Anti-KRT8 monoclonal antibody, clone I2

In this communication, we report the generation of a ere transgenic zebrafish line under an oocyte-specific promoter, zp3. The transgenic line Tg(zp3:cre, krt8:rfp) also contains a co-integrated rfp transgene under the skin epithelial promoter krt8 to allow selection of ere transgenic fish based on RFP fluorescence in the skin. We demonstrated in this transgenic line that ere mRNA was specifically expressed in growing oocytes like endogenous zp3 mRNA. When Tg(zp3:cre; krt8:rfp) was crossed with a loxP transgenic line, the floxed DNA was specifically eliminated from female, but not male, germline. Tg(zp3:cre; krt8:rfp) fish also have maternal ere mRNA in early embryos to cause Cre-mediated recombination; this feature can be used to activate other loxP transgenic lines in early embryos. Furthermore, after crossing with another loxP transgenic line, Tg(EF:loxP-mCherry-loxP-egfp), we confirmed that our ere line was capable of activating a loxP-blocked EGFP reporter gene by both maternal and oocyte-expressed Cre. Developmental Dynamics 237:2955-2962, 2008. (c) 2008 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Background: Distinct gene expression profiles in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) consistent with increased sympathetic nervous system activity have been described in different populations under chronic stress. Neuroinflammatory brain changes, possibly related to the migration of primed monocytes to the brain, have been implicated in the pathophysiology of chronic pain. Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a stress-sensitive gastrointestinal disorder associated with altered brain-gut interactions and increased sympathetic/vagal tone and anxiety. Reports about immune alterations in IBS are conflicting. This pilot study aimed to test how PBMC gene expression inflammatory profiles are correlated with altered brain signatures in the salience system. Methods: Sixteen IBS and 16 healthy controls (HCs) completed resting state MRI scans. Gene expression profiles in PBMCs were assessed using human transcriptome array-2. Bioinformatic analyses determined differential expression of PBMCs between IBS and HCs. Partial least squares, a multivariate analysis technique, was used to identify disease correlations between PBMC gene expression profiles and functional activity in the brain's salience network. Key Results: Regions of the salience network, including the mid cingulate cortex, and mid and superior temporal gyrus were positively correlated with several pro-inflammatory genes (interleukin 6, APOL2) in IBS, but negatively correlated with several anti-inflammatory genes (KRT8, APOA4) in HCs. Conclusions & Inferences: Based on rodent studies, one may speculate that chronically activated stress signaling pathways in IBS maintain a pro-inflammatory state in the periphery. Alternatively, primed monocytes may migrate to the brain during stress, inducing regional neuroinflammatory changes in salience regions involved in the modulation of visceral sensitivity.