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Approximately one-third of all mammalian genes are essential for life. Phenotypes resulting from knockouts of these genes in mice have provided tremendous insight into gene function and congenital disorders. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium effort to generate and phenotypically characterize 5,000 knockout mouse lines, here we identify 410 lethal genes during the production of the first 1,751 unique gene knockouts. Using a standardized phenotyping platform that incorporates high-resolution 3D imaging, we identify phenotypes at multiple time points for previously uncharacterized genes and additional phenotypes for genes with previously reported mutant phenotypes. Unexpectedly, our analysis reveals that incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity are common even on a defined genetic background. In addition, we show that human disease genes are enriched for essential genes, thus providing a dataset that facilitates the prioritization and validation of mutations identified in clinical sequencing efforts.

Approximately one-third of all mammalian genes are essential for life. Phenotypes resulting from knockouts of these genes in mice have provided tremendous insight into gene function and congenital disorders. As part of the International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium effort to generate and phenotypically characterize 5,000 knockout mouse lines, here we identify 410 lethal genes during the production of the first 1,751 unique gene knockouts. Using a standardized phenotyping platform that incorporates high-resolution 3D imaging, we identify phenotypes at multiple time points for previously uncharacterized genes and additional phenotypes for genes with previously reported mutant phenotypes. Unexpectedly, our analysis reveals that incomplete penetrance and variable expressivity are common even on a defined genetic background. In addition, we show that human disease genes are enriched for essential genes, thus providing a dataset that facilitates the prioritization and validation of mutations identified in clinical sequencing efforts., Author(s): Mary E. Dickinson [1]; Ann M. Flenniken [2, 3]; Xiao Ji [4]; Lydia Teboul [5]; Michael D. Wong [2, 6]; Jacqueline K. White [7]; Terrence F. Meehan [8]; Wolfgang [...]

Determination of the primary tumor in periampullary region carcinomas can be difficult, and the pathological assessment and clinicopathological characteristics remain elusive. In this study, we investigated the current recognition and practices for periampullary region adenocarcinoma with an indeterminable origin among expert pathologists through a cognitive survey. Simultaneously, we analyzed a prospective collection of cases with an indeterminable primary tumor diagnosed from 2008 to 2018 to elucidate their clinicopathological features. All cases with pathological indeterminable primary tumors were reported and discussed in a clinicopathological conference to elucidate if it was possible to distinguish the primary tumor clinically and pathologically. From the cognitive survey, over 85% of the pathologists had experienced cases with indeterminable primary tumors; however, 70% of the cases was reported as pancreatic cancer without definitive grounds. Interpretation of the main tumor mass varied, and no standardized method was developed to determine the primary tumor. During a prospective study, 42 of the 392 periampullary carcinoma cases (10.7%) were considered as tumors with a pathological indeterminable origin. After the clinicopathological conferences, 21 (5.4%) remained indeterminable and were considered final indeterminable cases. Histological studies showed that the tumors spread along both the bile duct and main pancreatic duct; this was the most representative finding of the final indeterminable cases. This study is the first to elucidate and recognize the current clinicopathological features of periampullary region adenocarcinomas with an indeterminable origin. Adequate assessment of primary tumors in periampullary region carcinomas will help to optimize epidemiological data of pancreatic and bile duct cancer. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study aimed at evaluating the usefulness of topoisomerase II alpha (TOP2A) for predicting the effect of anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. The TOP2A status was examined using fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) in 14 pre-chemotherapeutic breast cancer tissues, and was also assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in 14 pairs of pre- and post-chemotherapeutic breast cancer specimens. TOP2A gene aberration by IHC tended to show a correlation with pathological responses but this was not statistically significant (p=0.060). On the other hand, the low TOP2A/CEP17 ratio correlated with good pathological responses (p=0.012). TOP2A overexpression was not significantly associated with response (p=0.580). Our results thus suggest that the TOP2A/CEP17 ratio may be a useful predictor of the effects of anthracycline-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Epiblast stem cells (EpiSCs) are pluripotent stem cells derived from epiblasts of postimplantation mouse embryos, and thus provide a useful model for studying "primed" pluripotent states. Here, we devised a simple and robust technique to derive high-quality EpiSCs using an inhibitor of WNT secretion. Using this method, we readily established EpiSC lines with high efficiency and were able to use whole embryonic portions without having to separate the epiblast from the visceral endoderm (VE). Expression analyses revealed that these EpiSCs maintained a homogeneous, undifferentiated status, yet showed high potential for differentiation both in vitro and in teratomas. Unlike EpiSCs derived by the original protocol, new EpiSC lines required continuous treatment with the Wnt inhibitor, suggesting some intrinsic differences from the existing EpiSCs. The homogeneous properties of this new version of EpiSCs should facilitate studies on the establishment and maintenance of a "primed" pluripotent state, and directed differentiation from the primed state., (Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

