RESUMEN
A current model for Caenorhabditis elegans vulval cell fate specification is that SynMuv genes act redundantly in the hyp7 hypodermal syncytium to repress the LIN-3/EGF inducer and prevent ectopic vulval induction of vulva precursor cells (VPCs). Here we show that the SynMuv gene hpl-2/HP1 has an additional function in VPCs, where it may act through target genes including LIN-39/Hox.
Asunto(s)
Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/fisiología , Caenorhabditis elegans/embriología , Caenorhabditis elegans/fisiología , Proteínas Cromosómicas no Histona/fisiología , Vulva/embriología , Animales , Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/antagonistas & inhibidores , Proteínas de Caenorhabditis elegans/genética , Proteínas Cromosómicas no Histona/genética , Inducción Embrionaria/genética , Inducción Embrionaria/fisiología , Células Madre Embrionarias/citología , Factor de Crecimiento Epidérmico/antagonistas & inhibidores , Factor de Crecimiento Epidérmico/genética , Factor de Crecimiento Epidérmico/fisiología , Femenino , Genes de Helminto , Células Gigantes/citología , Mutación , Interferencia de ARN , Vulva/citologíaRESUMEN
Contagious agalactia is an important disease worldwide that affects small ruminants. Clinical manifestations vary from mastitis, pneumonia, arthritis and keratoconjunctivitis to septicemia. Four mycoplasmal etiological agents have been identified: Mycoplasma (M.) agalactiae, M. mycoides subsp. capri, M. capricolum subsp. capricolum and M. putrefaciens. The current procedure for direct diagnosis, recommended by the World Organization for Animal Health, involves the isolation of one or several causative agents from clinical specimens and further time-consuming identification steps. The present study reports the development of a new multiplex real-time PCR (including an internal positive control) that detects all four pathogens simultaneously and distinguishes M. agalactiae from the others. First, intra- and inter-species polymorphisms of the two target house-keeping genes, namely polC and fusA, were analyzed to design primers and probes adapted to the diversity of currently circulating strains. The specificity and the sensitivity of the assay were then challenged and the limit of detection was found to be as low as 6 to 12 copies of the target genes. The assay requires further assessment on clinical specimens but its performances (notably low intra- and inter-assay variability) are already very promising for use in large-scale diagnosis and prophylactic surveys of contagious agalactia.