Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are small membrane enclosed sacs released from bacteria which serve as carriers of biomolecules that shape interactions with the surrounding environment. The periodontal pathogen, , is a prolific OMV producer. Here, we investigated how the structure of lipid A, a core outer membrane molecule, influences OMV production, OMV-dependent TLR4 activation, and biofilm formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: All forms of diabetes result from insufficient functional β-cell mass. Thus, achieving the therapeutic goal of expanding β-cell mass requires a better mechanistic understanding of how β-cells proliferate. Glucose is a natural β-cell mitogen that mediates its effects in part through the glucose-responsive transcription factor, carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) and the anabolic transcription factor, MYC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCarbohydrate response element-binding protein (ChREBP) is a carbohydrate-sensing transcription factor that regulates both adaptive and maladaptive genomic responses in coordination of systemic fuel homeostasis. Genetic variants in the ChREBP locus associate with diverse metabolic traits in humans, including circulating lipids. To identify novel ChREBP-regulated hepatokines that contribute to its systemic metabolic effects, we integrated ChREBP ChIP-Seq analysis in mouse liver with human genetic and genomic data for lipid traits and identified hepatocyte growth factor activator (HGFAC) as a promising ChREBP-regulated candidate in mice and humans.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJMIR Public Health Surveill
February 2021
Chromogranin B (CgB, also known as CHGB) is abundantly expressed in dense core secretory granules of multiple endocrine tissues and has been suggested to regulate granule biogenesis in some cell types, including the pancreatic islet β-cell, though the mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate a critical role for CgB in regulating secretory granule trafficking in the β-cell. Loss of CgB impairs glucose-stimulated insulin secretion, impedes proinsulin processing to yield increased proinsulin content, and alters the density of insulin-containing granules.
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