C57BL/6N inbred mice are used as the genetic background for producing knockout mice in large-scale projects worldwide; however, the genetic divergence among C57BL/6N-derived substrains has not been verified. Here, we identified novel single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) specific to the C57BL/6NJ strain and selected useful SNPs for the genetic monitoring of C57BL/6N-derived substrains. Informative SNPs were selected from the public SNP database at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute by comparing sequence data from C57BL/6NJ and C57BL/6J mice. A total of 1,361 candidate SNPs from the SNP database could distinguish the C57BL/6NJ strain from 12 other inbred strains. We confirmed 277 C57BL/6NJ-specific SNPs including 10 nonsynonymous SNPs by direct sequencing, and selected 100 useful SNPs that cover all of the chromosomes except Y. Genotyping of 11 C57BL/6N-derived substrains at these 100 SNP loci demonstrated genetic differences among the substrains. This information will be useful for accurate genetic monitoring of mouse strains with a C57BL/6N-derived background.

We report a 44-year-old female with lymphangiomyomatosis (LAM) of the kidney and retroperitoneum. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed a right kidney tumor, and she was referred to our department. Computed tomography (CT) revealed a para-aortic phyma in addition to the tumor. We performed retroperitoneal tumorectomy and partial resection of the right kidney via laparotomy. Pathological findings suggested LAM. LAM usually induces pulmonary lesions and its prognosis is relatively unfavorable. Female hormones are considered to be involved in the aggravation of LAM. The lesion may not have reached the lung in this postmenopausal woman because of the absence of these hormones.

The C57BL/6 mouse is the most well-known inbred mouse strain, and has been widely used as a genetic background for congenic and mutant mice. A number of C57BL/6 substrains have been derived from the C57BL/6 founder line and are reported to differ in several phenotypes. There are several major sources of C57BL/6 substrains for the biomedical research community. The importance of their genetic and phenotypic differences among substrains, however, has not yet been well recognized by biomedical researchers. Here, we report the result of screening of the functional deletion of the nicotinamide nucleotide transhydrogenase (Nnt) gene and 1,446 SNPs genotyping among seven C57BL/6 substrains from different sources, such as C57BL/6J, C57BL/6JJcl, C57BL/6JJmsSlc, C57BL/6NJcl, C57BL/6NCrlCrlj, C57BL/6NTac, and C57BL/6CrSlc. The deletion of exon 7-11 in the Nnt gene that was previously reported in C57BL/6J was also observed in other C57BL/6J substrains, indicating that this functional deletion probably occurred at an early stage in the establishment of C57BL/6J substrains. The genotyping of SNP loci clearly demonstrate genetic differences between C57BL/6J and C57BL/6N substrains at 11 loci. Besides, we found another SNP differing between C57BL/6J and other C57BL/6J substrains available from commercial breeders. No genetic difference was detected among C57BL/6N substrains. The C57BL/6CrSlc mouse, originally derived from the National Cancer Institute of the NIH was found to be the same as the C57BL/6N substrains by the SNP pattern. These data will be useful for accurate genetic monitoring of genetically engineered mice with the C57BL/6 background.

Mice are one of the most important model organisms for studying biological phenomena and diseases processes in life sciences. The biomedical research community has succeeded in launching large scale strategic knockout mouse projects around the world. RIKEN BRC, a comprehensive government funded biological resource center was established in 2001. RIKEN BRC has been acting as the core facility for the mouse resources of the National BioResource Project (NBRP) of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), Japan since 2002. RIKEN BRC is a founding member of the Federation of International Mouse Resources (FIMRe) together with the Jackson Laboratory, the European Mouse Mutant Archive, and other centers, and has participated in the International Mouse Strain Resource (IMSR) to distribute mouse strains worldwide. With the support of the scientific community, RIKEN BRC has collected over 3,800 strains including inbred, transgenic, knockout, wild-derived, and ENU-induced mutant strains. Excellent mouse models for human diseases and gene functions from academic organizations and private companies are distributed through RIKEN BRC. To meet research and social needs, our mice will be rederived to a specific pathogen-free state, strictly monitored for their health, and accurately tested for their genetic modifications and backgrounds. Users can easily access our mouse resources through the internet and obtain the mouse strains for a minimal fee. Cryopreservation of embryos and sperm is used for efficient preservation of the increasing number of mouse resources. RIKEN BRC collaborates with FIMRe members to support Japanese scientists in the use of valuable mouse resources from around the world.