Publicaties
Characterization of Sch9-dependent signal transduction in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. KU Leuven
Dynamics and impact of TGFβ family signal interpretation on the transcriptional landscape, studied by perturbation strategies in embryonic cells KU Leuven
Transcriptional Profile of Cytokines, Regulatory Mediators and TLR in Mesenchymal Stromal Cells after Inflammatory Signaling and Cell-Passaging Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Adult human subcutaneous adipose tissue (AT) harbors a rich population of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) that are of interest for tissue repair. For this purpose, it is of utmost importance to determine the response of AT-MSCs to proliferative and inflammatory signals within the damaged tissue. We have characterized the transcriptional profile of cytokines, regulatory mediators and Toll-like receptors (TLR) relevant to the response of MSCs. ...
The constitutive activity of the virally encoded chemokine receptor US28 accelerates glioblastoma growth Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive and an incurable type of brain cancer. Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) DNA and encoded proteins, including the chemokine receptor US28, have been detected in GBM tumors. US28 displays constitutive activity and is able to bind several human chemokines, leading to the activation of various proliferative and inflammatory signaling pathways. Here we show that HCMV, through the expression of US28, ...
ROBO2 is a stroma suppressor gene in the pancreas and acts via TGF-β signalling Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Whereas genomic aberrations in the SLIT-ROBO pathway are frequent in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), their function in the pancreas is unclear. Here we report that in pancreatitis and PDAC mouse models, epithelial Robo2 expression is lost while Robo1 expression becomes most prominent in the stroma. Cell cultures of mice with loss of epithelial Robo2 (Pdx1Cre;Robo2F/F) show increased activation of Robo1+ myofibroblasts and induction ...
Conditional islet hypovascularisation does not preclude beta cell expansion during pregnancy in mice Vrije Universiteit Brussel Universiteit Gent
AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: Endothelial-endocrine cell interactions and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-A signalling are deemed essential for maternal islet vascularisation, glucose control and beta cell expansion during mouse pregnancy. The aim of this study was to assess whether pregnancy-associated beta cell expansion was affected under conditions of islet hypovascularisation.
METHODS: Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT1), a ...
The kynurenine pathway in major depression Vrije Universiteit Brussel KU Leuven Universiteit Antwerpen
A consistent finding in major depressive disorder (MDD) research is dysfunction of the immune system. One of the relevant metabolic pathways in this regard is the kynurenine pathway. In patients with major depression, an imbalance between neuroprotective and neurotoxic arms of the pathway with lower plasma kynurenic acid concentration was demonstrated. Therefore, we investigated Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNP) and haplotype association ...
Loss of ARID1A expression and its relationship with PI3K-Akt pathway alterations, TP53 and microsatellite instability in endometrial cancer Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The switch/sucrose non-fermentable (SWI/SNF) subunit ARID1A (AT-rich interactive domain 1A gene) has been recently postulated as a novel tumor suppressor of gynecologic cancer and one of the driver genes in endometrial carcinogenesis. However, specific relationships with established molecular alterations in endometrioid endometrial cancer (EEC) are currently unknown. We analyzed the expression of ARID1A in 146 endometrial cancers (130 EECs ...
Rer1p maintains ciliary length and signaling by regulating γ-secretase activity and Foxj1a levels Vrije Universiteit Brussel KU Leuven
Cilia project from the surface of most vertebrate cells and are important for several physiological and developmental processes. Ciliary defects are linked to a variety of human diseases, named ciliopathies, underscoring the importance of understanding signaling pathways involved in cilia formation and maintenance. In this paper, we identified Rer1p as the first endoplasmic reticulum/cis-Golgi-localized membrane protein involved in ...