Retinal degeneration 3 (RD3) is an evolutionarily conserved 23 kDa protein expressed in rod and cone photoreceptor cells. Mutations in the gene encoding RD3 resulting in unstable non-functional C-terminal truncated proteins are responsible for early onset photoreceptor degeneration in Leber Congenital Amaurosis 12 patients, the rd3 mice, and the rcd2 collies. Recent studies have shown that RD3 ...

The mammalian retina contains at least two guanylyl cyclases (GC1 and GC2) and two guanylyl cyclase-activating proteins (GCAP1 and GCAP2). Here we present evidence of the presence of a new photoreceptor-specific GCAP, termed GCAP3, which is closely related to GCAP1. The sequence similarity of GCAP3 with GCAP1 and GCAP2 is 57 and 49%, respectively. Recombinant GCAP3 and GCAP2 stimulate GC1 and G...

We describe an algorithm for automated generation of multi-parted airplane wings from a cross-section given by a point cloud and the top view of the wing. The relative thickness of the wing (thickness/chord) can be varied from section to section. A rounded tip with two design parameters and GC1-continuity at the crossing to the wing is automatically computed. Constrained approximation and fairi...

Background: A novel way to assess the autonomic vascular functional unit of the upper extremity is the sympathetic vasomotor response of the radial artery using continuous wave Doppler ultrasonography. We used this method to determine whether such response is impaired in patients with end stage renal disease (ESRD). Methods: 43 patients with ESRD on renal replacement therapy(Ga), 48 normal heal...

Bovine herpesviruses 1 (BoHV-1) and 5 (BoHV-5) share high genetic and antigenic similarities, but exhibit marked differences in tissue tropism and neurovirulence. The amino-terminal region of glycoprotein C (gC), which is markedly different in each of the viruses, is involved in virus binding to cellular receptors and in interactions with the immune system. This study investigated the genetic a...

Phencyclidine (PCP) and some of its pharmacological congeners inhibit the signal transduction at specific excitatory amino acid receptors of cerebellar granule cells in primary cultures. These drugs do not bind to the transmitter recognition sites, and affinity of this specific binding site is increased by the presence of the transmitter bound to its recognition sites. PCP inhibits phosphatidyl...

We have recently produced EMS-induced knock-out mutations at the Gc2 locus that were derived from Ae. sharonensis. Our data suggest that the Gc2 mutant is a knock-out of the gene encoding for the breaking agent. For analyzing the interactions of the Gc2 mutants with other Gc genes from different Aegilops species, we have crossed stocks with functional and mutant Gc2 genes with stocks having Gc ...

The retinas of the retinal degeneration (rd) chicken are fully developed and possess normal morphology at hatching but fail to respond to light stimulation. Analyses of retinal cGMP, the internal messenger of phototransduction, show that the amount of cGMP in predegenerate, fully developed rd/rd photoreceptors is 5-10 times less than that seen in normal photoreceptor cells. We show that the low...

Multiply antibiotic-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii isolate D36 was recovered in Australia in 2008 and belongs to a distinct lineage of global clone 1 (GC1). Here, we present the complete 4.13 Mbp genome sequence (chromosome plus 4 plasmids), generated via long read sequencing (PacBio).