CVB publications
- Transcriptomic profiles from normal and tumor tissue samples reveal distinct venule populations and novel tumor endothelial cell markers in breast cancer March 3, 2026No abstractKathryn N Phoenix
- Black Hole Spectroscopy and Tests of General Relativity with GW250114 February 16, 2026The binary black hole signal GW250114, the loudest gravitational wave detected to date, offers a unique opportunity to test Einstein's general relativity (GR) in the high-velocity, strong-gravity regime and probe whether the remnant conforms to the Kerr metric. Upon perturbation, black holes emit a spectrum of damped sinusoids with specific, complex frequencies. Our analysis of […]A G Abac
- Angiopoietin-2 aggravates Alzheimer's disease by promoting blood-brain barrier dysfunction and neuroinflammation January 13, 2026Disruption of the blood-brain barrier (BBB) increases vascular permeability and promotes neuroinflammation, contributing to Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression. However, the molecular drivers of BBB dysfunction and neuroinflammation in AD remain poorly defined. Here, we identify angiopoietin-2 (ANGPT2) as a central mediator of BBB breakdown and AD progression. Transcriptomic analyses of human AD brains revealed elevated […]Eunhyeong Lee
- CD13 activation assembles phosphoinositide (PI) signaling complexes to regulate the actin cytoskeleton January 13, 2026Activation of transmembrane CD13 enables diverse cellular processes such as cell-cell and cell-matrix adhesion, endocytosis, and recycling of cell surface proteins by assembling and tethering protein complexes at the plasma membrane. Here, we identify a novel CD13-dependent protein assembly that regulates phosphoinositide (PI) signal transduction to impact actin dynamics and induce cell protrusions capable of […]Emily Meredith
- Second generation PSMA-targeted turn-on probe for imaging cargo release in prostate cancer cells January 2, 2026Targeted payload release in cancer cells can be modulated by tuning both the linker, spacer, and the payload chemistries. In previous studies, a PSMA-targeted probe incorporating a 7-amino-4-methylcoumarin (AMC) payload and a PEG linker resulted in predominant payload release in the lysosome (pH ∼5.0). Here, we introduce a second-generation PSMA-targeted turn-on probe with a shorter, […]Nooshin Mesbahi
- Maximizing opportunities for success as an early career STEM faculty: a growth mindset approach December 19, 2025Academics are familiar with the concept of a growth mindset, a framework teachers use to help students embrace challenges, overcome obstacles, and learn from their mistakes. In this context, we argue that the principles of this paradigm are equally applicable in promoting the career advancement of early STEM academics, as well as those in non-STEM […]Jim O Vigoreaux
- Origins of Aortic Coarctation: A Vascular Smooth Muscle Compartment Boundary Model April 23, 2025Compartment boundaries divide the embryo into segments with distinct fates and functions. In the vascular system, compartment boundaries organize endothelial cells into arteries, capillaries, and veins that are the fundamental units of a circulatory network. For vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs), such boundaries produce mosaic patterns of investment based on embryonic origins with important implications […]Christina L Greene
- Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and frontotemporal dementia mutation reduces endothelial TDP-43 and causes blood-brain barrier defects April 16, 2025Mutations in the TARDBP gene encoding TDP-43 protein are linked to loss of function in neurons and familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). We recently identified reduced nuclear TDP-43 in capillary endothelial cells (ECs) of donors with ALS-FTD. Because blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability increases in ALS-FTD, we postulated that reduced nuclear TDP-43 […]Ashok Cheemala
- Endothelial TDP-43 depletion disrupts core blood-brain barrier pathways in neurodegeneration March 15, 2025Endothelial cells (ECs) help maintain the blood-brain barrier but deteriorate in many neurodegenerative disorders. Here we show, using a specialized method to isolate EC and microglial nuclei from postmortem human cortex (92 donors, 50 male and 42 female, aged 20-98 years), that intranuclear cellular indexing of transcriptomes and epitopes enables simultaneous profiling of nuclear proteins […]Omar M F Omar
- Repurposing of PSMA-targeted diagnostic and therapeutic agents for the detection and treatment of giant cell tumors of bone December 2, 2024Giant cell tumor of bone (GCTB) is a rare bone tumor often necessitating surgical intervention, radiation therapy, or treatment with bisphosphonates or denosumab. ^(99m)Tc-MDP bone scintigraphy for GCTB has limited specificity, and the relatively high uptake of ^(18)F-FDG in GCTB makes it challenging to differentiate it from other benign bone tumors. More specific detection and […]Brenna C McAllister
- Development and utilization of <em>Treponema pallidum</em> expressing green fluorescent protein to study spirochete-host interactions and antibody-mediated clearance: expanding the toolbox for syphilis research November 29, 2024Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the highly invasive and immunoevasive spirochetal pathogen Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA). Untreated syphilis can lead to infection of multiple organ systems, including the central nervous system. The alarming increase in syphilis cases globally underscores the importance of developing novel strategies to understand the complexities of syphilis […]Kristina N Delgado
