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M Hanks

Publications and source records attributed to M Hanks.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

The mouse Engrailed-1 gene and ventral limb patterning.

During vertebrate limb development, positional information must be specified along three distinct axes. Although much progress has been made in our understanding of the molecular interactions involved in anterior-posterior and proximal-distal limb patterning, less is known about dorsal-ventral patterning. The genes Wnt-7a and Lmx-1, which are expressed in dorsal limb ectoderm and mesoderm, respectively, are thought to be important regulators of dorsal limb differentiation. Whether a complementary set of molecules controls ventral limb development has not been clear. Here we report that Engrailed-1, a homeodomain-containing transcription factor expressed in embryonic ventral limb ectoderm, is essential for ventral limb patterning. Loss of Engrailed-1 function in mice results in dorsal transformations of ventral paw structures, and in subtle alterations along the proximal-distal limb axis. Engrailed-1 seems to act in part by repressing dorsal differentiation induced by Wnt-7a, and is essential for proper formation of the apical ectodermal ridge.

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Rescue of the En-1 mutant phenotype by replacement of En-1 with En-2.

The related mouse Engrailed genes En-1 and En-2 are expressed from the one- and approximately five-somite stages, respectively, in a similar presumptive mid-hindbrain domain. However, mutations in En-1 and En-2 produce different phenotypes. En-1 mutant mice die at birth with a large mid-hindbrain deletion, whereas En-2 mutants are viable, with cerebellar defects. To determine whether these contrasting phenotypes reflect differences in temporal expression or biochemical activity of the En proteins, En-1 coding sequences were replaced with En-2 sequences by gene targeting. This rescued all En-1 mutant defects, demonstrating that the difference between En-1 and En-2 stems from their divergent expression patterns.

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Specific antibodies in serum and vaginal mucus of heifers inoculated with a vaccine containing Tritrichomonas foetus.

Thirty-five heifers were allotted to 3 groups. Group 1 (control) consisted of 10 heifers that were not vaccinated and were challenge exposed by breeding to infected bulls. Group 2 (natural challenge exposure) consisted of 10 heifers that were vaccinated and challenge exposed by breeding to infected bulls. Group 3 (experimental challenge exposure) consisted of 15 heifers that were vaccinated and challenge exposed by breeding to infected bulls and by intravaginal inoculation with 10(7) Tritrichomonas foetus. Total immunoglobulin concentrations and specific trichomonal antibodies were determined in serum and vaginal secretions of heifers, using radial immunodiffusion and ELISA procedures. Control heifers remained infected for a mean of 10.6 weeks (range, 0 to 18 weeks), and heifers of the natural and experimental challenge-exposure groups remained infected for 3.2 and 5.0 weeks, respectively (range, 0 to 12 weeks). Total serum and cervicovaginal mucus concentrations of IgM, IgA, IgG1, and IgG2 did not change significantly after vaccination or challenge exposure. However, ELISA titers of total trichomonal antibodies increased up to 1:10,000 (range, 1:400 to 1:10,000) in serum after vaccination, and increased approximately tenfold above background in cervicovaginal mucus. In serum, the predominant trichomonal antibody isotype was IgG1, although trichomonal IgA and IgM antibodies also increased. The predominant trichomonal antibody detected in cervicovaginal mucus was IgA. Antibody titers in serum and cervicovaginal mucus of vaccinated heifers were not increased by infection. However, in control heifers, the total local trichomonal antibody response increased three- to fivefold after infection.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

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Antigenic relationship among field isolates of Tritrichomonas foetus from cattle.

Analysis of protein and antigen profiles of Tritrichomonas foetus isolates from cattle from 5 western states was accomplished by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide-gel electrophoresis, immunoblot, immunoprecipitation, and fluorography techniques. Total protein profiles of all isolates were compared by Coomassie brilliant blue staining of T foetus protein samples prepared by 4 protein-extraction methods. Antigenic tritrichomonas proteins were identified by immunoblot assay with polyclonal bovine or rabbit anti-T foetus serum. Additionally, [14C]glucosamine-labeled T foetus was used for total and antigenic glycoprotein analyses. Detectable differences in the composition of total proteins or antigenic tritrichomonal proteins were not observed among all isolates. However, intensity differences in some antigenic protein bands were apparent. Bovine and rabbit sera from immunized animals possessed antibodies to the same antigenic tritrichomonal proteins. Each T foetus isolate contained 4 to 7 molecular weight size classes of glycoprotein, which were labeled by [14C]glucosamine; however, only 3 to 4 glycoproteins were identified as antigens by bovine or rabbit antiserum.

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