Publications by authors named "M L Heiman"
Apical extracellular matrix (aECM) covers every surface of the body and exhibits tissue-specific structures that carry out specialized functions. This is particularly striking at sense organs, where aECM forms the interface between sensory neurons and the environment, and thus plays critical roles in how sensory stimuli are received. Here, we review the extraordinary adaptations of aECM across sense organs and discuss how differences in protein composition and matrix structure assist in sensing mechanical forces (tactile hairs, campaniform sensilla, and the tectorial membrane of the cochlea); tastes and smells (uniporous gustatory sensilla and multiporous olfactory sensilla in insects, and salivary and olfactory mucus in vertebrates); and light (cuticle-derived lenses in arthropods and mollusks).
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- Cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) is a major contributor to stroke and dementia, and currently lacks specific treatments, prompting a study using Mendelian randomization to identify protein associations.
- The research combined cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and plasma data with genetic studies to identify 49 proteins linked to cSVD, highlighting 16 that appeared in both fluids and showing connections to immune response and extracellular matrix pathways.
- Notably, many identified proteins were associated with stroke and dementia, with some already having known drug targets, paving the way for potential new biomarkers and therapies for cSVD.
Article Synopsis
- - Substance use disorders (SUD) and drug addiction significantly impact public health, particularly among individuals and their communities, with a notable overlap between SUD and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections.
- - The connection between SUD and HIV is complex, as HIV can increase the risk of SUD through chronic pain treatment, while those with SUD are more likely to contract HIV, highlighting the need for integrated research.
- - The SCORCH consortium aims to utilize single-cell genomics to examine the interactions between SUD and HIV at a cellular level, leveraging human brain tissue collections and animal models for in-depth study.