Publications by authors named "S Backert"

Article Synopsis
  • Ulcerative colitis (UC) increases the risk of developing colitis-associated carcinoma (CAC), which has genetic similarities to sporadic colorectal carcinomas (sCRCs) but differs in mutation patterns and timing, complicating diagnosis.* -
  • The study analyzed the mutation profiles of 64 CACs and sCRCs to identify distinct genetic variants, finding that sCRCs more frequently mutate in the APC and PIK3CA genes, and identified the KRAS G12D mutation unique to CACs.* -
  • The findings emphasize the genetic differences between CAC and sCRC, suggesting that these specific gene alterations can aid pathologists in making more accurate diagnoses.*
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Many viral, protozoal, and fungal pathogens represent major human and animal health problems due to their great potential of causing infectious diseases. Research on these pathogens has contributed substantially to our current understanding of both microbial virulence determinants and host key factors during infection. Countless studies have also shed light on the molecular mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions that are employed by these microbes.

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Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) account for significant genomic variability in microbes, including the highly diverse gastric pathogen Helicobacter pylori. However, data on the effects of specific SNPs in pathogen-host interactions are scarce. Recent functional studies unravelled how a serine/leucine polymorphism in serine protease HtrA affects the formation of proteolytically active trimers and modulates cleavage of host cell-to-cell junction proteins during infection.

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Cell polarity is crucial for gastric mucosal barrier integrity and mainly regulated by polarity-regulating kinase partitioning-defective 1b (Par1b). During infection, the carcinogen hijacks Par1b via the bacterial oncoprotein CagA leading to loss of cell polarity, but the precise molecular mechanism is not fully clear. Here we discovered a novel function of the actin-binding protein cortactin in regulating Par1b, which forms a complex with cortactin and the tight junction protein zona occludens-1 (ZO-1).

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