Replication of the hepadnavirus genome occurs by reverse transcription of an RNA pregenome and is mediated by the viral polymerase; the polymerase is also required for packaging of the pregenome through interaction with the RNA packaging signal, epsilon. Previous work suggested that reverse transcription of minus-strand DNA initiates within the sequence element DR1 (direct repeat 1) and that di...

Background: Human tauopathy brain injections into the mouse induce development of tau aggregates, which spread to functionally connected regions; however, features this neurotoxicity remain unclear. One reason may be short observational periods because previous studies mostly used mutated-tau transgenic mice and needed complete study before these developed neurofibrillary tangles. Objective: To...

On Thursday 9 May 1991, the world awoke to front-page news of a breakthrough in biological research. From Washington to Wollongong, newspapers, radio and TV were abuzz with the story of a transgenic mouse in London called Randy. Why was this mouse so special? The mouse in question was a chromosomal female (XX) made male by the presence of a transgene containing the Y chromosome gene Sry This se...

Background: Transgenic mice are being considered as invaluable tool in biological sciences towards comprehension of the cause of the genetic diseases. Manipulated embryonic stem (ES) cells are used to produce loss-of-function mutant mice. Microinjection of manipulated ES cells into blastocoel cavity, and morula fusion are the two main techniques in producing transgenic mice. So...

transgenic (tg) mice are very important models of disease, and have been introduced to biological studies since 1982. they are used for understanding the pathobiology of different diseases, finding targets for pharmacological manipulations, and for the evaluation of efficacy and toxicity of medicines in preclinical studies. many different types of tg mice are available as models for human disea...

A recent study using a transgenic mouse, whose intestinal mucus contains a molecule made of 12 copies of a domain found in many gelling mucins, demonstrates that it is possible to strengthen mucus properties in situ, leading to promising new treatment strategies in diseases in which the mucosal barrier is impaired.

Dr1 (also known as NC2beta) was identified as a repressor of RNA polymerase (pol) II transcription. It was subsequently shown to inhibit pol III transcription when expressed at high levels in vitro or in yeast cells. However, endogenous Dr1 was not detected at pol III-transcribed genes in growing yeast. In contrast, we demonstrate that endogenous Dr1 is present at pol III templates in human cel...

Abstract Background and Aims Our previous studies have shown that angiogenic growth factors are dysregulated in fibrotic kidneys. In murine models of progressive renal disease, angiopoietin-2 (Angpt2) was upregulated injured tubule epithelial cells. We hypothesize overexpression Angpt2 cells would exacerbate fibrosis inflammation. Method The unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) ischemia-reperf...

Hepatitis B virus (HBV) persistence may be due to impaired HBV-specific immune responses being unable to eliminate efficiently or cure infected hepatocytes. The immune mechanisms that lead to HBV persistence have not been completely identified, and no appropriate animal model is available for such studies. Therefore, we established a chronic HBV infection model in a mouse strain with human leuk...