Nucleosome regulatory dynamics in response to TGFβ.

Nucleosomes play important roles in a cell beyond their basal functionality in chromatin compaction. Their placement affects all steps in transcriptional regulation, from transcription factor (TF) binding to messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) synthesis. Careful profiling of their locations and dynamics in response to stimuli is important to further our understanding of transcriptional regulation by the state of chromatin.

p53 regulates epithelial-mesenchymal transition induced by transforming growth factor β.

Epithelial plasticity characterizes embryonic development and diseases such as cancer. Epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) is a reversible and guided process of plasticity whereby embryonic or adult epithelia acquire mesenchymal properties. Multiple signaling pathways control EMT, and the transforming growth factor β (TGFβ) pathway plays a central role as its inducer.

PU.1 and bacterial metabolites regulate the human gene CAMP encoding antimicrobial peptide LL-37 in colon epithelial cells.

Mammalian antimicrobial peptides contribute to the protective barrier against microbes at epithelial surfaces. This study focuses on the promoter of the human CAMP gene, encoding the antimicrobial peptide LL-37, and induction of the gene in the colonic epithelial cell line HT-29. CAMP promoter segments were inserted in front of a luciferase reporter in order to identify regulatory regions.

The antimicrobial peptide rCRAMP is present in the central nervous system of the rat.

The brain is protected against invading pathogens by the blood-brain barrier, and also by its own innate defence system consisting of microglia and neurons in a coordinated network. Antimicrobial peptides are a part of the innate immune system at epithelial surfaces, and may also have important functions in the brain. Recently, we characterized the rat homologue of the human cathelicidin LL-37, designated rCRAMP.

Phylogeny, processing and expression of the rat cathelicidin rCRAMP: a model for innate antimicrobial peptides.

A database search identified a rat cDNA clone which phylogenetic analysis revealed to encode a cathelicidin most similar to mouse cathelicidin CRAMP. The analysis also showed that the evolutionary pattern of the cathelicidin family is lineage specific. The rat cathelicidin is called rCRAMP.