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Quantum-dot labeled image of the mouse kidney. In this issue, Susan Quaggin and her colleagues show that loss of the tumor suppressor VHL leads to Cxcr4 expression and glomerulonephritis (p 1081). Image courtesy of Thomas Deerinck and Mark Ellisman, University of California, San Diego.
Researchers who have no financial entanglements with companies are a rare breed. Given that, asks Meredith Wadman, is the push to police conflicts of interest realistic?
Long before climate change was a hot-button topic, Paul Epstein was arguing that warmer temperatures can widen the spread of infectious diseases, disrupt ecosystems and topple economies.
Circulating natural killer cells might be best known for their ability to disable and maim target cells. But in the pregnant uterus of humans these cells seem to have a positive effect, regulating placental development and angiogenesis (pages 1065–1074).
Treating stroke with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) can help dissolve blood clots and improve outcome. But tPA also increases the risk of hemorrhage and has other deleterious effects. A new approach to treatment minimizes these negative effects.
The human gastric bacterium Helicobacter pylori can acquire cholesterol from its host and enzymatically alter the molecule to counteract the immune system. The finding reveals yet another strategy used by successful microbial colonizers to evade immunity. Do such strategies make the microbe more like us (pages 1030–1038)?
A mechanism that may underlie a form of human kidney failure has been delineated in knockout mice. Activation of the oxygen-regulated transcription factor Hif1 and its target gene Cxcr4 leads to increased cell proliferation that interferes with the function of the glomerulus (pages 1071–1077).
Mast cells are thought to contribute to anaphylaxis and damage after snake bites and bee stings. But it now seems that these cells instead mount a defense against venom and inactivate toxins.
Regulatory T cells are known for their ability to tame the immune response. A molecule has now been identified that can sensitize T cells to this suppressive activity. The findings open the door to new ways of modulating immunity (pages 1088–1092).
