Abdominal pain is common in patients with active inflammation of the colon but can persist even in its absence, suggesting other mechanisms of pain signaling. Recent findings suggest colon epithelial cells are direct regulators of pain-sensing neurons. Optogenetic activation of epithelial cells evoked nerve firing and pain-like behaviors. Inhibition of epithelial cells caused the opposite effect, reducing responses to colon distension and inflammatory hypersensitivity. Thus, epithelial cells alone can regulate the activation of pain circuits. Future goals are to define the anatomical and cellular mechanisms that underlie epithelial-neural pain signaling and how it is altered in response to colon inflammation.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/crocol/otab040 | DOI Listing |
Mol Genet Genomic Med
January 2025
The State Key Laboratory for Complex Severe and Rare Diseases, the State Key Sci-Tech Infrastructure for Translational Medicine, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Beijing, China.
Background: Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by dysfunction of motile cilia. While approximately 50 genes have been identified, around 25% of PCD patients remain genetically unexplained; elucidating the pathogenicity of specific variants remains a challenge.
Methods: Whole exome sequencing (WES) and Sanger sequencing were conducted to identify potential pathogenic variants of PCD.
Front Pharmacol
December 2024
Systems Pharmacology and Translational Therapeutics Laboratory, The Center for Advanced Studies and Technology (CAST), "G. d'Annunzio" University, Chieti, Italy.
Inflammation plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of various diseases by promoting the acquisition of new functional traits by different cell types. Shared risk factors between cardiovascular disease and cancer, including smoking, obesity, diabetes, high-fat diet, low physical activity, and alcohol consumption, contribute to inflammation linked to platelet activation. Platelets contribute to an inflammatory state by activating various normal cells, such as fibroblasts, immune cells, and vascular cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Endocrinol (Lausanne)
January 2025
Department of Psychology, University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL, United States.
The neuropeptide oxytocin (OXT) and its receptor (OXTR) have been shown to play an important role in glucose metabolism, and pancreatic islets express this ligand and receptor. In the current study, OXTR expression was identified in α-, β-, and δ-cells of the pancreatic islet by RNA hybridization, and OXT protein expression was observed only in β-cells. In order to examine the contribution of islet OXT/OXTR in glycemic control and islet β-cell heath, we developed a β-cell specific OXTR knock-out (β-KO) mouse.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBreast cancer is a significant health challenge worldwide, and disproportionately affects women of African ancestry (AA) who experience higher mortality rates relative to other racial/ethnic groups. Several studies have pointed to biological factors that affect breast cancer outcomes. A recently discovered stromal cell population that expresses P ROCR, Z EB1 and P DGFRα (PZP cells) was found to be enriched in normal healthy breast tissue from AA donors, and only in tumor adjacent tissues from donors of European ancestry (EA).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnlabelled: The With No lysine (WNK) kinases regulate processes such as cell volume and epithelial ion transport through the modulation of Cation Chloride Cotransporters such as the NaCl cotransporter, NCC, present in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) of the kidney. Recently, the interaction of WNKs with Nuclear Receptor Binding Protein 1 (NRBP1) and Transforming Growth Factor β-Stimulated Clone 22 Domain (TSC22D) proteins was reported. Here we explored the effect of NRBP1 and TSC22Ds on WNK signaling in vitro and in the DCT.
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