Organ transplant rejection begins when a specific type of immune cell, known as a T cell, identifies foreign tissue and infiltrates the graft. It is not clear which molecular signals direct the T cells to begin migrating to the graft. … Continue reading
Cystic fibrosis is caused by mutations in CFTR, a gene that encodes a sodium/chloride transporter that is expressed in multiple tissues. This protein regulates the composition of sweat, mucus, and digestive fluids and loss of the protein causes injury to … Continue reading
The placenta serves as the conduit for communication between the mother and fetus during pregnancy. To ensure that the growing fetus has access to sufficient oxygen and nutrients, the spiral arteries that supply blood to the endometrium must undergo remodeling. … Continue reading
Pancreatic beta cells produce insulin and play a critical role in maintaining blood glucose levels; loss of these cells results in the development of diabetes. A primary goal in diabetes therapy is beta cell replacement; however, there is a short … Continue reading
Platinum compounds, such as cisplatin and carboplatin, induce DNA cross-linking, prohibiting DNA synthesis and repair in rapidly dividing cells. They are first line therapeutics in the treatment of many solid tumors, but cancer cells frequently develop resistance to these drugs. … Continue reading
The retina is a highly vascularized tissue, but too much or too little vascularization can lead to visual impairment and diseases such as familial exudative vitreoretinopathy or macular degeneration. Christine Weinl and colleagues identified the transcription factor SRF and its … Continue reading
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative skeletal muscle disease caused by mutations in the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin functions to protect muscle cells from injury and loss of functional dystrophin results in break down and loss of muscle cells. A … Continue reading
Reverse cholesterol transport is a process whereby accumulated cholesterol is removed from tissues, including the artery wall, and transported back to the liver for excretion. Little is known about how cholesterol is removed from peripheral tissues, but a better understanding … Continue reading
Aging is a complex physiological process that is governed by multiple genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. Many different cellular signaling pathways have been reported to regulate aging at the molecular level. Jibin Zhou and colleagues explored the role of GSK3alpha … Continue reading
Mycobacterium ulcerans infects the skin and subcutaneous tissues. It secretes a lipid toxin, mycolactone, which causes open skin lesions, known as Buruli ulcers. Laure Guenin-Macé and colleagues investigated the molecular actions of mycolactone and found that it dysregulates the actin … Continue reading