the Mystery of the Fire Trees of Southeast Alaska

Mary Ida Henrikson, born and raised in Ketchikan Alaska, was surprised to learn she had an ancient cedar on her property that had appeared to have been altered for fire storage. Soon she discovered dozens of other centuries-old trees with deeply burned interiors. What did this mean? Author and artist Mary Ida Henrikson with Dr. Steven Langdon and Lael Morgan

Voltage-Gated K+ Channel, Kv3.3 Is Involved in Hemin-Induced K562 Differentiation

Voltage-gated K+ (Kv) channels are well known to be involved in cell proliferation. However, even though cell proliferation is closely related to cell differentiation, the relationship between Kv channels and cell differentiation remains poorly investigated. This study demonstrates that Kv3.3 is involved in K562 cell erythroid differentiation. Down-regulation of Kv3.3 using siRNA-Kv3.3 increased hemin-induced K562 erythroid differentiation through decreased activation of signal molecules such as p38, cAMP response element-binding protein, and c-fos. Down-regulation of Kv3.3 also enhanced cell adhesion by increasing integrin β3 and this effect was amplified when the cells were cultured with fibronectin. The Kv channels, or at least Kv3.3, appear to be associated with cell differentiation; therefore, understanding the mechanisms of Kv channel regulation of cell differentiation would provide important information regarding vital cellular processes