Development and utilization of expressing green fluorescent protein to study spirochete-host interactions and antibody-mediated clearance: expanding the toolbox for syphilis research.

Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the highly invasive and immunoevasive spirochetal pathogen subsp. (). Untreated syphilis can lead to infection of multiple organ systems, including the central nervous system.

Electron microscopy imaging and mechanical characterization of T47D multicellular tumor spheroids-Older spheroids reduce interstitial space and become stiffer.

Multicellular cancer spheroids are an in vitro tissue model that mimics the three-dimensional microenvironment. As spheroids grow, they develop the gradients of oxygen, nutrients, and catabolites, affecting crucial tumor characteristics such as proliferation and treatment responses. The measurement of spheroid stiffness provides a quantitative measure to evaluate such structural changes over time.

PLCβ2 Promotes VEGF-Induced Vascular Permeability.

Background: Regulation of vascular permeability is critical to maintaining tissue metabolic homeostasis. VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor) is a key stimulus of vascular permeability in acute and chronic diseases including ischemia reperfusion injury, sepsis, and cancer. Identification of novel regulators of vascular permeability would allow for the development of effective targeted therapeutics for patients with unmet medical need.