MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small endogenous RNAs and are widely regarded as one of the most important regulators of gene expression in both plants and animals. To define the roles of miRNAs in fetal lung development, we profiled the miRNA expression pattern during lung development with a miRNA microarray. We identified 21 miRNAs that showed significant changes in expression during lung development....

The study was undertaken to examine banana cv. Kanthali floral bud apex as an alternative source material for in vitro propagation because huge number of explants die due to microbial contamination in case of shoot tip explants. Contamination free cultures were established by treating the floral bud explants with 0.1% HgCl2 for 6 min. This study found that inflorescence tissues of experimental ...

We analyzed matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) production by 11-d embryonic mouse kidneys and the effects of these enzymes on subsequent renal organogenesis. In vivo, immunolocalization of metalloproteinases by laser scanning confocal microscopy and zymograms of kidney lysates showed that the mesenchyme of embryonic kidneys synthesized both MMP9 and MMP2 enzymes. In vitro, embryonic kidneys also se...

An efficient protocol was achieved for rapid propagation of Wedelia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr. through axillary bud proliferation and ex vitro rooting. Murashige and Skoog (MS) medium supplemented with benzyladenine (BA; 8.87 microM) and indole-3-butyric acid (IBA; 2.46 microM) was optimal for axillary bud proliferation, which developed a mean of 8.3 shoots/node. Excision and culture of node segm...

A new culture system for the embryonic pancreas enables the formation of a branched organ in vitro. In such cultures, each terminal branch originates as a small bud and the number of buds and of terminal branches increases progressively with the expansion of the culture. However buds can also be resorbed during growth. The normal labelling index of cells in incipient buds ("tips") is greater th...

BACKGROUND The low survival rate of in vitro regenerated Panax ginseng plantlets after transfer to soil is the main obstacle for their successful micropropagation and molecular breeding. In most cases, young plantlets converted from somatic embryos are transferred to soil. METHODS In vitro thickened taproots, which were produced after prolonged culture of ginseng plantlets, were transferred t...

The induction, growth, and differentiation of epithelial lung buds are regulated by the interaction of signals between the lung epithelium and its surrounding mesenchyme. Fibroblast growth factor-10 (FGF-10), which is expressed in the mesenchyme near the distal tips, and bone morphogenetic protein 4 (BMP4), which is expressed in the most distal regions of the epithelium, are important molecules...

Growth factor-dependent epithelial morphological changes and proliferation are essential for the formation of tubular structures, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are poorly understood. Co-stimulation with Wnt3a and epidermal growth factor (Wnt3a/EGF) induced development of tubes consisting of intestinal epithelial cells by inducing expression of Arl4c, an Arf-like small GTP-binding prot...