Emerging model organisms featured in CSH ProtocolsOctober 02, 2008Biological research has long relied on a small number of model organisms, species chosen because they are amenable to laboratory research and suitable for the study of a range of biological problems. However, the variety of organisms studied is currently undergoing a massive expansion, as the time and costs of sequencing genomes drops, as techniques for selectively altering the expression patterns of genes become more generally applicable, and as more and more biologists expand their interests from the purely mechanistic to include evolutionary considerations. Instead of focusing on the few standard model organisms, researchers are now introducing new species to the laboratory, opening up new avenues of research and allowing comparison and refinement of our understanding of already-established models. This month's issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (www.cshprotocols.org/TOCs/toc10_08.dtl) introduces a new series of articles about the latest generation of model organisms. Each article presents a new organism and provides a detailed explanation of why it is useful for laboratory research, along with information on husbandry, genetics and genomics, pointers towards further resources, and a set of basic laboratory protocols for working with that organism. The next few issues of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols will include organisms ranging from bat and butterfly to cave fish and choanoflagellates; cricket and finch, to quail, snail and tomato (see http://www.cshprotocols.org/emo for a complete list). These articles will also be published as a printed laboratory manual, scheduled for release by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press in November, 2008 (http://www.cshlpress.com/link/emop.htm). October's issue of Cold Spring Harbor Protocols includes material on five emerging model organisms. Featured organisms include planarians, contributed by Michael Levin and colleagues (http://www.drmichaellevin.org/) and the snapdragon, from Andrew Hudson's laboratory (http://www.biology.ed.ac.uk/research/institutes/plant/pages/staff_pages/A_Hudson_staffpage.htm). Planarians have shown great value in the study of mechanisms of tissue regeneration, stem cell regulation, tissue turnover, pharmacological action of diverse drugs, cancer, and aging. The article about planarians is freely accessible on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/content/full/2008/11/pdb.emo101). The snapdragon is a valuable model for biochemical and developmental genetics and is often used to examine the genetic basis for plant diversity. This article is also freely accessible on the website for Cold Spring Harbor Protocols (http://www.cshprotocols.org/cgi/content/full/2008/11/pdb.emo100). Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory |
|||||||||||||||||||||
| Related Organisms Current Events and Organisms News Articles Scientists watch as peptides control crystal growth with 'switches, throttles and brakes' By producing some of the highest resolution images of peptides attaching to mineral surfaces, scientists have a deeper understanding how biomolecules manipulate the growth crystals. This research may lead to a new treatment for kidney stones using biomolecules. Aquatic creatures mix ocean water Understanding mixing in the ocean is of fundamental importance to modeling climate change or predicting the effects of an El Niño on our weather. Modern ocean models primarily incorporate the effects of winds and tides. However, they do not generally take into account the mixing generated by swimming animals. Cigarettes Harbor Many Bacteria Harmful to Human Health Cigarettes are "widely contaminated" with bacteria, including some known to cause disease in people, concludes a new international study conducted by a University of Maryland environmental health researcher and microbial ecologists at the Ecole Centrale de Lyon in France. Research challenges for understanding landscape changes identified Nine research challenges and four research initiatives that are poised to advance the study of how Earth's landscapes change were unveiled today in a new report by the National Research Council. Scientists Unravel Evolution of Highly Toxic Box Jellyfish With thousands of stinging cells that can emit deadly venom from tentacles that can reach ten feet in length, the 50 or so species of box jellyfish have long been of interest to scientists and to the public. Yet little has been known about the evolution of this early branch in the animal tree of life. Chromosomes dance and pair up on the nuclear membrane Meiosis - the pairing and recombination of chromosomes, followed by segregation of half to each egg or sperm cell - is a major crossroads in all organisms reproducing sexually. Warmer means windier on world's biggest lake Rising water temperatures are kicking up more powerful winds on Lake Superior, with consequences for currents, biological cycles, pollution and more on the world's largest lake and its smaller brethren. Amphibians as environmental omen disputed Amphibians, for years considered a leading indicator of environmental degradation, are not uniquely susceptible to pollution, according to a meta-analysis to be published in Ecology Letters. Earth's early ocean cooled more than a billion years earlier than thought: Stanford study The scalding-hot sea that supposedly covered the early Earth may in fact never have existed, according to a new study by Stanford University researchers who analyzed isotope ratios in 3.4 billion-year-old ocean floor rocks. Early life on Earth may have developed more quickly than thought The Earth's climate was far cooler - perhaps more than 50 degrees - billions of years ago, which could mean conditions for life all over the planet were more conducive than previously believed, according to a research team that includes a Texas A&M University expert who specializes in geobiology. More Organisms Current Events and Organisms News Articles |
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||
|
|||||||||||||||||||||