Method for controlling for the appearance of seizures in the mammalian brain comprising modifying the abundance of a specific miRNA—miR-211, for uses in preventing seizures and providing a model system to examine the effect of a drug or a treatment to seizures.

A method of producing a transgenic silkworm that spins bagworm silks and producing a large quantity of bagworm silks by transgenic technology is developed and provided. A gene encoding a modified bagworm Fib H and a transgenic silkworm in which the gene is introduced, wherein the gene is obtained by cloning a gene fragment encoding a bagworm Fib H-like polypeptide comprising a partial amino acid sequence of bagworm Fib H, and fusing the gene fragment to a gene fragment encoding silkworm-derived Fib H, are provided.

Disclosed are methods and compositions related to methods of treating, ameliorating, mitigating, slowing, arresting, preventing or reversing various diseases and conditions, including age-related obesity, age-related increases in blood lipid levels, age-related decreases in insulin sensitivity, age-related decreases in memory function, and age-related changes in eye function such as macular degeneration. The methods comprise administering nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) to a subject. In some embodiments, the administration can be oral administration. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising NMN.

The present invention pertains to novel analgesics useful for treating mechanical pain. The invention suggests the use of inhibitors of α-tubulin acetylation for inhibition of neurological sensations that are mediated by sensory neurons. The perception of mechanical pain is can be modulated by altering the α-tubulin acetylation, in context of the invention in particular by modulation of the expression and/or activity of the enzyme α-tubulin acetyltransferase (Atat). The invention provides the medical application of α-tubulin acetyltransferase inhibitors as analgesics and a screening method for the identification of compounds useful in the treatment of pain.

Described are transgenic, non-human animals comprising a nucleic acid encoding an immunoglobulin light chain, whereby the immunoglobulin light chain is human, human-like, or humanized. The nucleic acid is provided with a means that renders it resistant to DNA rearrangements and/or somatic hypermutations. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid comprises an expression cassette for the expression of a desired molecule in cells during a certain stage of development in cells developing into mature B cells. Further provided is methods for producing an immunoglobulin from the transgenic, non-human animal.

Herein is reported a transgenic vector comprising a humanized light chain locus, wherein said humanized light chain locus comprises (a) a V gene segment derived from human light chain V segment IGKV1-39-01, (b) 3′ proximal to said light chain gene segment a promoter, and (c) 5′ proximal to said light chain gene segment at least a fragment of the human IGKJ4 J-element.

Compositions comprising miR-690 and methods of employing the compositions are provided.

Disclosed are non-naturally occurring zebrafish, such as transgenic zebrafish, which comprise a mutation in the rhodopsin (rho) gene. Also disclosed are methods of identifying compounds useful in treating retinal-specific defects and disorders, such as degeneration. Further disclosed are methods of identifying mutations in the rhodopsin gene that can cause retinal-specific defects.

A nerve in a mammal is optogenetically transduced, wherein the nerve is susceptible to stimulus by selective application of transdermal light, and a light source is applied to dermis of the mammal at or proximate to the optogenetically transduced nerve, to thereby stimulate the nerve. A wearable device for optogenetic motor control and sensation restoration of a mammal includes a wearable support, a power source at the wearable support, a controller at the wearable support and in electrical communication with a power source, and a transdermal light source coupled to the controller.

Described are transgenic, non-human animals comprising a nucleic acid encoding an immunoglobulin light chain, whereby the immunoglobulin light chain is human, human-like, or humanized. The nucleic acid is provided with a means that renders it resistant to DNA rearrangements and/or somatic hypermutations. In one embodiment, the nucleic acid comprises an expression cassette for the expression of a desired molecule in cells during a certain stage of development in cells developing into mature B cells. Further provided is methods for producing an immunoglobulin from the transgenic, non-human animal.