Nature Communications (journal) Archive

tug-of-rope pair
November 3, 2016

VUMC investigators find pathogens work together to infect host

Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus — two pathogens that frequently co-infect the lungs of patients with cystic fibrosis — appear to cooperate with each other, Vanderbilt investigators have discovered. When pseudomonas is starved for metal by the host, it shuts down the production of factors that would normally kill staph, promoting a co-infection.

By Leigh MacMillan
glowing brain cell
October 27, 2016

Bioluminescent sensor causes brain cells to glow in the dark

A team of Vanderbilt scientists have genetically modified luciferase, the enzyme that produces bioluminescence, so that it acts as an optical sensor that records activity in brain cells.

By VUMC News and Communications
April 28, 2016

Study links COPD with increased bacterial invasion

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a common smoking-related lung illness and the third leading cause of death in the United States. Scientists have long believed that inhaling toxic gases and particles from tobacco smoke causes inflammation of the small airways in the lungs, leading to the development of COPD.

By VUMC News and Communications
March 3, 2016

Melanoma response to immune therapy

Melanoma-specific expression of a certain protein identifies tumors that are more responsive to an immune therapy.

By Leigh MacMillan
x-ray of stomach
July 21, 2015

Study finds rerouting bile acids may offer simpler alternative to gastric bypass surgery

A new surgical procedure could offer a simpler approach to achieve some of the same weight-loss and metabolic benefits associated with gastric bypass surgery, researchers at VUMC report.

By VUMC News and Communications
April 30, 2015

Study team uses metabolomics to study longevity

The keys to longevity have been a source of curiosity and the basis of many research studies for years, yet the mechanisms underlying a person’s ability to live a long life are still not fully understood.

By Kathy Whitney
April 15, 2015

VU team’s cattle research may yield lung disease clues

Vanderbilt University researchers have found a genetic mutation that causes pulmonary hypertension in cattle grazed at high altitude, and which leads to a life-threatening condition called brisket disease.
By VUMC News and Communications
September 4, 2014

VU study creates new road map for cellular activity

Human cells are constructed in large part from proteins whose activity can be altered by the incorporation of oxygen in what are known as redox modifications.
By VUMC News and Communications