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.

Kir2 inward rectification–controlled precise and dynamic balances between Kir2 and HCN currents initiate pacemaking activity

Spontaneous rhythmic action potential or pacemaking activity of pacemaker cells controls rhythmic signaling such as heartbeat. The mechanism underlying the origin of pacemaking activity is not well understood. In this study, we created human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells that show pacemaking activity through heterologous expression of strong inward rectifier K+ channels (Kir2.1), hyperpolarization-activated cyclic […]

Autophagy maintains tumour growth through circulating arginine

Autophagy captures intracellular components and delivers them to lysosomes, where they are degraded and recycled to sustain metabolism and to enable survival during starvation1,2,3,4,5. Acute, whole-body deletion of the essential autophagy gene Atg7 in adult mice causes a systemic metabolic defect that manifests as starvation intolerance and gradual loss of white adipose tissue, liver glycogen […]

PDGFRa+ pericryptal stromal cells are the critical source of Wnts and RSPO3 for murine intestinal stem cells in vivo

Wnts and R-spondins (RSPOs) support intestinal homeostasis by regulating crypt cell proliferation and differentiation. Ex vivo, Wnts secreted by Paneth cells in organoids can regulate the proliferation and differentiation of Lgr5-expressing intestinal stem cells. However, in vivo, Paneth cell and indeed all epithelial Wnt production is completely dispensable, and the cellular source of Wnts and […]

Bile diversion, a bariatric surgery, and bile acid signaling reduce central cocaine reward

The gut-to-brain axis exhibits significant control over motivated behavior. However, mechanisms supporting this communication are poorly understood. We reveal that a gut-based bariatric surgery chronically elevates systemic bile acids and attenuates cocaine-induced elevations in accumbal dopamine. Notably, this surgery reduces reward-related behavior and psychomotor sensitization to cocaine. Utilizing a knockout mouse model, we have determined […]

The protein kinase PERK/EIF2AK3 regulates proinsulin processing not via protein synthesis but by controlling endoplasmic reticulum chaperones

Loss-of-function mutations of the protein kinase PERK (EIF2AK3) in humans and mice cause permanent neonatal diabetes and severe proinsulin aggregation in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), highlighting the essential role of PERK in insulin production in pancreatic ß cells. As PERK is generally known as a translational regulator of the Unfolded Protein Response (UPR), the underlying […]

SWELL1 is a glucose sensor regulating ß-cell excitability and systemic glycaemia

Insulin secretion is initiated by activation of voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCC) to trigger Ca2+-mediated insulin vesicle fusion with the ß-cell plasma membrane. The firing of VGCC requires ß-cell membrane depolarization, which is regulated by a balance of depolarizing and hyperpolarizing ionic currents. Here, we show that SWELL1 mediates a swell-activated, depolarizing chloride current (ICl,SWELL) in […]

Functional aspects of meningeal lymphatics in ageing and Alzheimer’s disease

Ageing is a major risk factor for many neurological pathologies, but its mechanisms remain unclear. Unlike other tissues, the parenchyma of the central nervous system (CNS) lacks lymphatic vasculature and waste products are removed partly through a paravascular route. (Re)discovery and characterization of meningeal lymphatic vessels has prompted an assessment of their role in waste […]

De novo formation of the biliary system by TGFß-mediated hepatocyte transdifferentiation

Transdifferentiation is a complete and stable change in cell identity that serves as an alternative to stem-cell-mediated organ regeneration. In adult mammals, findings of transdifferentiation have been limited to the replenishment of cells lost from preexisting structures, in the presence of a fully developed scaffold and niche1. Here we show that transdifferentiation of hepatocytes in […]