtained from 20 localities between 33 and 43°S. Helminths were extracted from the gastrointestinal tract and identified morphologically. Overall, 13 helminth taxa were obtained. The most frequently identified parasite species was Heterakis spumosa, and the most abundant was Syphacia muris, while Physaloptera sp. was the most widely distributed. No locality presented with a coexistence that was different from that expected by chance, while the abundance of five helminthic species correlated with the abundance of another in at least one locality, most likely due to co-infection rather than interaction. Host sex was associated with parasite presence or abundance, and female sex-biased parasitism was notably observed in all cases. Body condition and latitude presented either a positive or negative association with the presence or abundance of parasites depending on the species. It is notable that the likely native Physaloptera sp. is widely distributed among invasive rodents. Further, gravid females were found, suggesting spillback of this species to the native fauna. The low frequency and abundance of highly zoonotic hymenolepid species suggest that rodents are of low concern regarding gastrointestinal zoonotic helminths.
Project description:The Norway rat has important impacts on our life. They are amongst the most used research subjects, resulting in ground-breaking advances. At the same time, wild rats live in close association with us, leading to various adverse interactions. In face of this relevance, it is surprising how little is known about their natural behaviour. While recent laboratory studies revealed their complex social skills, little is known about their social behaviour in the wild. An integration of these different scientific approaches is crucial to understand their social life, which will enable us to design more valid research paradigms, develop more effective management strategies, and to provide better welfare standards. Hence, I first summarise the literature on their natural social behaviour. Second, I provide an overview of recent developments concerning their social cognition. Third, I illustrate why an integration of these areas would be beneficial to optimise our interactions with them.