8 results match your criteria: "and Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology University of California[Affiliation]"
Dynamics of microRNA secreted via extracellular vesicles during the maturation of embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium.
J Extracell Biol
September 2024
USC Roski Eye Institute, Keck School of Medicine University of Southern California Los Angeles California USA.
Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells are exclusive to the retina, critically multifunctional in maintaining the visual functions and health of photoreceptors and the retina. Despite their vital functions throughout lifetime, RPE cells lack regenerative capacity, rendering them vulnerable which can lead to degenerative retinal diseases. With advancements in stem cell technology enabling the differentiation of functional cells from pluripotent stem cells and leveraging the robust autocrine and paracrine functions of RPE cells, extracellular vesicles (EVs) secreted by RPE cells hold significant therapeutic potential in supplementing RPE cell activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSingle-animal, single-tube RNA extraction for comparison of relative transcript levels via qRT-PCR in the tardigrade .
bioRxiv
November 2024
Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA.
Article Synopsis
- Tardigrades are remarkable organisms known for surviving extreme environments, making them a key focus for studying genetic mechanisms behind their resilience.
- RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) and techniques like RT-PCR and RNA interference are used to analyze their genetic responses, but require efficient RNA extraction methods.
- This study introduces a new single-tardigrade RNA extraction method (STST) that simplifies the process, reduces costs, and allows for effective analysis of gene expression related to heat shock proteins using qRT-PCR.
Genetic associations with age at dementia onset in the PSEN1 E280A Colombian kindred.
Alzheimers Dement
September 2023
Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, California, and Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology University of California, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Article Synopsis
- - The study focuses on a Colombian family with a specific genetic mutation related to early-onset Alzheimer's disease, aiming to find genetic factors that affect the age at which the disease manifests.
- - Researchers analyzed genetic data from 340 individuals carrying the PSEN1 E280A mutation and found 13 genetic variants linked to Alzheimer's onset, with three significant variants associated with the gene clusterin.
- - The identified genetic variants are suggested to influence biological processes related to Alzheimer’s, highlighting their possible importance in developing future therapies, especially given the strong existing mutation linked to the disease.
The impact of SARS-CoV-2 in dementia across Latin America: A call for an urgent regional plan and coordinated response.
Alzheimers Dement (N Y)
November 2020
The SARS-CoV-2 global pandemic will disproportionately impact countries with weak economies and vulnerable populations including people with dementia. Latin American and Caribbean countries (LACs) are burdened with unstable economic development, fragile health systems, massive economic disparities, and a high prevalence of dementia. Here, we underscore the selective impact of SARS-CoV-2 on dementia among LACs, the specific strain on health systems devoted to dementia, and the subsequent effect of increasing inequalities among those with dementia in the region.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHorizontal transmission and recombination maintain forever young bacterial symbiont genomes.
PLoS Genet
August 2020
Department of Biomolecular Engineering. University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, United States of America.
Article Synopsis
- Bacterial symbionts help their host organisms by providing useful functions, but their own genes can get weaker over time when they depend too much on their hosts.
- In marine environments, some bacteria can still share genes with others, which helps keep their abilities strong even when they mostly rely on one host.
- Scientists studied different types of bacteria living with clams to see how they pass on genes and found that those that mainly passed genes vertically (from parent to offspring) had weaker genomes, while those that could share genes with other bacteria were healthier and had more variations.
Genetic origin of a large family with a novel PSEN1 mutation (Ile416Thr).
Alzheimers Dement
May 2019
Grupo de Neurociencias de Antioquia, School of Medicine, Universidad de Antioquia, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia.
Introduction: A small percentage of Alzheimer's disease (AD) cases are caused by genetic mutations with autosomal dominant inheritance. We report a family with a novel variant in PSEN1.
Methods: We performed clinical and genetic evaluation of 93 related individuals from a Colombian admixed population.
Amino Acid Metaclusters: Implications of Growth Trends on Peptide Self-Assembly and Structure.
Anal Chem
January 2016
Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and ‡Neuroscience Research Institute and Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology University of California, Santa Barbara, California 93106, United States.
Ion-mobility mass spectrometry is utilized to examine the metacluster formation of serine, asparagine, isoleucine, and tryptophan. These amino acids are representative of different classes of noncharged amino acids. We show that they can form relatively large metaclusters in solution that are difficult or impossible to observe by traditional solution techniques.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFGenetic analysis of early endocrine pancreas formation in zebrafish.
Mol Endocrinol
January 2006
Department of Molecular Cellular and Developmental Biology University of California, Los Angeles, California 90095, USA.
Endocrine pancreas of zebrafish consist of at least four different cell types that function similarly to mammalian pancreatic islet. No mutants specifically affecting formation of the endocrine pancreas have been identified during the previous large-scale mutagenesis screens in zebrafish due to invisibility of a pancreatic islet. We combined in situ hybridization method to visualize pancreatic islet with an ethyl-nitroso-urea mutagenesis screen to identify novel genes involved in pancreatic islet formation in zebrafish.
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