One of the key advances in regenerative medicine has been the engraftment of external epithelial stem cells to supplement or replace damaged native cells. However, the difficulty in engrafting internal tissues has hindered the long-term rescue of diseased internal epithelia, such as those in the respiratory airways.
One of the key advances in regenerative medicine has been the engraftment of external epithelial stem cells to supplement or replace damaged native cells. However, the difficulty in engrafting internal tissues has hindered the long-term rescue of diseased internal epithelia, such as those in the respiratory airways.
Scientists have discovered that a small chemokine protein released by activated platelets, platelet factor 4 (PF 4), reduced neuroinflammation, and improved cognition in aged mice. The study was published on Aug. 16 in the online edition of Nature.
In a study reported in the online edition of Science on Aug. 10, 2023, a group of synthetic biologists from the University of California (UC) San Diego and clinicians from Australia have engineered synthetic bacteria to detect specific DNA sequences in the genomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and organoids. This living cell sensor capable of detecting cancer in the colons of mice has the potential to steer the way to new biosensors capable of identifying various infections, cancers and other diseases.
In a study reported in the online edition of Science on Aug. 10, 2023, a group of synthetic biologists from the University of California (UC) San Diego and clinicians from Australia have engineered synthetic bacteria to detect specific DNA sequences in the genomes of colorectal cancer (CRC) cells and organoids. This living cell sensor capable of detecting cancer in the colons of mice has the potential to steer the way to new biosensors capable of identifying various infections, cancers and other diseases.
A newly described small molecule inhibitor called AOH-1996 targets a cancer-associated isoform of PCNA (caPCNA), leading to a very broad therapeutic window. Researchers at City of Hope, a cancer research and treatment organization in California, reported on AOH-1996 in the Aug. 1, 2023, online edition of Cell Chemical Biology. Genes involved in replication and repair pathways are essential for the growth and survival of cancer cells. Proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) is a key player in DNA replication via a homotrimer formation that acts as a molecular sliding clamp around the DNA double helix.
Since its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has killed nearly 7 million people. But at the same time, many infections, in particular in children and young adults, are asymptomatic with rapid viral clearance from the body. It remains unclear why many individuals are able to successfully clear infection without major complications while others develop severe disease, even without known risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes.
Now, a new study involving nearly 30,000 individuals has found that variation in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci may underlie processes mediating asymptomatic infection. The findings were reported in the July 19, 2023, online edition of Nature.
Glioblastoma is a particularly aggressive form of brain cancer characterized by rapid infiltration into surrounding brain tissue, especially in areas of increased neuronal activity. Neurons and nerve fibers have recently been identified as vital components of the tumor microenvironment that favor the initiation and progression of a variety of solid tumors, including gliomas. Researchers have gained new insights into the molecular mechanisms driving glioblastoma infiltration and identified subtypes of neurons that serve as the substrate for driving tumor progression.
The NLRP3 inflammasome is a multiprotein complex that plays a pivotal role in regulating the innate immune system and inflammatory signaling. Upon activation by pathogen-associated molecular patterns (PAMPs), NLRP3 oligomerizes and activates caspase-1 which initiates the processing and release of pro-inflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-1 that are overproduced in many inflammatory disease conditions.
Interactions between the gut microbiome and immune system influence cancer immune surveillance, though the mechanism through which these gut-primed immune cells regulate peripheral antitumor immune response is not well understood. Now, two recent studies in Science and Science Immunology using mouse models and human tissue samples have highlighted a group of intestinal T cells with the gut-homing α4β7 integrin receptors that play a critical role in mediating response to immune checkpoint blockade cancer immunotherapy.