CD4+ Foxp3+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) are unique in that the majority of Tregs constitutively express high levels of CD25, the main ligand binding subunit of the IL-2 receptor. Germline knockout models demonstrate that ...

Innate immunity plays a critical role as an initial barrier to infection. In addition, innate immunity can serve to shape and regulate adaptive immune responses. Therefore, investigating the integration of innate and ...

Hearing loss affects 14-15% of the US adult population, and can be caused by conductive, sensorineural or mixed pathologies; however, the contribution of these pathologies has not been quantified. Furthermore, recent studies ...

Microorganisms are omnipresent and exist as communities within and around the human body. These communities, regardless of location, may cause disease: dysbioses within the gut microbiota are associated with obesity and ...

Cleft lip and/or palates (CL/P) are common congenital malformations, and mutations in the transcription factor IRF6 are the most significant genetic contributors to cleft pathogenesis. IRF6 is a master regulator of epithelial ...

Genomic integrity is dependent on the repair of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) by classical non-homologous end-joining (C-NHEJ). C-NHEJ is essential for suppressing aberrant chromosomal rearrangements, and is also critical ...

Antibiotic resistant infections cost thousands of lives in the United States every year. Resistance exists for every known antibiotic, making the development new antibiotics crucial to human health. One technique that has ...

X-chromosome inactivation (XCI) silences one of the two X chromosomes in female mammals to equalize dosage of X-linked genes between sexes. This process is controlled by the long noncoding Xist RNA, which triggers gene ...

The brain detects sensory stimuli through distinct modalities, extracts and encodes relevant stimulus features, and integrates this information within and across modalities. For most animals, food-seeking behavior entails ...

Neuronal circuits controlling our perception and behaviors are radically shaped by experiences during early critical periods. For example, early life stress (ELS) has been linked to enduring negative behavioral consequences ...