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The Road to Ubiquitin’s Destruction Ubiquitin is a small (8.5 kDa) protein that is attached singly, or in chains, to lysine residues of other proteins via a complex, three step mechanism. The pattern of ubiquitin addition, referred to as ubiquitination, marks the protein for degradation, alters its function and… Read More

Jeff Conn, Craig Lindsley, and David Sweatt are included on the Clarivate Analytics list of "2017 Highly Cited Researchers." Highly Cited Researchers from Clarivate Analytics is an annual list recognizing leading researchers in the sciences and social sciences from around the world. The final new list contains about 3,400 Highly Cited Researchers in… Read More

Although dietary salt intake positively correlates with blood pressure, the mechanisms linking salt to hypertension are not well understood. In the Oct. 24 Cell Reports, Annet Kirabo, DVM, M.Sc., Ph.D., and colleagues identify a pathway by which excess sodium contributes to inflammation and hypertension. The researchers found that sodium enters immune system dendritic cells,… Read More

Key to Arrestin-3 Activation and Signaling Arrestins comprise a class of proteins originally discovered for their ability to bind to activated and phosphorylated G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs). Arrestins prevent the binding of G proteins to the GPCR, thereby blocking G protein-mediated signaling. Recent work, however, has shown that some… Read More

For years, Kathleen Gould, Ph.D., and her colleagues have drawn models of the contractile ring — the molecular apparatus that physically divides cells — and its parts. They used genetic studies to probe how the protein parts fit together, but their models involved some educated guesses. “We drew things certain ways,… Read More

Basic research underway at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is raising hopes that one day it will be possible to reverse memory loss in people with Alzheimer’s disease and stop a major driver of cancer in its tracks. During a Vanderbilt Cutting-Edge Discovery Lecture last week, David Sweatt, Ph.D., chair of the… Read More

Cancer investigators led by researchers at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC) have co-developed a liquid biopsy blood-based assay used to identify specific gene mutations associated with the development or relapse of small-cell lung cancer (SCLC). The study, led by first authors Karinna Almodovar, Ph.D., and Wade Iams, M.D., and principal investigator Christine… Read More

A noted neuroscientist who studies the number of neurons present in the brains of different species, including humans, will discuss her groundbreaking work during a lunchtime talk Wednesday, Nov. 1. After developing the first method for accurately counting the number of neurons in the brain, Suzana Herculano-Houzel set out to answer the question… Read More

Flow of fluids through the gut, such as milk from an infant’s diet, generates a shear stress on cells lining the intestine. Ken Lau, Ph.D., and colleagues have demonstrated that microvilli – finger-like membrane protrusions – are capable of sensing shear forces and subsequently drive an intracellular response called autophagy. Read More

VCAR, which opened earlier this year, coordinates the research activities of faculty members from Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine and College of Arts and Science who are working to better understand and ultimately improve addiction treatment. The center’s first annual science day featured presentations of current research, a poster session and… Read More