A large-scale genetic screen identifies genes essential for motility in Agrobacterium fabrum.

The genetic and molecular basis of flagellar motility has been investigated for several decades, with innovative research strategies propelling advances at a steady pace. Furthermore, as the phenomenon is examined in diverse bacteria, new taxon-specific regulatory and structural features are being elucidated. Motility is also a straightforward bacterial phenotype that can allow undergraduate researchers to explore the palette of molecular genetic tools available to microbiologists.

ELMO1 variants and susceptibility to diabetic nephropathy in American Indians.

Variants in the engulfment and cell motility 1 gene, ELMO1, have previously been associated with kidney disease attributed to type 2 diabetes. The Pima Indians of Arizona have high rates of diabetic nephropathy, which is strongly dependent on genetic determinants; thus, we sought to investigate the role of ELMO1 polymorphisms in mediating susceptibility to this disease in this population. Genotype distributions were compared among 141 individuals with nephropathy and 416 individuals without heavy proteinuria in a family study of 257 sibships, and 107 cases with diabetic ESRD and 108 controls with long duration diabetes and no nephropathy.

Origin and characterization of multipotential mesenchymal stem cells derived from adult human trabecular bone.

Much of the knowledge regarding the regulatory pathways for adult stem cell self-renewal and differentiation has been obtained from the results of in vitro cultures. However, it is unclear if adult stem cells are controlled in the same way under physiological conditions. We examined this issue with respect to the migration of stem cells to tissue injury and how switch from a migratory state to one of proliferation wherein they participate in development.