Glyoxalase 1 and glutathione reductase 1 regulate anxiety in mice

Anxiety and fear are normal emotional responses to threatening situations. In human anxiety disorders--such as panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, social phobia, specific phobias and generalized anxiety disorder--these responses are exaggerated. The molecular mechanisms involved in the regulation of normal and pathological anxiety are mostly unknown. However, the availability of different inbred strains of mice offers an excellent model system in which to study the genetics of certain behavioural phenotypes. Here we report, using a combination of behavioural analysis of six inbred mouse strains with quantitative gene expression profiling of several brain regions, the identification of 17 genes with expression patterns that correlate with anxiety-like behavioural phenotypes. To determine if two of the genes, glyoxalase 1 and glutathione reductase 1, have a causal role in the genesis of anxiety, we performed genetic manipulation using lentivirus-mediated gene transfer. Local overexpression of these genes in the mouse brain resulted in increased anxiety-like behaviour, while local inhibition of glyoxalase 1 expression by RNA interference decreased the anxiety-like behaviour. Both of these genes are involved in oxidative stress metabolism, linking this pathway with anxiety-related behaviour.     

Genomics, gene expression and DNA arrays

Experimental genomics in combination with the growing body of sequence information promise to revolutionize the way cells and cellular processes are studied. Information on genomic sequence can be used experimentally with high-density DNA arrays that allow complex mixtures of RNA and DNA to be interrogated in a parallel and quantitative fashion. DNA arrays can be used for many different purposes, most prominently to measure levels of gene expression (messenger RNA abundance) for tens of thousands of genes simultaneously. Measurements of gene expression and other applications of arrays embody much of what is implied by the term 'genomics'; they are broad in scope, large in scale, and take advantage of all available sequence information for experimental design and data interpretation in pursuit of biological understanding.     

Mechanical properties of the radula protractor ofBusycon canaliculatum

Zusammenfassung Der Radula Protractormuskel vonBusycon canaliculatum unterscheidet sich vom Herzmuskel, aber er verhält sich wie andere glatte Muskeln von andern Mollusken in der Beziehung zwischen passiver und aktiver Kraft.