JCI insight

Acute severe joint pain is a major symptom in gouty arthritis (GA), and its adequate treatment represents an unmet medical need. Mrgprb2, a specific mast cell receptor, has been implicated in the generation of chronic pain by mobilizing mas…

The human endometrium undergoes dynamic changes across the menstrual cycle to establish a receptive state for embryo implantation. Using bulk and single-cell RNA-Seq, we characterized gene expression dynamics in the cycling endometrium and …

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common severe bacterial infections in young children, often associated with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). To explore host genetic-microbiota interactions and their clinical implications, we analyz…

Cancer immunotherapy has emerged as a promising therapeutic modality but heterogeneity in patient responsiveness remains. Thus, greater understanding of the immunologic factors that dictate response to immunotherapy is critical to improve p…

Many risk-eligible women refuse tamoxifen for primary prevention of breast cancer due to concerns about common side effects such as vasomotor symptoms. Tamoxifen may also induce or worsen insulin resistance and hypertriglyceridemia, especia…

The notion of clonal cell populations in human atherosclerosis has been suggested but not demonstrated. Somatic mutations are used to define cellular clones in tumors. Here, we characterized the mutational landscape of human carotid plaques…

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease that affects 1 in 10 reproductive-aged women. Most studies investigate established disease; however, the initiation and early events in endometriotic lesion development remain poorly understo…

Decidual regulatory T cells (Tregs) are essential for successful pregnancy outcome. A subset of Tregs, T cell immunoglobulin and mucin domain-containing protein 3-positive regulatory T cells (TregsTim-3+), plays a central role in the accept…

Epigenetic aberrations, including posttranslational modifications of core histones, are major contributors to cancer. Here, we define the status of histone H2B monoubiquitylation (H2Bub1) in clear cell ovarian carcinoma (CCOC), low-grade se…

The development and progression of endometriotic lesions are poorly understood, but immune cell dysfunction and inflammation are closely associated with the pathophysiology of endometriosis. There is a need for 3D in vitro models to permit …

Pain emanating from the female reproductive tract is notoriously difficult to treat, and the prevalence of transient pelvic pain has been placed as high as 70%-80% in women surveyed. Although sex hormones, especially estrogen, are thought t…

Pancreatic fibrosis is a complication of chronic pancreatitis and is a prominent feature of pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic fibrosis is commonly observed in patients with prolonged pancreatic duct obstruction, which elevates intrapancreatic p…

Pancreatitis, the inflammatory disorder of the pancreas, has no specific therapy. Genetic, biochemical, and animal model studies revealed that trypsin plays a central role in the onset and progression of pancreatitis. Here, we performed bio…

Chronic inflammation and localized alterations in immune cell function are suspected to contribute to the progression of endometriosis and its associated symptoms. In particular, the alarmin IL-33 is elevated in the plasma, peritoneal fluid…

Hyperstimulation of the cholecystokinin 1 receptor (CCK1R), a G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), in pancreatic acinar cells is commonly used to induce pancreatitis in rodents. Human pancreatic acinar cells lack CCK1R but express cholinergic…

WNK1 (with no lysine [K] kinase 1) is an atypical kinase protein ubiquitously expressed in humans and mice. A mutation in its encoding gene causes hypertension in humans, which is associated with abnormal ion homeostasis. WNK1 is critical f…

With multifactorial etiologies, combined with disease heterogeneity and a lack of suitable diagnostic markers and therapy, endometriosis remains a major reproductive health challenge. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) have emerged as major contr…

NK cell-based immunotherapies have been gaining traction in the clinic for treatment of cancer. IL-15 is currently being used in number of clinical trials to improve NK cell expansion and function. The objective of this study is to evaluate…

Maternal obesity and a high-fat diet (HFD) during the perinatal period have documented short- and long-term adverse outcomes for offspring. However, the mechanisms of maternal HFD effects on neonatal offspring are unclear. While the effects…

Recent gene-profiling analyses showed significant upregulation of the folate hydrolase (FOLH1) gene in the affected intestinal mucosa of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The FOLH1 gene encodes a type II transmembrane glycopro…

Over one-fifth of North American women of childbearing age are obese, putting these women at risk for a variety of detrimental chronic diseases. In addition, obesity increases the risk for developing major complications during pregnancy. Th…

Although a close connection between uterine regeneration and successful pregnancy in both humans and mice has been consistently observed, its molecular basis remains unclear. We here established a mouse model of decellularized uterine matri…