Office of the Vice Dean for Basic Sciences · UC Davis School of Medicine

Basic Sciences Faculty Publications

October 2025 – March 2026  ·  Draft for review
14Papers identified
6Departments
6Top-tier journals
2Time windows
Department color key
Physiology & Membrane Biology
Pharmacology
Cell Biology & Human Anatomy
Biochemistry & Molecular Medicine
Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Public Health Sciences
Review / Perspectives
4 papers
Jan – Mar 2026  (2026 Q1)
10 papers
Cell Biology & Human Anatomy
Nature Cell Biology Feb 2026
Adaptor-mediated recruitment of three dyneins to dynactin enhances force generation
Richard J McKenney et al.
Demonstrates how adaptor proteins simultaneously recruit three dynein motors to dynactin, generating up to 9 pN of pulling force — a key mechanism for robust intracellular cargo transport under mechanical load.
Science Advances Feb 2026
Oriented cell divisions induce basal progenitors and regulate neural expansion across tissues and species
Boulan B, Lacomme M, … Anna La Torre, Cayouette M
Shows that the angle of neural progenitor division governs brain and retinal size across species, with evolutionary implications for how mammalian nervous systems scale in complexity.
Pharmacology
Nature Communications Jan 2026
Structural basis for the subtype-selectivity of KCa2.2 channel activators
Nam YW, … Heike Wulff, Zhang M
Cryo-EM structures of the KCa2.2 channel bound to rimtuzalcap establish a structural blueprint for designing highly selective neurological therapeutics targeting small-conductance calcium-activated potassium channels.
Medical Microbiology & Immunology
Nature Communications Jan 2026
Intelectin-2 is a broad-spectrum antimicrobial lectin
Dugan AE, Syangtan D, … Charles L. Bevins, Kiessling LL
Identifies intelectin-2 as a dual-function mucosal immune protein that both kills microbes and reinforces the mucus barrier — with implications for IBD, infection susceptibility, and mucosal vaccine design.
mBio Feb 2026
A new mouse model of typhoid fever using Salmonella Paratyphi C as a surrogate pathogen
Pham HT, … Renée M. Tsolis, Andreas J. Bäumler
Develops an improved small-animal model for drug-resistant typhoid fever and vaccine testing, addressing a long-standing gap in the field caused by host-specificity of S. Typhi.
Physiology & Membrane Biology
J. Physiology · Perspectives Jan 2026
Piezo1 in intestinal smooth muscle cells: Emerging perspectives
Bautista GM, L. Fernando Santana, Martin MG
Highlights Piezo1's role in mechanosensing and regulation of intestinal muscle contractions, with implications for understanding gut motility disorders.
⚠ Perspectives piece — not primary research
Journal of Physiology Feb 2026
Kidney disease impairs tendon function in rats
Hayden CMT, … Keith Baar
First direct evidence that chronic kidney disease mechanically weakens tendons, establishing a validated animal model for studying and reversing musculoskeletal complications of CKD.
Public Health Sciences
Nature Medicine Mar 2026
Deleterious coding variation associated with autism is shared across ancestries
Natividad Avila M, Jung S, Satterstrom FK, … Irva Hertz-Picciotto, … Rebecca Schmidt, … Buxbaum JD · GALA Consortium
The largest sequencing study of autism in Latin American individuals (n > 15,000) identifies 35 genome-wide significant autism-associated genes with substantial overlap across ancestries, demonstrating that autism biology is consistent across populations and supporting the utility of genetic testing in diverse backgrounds.
Environment International Feb 2026
Prenatal exposure to wildfire-related PM2.5 and autism spectrum disorder in children born in California between 2001–2019
O’Sharkey K, … Goodrich AJ, Conlon KC, Nuño M, Bennett DH, … Rebecca J. Schmidt
Analysis of 8.6 million California births reveals that intense wildfire smoke exposure during pregnancy increases ASD risk by up to 50%, particularly in low-background-pollution and rural settings — underscoring the need for targeted policies as wildfire frequency rises.
Environmental Epidemiology Jan 2026
Trees — not grass and other greenery — associated with lower heart disease risk in cities
Peter James et al.
Using over 350 million street-view images across the Nurses’ Health Study, finds that urban tree canopy is associated with a 4% decrease in cardiovascular disease, while grass and shrubs show no benefit or a slight increase — with implications for urban planning and environmental health policy.