Mechanosensing by β1 integrin induces angiocrine signals for liver growth and survival.

Angiocrine signals derived from endothelial cells are an important component of intercellular communication and have a key role in organ growth, regeneration and disease. These signals have been identified and studied in multiple organs, including the liver, pancreas, lung, heart, bone, bone marrow, central nervous system, retina and some cancers. Here we use the developing liver as a model organ to study angiocrine signals, and show that the growth rate of the liver correlates both spatially and temporally with blood perfusion to this organ.

Functional chromatographic technique for natural product isolation.

Natural product discovery arises through a unique interplay between chromatographic purification and biological assays. Currently, most techniques used for natural product purification deliver leads without a defined biological action. We now describe a technique, referred to herein as functional chromatography, that deploys biological affinity as the matrix for compound isolation.