"Cadmium, cell signaling and the cytoskeleton"

镉是一种金属元素，自工业时代开始就在我们的环境中积累。它没有必要的生物功能，而且有剧毒。它的主要目标之一是肾脏，我们发现一种叫做系膜细胞的肾细胞对这种金属有独特的反应。镉影响信号在细胞中的运作方式，并影响细胞内部骨架的排列。它使氧气被激活，并通过几种不同的途径导致细胞死亡。我们的研究旨在了解镉是如何对细胞产生毒性作用的。我们也在使用这个系统来了解更多关于信号传导、细胞结构和细胞死亡之间的基本相互作用。

Cadmium is a metallic element that has been accumulating in our environment since the beginning of the industrial age. It has no essential biological function and is highly toxic. One of its major targets is the kidney, and we have found that a type of kidney cell called the mesangial cell has unique responses to this metal. Cadmium affects the way signals operate in this cell, and affects the arrangement of the internal skeleton of the cell. It causes oxygen to be activated, and leads to cell death by several different pathways. Our research is directed towards understanding how cadmium exerts its toxic effects on cells. We are also using this system to learn more about fundamental interactions among signaling, cell structure, and cell death.