The noroviruses (formerly known as “Norwalk-like viruses”) are associated with gastroenteritis outbreaks, affecting large numbers of individuals each year. Emerging data are supporting their increasing recognition as important agents of diarrhea-related morbidity and mortality. The frequency with which noroviruses are associated with gastroenteritis as “food and water-borne pathogens” has led to the inclusion of caliciviruses as Category B Bioterrorism Agents/Diseases.
Porcine enteric calicivirus (PEC) is a member of the genus Sapovirus in the family Caliciviridae. This virus causes diarrheal illness in pigs, and is presently the only enteric calicivirus that can be grown in cell culture. In addition to its relevance to veterinary medicine as a diarrheal agent in pigs, PEC serves as an important model for the study of enteric caliciviruses that cause diarrhea and that cannot be grown in cell culture (including the noroviruses represented by Norwalk virus).
This technology includes K14creDLX3 conditional knockout (cKO) mice which will be used to study ectodermal dysplasia disorders such as Amelogenesis Imperfecta, and to study molecular mechanisms of DLX3 regulation in skin and ectodermal appendages. DLX3 is expressed in the epidermis, hair matrix cells in the hair follicle and in the mesenchymal and epithelial compartment of the tooth during embryonic development. To determine the transcriptional network dependent on DLX3-function, we will generate and analyze an epithelial-specific conditional knockout of DLX3.
Gel materials, particularly hydrogels, typically lose their mechanical strength and stiffness as they swell. This property limits their use in both biological (e.g., cartilage and ECM repair) and non-biological (e.g., sealant) applications. Innovative materials in both medical and non-medical application areas are sorely needed.