The involvement of extracellular nucleotides and adenosine in an array of cell-specific
responses has long been known and appreciated, but the integrative view of purinergic …

Abstract Background Matrix vesicles (MVs) are released from hypertrophic chondrocytes
and from mature osteoblasts, the cells responsible for endochondral and membranous …

Cyclic GMP-AMP (cGAMP) is an intracellular second messenger that is synthesized in
response to cytosolic double-stranded DNA and activates the innate immune STING …

The metazoan innate immune second messenger 2′ 3′-cGAMP is present both inside
and outside cells. However, only extracellular cGAMP can be negatively regulated by the …

Agonists of mouse STING (TMEM173) shrink and even cure solid tumors by activating innate
immunity; human STING (hSTING) agonists are needed to test this therapeutic hypothesis in …

Osteoblasts mineralize bone matrix by promoting hydroxyapatite crystal formation and
growth in the interior of membrane-limited matrix vesicles (MVs) and by propagating the …

Idiopathic infantile arterial calcification (IIAC; OMIM 208000) is characterized by calcification
of the internal elastic lamina of muscular arteries and stenosis due to myointimal …

Tissue-nonspecific alkaline phosphatase (TNAP) hydrolyzes the mineralization inhibitor
inorganic pyrophosphate (PPi). Deletion of the TNAP gene (Akp2) in mice results in …

Vascular calcification is associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
Hyperphosphatemia is an important contributor to vascular calcification. Our previous …

Background Vascular calcification is an indicator of elevated cardiovascular risk. Vascular
smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), the predominant cell type involved in medial vascular …