Transcription by RNA polymerase II (Pol II) in metazoans is regulated in multiple steps, including preinitiation complex (PIC) formation, initiation, Pol II escape, productive elongation, cotranscriptional RNA processing, and termination. Genome-wide studies have demonstrated that the phenomenon of promoter-bound Pol II pausing is widespread, especially for genes that respond to...
Mucolipins are lysosomal cation channels, with high permeability to calcium ions, that are thought to regulate endolysosomal trafficking. While mucolipin 1 is expressed in all cells, mucolipin 3 is expressed in a small subset of cells (i.e. neonatal intestinal enterocytes, cochlear hair cells and marginal cells of stria vascularis). This...
Spinal cord injury occurs with a worldwide incidence of 13-33 cases per million per year, and more than 2.5 million patients worldwide suffer from spinal cord injury (SCI)-related disability (1, 2). Different methods have been attempted to promote axonal regeneration, including neurotrophin injection, hydrogel injection, olfactory ensheathing cells implantation and...
X-ray Fluorescence Microscopy (XFM) is a useful technique for study of biological samples. XFM was used to map and quantify endogenous biological elements as well as exogenous materials in biological samples, such as the distribution of titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles. TiO2 nanoparticles are produced for many different purposes, including development...
Eosinophils are major effector cells in diseases including asthma, rhinitis, certain gastrointestinal disorders and atopic dermatitis. Current treatments include mediator antagonists and anti-inflammatory drugs that reduce allergic cell numbers and inhibit mediator release, but they are not fully effective or curative. On their surface, eosinophils selectively express Siglec-8 (sialic acid-binding...
The Bcl-2 family is considered the guardian of the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. While there are numerous endogenous Bcl-2 antagonists that share similar homology, structure, topology, and expression pattern, only the loss of Bim in mice is sufficient to lead to the development of a systemic autoimmunity. Even loss of both...