Utrophin protein was discovered to localize to the neuromuscular junctions and is thought to provide a critical linkage between integral proteins bound to the extracellular matrix outside the cell and the actin cytoskeleton inside the cell. Clinical implications of this protein include the upregulation of utrophin as a treatment for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a disease in which utrophin's homologue (dystrophin) is functionally absent. In addition, utrophin gene expression is reduced in a variety of cancers. This study set out to identify whether utrophin is expressed within the epidermis—the top layer of skin. To date, four unique mRNA transcripts have been characterized for the human UTRN gene, supporting translation of two full-length utrophin proteins (utrophin A and utrophin B) and two short isoforms (Up 140 and Up71). All four of these human utrophin transcripts were detected within human epidermis using reverse-transcriptase PCR performed on RNA purified from human epidermis. In addition to the detection of utrophin mRNA within human epidermis, the full-length utrophin protein was also detected within human epidermis using immunofluorescence labeling—a technique used to detect specific proteins. Utrophin protein localizes to the area of the epidermis closest to the dermis termed the basement membrane zone. These data demonstrate that utrophin expression is prevalent in epidermis. Utrophin has been characterized as a member of the dystroglycan complex and dystroglycan has previously been identified within epidermis and too localizes to the basement membrane zone. Therefore, this study provides support for existence of a dystroglycan complex within epidermis as utrophin is the second member of this complex to be found within the epidermis.

Leptin, a protein hormone produced principally in adipose tissue, plays a major role in the regulation of food intake, hunger, satiety and metabolism. Most obesity is likely the result of the body's resistance to leptin. The purpose of this experiment was to model leptin receptor insensitivity by comparing how the lack of leptin or the leptin receptor in mutant mice would affect body weight, basal metabolism, body temperature and feeding behaviors. Eighteen mice were used: 6 controls, 6 mutant ob/ob (defective for the expression of leptin), and 6 mutant db/db (defective for the expression of the leptin receptor). After 24 weeks of free access to food and water, the ob/ob mice weighed more than the control and db/db mice (P=0.0012). Both the ob/ob and db/db mice had lower metabolic rates (P = 0.0194) and body temperatures (P < 0.0001). As expected, the db/db mice had the greatest water intake (P=0.0060) and cage waste (P=0.0499) reflective of their diabetic state. The normal mice ate more than the other mice, but the increases were not significant; the ob/ob mice had much less food debris. These results indicate that mutations in the leptin protein or receptor interrupt normal metabolism in a manner similar to what may be experienced by individuals resistant to leptin. If a chronic intake of excessive calories results in increased adipose depositions, then over a lifetime, cell signaling activities may act to protect the leptin receptor from over bombardment by leptin, attenuate leptin's regulatory function, and promote obesity.

North American box turtles (Terrapene spp.) typically demonstrate localized activity patterns that are highly dependent on temperature and precipitation. In east Texas, we found no documented reports of activity patterns, clutch sizes, sex ratios, or ratios of gravid to non-gravid females in T. Carolina triunguis. Here, we report data on the monthly occurrence and reproductive status for a population of T. c. triunguis in Walker County, Texas. We used a volunteer sampling protocol to investigate when males and females were most active. April and May had the greatest frequency of captures while June and July had the least. Captures were slightly male-biased (1.6 males: 1 female) and the first gravid female was collected on April 29. About half (54%) of all females x-rayed were gravid with clutch sizes ranging from one to five eggs. The variation in the clutch size of eggs is explained by female body mass with larger females having larger clutches of eggs. The activity and reproductive patterns reported here are similar to those patterns documented in past studies and other Terrapene populations, but provide what may prove to be useful natural history information for an urban population of T. c. triunguis.