Publications by authors named "Mai Baalbaki"
The transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family of cytokines critically regulates vascular morphogenesis and homeostasis. Impairment of TGF-β or BMP signaling leads to heritable vascular disorders, including hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia (HHT). Drosha, a key enzyme for microRNA (miRNA) biogenesis, also regulates the TGF-β and BMP pathway through interaction with Smads and their joint control of gene expression through miRNAs.
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- Truncating mutations in the protein Titin lead to severe heart and muscle diseases, particularly affecting the C-terminal region of the protein more than the N-terminal region.
- Researchers used CRISPR/Cas9 to create zebrafish models with Titin mutations, finding that C-terminal mutations resulted in severe muscle issues, while N-terminal mutations had milder effects.
- The study revealed a conserved internal promoter that helps partially rescue the effects of N-terminal truncations, providing insights into both disease mechanisms and the structure of muscle cells.
Phosphoinositides (PI) are important signaling molecules in the nucleus that influence gene expression. However, if and how nuclear PI directly affects the transcriptional machinery is not known. We report that the lipid kinase PIP4K2B regulates nuclear PI5P and the expression of myogenic genes during myoblast differentiation.
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