Background & Aims: Epidemiological studies have established alcohol and smoking as independent risk factors for recurrent acute pancreatitis and chronic pancreatitis. However, the molecular players responsible for the progressive loss of pancreatic parenchyma and fibroinflammatory response are poorly characterized.
Methods: Tandem mass tag-based proteomic and bioinformatics analyses were performed on the pancreata of mice exposed to alcohol, cigarette smoke, or a combination of alcohol and cigarette smoke.
Pancreatic Ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive cancer commonly exhibiting KRAS-activating mutations. Alcohol contributes to the risk of developing PDAC in humans, and murine models have shown alcohol consumption in the context of KRAS mutation in the pancreas promotes the development of PDAC. The molecular signatures in pancreas cells altered by alcohol exposure in the context of mutant KRAS could identify pathways related to the etiology of PDAC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRNA polymerase II subunit A Carboxy-Terminal Domain Phosphatase 1 (CTDP1), a member of the haloacid dehalogenase superfamily phosphatases, has a defined role in transcriptional regulation, but emerging evidence suggests an expanded functional repertoire in the cell cycle and DNA damage response. In humans, a splice site mutation in gives rise to the rare Congenital Cataracts Facial Dysmorphism and Neuropathy syndrome, and recent evidence from our lab indicates CTDP1 is required for breast cancer growth and proliferation. To explore the physiological function of CTDP1 in a mammalian system, we generated a conditional knockout mouse model by insertion of sites upstream of exon 3 and downstream of exon 4.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased technological methods have enabled the investigation of biology at nanoscale levels. Such systems require the use of computational methods to comprehend the complex interactions that occur. The dynamics of metabolic systems have been traditionally described utilizing differential equations without fully capturing the heterogeneity of biological systems.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly metastatic disease that can be separated into distinct subtypes based on molecular signatures. Identifying PDAC subtype-specific therapeutic vulnerabilities is necessary to develop precision medicine approaches to treat PDAC.
Experimental Design: A total of 56 PDAC liver metastases were obtained from the UNMC Rapid Autopsy Program and analyzed with quantitative proteomics.
Hyperinsulinemia affects 72% of Fanconi anemia (FA) patients and an additional 25% experience lowered glucose tolerance or frank diabetes. The underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to the dysfunction of FA pancreas β cells is unknown. Therefore, we sought to evaluate the functional role of FANCA, the most commonly mutated gene in FA, in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBurying beetles ( spp.) are among the relatively few insects that provide parental care while not belonging to the eusocial insects such as ants or bees. This behavior incurs energy costs as evidenced by immune deficits and shorter life-spans in reproducing beetles.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTrichomycterus areolatus is an endemic species of pencil catfish that inhabits the riffles and rapids of many freshwater ecosystems of Chile. Despite its unique adaptation to Chile's high gradient watersheds and therefore potential application in the investigation of ecosystem integrity and environmental contamination, relatively little is known regarding the molecular biology of this environmental sentinel. Here, we detail the assembly of the Trichomycterus areolatus transcriptome, a molecular resource for the study of this organism and its molecular response to the environment.
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