What is the agouti mouse model?

What is the agouti mouse model?

The Agouti Viable Yellow (Avy) Mouse Model The murine Agouti gene encodes a paracrine signaling molecule that promotes follicular melanocytes to produce yellow phaeomelanin pigment instead of black eumelanin pigment. Transcription is initiated from a hair cycle-specific promoter in exon 2 of the Agouti (A) allele.

What is the agouti mouse experiment?

The Agouti gene in mice controls hair color and is under the control of a developmentally regulated hair cycle-specific promoter in exon 2. As a result, the gene switched ON at a specific time during hair follicle cell development to produce an agouti coat with a yellow stripe in otherwise dark hair [162].

What is the agouti pattern and why is it important?

The agouti gene, the Agouti-signaling protein (ASIP) is responsible for variations in color in many species. Agouti works with extension to regulate the color of melanin which is produced in hairs.

What turned the agouti gene off in the mouse?

And the epigenome depends on what the moms are exposed to in their environment. When scientists fed pregnant yellow mice diets rich in nutrients containing methyl-groups, like folic acid and vitamin B12, the agouti gene in pups got switched off.

What does epigenetics mean literally?

over and above
= Epigenetics is an emerging field of science that studies heritable changes caused by the activation and deactivation of genes without any change in the underlying DNA sequence of the organism. The word epigenetics is of Greek origin and literally means over and above (epi) the genome.

Why are agouti mice obese?

The yellow mouse obesity syndrome is due to dominant mutations at the Agouti locus, which is characterized by obesity, hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance, hyperglycemia, hyperleptinemia, increased linear growth, and yellow coat color. This syndrome is caused by ectopic expression of Agouti in multiple tissues.

What is the name of the gene that causes obesity in mice?

Perilipin-2 Null Mice are Protected Against Diet-Induced Obesity, Adipose Inflammation and Fatty Liver Disease. The Journal of Lipid Research, 2013; DOI: 10.1194/jlr.

What does EPI mean in epigenetics?

Epigenetics is the study of how cells control gene activity without changing the DNA sequence. “Epi-“means on or above in Greek,and “epigenetic” describes factors beyond the genetic code. Epigenetic changes are modifications to DNA that regulate whether genes are turned on or off.

What physically happened to the GR gene when you licked your pup?

The differences in behavior are due to a change in a glucocortocoid receptor (GR) gene during development. At birth, the gene is highly methylated and inactive. If a rat mother is attentive towards her pups, the pups’ GR gene gradually demethylates, making the gene more active.

What does a white belly Agouti mouse look like?

White-bellied agouti AW mice have agouti coloration, with hairs that are black at the tips, then yellow, then black again, and white to tan bellies. Agouti A looks like AW but the belly is dark like the back. Black and tan at causes a black back with a tan belly.

Where does the white-bellied Agouti Pattern come from?

This strain has a common origin with strain 101. Most substrains carry the white-bellied agouti gene A W though only a subset have the agouti pattern as many carry albino or chinchilla and/or the pink-eyed dilution gene, p, which is derived from Asian mice of the Mus musculus type (see also strains SJL, P/J and FS/Ei) ( Brilliant et al, 1994 ).

What is the difference between agouti a and a/at mice?

Agouti A looks like AW but the belly is dark like the back. Black and tan at causes a black back with a tan belly. A/at heterozygotes look like AW mice. Nonagouti a mice are almost completely black, with only a few yellow hairs around the ears and the genitals.

Why do wild type mice have light colored bellies?

Each hair has bands of yellow which grew during agouti production, and black which grew during α-MSH production. Wildtype mice also have light-colored bellies. The hairs there are a creamy color the whole length because the agouti protein was produced the whole time the hairs were growing.