Publications by authors named "R E Cachau"
Structural bases for blockade and activation of BK channels by Ba ions.
Front Mol Biosci
September 2024
We studied the impact of Ba ions on the function and structure of large conductance potassium (BK) channels. Ion composition has played a crucial role in the physiological studies of BK channels due to their ability to couple ion composition and membrane voltage signaling. Unlike Ca, which activates BK channels through all (RCK) domains, Ba has been described as specifically interacting with the RCK2 domain.
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- The evolution of blood-feeding insects, like mosquitoes, involves adaptations that help them consume blood while avoiding the host's immune responses.
- Anopheles gambiae salivary apyrase (AgApyrase) plays a key role in blood meal hemostasis by inhibiting platelet aggregation and facilitating the conversion of plasminogen to plasmin, which helps in degrading fibrin and promotes Plasmodium transmission.
- Immunizing against AgApyrase can inhibit Plasmodium infection and transmission, suggesting potential strategies for preventing malaria spread.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have been used to successfully treat various blood cancers, but adverse effects have limited their potential. Here, we developed chimeric adaptor proteins (CAPs) and CAR tyrosine kinases (CAR-TKs) in which the intracellular ζ T cell receptor (TCRζ) chain was replaced with intracellular protein domains to stimulate signaling downstream of the TCRζ chain. CAPs contain adaptor domains and the kinase domain of ZAP70, whereas CAR-TKs contain only ZAP70 domains.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThyroid cancer cell lines have been of great value for the study of thyroid cancer. However, the availability of benign thyroid adenoma cell lines is limited. Cell lines were established from thyroid adenomatous nodules that developed in mice treated with the goitrogen amitrole.
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- Mosquito salivary proteins, especially salivary apyrase (AgApyrase), play a key role in managing blood clotting during a mosquito bite, which is important for the transmission of diseases like malaria.
- The study shows that AgApyrase activates a human protein called tissue plasminogen activator, leading to increased plasmin production that helps mosquitoes digest blood more effectively and increases their infection rates.
- Immunizing against AgApyrase was found to reduce mosquito infection and limit the spread of malaria, suggesting potential new methods for preventing transmission of the disease.