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.

Septal Cholinergic Neuromodulation Tunes the Astrocyte-Dependent Gating of Hippocampal NMDA Receptors to Wakefulness

The activation of the N-methyl D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) is controlled by a glutamate-binding site and a distinct, independently regulated, co-agonist-binding site. In most brain regions, the NMDAR co-agonist is the astrocyte-derived gliotransmitter D-serine. We found that D-serine levels oscillate in mouse hippocampus as a function of wakefulness, in vitro and in vivo. This causes a […]

Hypothalamic over-expression of VGF in the Siberian hamster increases energy expenditure and reduces body weight gain

VGF (non-acronymic) was first highlighted to have a role in energy homeostasis through experiments involving dietary manipulation in mice. Fasting increased VGF mRNA in the Arc and levels were subsequently reduced upon refeeding. This anabolic role for VGF was supported by observations in a VGF null (VGF-/-) mouse and in the diet-induced and gold-thioglucose obese […]

Synergistic gene expression during the acute phase response is characterized by transcription factor assisted loading

The cytokines interleukin 1ß and 6 (IL-1ß, IL-6) mediate the acute phase response (APR). In liver, they regulate the secretion of acute phase proteins. Using RNA-seq in primary hepatocytes, we show that these cytokines regulate transcription in a bifurcated manner, leading to both synergistic and antagonistic gene expression. By mapping changes in enhancer landscape and […]

Estrogen-related receptor ¿ causes osteoarthritis by upregulating extracellular matrix-degrading enzymes

The estrogen-related receptor (ERR) family of orphan nuclear receptor is composed of ERRa, ERRß, and ERR¿, which are known to regulate various isoform-specific functions under normal and pathophysiological conditions. Here, we investigate the involvement of ERRs in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA) in mice. Among ERR family members, ERR¿ is markedly upregulated in cartilage from […]

Lateral thalamic control of nociceptive response after whisker pad injection of varicella zoster virus

Pain is a common complication of herpes zoster (HZ) infection which results from reactivation of a latent varicella zoster virus (VZV). A third of HZ patients’ progress to a chronic pain state known as post herpetic neuralgia (PHN), and about a quarter of these patients’ have orofacial pain. The mechanisms controlling the pain responses are […]

Engrailed homeoprotein blocks degeneration in adult dopaminergic neurons through LINE-1 repression

LINE-1 mobile genetic elements have shaped the mammalian genome during evolution. A minority of them have escaped fossilization which, when activated, can threaten genome integrity. We report that LINE-1 are expressed in substantia nigra ventral midbrain dopaminergic neurons, a class of neurons that degenerate in Parkinson disease. In Engrailed-1 heterozygotes, these neurons show a progressive […]

GDF15 is a heart-derived hormone that regulates body growth

The endocrine system is crucial for maintaining whole-body homeostasis. Little is known regarding endocrine hormones secreted by the heart other than atrial/brain natriuretic peptides discovered over 30 years ago. Here, we identify growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF15) as a heart-derived hormone that regulates body growth. We show that pediatric heart disease induces GDF15 synthesis and […]

mTORC2 Promotes Tumorigenesis via Lipid Synthesis

Dysregulated mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) promotes cancer, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. We describe an mTOR-driven mouse model that displays hepatosteatosis progressing to hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Longitudinal proteomic, lipidomics, and metabolomic analyses revealed that hepatic mTORC2 promotes de novo fatty acid and lipid synthesis, leading to steatosis and tumor development. In particular, mTORC2 […]