In this issue of the Journal of Clinical Investigation, researchers led by Anton Bennett at Yale University identified the protein MKP-5 as a negative regulator of MAP kinase cascades in muscle stem cells. Loss of MKP-5 in a mouse model of DMD enhanced the development of new muscle cells (myogenesis) and helped prevent muscle degeneration. These results identify MKP-5 as an important suppressor of myogenesis and suggest that therapeutics that inhibit MKP-5 could be useful in the treatment of degenerative muscle diseases.
### TITLE:
Improved regenerative myogenesis and muscular dystrophy in mice lacking MKP-5
AUTHOR CONTACT:
Anton Bennett
Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA
Phone: 203-737-2441; Fax: 203-737-2738; E-mail: anton.bennett@yale.edu
View this article at: http://www.jci.org/articles/view/64375?key=bbd026972477a9b98a24
Promoting muscle regeneration in a mouse model of muscular dystrophy
2013-04-01
(Press-News.org) Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a degenerative skeletal muscle disease caused by mutations in the protein dystrophin. Dystrophin functions to protect muscle cells from injury and loss of functional dystrophin results in break down and loss of muscle cells. A cellular signal relay system, known as a MAP kinase cascade, regulates the function of muscle stem cells, serving as a source of the new cells that are required for muscle regeneration.
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Mosquito genetic complexity may take a bite out of efforts to control malaria
2013-04-01
BETHESDA, MD – April 1, 2013 -- A surprising research discovery in mosquitoes could affect future prospects for malaria control. A team of scientists from West Africa, the United States and the United Kingdom found that the mosquito, Anopheles gambiae, which was thought to be splitting into two completely new species, may actually have a more complex range of forms due to frequent inter-mating. The resulting hybrids may have implications for insecticide resistance and malaria parasite infectivity. The study published in the April 2013 issue of the journal GENETICS, documents ...
Genetics Society of America's Genetics journal highlights for April 2013
2013-04-01
Bethesda, MD—April 1, 2013 – Listed below are the selected highlights for the April 2013 issue of the Genetics Society of America's journal, Genetics. The April issue is available online at http://www.genetics.org/content/current. Please credit Genetics, Vol. 193, April 2013, Copyright © 2013.
Please feel free to forward to colleagues who may be interested in these articles on a wide array of topics including methods, technology and resources; gene expression; genetics of complex traits; genome integrity and transmission; population and evolutionary genetics; cellular ...
Streams stressed by pharmaceutical pollution
2013-04-01
Millbrook, NY – Pharmaceuticals commonly found in the environment are disrupting streams, with unknown impacts on aquatic life and water quality. So reports a new Ecological Applications paper, which highlights the ecological cost of pharmaceutical waste and the need for more research into environmental impacts.
Lead author Dr. Emma Rosi-Marshall, a scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, comments: "Pharmaceutical pollution is now detected in waters throughout the world. Causes include aging infrastructure, sewage overflows, and agricultural runoff. Even ...
Many emergency department providers don't ask suicidal patients about gun access
2013-04-01
AURORA, Colo. (April 1, 2013) – Although guns are used in over half of all American suicides, a new study shows that many emergency room doctors and nurses do not routinely ask suicidal patients about their access to firearms.
"In our study, less than half of emergency room medical providers believe most or all suicides are preventable and many rarely ask about the availability of firearms," said Marian Betz, MD, MPH, at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "There is a great opportunity to save lives here that many are not taking ...
Growing shorter: Adult health habits influence how much we shrink with age
2013-04-01
Even if you didn't eat your veggies or drink your milk as a child, your height is still in your hands, reveal new findings by economists from the University of Southern California, Harvard University and Peking University.
Using unique data from a new massive longitudinal survey of 17,708 adults beginning at age 45, the researchers show for the first time that lifestyle choices we make in adulthood — and not just the hand we're dealt as children — influence how tall we stand as we age.
"Had we only examined the correlations between measured height and health, we would ...
Researchers discover brain cancer treatment using genetic material from bone marrow cells
2013-04-01
DETROIT – In a first-of-its-kind experiment using microvesicles generated from mesenchymal bone marrow cells (MSCs) to treat cancer, neurological researchers at Henry Ford Hospital have discovered a novel approach for treatment of tumor.
Specifically, the research team found that introducing genetic material produced by MSCs, significantly reduced a particularly resistant form of malignant brain tumor in living lab rats.
"This is the first foray of its type in experimental cancer therapy, and it represents a highly novel and potentially effective treatment," says Michael ...
Drug for erectile disorder show promise in the treatment of obesity
2013-04-01
Although sildenafil is best known for promoting erections, it may also serve as a weight loss aid by coaxing our bodies to store more healthy "brown fat" relative to unhealthy "white fat" than it would otherwise do on its own. According to new research published online in The FASEB Journal, this is because sildenafil inhibits the breakdown of cyclic GMP, which has been well known as a messenger molecule used by the body to control blood pressure and flow, and has now been shown to play an important role determining which type of fat—white or brown—the body stores.
"There ...
Our internal clocks can become ticking time bombs for diabetes and obesity
2013-04-01
If you're pulling and all-nighter to finish a term paper, a new parent up all night with a fussy baby, or simply can't sleep like you once could, then you may be snoozing on good health. That's because new research published in The FASEB Journal used mice to show that proper sleep patterns are critical for healthy metabolic function, and even mild impairment in our circadian rhythms can lead to serious health consequences, including diabetes and obesity.
"We should acknowledge the unforeseen importance of our 24-hour rhythms for health," said Claudia Coomans, Ph.D., a ...
Nothing fishy about it: Fish oil can boost the immune system
2013-04-01
Fish oil rich in DHA and EPA is widely believed to help prevent disease by reducing inflammation, but until now, scientists were not entirely sure about its immune enhancing effects. A new report appearing in the April 2013 issue of the Journal of Leukocyte Biology, helps provide clarity on this by showing that DHA-rich fish oil enhances B cell activity, a white blood cell, challenging the notion that fish oil is only immunosuppressive. This discovery is important as it shows that fish oil does not necessarily reduce the overall immune response to lower inflammation, possibly ...
Unique group for single fathers due to cancer offers support
2013-04-01
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. - Men who have dependent children and whose spouses or partners died from cancer are an overlooked population. These fathers face unique challenges not addressed by traditional grief support groups that often attract an older, female population.
Faculty in the UNC Department of Psychiatry report on a successful pilot peer support program called "Single Fathers Due to Cancer" they created to help these men. The program is the first of its kind in the United States.
They describe the program's development so that other institutions may develop similar ...