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Genetic mutations in PMP22 (peripheral myelin protein 22) cause a variety of peripheral neuropathies, underscoring the importance of the protein to a healthy peripheral nervous system. But the precise function of PMP22, a major component of the myelin sheath that surrounds and insulates peripheral nerve cell axons, has been unclear. Now,… Read More

When we think of mitosis, the intricate process of DNA replication followed by precise alignment of the duplicated chromosomes and their distribution to the daughter cells comes immediately to mind. However, equally important is the process of cytokinesis by which the remainder of the cell’s contents are equally divided… Read More

Histone deacetylases (HDACs) are enzymes that remove the acetyl groups from acetylated lysine residues of histones. The reaction produces a positively charged, unmodified lysine residue that enables the histone to interact more tightly with negatively charged DNA. In general, this promotes packaging of DNA into chromatin, thereby suppressing its… Read More

Yu Shyr, Ph.D., Harold L. Moses Professor of Cancer Research and director of the Vanderbilt Center for Quantitative Sciences, has been named chair of Vanderbilt’s Department of Biostatistics. He will assume the post Sept. 1. As the new chair, Shyr will spearhead a department recognized internationally for its research and educational… Read More

Overexpression of HER2 (human epidermal growth factor receptor 2) is found in about 25 percent of breast cancers and is associated with poor outcomes. HER2-amplified breast cancers use signaling through a complex of proteins called mTORC2 to drive tumor formation, tumor cell survival and resistance to HER2-targeted therapies. Rebecca Cook, Ph.D.,… Read More

H. Alex Brown, Ph.D., the Bixler-Johnson-Mayes Professor in the Department of Pharmacology at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, died from cancer Tuesday, July 25, at his home. He was 56. Dr. Brown was a leader in the field of lipidomics, the application of analytical chemistry, mass spectrometry and systems biology to… Read More

On July 24 Vanderbilt scientist Eric Skaar, Ph.D., MPH, summarized his group’s latest paper in a tweet: “If S. aureus is going to drink our blood like a vampire, let’s kill it with sunlight. That thing has been retweeted so many times,” said Skaar, the Ernest W. Goodpasture Professor of Pathology in the Vanderbilt University School… Read More

Embryonic development of the pancreas depends heavily on the Pdx1 transcription factor, which contributes to the differentiation and function of every cell type, including the insulin-secreting β-cells of the Islets of Langerhans. Expression of the gene encoding Pdx1 is controlled by four 5′-flanking enhancer-like domains designated Areas I, II, III,… Read More

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) have discovered a protein that may lead to a new way to prevent resistance and improve outcomes for patients whose cancers have mutations in the tumor suppressor gene BRCA2. In a paper published this week by the journal Molecular Cell, David Cortez, Ph.D., and colleagues describe how RADX regulates… Read More

Autophagy is the cellular equivalent of trash pickup and recycling — it is a process by which proteins, protein aggregates and damaged cellular organelles are degraded in order to reuse nutrients and promote cellular metabolism. Now researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center have found that autophagy also plays an important role… Read More