Publications

Abstract

BACKGROUND:

The origin of the intercalated cushions that develop into the anterior cusp of the pulmonary valve (PV) and the noncoronary cusp of the aortic valve (AV) is not well understood.

RESULTS:

The HSV1 virion host shutoff (vhs) protein is an endoribonuclease that binds to the cellular translation initiation machinery and degrades associated mRNAs, resulting in shut-off of host protein synthesis. Hence its unrestrained activity is considered to be lethal, and it has been proposed that vhs is regulated by two other virus proteins, VP22 and VP16. We have found that during infection, translation of vhs requires VP22 but not the VP22-VP16 complex.

Given the comparable strains of high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) present in a subset of Barrett's dysplasia and esophageal adenocarcinoma as in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas and the anatomical proximity of both lesions, we hypothesized that oral sex may increase the risk of Barrett's dysplasia/esophageal adenocarcinoma.

Uterine glands are essential for pregnancy establishment. By employing forkhead box A2 (FOXA2)-deficient mouse models coupled with leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) repletion, we reveal definitive roles of uterine glands in embryo implantation and stromal cell decidualization. Here we report that LIF from the uterine glands initiates embryo-uterine communication, leading to embryo attachment and stromal cell decidualization.

The P2X(7) receptor has been implicated in the release of cytokines and in the induction of cell death, and is up-regulated in a transgenic mouse model of Alzheimer's disease. Using cocultures of rat cortical neurons and microglia, we show that ATP and the more potent P2X(7) agonist benzoylbenzoyl-ATP (BzATP) cause neuronal cell injury.

Alcohol addiction leads to increased choice of alcohol over healthy rewards. We established an exclusive choice procedure in which ~15% of outbred rats chose alcohol over a high-value reward. These animals displayed addiction-like traits, including high motivation to obtain alcohol and pursuit of this drug despite adverse consequences.

The carotid body is a peripheral chemoreceptor that plays a central role in mammalian oxygen homeostasis. In response to sustained hypoxia, it manifests rapid cellular proliferation and an associated increase in responsiveness to hypoxia. Understanding the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying these processes is of interest both to specialised chemoreceptive functions of that organ and potentially to the general physiology and pathophysiology of cellular hypoxia.

Loss of function following injury to the central nervous system is worsened by secondary degeneration of neurons and glia surrounding the injury and initiated by oxidative damage.

Pituitary adenylate cyclase activating polypeptide (PACAP, Adcyap1) is a neuromodulator implicated in anxiety, metabolism and reproductive behavior. PACAP global knockout mice have decreased fertility and PACAP modulates LH release.

HPV-related and HPV-unrelated oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas are two distinct entities according to the Union for International Cancer Control, with a better prognosis conferred to HPV-related oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinomas. However, variable clinical outcomes are observed among patients with p16 positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma, which is a surrogate marker of HPV infection. We aimed to investigate the prognostic value of RNA CISH against E6 and E7 transcripts (HPV RNA CISH) to predict such variability.