The FOXP2 gene is important for the development of proper speech motor control in humans. However, the role of the gene in general vocal behavior in other mammals, including mice, is unclear. Here, we track the vocal development of Foxp2 heterozygous knockout (Foxp2+/−) mice and their wildtype (WT) littermates from juvenile to adult ages, and observe severe abnormalities in the courtship song o...

Cover illustration: The cover image is based on the Technical Note A CRISPR/Cas9-engineered mouse carrying a conditional knockout allele for early growth response-1 transcription factor by Vineet K. Maurya et al., https://doi.org/10.1002/dvg.23515.

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) plays a central role in the renin-angiotensin system. Whereas ACE is responsible for the production of angiotensin II, it is also important in the elimination of bradykinin. Constitutively, the biological function of bradykinin is mediated through the bradykinin B(2) receptor. ACE knockout mice have a complicated phenotype including very low blood pressure. T...

The cover image is based on the Original Article Muscleblind-Like 2 knockout shifts adducin 1 isoform expression and alters dendritic spine dynamics of cortical neurons during brain development by Chia-Wei Huang et al., https://doi.org/10.1111/nan.12890.

multipotent skin-derived stem cell, and a purified neural stem cell from the brain have come on the scene at a delicate time in the debate over embryonic stem cell research. Each success in isolating adult stem cells, such as these cells, gives ammunition to opponents of embryonic stem cell research, who point to adult-derived stem cells as an alternative source of transplant-ready material. Th...

We report the first detailed study of the relative importance of the stripping and diffraction mechanisms involved in nucleon knockout reactions, by the use of a coincidence measurement of the residue and fast proton following one-proton knockout reactions. The measurements used the S800 spectrograph in combination with the HiRA detector array at the NSCL. Results for the reactions 9Be(9C,8B+X)...

Organic cation transporter (OCT)1 and OCT2 mediate hepatic uptake and secretory renal clearance of metformin, respectively. Pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic (PK/PD) implications of simultaneous impairment of both transporters, such as by systemic pan-OCT inhibition, have not been studied directly. At present metformin PK/PD, distribution, and excretion were studied in Oct1/Oct2-knockout mice. Me...

Null mice for the dopamine D2 receptor (D2R) have been instrumental in understanding function of this protein. For our research, we obtained functional D2R knockout mouse strain described initially 1997. Surprisingly, biochemical characterization showed that is not a true knockout. We determined by sequence analysis rapid 3′ amplification cDNA ends express transcripts lack only eighth exon. Fur...

The small GTP-binding protein Rab8 is known to play an essential role in intracellular transport and cilia formation. We have previously demonstrated that Rab8a is required for localising apical markers in various organisms. Rab8a has a closely related isoform, Rab8b. To determine whether Rab8b can compensate for Rab8a, we generated Rab8b-knockout mice. Although the Rab8b-knockout mice did not ...

We investigated the coupling of muscarinic receptor (M) subtypes to phosphoinositide hydrolysis in ileum and urinary bladder using muscarinic receptor knockout mice. In urinary bladder from wild-type mice, the muscarinic agonist oxotremorine-M, elicited a robust phosphoinositide response characterized by an EC50 value of 0.22 microM and a maximal response (Emax) of 32.8% conversion of [3H]inosi...