Re-polarization of the cardiac action potential, which plays a critical role in maintaining normal cardiac rhythm, occurs mainly due to the action of potassium ion (K+) currents in the heart. The most...
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Few treatments for neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease, have been discovered.  In many cases, the molecular basis for neurodegeneration remains unknown...
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Current methods for isolating and culturing primary (stem/progenitor) cells remain unsatisfactory because most primary cells die when transferred to culture, and the remaining cells usually develop mu...
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One of the key potassium channels in the heart is formed by the co-assembly of protein products from the KvLQT1 (KCNQ1) and minK (KCNE1) genes, which produce the slowly activating delayed rectifier po...
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Microorganisms, such as fungi, produce a variety of secondary metabolites.  These secondary metabolites display a broad range of activities, including antibiotic, immunosuppressant, phytotoxic and my...
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A cell membrane is made up of lipid bilayers that include ion channels for controlling the flow of ions into and out of the cell. Certain ion channels open in response to signaling molecules, includin...
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There is a lack of effective and non-destructive treatments for diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness in the United States. Thrombospondin1 (TSP1), a matricellular protein that inhibits ang...
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The antibiotic vancomycin targets the peptidoglycan-containing bacterial cell wall. Inducible resistance to vancomycin and other glycopeptide antibiotics is becoming a serious health problem, necessit...
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Effective and non-destructive treatments are needed for diabetic retinopathy, a major cause of blindness in the United States. Thrombospondin1 (TSP1), a matricellular protein that inhibits angiogenesi...
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In patients who develop breast cancer, malignant tumors frequently begin in somatic mammary stem cells. In addition, breast tumors have a stem cell component that propagates the tumor, which may expla...
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Stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD) is the rate-limiting enzyme in the biosynthesis of monounsaturated fatty acids. Inhibitors of SCD may be useful therapeutics for diseases such as obesity and diabetes.
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