Vitiligo is an autoimmune skin disease characterized by the targeted destruction of melanocytes by T cells. Cytokine signaling between keratinocytes and T cells results in CD8 T cell infiltration of vitiligo lesions, but the full scope of signals required to coordinate autoimmune responses is not completely understood. We performed single-cell RNA sequencing on affected and unaffected skin from patients with vitiligo, as well as healthy controls, to define the role of each cell type in coordinating autoimmunity during disease progression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPediculosis is a prevalent parasitic infestation of humans, which is increasing due, in part, to the selection of lice resistant to either the pyrethrins or pyrethroid insecticides by the knockdown resistance (kdr) mechanism. To determine the extent and magnitude of the kdr-type mutations responsible for this resistance, lice were collected from 138 collection sites in 48 U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHuman bed bug infestations have dramatically increased worldwide since the mid-1990s. A similar phenomenon was also observed in Israel since 2005, when infestations were reported from all over the country. Two single nucleotide polymorphisms (V419L and L925I) in the bed bug voltage-sensitive sodium channel confer kdr-type resistance to pyrethroids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF4,4'-dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) has been re-recommended by the World Health Organization for malaria mosquito control. Previous DDT use has resulted in resistance, and with continued use resistance will increase in terms of level and extent. Drosophila melanogaster is a model dipteran that has many available genetic tools, numerous studies done on insecticide resistance mechanisms, and is related to malaria mosquitoes allowing for extrapolation.
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