Recent Citations

Vector Biolabs’ adenovirus/AAV products & services have been cited in over 1,000 peer-reviewed papers. You’ll find the most recent and notable of these publications here.

Neratinib protects pancreatic beta cells in diabetes

The loss of functional insulin-producing ß-cells is a hallmark of diabetes. Mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (MST1) is a key regulator of pancreatic ß-cell death and dysfunction; its deficiency restores functional ß-cells and normoglycemia. The identification of MST1 inhibitors represents a promising approach for a ß-cell-protective diabetes therapy. Here, we identify neratinib, an FDA-approved drug […]

BCAA catabolism in brown fat controls energy homeostasis through SLC25A44

Branched-chain amino acid (BCAA; valine, leucine and isoleucine) supplementation is often beneficial to energy expenditure; however, increased circulating levels of BCAA are linked to obesity and diabetes. The mechanisms of this paradox remain unclear. Here we report that, on cold exposure, brown adipose tissue (BAT) actively utilizes BCAA in the mitochondria for thermogenesis and promotes […]

The RNA demethylase FTO is required for maintenance of bone mass and functions to protect osteoblasts from genotoxic damage

he fat mass and obesity-associated gene (FTO) encodes an m6A RNA demethylase that controls mRNA processing and has been linked to both obesity and bone mineral density in humans by genome-wide association studies. To examine the role of FTO in bone, we characterized the phenotype of mice lacking Fto globally (FtoKO) or selectively in osteoblasts […]

Sox17 is required for endothelial regeneration following inflammation-induced vascular injury

Repair of the endothelial cell barrier after inflammatory injury is essential for tissue fluid homeostasis and normalizing leukocyte transmigration. However, the mechanisms of endothelial regeneration remain poorly understood. Here we show that the endothelial and hematopoietic developmental transcription factor Sox17 promotes endothelial regeneration in the endotoxemia model of endothelial injury. Genetic lineage tracing studies demonstrate […]

GPR146 Deficiency Protects against Hypercholesterolemia and Atherosclerosis

Although human genetic studies have implicated many susceptible genes associated with plasma lipid levels, their physiological and molecular functions are not fully characterized. Here we demonstrate that orphan G protein-coupled receptor 146 (GPR146 ) promotes activity of hepatic sterol regulatory element binding protein 2 (SREBP2) through activation of the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) signaling pathway, […]

E-cadherin is required for metastasis in multiple models of breast cancer

Metastasis is the major driver of death in patients with cancer. Invasion of surrounding tissues and metastasis have been proposed to initiate following loss of the intercellular adhesion protein, E-cadherin1,2, on the basis of inverse correlations between in vitro migration and E-cadherin levels3. However, this hypothesis is inconsistent with the observation that most breast cancers […]

CDK phosphorylation of TRF2 controls t-loop dynamics during the cell cycle

The protection of telomere ends by the shelterin complex prevents DNA damage signalling and promiscuous repair at chromosome ends. Evidence suggests that the 3 single-stranded telomere end can assemble into a lasso-like t-loop configuration, which has been proposed to safeguard chromosome ends from being recognized as DNA double-strand breaks. Mechanisms must also exist to transiently […]

The microRNAs miR-204 and miR-211 maintain joint homeostasis and protect against osteoarthritis progression

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common, painful disease. Currently OA is incurable, and its etiology largely unknown, partly due to limited understanding of OA as a whole-joint disease. Here we report that two homologous microRNAs, miR-204 and miR-211, maintain joint homeostasis to suppress OA pathogenesis. Specific knockout of miR-204/-211 in mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs) results in […]