The benefits of using diverse animal models for studying pertussis.

Pertussis, a respiratory disease caused by infection with Bordetella pertussis, represents one of the most devastating diseases in infants and young children worldwide. Significant research efforts over the last five decades have led to the introduction of two types of vaccines, which are now available worldwide and which have significantly reduced the global incidence of pertussis. The use of animal models and, in particular, the mouse model has benefited in the development of these vaccines tremendously.

Regulation of muscle growth by multiple ligands signaling through activin type II receptors.

Myostatin is a secreted protein that normally functions as a negative regulator of muscle growth. Agents capable of blocking the myostatin signaling pathway could have important applications for treating human muscle degenerative diseases as well as for enhancing livestock production. Here we describe a potent myostatin inhibitor, a soluble form of the activin type IIB receptor (ACVR2B), which can cause dramatic increases in muscle mass (up to 60% in 2 weeks) when injected into wild-type mice.

Characterization and identification of the inhibitory domain of GDF-8 propeptide.

GDF-8 is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. The mechanisms which regulate the biological activity of GDF-8 have not yet been elucidated. Analogous to the TGF-beta system, GDF-8 propeptide binds to and inhibits the activity of GDF-8.