- Development and utilization of <em>Treponema pallidum</em> expressing green fluorescent protein to study spirochete-host interactions and antibody-mediated clearance: expanding the toolbox for syphilis research November 1, 2024Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the highly invasive and immunoevasive spirochetal pathogen Treponema pallidum subsp. pallidum (TPA). Untreated syphilis can lead to infection of multiple organ systems, including the central nervous system. The alarming increase in syphilis cases globally underscores the importance of developing novel strategies to understand the complexities of syphilis […]Kristina N Delgado
- Autoregulated splicing of <em>TRA2</em>β programs T cell fate in response to antigen-receptor stimulation September 12, 2024T cell receptor (TCR) sensitivity to peptide-major histocompatibility complex (MHC) dictates T cell fate. Canonical models of TCR sensitivity cannot be fully explained by transcriptional regulation. In this work, we identify a posttranscriptional regulatory mechanism of TCR sensitivity that guides alternative splicing of TCR signaling transcripts through an evolutionarily ultraconserved poison exon (PE) in the […]Timofey A Karginov
- Astrocytic TIMP-1 regulates production of Anastellin, an inhibitor of oligodendrocyte differentiation and FTY720 responses January 24, 2024Astrocyte activation is associated with neuropathology and the production of tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP1). TIMP1 is a pleiotropic extracellular protein that functions both as a protease inhibitor and as a growth factor. Astrocytes that lack expression of Timp1 do not support rat oligodendrocyte progenitor cell (rOPC) differentiation, and adult global Timp1 knockout (Timp1^(KO)) mice […]Pearl A Sutter
- Targeted inCITE-Seq Analysis Identifies the Loss of Nuclear TDP-43 in Endothelium as a Mediator of Blood Brain Barrier Signaling Pathway Dysfunction in Neurodegeneration January 3, 2024Despite the importance of the endothelium in the regulation of the blood brain barrier (BBB) in aging and neurodegenerative disease, difficulties in extracting endothelial cell (EC) nuclei have limited analysis of these cells. In addition, nearly all Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) and Frontotemporal Degeneration (FTD), and a large portion of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) exhibit neuronal […]Omar M F Omar
- Loss of Endothelial TDP-43 Leads to Blood Brain Barrier Defects in Mouse Models of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and Frontotemporal Dementia January 3, 2024Loss of nuclear TDP-43 occurs in a wide range of neurodegenerative diseases, and specific mutations in the TARDBP gene that encodes the protein are linked to familial Frontal Temporal Lobar Dementia (FTD), and Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS). Although the focus has been on neuronal cell dysfunction caused by TDP-43 variants, TARDBP mRNA transcripts are expressed […]Ashok Cheemala
- The Implant-Induced Foreign Body Response Is Limited by CD13-Dependent Regulation of Ubiquitination of Fusogenic Proteins December 27, 2023Implanted medical devices, from artificial heart valves and arthroscopic joints to implantable sensors, often induce a foreign body response (FBR), a form of chronic inflammation resulting from the inflammatory reaction to a persistent foreign stimulus. The FBR is characterized by a subset of multinucleated giant cells (MGCs) formed by macrophage fusion, the foreign body giant […]Mallika Ghosh
- Higher HDL cholesterol levels are associated with increased markers of interstitial myocardial fibrosis in the MultiEthnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) November 18, 2023Emerging research indicates that high HDL-C levels might not be cardioprotective, potentially worsening cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes. Yet, there is no data on HDL-C's association with other CVD risk factors like myocardial fibrosis, a key aspect of cardiac remodeling predicting negative outcomes. We therefore aimed to study the association between HDL-C levels with interstitial myocardial […]Omar Chehab
- The Transplant Bellwether: Endothelial Cells in Antibody-Mediated Rejection October 16, 2023Ab-mediated rejection of organ transplants remains a stubborn, frequent problem affecting patient quality of life, graft function, and grant survival, and for which few efficacious therapies currently exist. Although the field has gained considerable knowledge over the last two decades on how anti-HLA Abs cause acute tissue injury and promote inflammation, there has been a […]Adriana Franco-Acevedo
- Higher HDL Cholesterol Levels Are Associated with Increased Markers of Interstitial Myocardial Fibrosis: Insights from The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis October 4, 2023CONCLUSIONS: Increasing levels of HDL-C were associated with increased markers of IMF, with those with high levels of HDL-C being linked to subclinical fibrosis in a community-based setting.Omar Chehab