Murine acquired immune deficiency syndrome (MAIDS) shares several common characteristics with human AIDS, including immunodeficiency, hypergammaglobulinemia, susceptibility to infection, both B and T cell dysfunctions, lymphadenopathy, splenomegaly and aberrant cytokine production. The etiologic agent of MAIDS has been identified as…

Mutations in the parkin gene are responsible for an early-onset autosomal-recessive form of Parkinson's disease. Parkin is an E3 ubiquitin ligase that acts in the covalent attachment of the small protein ubiquitin to substrate proteins. Although many parkin substrates have…

The study of how antigens and superantigens are presented to T cell has always been a great challenge to immunologists. Mainly because the understanding of how subtle changes in the interaction of the T cell receptor (TCR) with its ligands…

In this study, we describe the isolation and characterization of a functionally signaling-deficient Galpha16-negative somatic mutant (hereafter referred to clone 43) derived from the wildtype Jurkat T cell line by means of an activation-induced cell death resistance-based selection strategy. The…

Signaling by growth factors from the TGFbeta/activin has a profound impact on cancer development. They can either negatively regulate tumor development by their ability to inhibit cell growth, induce apoptosis and limit the number of cell divisions through inhibition of…

The establishment and maintenance of the cardiac phenotype requires the activation of cardiac-specific as well as muscle-restricted genes in a tightly regulated spatial manner. This process is presumably governed by the combinatorial action of cell-restricted as well as ubiquitous transcriptional…

Nerve growth factor (NGF) belongs to the neurotrophin family of growth factors. NGF can bind to two transmembrane receptors, TrkA and p75. TrkA is the NGF specific tyrosine kinase receptor; p75 is a receptor which is common to all neurotrophins.…

The neurotrophins are growth factors involved in the development, maintenance, survival, and death of the nervous system. The signal transducing systems that mediate the diverse biological functions of the neurotrophins are initiated by their interactions with two categories of cell…

Remodelling of extracellular matrix (ECM) is a prominent feature of atherosclerotic lesions and contributes to lipoprotein retention as well as smooth muscle cell (SMC) activation. To gain further knowledge about ECM, certain ECM components and their degrading enzymes were studied…

Premature labour and subsequent premature birth is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality. We studied marine labour at term and preterm with models of intrauterine infection and ovariectomy using Affymetrix microarray U74Av2 (containing 12,488 probe sets) and real-time…