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Mutations in the CLRN1 gene cause Usher syndrome type 3 (USH3), a human disease characterized by progressive blindness and deafness. Clarin 1, the protein product of CLRN1, is a four-transmembrane protein predicted to be associated with ribbon synapses of photoreceptors and cochlear hair cells, and recently demonstrated to be associated with the cytoskeleton. To study Clrn1, we created a Clrn1 knockout (KO) mouse and characterized the histological and functional consequences of Clrn1 deletion in the retina and cochlea. Clrn1 KO mice do not develop a retinal degeneration phenotype, but exhibit progressive loss of sensory hair cells in the cochlea and deterioration of the organ of Corti by 4 months. Hair cell stereocilia in KO animals were longer and disorganized by 4 months, and some Clrn1 KO mice exhibited circling behavior by 5-6 months of age. Clrn1 mRNA expression was localized in the retina using in situ hybridization (ISH), laser capture microdissection (LCM), and RT-PCR. Retinal Clrn1 transcripts were found throughout development and adulthood by RT-PCR, although expression peaked at P7 and declined to undetectable levels in adult retina by ISH. LCM localized Clrn1 transcripts to the retinas inner nuclear layer, and WT levels of retinal Clrn1 expression were observed in photoreceptor-less retinas. Examination of Clrn1 KO mice suggests that CLRN1 is unnecessary in the murine retina but essential for normal cochlear development and function. This may reflect a redundancy in the mouse retina not present in human retina. In contrast to mouse KO models of USH1 and USH2, our data indicate that Clrn1 expression in the retina is restricted to the Müller glia. This is a novel finding, as most retinal degeneration associated proteins are expressed in photoreceptors, not in glia. If CLRN1 expression in humans is comparable to the expression pattern observed in mice, this is the first report of an inner retinal protein that, when mutated, causes retinal degeneration.

For over eighty years, Sohn Kee Chung's accomplishment of winning the gold medal in the 1936 Olympics has been questioned due to his nationality that is listed in the records. This paper examines how an athlete could not represent his native country in the Olympics due to his country being under colonial rule. During the research, critical discourse analysis will be conducted on the records that have been released about Sohn Kee Chung. The goal of this paper is to show how Sohn's nationality was presented in the 1936 Olympics and what has been done to correct his identity recently. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are important for the pathogenesis and progression of different tumours. MMPs-2 and -9 are the principal MMPs produced by lymphocytes; these enzymes can degrade a number of matrix proteins but are the two main MMPs that digest type IV collagen, the major component of basement membranes. Therefore, these enzymes are potentially important for tissue invasion and remodelling by malignant lymphocytes. This study showed that chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) cells produce and secrete variable amounts of pro-MMP-9, but no MMP-2 or tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase  1 (TIMP-1). The pro-enzyme was found in monomeric and dimeric forms and also complexed with lipocalin. Moreover, a small fraction of secreted monomer became associated with the cell surface and activated upon cell adhesion to insolubilized type IV collagen. High levels of intracellular MMP-9 were associated with advanced (stage C) disease and with poor patient survival. Immunohistochemical studies demonstrated that MMP-9 was associated with areas of tissue invasion and remodelling. The relatively specific MMP-9 inhibitors, Ro31-9790 (3 μmol/l) and TIMP-1, reduced CLL-cell migration through type IV collagen and through endothelial monolayers suggesting that the enzyme may also be important in malignant cell entry and egress to and from involved tissue. Our data raise the possibility that MMP-9 modulation may have therapeutic potential in advanced CLL. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Peripherin/rds and rom-1 have structural roles in morphogenesis and stabilization of the outer segment, but little is known about their transport and sorting to the rod outer segment. Peripherin/rds and rom-1 trafficking were studied in several knockout and transgenic animal models., Methods: Rod outer segment formation and distribution of peripherin/rds and rom-1 were examined by immunohistochemistry, electron microscopy, and molecular biological methods in wild-type, rhodopsin-knockout, and peripherin/rds-knockout mice. C-terminally truncated peripherin/rds (Xper38)-GFP chimeric protein sorting was followed by immunofluorescence microscopy in transgenic Xenopus., Results: In developing wild-type photoreceptors, peripherin/rds was detected exclusively in the distal tip of the connecting cilium in advance of outer segment formation. Rhodopsin-knockout mice failed to create normal rod outer segments and instead, elaborated membranous protrusions at the distal cilium tip. Peripherin/rds and rom-1 localized to this ciliary membrane in rhodopsinless photoreceptors. In transgenic Xenopus, a C-terminally truncated peripherin/rds-GFP fusion predominantly localized to its normal location within disc rims. In developing rds mice, rom-1 accumulated primarily in distal ciliary membranes., Conclusions: Peripherin/rds transport and localization are polarized to the site of outer segment morphogenesis before disc formation in developing photoreceptors. Peripherin/rds and rom-1 trafficking is maintained in rhodopsin-knockouts, suggesting that rim proteins and rhodopsin have separate transport pathways. The presence of truncated peripherin/rds-GFP in the outer segment supports previous evidence that peripherin/rds mice form homotetramers for outer segment targeting. The finding that rom-1 transports to the outer segment domain in rds mice suggests that rom-1 may possess its own sorting and transport signals.