Disruption of Vitamin D and Calcium Signaling in Keratinocytes Predisposes to Skin Cancer.

1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D (1,25(OH)2D), the active metabolite of vitamin D, and calcium regulate epidermal differentiation. 1,25(OH)2D exerts its effects through the vitamin D receptor (VDR), a transcription factor in the nuclear hormone receptor family, whereas calcium acts through the calcium sensing receptor (Casr), a membrane bound member of the G protein coupled receptor family. We have developed mouse models in which the Vdr and Casr have been deleted in the epidermis ((epid) Vdr (-∕-) and (epid) Casr (-∕-)). Both genotypes show abnormalities in calcium induced epidermal differentiation in vivo and in vitro, associated with altered hedgehog (HH) and β-catenin signaling that when abnormally expressed lead to basal cell carcinomas (BCC) and trichofolliculomas, respectively. The Vdr (-∕-) mice are susceptible to tumor formation following UVB or chemical carcinogen exposure. More recently we found that the keratinocytes from these mice over express long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) oncogenes such as H19 and under express lncRNA tumor suppressors such as lincRNA-21. Spontaneous tumors have not been observed in either the (epid) Vdr (-∕-) or (epid) Casr (-∕-). But in mice with epidermal specific deletion of both Vdr and Casr ((epid) Vdr (-∕-)/(epid) Casr (-∕-) [DKO]) tumor formation occurs spontaneously when the DKO mice are placed on a low calcium diet. These results demonstrate important interactions between vitamin D and calcium signaling through their respective receptors that lead to cancer when these signals are disrupted. The roles of the β-catenin, hedgehog, and lncRNA pathways in predisposing the epidermis to tumor formation when vitamin D and calcium signaling are disrupted will be discussed

Study, Sterilization and Storage Compatibility of Growth Media for Extraterrestrial Use Final Report

Sterilization and storage compatibility of growth media for extraterrestrial us

Dynamics of broken symmetry nodal and anti-nodal excitations in Bi_{2} Sr_{2} CaCu_{2} O_{8+\delta} probed by polarized femtosecond spectroscopy

The dynamics of excitations with different symmetry is investigated in the superconducting (SC) and normal state of the high-temperature superconductor Bi$_{2}$Sr$_{2}$CaCu$_{2}$O$_{8+\delta}$ (Bi2212) using optical pump-probe (Pp) experiments with different light polarizations at different doping levels. The observation of distinct selection rules for SC excitations, present in A$_{{\rm 1g}}$ and B$_{{\rm 1g}}$ symmetries, and for the PG excitations, present in A$_{{\rm 1g}}$ and B$_{{\rm 2g}}$ symmetries, by the probe and absence of any dependence on the pump beam polarization leads to the unequivocal conclusion of the existence of a spontaneous spatial symmetry breaking in the pseudogap (PG) state

STM/STS Study on 4a X 4a Electronic Charge Order of Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d

We performed low-bias STM measurements on underdoped Bi2212 crystals, and confirmed that a two-dimensional (2D) superstructure with a periodicity of four lattice constants (4a) is formed within the Cu-O plane at T<Tc. This 4a X 4a superstructure, oriented along the Cu-O bonding direction, is nondispersive and more intense in lightly doped samples with a zero temperature pseudogap (ZTPG) than in samples with a d-wave gap. The nondispersive 4a X 4a superstructure was clearly observed within the ZTPG or d-wave gap, while it tended to fade out outside the gaps. The present results provide a useful test for various models proposed for an electronic order hidden in the underdoped region of high-Tc cuprates.Comment: 4 pages, submitted to J. Phys. Soc. Jp

Velocity of Light in Dark Matter with Charge

We propose an interesting mechanism to reconcile the recent experiments of the Michelson-Morley type and slowdown of the velocity of light in dark matter with a fractional electric charge when the index of refraction of dark matter depends on the frequency of a photon. After deriving the formula for the velocity of light in a medium with the index of refraction $n(\omega)$ in a relativistic regime, it is shown that the local anisotropy of the light speed is proportional to the second order in $n(\omega) - 1$. This result implies that the experiments of the Michelson-Morley type do not give rise to a stringent constraint on the slowdown of the velocity of light in dark matter with electric charge.Comment: 10 page

STM/STS Study on 4a X 4a Electronic Charge Order and Inhomogeneous Pairing Gap in Superconducting Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d

We performed STM/STS measurements on underdoped Bi2212 crystals with doping levels p ~ 0.11, ~ 0.13 and ~ 0.14 to examine the nature of the nondispersive 4a X 4a charge order in the superconducting state at T << Tc. The charge order appears conspicuously within the pairing gap, and low doping tends to favor the charge order. We point out the possibility that the 4a X 4a charge order will be dynamical in itself, and pinned down over regions with effective pinning centers. The pinned 4a X 4a charge order is closely related to the spatially inhomogeneous pairing gap structure, which has often been reported in STS measurements on high-Tc cuprates.Comment: 12 pages, 16 figures, to be published in Phys. Rev.