The present invention relates to the method and use of reef coral fluorescent proteins in making transgenic red, green and yellow fluorescent zebrafish. Preferably, such fluorescent zebrafish are fertile and used to establish a population of transgenic zebrafish and to provide to the ornamental fish industry for the purpose of marketing. Thus, new varieties of ornamental fish of different fluorescence colors from a novel source are developed.

Genetically modified non-human animals which are deficient in expression of an endogenous GPC3 polypeptide and express a human GPC3 polypeptide at a physiologically adequate level; methods for producing the non-human animals; and methods for evaluating test substances using the non-human animals. Furthermore, methods for evaluating test substances regarding their safety, therapeutic effects on diseases, pharmacokinetics, in vivo distribution, and such, using the non-human animals as models.

The present invention relates to a transgenic pig in which an immune rejection response is suppressed during xenotransplantation, wherein a gene coding for heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and a gene coding for tumor necrosis factor receptor 1-Fc (TNFR1-Fc) are simultaneously expressed and a gene coding for -1,3-galactosyltransferase (GGTA1) is knocked out; and a method for producing the same.

Disclosed herein include methods and compositions for modulating sodium appetite and/or intake. In some embodiments, the sodium appetite of a subject is reduced. Also disclosed include methods for identifying modulators for sodium appetite and/or intake.

A method is provided to enhance repair or regeneration of a mammalian cardiovascular system to include heart and/or vasculature comprising: administering to a mammal in need thereof a composition comprising an effective amount of an agent that elevates levels of Smo, Ptc1, Shh, Ihh, Dhh, Gli1, Gli2, or Mycn,

The invention provides a method of modulating electrophysiological activity of an excitable cell. The method involves causing exogenous expression of a glycine receptor (GlyR) protein in an excitable cell of a subject. Thereafter, the excitable cell is exposed to an allosteric modulator of the GlyR protein. Modulation of the exogenous GlyR protein (an ion channel) in response to the allosteric modulator modulates the electrophy-stological activity of the excitable cell. The method can be used to control pain in a subject. The invention further provides a replication-defective HSV vector comprising an expression cassette encoding a GlyR protein, stocks and pharmaceutical compositions containing such vectors, and a transgenic animal.

Provided are a method for constructing a mouse model with conditional knockout of the Tmem30a gene from a pancreatic cell and a use thereof. The construction method includes the steps of: constructing a homozygote mouse with conditional knockout of a Tmem30a gene, where both ends of one or more exons of the Tmem30a gene are inserted into directly arrayed loxp loci; and mating the mouse with a pancreatic cell specific transgenic mouse Ins2-Cre, thereby obtaining the mouse model with conditional knockout of the Tmem30a gene from the pancreatic cell. The mouse with conditional knockout of the Tmem30a gene from the pancreatic cell shows glucose intolerance and poor insulin sensitivity, and can be used as a diabetes research model.

The present invention relates to the identification of a microRNA family, designated miR-29a-c, that is a key regulator of fibrosis in cardiac tissue. The inventors show that members of the miR-29 family are down-regulated in the heart tissue in response to stress, and are up-regulated in heart tissue of mice that are resistant to both stress and fibrosis. Also provided are methods of modulating expression and activity of the miR-29 family of miRNAs as a treatment for fibrotic disease, including cardiac hypertrophy, skeletal muscle fibrosis other fibrosis related diseases and collagen loss-related disease.

The present invention relates to: A schizophrenia animal model wherein the model is a mouse in which an anoctamin 1 (ANO1) gene is knocked out in cholinergic neurons of a medial habenula; and a preparation method therefor and the like. The schizophrenia animal model according to the present invention targets the medial habenula which is brain tissue playing a major role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and it has been confirmed that when the ANO1 gene is specifically knocked out in the cholinergic neurons of the medial habenula, positive, negative and cognitive symptoms of schizophrenia are observed, thereby confirming that schizophrenia has been induced. Therefore, the animal model of the present invention is expected to be effectively useful in schizophrenia pathogenesis research and therapeutic agent development and screening.

The present invention relates to an in vitro immune synapse system and a method of in vitro evaluating immune response using the same. The in vitro immune synapse system includes antigen-presenting cells (APCs) and at least one cell type of several specific T cell subtypes isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs), all of which is from a same individual of pigs. When a test sample is co-cultured in the in vitro immune synapse system for a given period, it can be determined that the test sample is immunogenic, immunostimulatory or not according to the immunization-related changes of these cells, thereby potentially replacing some kinds of animal experimentation.