Epigenetic regulation serves as the basis for stem cell differentiation into distinct cell types, but it is unclear how global epigenetic changes are regulated during this process. Here, we tested the hypothesis that global chromatin organization affects the lineage potential of stem cells and that manipulation of chromatin dynamics influences stem...
The β-defensins are a class of small cationic proteins that serve as components of numerous systems in vertebrate biology, including the immune and melanocortin systems. Human β-defensin 3 (HBD3), which is produced in the skin, has been found to bind to melanocortin receptors 1 and 4 through complementary electrostatics, a unique mechanism of ligan...
Mora, Ana MArora, ManishHarley, Kim GKogut, KatherineParra, KimberlyHernández-Bonilla, DavidGunier, Robert BBradman, AsaSmith, Donald REskenazi, Brenda
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We observed that higher prenatal and early postnatal Mn levels measured in dentine of deciduous teeth, a novel biomarker that provides reliable information on the developmental timing of exposures to Mn, were associated with poorer behavioral outcomes in school-age boys and girls and better motor function, memory, and/or cognitive abilities in scho...
To evaluate the contrast sensitivity of a degenerate retina stimulated by a photovoltaic subretinal prosthesis, and assess the impact of low contrast sensitivity on transmission of visual information. We measure ex vivo the full-field contrast sensitivity of healthy rat retina stimulated with white light, and the contrast sensitivity of degenerate ...
Biofilm formation is crucial to the environmental survival and transmission of Vibrio cholerae, the facultative human pathogen responsible for the disease cholera. During its infectious cycle, V. cholerae experiences fluctuations in temperature within the aquatic environment and during the transition between human host and aquatic reservoirs. In th...
Schulze, Christopher JDonia, Mohamed SSiqueira-Neto, Jair LRay, DebalinaRaskatov, Jevgenij AGreen, Richard EMcKerrow, James HFischbach, Michael ALinington, Roger G
Marine natural products are an important source of lead compounds against many pathogenic targets. Herein, we report the discovery of lobosamides A-C from a marine actinobacterium, Micromonospora sp., representing three new members of a small but growing family of bacterially produced polyene macrolactams. The lobosamides display growth inhibitory ...
Tissue homeostasis requires somatic stem cell maintenance; however, mechanisms regulating this process during organogenesis are not well understood. Here, we identify asymmetrically renewing basal and luminal stem cells in the mammary end bud. We demonstrate that SLIT2/ROBO1 signaling regulates the choice between self-renewing asymmetric cell divis...
Lead poisoning from ingestion of spent lead ammunition is one of the greatest threats to the recovery of California Condors (Gymnogyps californianus) in the wild. Trash ingestion by condors is well documented, yet the extent that trash presents a lead exposure risk is unknown. We evaluated 1,413 trash items collected from condor nest areas and nest...
CdiB/CdiA proteins mediate inter-bacterial competition in a process termed contact-dependent growth inhibition (CDI). Filamentous CdiA exoproteins extend from CDI(+) cells and bind specific receptors to deliver toxins into susceptible target bacteria. CDI has also been implicated in auto-aggregation and biofilm formation in several species, but the...
In many bacteria, including Vibrio cholerae, cyclic dimeric guanosine monophosphate (c-di-GMP) controls the motile to biofilm life style switch. Yet, little is known about how this occurs. In this study, we report that changes in c-di-GMP concentration impact the biosynthesis of the MshA pili, resulting in altered motility and biofilm phenotypes in...