Viewpoints:

Dispatches from the Frontlines of Research - edited by John W. Nelson

Shunsuke Chikuma and Jeffrey A. Bluestone

CTLA-4: Acting at the Synapse
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 205-208. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Lee M. Graves, Jun Han, and H. Shelton Earp, III

Transactivation of the EGF Receptor: Is the PDGF Receptor an Unexpected Accomplice?
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 208-212. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Claudia Wietek and Luke A. O’Neill

IRAK-4: A New Drug Target in Inflammation, Sepsis, and Autoimmunity
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 212-215. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Sharen E. McKay and Leonard K. Kaczmarek

Act Locally: New Ways of Regulating Voltage-Gated Ion Channels
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 215-218. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

R E V I E W S:

Karen J. Ho and James K. Liao

Non-nuclear Actions of Estrogen: New Targets for Prevention and Treatment of Cardiovascular Disease
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 219-228. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Textbook accounts of estrogen lead one to envision estrogen receptors (ERs) shedding their inhibitory protein partners, dimerizing, and translocating to the nucleus. More recent observations indicate that ERs lead another lifestyle as well: as immediate participants in signal transduction. Non-nuclear or non-genomic effects of ER action include the protection of cardiac muscle and vascular smooth muscle cells, but much more remains to be discovered.

Anthony O. Fedele, Murray L. Whitelaw, and Daniel J. Peet

Regulation of Gene Expression by the Hypoxia-Inducible Factors
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 229-243. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

When the delivery of oxygen to tissues or individual cells becomes less than adequate—a state termed hypoxia—the expression of many hypoxia-sensitive genes is stimulated by the transcription factors Hypoxia-Inducible Factor-1{alpha} (HIF-1{alpha}) and HIF-2{alpha}. Normally labile, the HIF-{alpha} proteins undergo hydroxylation on key residues that effectively promotes their degradation and increases specific gene expression. HIF-{alpha} proteins and their effectors are not only involved in normal processes such as erythropoiesis and angiogenesis, but are also activated in aberrant states including cancer. Thus, understanding the mechanisms by which HIF-1{alpha} and HIF-2{alpha} are regulated may lead to useful clinical therapeutic drugs.

Brian K. Kwon, Jaimie F. Borisoff, and Wolfram Tetzlaff

Molecular Targets for Therapeutic Intervention after Spinal Cord Injury
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 244-258. [Summary] [Full Text] [PDF]  

Thousands of active people are rendered immobile each year in North America alone by spinal cord injury. In the face of this health concern, much recent research has illuminated the multiple processes whereby endogenous factors in the grievously injured spinal cord prevent axonal growth and regeneration. With the identification of the molecular networks that participate in inhibiting axon regeneration, the future is looking brighter for therapeutic interventions that will help the paralyzed walk again.

D E P A R T M E N T S:

Speaking of Pharmacology:

Martin C. Michel, Jeffrey R. Jasper, and Paul Insel

Adrenoceptors: A Convergence of Thinking
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 198-200. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Reflections:

Science in the cultural context

Susan L. Speaker

Creating a Monster: Newspapers, Magazines, and America’s Drug Problem
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 201-204. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Beyond the Bench:

Representations of pharmacology and science in the media

Christine K. Carrico

Ether Daze
Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 259. [Full Text] [PDF]  

Outliers:

Cartoon

Mol. Interv. 2002 2: 264. [Full Text] [PDF]  

To see an article, click its [Full Text] link. To review many summaries, check the boxes to the left of the titles you want, and click the 'Get All Checked Summary(s)' button. To see one summary at a time, click its [Summary] link.