MFAP4-Deficiency Aggravates Age-Induced Changes in Resistance Artery Structure, While Ameliorating Hypertension.

Background: Abnormalities of resistance arteries may play essential roles in the pathophysiology of aging and hypertension. Deficiency of the vascular extracellular matrix protein MFAP4 (microfibrillar-associated protein 4) has previously been observed as protective against aberrant arterial remodeling. We hypothesized that MFAP4-deficiency would reduce age- and hypertension-dependent arterial changes in extracellular matrix composition and stiffening.

Novel Approach to Measure Transepithelial Electrical Resistance in Intestinal Cells.

The technique electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) can be used to detect and monitor the behavior of intestinal cells. The methodology presented was designed to achieve results within a short time frame, and it was tailored to use a colonic cancer cell line. Differentiation of intestinal cancer cells has previously been reported to be regulated by retinoic acid (RA).

Knockout of zebrafish desmin genes does not cause skeletal muscle degeneration but alters calcium flux.

Desmin is a muscle-specific intermediate filament protein that has fundamental role in muscle structure and force transmission. Whereas human desmin protein is encoded by a single gene, two desmin paralogs (desma and desmb) exist in zebrafish. Desma and desmb show differential spatiotemporal expression during zebrafish embryonic and larval development, being similarly expressed in skeletal muscle until hatching, after which expression of desmb shifts to gut smooth muscle.