Methylation of cytokines gene promoters in IL-1β-treated human intestinal epithelial cells

Objective and design: Epigenetic regulation is important in the activation of inflammatory cells. In the present study, we evaluated if DNA-methylation variations are involved in Interleukin-1β (IL-1β)-induced intestinal epithelial cells activation. Materials and methods: Differentiated Caco-2 cells were exposed to IL-1β or to 5-azadeoxycytidine (5-azadC) for 24 or 48 h. Genome-wide methylation status was evaluated, while DNA methylation status at the promoter region of the gene encoding interleukin-6, 8 and 10 (IL-6, 8 and 10) was estimated. The levels of the corresponding gene products as well as DNA methyltransferases (DNMTs) quantity were assessed. Results: IL-1β decreased genomic m…

Disegnare il mutevole. Il concorso per il grattacielo Peugeot di Maurizio Sacripanti

Maurizio Sacripanti, one of the most significant figures in Italian architecture in the second half of the twentieth century, has experimented with his own architectural language making use of the influences of literature and contemporary art. In the Roman architect, in fact, different artistic experiences coexist, programmed art, megastructure and structuralism, optical-art, visionary architecture and kinetic art, these perhaps the most interesting ones. Other references can be found in the previous experiences of De Stijl and Futurism. The project for the competition for the Peugeot skyscraper in Buenos Aires seems to contain, in his conception and drawings, continuous references to all t…

Author response: Phylogenetic variation in cortical layer II immature neuron reservoir of mammals

Phylogenetic variation in cortical layer II immature neuron reservoir of mammals

The adult mammalian brain is mainly composed of mature neurons. A limited amount of stem cell-driven neurogenesis persists in postnatal life and is reduced in large-brained species. Another source of immature neurons in adult brains is cortical layer II. These cortical immature neurons (cINs) retain developmentally undifferentiated states in adulthood, though they are generated before birth. Here, the occurrence, distribution and cellular features of cINs were systematically studied in 12 diverse mammalian species spanning from small-lissencephalic to large-gyrencephalic brains. In spite of well-preserved morphological and molecular features, the distribution of cINs was highly heterogeneou…