However, the potential of small-animal imaging goes beyond detecting anatomical details or abnormal changes in morphology using high-resolution CT or MRI, and it extends towards revealing complex biochemical pathways or quantitative measurements of receptor, transporter or gene expression [39].
Inactivation of twinfilin results in defects in cortical actin patches in budding yeast and in abnormal bristle morphology in Drosophila due to uncontrolled polymerization of actin [12], [13].
Another recent study found an even higher prevalence of adrenal abnormalities in patients with acromegaly, describing abnormal adrenal morphology in 48% of patients in a group with 670 acromegalics.
Disruption of the Ext1 gene in glomerular podocytes results in an abnormal morphology in these cells [ 133].
The polarization of the actin cytoskeleton is an essential process for cell expansion and budding in the yeast S. cerevisiae, and a defect in this process results in abnormal morphology characterized either by elongated buds or spherical buds [ 36].
These results indicate that disruption of dynein function in Cra1/+ mice results in abnormal morphology of neuromuscular junctions.
A deletion in ubp2 could result in abnormal vesicle morphology leading to indirect defects in Fur4 sorting.
Deletion of PbIMC1h also resulted in abnormal sporozoite morphology and a number of defects in in vivo infection.
Loss of DdCAD-1 resulted in abnormal slug morphology and a delay in culmination [28].
