Loss of Smad4 in the scleraxis cell lineage results in postnatal joint contracture.

Growth of the musculoskeletal system requires precise coordination between bone, muscle, and tendon during development. Insufficient elongation of the muscle-tendon unit relative to bone growth results in joint contracture, a condition characterized by reduction or complete loss of joint range of motion. Here we establish a novel murine model of joint contracture by targeting Smad4 for deletion in the tendon cell lineage using Scleraxis-Cre (ScxCre).

Natural Killer Cell Evasion Is Essential for Infection by Rhesus Cytomegalovirus.

The natural killer cell receptor NKG2D activates NK cells by engaging one of several ligands (NKG2DLs) belonging to either the MIC or ULBP families. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) UL16 and UL142 counteract this activation by retaining NKG2DLs and US18 and US20 act via lysomal degradation but the importance of NK cell evasion for infection is unknown. Since NKG2DLs are highly conserved in rhesus macaques, we characterized how NKG2DL interception by rhesus cytomegalovirus (RhCMV) impacts infection in vivo.

Roles of MMP/TIMP in regulating matrix swelling and cell migration during chick corneal development.

Tissue remodeling is central to embryonic development. Here, we used immunohistochemistry, Western blotting, and RT-PCR analysis to investigate the roles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and the related "a disintegrin and metalloproteinase" (ADAM) family proteinases in chick corneal development. While MMP-13 was expressed in developing chick corneas from embryonic day (ED) 5 to ED 10, its inhibitor, tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP-1), was expressed from ED 18 to 2 days post-hatching (P2).