Bacterial Pathogenesis Pathogenesis is defined as the origination and development of a disease. Insights into disease etiology and progression, the two major aspects of pathogenesis, are paramount in the prevention, management and treatment of various diseases. In many cases the mechanical properties of the [...]
How does the heart form? The heart is derived from the splanchnic lateral mesoderm and initially forms as two crescent-shaped endocardial plates inside the evolving pericardial cavity. As the embryo undergoes lateral and cranial folding, the two plates come closer to each other and [...]
What are telomeres? Telomeres are short nucleotide sequences found at the end of linear chromosomes which protect the genetic information. In vertebrates, telomeres have the hexameric sequence TTAGGG. During DNA replication, the double stranded DNA is unwound and DNA polymerase synthesizes new strands. However, [...]
Development Development in higher order organisms commences at conception and continues into old age. With every stage of development, changes in the physical properties of cells and tissues takes place. In some cases these changes result from fluctuations in the biochemical or metabolic activity [...]
What is the role of septins in infection? Host (human) septins play a role in bacterial pathogenesis [1] and in host defense mechanisms, mainly, autophagy [2]. Although actin is the most commonly exploited cytoskeletal protein by many bacterial pathogens, septins, which are unique cytoskeletal [...]
How do bacteria modulate the host cytoskeleton? Some bacterial pathogens gain entry and subvert immune detection by surviving intracellularly. Others remain extracellular, but manipulate host pathways from outside. A common strategy employed by both these pathogens is to modulate or subvert the host cellular [...]
What are actin pedestals? Actin pedestals are raised actin structures formed by the dynamic polymerization of host actin, induced by effector proteins secreted by extracellular pathogens like Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) and Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichia coli (EHEC). Infection by EPEC and EHEC induce attaching and [...]
What are septins? Septins are highly conserved small GTP binding proteins of 30-65 kDa, recognized as a unique component of the cytoskeleton {reviewed in [1]}. Septin monomers assemble into hetero oligomeric complexes and polymerize into filaments which can associate with the membrane and other [...]
What is cell polarity? Cell polarity refers to the intrinsic asymmetry observed in cells, either in their shape, structure, or organization of cellular components. Most epithelial cells, migrating cells and developing cells require some form of cell polarity for their function. These cells receive [...]
What processes occur during cardiac development? The heart is the first functional organ to form during the development of an embryo, which, in humans, occurs during the third week post-fertilization. It primarily involves the following sequence of events: the specification of cardiac precursor cells [...]
How do cardiomyocytes differentiate? Cardiomyocytes are the chief cell type in the heart and their coordinated contraction as a mass is responsible for the pumping of blood around the developing embryo. Cardiac specification occurs very early on during embryonic development. For instance, in mouse [...]
How does the vascular system form? What is vasculogenesis? Vasculogenesis refers to the morphogenetic process occurring during the earliest stages of embryonic development by which a de novo vascular system, consisting of the heart and the blood vessels, is formed from mesodermal precursor cells. [...]
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One of four Research Centres of Excellence at NUS, MBI is working to identify, measure and describe how the forces for motility and morphogenesis are expressed at the molecular, cellular and tissue level.