A case of malignant melanoma, a possible primary site in the digit, with systemic metastasis in a mini-Rex.

We report a case of systemic metastasis of malignant melanoma in a mini-Rex (Oryctolagus cuniculus). The animal presented with lameness of the right hind limb, swelling of popliteal lymph node, and a black mass on the first digit. Paralysis of hindlimbs and forelimbs, dysuria, and dysphagia progressed over time, and the rabbit died on day 35 from the first visit. At necropsy, many black lesions were observed in multiple organs including the marrow of most bones. Histopathologically, the tumor cells had highly atypical nuclei of various sizes and an abundant eosinophilic cytoplasm, and some cells contained melanin granules. These cells were positive for PNL2 and S-100, melanoma markers, by immunohistochemistry. This is the first report of malignant melanoma in a mini-Rex with severe malignancy and systemic metastasis including the bone marrow.

Protective effects of metallothionein I and II against metal- and ultraviolet radiation-induced damage in cultured lens epithelial cells.

PURPOSE: Few quantitative analyses of the induction of metallothioneins (MTs) have been conducted, and there are no reports on the contribution of MTs to the protective mechanism against ultraviolet (UV) radiation in the lens. In this study, we quantitatively analyzed the induction of MTs and analyzed the resulting protective effects against both metal- and UV radiation-induced damage in the cultured lens epithelial cell line, alphaTN4-1. METHODS: The induction profiles of MTs by ZnCl(2) treatment in alphaTN4-1 cells were analyzed by quantitative real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction. The cells in which MTs were induced were either treated with high concentrations of ZnCl(2) or CdCl(2), or irradiated with UV-C, UV-B, or UV-A radiation, followed by analysis of cell viability. The (3)H-thymidine incorporation rate was used as an indicator of cell viability. RESULTS: mRNA expression of MT-I and MT-II, the main MT isoform classes, was induced by ZnCl(2) treatment in a dose-dependent manner. MT induction increased the protective effects against both metaland UV-A radiation-induced cell damage. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that MTs play an important role in the protection against damage induced by both toxic metals and UV-A radiation in lens epithelial cells.

A novel rat orthologue and homologue for the Drosophila crooked neck gene in neural stem cells and their immediate descendants.

The crooked neck (crn) gene of Drosophila melanogaster encodes a scaffold protein carrying multiple tetratricopeptide repeat (TPR) motifs, and its mutation results in a reduction in the number of neuroblasts and lethality during larval stages. Here, we isolated two structurally related genes from a rat embryonic brain cDNA library. One gene is the rat orthologue of crn, which encodes 690 amino acids including 16 copies of TPR. The other gene, ATH55, encodes an 855 amino acid protein including 21 TPR motifs, which presumably represents a rat crn homologue and an orthologue of human XAB2. Both genes are highly expressed in embryonic brain but their expressions decrease during development. ATH55-like immunoreactivity is present in the ventricular zone and newly formed cortical plate, while CRN-like immunoreactivity is more abundant in a younger ventricular zone. In agreement, both proteins were found to be enriched in cultured neural stem cells and to decrease in response to cell differentiation signals. As indicated for the yeast CRN-like protein, ATH55 and CRN immunoreactivities were both recovered in the nuclear fraction and detected in the splicing complex carrying pre-mRNA. These findings suggest that both TPR-motif-containing proteins are involved in RNA processing of mammalian neural stem cells and their immediate descendants.

Artificial insemination with canine semen stored at a low temperature.

Cooled canine semen solutions for storage were investigated with three stock solutions: egg yolk-citrate-glycine-glucose solution, egg yolk Tris-fructose citrate solution (EYT-FC), and egg yolk sodium citrate dihydrate solution (EYCD). For the control group, the second fraction of semen was examined. Nine male beagles and 37 female (47 experimental cases) beagles for artificial insemination (AI) were used. The qualities of semen stored at 4 degrees C deteriorated earlier in the control and EYCD groups. In the other two groups, sperm motility was 60% or higher after storage for 6 days and 20% or higher after storage for 12 days. On a comparison of these two groups, the sperm motility and viability were slightly higher in the EYT-FC group. A high conception rate was obtained by AI using semen stored at a low temperature for a maximum of two days in the control group and four days in the EYT-FC group.