Pub Date : 2026-02-10DOI: 10.1038/s41684-025-01665-7
James C Pearce, Jennie S Campbell, Joann L Prior, Richard W Titball, James G Wakefield
The larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, are gaining prominence as a versatile nonmammalian in vivo model to study host-pathogen interactions. Their ability to be maintained at 37 °C, coupled with a broad susceptibility to human pathogens and a distinct melanization response that serves as a visual indicator for larval health, positions G. mellonella as a powerful resource for infection research. Despite these advantages, the lack of genetic tools, such as those available for zebrafish and Drosophila melanogaster, has hindered development of the full potential of G. mellonella as a model organism. Here we describe a robust methodology for generating transgenic G. mellonella using the PiggyBac transposon system and for precise gene knockouts via CRISPR-Cas9 technology. These advances significantly enhance the utility of G. mellonella in molecular research, paving the way for its widespread use as an inexpensive and ethically compatible animal model in infection biology and beyond.
{"title":"PiggyBac-mediated transgenesis and CRISPR-Cas9 knockout in the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella.","authors":"James C Pearce, Jennie S Campbell, Joann L Prior, Richard W Titball, James G Wakefield","doi":"10.1038/s41684-025-01665-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-025-01665-7","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The larvae of the greater wax moth, Galleria mellonella, are gaining prominence as a versatile nonmammalian in vivo model to study host-pathogen interactions. Their ability to be maintained at 37 °C, coupled with a broad susceptibility to human pathogens and a distinct melanization response that serves as a visual indicator for larval health, positions G. mellonella as a powerful resource for infection research. Despite these advantages, the lack of genetic tools, such as those available for zebrafish and Drosophila melanogaster, has hindered development of the full potential of G. mellonella as a model organism. Here we describe a robust methodology for generating transgenic G. mellonella using the PiggyBac transposon system and for precise gene knockouts via CRISPR-Cas9 technology. These advances significantly enhance the utility of G. mellonella in molecular research, paving the way for its widespread use as an inexpensive and ethically compatible animal model in infection biology and beyond.</p>","PeriodicalId":17936,"journal":{"name":"Lab Animal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-10","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146150162","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-09DOI: 10.1038/s41684-026-01693-x
Nicole El-Darzi, Tim F Dorweiler, Natalia Mast, Julia Busik, Irina A Pikuleva
Drusen and subretinal drusenoid deposits, the pathognomonic lesions for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are rich in cholesterol. Yet, AMD is not consistently linked to plasma lipids. Here wild-type and human apolipoprotein B100-expressing (APOB100) mice were put on a Western type of diet for 13 months and then assessed for plasma lipid profile, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) heterogeneity, status of intraretinal and choroidal vasculatures, retinal structure, function, levels of cholesterol and other sterols, lipid and cholesterol distribution and expression of cholesterol-related genes. The dietary effects were more pronounced in APOB100 mice, which had human-like hyperlipidemia and different subpopulations of HDL3, than in wild-type mice. In addition, the APOB100 retina showed increased cholesterol input from the systemic circulation, higher cholesterol content, more cholesterol crystals, elevated expression of HDL-related genes, lipid accumulation in the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch's membrane, and impaired function compared with the wild-type retina. Remarkably, in both genotypes, cholesterol crystals were detected in the choroid, piercing toward Bruch's membrane and leading to macrophage infiltration. Our data indicate how plasma lipid profile could be linked to AMD and that cholesterol crystals in the choroid should be further investigated as contributors to AMD development and progression.
{"title":"Retinal phenotype of APOB100 transgenic mice on a Western diet with human-like hyperlipidemia and cholesterol crystals in the retina and choroid.","authors":"Nicole El-Darzi, Tim F Dorweiler, Natalia Mast, Julia Busik, Irina A Pikuleva","doi":"10.1038/s41684-026-01693-x","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1038/s41684-026-01693-x","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Drusen and subretinal drusenoid deposits, the pathognomonic lesions for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), are rich in cholesterol. Yet, AMD is not consistently linked to plasma lipids. Here wild-type and human apolipoprotein B100-expressing (APOB100) mice were put on a Western type of diet for 13 months and then assessed for plasma lipid profile, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) heterogeneity, status of intraretinal and choroidal vasculatures, retinal structure, function, levels of cholesterol and other sterols, lipid and cholesterol distribution and expression of cholesterol-related genes. The dietary effects were more pronounced in APOB100 mice, which had human-like hyperlipidemia and different subpopulations of HDL<sub>3</sub>, than in wild-type mice. In addition, the APOB100 retina showed increased cholesterol input from the systemic circulation, higher cholesterol content, more cholesterol crystals, elevated expression of HDL-related genes, lipid accumulation in the retinal pigment epithelium and Bruch's membrane, and impaired function compared with the wild-type retina. Remarkably, in both genotypes, cholesterol crystals were detected in the choroid, piercing toward Bruch's membrane and leading to macrophage infiltration. Our data indicate how plasma lipid profile could be linked to AMD and that cholesterol crystals in the choroid should be further investigated as contributors to AMD development and progression.</p>","PeriodicalId":17936,"journal":{"name":"Lab Animal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146150108","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s41684-026-01682-0
Jorge Ferreira
{"title":"Exon-skipping rat model of muscular dystrophy","authors":"Jorge Ferreira","doi":"10.1038/s41684-026-01682-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41684-026-01682-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17936,"journal":{"name":"Lab Animal","volume":"55 2","pages":"39-39"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41684-026-01682-0.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146103014","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s41684-026-01680-2
Alexandra Le Bras
{"title":"Modeling human variants in the mouse genome","authors":"Alexandra Le Bras","doi":"10.1038/s41684-026-01680-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41684-026-01680-2","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17936,"journal":{"name":"Lab Animal","volume":"55 2","pages":"37-37"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41684-026-01680-2.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146103026","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s41684-026-01690-0
Jorge Ferreira
{"title":"Effects of different fats in atherogenesis","authors":"Jorge Ferreira","doi":"10.1038/s41684-026-01690-0","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41684-026-01690-0","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17936,"journal":{"name":"Lab Animal","volume":"55 2","pages":"36-36"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146103022","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2026-02-03DOI: 10.1038/s41684-026-01684-y
Alexandra Le Bras
{"title":"Cagemate number influences risk of death in mice","authors":"Alexandra Le Bras","doi":"10.1038/s41684-026-01684-y","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41684-026-01684-y","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":17936,"journal":{"name":"Lab Animal","volume":"55 2","pages":"35-35"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2026-02-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146103025","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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