In order to effectively thwart predation, antipredator defensive behaviors must be matched to the current spatio-temporal relationship to the predator. We have proposed a model where different defensive responses are organized along a predatory imminence continuum (PIC). The PIC is a behavior system organized as a sequence of innately programmed be...
BackgroundInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has been implicated as a risk factor for prostate cancer, however, the mechanism of how IBD leads to prostate tumorigenesis is not known. Here, we investigated whether chronic intestinal inflammation leads to pro-inflammatory changes associated with tumorigenesis in the prostate.MethodsUsing clinical sampl...
Loss-of-function mutations in the X-linked endosomal Na+/H+ exchanger 6 (NHE6) cause Christianson syndrome in males. Christianson syndrome involves endosome dysfunction leading to early cerebellar degeneration, as well as later-onset cortical and subcortical neurodegeneration, potentially including tau deposition as reported in post-mortem studies....
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a neurodevelopmental disorder caused by mutations in the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, which encode proteins that negatively regulate mTOR complex 1 (mTORC1) signaling. Current treatment strategies focus on mTOR inhibition with rapamycin and its derivatives. While effective at improving some aspects of TSC, chronic rapamyc...
Schizophrenia is a psychiatric disorder that affects over 20 million people globally. Notably, schizophrenia is associated with decreased density of dendritic spines and decreased levels of d-serine, a co-agonist required for opening of the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR). We hypothesized that lowered d-serine levels associated with schizophr...
Published in Stem cell reviews and reports
The use of bioactive scaffolds in conjunction with stem cell therapies for cardiac repair after a myocardial infarction shows significant promise for clinical translation. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of preclinical trials that investigated the use of bioactive scaffolds to support stem cell-aided cardiac regeneration, in comp...
Obesity and malnutrition both cause dysbiosis and dampen retinoic acid (RA) signaling pathways, which play pivotal roles in biological processes. The current study evaluates a hypothesis that colitis-associated dysbiosis also has systemic negative impacts on RA signaling. Thus, we studied the effects of inflammation, under a vitamin A-sufficient co...
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) affects more than 500,000 individuals in the United States alone. In most cases, ADPKD is caused by a loss-of-function mutation in the PKD1 gene, which encodes polycystin-1 (PC1). Previous studies reported that PC1 interacts with atypical protein kinase C (aPKC). Here we show that PC1 binds to th...
AimLow-grade inflammation is the hallmark of non-alcoholic fatty liver diseases (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). The leakage of microbiota-derived products can contribute to liver inflammation during NAFLD/NASH development. Here, we assessed the roles of gut microbial DNA-containing extracellular vesicles (mEVs) in regulating liver...
ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to compare and characterize the structural and ultrastructural organization of the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) between two large animal models for use in the development of tissue engineering strategies.Materials and methodsWhole TMJs from sheep and pigs were evaluated with micro-computed tomography (μCT) for mo...
