Functional validation of candidate genes in congenital anomalies of the kidneys and urinary tract (CAKUT) and other disorders is essential for translating genetic discoveries into clinical applications. Conditional knockout mouse models are indispensable for studying gene function in complex organ systems. The Short Conditional intrON (SCON) system accelerates the generation of such models by inserting the artificial SCON into...

Hybridisation between wild taxa and their domestic congeners is a significant conservation issue. Domestic species frequently outnumber their wild relatives in population size and distribution and may therefore genetically swamp the native species. The European wildcat ( Felis silvestris ) has been shown to hybridise with domestic cats ( Felis catus ). Previously suggested spatially divergent introgression levels have not been...

This paper compares responses to environmental stress of the ecophysiological traits of organisms in the detrital soil food webs of grasslands in the Netherlands, using the relationship between average body mass M and numerical abundance N . The microbial biomass and biodiversity of belowground fauna were measured in 110 grasslands on sand, 85 of them farmed under organic, conventional and intensive management. Bacterial cell...