Toxicology Division Research Highlights

Matrix

• Mis-regulation of a set of unusual collagen genes during the development of (i) lung fibrosis caused by exposure to chemicals and inhaled particulates, and (ii) hepatic fibrosis induced by carbon tetrachloride.
  
  
• Use of a reversible pulmonary hypertension model to examine collagen XII/XIV/I interactions as a mechanism underlying excessive collagen deposition and fibril thickening
  
  
• Identification of new corneal collagens and assessing their roles in assembling a cornea that is transparent and that refracts light.
  
  
• Development of a corneal cell line for the evaluation of environmental agents, such as diesel fumes, for irritancy and toxicity to the cornea, by following the changes that occur in the cells' expression of matrix components before and after treatment.
  
  
• Effect of nitrogen mustards on markers of disruption of the basement membrane in skin of mice as inhibitors or metalloproteinases as potential therapeutic agents for chemical warfare agents.
  
  
  

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