Scientific Websites
About Short-Tailed Opossum Biology, Genome & Research
Information provided on this page are generally focused on their biology and taxonomy, or technical and scientific studies.
I do not necessarily endorse or vouch for the accuracy of the information found in these websites.
Biology, Taxonomy and Wild Information
Argentina map: Map of STO (Monodelphis domestica) found in Argentina. The text is not in English.
Map of STO In The Wild: Shows a mapped range of STO in the wild, including Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay and the tip of Argentina.
Marsupials of Argentina: An Annotated Checklist of Their Distribution and Conservation: From 2000. It is about the environmental status of many small opossums and animals in Argentina, including STO (Monodelphis domestica) and the cousin short-tailed opossums Monodelphis dimidiata, iheringi, scalops, and sorex.
Southwest Foundation for Biomedical Research: Information about STO use in research for cancer, cholesterol, spinal cord injury repair and genetics research, including two cute pictures.
Walker's Mammals Monodelphis and Walker's Mammals Didelphidae have great information about STO and their cousins in the wild.
Genome Project
STO were selected by the NHGRI to have their genome sequenced, adding to our understanding about DNA. These are articles that are not too technical about the project.
STO - Marsupial Among the Model Organisms Next in Line for Genome Sequencing: From the National Human Genome Research Institute, March 2 2004. This article has an adorable picture of a STO, and describes why STO were chosen for the genome project.
Tammar Wallaby - Kangaroo Hops In Line For Genome Sequencing: From NIH/National Human Genome Research Institute 06/08/2004. Tammar wallaby (a kangaroo) became the second marsupial approved for sequencing, after the STO.
Research Studies
These are very technical, however they have some very interesting information. There are approximately 500 scientific research papers focused on short tailed opossums, and while most of them are only available to those in the academic field or
Albumin transfer across the choroid plexus of South American opossum (Monodelphis domestica): J Physiol. 1997 February 15; 499(Pt 1): 179–194
Analysis of a set of Australian northern brown bandicoot expressed sequence tags with comparison to the genome sequence of the South American grey short tailed opossum: BMC Genomics. 2007; 8: 50. Published online 2007 February 13. doi: 10.1186/1471-2164-8-50
Chemosensory and cholinergic stimulation of fictive respiration in isolated CNS of neonatal opossum: J Physiol. 1997 June 1; 501(Pt 2): 425–437
Cost of transport is increased after cold exposure in Monodelphis domestica: training for inefficiency: First published online August 4, 2005 Journal of Experimental Biology 208, 3159-3167 (2005) Published by The Company of Biologists 2005 doi: 10.1242/jeb.01703
Does early monocular enucleation in a marsupial affect the surviving uncrossed retinofugal pathway? J Anat. 1995 April; 186(Pt 2): 335–342
Early development of the neural plate, neural crest and facial region of marsupials: J Anat. 2001 Jul-Aug; 199(Pt 1-2): 121–131. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2001.19910121.x.
First-generation linkage map of the gray, short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica, reveals genome-wide reduction in female recombination rates: Genetics. 2004 January; 166(1): 307–329
Gonadal development in the opossum, Monodelphis domestica: the rete ovarii does not contribute to the steroidogenic tissues: J Anat. 1993 August; 183(Pt 1): 43–56
HindIII RFLP for NRAS in Monodelphis domestica: Nucleic Acids Res. 1991 December 25; 19(24): 6976
In silico identification of opossum cytokine genes suggests the complexity of the marsupial immune system rivals that of eutherian mammals: Immunome Res. 2006; 2: 4. Published online 2006 November 10. doi: 10.1186/1745-7580-2-4.
Male pheromone stimulates ovarian follicular development and body growth in juvenile female opossums (Monodelphis domestica): Reprod Biol Endocrinol. 2003; 1: 21. Published online 2003 February 11. doi: 10.1186/1477-7827-1-21.
Novel articular cartilage structure in the South American opossum, Monodelphis domestica: J Anat. 1993 June; 182(Pt 3): 321–328
Photoreactivation of UV-induced pyrimidine dimers and erythema in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1985 April; 82(8): 2409–2411
Postnatal development of the fore and hindlimbs in the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica: J Anat. 2002 November; 201(5): 420. Copyright © Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2002
Postnatal development of the fore- and hindlimbs in the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica: J Anat. 2003 January; 202(1): 143–152. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2003.00149.x.
Reconstructing an Ancestral Mammalian Immune Supercomplex from a Marsupial Major Histocompatibility Complex: PLoS Biol. 2006 March; 4(3): e46. Published online 2006 January 31. doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.0040046
Restoration of conduction and growth of axons through injured spinal cord of neonatal opossum in culture: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1992 January 1; 89(1): 431–434.
Testis development in the opossum Monodelphis domestica: J Anat. 1996 October; 189(Pt 2): 393–406
The development of enamel tubules during the formation of enamel in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica: J Anat. 1991 December; 179: 47–58
The p53 tumor suppressor gene of the marsupial Monodelphis domestica: cloning of exons 4–11 and mutations in exons 5–8 in ultraviolet radiation-induced corneal sarcomas: Carcinogenesis, Vol. 20, No. 6, 963-968, June 1999
The role of the vomeronasal system in food preferences of the gray short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica: Nutrition & Metabolism 2005, 2:6 doi:10.1186/1743-7075-2-6
Ultrastructural aspects of oocyte growth in the marsupial Monodelphis domestica (grey short-tailed opossum): J Anat. 1992 December; 181(Pt 3): 481–498
Ultrastructure of the placenta of the tammar wallaby, Macropus eugenii: comparison with the grey short-tailed opossum, Monodelphis domestica: J Anat. 2002 August; 201(2): 101–119. doi: 10.1046/j.1469-7580.2002.00084.x.
VH Repertoire of a Marsupial (Monodelphis domestica): The Journal of Immunology, 1998, 160: 259-265
Whole-body mechanics and gaits in the gray short-tailed opossum Monodelphis domestica: integrating patterns of locomotion in a semi-erect mammal: The Journal of Experimental Biology 206, 1379-1388 (2003) Copyright © 2003 The Company of Biologists Limited doi: 10.1242/jeb.00267
