Project description:A recent physiological study established that hindlimb unloading of rats at 3 and 7 weeks inhibits healing of injured ligaments, resulting in a badly aligned, discontinuous collagen matrix. Using tissue from these rats, we focused on the 3-week time point employing microarray analysis to identify what cellular processes or lack of processes could account for these observed deficiencies. We used the Affymetrix RG_U34A GeneChip and performed image analysis with Microarray Suite 5.0. For normalization we used the MAS global normalization protocol with a default target mean signal of 500. Gene expression in medial collateral ligament tissue under 4 different treatment conditions was measured: loaded control, loaded wound healing, unloaded control, and unloaded wound healing. From our results, it appears that unloaded tissue lags behind loaded tissue in its progression through the healing process and at 3 weeks is still engaged in the proliferative phase, whereas loaded tissue is actively remodeling its collagen matrix.
Project description:A recent physiological study established that hindlimb unloading of rats at 3 and 7 weeks inhibits healing of injured ligaments, resulting in a badly aligned, discontinuous collagen matrix. Using tissue from these rats, we focused on the 3-week time point employing microarray analysis to identify what cellular processes or lack of processes could account for these observed deficiencies. We used the Afyymetrix RG_U34A GeneChip and performed image analysis with Microarray Suite 5.0. For normalization we used the MAS global normalization protocol with a default target mean signal of 500. Gene expression in medial collateral ligament tissue under 4 different treatment conditions was measured: loaded control, loaded wound healing, unloaded control, and unloaded wound healing. From our results, it appears that unloaded tissue lags behind loaded tissue in its progression through the healing process and at 3 weeks is still engaged in the proliferative phase, whereas loaded tissue is actively remodeling its collagen matrix. Summary tables below: Affymetrix MAS comparative analysis data for the 1778 genes qualified for further analysis as a result of detection call values. Keywords: other
Project description:Commensal bacteria can manipulate the proliferation, differentiation, and survival of intestinal epithelial cells. Hindlimb unloading alters the composition and structure of the microbial community. To further characterize the epithelial changes, we performed a genome-wide microarray analysis of colon epithelium isolated from HU and control mice.
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.