Third intracellular loop of HCMV US28 is necessary for signaling and viral reactivation.

The human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) encoded chemokine receptor US28 plays a critical role in viral pathogenesis, mediating several processes such as cellular migration, differentiation, transformation, and viral latency and reactivation. Despite significant research examining the signal transduction pathways utilized by US28, the precise mechanism by which US28 activates these pathways remains unclear. We performed a mutational analysis of US28 to identify signaling domains that are critical for functional activities.

Transcription factor induction of vascular blood stem cell niches in vivo.

The hematopoietic niche is a supportive microenvironment composed of distinct cell types, including specialized vascular endothelial cells that directly interact with hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells (HSPCs). The molecular factors that specify niche endothelial cells and orchestrate HSPC homeostasis remain largely unknown. Using multi-dimensional gene expression and chromatin accessibility analyses in zebrafish, we define a conserved gene expression signature and cis-regulatory landscape that are unique to sinusoidal endothelial cells in the HSPC niche.

A highly active mineral-based ice nucleating agent supports cell cryopreservation in a high throughput format.

Cryopreservation of biological matter in microlitre scale volumes of liquid would be useful for a range of applications. At present, it is challenging because small volumes of water tend to supercool, and deep supercooling is known to lead to poor post-thaw cell viability. Here, we show that a mineral ice nucleator can almost eliminate supercooling in 100 µl liquid volumes during cryopreservation.