CCR3 plays a role in murine age-related cognitive changes and T-cell infiltration into the brain.

Targeting immune-mediated, age-related, biology has the potential to be a transformative therapeutic strategy. However, the redundant nature of the multiple cytokines that change with aging requires identification of a master downstream regulator to successfully exert therapeutic efficacy. Here, we discovered CCR3 as a prime candidate, and inhibition of CCR3 has pro-cognitive benefits in mice, but these benefits are not driven by an obvious direct action on central nervous system (CNS)-resident cells.

Elafin Treatment Rescues EGFR-Klf4 Signaling and Lung Cell Survival in Ventilated Newborn Mice.

Mechanical ventilation with O-rich gas (MV-O) inhibits alveologenesis and lung growth. We previously showed that MV-O increased elastase activity and apoptosis in lungs of newborn mice, whereas elastase inhibition by elafin suppressed apoptosis and enabled lung growth. Pilot studies suggested that MV-O reduces lung expression of prosurvival factors phosphorylated epidermal growth factor receptor (pEGFR) and Krüppel-like factor 4 (Klf4).

Lung matrix and vascular remodeling in mechanically ventilated elastin haploinsufficient newborn mice.

Elastin plays a pivotal role in lung development. We therefore queried if elastin haploinsufficient newborn mice (Eln(+/-)) would exhibit abnormal lung structure and function related to modified extracellular matrix (ECM) composition. Because mechanical ventilation (MV) has been linked to dysregulated elastic fiber formation in the newborn lung, we also asked if elastin haploinsufficiency would accentuate lung growth arrest seen after prolonged MV of neonatal mice.

Comparison of male chimeric mice generated from microinjection of JM8.N4 embryonic stem cells into C57BL/6J and C57BL/6NTac blastocysts.

To identify ways to improve the efficiency of generating chimeric mice via microinjection of blastocysts with ES cells, we compared production and performance of ES-cell derived chimeric mice using blastocysts from two closely related and commonly used sub-strains of C57BL/6. Chimeras were produced by injection of the same JM8.N4 (C57BL/6NTac) derived ES cell line into blastocysts of mixed sex from either C57BL/6J (B6J) or C57BL/6NTac (B6NTac) mice.