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Zinc is required for the regulation of proliferation, metabolism, and cell signaling. It is an intracellular second messenger, and the cellular level of ionic, mobile zinc is strictly controlled by zinc transporters. In mammals, zinc homeostasis is primarily regulated by ZIP and ZnT zinc transporters. The importance of these transporters is underscored by the list of diseases resulting from change

Palaearctic steppes evolved under the Cenozoic cold arid climate and megaherbivore pressure. A large portion of the biome persisted into the Holocene but has recently been subjected to human land use alternation. Pseudophilotes bavius (Lepidoptera: Lycaenidae) is a steppe specialist sporadically distributed in Eastern Europe and Pontic-Caspian region (from Transylvania to Southern Urals), the Balk

A substantial portion of grassland photosynthates is allocated belowground to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), but controversy remains about whether this carbon (C) contributes to soil organic carbon (SOC) under warming. The goal of this study was to investigate how AMF biomass and C sequestered by AMF (CNew) are influenced by soil warming. We estimated the AMF biomass and CNew, assumed to be m

Exacerbations present a major clinical problem in many patients suffering from COPD. Roflumilast, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 4, has beneficial effects in several clinical trials and is currently widely used to prevent exacerbations in severe COPD. Roflumilast has anti-inflammatory properties that may interfere with potentially important host defense functions, including cytotoxic properties

In this report we show that Tyr568 and Tyr570 are phosphorylated in vivo in the Kit/stem cell factor receptor (Kit/SCFR) following ligand-stimulation. By mutation of Tyr568 and Tyr570 to phenylalanine residues and expression of the mutated receptors in porcine aortic endothelial (PAE) cells, we could demonstrate a loss of activation of members of the Src family of tyrosine kinases when Tyr568 was

Activation of the platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) beta-receptor leads to cell growth and chemotaxis. The PDGF alpha-receptor also mediates a mitogenic signal, but fails to induce cell migration in certain cell types. To examine this difference in signal transduction, a series of point-mutated PDGF alpha-receptors were analyzed. Porcine aortic endothelial cells expressing mutant PDGF alpha-re

Anti-citrullinated protein antibodies (ACPAs) are a hallmark of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and represent an important tool for the serological diagnosis of RA. In this study, we describe ACPA reactivity to overlapping citrullinated Epstein-Barr virus nuclear antigen-1 (EBNA-1)-derived peptides and analyze their potential as substrates for ACPA detection by streptavidin capture enzyme-linked immunos

The effect of pH on the kinetics of the bioelectrocatalytic reduction of H2O2 catalysed by horseradish peroxidase (HRP) has been studied at –50 mV vs. AgjAgCl on HRP-modified Au electrodes placed in a wall-jet flow-through electrochemical cell. Native HRP (nHRP) and a nonglycosylated recombinant form containing a six-histidine tag at the C-terminus, CHisrHRP, produced by genetic engineering of non

A number of statistical techniques to analyze and model coastal morphological evolution over yearly and decadal (i.e., long-term) time scales based on field data are presented. After a general introduction to long-term morphological modeling, mainly linear methods are discussed, whereas nonlinear methods are treated in a companion paper (SOUTHGATE et al., 2001). The theoretical background to the m

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase 3B (PDE3B) has been suggested to be critical for mediating insulin/IGF-1 inhibition of cAMP signaling in adipocytes, liver, and pancreatic beta cells. In Pde3b-KO adipocytes we found decreased adipocyte size, unchanged insulin-stimulated phosphorylation of protein kinase B and activation of glucose uptake, enhanced catecholamine-stimulated lipolysis and insulin-

Electron transfer (ET) of ligninolytic peroxidases was studied in the bioelectrocatalytic reduction reaction of H2O2 at peroxidase-modified graphite electrodes. Specifically, native lignin (LiP) and manganese (MnP) peroxidases secreted by Phanerochaete chrysosporium, as well as a few different recombinant MnP forms were used in the electrochemical studies. The recombinant enzymes included wild-typ

Acute otitis media (AOM) is the most common reason for outpatient antimicrobial therapy. Mixed infections pose a potential problem, since the first-line drug used for the treatment of AOM, amoxicillin, can be neutralized by ß-lactamase-producing pathogens of the upper respiratory tract. To study the effects of a 5-day course of amoxicillin on a mixed middle ear infection, rats were challenged with

The existence of T cells restricted for the MHC I-like molecule CD1 is well established, but the function of these cells is still obscure; one implication is that CD1-dependent T cells regulate autoimmunity. In this study, we investigate their role in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE), an animal model for multiple sclerosis, using CD1-deficient mice on a C57BL/6 background. We show t

The extracellular matrix consists of structural macromolecules and other proteins with regulatory functions. An important family of the latter class of molecules found in most tissues is the small leucine-rich repeat proteins (SLRPs). We have previously shown that the SLRP fibromodulin binds directly to C1q and activates the classical pathway of complement. In the present study we further examine

Haemophilus influenzae protein E (PE) is a 16 kDa adhesin that induces a pro-inflammatory immune response in lung epithelial cells. The active epithelial binding region comprising amino acids PE 84-108 also interferes with complement-mediated bacterial killing by capturing vitronectin (Vn) that prevents complement deposition and formation of the membrane attack complex (MAC). Here, the interaction

OBJECTIVE: Smooth muscle cell (SMC) phenotypic modulation, an important component of atherosclerosis progression, is critically regulated by the matrix, with normal components of the healthy SMC matrix limiting modulation and atherosclerosis-associated transitional matrix proteins promoting phenotypic modulation. We sought to determine how collagen IV (which comprises the healthy artery wall) and

OBJECTIVE: Systemic administration of immunotherapeutics often gives rise to severe side effects. A local deposition, using secretory lysosomes of hematopoietic cells as vehicles for delivery, can overcome this problem. In the present study, the validity of this concept was investigated using retroviral transduction of the human soluble tumor necrosis factor-alpha receptor 1 (hsTNFR1) into murine

C4b-binding protein (C4BP) is best known as a potent soluble inhibitor of the classical and lectin pathways of the complement system. This large 500kDa multimeric plasma glycoprotein is expressed mainly in the liver but also in lung and pancreas. It consists of several identical 75kDa α-chains and often also one 40kDa β-chain, both of which are mainly composed of complement control protein (CCP) d

The membrane lipid-anchored glypicans (heparan sulfate proteoglycans) are present in both vertebrates and invertebrates and serve as important modulators of growth factors and morphogens during development. Their core proteins are similar and consist of a large N-terminal domain comprising 14 evolutionary conserved cysteines and a C-terminal stalk carrying the heparan sulfate side-chains and the l