Selenoprotein K plays a role in foam cell formation and atherosclerosis by palmitoylating CD36 and FcgammaR phagocytosis by palmitoylating ASAP2. For more info see our papers in J Leukoc Biol (PMID 23444136 and 27601625).

Dr. Pietro Bertino in our lab established a collaboration with Drs. Michele Carbone, Giovanni Guardino, and Antonio Siccardi to investigate novel fowlpox-based vaccination for treating malignant mesothelioma. For more info see these papers in Int J Cancer and Human Vaccine Immunotherapy (PMID 23335100 and 26042612). 

Proteins regulated by SelK...

A novel anti-tumor vaccine...

Calpain-2 inhibitor therapy for colitis and colorectal cancer...

Post-doctoral researcher, Dr. Aaron Rose, has a new paper demonstrating effective intervention of IBD and colorectal cancer using a calpain-2 inhibitor. For more info see the paper in Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (PMID26076056).

Our J Immunol paper describes the critical role of calpastatin in preventing hyperactivation of macrophages and attenuating colitis. This study was carried out with Dr. Zhi Huang at Jinan University in P.R. China  (PMID 23986533).

Calpastatin limits inflammation...

Vaccine approaches...

Dr. Pietro Bertino in collaboration with Drs. Johann Urshitz and Stefan Moisyadi at the UH Institute for Biogenesis Research have interesting papers in the journals Vaccine and Human Vaccine Immunotherapy (PMID 24513010 and 26091088).

SelK is a cofactor in catalyzing palmitoylation of the IP3R...

Ph.D. student, Greg Fredericks, together FuKun Hoffmann and Aaron Rose in our lab have a new publication in PNAS. This breakthrough paper shows how SelK regulates calcium flux in immune cells (PMID 25368151).